Ogilvy Health promoted Shannon Walsh to chief operating officer for North America on Tuesday morning.

In the newly-created position, Walsh will be tasked with overseeing the 2024 MM+M Agency 100 honoree’s operations, marketing and communications, as well as innovation for North America. 

She most recently held the post of president of PR for North America and will continue to lead the PR, influence and social business for the firm.

In a company press release, Walsh celebrated the promotion and welcomed the opportunity to “further solidify” the agency’s position in the healthcare marketing and communications market. 

“We have an incredible opportunity to build on our strong foundation and foster a culture of collaboration and creativity to deliver even greater value for our clients,” she stated. “I’m grateful to [Ogilvy Health’s global CEO Kim Johnson] and [Ogilvy’s global CEO Devika Bulchandani] for their vote of confidence and continued support.”

A 2023 MM+M Pinnacle Award honoree, Walsh has been with Ogilvy for two decades. She began her tenure as EVP, New York healthcare practice director before being elevated to managing director of health and wellness PR&I and eventually president of PR for North America.

Before that, she served as VP at GCI Health, an account supervisor at Porter Novelli and a senior account executive at MSLGroup. 

Bulchandani added in a statement that Walsh is a “force in the industry.”

“I am incredibly excited to see her take on this expanded leadership role,” Bulchandani stated. “Her vision and experience will be invaluable as we continue to drive growth and innovation at Ogilvy Health.” 

In 2023, Ogilvy Health’s revenue ticked down 5% to an MM+M-estimated $145 million from an estimated $152.5 million in 2022. Staff size also fell from an MM+M-estimated 715 full-timers at the end of 2022 to 650 at the end of 2023.

To boost its operations, the agency has continued to pursue opportunities in an influencer marketing space that has become increasingly crowded by industry rivals.

In April, Ogilvy launched a health-first suite of global influencer marketing services called Health Influence, which will combine Ogilvy PR’s global influencer team with experts from Ogilvy Health.