MHP Communications health policy team leaders to depart

MHP Communications has confirmed the imminent departure of Mike Birtwistle and Sarah Winstone, the long-serving heads of their health policy team MHP Health Mandate.

They will leave the agency in August 2013, with their current deputies Rupert Gowrley and Rachel Rowson taking over as interim joint heads of MHP Health Mandate with immediate effect, reports PRWeek.

Mr Birtwistle has been with the agency for 13 years and Ms Winstone for seven years, with both members of staff working for Mandate prior to the merger with Hogarth and Penrose that created MHP in 2010.

The pair are currently focused on ensuring a smooth transition during their departure period and will continue to work with MHP Health Mandate on a limited number of projects until the end of the year.

Ms Rowson said: "There will be a lot of continuity, but this gives everyone an opportunity to rethink what we’re doing going into 2014."

MHP Health Mandate's client list includes some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, such as Pfizer, Merck Sharp and Dohme, Roche, AbbVie, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi.