Pharmaceutical Market Europe • June 2022 • 45
HEALTHCARE COMMS
Evoke and Ashfield Health merge to form new global comms platform
David Kyne
Reid Connolly
Amar Urhekar
Ashfield Health is set to merge with Evoke, uniting the two marketing and communications agencies under a new global healthcare brand, experience and communications platform, driven by Evoke’s aim to make ‘health more human’.
By combining the two healthcare agencies under the Evoke name, the industry is offered a dynamic marketing and medical communications team in one platform.
Evoke centres its offering around areas in creativity, communications, policy and access, data science, media, MarTech and delivery.
With over 1,400 people in global practice area teams and 12 specialist agencies, the global comms platform will be able to harness the full potential of its staff, organisations, brands and the communities it serves.
With the recently announced changes, Evoke will now become one of the largest global healthcare marketing and communications organisations and is led by an Executive Committee, headed by Reid Connolly, CEO and founder of Evoke.
Commenting on the news, Connolly said: “Our market is evolving rapidly, requiring healthcare brands and organisations to be fluid, constantly transforming, and embracing of new technology into their marketing and communications to reach and engage their audiences in the most compelling way.”
Working alongside Connolly on the Executive Committee is a selection of new appointees. They include former Ashfield Health global president, Amar Urhekar, who takes the new role of global president supervising marketing and advertising specialty agencies and former Evoke Kyne CEO, David Kyne, who has been appointed to the new role of global president overseeing communications and PR specialty agencies.
The Committee is supported by an executive leadership team of agency head specialists and function leads, including Heather Torak as Evoke’s chief operating officer and Eric Daly as Evoke’s chief growth officer.
The integration of Ashfield Health marketing and communications specialty agencies into the Evoke platform has been underway since October 2021. The launch follows the acquisition of UDG Healthcare (Ashfield Health’s parent company) in 2021 by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (which acquired Evoke’s parent company, Huntsworth, in 2020).
Commenting on Evoke’s approach to fostering positive cultures within the workplace, David Kyne, global president, said: “Our structure celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of the individual agency cultures that exist within our business, while also providing the benefits that only a platform with our scale, diversity and global reach can.”
Aurora launches new Social Impact practice
Global healthcare communications agency, Aurora, has launched a Social Impact practice. The agency – part of This is Avalon Group – has started the practice to support clients in addressing existing social inequities in the healthcare sector.
The new practice aims to go beyond simply raising disease awareness, by developing campaigns that engage with – and are accessible to – isolated communities, in order to address societal inequalities in healthcare and treatment access and availability. The initiative pulls on the agency’s background in measurement and campaigns, coupled with its experience in storytelling.
The Social Impact practice is led by director Sebastian Stokes, who joined Aurora in 2021 with a record of creating award-winning campaigns with leaders in Social Impact, including organisations like the World Hepatitis Alliance and Movember.
Commenting on the developments at Aurora, Stokes said: “An organisation’s commitment to social purpose matters more than ever to its customers, employees and communities.
“In keeping with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal of universal health coverage, we want to do everything we can to ensure that no-one is left behind when it comes to accessing healthcare.”
Chris Bath, managing director, commented: “There’s no doubt that 2022 is shaping up to be a pivotal year in healthcare, with a renewed focus on the SDGs in particular. We’re excited to be working with clients on campaigns that improve lives, and proving it by measuring impact beyond standard metrics, so our campaigns demonstrate legacy.”
The agency is currently working on Social Impact campaigns covering diabetes and oncology and is also working with several NGOs. By establishing a specific practice committed to creating positive social change, the agency is able to move towards its goal of creating real impact with its clients.
Aurora has also announced the appointment of Claire Murray as its client service director. Murray’s focus will be to ensure that both new and existing clients are supported in their campaigns.
She brings a wealth of healthcare communications experience to the position, specialising in patient and healthcare practitioner communications, crisis communications and media relations.
Murray has been with the agency since 2014, previously serving as an associate director and as a global health marketing and communications partner. Prior to her work with Aurora, in 2008, she served as a senior account director for Tonic Life Communications, and as a senior account executive at College Hill.
Sebastian Stokes