Katie Heelis is a recognized health care expert, political strategist, and issues manager with a successful track record of running some of Canada’s largest health advocacy campaigns. 

Katie started her career as an Issues Manager and Policy Advisor in the Office of the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in Ontario, where she honed her policy skills and political acuity, becoming a key advisor on health policy, and working on a variety of political campaigns at the municipal, provincial, and national level.

Since joining Enterprise, Katie has led national public affairs, government relations and public relations campaigns for clients in all areas of health care from mental health to hospitals and long-term care. Today, she is sought after by many of Canada’s leading health executives and organizations to solve complex problems and support the development of winning strategies.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Katie was asked to serve as the Interim CEO for Addictions and Mental Health Ontario representing nearly 200 frontline community health organizations during the height of the pandemic. Katie also provided critical expertise, strategic direction and issues management to many health care organizations as they navigated the pandemic. 

Katie is a graduate of the Balsillie School of International Affairs, holding a master’s degree in International Public Policy with a focus on Global Public Health. She is the founder of the Women in Media Fellowship and a Board Member at Margaret’s Housing and Community Support Services in Toronto. 

Carly Ellis is sought after strategic advisor leveraging her deep expertise of the health sector having spent her early career working directly in a hospital and health authority in Ontario. 

Prior to joining EnterpriseHealth, Carly facilitated partnerships across multiple sectors, including community mental health, primary care and housing at the Waterloo- Wellington Local Health Integration Network. Carly also led and supported key strategic projects including on government relations and communications for the largest hospital capital project in the country while at Trillium Health Partners. 

At EnterpriseHealth, Carly leads our strategic planning processes from inception to implementation to ensure our clients are always ahead of ever-evolving health system. Carly specializes in in supporting senior leaders and boards work through complex problems and engage their communities while also bridging the gap between operations, communications and government advocacy.

Carly holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Queen’s University’s School of Public Policy and an Honours degree in Health Sciences from the University of Western Ontario. Carly is passionate about city building and is a 2020 CivicAction DiverseCity Fellow as well as a TEDxToronto speaker coach.

Nathan Clark has a passion for tackling complex challenges in Canada’s health care system leveraging his expertise on the ins and outs of government having worked within the federal government and various provincial governments in Canada.

As the former Chief of Staff to the Minister of Health, Seniors, and Active Living in Manitoba and working in the offices of two ministers in British Columbia, Nathan has a deep understanding of the intergovernmental relationships across the country related to the opportunities and challenges of health care in Canada

At EnterpriseHealth, Nathan provides valuable insight to clients who are interested in expanding their impact both in Ontario and in Western Canada. When our clients need to reach decision makers, he will not fail to ensure that those connections are made and that the message is catered to the distinctive health landscape of each province. 

In addition to his experience within government, Nathan has played key roles on political campaigns, including working on the 2022 Ontario election campaign in the PC War Room and as Health Policy Lead on the 2019 Manitoba PC campaign.

Nathan holds a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Political Science and History, from Huron University College at Western University and a Master of Political Management from the Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management at Carleton University.

Peter Downs is an award-winning health journalist with two decades of experience at daily newspapers in Canada. 

Peter is a skilled writer and communicator with extensive knowledge about Canada’s health care system. He brings sound news judgment and expert strategic advice to clients who want their voices heard in public affairs and public relations. 

Peter spent much of his time as a reporter on the health beat, where he earned the respect of health officials and developed insights in complex and often contentious issues. 

At EnterpriseHealth, Peter has led the drafting and development of communications and branding campaigns for not-for-profits, hospitals and medical device companies. He is regularly sought after by senior health executives to be the writer behind their voices. 

Peter’s deep understanding of Canada’s evolving media landscape allows him to effectively help clients develop strategies and compelling content to capture the attention of traditional and digital media alike. We count on Peter’s versatility to craft everything from op-eds and media pitches to brand narratives and issues management strategies.

Kevin Den Heijer is a seasoned strategist with a keen understanding of Canadian health policy, and a deep insight into the inner workings of government.

Kevin has served key federal cabinet ministers, most recently as a policy advisor to Canada’s Minister of Health where he worked on the country’s COVID-19 vaccine strategy, illicit substances strategy, and the opioid crisis. Prior to moving to Ottawa, Kevin served as issues and operations advisor to several cabinet ministers in the provincial government in Ontario. He has extensive war room experience on political campaigns both provincially and federally, most recently serving as the Liberal Party of Canada’s lead on digital partnerships during the 2021 election campaign.

At EnterpriseHealth Kevin combines his experience in navigating through some of the toughest of issues with his broad professional network in Ottawa to ensure that our clients succeed when it’s needed most. Kevin is a valued strategist for our clients across the sector – ranging from mental health and addictions care to primary care and health care procurement and supply chains. 

Kevin graduated from the University of Ottawa, having studied political science and communications. Kevin is an avid photographer and dedicates time volunteering on many political campaigns across the country. 

Alexandra Hilkene is a communications expert with a strong grasp of Ontario’s health care system and the provincial political landscape. 

As press secretary to Ontario’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexandra was the Minister’s official spokesperson responsible for communicating complex and high-stakes issues to the media and people of Ontario. 

In 2022, Alexandra’s communications expertise was leveraged in the successful re-election campaign of Premier Doug Ford as she played a key role in the PC War Room, managing media relations across all 124 local campaigns. 

At EnterpriseHealth, Alexandra provides strategic advice to clients to help them build a strong narrative that connects with the right audiences and makes an impact. With extensive experience in crisis and issues management, she supports our clients in navigating communications in high-pressure situations.

Heather Barlow is a public policy and strategic communications professional with experience working in provincial government and in public and government relations consulting.  

Prior to joining EnterpriseHealth, Heather worked in the offices of the Ontario Minister of Education, and Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services as a communications advisor. While in government, she managed the communications for the capital priorities file and worked on the province’s human trafficking strategy and autism program. Heather has experience managing large communications strategies and stakeholder relations.  

At EnterpriseHealth, Heather combines her communications and public policy experience to ensure clients communicate their message successfully to the government. She also plays an integral role in shaping the strategies that our clients rely on. 

Heather holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Saskatchewan where she undertook research that brought together government officials and frontline workers. She is passionate about mental health and has spent time volunteering for the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario as a peer support volunteer.  

Nikita Singh has a passion for implementing creative and innovative health system solutions by leveraging her unique public health, research, policy, media and health communication backgrounds. Prior to joining Enterprise Health, Nikita was at the Ministry of Health implementing Ontario Health Teams, specifically focusing on strategic planning and engagement with patient, family and caregivers.  

Before that, Nikita was at the Institute for Better Health at Trillium Health Partners supporting research on integrated health systems and patient engagement, and served as the Engagement Editor at Healthy Debate where she led social media campaigns and communications at the peak of the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

At EnterpriseHealth, Nikita supports deep patient, family, caregiver and community engagement to inform our clients’ plans and strategies.   

Nikita has a Master of Public Health Degree from Western University, where she completed her practicum placement at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) supporting public health interventions focused on alcohol policy and interventions across the Pan American regions.