Havas Health & You has made two senior leadership appointments. Denise Henry has joined the company as group president and Suketu Patel was promoted to global chief medical officer.
Henry has joined the firm from CDM and Healthwork, its joint venture with BBDO. She was previously director of HealthWork as well as chief strategy officer for CDM. Patel previously held other medical roles within Havas Health & You and at Havas Life Metro.
Henry said she was drawn to the firm because of the “palpable culture they have created” and its history of steady growth.
“These successes have been fueled by their belief in the importance of connecting with their 4,000-plus talent pool,” Henry said in an emailed statement. “While others set this as a vision for their holding companies, Havas Health & You has taken great strides to ensure it happens. Their one P&L and company infrastructure are all created to seamlessly leverage skills from around the world, allowing them to provide world class insights and work for their clients and brands.”
Patel was previously VP and medical director for Havas Life Metro. In this new role, his focus shifts globally and to the network at large.
“I hope to elevate the Havas Health & You medical offering through the integration of leading global medical resources,” Patel said in an emailed statement. “As a network, we want to continually stay one step ahead of the changing business of healthcare, and how the application of advanced analytics can be effectively integrated into healthcare communications.”
Both Henry and Patel will begin in these new roles on April 20. Henry will report to Havas Health & You global CEO Donna Murphy. Michael McNamara, president of Havas Life Metro, will continue to focus on growing Havas Life Metro NYC, reporting to Henry.
In January, Havas Health & You made another senior appointment. David Hunt, CEO of Havas Health & You West, was named chief digital officer in addition to his previous role.
“Another passion point of mine is to further differentiate ourselves as we navigate the recent shift from mass communication to more personalized and authentic touch points and storytelling techniques,” Henry said. “I am inspired to be a part of this culture that holds creativity to an ever-important standard, and am looking forward to having the freedom to explore new and innovative ways to connect in this industry alongside such a talented group of people.”
