Publicis Health has appointed Stephen Farquhar as its new chief executive officer, with the leadership transition taking effect on February 1.
Farquhar steps into the role succeeding Alexandra von Plato, who has led the healthcare network as CEO since 2018 and moves into a newly defined chairman position.
Von Plato brings nearly 30 years of leadership experience across Publicis Groupe agencies, and in her new capacity she will serve in an advisory role to Farquhar.
Both Farquhar and von Plato will report directly to Publicis Groupe chairman and chief executive Arthur Sadoun.
Farquhar previously served as chief marketing officer at Publicis Media, where he led global assignments spanning the telecom, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods categories.
He began his career in creative and strategy before going on to lead agencies across China, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Throughout his career, Farquhar has developed healthcare marketing and media expertise across 92 markets, covering global production, data strategy, patient services, and marketing solutions.
In his new role, he will oversee Publicis Health’s US businesses, including healthcare creative agencies Digitas Health, Heartbeat, Razorfish Health, and Saatchi and Saatchi Wellness.
He will also have oversight of healthcare specialty agencies BBK Worldwide, Insagic, Langland US, and Payer Sciences.
Sadoun expressed confidence in the appointment, saying “Stephen’s depth of experience across healthcare and CPG marketing and media mean he is ideally placed to lead our teams in addressing the business needs of healthcare and pharma marketers today, and take Publicis Health to the next level.”
The leadership reshuffle also includes two additional executive appointments designed to strengthen the agency’s operational structure going forward.
Eric Muller has been elevated to the newly created role of chief operating officer for Publicis Health, while retaining his position as president of Digitas Health and remaining based in Philadelphia.
Muller will be responsible for standardising best practices across the agencies, identifying and streamlining key processes, and delivering excellence at the speed of engagement, reporting directly to Farquhar.
Tracey O’Brien has also been appointed to the newly created position of chief client officer for Publicis Health.
The executive changes come as Publicis Health continues to navigate a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts Attorney General in 2021 over its role in marketing Purdue Pharma’s opioid painkiller OxyContin, with the two sides currently engaged in pre-trial discovery proceedings.