Independent health communications consultancy Ovid Health has appointed Cat Barnett as executive director, joining its board and senior leadership team, and reporting to chief executive Jenny Ousbey.

Barnett will lead the international and UK communications and patient advocacy practices and will take overall accountability for new business growth and client services across the company.

Barnett has 25 years’ experience working with healthcare clients. She began her career in healthcare communications at the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Nursing. Over the following two decades, she has worked within pharma at AstraZeneca, and at various global healthcare agencies including Ogilvy, Edelman, Ketchum, and Cohn & Wolfe in senior roles. Cat joins Ovid from Havas, where she was head of PR and patient advocacy working on global and regional communications.

Barnett said: “What attracted me most to Ovid was their change-maker mindset and skillset. The fusion of deep patient and stakeholder insights, sideways thinking, entrepreneurialism, and the needle-pushing ambition of the integrated teams translate into campaigns that matter and positively change individual lives, communities and healthcare systems.”

Ousbey commented: “With 25 years in the industry, Cat is known for her creativity, novel thinking, expert counsel, new business acumen, and mentoring skills. She’s a fantastic addition to Ovid and will bring huge value to our clients and teams as we continue to grow and diversify our industry-beating client offer. Her appointment signifies our commitment to delivering the best counsel to clients, shaped by creativity and curiosity.”