Edelman hires Kate Hawker as healthcare MD

Edelman UK has appointed Burson-Marsteller’s former healthcare chair, Kate Hawker, as MD of its UK healthcare team.

Hawker brings 25 years’ experience working with biopharmaceutical companies across a variety of therapeutic areas.

Formerly healthcare chair at Burson-Marsteller, she tripled the size of its healthcare business and led global, EMEA and UK clients, including AstraZeneca, GSK, Novartis and Colgate.

Before Burson-Marsteller, Hawker was business development director at InforMed from 2009 to 2012, and director and partner at FleishmanHillard from 2000 to 2009.

In 2000 she founded medical comms agency The Remedy, and sold it to its parent company FleishmanHillard in 2006.

In her new role at Edelman, Hawker has been tasked to ensure further integration of digital and creative capabilities, including the creative offering of Edelman Deportivo UK, to help advance client ambitions in the healthcare space.

Edelman UK’s COO Matt Hurst said: “Kate’s ability to develop and execute effective campaigns creatively within regulatory and legal frameworks is impressive. Her skills and leadership experience will be very valuable to our clients as we continue to provide senior counsel and build integrated programmes.”

Hawker added: “Edelman boasts a prestigious health team with an enviable client roster and vibrant team culture. There remains a relentless ambition to innovate and to offer ‘best in class’ creative approaches to deliver great work for our clients. There is more to achieve, and I am thrilled to be joining at this time.”