People, July, 2009

Movers of the month

Paul Midgley has joined the committee of the Pharmaceutical Marketing Society. He is currently a director of the Healthcare Partnership and of NHS Education and Training at the National Health Intelligence Service, as well as a leading speaker on primary care hot topics. He also has extensive experience in the training and facilitation of primary care teams. Previously he spent 15 years in management roles in both primary and secondary care markets in the pharmaceutical sector.

Sarah Swift and Clare Pressney have joined Red Door Communications' senior team as associate director and account director, respectively. Both join from Resolute Communications. Sarah has worked around the world over the past 15 years for pharmaceutical and medical technology companies, as well as government and not-for-profit organisations. She has worked at GCI Healthcare and Porter Novelli in cardiology, CNS, dermatology, gastroenterology, oncology, sexual health and vaccines.

OnMedica has made three new appointments. Chris Bubb becomes business development director. He has a background in pharmaceutical sales and marketing management with GSK, Baxter and Johnson & Johnson. Most recently, he was commercial director for Archimedes and before that worked for Merck and Chiron Biopharmaceuticals. The company also welcomes Matt Coleman as director of medical communications. He has over 17 years' experience in pharmaceutical marketing and is vice chair of the Pharmaceutical Marketing Society. Gavin Coetzee becomes business development director, having been responsible for healthcare strategy for Capita in the primary care health centre sector. He also worked for the Co-operative, Lundbeck and Ventiv Health Solutions.

Andy McKeon has joined the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as a non-executive member of its board. He replaces Mark Taylor, who stood down in April. Andy is managing director health at the Audit Commission and is responsible for all the Commission's work in the NHS and on health matters. Prior to that he was director of policy and planning at the Department of Health (DH) with oversight of the policy agenda for the reform and improvement of health and social care. Mercy Jeyasingham, MBE, has been reappointed as non-executive member to NICE's Board for a further two-year term. Mercy is a management consultant, trainer and interim manager and has held senior posts in both the voluntary and public sector. She has also been an executive and non-executive board member of a number of national and local organisations. Both appointments were made by the Appointments Commission on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Appointments Commission have made two new appointments and two re-appointments of non-executive directors to the agency board. Sir John Lilleyman and John Williams, CBE, join the board. Sir John is a Department of Health nominated director of the Appointing Authority for Independent Research Ethics Committees. He has spent 30 years as a consultant paediatric haematologist and oncologist and has held the post of medical director for the National Patient Safety Agency. John Williams is a consultant surgeon specialising in oral and maxillofacial surgery and was president of both the British and European Associations, as well as the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. He has also been chairman of the Committee on the Safety of Devices. Lisa Arnold and Michael Fox have been reappointed. Both have been non-executive directors of the MHRA since 2003. Lisa has held the position of chair of the Risk and Audit Committee since 2007. She holds a number of board appointments and has more than 15 years' experience in investment banking as a senior pharmaceuticals and healthcare marketing analyst. Michael is a member of the MHRA's Risk and Audit Committee and chairman of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust. Prior to this, he held chief executive positions in the not-for-profit sector and the NHS.

The Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) has appointed Vicky Edgecombe as head of communications. She joins from Freshwater Healthcare where she worked with healthcare and public sector clients. She previously worked for the General Medical Council and Birmingham East and North Primary Care Trust. Vicky replaces Niamh MacMahon who has taken the role of senior corporate communication manager at Novartis.

Graham Smith is new chief executive of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. He has held senior Department of Health and NHS positions and was chief executive and registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council. He will lead the senior management team from September 1, 2009 until its merger with the GMC in April 2010. He replaces chief executive, Paul Streets, who moves to the Department of Health in August.

New chair at EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, is Dr Andrea Rappagliosi. He is vice president European government affairs and head of Brussels office, GlaxoSmithKline. Dr Rappagliosi succeeds Steen Riisgaard, president and CEO of Novozymes A/S, who will remain on the Board.

Information Transfer has appointed Dr John Morris to meet the growing demand for specialist knowledge in product and therapy training for pharmaceutical marketing. He has worked on therapeutic areas including haemostasis and thrombosis, viral hepatitis and HIV, and respiratory disease. An experienced project manager and communicator, he has had previous positions with Aventis, the Haemophilia Society and the Royal College of Physicians. He has also worked with primary and secondary healthcare professionals and representatives from pharma, collaborating on educational and awareness projects.

Siân Boisseau, who has been a director with Virgo HEALTH for two years, takes up the role of consumer health director following the departure of Lisa Rodwell, who has returned to her native Australia. Siân will oversee the team with newly promoted associate director, Hannah O'Neill. Paul Archer has been appointed as business unit director for health education.

Paul Keirnan has founded Expert Health Communications following 15 years in sales and marketing for Boots Pharmaceuticals, BASF Pharma and Abbott Laboratories and 10 years in communications agencies including Edelman, Gardiner Caldwell, S&H and GCI Health.

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