VMLY&R Health’s London business has hired a new managing director and a new executive creative director as the healthcare marketing agency “turns its investment strategy to London.”
Jo Crouch, who started out in the industry in sales and marketing with Roche Diagnostics, becomes managing director, while Khalid Latif, with more than 70 major awards for creativity in health, will lead VMLY&R Health’s creative department in London.
Crouch and Latif “will establish London as a flagship team for VMLY&R Health, which recorded global growth rates of over 17% last year,” the agency said in a press release.
Crouch is moving up from being EVP, head of strategy at the agency, a position she held since the start of the year. She started at VMLY&R Health in January, coming off more than two years at rival agency Weber Shandwick in the same role.
It’s a similar story for Latif, who also hails from Weber Shandwick, where he was creative director. Before that, he had spent a 12-year stint at Publicis Health, moving up from a senior copywriter job to associate creative director.
VMLY&R Health has a base in every major country around the world but said that “these hires are the latest industry leaders to join the expanding network as it turns its investment strategy to London.”
“Putting a proven strategic expert at the helm of our agency is a conscious move to place strategy at the centre of our growth and development of the London office,” said Nichole Davies, chief strategic officer at VMLY&R Health.
“London’s strategic significance cannot be understated and we wanted the best in the business to lead it. Attracting top talent like Jo and Khalid, is a testimony to our existing and future success.”
The parent agency recently saw its first two major wins at Cannes Lions last month, taking home the gold for two of its campaigns.