Calcium+Company has hired Corina Kellam as its chief marketing and innovation officer.
The 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree announced the appointment on Wednesday morning. In this role, she will report to group president Greg Lewis.
Kellam joins Calcium+Company following her most recent role as EVP of experience and innovation at Ogilvy Health, a fellow 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree. Prior to that, she spent six years as a strategy director at Real Chemistry, another 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree.
She officially began her new position last week and said she is most excited about the modern approach to medical marketing at Calcium+Company. When Kellam was discussing the position with Lewis, she said she appreciated the agency’s emphasis on a holistic, non-siloed approach to marketing.
As for her title, it speaks to the dual role she’ll be tasked with at the agency. This includes overseeing both the more abstract, innovation-focused component for clients as well as the day-to-day marketing expectations.
Put simply, she said anything that falls under innovation will be within her remit. Instead of embracing innovation for innovation’s sake, Kellam’s focus is on investing in innovation that delivers tangible results.
“The idea of spending my energy on various work streams that may not actually provide real results for clients was totally unappealing to me,” she said. “I think [innovation] should always be layered within the primary goal of marketing for results.”
Though she has only been on the job for a week, Kellam said one of the most encouraging parts of the job thus far has been on the AI front.
She said the organization has made significant investments in its AI capabilities and provided training to all employees in order to leverage the technology safely and effectively for tasks like content generation, research and decision-making.
Additionally, Calcium+Company has undergone significant changes and growth over the past two years, evolving into a fully-fledged, full-service agency under new leadership.
Following the launch of the umbrella company at the start of 2023, it debuted PRotein, a full-service health and wellness PR division, as well as Amino, an oncology marketing division.
A few months later, company founder Steve Michaelson announced his retirement in March after a lengthy career in the medical marketing space.
In June 2023, the company purchased CSG Health Group, a scientific communications agency focusing on educational content and strategies for healthcare professionals.
By the end of the year, Calcium+Company LATAM launched as a creative and strategic hub based in Mexico City.
Kellam’s appointment also comes seven months after Calcium+Company named Bruno Brasileiro as executive creative director for its flagship advertising division Calcium.
She described Brasileiro’s hiring as a positive step for Calcium, particularly in terms of strengthening the agency’s creative capabilities.
Considerable growth has coincided with these additional service lines and personnel changes. The agency’s revenue increased 7% to $47.5 million in 2023, with staff size increasing from 129 people to 150 people over the same period.
Going forward, Kellam said maintaining a nimble approach will be crucial as the agency continues to expand. She underscored an emphasis on delivering impactful, data-driven work through the continued development of a collaborative, cross-functional structure.
