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Aycan Hassan-Walker appointed as Regional Director, Europe of Nucleus Global

We hear from Aycan about her career at Nucleus Global and her ambitions for the role

Congratulations on your new role, Aycan! Please can you give a bit of background about yourself?

I have a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of London and worked for eight years as a postdoctoral research fellow before embarking on a career in medical communications. I applied for a position as a Medical Writer with Nucleus Global. However, after my interview, I was offered the choice of two roles – one as a Medical Writer and another as a Senior Account Executive. I chose to go down the client service route.

Can you tell us about your MedComms career to date?

I started my career at Nucleus Global as a Senior Account Executive with their agency MediTech Media (MTM) in 2005 before moving to Health Interactions (HI), back to MTM and then back to HI! I also had the opportunity to support the strategic consultancy arm of our business, which was great experience for me early on in my career. In 2014, I took on the role of Director of Client Services for HI Europe, and a year later, I was appointed as the agency’s Managing Director. In 2017, I transitioned to the US to become Senior Vice President (SVP) of HI US, with strategic oversight of one of our other sister agencies, Clinical Thinking. In March of this year, I was successful in my application for the position of Regional Director, Europe, for Nucleus Global, following Dan Bridges’ appointment as CEO.

What are you most looking forward to in your new role?

Coming back to Europe is very much like coming home. I had been in Europe for 12 years before leaving for the US, and with that comes great relationships. Although we have excellent cross-regional collaborations at Nucleus, I’m very much looking forward to interacting with those in Europe I already know very well, as well as forming new relationships. My new role is much broader than my previous roles, and, therefore, the opportunity to interact and collaborate across agencies, departments, and regions at the Nucleus Global- and Huntsworth-level is very exciting.

What is your vision for the Nucleus Global EU region?

Digital transformation was already a focus for the pharmaceutical industry to improve, for instance, healthcare solutions, clinical trials, patient care, cost-effectiveness and efficiencies before the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has significantly accelerated this digital transformation. We are partnering with our pharma clients in all areas of this digital transformation – my vision is to build on what we are already doing, collaborating closely with our own in-house Patient Engagement group, our medical communication agencies, and our creative and digital group, SynaptikDigital, to drive tailored and innovative communications. I see our communications, in partnership with our clients, integrating personalised healthcare, digital health, patient and HCP experiences, and health equity even more and beyond our traditional communications.

Any final words, thoughts or inspiration?

A move into medical communications was the perfect career opportunity for me. It combined my interests in science, medicine and business. I’ve been at Nucleus for 16 years but have had a career that has had a lot of variety. I have been given opportunities that have challenged me but helped me learn, grow and become a better leader. My advice is: don’t be afraid to ask for a new opportunity or take on a new challenge in your career. My varied career within Nucleus, from an entry-level position, shows that opportunities for development are abundant; you need to own and drive it. Believe you are ready for that next step and, from a personal perspective, Nucleus has helped me flourish and grow.

To learn more about Nucleus Global please visit www.nucleus-global.com