Mission North Expands Health Practice Following 33% YoY Gains, Names Alex Hunter EVP of Health and Innovation as AI Redefines the Future of Care

• Senior advisor Cath Anderson brings executive-level counsel across technology, health and trust to sharpen the practice's market strategy

NEW YORK, July 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- More than a decade ago, Mission North began building its Life Sciences practice around a simple belief: some of the most consequential companies of the next generation would be those helping people live healthier, longer, and better lives.

That belief is now meeting a new market reality. Health innovation is no longer defined only by therapies, diagnostics, and clinical breakthroughs. It is increasingly shaped by care delivery, provider workflows, patient experience, data infrastructure, and AI-enabled tools moving deeper into the healthcare system.

Mission North today announced the next phase of its Health practice, following 33% year-over-year gains, and named Alex Hunter as Executive Vice President of Health and Innovation. Hunter will lead the practice as the agency deepens its work with companies operating at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and AI. Hunter will work alongside Senior Vice President Melissa Barry, who has been instrumental in leading Mission North's Life Sciences work and extending the practice into digital health.

The Health practice expands Mission North's long-standing Life Sciences expertise to better serve an increasingly connected healthcare ecosystem where clinical science, digital health, AI, and new models of care are rapidly converging. The expanded Health practice brings together Mission North's work across the full continuum of health: from biopharma and medical technology to health systems, digital health, health IT, and AI-enabled care. Life Sciences remains a core part of the broader Health practice, supporting companies advancing scientific and clinical innovation.

Recent practice momentum includes new client Heidi Health, as well as the previously announced AOR relationships with Sage and Virta Health. To bring additional market perspective and deepen relationships across the healthcare and technology ecosystem, Mission North has also brought on Cath Anderson, Chief Communications Officer at Akido, as a senior advisor to the Health practice. Anderson brings 20 years of communications leadership experience at some of the most consequential technology and health companies of our time, including Anthropic, Apple, Meta, Google, and Cityblock Health.

"Life Sciences was a deliberate bet on where we believed innovation could have the greatest human impact," said Tyler Perry, co-CEO of Mission North. "We built the practice to support companies using biology to help people live healthier, longer, and better lives. Today, that work is accelerating across a health landscape being reshaped by AI, data, and new models of care. Alex brings the healthcare depth, technology fluency, and builder mindset to help us meet this moment."

Hunter joins Mission North from Jarrard, where he served as Senior Vice President and Health Services and Technology Practice Lead. He was recruited there to launch the firm's first Health Technology practice, expanding its work beyond traditional provider communications into health tech, digital health, AI, and health IT. He also led the firm's internal and external AI efforts, helping teams apply generative AI across proposals, client strategy, research, and education.

Earlier in his career, Hunter co-founded The Bulleit Group, an award-winning technology communications firm focused on AI, logistics, and deep technology. The firm was named Technology Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report and earned more than a dozen PRovoke Media SABRE Awards.

"I've spent my career working across technology and healthcare, and the companies that stand out are the ones that can turn complexity into trust," said Hunter. "That is the opportunity in front of health innovators now. Melissa and the Mission North team have already built the foundation across Life Sciences, corporate reputation, executive visibility, and technology communications. My focus is on bringing those strengths together for the companies defining the future of health."

The addition of Anderson as senior advisor further strengthens Mission North's ability to support health companies navigating fast-moving technology shifts, complex stakeholder expectations, and the trust required to bring new models of care to market. At Akido, Anderson leads brand, marketing, and communications strategy with a focus on building the kind of trust that drives durable business outcomes.

About Mission North

Mission North is a strategic communications agency for consequential companies to accelerate their market impact at every growth stage. The agency is headquartered in New York and San Francisco, with hubs in Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.missionnorth.com.

Media Contact:

Shara Seigel, Vice President, Media Strategy at Mission North — [email protected]

SOURCE Mission North