Edelman beefs up Health unit in APAC

Edelman has made several strategic leadership appointments in Health unit across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. This includes the appointment of Will Collie (pictured left) as vice chair of Health in APAC and the recent hires of APAC market leads Brian Wang (pictured centre) and Jenny Jackson(pictured right).

As vice chair of Health in APAC, Collie oversees Edelman’s Health teams in India, China, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan and Australia. Collie, who now resides in Australia, was previously based in the United States in both Los Angeles and Chicago, where he was head of Edelman’s Southern California business and prior to that Chicago Health business. He also served as Edelman’s Health lead in Sydney, where he joined the firm in 2012. Before joining Edelman, Collie served as senior manager of external affairs for global pharmaceutical company Sanofi.

Jackson joins Edelman as head of health in Hong Kong, bringing more than 12 years of health communications expertise. She has led multi-channel communications and market research campaigns for global pharmaceutical and medical device companies across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Jackson brings to Edelman a strong understanding of multiple healthcare, regulatory and compliance environments across a wide range of disease areas.

Wang joins Edelman as head of health, China, overseeing the Health teams in Beijing and Shanghai. Prior to Edelman, his career spans almost 20 years across the health, wellness and retail sectors in Taipei, Beijing and Shanghai. This includes 12 years at GSK Consumer Healthcare, where he led brand teams across integrated marketing, channel planning, in-market portfolio positioning and communications across the Greater China Area.

 “Health remains a key driver of business for Edelman globally, and the opportunity to partner with clients in this industry across Asia Pacific is enormous,” said Kirsty Graham, global president, practice and sectors at Edelman. “These senior appointments strengthen our specialised approach – we have the expertise, the depth of knowledge and the nuanced insights to drive truly impactful client programs. Under Will Collie’s leadership in APAC, we continue to expand our specialisation of Edelman Health’s teams and offers.”

These senior appointments serve to further Edelman’s growth in APAC, with Health as a strategic priority for the region. Globally, the Health sector grew by more than 20% in fiscal year 2022, following similarly strong performance in 2021.

 “We’re building teams with no boundaries, bringing the best minds to our clients regardless of where they’re based. Our integrated approach, coupling data, insights and health expertise to deliver high-impact creative engagement, sets us apart,” said Collie. “The addition of these deep-rooted Health experts, with their knowledge of the region and insights at the local level, strengthens our capabilities both across APAC as a region as well as in local markets where clients are operating on the ground.”

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