Mike Thompson joins public affairs agency Brevia Consulting
Brevia Consulting has appointed a new Chairman for its Health practice. Mike Thompson takes the role following more than 25 years in the life sciences sector, during which time he has worked closely with the UK Government.
Founded in 1999, Brevia Consulting provides political and communications support from offices in London, Brussels, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Belfast. The firm’s clients range from SMEs to global organisations, as well as trade associations, charities, and local authorities, while its consultants come from across the political spectrum, and are experienced in a wide range of sectors with specialist expertise in energy, technology, industrials, transport, financial services, education, healthcare and not for profit.
Brevia Health provides straightforward public affairs and communications advice and support to organisations operating in the highly regulated UK healthcare sector. The practice advises companies that range from global pharmaceutical companies to innovative start-ups. As the UK emerges from the far-reaching consequences of Covid-19 and Brexit, Brevia has looked to strengthen its offering to healthcare clients looking make practical changes, with a new hire.
Mike Thompson has been named as Chairman of Brevia Health, and a member of its Advisory Board. Mike will oversee Brevia Health, a dedicated division of Brevia Consulting, which offers a team of consultants with experience in pharmaceuticals, IT Health, in vitro diagnostics, medical devices and genomics.
David Beamer, Managing Director of Brevia Consulting said of the news, “I am delighted to welcome Mike to Brevia. He brings over 25 years of life sciences experience to the team and his recent experience as CEO of the ABPI put him at the heart of UK drug pricing and approval policy.”
Most recently, Thompson served as CEO of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). There, he was intimately involved in ensuring that the UK could continue to supply medicines through any Brexit scenario, and worked in partnership with the DHSC to bring forward policy proposals to ensure the system would cope. Prior to that, he spent a decade with GSK, where he held senior roles at Global, European Regional, and UK levels of the company, giving him insight into the dynamics and interplay of complex organisations. He also sits on the Life Sciences Advisory Board of the British Growth Fund.
Commenting on his new role, Thompson said, “I am excited to have joined Brevia, which has supported clients in the health sector for over 20 years. I look forward to working with my new colleagues to develop our health client base and provide expert advice and support to clients.”
As with many of the Brevia team, Thompson has worked closely with Downing Street, the Treasury, DHSC, BEIS and the Office of Life Sciences throughout his career. Among the rest of the team, Founder and Managing Director David Beamer was previously a senior political adviser to the Conservative Party, and Deputy Managing Director Miles Bailey worked in the Conservative Research Department as the political adviser on Energy and the Environment. Meanwhile, Associate Director Andrew Maugham spent 12 years as a Special Adviser to former Chancellor Alistair Darling.
