Chime launches new healthcare comms venture
pharmafile | December 17, 2010 | News story | Medical Communications | Chime Communications, David Rowley, Sandy Royden, healthcare comms agency, medical communications
Communications giant Chime is putting money into a new healthcare PR venture which will be run by the ex-global head of Huntsworth Health.
David Rowley, who has been on gardening leave since quitting Huntsworth over a year ago, will launch the as-yet unnamed agency in January 2011 with his former head of Europe, Sandy Royden.
“It’s slightly different from being a division of Chime,” Rowley says. “We have an equity stake in it and so do they.” While not being drawn on the percentages of ownership, he says it is “more or less 50-50”.
“We have a level of experience, particularly in the pharma sector, that they don’t have,” Rowley goes on. “We have worked with the Glaxos, the Pfizers, the AZs and their global brands and that’s what Chime is buying into. We are certainly not focusing on a specific therapy area.”
No clients have yet been signed. “Larger companies tend to have fairly tough procurement lists and it will take time to break them down,” he suggests. “So medium-size companies may be warmer targets early on.”
Apart from money, Chime Communications brings its size and reputation to the party. “Size and heft is relatively important on the procurement side,” explains Rowley. “It is the difference between saying ‘we are five people’ versus ‘we are five people, part of a 1,500-people group’,” he adds.
Rowley sees the new comms agency progressing via both organic growth and acquisition.
“We have knowledge that can help them invest in this space,” he continues. “They have PR, investor relations and digital marketing experience we can tap into if we wish.”
Chime chairman Lord Bell says: “We have been very impressed with both David and Sandy’s track record, but more importantly their insight into how together we can build a market leading business.”
Chime already has two relevant PR brands: Bell Pottinger Health and De Facto, which Rowley describes as “smallish healthcare practices but not substantial”.
Chime’s investment means Rowley can “acquire people ahead of the revenue curve”. “We’ll bring experts in to head up core practice areas,” he says. “It will be a very strong senior team with experience running UK and US domestic groups.”
Adam Hill
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