Pharmaceutical Market Europe • February 2021 • 41
HEALTHCARE COMMS
Ashfield Health merges agencies to create Mind+Matter and Ashfield MedComms
Ryan Quigley and Amar Urhekar
Ashfield Health has announced a major rebrand, shedding its previous Ashfield Healthcare Communications name and launching two new agencies – Mind+Matter and Ashfield MedComms.
Ashfield Health has merged UK-based agencies Ashfield Digital and Creative and Pegasus with US-headquartered Cambridge BioMarketing to form Mind+Matter. This newly formed agency will work across a range of specialist areas, including consumer wellness, established pharma and rare and novel therapies.
Meanwhile, Ashfield MedComms unifies over 700 creatives, scientists, strategists and client partners under one scientific and medical communications agency. It will be headed up by regional Ashfield Health presidents Richard Lawrence and Matt Jacobson.
They will report to recently appointed Ashfield Health global president Amar Urhekar.
“Ashfield Health is now designed to respond better and quicker to the new challenges our clients face. We encourage independence and entrepreneurialism in our specialist agency teams but also have the unique ability to work as one team when needed,” said Urhekar.
“By unifying around our common purpose of make it matter, we have stronger connections that enable us to scale rapidly and provide our clients with tailored expert teams,” he added.
Ashfield Health is one of three newly formed business units at Ashfield, alongside Ashfield Advisory and Ashfield Engage.
Ashfield Advisory combines healthcare advisory and consulting businesses, which will focus on accelerating business performance.
Ashfield Engage is a ‘single strategic engagement partner’ working across five areas – commercial, patient solutions, medical affairs, market access and event experience.
Meanwhile, Ashfield Health unites health marketing and communications teams under one roof.
The decision to form the three new business units was made to enable greater collaboration between Ashfield’s experts, the company said in a statement.
“Our business has evolved in recent years due to a number of strategic and complementary acquisitions, and our new structure tells a simpler, stronger story,” said Ryan Quigley, chief operating officer of Ashfield and UDG Healthcare.
“Our integrated offering will allow us to better meet clients’ needs, tackle their challenges with ingenuity and create tangible solutions,” he added.
Fishawack Health adds The Hive Health Group to its network
Oliver Dennis and Jas Hummel
Fishawack Health has announced its acquisition of The Hive Health Group, a healthcare marketing and scientific communications agency with presence in the UK and US.
The Hive Health Group consists of two brands – Hive Health and Pollen Health – which each partner with clients from across the life sciences industry.
The agency has a particular focus on strategy, scientific storytelling and innovative patient engagement.
In a statement, Fishawack said that the addition of The Hive Health Group will increase its integrated offering and capabilities across a range of services including medical communications, consulting and commercial abilities.
“We are delighted to join Fishawack Health, a dynamic and growing business that offers our clients scale, expertise and breadth of services in the healthcare sector,” said Jas Hummel, global chief executive officer of The Hive Health Group.
“We are excited to join the team and give our clients access to a wider pool of expertise and a stronger offering that extends our capabilities in medical communications and consulting, which includes market access, expanded digital offerings and media solutions. I am thrilled about the next chapter in our journey,” she added.
“We’re excited to add Hive Health to the group – a strategically led healthcare communications brand with outstanding expertise in patient engagement,” said Oliver Dennis, co-founder and chief executive officer of Fishawack Health.
“Our life sciences clients are looking for a new breed of partner to help guide them through complex and hypercompetitive markets, which is why we have purposefully sought out and acquired best-in-class agencies to build a nimble and collaborative organisation,” he added.
The Hive Health Group is based in London and New York.
“Fishawack Health will support The Hive Health Group as it expands in the US, where we each already have a strong presence and give its clients access to a highly experienced pool of scientific, strategic and creative experts who offer integrated commercial services across the entire product life cycle,” added Dennis.