FINN Partners and Hyderus Unite to Create Major Global Health Communications and Policy Practice Serving Multinational Pharmaceutical, Vaccine, Device and Diagnostic Companies

Hyderus Co-Founders Mark Chataway and Christopher Nial Join FINN Global Health Leaders Team, Adding Strength to FINN Global Public Health Group

Hyderus, an international, health-focused communications and policy firm has joined global independent marketing and  communications agency FINN Partners. With a network in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin  America, Hyderus provides expert guidance on a range of vital health policy issues to leading biopharma  companies and non-governmental organizations. Co-founders Mark Chataway and Christopher Nial join  FINN and take leadership positions in the Agency’s Global Health Practice and will co-lead its EMEA Public Health Group. Both will report to Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and Purpose. 

In their new roles, Chataway and Nial will work closely with Fern Lazar, managing partner and Global  Health Practice lead, and Washington, DC-based Richard Hatzfeld, senior partner and Global Public  Health lead. Both Chataway and Nial become EMEA Public Health leads in the Global Health Practice, as  well as members of the agency’s Global Health Practice leadership team, which Lazar facilitates.  Well-known for its global work in public health, health policy strategy, drug development and marketing  communications, risk perception and crisis management, Hyderus will now be branded “Hyderus, a FINN  Partners Company.” The agency becomes part of the FINN EMEA region, overseen by Chantal Bowman Boyles, managing partner, who also leads FINN efforts throughout Europe. There are no staff  redundancies or client conflicts. 

BOTH AGENCIES ARE CHAMPIONS OF GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND INNOVATION ACCESS 

“FINN has been at the forefront of championing health innovation in advanced and emerging economies,” notes Chataway, who becomes a FINN managing partner. “During the past year, Hyderus  has worked closely with FINN colleagues in EMEA and Asia on important vaccine access and public  health initiatives. We’ve also worked on changes in European health delivery that can impact the lives of millions of people and the prosperity of countries. This announcement feels like a natural next step that formalizes an already strong connection,” he adds. 

“From the launch of FINN Partners, we sought to build an agency that would amaze clients, be a best  place to work, and make a difference in the world,” reflects Peter Finn, CEO and founding managing  partner, FINN Partners. “The efforts of Mark, Christopher, Fern, Richard, Chantal and Gil working in  collaboration reaffirm how agency values and the power of a united community translate into delivering extraordinary client outcomes.” 

Hyderus strengthens FINN’s Global Health Practice, adding depth and reach to its growing public health  communication footprint and increasing FINN total staff to more than 1,400 employees, with more than  275 professionals worldwide dedicated to the health sector. With more than $50 million in revenues,  the FINN Global Health Practice is now ranked among the world’s largest independent health practices.  “Through their cutting-edge services, geographic reach and deep expertise in health policy research and  global public health communications, Hyderus elevates our health communications strength throughout  Europe,” says Chantal Bowman-Boyles, managing partner, FINN EMEA. “The combination of Hyderus pharma and health policy knowledge and FINN’s existing diagnostics, device and digital health expertise  enables us to support a broader range of EU and UK clients in the product and provider services  sectors.”  

“Before uniting with FINN, we worked closely with Aman Gupta and Shivani Gupta, founders of SPAG,  which joined FINN last year, and we saw how the agency embraces ideas that make a difference in the  world,” adds Nial, a senior partner and co-lead of the EMEA Public Health Group. “Through our work  with shared clients, we have seen how FINN embraces collaboration, welcoming our expertise and  counsel and truly working in close, equal partnership. Now that we have gotten to know Peter, Gil,  Chantal, Fern, Richard and the FINN team, it is clear that our values align and that we can do more  together.”  

CHATAWAY AND NIAL ADD THEIR POLICY AND PROCESS EXPERTISE TO FINN CLIENTS 

A well-known global communicator in the prevention of communicable diseases and better reproductive health, Chataway has led campaigns with numerous companies and international organizations, such as  Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; London School of Hygiene and Tropical  

Medicine; and Partnership for Quality Medical Donations. Nial was among the first communication  leaders to recognize that project management rigor was crucial for coordinating multi-country, multi language campaigns across regional and cultural divides. Chataway and Nial are also founding members of Baird’s CMC, a global network of veteran communications consultants, which has the potential to  further expand FINN client access to worldwide communications expertise. 

“FINN was a pioneer in addressing the challenges patients and product innovators face in navigating the  fragmented health ecosystem,” says Fern Lazar, managing partner and Global Health Practice leader.  “The COVID-era pinpointed how obstacles to access to care – including vaccine hesitancy, health technology reimbursement challenges, and inadequate treatment programs for non-communicable  diseases – impact developing markets. Hyderus and FINN are best positioned to help global health  clients support growth within these diverse markets.” 

While others talk about improving public health, Hyderus has a decades-long track record of working  with global clients to deliver real results that improve lives, notes Richard Hatzfeld, senior partner, FINN  Global Public Health lead. “Mark and Chris are trusted advisors who understand how to bring different  groups together to address many of the most pressing health challenges of our time.” 

OFFERING CLIENTS A PATH TO ADDRESS GLOBAL HEALTH URGENCIES 

“As companies and communities continue to navigate constant disruption – driven by the pandemic,  health urgencies, socioeconomic and environmental pressures, and new technologies – FINN has been a  pioneer in recognizing that the power of collaboration is the essential launching pad for companies and  governments to set a positive direction for humanity’s future,” said Gil Bashe, Chair Global Health and  Purpose. “Hyderus and their leadership team have extraordinary insight into these geopolitical  influences through firsthand connections, qualities that strengthen FINN clients’ ability to adapt to the  ever-changing global health environment.”