Gil Bashe

Our health system is hard to navigate — sometimes the sectors seem at odds. But, patients expect that each piece of the medical puzzle – physician, provider, payer, pharma and policy – will focus on their wellbeing. Through my 30+ years in health, I’ve believed that communication with the patient is a crucial part of their care. At Finn Partners, I have the honor of championing the talent and ideas in the nation’s “Mid-Sized Agency of the Year” (Holmes Report) as we seek to amaze clients with bold, thoughtful and life-changing ideas.

Whether it’s introducing new biopharma innovation for a small patient population or a new campaign for Medicare open enrollment, I yearn to take on big challenges or obstacles that impact patients directly. In fact, my health career began on the battlefield. My early foray into health in the 1980s was as a paratrooper and combat medic. The noise, action and calls for help transformed me into a life-long health advocate. When our clients succeed, and their businesses grow, patients have more choice.

Through the years my readiness to take on bold challenges, saw me working with corporate and communication executives at hospitals, drug-distribution firms, payers, medical associations and biopharmaceutical innovators. On the advocacy side, I worked as a lobbyist for the New Jersey Health Products Council, a consortium of some of the nation’s largest consumer health products and biopharmaceutical companies.

I’ve joined Finn Partners after 12 years at Makovsky Health. Health has been a life-long career calling, from my days at CommonHealth, the global WPP Group health-marketing enterprise, and at its sister company, Hill & Knowlton, where I served as the first global Practice Director for its Health and Pharmaceutical Practice. Prior to this I led the award-winning specialist healthcare firm, Medicus PR.

I’ve been fortunate through the years, to have been part of numerous award-winning client efforts and industry accolades. Still, the greatest award is in making a difference in people’s lives.

I’ve been a 20+ year volunteer leader with the American Heart Association (AHA) and now chair the AHA Founder’s Affiliate, a seven-state region that includes many of the nation’s leading medical research centers in cardiovascular and stroke risk-reduction. My commitment to patient access to biomedical and technical innovation also led me to join the Galien and American Academy of Pain Medicine Foundation boards.

I am excited to be part of the Finn Partners team with its mission to make a difference in the world. This is the place to be, whether it the Health Practice or in any of our incredible disciplines, because the energy and commitment to harness combined knowledge and skill is the currency of innovation.