Kenley Diaz is Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at DDB Health New York, with over twenty years of leadership in HCP and DTC health marketing. He designs integrated campaigns that connect with healthcare professionals and patients, harnessing design excellence and digital innovation to drive multi-channel engagement. Kenley brings a keen eye for storytelling and award-winning creativity.

His projects have won honors from Graphis, Global Awards, Rx Club, Communication Arts 2023 Illustration and MM&M, and he guided junior teams to consecutive Young Lions shortlist placements, including a first-place win in the digital category. A mentor and strategic partner, Kenley champions HCP education programs alongside compelling direct-to-consumer activations, ensuring every touchpoint delivers impact.

As a member of the 2025 New York Festivals Health Awards Executive Jury, he applies his passion for collaboration and innovation to celebrate the year’s most transformative achievements in health communications.

A seasoned world traveler before she could legally drive, Divya Dileep learned early that no matter who we are, where we’re from, what we look like, or who we love, we are all connected.

For Divya, creative excellence means being fearless, daring, and brave. Never settle. Always learn. Every setback is an opportunity to be better. Challenge and be challenged. Do whatever it takes to create a measurable, positive impact. Every. Single. Time.

For the past 15+ years, Divya has put her passion into practice with some of the biggest players in the health space in various therapeutic areas. Divya’s uniquely global viewpoint has led her to ensure that brands always show up with empathy and inclusivity.

Outside of work, Divya’s embrace of the bold, daring, and brave extends to art, music, and fashion—especially earrings. Those who know her would be hard-pressed to catch her wearing the same pair twice. She resides in Hoboken with her husband, Gautham, two kids, Dev and Nyra, and their fur baby, Prince!

Thiago Fernandes is a creative leader in healthcare advertising, currently serving as EVP, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Health. Before joining Ogilvy, he spent over five years at AREA 23, where he led award-winning initiatives for clients like Boehringer Ingelheim. Notable projects include The Unwearable Collection, Lil Sugar – Master of Disguise, In Transit, and bAIgrapher, all internationally recognized for creativity and effectiveness.

His career also spans leading consumer agencies such as Ogilvy Brazil, FCB Brazil, and F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, where he worked with global brands including UNICEF, Coca-Cola, Dexcom, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, FIAT, and Kraft Foods.

Thiago’s work blends strategic insight with emotional storytelling, creating campaigns that resonate deeply with audiences. Throughout his career, he has championed ideas that drive meaningful engagement across healthcare, consumer, and entertainment industries, earning global recognition for creativity that makes an impact.

Katie is a strategic marketing leader with a passion for building brands that connect with consumers.  Her experience spans pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, and alcoholic beverages, with deep expertise across integrated campaigns that drive awareness, shift behavior, and deliver results.  She has led consumer marketing efforts for powerhouse brands including SKYRIZI at AbbVie, Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark at Beam Suntory, and household staples at SC Johnson and Nestlé.

She brings nearly 20 years of experience and a leadership style rooted in trust, transparency, and collaboration. She’s known for energizing teams and building strong agency partnerships by simplifying the complex and honing in on what matters most.

Katie holds an MBA from the University of Iowa and a BS in Marketing from Truman State University.  Outside of work, she’s in the thick of toddlerhood – negotiating with a tiny but determined stakeholder, stretching her patience and discovering that a well-timed snack break may be the most effective leadership tool of all. 

Adam Hessel is a globally renowned and innovative creative leader who has made a significant impact on the healthcare sector's creative landscape. His reputation is built on a track record of consistently surpassing client expectations while remaining steadfast in upholding brand objectives and strategic vision. With a keen ability to elevate the capabilities of his teams, Adam is known for his rapid assessment of what it takes to achieve excellence. His unyielding drive has solidified his position as a transformative leader, propelling agencies to unprecedented levels of creativity and placing them prominently on the industry map.

