Omnicom’s maslansky + partners (m+p) has expanded its leadership team, hiring two new partners and expanding the role of a founding partner to strengthen its healthcare and life science practice.
Part of Omnicom Public Relations, m+p is a consultancy focused on finding the words that shape opinion and change behavior. The consultancy works across a range of industries, but the latest set of leadership changes center on its offering to pharmaceutical companies.
The appointments are “a direct response to where our clients need us most,” Michael Maslansky, CEO of m+p, said in a statement. Healthcare is an area where m+p sees continued opportunities to offer its communications strategy to new clients and to “respond to a broader set of needs,” the CEO added.
Katherine Hettrich and Amanda Kealey have joined as partners, adding to m+p’s experience of working with pharma companies. Hettrich has supported drugmakers while working at ZS Associates, Ogilvy and Publicis Healthcare, including by helping to shape how new therapies are understood and adopted. The biggest barriers to uptake are how people interpret what they hear and what it means to them, Hettrich said in a statement.
Kealey joins m+p from Shapiro+Raj. Across a career that includes spells at Hall & Partners and Brado, the new m+p partner has worked on communication strategy for major pharmaceutical companies. That experience has persuaded Kealey that misunderstandings about the audience, rather than problems with the message, are often at the root of communications issues.
The consultancy disclosed the new hires alongside news that Keith Yazmir, one of its founding partners, has taken on the president role. Yazmir has advised clients in industries including pharma during his 20 years at m+p. The newly minted president framed his appointment in the context of Omnicom’s takeover of IPG, noting opportunities for m+p to collaborate with sister agencies.
Jaime Hodges, Ph.D., and Catherine Farr also received promotions. Hodges’ new role unites the firm’s quantitative research and synthetic research capabilities, while Washington-based Farr will serve as executive vice president after 12 years helping companies and trade associations in industries including pharma.