Axon Communications appoints new director of PR

Axon Communications has announced the appointment of Sam Barnes as its new director of PR, operating from the agency's London office.

Mr Barnes, a former director at Weber Shandwick, has already commenced work for Axon and is leading a 12-strong team in bolstering the company's PR and medical communications activities, reports PRWeek.

The new director's previous roles also include a four-year spell at Burson-Marsteller, as well as extensive work with pharmaceutical companies Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline.

Ralph Sutton, managing partner at Axon Communications, expressed confidence that Mr Barnes' appointment will help to improve integration between its PR and healthcare communications offerings.

"Sam's experience across both areas will be invaluable to our clients and the business as a whole," he added.

In July 2010, PRWeek reported that Axon recruited Shanida Nataraja as its new editorial and scientific director, while Natalie Henson returned to the company in the role of associate director, following a two-year spell with Fleishman-Hillard.