Currently serving as the Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy Health North America, Adam holds a pivotal role in overseeing all creative endeavors, including AOR, PR, Med Comms, and Payer. He is an integral part of the Executive Leadership Team, Ogilvy's Worldwide Creative Council, and Ogilvy's Health Global Creative Community. Prior to his tenure at Ogilvy Health, Adam distinguished himself as the Chief Creative Officer at Harrison & Star, where he spearheaded the agency's transformation from a science-focused entity into a dynamic creative healthcare agency. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with influential figures in the advertising world, contributing his expertise to agencies such as GSW, Deutsch, SpikeDDB, TBWA Chiat Day, The Kaplan Thaler Group, and Publicis.

Adam's creative work has earned him a multitude of prestigious awards within the industry, including Cannes Lions, The One Show, Clio Awards, D&AD, New York Festivals, Andy's, LIA's, and The Creative Floor. Notably, he holds the esteemed #1 ranking by Lürzer's Archive.

A committed leader, Adam consistently challenges the boundaries of creativity, shatters barriers, and conceives larger-than-life ideas. His passion, diligence, and unwavering pursuit of excellence set him apart. Adam firmly believes that creativity knows no bounds and welcomes every challenge that comes his way. If you seek a confident and visionary leader to help you push the limits of creativity, Adam is the ideal collaborator.

Karl is an award-winning creative director with a strong passion for underserved communities and unconventional treatments. Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, he has over a decade of experience leading exceptional work and creating cutting-edge healthcare campaigns for both up and coming biotech clients and large-scale healthcare companies.

He believes there’s much more to life than winning awards, so he also devotes his time each year to mentoring the best and brightest young black talent, working with portfolio schools such as ONE School and D&AD Shift to help break down barriers in advertising.

Karl hasn’t been banned from the advertising industry yet, but until that happens, he’ll continue to be a contrarian, promoting diverse, weird, and outsider ideas in an industry that’s been insular and exclusive for far too long.

Jesse has been a creative leader in the health and wellness space for 20 years. With over 6 years at Area 23 and nearly 6 at Neon, he's proud to have spent most of his professional career at IPG Health.​

He has developed breakthrough, internationally awarded campaigns for HCPs, patients, and consumers across a wide range of therapeutic categories. Innovative, emotional storytelling and exceptional craft are his top priorities and universal themes in the work he's most fond of.​

When he isn’t busy solving his clients’ most difficult problems, he likes to venture out to sea to dive on World War II shipwrecks along the Atlantic coast. ​

Jesse studied film and psychology at Vassar College and screenwriting at ​Columbia University.

Julianna joined McKinney Health with over 15 years of experience in both consumer and healthcare advertising. As a creative leader, problem solver, and graphic design enthusiast, she has shaped compelling campaigns that have engaged audiences worldwide. Julianna has led creative efforts for major brands in ophthalmology and vision care, with a focus on dry eye disease, glaucoma, and contact lenses.

Her expertise spans a diverse range of healthcare categories including dermatology, vaccines, neurology, rare disease, and animal health. Julianna has always believed there is great beauty in the details, and thrives most when working on the cutting edges of science, technology, and creativity.

Daniela Varela is a people-first creative who helps build meaningful brands through storytelling. A firm believer that ideas can shape the world for the better, this Uruguayan-born creative developed her craft in LATAM, Asia and Scandinavia, but has called Brooklyn her home for the last 7 years. Her career has taken her from Y&R, Ogilvy Singapore, Orchid Creation, McCann Health, TBWA\Chiat\Day and currently to Weber Shandwick. She is committed to create dynamic workplaces for diverse people to thrive in, be wildly successful, and have fun while changing the world. She has been a member of some prestigious juries such as The ADC, The NYFA, Dubai Lynx El Ojo de Iberoamérica, WINA and Lisbon Advertising Group Awards. Her work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, Campaign Asia, Effie Awards, Clio Health, Cámara de Anunciantes del Uruguay.