Edelman has announced that Paul Gittins has been appointed group managing director of Edelman UK’s Health and BioScience practice. Gittins is currently managing director of Red Health at the Red Consultancy. He helped launch Red Health with colleague Pat Pearson in 2007.
Gittins has a background in pharmacology and has spent his career driving award-winning health campaigns at a global and UK level, providing strategic consultancy to leading pharmaceutical companies, charities and trade bodies.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Edelman, with its wealth of resources, strong network and extensive team expertise,” said Gittins. “Injecting creativity and consumer understanding into health campaigns is something I’m committed to. I am looking forward to joining a team that has such a breadth of knowledge in this area in order to create ground-breaking campaigns for clients that truly resonate.”
Gittins will take over the role from Steven Spurr, who is currently also Edelman UK’s chief operating officer. Spurr will move into the COO role full time and also take on the role of chairman, Health UK, once Gittins joins in September.
Spurr added: “Paul is a proven creative health innovator and adding his expertise and passion to this industry-leading team will only strengthen Edelman’s health offering. I am delighted to have found someone who possesses the strategic insight, leadership skills and belief in a supportive team culture, that has been the cornerstone of our success and I know the practice will continue to thrive under Paul’s direction.”
Over the last five years, Edelman’s practice has grown to over 70 consultants and diversified to offer dedicated specialist teams in consumer health, medical education, health public policy and market access as well as its core pharma communications offering, for a range of global, European and UK clients.