LONDON — Freuds has appointed Sheila Mitchell as a senior advisor in its growing health and behaviour change unit.

Mitchell joins Freuds from Public Health England, where she had been marketing director for 13 years before stepping down in August. She had previously been marketing director at the Department of Health, and earlier in her career worked in marketing roles at BT and the Cabinet Office.

During her public sector career, Mitchell brought innovation to government healthcare communications and drove behaviour change. She introduced an ethos of partnership and  collaboration with NGOs, health campaigners, and the private sector, including delivering support for public health campaigns from high street brands.

In 2009, Mitchell launched Change4Life, the UK’s first branded campaign promoting healthy lifestyles. Other campaigns she launched included the annual Stoptober event encouraging smokers to quit in October, and mental health campaign Every Mind Matters.

She introduced the UK government’s first chatbot for Stoptober, its first voice skill for the BreastFeeding Friend campaign, and the first use of augmented reality, in the Change4Life Food Scanner app.

Mitchell was replaced at Public Health England by Alexia Clifford, who had been her deputy for more than six years.

Freuds partner Julia Bainbridge, head of the agency’s health and behaviour change unit, said: “We are absolutely delighted that Sheila has agreed to be part of the Freuds family. Sheila will be a crucial part of our 2021 growth plan and will provide senior counsel and strategy to bold and ambitious clients wanting to do more in the preventative health space.

“Never has there been a more timely moment for companies operating in the health and life sciences sector to be considering or reconsidering their purpose and responsibilities, and how they can engage and support population health and wellbeing now and for years to come.”

The agency said more advisors would be announced in the near future.