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Powerhouse healthcare brands merge to form Sudler Sydney
21 Jun 2017
SYDNEY — WPP AUNZ, Australasia’s leading marketing communications group, has announced the merger of two specialist communications agencies - greyhealth group (ghg) and Sudler & Hennessey.
The new merged entity will be known as Sudler Sydney, blending two proven expert teams to provide a bigger, stronger agency with broader capabilities across the healthcare communications sector.
WPP AUNZ CEO Mike Connaghan said: “We are constantly looking to optimise our portfolio of companies and offer clients the strongest possible solution. Merging these two strong healthcare specialists is a natural evolution, creating scale and more opportunities for our people and clients alike.”
Operating under the WPP Health & Wellness AUNZ division announced earlier this year, Sudler Sydney will be led by Peter Bernard (formerly Sudler & Hennessey MD). The merger affects the Australian arm of each agency but not the global ghg or Sudler & Hennessey brands.
WPP Health & Wellness AUNZ CEO, Gary Pattison said Sudler Sydney would provide a broader skill set across creative, strategy, digital, medical writing, and client service.
“This merger is in line with the WPP Health & Wellness driving vision to offer unrivalled value and partnerships to all clients,” he said. “Combining forces really increases the agency’s bandwidth and provides access to improved expertise and resource.”
Sudler Sydney MD, Peter Bernard said of the merger: “While both ghg and Sudler & Hennessey have operated successfully in this market separately for some time, the benefits of working together are clear. It will increase our footprint and provide benefits of scale. For our existing clients, it provides bigger agency thinking, but with agility. And for our staff, it provides more support and development opportunities, providing them with additional pathways and career options, and allowing us to retain the best in class talent.”
Pattison said there would now be two large, strong WPP Health & Wellness agencies in Australia; Sudler Sydney and Ogilvy CommonHealth, reflecting the structure seen in many other WPP markets of a similar size.
Sudler Sydney will operate from offices in Clarence St, Sydney. Sudler Sydney is part of WPP AUNZ, Australasia’s leading marketing communications group.
For more information, please contact: Rebecca Tilly, WPP AUNZ on +61 410 501 043
About WPP AUNZ
WPP AUNZ (ASX: WPP) is Australasia’s leading marketing communications group, comprising 5,500 people working in 80 agencies in 170 offices across Australia and New Zealand. Through its operating companies, the Group provides a comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services including advertising & media investment management; data investment management; public relations & public affairs; branding & identity; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion & relationship marketing and specialist communications. For more information visit www.wppaunz.com or follow us @WPP_AUNZ
WPP AUNZ is part of WPP, the world’s largest communications services group with billings of US$74 billion and revenues of over US$19 billion employing more than 205,000 people (including associates and investments) in over 3,000 offices across 112 countries. WPP was named Holding Company of the Year at the 2016 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the sixth year running. WPP was also named, for the sixth consecutive year, the World's Most Effective Holding Company in the 2017 Effie Effectiveness Index, which recognizes the effectiveness of marketing communications. In 2017 WPP was recognised by Warc 100 as the World’s Top Holding Company (third year running). For more information, visit www.wpp.com
About WPP Health & Wellness
WPP Health & Wellness is a leading health marketing communications company, recognized for accelerating better health outcomes. As the central lead for all of WPP’s (NASDAQ: WPPGY) work in health and wellness, we exist to mobilize and focus WPP’s vast capabilities including advertising, media investment management, data & insights, technology, healthcare specialty services, digital and CRM, marketing innovation, public relations/public affairs, and other specialized areas, for the benefit of our clients. For more information, visit www.wpphealth.com.