Camilla Dormer

• A dynamic, creative, solutions-driven leader with 25 years’ experience in healthcare communications. 
• Highly values-driven and committed to improving global healthcare to better serve patient needs.
• Adept at delivering plans and counsel for companies to build, establish and future-proof reputations. 
• Expertise spans highly-regulated and unregulated sectors at all stages of product / company life cycle. 
• Environments include start-up, non-profit, medical association, consultancy & FTSE 100 companies.
• Issues, regulatory and litigation experience enables deep insights into corporate self-regulation.
• Skilled in wider comms / branding strategy and execution including social media / digital content.
• Experienced in C-Suite / Founder-level counsel, executive positioning and internal comms strategy. 
• A passionate team leader, committed to building teams and maximising talent to deliver top results.

• Led communications for newly IPOed biotech, atai Life Sciences, formulating its new reputational direction and approach from ‘psychedelics start up’ to dynamic, innovative mental health company; led on social / creative content, leadership profiling, speaker events, media engagements in intense period of newsflow comprising corporate / M&A updates, clinical trials / data and financial results milestones.
• Set up the EMEA corporate identity and built a new EMEA-wide communications team, facilitating and x14 national launches in x12 months for Silicon Valley start-up Juul Labs, guiding on responsible practice in its mission to help adult smokers to transition away from cigarettes and avoid youth use.
• Led communications for GSK’s Strimvelis, the first paediatric gene therapy to be approved by the EMA, including core positioning, media outreach, third party / patient liaison, issues management and spokesperson training around sensitive topics such as pricing, ethics, access and long term follow-up. 
• Managed media materials / outreach and social media / digital content for a CSR project by GSK with Save the Children, regarding a non-profit neonatal health product in response to a UN Call to Action.
• Led global communications for the global launch / tender process for GSK’s cervical cancer vaccine, Cervarix, including core media materials, affiliate upskilling / coordination and issues management; developed repositioning of vaccine as ‘against cancer’ (versus ‘an STI / HPV’) to reinforce importance.
• Led Roche’s Tamiflu communications and corporate reputation around the H1N1 pandemic, working with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on national government preparedness.
• Led the press office functions for key European medical conferences: European Society of Cardiology, European Association for the Study of the Liver and the European League Against Rheumatism.

Disease areas:

• Rx: addiction, Alzheimer’s, analgesia, animal health, antibiotics / antibiotic resistance, blood plasma, CVD/metabolic disease, dermatology, infectious diseases, gene therapy, mental health, migraine, neonatal health, oncology, Parkinson’s, rare diseases, respiratory disease, women’s health.
• Cx: allergy (cow’s milk), femtech (beauty), infant nutrition (infant formula), manufacturing / quality / supply chain issues management, responsible beauty (cruelty free product testing), smoking cessation, tobacco-related harm reduction (vaping). 

Employment history: 

Metascope Public Relations: Director / Independent Consultant             July 2022-present

• Freelance counsel for leading pharmaceutical companies. Projects included: Europe-wide oncology product launch; patient group relations; animal health; corporate reputation and media maximisation.

Cura Communications: Director & UK Lead                                              Jan 2023-present

• Member of the international team of newly launched communications agency specialising in counsel and consulting for the psychedelics / innovative mental health sector. 

atai Life Sciences: Vice President, Communications                                Aug 2021-Jul 2022

• Global communications head, overseeing PR / comms / digital for mental health biotech start-up.
• Led strategy and content across: corporate brand / reputation, financial / investor relations and quarterly earnings, scientific / regulatory milestones, executive leadership positioning / speaker events, internal communications; as well as comms for atai’s platform companies and related milestones.
• Included proactive outreach / materials, patient / disease awareness campaigns, reactive / press office coordination, maximisation of events and ongoing issues management / strategic counsel.
• Member of Executive Leadership Team for staff of 100 and comms team of 9, reporting into the CEO.

Ketchum Public Relations: Deputy Managing Director, Health               Feb 2021-Sep 2021

• Management of a team of 28, spanning healthcare PR, medical comms & medical education.
• Member of Ketchum London and Global Omnicom Public Relations Group leadership teams.
• Responsible for team management, new business development and operational / P&L ownership.
• Senior client counsel for practice, across pharma, biotech and consumer health. 
• Direct oversight of key client projects including oncology, addiction and consumer health crossover.
• Selected by CEO for European DAS Growth Partner programme for high-performing senior leaders.

Independent: Communications Consultant                                                Aug 2020-Jan 2021

• Freelance counsel for key PR agencies, across product campaigns and business development.
• Senior communications consultant for start-ups across healthcare, consumer, beauty and tech, including corporate positioning / messaging projects and strategic counsel on international expansion.

