NEW YORK, USA // In advertising, Tim Hawkey is known as many things—creative innovator, raconteur, relentless optimist, and just plain relentless(to name a few).Andwhile no one person can be all things to all people, everyone who knows Tim can agree on one thing—there’s no one quite like him.

Co-leading AREA 23 since 2011, AREA 23 on Hudson since 2018, and McCann Health New York since 2022, Tim’s commitment to innovationand ingenuity to transformpharmaceutical advertising has made a mark on his agencies and the industry. AREA 23 has been recognized with the industry’s highest creative awards and honors including three Grands Prix at Cannes Lions and “Healthcare Agency of the Year” at Cannes Lions in 2017, 2020/2021, 2022, and 2023. The agency was also recognized as the #1 most creative agency in the world on The Drum’s 2023 World Creative Rankings – the first time a healthcare agency has secured the top spot in the U.S. and global leaderboards.

“Do what scares you,” Tim espouses to his creative teams. He believes that a great creative idea should challenge the customer and clients alike, even if that means implementing a little shock and awe from time to time. “Ifthey don’tstop and notice you,then everything you’re doing is just a waste of time.”

Before it all, Tim was an aspiring but failed scientist, putting in his time on the lab bench aiding in the preclinical investigation of the genetic etiology of breast cancer (p53 and BRCA1) at New York’s Columbia University.