Underscore Marketing Appoints Keith Betz as Chief Client Officer Amid Growing Demand for Accountability in Pharma Marketing

NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Underscore Marketing today announced the appointment of Keith Betz as Chief Client Officer, a newly created executive role reflecting a broader shift in how healthcare brands expect their agency partners to operate: with clearer accountability, faster decision-making, and measurable business impact across increasingly complex ecosystems.

As omnichannel programs expand and budgets face greater scrutiny, pharma marketers are under pressure to ensure investment decisions translate into real performance. In response, Underscore has elevated client service from a functional role to a senior leadership mandate — one responsible not just for relationships, but for outcomes.

Betz will serve as a single point of accountability to clients across strategy, analytics, and execution, reducing handoffs, accelerating decisions, and grounding performance conversations in evidence rather than activity. The role is a first for Underscore and signals an evolution in the firm’s operating model. Keith has a deep bench of account pharma specialists who will report into him, with a shared focus on client growth.

“Client service has evolved,” said Betz. “Brands don’t need more coordination; they need clarity. My role is to remove friction, sharpen accountability, and help clients make confident decisions about where to invest, where to pull back, and why.”

Betz joins a leadership team purposefully assembled with some of the most sought-after talent in pharma marketing and analytics, including Amanda Rhodes, Senior Vice President of Strategic Solutions, and Brandi Ascione, EVP, Managing Director. His appointment rounds out a senior team built to meet the evolving demands of healthcare brands.

According to Lauren Boyer, CEO of Underscore Marketing, Betz’s appointment represents the culmination of a deliberate leadership build.

“Keith is one of the most critical hires I’ve made as CEO, and the final leadership investment in building the team Underscore needs for its next phase of growth,” said Boyer. “As our clients’ challenges have grown more complex, it became clear that client service had to be redefined, and Keith will leverage his proven experience in doing just that. He understands this isn’t about managing relationships, it’s about owning outcomes and ensuring our clients find tremendous value in their partnership with us.”

The announcement also follows the Q4 2025 launch of PINNACLE, Underscore’s proprietary analytics and planning suite designed to connect segmentation, messaging, and channel investment into a single, integrated decision system for healthcare brands. Since launch, PINNACLE has already been adopted by multiple pharma organizations to inform audience prioritization, message strategy, and channel investment decisions.

“We’re not here to grade agencies or take work away,” Betz added. “We’re here to help brands make better decisions and give their partners clearer direction, stronger prioritization, and more defensible proof of impact.”

Betz will report directly to Boyer and work closely with Underscore’s strategy, analytics, and growth leadership as the firm continues to expand its work with healthcare and life sciences brands.

About Underscore Marketing

Founded in 2002, Underscore Marketing is an independent, woman-led marketing, media, and analytics firm purpose-built to help healthcare and pharmaceutical brands navigate complexity and drive measurable business impact. Under the leadership of CEO Lauren Boyer, who joined in 2007, Underscore has evolved into a strategic partner known for connecting strategy, analytics, and execution across complex agency ecosystems. The firm works alongside existing partners to provide objective, data-driven decisioning that improves focus, accountability, and performance in highly regulated markets.

For more information, visit underscoremarketing.com.

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SOURCE Underscore Marketing LLC