Changing Faces: Agency, consultancy, and investor hires – Q4 2025

The healthcare services ecosystem has seen significant leadership movement in recent months, with agencies, law firms, consultancies, and investment firms all strengthening their executive ranks.

These appointments reflect the sector's continued expansion and the growing complexity of serving life sciences clients in an increasingly digital and globalised marketplace.

Healthcare marketing veterans launch new agency. Back in October, FIFTH ELEMENT, a new healthcare marketing agency based in New York City, announced its co-founders. Renée Mellas brings extensive leadership experience from IPG Health and Area 23, earning accolades like "Agency of the Year" and "2023 Industry Person of the Year". Robert Blink, a healthcare marketing leader who has built three other agencies including 21GRAMS, joined as co-founder.

Agency platform expands leadership team. Supreme Group, a next-generation agency platform for healthcare and life sciences marketing and communications, appointed Olly Johnston as executive vice president, platform growth & transformation. Johnston joined after seven years at Inizio Evoke, where he led the agency's customer experience and omnichannel business.

Law firms elevate partners in life sciences practices. Once again, we saw some hires at life sciences-focused law firms. Foley Hoag, an international law firm representing more than 2,000 public and private clients, from biotechnology and pharmaceuticals to medical device and healthcare service, announced nine lawyers specialising in life sciences and clean energy rising to the rank of partner: Yoni Bard, Erin Foley, Allison Gilder, Erica Harrington, Sarah Main, Jason Roche, Sudhanshu Roy, Laura Wzorek, and Morgan Xu. In addition, Latham & Watkins, a London legal firm with a large healthcare & life sciences practice, brought in Lydia Torne as partner. An expert in intellectual property transactions, Torne joined from Simmons & Simmons.

Life sciences accelerator strengthens leadership. Slingshot Therapeutics, a life sciences accelerator that aims to identify and advance de-risked therapeutic programmes from the work of leading academic researchers, made two senior appointments. Bobby Soni joined as chief business officer, bringing experience from scientific and investment positions at Maxygen, LEO Pharma, Novo Holdings, and Imperial Innovations. The accelerator also appointed John Isaac as chief scientific officer. An internationally recognised neuroscientist, he most recently served as CSO of AviadoBio and also brings experience from Johnson & Johnson and Eli Lilly.

Global agency expands European presence. VML Health, a global healthcare communications and consulting business based in New York, appointed Mariana Mart dos Santos as managing director, Portugal. A pharmacist by training, she brings over 15 years of global brand and marketing leadership experience in the health industry, notably more than seven years as global respiratory manager for AstraZeneca.

Innovation organisations tap new leadership. decimal.health, a digital health innovation consulting firm, appointed Diana Gelston as president and managing partner. Gelston brings over 25 years of experience leading growth and transformation across Best Buy Health, Amazon Business Healthcare, Fresenius Medical Care, Philips Healthcare, and several digital health start-ups. Additionally, CPI, a translational research and innovation organisation that helps companies of all sizes to develop, demonstrate, and scale up innovative products and processes, named Greig Rooney as managing director for pharma and healthtech. Rooney is an accomplished life sciences leader with more than 20 years of experience across pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Investment firms add specialised advisors. Two investors announced new faces in advisory capacities. Outcome Capital, a Boston-based specialised advisory and investment banking firm focused on healthcare and life sciences, announced Thom Stambaugh as an inaugural member of its Pharmacy and Related Services Advisory Board. Stambaugh spent over two decades at Cigna, where he held multiple leadership roles, including chief pharmacy officer, vice president of specialty pharmacy, and vice president of value-based partnerships.

Breyer Capital, founded by Jim Breyer in 2006, appointed Dr Bret Bostwick as venture advisor. The firm makes long-term, idea-driven investments across artificial intelligence, healthcare, life sciences, enterprise, consumer, and financial technologies. Previously at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Dr Bostwick co-invented several CNS-targeted RNAi therapeutics.

Advisory and consulting firms strengthen life sciences capabilities. Riveron, an advisory firm that specialises in addressing opportunities for the office of the CFO, as well as private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, appointed Kaile Zagger as leader, healthcare & life sciences. Based in New York, Zagger takes charge of the firm's healthcare consulting platform, spanning provider services, life sciences, and medical technology.

Beghou, a long-term consulting and technology partner to more than 200 life sciences clients, made two partner appointments. Jenny Herritz joins after most recently serving as principal at SVA Consulting, co-leading its life sciences vertical. Marcos Mendell also joins as partner, having previously led enterprise experience and business strategy at Real Chemistry after spending more than a decade at Pfizer.

Real estate leader announces succession. Kadans Science Partner, the European leader in the operation and development of life sciences and technology focused real estate and ecosystem, named Steijn Ribbens as CEO. Ribbens takes over for Michel Leemhuis, who has moved into the newly created role of Executive Chair Management Committee. Ribbens has been with the business for 10 years, following a career in investment banking.

That closes out our agency round-up for last year, 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.