Reynolds-MacKenzie joins Open Health
pharmafile | July 15, 2011 | News story | Medical Communications | medical communications agency, medical communications news
Specialist health agency Reynolds-MacKenzie has become the latest recruit to the Open Health stable, bolstering the new communications group’s PR offering.
The firm was founded in 2004 by joint managing directors Eva Reynolds and Alison MacKenzie, who retain their roles. UK and European clients include Pfizer, Roche, MSD and Janssen.
Open is now the 100% shareholder of the agency, and Reynolds and MacKenzie hold no shares in Open.
“Eva and Alison are on an earnout with Reynolds-MacKenzie for the foreseeable future,” David Rowley, Open’s founding partner, told InPharm.
“Their focus will be to build on the success of Reynolds-MacKenzie,” he continued. “Open Health partners will take a place on the Reynolds-MacKenzie board, but the day-to-day business will continue to be run by Alison and Eva.”
Open, which is bankrolled by Chime Communications, has been on the acquisition trail since launching in January, buying established UK health advertising agency Lane, Earl & Cox in April and rebranding it Open LEC.
The LEC team is moving from its Uxbridge base to Open’s Marlow HQ this weekend, but there are no plans for Reynolds-MacKenzie to relocate to Buckinghamshire from its Shoreditch premises.
Rowley also says there are no plans to rename Reynolds-MacKenzie. “They will retain the existing brand but will also incorporate elements of the Open Health brand over time,” he says.
“The Reynolds-MacKenzie branding will change to reflect that we are now part of the Open Health group,” confirms MacKenzie. “We will continue to operate as Reynolds-MacKenzie.”
All 18 members of staff will remain employed by Reynolds-MacKenzie. “If anything we see the team growing and building,” say Rowley. “It’s a very successful dynamic business.”
Both companies insist “there will be no changes to existing services and all contracts will remain in place”.
Describing Open as the “perfect new home”, Reynolds said: “This partnership will help expand our ability to offer a wider range of solutions to our clients’ needs, and also provide greater opportunities for our people.”
Rowley, the ex-global head of Huntsworth Health, launched Open Health with his former head of Europe, Sandy Royden, with a brief to create an agency offering advertising, brand development, medical comms and market research as well as PR.
Chime’s equity stake in Open is 51%, with Open’s team owning 49% of the business. The company has several Huntsworth alumni in senior positions, including founding partner Marcus Perry and associate partner Margot Rozga.
Ranked 108 in PRWeek’s Top 150 PR consultancies this year, Reynolds-MacKenzie won the Communiqué award for best small consultancy in 2009.
Adam Hill
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