WPP-owned healthcare communications agency GCI Health has advanced its global ambitions with the launch of a London office.
The London business will focus on further building GCI Health’s client base across four primary service areas: life sciences, consumer health, market access communications and strategic consulting.
Launched to cope with a growing European client base, the new business will be headed up by Rikki Jones (pictured), previously director at fellow WPP agency Cohn & Wolfe, and associate director Louise Veale, who has also moved from within the WPP network.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled with the market’s response to date and are looking forward to continued London-based success, in partnership with the rest of GCI Health’s global management team,” said Jones.
Formally opened on October 15, 2013, the business is already up and running, describing itself as ‘a trusted partner to six client companies at the global, European and UK levels in the areas of oncology, virology, auto-immune disease, diabetes and respiratory diseases’.
WPP’s only speciality healthcare communications agency, GCI Health employs more than 140 people, across the US, Canada and Europe. To date, the company has worked with European clients from its US headquarters, but says that the time is now right to establish a European base.
“We had been successfully servicing global business, but as the international healthcare market continues to evolve, the time was right to find European based leaders with the passion and experience to take our business expansion to the next level,” said GCI Health chief executive Wendy Lund.