Hill+Knowlton Strategies (H+K) is boosting its health practice with two VP appointments: Kristy Derkson and David Airdrie.
Derkson joined H+K as an account director in 2006 and was named H+K Toronto’s healthcare group leader earlier this year. Airdrie joins the Toronto health team from Veritas Communications, where he was VP, healthcare.
“For Kristy’s promotion, we were looking at building our bench strength at the senior advisory level,” said Leslie McGill, senior VP and national healthcare practice leader at H+K Canada. “Kristy has a very solid knowledge of our client base and a tremendous skill set when it comes to the healthcare environment, so it was an obvious choice for us to promote her from within.”
Airdrie is also a seasoned healthcare communications professional and has a deep understanding of the integral role digital tools play in healthcare communications. “Our healthcare practice is growing and we wanted to continue to offer a breadth and scope of services, so we went looking for another [VP] and found an exceptional practitioner in David,” said McGill.
McGill said the appointments come at a time when H+K’s healthcare practice looks to broaden its service offering. “As healthcare changes and advances, we are really looking at… creating a much more integrated offering across all of the healthcare sector,” she said.
