Porter Novelli (PN), a global public relations leader, announced multiple senior hires across its global Health and Wellness Practice. The agency is responding to its growing work with clients around patient engagement and advocacy. The newest hires will deliver diversity, depth and breadth of healthcare experience that will be an incredible asset for clients and the team.
“We’ve seen increased demand for our smart, specialized health and wellness talent and offerings,” said Paul George, executive vice president, partner and global director of health and wellness, Porter Novelli. “Hiring strategically across regions allows us to continue to deliver an integrated approach to all clients.”
In just the last few months, new hires have been added to many of the agency’s key global offices.
Maura Bergen joins Porter Novelli in the New York headquarters as executive vice president, U.S. pharmaceuticals. She previously worked at Cohn & Wolfe, where she was a senior leader in the healthcare practice. Bergen also worked in-house at Novartis, managing several brands and overseeing agency relationships. Her tenure in the industry includes clients such as Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda.
Brian Thompson also joins the agency’s New York office as a senior vice president. Prior to Porter Novelli, Brian was Vice President at Feinstein Kean Healthcare, an Ogilvy company, where he led all of the firm’s Pfizer Vaccines business.
Shelly Spöeth is a senior vice president and the practice lead for health and social impact in the agency’s Atlanta office. Before joining PN, Shelly managed multiple contracts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on behalf of Washington D.C.-based agency Hager Sharp.
Veronica Gonzalez began leading Porter Novelli’s health and wellness team as practice leader at the end of last year. She previously spent time at both Jeffrey Group and Cohn & Wolfe, working on clients such as Mead Johnson Nutrition, Merck, Novartis and Johnson and Johnson.
Daniëlle Friskes joins Porter Novelli as account director, healthcare from Edelman, where she was an associate director. She will lead the agency’s health and wellness practice in the Netherlands with a focus on expanding the region’s pharmaceutical reach.
Olalla Loureiro joins Porter Novelli’s Madrid office as account director from Atrevia, where she was a director in the healthcare practice. Her career previously included roles as a communications consultant for the Spanish trade association, Famma-Cocemfe, and the Spanish Psychiatry and Mental Health Foundation.
Rachael Crowell joins Porter Novelli’s Canada office as a vice president, where she oversees major client portfolios such as Pfizer EpiPen, P&G Personal Health Care and the Canadian Hemophilia Society. Rachael has led mandates at Weber Shandwick and MSL for Roche Canada, Novartis, Celgene, Johnson & Johnson, as well as the Canadian Diabetes Association, Heart & Stroke Foundation Canada and the Healthy Grains Institute.
Veronica Barranco will lead the healthcare practice in Brazil starting on August 1st. She is in charge of accounts including: Roche Pharma, Roche Diagnostics and GSK Vaccines. Veronica will lead all growing efforts – prospecting new clients and accelerating organic growth with current clients. Previously, Veronica was an account director at Edelman where she led consumer, health and tourism teams.
In addition, PN London has created a new role for Lisa O’Sullivan as director of the European region health and wellness client service to support the regional healthcare practice leads. Lisa will be partnering with the practice leads to help accelerate growth for their practices as well as lead marketing and thought leadership activities for the PN European region network. Lisa will work closely with Nicole Yost, head of the London healthcare practice, who has contributed to significant client growth since joining the agency in 2015.
“We are so pleased to broaden the global health and wellness team at Porter Novelli. Over several years, we have made pointed talent decisions to extend the efficacy and reach of this practice,” said Brad MacAfee, global CEO, Porter Novelli. “Our strong global leadership and the new hires will aid us in refining current strategies, engaging our clients creatively, and continuing to lead in the health and wellness space.”