AREA 23

Chief Creative Officer, AREA 23, AREA 23 on Hudson, McCann Health NY, and IPG Health Canada

Born into an advertising family, Tim spent his first 22 years trying to avoid a life in advertising. He may have failed at that, but he’s made up for it with a meteoric, award-winning career. After bringing AREA 23 to Health Agency of the Year accolades at nearly every award show under the sun, including Cannes Lions, Tim has solidified the agency’s reputation as the destination for creativity. In 2022, Tim was appointed Chief Creative Officer for McCann Health NY, extending his role to include creative leadership of the celebrated agency in addition to AREA 23, AREA 23 on Hudson, FCB Health Toronto and McCann Health Canada - with offices in Toronto and Montreal.

“Let’s not just do great work, let’s change this industry,” says Tim, who is driven to elevate creativity in the pharma space, at AREA 23, McCann Health NY, and beyond. He believes there is no good reason why pharma creative has to be bad. “If the work you are doing isn’t scaring you and your clients, and their lawyers, then you probably aren’t doing it right.”

It’s this drive to push the limits that invites much attention to the work of Tim and his teams, earning hundreds of trophies in the last 5 years from Clios, The One Show, D&AD, as well as garnering 50+ Lions at Cannes in the last 6 years, including the Grand Prix for Innovation, Radio and Audio, and Pharma, and achieving Health Agency of the Year in 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 and Health Network of the Year in 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022.

Group President – AREA 23, AREA 23 on Hudson, McCann Health NY, and IPG Health Canada

Administrative Assistant. Account Executive. Leader. Entrepreneur. President. Group President. Renee has worn many hats over the course of her 30+ year career, but the thread that runs through it all, is her competitive spirit and will to be the best.

Renee began her career at FCB (back then VICOM/FCB) straight out of college. After leading the launch of Celebrex, she co-founded start up agency for over a decade. She then returned to FCB as Managing Director of AREA 23. Now, ten years later, Renee is a Group President responsible for AREA 23, AREA 23 ON HUDSON, FCB Health Toronto and McCann Health Canada - with offices in Toronto and Montreal.

Prior to her feats in advertising, Renee was born in the Bronx and attended college via an athletic scholarship to play Division 1 soccer. She ultimately received a BS in Communications and an MS in Journalism and PR. Renee now resides in Connecticut with daughters Lauren and Brooke; Australian Shepherds Cooper and Cali; rescue cats Oliver and Jenna; and of course, husband Greg.

Renee has 3 core tenets to her management approach: We sell creativity in everything we do; We do not have account services – we have account management; We never worry about our own business – if our clients business succeeds – we succeed.

And that “We” is Renee and her partner, Tim Hawkey, Chief Creative Officer. Under the leadership of Renee and Tim, AREA 23 has seen enviable, industry leading growth.