Cello Health Consulting adds seven new professionals to UK team
Cello Health Consulting, the management consulting arm of international professional services firms Cello Health, has in recent weeks added seven new professionals to its UK team.
Founded in 1994, Cello Health Consulting is a rapidly growing global strategic consulting firm dedicated to healthcare. The consultancy holds offices in the UK’s South East and London regions, as well as on the East Coast of the US. The firm works with clients to create practical solutions in focused on 6 practice areas. These are Forecasting and Valuation; Asset and Indication Prioritisation; Commercialisation Strategy; Launch Excellence; Franchise and Brand Strategy; and Scenario and Competitor Planning.
As the firm has experienced growing demand, the consulting wing of Cello Health – a worldwide team of over 400 people – has been looking to grow its team on an international basis. Most recently this has seen seven new professionals join the firm on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as a further two promotions in the UK, and an acquisition to boost its capabilities further.
Nicholas Sen has over 10 years’ combined experience as a medical research scientist and pharmaceutical strategy consultant. He joins Cello’s London office as a Senior Consultant, after spending 2 years’ in KPMG’s Healthcare and Life Sciences strategy group where he developed an expertise in oncology. In that role, he delivered numerous local and global projects spanning numerous functions including business model strategy, competitive intelligence, pricing and market access, regulatory assessment and tax within both large pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotechs.
Nick Smith is an experienced IT Support Engineer with 7 years’ experience in the IT industry, having spent 6 years of this as a Senior IT Support Engineer and Junior Front End Web Developer. His previous employer provided bespoke bet management systems, betting software and betting odds display systems to many bookmakers around the globe. With Cello, Smith’s responsibility will be to support the entire UK Farnham Hub, utilising his IT skillset and previous ticket management skills to support the recently launched Support Ticketing System.
Rowenna Lowden is a new Team Coordinator with Cello’s UK office, with a background in general management, client relationship management and project leadership with budgetary responsibility. She has previously worked for a number of years in the outsourcing sector, during which time she serviced both financial services and government clients. Her new, varied responsibilities include event management, travel, administrative support and proactively supporting the Global team with all aspects of day to day business operations.
Andreas Wersall joins the UK team as an Associate Consultant, having recently completed a PhD in Cardiovascular Pharmacology at the University of Bristol, UK. Before this, Wersall spent time in research roles at Takeda Cambridge and Applied Photophysics. With a number of research publications under his belt in theraputic areas, Wersall will apply his knowledge to support client projects, while gaining a deeper understanding of the pharmaceutical industry, beyond the lab.
Gavin Clark-Gartner is one of three professionals who joins the Cello team in the US meanwhile. Taking up a role as a Consultant with the firm, Clark-Gartner will boost the team with two years of experience in life sciences consulting, with a focus on commercial operations in oncology and other specialty therapeutics. His CV also features expertise in pricing and contracting across industry stakeholders, oncology clinical pathways and alternative payment models, payer and provider key account strategy and value proposition development.
Thomas Thurston has also come to Cello as an Associate Consultant, having previously specialised in assisting pharmaceutical companies obtain market entry in emerging markets, especially in China, Indonesia and Brazil. During this time, Thurston has handled the needs of companies of all sizes, as well as a wide range of products including biologics, and novel oncology products, among others. In his new role, he will look to utilise his skills while further developing his strategic consultancy abilities.
Ingo Booth arrives at Cello with more than 12 years of combined experience as a biomedical researcher and strategy consultant. Transitioning to strategy consulting, following an academic career focused on rare diseases, he joined Bionest Partners in NY, working on a wide range of opportunity assessments, asset prioritisation and trans-Atlantic launch strategy for US and EU biotech and pharmaceutical companies. In his new role as a Consultant in Cello’s the US team, he will help companies understand the value of their products, realise the full opportunity of their innovations and develop launch strategies across different geographies.
Gavin Clark-Gartner has also joined Cello’s US team as a Consultant. His arrival boosts the team with two years’ experience in life sciences consulting, with a focus on commercial operations in oncology and other specialty therapeutics. He also boasts expertise with pricing and contracting across industry stakeholders, oncology clinical pathways and alternative payment models, payer and provider key account strategy and value proposition development.
Commenting on the arrivals, Steve Mather, President of Cello Health Consulting, Europe said, “We are delighted to welcome the new team members to our US and UK teams over recent weeks. This expansion supports increasing client demand that is driving significant growth in 2018. [Each new member] brings a distinct set of consulting and scientific skills and experience plus a wide range of therapeutic knowledge that allows us to continue to offer our clients improved solutions and unlock greater potential… We are very excited to have them all on board and wish them well in their careers here at Cello Health Consulting.”
Broader expansion
At the same time, two existing team members have been promoted amid Cello’s UK ranks. Kelsie Langley and Jiaxi Liang have both been elevated from Consultants to Senior Consultants. Liang provides market insights and administrative support for the CEO and Leadership Team to execute the organisation’s growth strategy, while Langley employs marketing and digital strategy to unlock client potential and overcome industry challenges.
Manager Nick Karachalias said of the announcement, “[Kelsie and Jiaxi] have distinguished themselves in their contributions over the last few years, assuming more and more responsibility and becoming instrumental in delivering complex projects for some of our biggest clients. They have consistently over-delivered for clients and internal work-streams while also stepping up in times of extreme busyness. Anyone who has worked with them has come to appreciate their tenacity, can-do attitude, attention to detail, commitment to quality and utter professionalism.”
The appointments come hot on the heels of Cello Health having bolstered its Health Communications practice with the acquisition of the Healthcare team at Firstlight Public Relations. By acquiring the Healthcare team at Firstlight Public Relations, which was established in 2011 by Managing Director Pat Pearson, Cello hopes to enhance the delivery of communications for UK and International clients across the pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors. The team will be named Cello Health Public Relations, located in London, and will report into Cello Health Communications in Farnham.
Stephen Highley, Group Chairman of Cello Health said of the move, “The Firstlight Healthcare team has built a reputation for creative and impactful work. This strategic acquisition will enhance our capabilities, bringing together complimentary communications expertise. Our clients are increasingly looking for a broader range of support. Firstlight’s experience in bringing healthcare issues to life in ways that make a genuine difference to medical professionals and patients is an exciting addition to Cello Health Communications.”