Skip Hidlay

William “Skip” Hidlay is managing principal of W. Clair Communications. A transformational leader and communications strategist, Skip helps senior executives navigate the complex intersection of human talent, brand communications and artificial intelligence. 

He has more than 30 years of experience in senior leadership roles across healthcare and news media. He leverages data-driven content marketing, brand storytelling and omnichannel media strategies to build brands, drive growth and create engagement. 

Known for his positive, “coaching” leadership style, Skip has a track record of transforming underperforming departments into best-in-class teams. His senior leadership experience ranges from for-profit Fortune 500 companies to large, complex health systems. He specializes in finding a team’s hidden talent and redesigning the “seats on the bus” to create a culture of excellence built on shared vision, values and teamwork. 

As the first enterprise vice president, chief communications and marketing officer, for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center from 2020-2026, Skip led a 135-member team with a $55 million budget. Using his skills at organizational redesign and team-building, he successfully integrated three separate units into a centralized best-in-class marketing, communications, and digital strategy team that improved brand reputation and fueled double-digit growth in patient volumes. 

In his last two years at Ohio State, he led his department on a Generative AI transformation journey, helping them upskill into an AI-adept team to enhance creativity, efficiency and productivity. 

From 2016-2020, he served as senior vice president and CCMO at the University of Chicago Medicine, where he led the health system’s rebranding and developed an Emmy Award-winning brand campaign that strengthened reputation and market position. Before moving into health care, Skip had a successful leadership career with some of the most storied brands in the news media, including Gannett and The Associated Press. 

He holds a Master of Healthcare Leadership from Friends University, a Bachelor of Communications from Syracuse University and is a certified change agent. 

His work in journalism and health care has been recognized with numerous awards.