The move accelerates the award-winning team’s rapid expansion into fully-integrated health communications campaigns – one of the drivers behind the agency’s move up two places in this year’s PR Week Top 150 Health table, as a result of it’s 8% growth in 2020 – and reflected in recent work such as the ‘New Normal, Same Cancer’ campaign for AstraZenenca and ‘Every Breath Counts’ for a UN-led coalition against pneumonia.

The two new hires will turbocharge the diversification of ENGINE MHP+Mischief’s Health practice beyond its public policy heartlands and comes at a time of increasing scrutiny of the sector and a resulting focus on healthcare communications.

Kate Pogson, Head of Health at ENGINE MHP+Mischief, said:

“The last year has once again underscored the importance of communications in healthcare, from pharma company communications to broader public health campaigns. Getting the story right is critical both to advance reputations and challenge disinformation. We are so excited to be bringing strong senior talent to our team to help deliver that for clients, working alongside other specialist teams, including Brand & Reputation and our creative Studio team.”

As Director, Louise will work alongside recent senior hires in Digital Health and Patient Advocacy, accelerating the health business shift into communications and integrated campaigning. Her expertise spans public affairs, communications and campaigning, spending the majority of her 20 year career at Sanofi, where she led on award winning Brexit communications and specialised in executive leadership, issues management and change communications. Previous roles include MSD, M&C Saatchi, the House of Commons and NCT.

Former journalist Jaber Mohamed joins the team from the Department for Health and Social Care, where he was Chief Press Officer for International, Public Health and Medicines policy throughout the pandemic.

Mohamed oversaw all media relations for the UK’s Covid-19 Vaccination Programme – providing strategic advice to the Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi and Health Secretary Matt Hancock. He was also Chief Press Officer to the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty and Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Professor Jonathan Van Tam. Prior to his role at the Department of Health, Jaber reported for the Mail on Sunday before taking on communications roles in the Cabinet Office and Department for Transport.

His appointment as Associate Director follows in the footsteps of Isabelle Scali, previously Global Corporate Communications Director at ViiV, who joined the team in October last year.

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Louise Farmer added:

“The vitality of communications in healthcare has never been more visible – in an increasingly noisy and polarised landscape, making complex information simple and engaging so that it is heard by the people that count is vital for our clients. ENGINE MHP+Mischief are already delivering fantastic corporate and product comms across the health sector, and I’m excited to push our growth further without losing sight of the core need; to deliver campaign strategies that truly affect change on the ground.”

Jaber Mohamed said:

“I’m excited to join a team as prestigious as ENGINE MHP+Mischief at a time when healthcare communications has never been more important.

“My aim is to combine my strong communications experience and the agency’s unrivalled expertise in health policy to create compelling campaigns for patients and clients.”