HealthWork, a BBDO and CDM joint pharma venture, to open four international offices

The model is being replicated for its second office in Paris today, and with locations in Barcelona, London, and Sao Paulo opening later this year.

Denise Henry, currently managing director of HealthWork in the US, has been asked to oversee the Healthwork network globally, while continuing to head the New York office with Chris Palmer, president of CDM New York.

Henry commented: “After working together successfully for seven years, BBDO and CDM know how to collaborate to deliver work that’s smarter, more head-turning, more honest and more inspired. Both agencies have deep-rooted cultures that mesh seamlessly, ensuring the success of our model in these markets.”

Palmer added: “Together we can deliver a tailored best-in-class creative service on a global basis. We could not imagine a better partnership for our agency, people and clients.”

President and chief executive of BBDO Worldwide, Andrew Robertson said: “HealthWork was conceived to provide healthcare clients with a compelling and competitive balance of consumer-focused creativity and pharma knowledge and expertise. It has worked well. Taking this proposition to new markets is very exciting.”

Kyle Barich, CDM’s chief executive, adds: It’s been a highly successful model delivering a one-of-a-kind solution for healthcare clients in the US for over seven years. Now we can really flex this idea to clients looking to innovate on a global scale.”

The strengthening of the Omnicom agency network’s pharma offerings has come in a 2018 where The Drum honored BBDO with top spot on the Big Won rankings, but soon lost business with longtime clients GE, Lowe’s and most recently after over half a century together, Campbell’s.