Juul Labs: VP / Head of Communications, International                          Sep 2018-Jul 2020

• Initially appointed as Head of Comms / Senior Director for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) 
  • Tasked with creating new London-based hub and comms function for EMEA in new UK hub.
  • Reported into Chief Communications Officer and worked closely with US C-Suite / Founders.
• Crafted new corporate positioning, strategy and suite of comms assets for ex-US expansion.
• Built EMEA network, appointing local comms leads and launching x14 markets by end 2019.
• Promoted to lead International comms (Dec 2019); remit expanded to include APAC, LatAm, Canada.
  • Strategic lead and coordinator of 29 communicators across 20 affiliate markets.
  • Drove ongoing alignment across global regulatory, legal, government affairs, commercial.
  • Worked in daily collaboration with US comms and regulatory leads re key FDA milestones. 

GSK Consumer Health: Director, Global Communications                     Dec 2017-Aug 2018

• Chief comms counsel to global head / leadership team of Cx supply chain covering 30 sites worldwide.
• Led a team of seven regional comms leads across US, Europe, Asia Pacific & LatAm.
• Managed key issues, including manufacturing, quality, supply disruption and site restructures.
• Remit spanned external / media communications and internal / employee engagement. 

GSK Pharmaceuticals: Director, Global Communications                       Oct 2013-Nov 2017 

• Senior counsel for commercialised product comms; spokesperson and core media team member. 
• Strategic lead of global network and counsel to senior leaders; internal and external comms.
• Managed regulatory milestones, issues management, top tier media, multimedia assets for network.
• Central liaison with third parties including patient groups, KOLs, professional associations.
• Key project areas included diabetes, depression, respiratory disease, dermatology, rare diseases, gene therapy, classic / established portfolio, and corporate / CSR.

Virgo Health (now part of Golin Harris): Associate Director                    Oct 2011-Dec 2012

• Senior lead on UK and global accounts spanning pharma, vaccines, OTC and corporate reputation.
• Leading teams of up to six; member of management team for division of 24; freelance contractor.
• Key projects included analgesia, corporate / internal communications and vaccines.
• Congress / publication and data milestones; regulatory milestones; internal communications; issues management; network coordination; corporate positioning.

Cohn & Wolfe (now BCW): Associate Director, Healthcare                     Jan 2006-Sep 2011

• Recruited as Account Director; promoted in 2008; part of management team for division of 40.
• Senior lead on UK / European / global accounts; pharma, vaccines and medical nutrition.
• Key projects included pandemic preparedness, vaccines, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, infant nutrition, infant allergy and congress press office management.
• Global launch / network coordination; media toolkits; corporate reputation, data milestones; regulatory milestones; internal communications; issues management; network coordination; spokesperson preparedness; top tier interview facilitation.

Burson-Marsteller (now BCW): Director, Healthcare                                Jun 2005-Nov 2005

• Senior lead on a range of international and UK consumer and pharmaceutical healthcare campaigns.
• Leading teams of up to eight; budgets up to £500k; on management team for division of 20. 
• Key projects included cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and analgesia.
• Data maximisation; regulatory milestones; internal communications; issues management; network coordination; government relations alignment.

European Society of Cardiology: Press & PR Manager                           Apr 2000-Jun 2005

• Recruited as first in-house Press Officer for the association; promoted to Manager in 2003.
• Set up comms / press office function and served as comms counsel for Board / CEO.
• Led internal communications and alignment across network of 47 national associations.
• Increased press attendance by >150% and coverage by >500% during first year in role.
• Coordinated comms and campaigns across the 47 member associations and allied patient groups.
• Collaborated closely with Irish Ministry of Health in 2004 for Europe’s first public smoking ban.

Shandwick Intl (now Weber Shandwick): Senior Account Executive        Oct 1999-Apr 2000

• Mid-level team member specialising in UK pharma and consumer accounts.
• Projects included allergy / issues management, sexual dysfunction and smoking cessation.
• Local market toolkits / network coordination; issues management guidance; media materials.

Ketchum Public Relations: Account Executive                                               Jan 1998-Jul 1999

• Recruited as Junior Account Executive in Healthcare; promoted to Account Executive in 1999.
• Projects included HRT, depression and Parkinson’s disease including third party coordination.
• Survey coordination and global maximisation; media materials; data / publications outreach.

Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting: Programme Assistant Jul 1997-Nov 1997

• Event organisation and PR for the arts festival ‘Commonwealth Edinburgh’ held during CHOGM 1997. 

Degree: 1993-1997: University of Edinburgh: MA (Honours) Psychology, 2.1.

Affiliations: Public Relations Consultants Association; International Science Writers Association. 

Certifications: Mental Health First Aider; Blueprint Diversity & Inclusion; Hypnotherapy Training (current).