GolinHarris to acquire Virgo HEALTH
pharmafile | July 6, 2012 | News story | Medical Communications, Sales and Marketing | GolinHarris, Med Comms, Virgo HEALTH, acquisition, agency, digital
GolinHarris, a division within Interpublic Group, will acquire the medical communications firm Virgo HEALTH.
Virgo HEALTH will retain its name but will become integrated into GolinHarris. Its founders and joint chief executives Angie Wiles and Sarah Matthew will continue in their current roles. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Wiles and Matthew founded Virgo HEALTH in 2003 and today the 60-member London-based agency provides a full range of services in healthcare communications across three core business units.
This includes: Virgo HEALTH Communications (medical healthcare PR), Virgo HEALTH Education (medical education) and Virgo HEALTH Consumer (consumer health and OTC public relations).
These are complemented by Virgo VANTAGE, its strategic consultancy offering. The firm’s client roster includes: AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Sarah Matthew said: “We have found a truly like-minded partner in GolinHarris with complementary expertise, shared values and a strong culture.
“As businesses and people we are a perfect match, and, in joining forces with GolinHarris, we are able to optimise our ambitions in terms of extending our geographical reach and impact.”
As part of the agreement, Wiles and Matthew will build the Virgo brand in North America and beyond, and in addition, they will play a senior leadership role in GolinHarris.
New digital offering
Fred Cook, chief executive of GolinHarris, said: “In addition to expanding the Virgo HEALTH brand in the US and beyond, together we are forming a new global, digitally focused specialty health practice called ‘go Digital Health’.”
Go brings together Virgo HEALTH’s healthcare heritage with GolinHarris’ digital expertise – fortified with the recent acquisition of interactive agency FUSE – to offer clients access to the leading thinking in digital health.
“The goal of this new offering is to realise the true value of digital for healthcare brands, professionals and communities,” said Jon Hughes, president, GH International. Go simplifies two complex worlds: digital and health.
“Our work continues to keep GolinHarris at the forefront of the digital space while Virgo has a fundamental understanding of the health environment that is second to none.”
Ben Adams
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