Publicis Healthcare is making inroads in Southeast Malaysia. The agency announced it will launch a new healthcare division in Singapore on September 1. 

Publicis has tapped Sharon Tan as the shop’s general manager. Tan previously served as regional business director at Publicis Singapore, where she worked with one of the agency’s pharma clients, Sanofi. Tan has also worked with GlaxoSmithKline, Sandoz, Novartis’s generic drug arm, Johnson & Johnson and the Singapore Eye Research Institute.

Prior to joining Publicis, Tan was the branding director for Soho, an office real estate developer in China.

“Singapore is heading towards being a world-class healthcare hub in terms of R&D and innovation. The time is right for Publicis to lead the charge in the healthcare communication space,” Lou Dela Pena, CEO of Publicis Singapore, said in a release.