Cedar Knolls Marketing Agency Fingerpaint Group Names New CEO, Promotes Two to Presidential Roles

Cedar Knolls-based Fingerpaint Group announced three executive promotions this week, elevating longtime employees to lead the wellness marketing agency that serves nearly 200 active clients and partners with 22 of the top 25 pharmaceutical companies.

Bill McEllen has been promoted from global president to chief executive officer, succeeding founder Ed Mitzen, according to the company announcement. McEllen has worked at Fingerpaint since the early days of the organization and has demonstrated leadership in maintaining the company’s culture and partner relationships.

Mitzen, who founded Fingerpaint Group in 2008, will remain an active board member and continue to shape the company’s long-term vision, the company said.

“Ed built something that most agency founders never achieve: a company with a genuine soul,” McEllen said in the announcement. “My job has been to continually scale that while making sure that the culture, the partner obsession and the standard of work that got us here don’t just survive growth — they drive it.”

The leadership changes also include Mark Willmann’s elevation from president of Marketing Services to group president. In his new role, Willmann will assume unified strategic leadership and accountability across all three of Fingerpaint Group’s operating segments: Marketing Services, Medical and Market Access, according to the company.

The restructured position creates a single coordination point as the company continues to scale with increasing complexity and ambition, the announcement stated. Willmann brings scientific training, therapeutic expertise and business experience to lead across the full commercialization spectrum.

Tracy Blackwell has been promoted from managing director to president of Marketing Services. Blackwell has worked at Fingerpaint for nine years and has built high-performing teams while leading them to exponential growth, according to the company. She will now oversee the largest segment of the business.

“These promotions are a direct reflection of the investment we’ve made in our people over many years,” Mitzen said. “We didn’t need to look outside these walls. The leaders we needed were already here, already proven and already trusted by our client partners and colleagues alike. That’s not an accident. It’s the result of intentional culture-building and succession planning that I’m incredibly proud of.”

The executive changes follow Fingerpaint Group’s most successful year in its 17-year history, according to the company. The agency ended 2025 with record revenue, driven by strength across all three operating segments.

McEllen emphasized the leadership team’s readiness for future growth. “This leadership team has earned everything in front of them, and together, we are just getting started,” he said.

The promotions reflect Fingerpaint Group’s strategy of developing internal talent rather than seeking external hires for key positions. The company has built its reputation in the wellness marketing space by focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare clients, establishing partnerships with major industry players.

Fingerpaint Group operates from its Cedar Knolls headquarters and has grown significantly since Mitzen’s founding of the company in 2008. The agency specializes in marketing services for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies, offering expertise across medical communications and market access in addition to traditional marketing services.

The leadership transition positions the company for continued expansion as it builds on its record-breaking 2025 performance across all business segments.