LONDON — Global healthcare communications firm IMC Group has appointed a new CEO as it prepares for its next phase of international growth.

Dr Sanjay Jariwala has been named as chief executive officer of the firm, which was backed with investment from Waterland Private Equity in 2020. It has since acquired five specialist agencies: Porterhouse, Pulsar Medical, Indigo Medical, Wedgewood Communications and Fusion Animation, taking the team from 85 to 300 people in nine offices across the UK, Canada, the US and the Middle East.

Jariwala (pictured, right) was most recently senior vice-president of worldwide medical at Biogen and previously VP strategy as well as VP medical for infection, neuroscience and autoimmunity at AstraZeneca and a founder of its Medical Affairs Council. Before that, he was SVP business development at Vifor Pharma, and held senior R&D and medical roles at GSK and Procter & Gamble.

At the same time, Sue Couldery (left) has been appointed as chief financial officer, joining from global communications and advisory firm Teneo, where she was CFO for EMEA.

IMC Group founder and former CEO Shairose Ebrahim will be stepping down and exiting the business after 15 years, but remains a shareholder in the business.

The board will continue to be led by non-executive director Viv Adshead, former president and CEO of Ashfield Communications, who joined the group at the same time as the private equity investment. She said: “With the appointment of the new group CEO and CFO roles, our group is poised for its next phase of accelerated growth.

“Combine that with Sanjay’s track record and passion for deal-making in business development, M&A and the commercial side of the business, I feel we can truly realise the potential of this extraordinary group. With the continued support, follow-on investment and trust we have from Waterland, this is a group that people will be watching with great interest as we continue our buy and build strategy.”

Jariwala added: “I feel privileged to lead this group into creating something not yet seen in the medcomms industry – something truly special, unique and disruptive. My experience in leading worldwide medical departments, as well as spearheading medical transformations to realise the true potential of medical within these companies, gives us insight into their future needs as they evolve, how we can best support and be the partner of choice for many of the most forward-thinking healthcare companies.”