Burson-Marsteller hires new EU and UK healthcare head

Burson-Marsteller has announced the appointment of Kate Hawker as managing director and chair of its healthcare practices in the UK and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Ms Hawker is a recognised pharmaceutical communications expert who has worked with many of the industry's biggest companies – including GlaxoSmithKline, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Baxter – during her 25-year career.

She joins the organisation from the InforMed group of medical communications companies, where she served in the role of business development director and helped to found its Medea division.

Her previous positions include that of director and partner at Fleishman-Hillard, marketing communications director at OCC Medical Communications and director of MediTech Media.

Burson-Marsteller's EMEA chief executive officer Jeremy Galbraith said: "She brings the healthcare expertise and individual creativity that clients justifiably expect from a leading global agency and I am delighted she is joining us."

This comes after the company launched a new healthcare agency called Consitor earlier this year.