Weber Shandwick hires Hannah Hurdle to lead West health practice

Weber Shandwick has hired Hannah Hurdle as EVP, West health practice lead and North America emerging pharma and biotech head.

Hurdle started in the role last week, reporting to Jordan Rittenberry, president of Weber Shandwick West and North America practice leader for technology. The last person to hold the role was Maureen Rannet, who left Weber in March 2023, said Kelley Yoder, Weber Shandwick’s head of North America health.

Most recently, Hurdle was MD and West team lead at Sam Brown Healthcare Communications, overseeing the company’s West Coast operations. 

“There is tremendous potential and untapped opportunity to go deeper with a roster of earlier and mid-stage biotech companies,” said Yoder. “[Hurdle’s] experience and proximity to prospects on the West Coast is what we needed as we think about how we bring our expertise in corporate, scientific advisory and product comms to a different set of clients.”

Hurdle’s appointment follows the hire of three EVPs to bolster Weber’s North America health leadership in response to rising client demand, explained Yoder.

In May, Melissa Luke joined as EVP and North America health strategy lead; and Lauren Plate and Kate Fisher were both appointed in June as EVPs to manage the firm’s critical client relationships. Luke reports to North America chief strategy officer Robyn Adelson; and Plate and Fisher report to New York-based EVP Cathy Fitzpatrick.

Yoder said key drivers of demand for Weber’s health practice include AI-driven data, analytics and intelligence — services provided to most of the firm’s healthcare client base — and increased regulatory communications and policy needs.   

“Our goal is to be the largest leading health network of advisers across corporate, public health, policy and product comms, centered around our core expertise in regulatory, analytics, science and integrated media,” Yoder said. 

Weber Shandwick’s Vagina Privacy Network campaign, conducted on behalf of global nonprofit MSI Reproductive Choices to tackle data privacy in women’s health, earned a Silver PR Lion at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Weber has had more than 20 notable client wins in the first half of the year and “significant” organic growth, according to a statement from the agency. Yoder declined to disclose clients. 

Weber Shandwick is a part of The Weber Shandwick Collective, which also includes Resolute Digital, Cappuccino, Current Group, KRC Research, Flipside, Powell Tate, Prime, That Lot and United Minds. The network is a part of holding company Interpublic Group’s Specialized Communications and Experiential Solutions group. The unit also includes Dxtra Health and agency brands Golin, Current Global, DeVries Global and R&CPMK, as well as sports and events specialist shops such as Jack Morton, Momentum and Octagon. 

The PR agencies in Interpublic Group’s Specialized Communications and Experiential Solutions unit saw “solid” single-digit growth on an organic basis in Q2.

TWSC is a part of agency holding company Interpublic Group, which is set to be acquired by rival Omnicom Group in the second half of this year.

This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.