CEO Today USA Awards

A Diverse Culture of Excellence and Creative Innovation Along with strong female leaders, Febbo’s organization is full of a diverse, international influence, which also isn’t accidental. Early in his career, Febbo’s ability to embrace cultures other than his own often proved invaluable. “Learning other languages is what made me stand apart from people with much more experience as the world was ‘going global’,” he says. He learned Flemish as a young man, picked up Portuguese doing a turnaround in Brazil, and is currently fluent in Spanish. “My ability to communicate internationally put me into situations where I needed to listen, quickly learn, and decide, with outward confidence.” This has come in handy at OptimizeRx. In 2018 they acquired CareSpeak Communications, a leader in interactive health messaging that gave them a robust patient messaging platform. In 2019 they bought RMDY Health, a SaaS platform designed for digital therapeutics, which furthered their reach down the patient care continuum. CareSpeak is based in Croatia, and RMDY’s development centers are in Israel and Ukraine. Febbo’s ability and willingness to embrace international value centers provides a source of growth and product offering diversification that many similar companies would simply miss. The value he brings to the growing company also includes a deep knowledge of the healthcare industry and the particular challenges that exist between its various stakeholders. After he exited a company in the healthcare space that he cofounded, the founders of OptimizeRx hired the firm that acquired his own to advise them on capital market strategies. “I knew how hard it was to truly connect with medical professionals digitally, and how difficult it had become for pharma to speak to MDs. But OptimizeRx had the beginnings of a platform to make that work for everyone.” With Febbo’s help, WPP took a 20% stake in OptimizeRx, securing their balance sheet and ability to build credibility with the larger Pharma companies. Then, in late 2015, the board asked him to join as CEO, which was finalized in Q1 of 2016. His first changes, accomplished over the course of 2016, were overhauling operations and marketing, then building out a sales team. After the success of those investments, the company saw unprecedented growth through 2017 and 2018. Because they were able to meet all the requirements of up-listing to Nasdaq, he was able to pull off a successful initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq stock exchange in late 2018, a few days before he turned 50. A Keen Eye on 2020 OptimizeRx enters the year poised to continue its march towards establishing its place as the go-to provider of communication connections within the healthcare ecosystem, but Febbo’s focus goes beyond profit and loss statements. Instead, it’s securely fixed on something that drives stock value at the same time it drives change— all in an industry where the stakes can be as high as life or death. “What gets me out of bed in the morning is building an impactful business which affects peoples’ lives. Our team is full of problem solvers, healthcare thought leaders, and technical and tactical experts. And we’re solving two of our largest issues in healthcare: cost and adherence.” That sincerity of message is typical of his leadership style, and one of the things that makes his team so fiercely loyal and motivated. Constantly moving forward, Febbo won’t stop doing things his own creative way. On any given day you’ll find him focused on his family, or for personal escape playing soccer, which brings him both joy and a renewed focus on his work. You’ll find him regularly speaking Spanish to any number of his team of healthcare problem solvers. You’ll find him digging into the challenges of today’s healthcare system, bringing to bear his own uncommon variety of problem-solving tools and his ability to get the most out of his teams both personally and professionally. You’ll also find him on faculty at MIT’s linQ program, paying forward the gifts of knowledge and professional tools he received from his past by training and mentoring the next generation of healthcare world changers. All these different aspects of Will Febbo, both personally and professionally, build to a crescendo at OptimizeRx, where they inform its culture of growth, fun and respect. And, most importantly to Will, it all ends in better outcomes for more patients. Â BETTER CONNECTIONS. BETTER OUTCOMES. Under Will Febbo’s watch, OptimizeRx has built an industry leading digital communications platform that connects nearly every part of the pharma-patient care continuum through three main categories. Their patient engagement applications help payers and pharma reduce cost and improve adherence. Their point of care healthcare provider engagement tools close the loop between the pharma companies developing new treatments and the physicians delivering them. And their HIT network optimization helps organizations build the foundation of point-of- care programs that raise awareness and accelerate adoption by helping them identify and connect with the right target patient profiles. You’ll find them listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange as OPRX. o p t i m i z e r x . c o m CEO Today USA Awards 2019 www.ceotodaymagazine.com - M I C H I G A N - 71