Healthcare Veterans Boost PharmaGems Board

In the UK, marketing services firm PharmaGems has appointed healthcare MR veterans Allan Bowditch to its Board, and Kathryn Jones as an Advisory to its Board.

Launched in March by Synovate Healthcare's former CEO Michael Spedding and CFO Peter Chopra, PharmaGems invests in and partners with individuals and businesses in healthcare marketing services, to offer senior leadership experience combined with expertise in corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions.

Bowditch - who runs his own healthcare MR firm A B Consulting and has taken shares in PharmaGems - previously worked as CEO and Chairman of GfK Martin Hamblin's Healthcare Division. He has an extensive healthcare market research career that includes both client-side and agency roles, including working as a Strategic Advisor for Ziment (part of WPP's Kantar Group).

During his career, he has also worked with the Market Research Society to help develop the curriculum for the new Market Research degree being run in conjunction with UK Universities; assisted the University of Georgia in adapting the 'Principles of Market Research' for healthcare; and played an instrumental role in developing the EphMRA Guidelines on Adverse Event Reporting.

His service to the industry has been recognised by an EphMRA Award for Contribution to Pharmaceutical Market Research (2002), and a PBIRG Lifetime Achievement Award (2005).

Jones joins the PharmaGems team with a 20-year healthcare MR career spanning both client and agency-side roles in Europe and the US. She is now President of her own consulting company Kariad Partners, and previously held senior positions with Wyeth, Zeneca Pharmaceuticals, IMS Health, Isis and Martin Hamblin. She is also a past President of PBIRG.

'We're delighted to welcome Allan and Kathryn on board,' says Chopra. 'Their unparalleled knowledge and experience truly extends the range of services PharmaGems can offer.'

Web site: www.pharmagems.com .