Changing Faces: Agency, consultancy, and investor hires, August and September 2026

August and September brought leadership changes across healthcare communications, consulting, investment, and industry organisations.

PhRMA turned to a former House Majority Leader for its next CEO, while agencies added expertise spanning AI, media, analytics, and people leadership, and life sciences investors strengthened their scientific and operational ranks.

PhRMA turns to former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. US pharma industry group PhRMA named Eric Cantor as its new CEO, with the former Republican lawmaker due to take up the role on 9^th November. Cantor served in the US House of Representatives and was House Majority Leader from 2011 to 2014, before spending more than a decade at investment group Moelis & Co. He succeeds long-serving CEO Steve Ubl at a pivotal time for the industry, as drugmakers navigate US pricing reforms including Medicare negotiations and the Trump administration’s Most-Favoured Nation framework. You can read our full coverage here.

Lucid looks to Publicis Health for its next CEO. Healthcare communications and commercialisation group Lucid Group appointed a heavy hitter in Eric Muller, its new CEO. Muller most recently served as group president and chief operating officer of Publicis Health, having previously held positions including president of Digitas Health.

CEPI puts an infectious disease expert at the helm. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) named Ibrahim Abubakar as CEO. He most recently served as vice-provost and professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London, where he oversaw the university’s health strategy and a portfolio of research, innovation, and clinical partnerships.

Oslo-based CEPI brings together public, private, philanthropic, and civil organisations to accelerate vaccines and other biological countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats.

EVERSANA adds financial firepower from WPP Media. Global pharma commercialisation services group EVERSANA, pharmaphorum’s parent company, appointed Stuart Diamond as chief financial officer. Diamond has served as CFO of three public companies and as audit chair of two others, and most recently held the CFO position at global media investment group WPP Media.

Inizio builds across AI, media, and client leadership. Healthcare and life sciences consulting group Inizio made four appointments spanning people, artificial intelligence, media, and client leadership, including three at its Inizio Evoke agency.

Oisín Ó Gógáin joined Inizio as chief people officer from Aon, where he most recently held the same title for the UK, Ireland, and South Africa subregion, supporting around 10,000 colleagues.
Inizio Evoke named Brian Gundich EVP of AI enablement. Gundich most recently drove enterprise-wide intelligence and operations transformations at Interpublic Group.
Barbara Patchefsky became global client lead, having recently serving as global client director at Havas Health & You. Patchefsky’s career also includes senior positions elsewhere in the Havas Health network and at The CementBloc.
Finally, taking the position of president of media is Jake Vander Linden, who brings more than two decades of global media leadership across healthcare and consumer sectors.

Hilco brings in a healthcare consulting veteran. Hilco Global Professional Services appointed Chris George as global head of healthcare. George most recently served as managing director and head of the health systems practice at Alvarez & Marsal and previously spent more than 11 years at FTI Consulting. Hilco is a diversified financial services company providing integrated professional services and capital solutions.

Jeito deepens its scientific bench. Paris-based biopharma private equity fund Jeito Capital made five appointments across its scientific, operational, and investment teams.

Ana Leticia Maragno joined as director of translational science after more than a decade at Servier, initially as a postdoctoral fellow in oncology and subsequently as a project leader contributing to the company’s oncology drug discovery strategy.
Founding team member Annette Clancy became an operating partner. Clancy spent 30 years with GSK, including a decade leading its worldwide transactions and alliance management function.
Jeito also appointed Dr Samit Hirawat as an operating partner. Hirawat previously served as chief medical officer, EVP, and head of global drug development at Bristol Myers Squibb and had earlier spent more than a decade at Novartis Pharmaceuticals, ultimately becoming EVP and head of oncology development.
Former Atara Biotherapeutics CEO Pascal Touchon became a partner, having initially joined Jeito as a special advisor in 2022.
Claudio Costa-Neto, another member of Jeito’s founding team, became partner and chief scientific officer. Costa-Neto boasts more than 25 years of biomedical sciences experience across Europe, the US, and Brazil, including seven years in European venture capital.

Langland pairs science with strategy. Publicis Health agency Langland made two senior appointments at its London-based marketing and commercial business. Dianne Ross became head of scientific practice after more than two decades within Publicis Health. Since 2004, Ross has helped shape Langland’s scientific capabilities and the scientific strategy behind global and European communications programmes for commercial and medical affairs clients. Meanwhile, Kathryn Stewart was named head of strategy. Stewart most recently helped shape the strategic offering at Saatchi & Saatchi Health London and previously led strategy for global marketing at Avalere.

Flagship strengthens its fundraising and global reach. Boston-based biotech investor and incubator Flagship Pioneering added two executive partners. Maggie Sahlman became executive partner and head of fundraising and investor relations after serving as managing director and head of investor relations at Charlesbank Capital Partners, where she led global fundraising and investor engagement. Fidah Alsagoff, meanwhile, joined as executive partner and head of global initiatives. Alsagoff previously served as global head of life sciences and vice chairman of global partnerships at Temasek International, building a portfolio that ranged from early-stage start-ups to mature public companies.

Ramboll adds life sciences and pharma expertise. Global architecture, engineering, and consultancy business Ramboll made two appointments. Ivana Poparic joined as director of business development and strategic advisory, bringing previous experience at King’s College London, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and MedCity, alongside expertise in life sciences infrastructure development and ecosystems. The consultancy also named Richard Linacre director of pharmaceuticals. Linacre comes with more than 30 years of engineering experience, as well as pharma-sector expertise and market insight.

Syncona reshapes its investment leadership. UK life sciences investment firm Syncona Investment Management named Chris Hollowood chief investment officer alongside his existing role as CEO. The expanded remit reflects an increased focus on investment strategy and activity, as well as active management of Syncona’s portfolio. Syncona also appointed Dr Samantha Roberts as managing director. Roberts has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare innovation as a clinician, payor, and regulator and most recently served as chief executive of NICE.

VML Health makes a data-driven appointment. Global healthcare communications and consulting business VML Health brought in Sus Misra as executive director of data and analytics. At Publicis, IPG, and Havas, Misra has led data and measurement strategy for pharmaceutical and medtech clients across therapeutic areas including HIV, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and paediatric cancer.

Envision Pharma Group sets its sights on commercial growth. Envision Pharma Group appointed Ryan Tubbs as SVP of commercial growth. Tubbs joined the technology-enabled life sciences solutions partner from Ellucian, where he led a global post-sale organisation, and previously spent 13 years at Microsoft in senior commercial and transformation roles.

That’s it for our agency, consultancy, and investor hires for August and September, but stay tuned for our other hires round-ups and remember, you can send your own hires to editorial@pharmaphorum.com for inclusion in this column.

This round-up is prepared by a human editor with assistance from AI.