ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- MMG, a global full-service patient recruitment group that is part of Ketchum, today announced the appointment of Helen West to president, effective Jan. 1. She succeeds John Benbrook, who is departing MMG to become CEO of a Pennsylvania-based publishing company.
"We are grateful to John for his many years of extraordinary commitment, stellar leadership and inspired service to MMG, Ketchum and our clients, and we wish him the very best," said Ray Kotcher, senior partner and chairman of Ketchum.
Benbrook said, "After almost 10 years, I've decided it is the right moment to move on to a new opportunity closer to home where I can spend more time with my family. We have just completed one of the most successful years in our history. We have a talented and experienced management team, dedicated employees, and, most importantly, I have a strong, capable successor in Helen. I am confident in Helen's ability to take MMG, its teams and clients on to achieve great things."
West, whose most recent role was vice president of strategic development, is a pharmaceutical industry veteran with more than 20 years of experience in clinical research. West joined MMG in 2005 as general medicine therapeutic lead, developing and executing global patient recruitment and retention programs across indications and patient populations. In her most recent role leading strategic development, she continued to contribute to the development of recruitment strategies, but also has been driving strategic development for the company, including innovations, partnerships, and initiatives that move MMG forward. West also has held leadership roles at MMG in operational management, business development, marketing, and site support and field recruitment. She is a recognized thought leader and also is a former program instructor for the University of California, San Diego's Clinical Trial Design and Management program.
"Helen's strategic vision and passion for excellence are invaluable as MMG embarks on a new era of proudly serving patients and the clinical research industry. We're excited to have her step in as president," said Kotcher.
Of her new role, West said, "I have enjoyed working with John over the past 10 years and have learned a lot from him. We have a similar approach to how we work, placing our teams' and our clients' needs first. I greatly appreciate the trust being placed in me and look forward to the opportunity."
In a related move, Ann Kottcamp, vice president of client services, was named COO. Since she joined MMG in 2010, Kottcamp has used her 20 years of experience in patient recruitment to build upon the strengths of MMG's program delivery teams and elevate their capabilities, as well as strengthen the organization's commitment to excellence and continuous service improvement. In her new role as COO, Kottcamp will look strategically across the company to maximize performance and client value.
West is the firm's third leader. MMG was established in 1987 by Molly Matthews. In 2005, Matthews retired, appointing Benbrook to head the organization.
About MMG
MMG, a Ketchum company and part of the Omnicom Group (NYSE:OMC) family, is the premier global patient recruitment and retention organization. With experience in more than 70 countries and across a vast range of therapeutic areas, populations, and study types, MMG provides strategies specially crafted for study teams and patient populations while delivering the best return on investment for the sponsor.
About the DAS Group of Companies
The DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC) (www.omnicomgroup.com), is a global group of marketing services companies. DAS includes over 200 companies in the following marketing disciplines: specialty, PR, healthcare, CRM, events, promotional marketing, branding and research. Operating through a combination of networks and regional organizations, DAS serves international, regional, national and local clients through more than 700 offices in 71 countries.
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SOURCE MMG
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