Jim Weiss

Jim Weiss is the founder and chief executive officer of W2O, the leading independent provider of analytics-driven, digital-first marketing and communications to the healthcare sector.

Over the years, Jim has often been recognized as one of the most influential people in health communications and PR. Some of his many accolades include 500 Most Important People in the Global PR Industry (2015, 2017), PRWeek’s Power List (2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020), Innovator of the Year (2020), Top 50 Health Influencer (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) and Top 25 Innovator in Communications (2014). He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, his alma mater, and honored as one of its 50Forward most accomplished graduates of the last 50 years.

Jim, with his wife Audra, founded the W2O Group Center for Social Commerce at the Newhouse School. Viewed as one of the most successful industry/academic partnerships, the Center provides students with modern media analytics and digital insight and skills to set them apart from their peers.

Inspired by a commitment to diversify the workforce, Jim partnered with Kim Hunter at The LAGRANT Foundation (TLF) to form the first-of-its-kind paid healthcare fellowship, which places multicultural minorities pursuing careers in healthcare communications in a W2O office. He sits on the TLF’s Board of Directors.

With 30 years of experience in strategic media and marketing communications in the healthcare and technology sectors, Jim has been involved in nearly every aspect of corporate, product and organizational communications. Before starting his own firm, he was head of corporate communications and investor relations at medical device start-up Heartport, a pioneer in minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Prior to that, he helped establish the global product marketing communications function at pharmaceutical giant Sanofi in Paris. He started his corporate career at biotechnology bellwether Genentech during its formative commercial years in the early 1990s.

Jim is on the Board of Trustees of the Cancer Research Institute and The Commons Project and is an Advisory Board member of the Newhouse School and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association.