Hill and Knowlton Strategies appoints medcomms veteran as corporate/crisis SVP

Hill and Knowlton Strategies has announced the appointment of medcomms sector veteran Nancy Fitzsimmons as senior vice-president (SVP) of its corporate and crisis practice.

Ms Fitzsimmons has spent the last five years as managing director of the W2O agency Twist Mktg, while prior to this she occupied a number of in-house comms roles at various pharmaceutical companies, reports PRWeek.

These include stints as director of external communications at Quest Diagnostics, director of corporate communications at Organon Pharmaceuticals, vice-president of global communications at Novartis and director of global communications for Bayer's diagnostics business.

She has been appointed by Hill and Knowlton Strategies at a time when the healthcare industry and pharmaceutical sector are experiencing significant upheaval, requiring new approaches to everything from innovation to pricing and positioning.

Ms Fitzsimmons said: "The new success equation needs to ensure not only safety and efficacy but also unimpeded access and therapeutic value, the latter of which are still highly subjective."