Scott Clark, Oliver Parsons and Moira Gitsham are to step down from the company they founded and later sold to Huntsworth Health (HH) in 2009. London managing director Stéphanie Bunten has also resigned.
Clark (pictured right), who is the agency’s CEO, and Parsons, who is managing director, will stay with Tonic until January 2015, and the team will remain in their current roles for the time being.
With Bunten’s departure, London deputy Tamsin Tierney will continue to work closely with Maryellen Royle, president of Tonic North America. Annabelle Sandeman, VP strategic development at Huntsworth Health, will support the London operation.
The recruitment process for a new Tonic Group CEO has already begun, with several other senior positions also to be filled.
“I want to thank Scott, Oliver, Moira and Stéphanie for all that they have done to create and grow Tonic into one of the premier healthcare PR agencies in the world,” said Neil Matheson, global CEO, Huntsworth Health.
Clark, Parsons and Gitsham have worked together for some time. Clark and Gitsham co-founded healthcare communications agency CPR Worldwide in 1993, later selling it to Fleishman Hillard. Parsons was CPR managing director until 2004.
Founded in London, Tonic was integrated with Dorland Global Public Relations in September 2009, doubling its global reach with a well-established US presence and client base. The agency was ranked number one in PRWeek’s top 150 Healthcare Agencies in 2012.
Tonic is headquartered in London and Philadelphia, and has a wholly-owned office in Singapore. Clients include Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Reckitt Benckiser and Shire Pharmaceuticals.