Leadership Team
Our fearless leaders.
The WCG Leadership Team brings a refreshing mix of personalities who lead by example and keep client needs at the forefront.
Diane Weiser
Chief Client Partner, Healthcare
“Just breathe”Diane brings more than 20 years of healthcare communications experience to WeissComm. With expertise in a range of therapeutic categories including cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, oncology, ophthalmology and urology, Diane has managed programs for leading companies including Pfizer, Genentech, Bayer Diagnostics, Allergan, Aventis, and Pharmacia.
Diane joined WCG from Ketchum where she was director of the healthcare practice and launched Genentech's, Avastin™ and ran the Lipitor® business. Throughout her career, Diane has fostered relationships with professional/patient organizations and managed product launches, awareness campaigns, corporate positioning and crisis communications. Previously, Diane was SVP and director at Makovsky & Company.
Gail Cohen
Global Practice Leader
“Live with passion”Gail joins WCG from Burson-Marsteller where she was the chair of the Global Healthcare Practice and as such oversaw the strategic growth and development of the Practice across all regions. She was responsible for helping the healthcare teams drive success and strengthen new business, while addressing the complex communications needs of clients.
Bringing 20 years of experience to this position, Gail has pioneered some of the industry's most successful pharmaceutical campaigns and has led numerous award-winning programs. She is a recognized expert in pharmaceutical marketing and issues management.
Prior to joining Burson-Marsteller, Gail served on the Leadership Council for Chandler Chicco Companies (CCC). Reporting to the Principals, she was responsible for driving new business initiatives, overseeing the Agency's affiliate relationships with Asia-Pacific and the Americas, and creating unique branding platforms.
At CCC, Gail led much of the creative and strategic development for the Agency that won business with many of the top global pharmaceutical companies and spurred organic growth. She led domestic and global campaigns for clinical development, scientific studies, patient advocacy, opinion leader relationships and life cycle management. Gail counseled clients through high-profile product recalls, regulatory issues and corporate and legal challenges. Gail has experience across a broad range of disease areas including, but not limited to, cardiovascular disease, oncology, metabolic disorder, dermatology, women's health and internal medicine.
She has led successful public relations programs for Fortune 500 companies and has managed global communications campaigns for large clients such as Johnson & Johnson, Oxford Health Plans, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer and Novartis.
Prior to joining CCC, Gail worked in boutique agencies focusing on consumer communications across a broad array of luxury goods, beauty products and celebrity clients including Donald Trump, Elizabeth Taylor and Karl Lagerfeld.
Gail holds a Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University.
Leslie Wheeler
Practice Leader, Healthcare
“Do what you love”Leslie brings passion for healthcare to WCG along with more than 15 years of experience in international and integrated biopharmaceutical communications with an emphasis on market conditioning, strategic planning, product communications, advocacy relations and crisis communications.
Leslie has a diverse background and expertise across several therapeutic areas including oncology, hematology, endocrinology, cardiology, pain and eye health. Leslie has been instrumental in developing and executing global communications programs and strategies for biopharmaceutical companies including Celgene, Pfizer, Bausch + Lomb, Genzyme and Novartis.
Leslie joins WCG from dna Medical Communications, a division of Weber Shandwick, where she successfully led strategic growth and development of the group as Executive Vice President and General Manager.
Previously, Leslie worked exclusively in the oncology space both at Ruder Finn supporting Novartis Oncology as well as at AstraZeneca's global headquarters where she served as a global public relations manager.
Craig Alperowitz
Group Director of Consumer Brands
Craig joined WCG in July 2011 as Group Director of Consumer Brands, bringing 18 years of strategic communications, corporate visibility and issues management experience to the role. He previously served as Executive Vice President at Lippe Taylor, responsible for the consumer and consumer health divisions representing brands including Nestle Beverage, David’s Bridal, IKEA, Qiagen and others. Prior, as Managing Director at DeVries Public Relations, Craig led a variety of blue-chip brands including Procter & Gamble’s health & lifestyle division, Samuel Adams brewery, E&J Gallo winery, Tropicana, NutriSystem and Bank of America.
During his tenure, Craig worked with prominent culinary experts, chefs and associations, where he refined his culinary knowledge and his palate. He led the Gallo Family Vineyards Gold Medal Awards, recognizing achievement in culinary craftsmanship and helped Samuel Adams take its rightful place on the dining room table. Simultaneously, he led high-visibility consumer launches for brands including Vicks with Vitamin C, ThermaCare Arthritis and PUR’s “Thirsty for Change” initiative featuring Cindy Crawford.
In his prior role as Vice President at FitzGerald Communications, Craig was responsible for Absolut Vodka’s award-winning Web site, launching the brand’s Vanilla and Raspberry line extensions through digital communications. He orchestrated C-level visibility programs for Accenture and IBM Business Consulting Services and represented numerous software companies, spanning industries as diverse as online community influencer analysis, emerging wireless technologies, sales force productivity, application hosting and enterprise management software.
A veteran of the entertainment industry, he began his publicity career working with celebrities including Reese Witherspoon, Courteney Cox, Elijah Wood, Liam Neeson, Christian Slater and others. Craig later worked at Sony Pictures and New Line Cinema on blockbuster films such as Rush Hour, Magnolia, Pleasantville, Austin Powers 2 and Lord of the Rings before joining Niehaus Ryan Wong where he represented Pixar Animation Studios working alongside industry visionaries Steve Jobs, John Lasseter and Brad Bird.
A graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, Craig lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.
Rob Cronin
Practice Leader, Healthcare Technology & Transformation
For 20 years, Rob Cronin has been a trusted advisor to leaders in the two fastest growing and most innovative industries in the world: healthcare and technology. As the head of WCG’s Healthcare Technology & Transformation Practice, Rob helps clients in both industries tell the story of how their organizations and communities are enabling change throughout the nation’s healthcare system.
Whether that change is driving physician adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records, engaging patients via mobile and social media platforms, or helping providers, insurers and policymakers develop new models of care, our team is able to meet this sector’s growing communications needs with deep domain expertise. Rob and his team know how to engage and communicate with CIOs and MDs; gadget gurus and journal editors; experts across industry, government and academia; health IT evangelists and critics; and nurses that tweet and patients that blog.
Rob joined WCG from Surescripts, where he led corporate communications for the nation’s largest health information network.
