LONDON —  Strategic communications agency Lexington has appointed Sally Donovan-Smith to the newly-created role of head of brand and medical communications, as it seeks to expand its healthcare offering.

Donovan-Smith (pictured, left) has worked in the pharmaceutical industry since the late 1990s, first at Sanofi and then at Novartis where she became head of communications for the UK and Ireland, responsible for leading an integrated communications strategy across the external communications, government affairs, corporate communications and internal communications teams.

In 2012, she joined Chandler Chicco Agency as a member of the senior leadership team, responsible for client liaison and new business development. Most recently, Donovan-Smith has led the global corporate communications function at Lumanity, a pharmaceutical, medical and biotech commercialisation and communications firm formed this year by the merger of six healthcare agencies acquired by Arsenal Capital Partners since 2020.

In her new role, focusing on brand and medical communications for European and global projects, Donovan-Smith will be working with Lexington’s head of healthcare Ed McRandal, director Will Culliford and the rest of the 27-strong healthcare team at the agency.

McRandal (pictured, right) said: “We’re very excited to have Sally join the team. She offers industry leading advice and expertise and will help drive forward the work of our award-winning healthcare team.  This appointment advances our strategy of offering clients a truly integrated offer, focused on delivering multi-channel solutions to the problems they face.”

Donovan-Smith added: “I’m thrilled to join Lexington and to work as part of a team who have such a deservedly strong reputation with our clients. I’m looking forward to working with my new colleagues to identify opportunities and ways of working to enhance our offering and to build further on the excellent work done by the healthcare team to grow our communications offering.”

Lexington, which has a team of 90, recently sold to US creative agency group Kyu Collective. The agency’s current healthcare clients include Sanofi, Takeda, Merck/MSD, Pfizer, Roche Diagnostics, Mölnlycke and Nuffield Health.