Sally Barton, former Ogilvy Public Relations executive vice president, has moved to independent PR giant Ruder Finn, where she has been named EVP and head of that agency’s U.S. healthcare practice.

Sally BartonSally Barton
Prior to joining Ogilvy, Barton was EVP and head of North American healthcare for WPP's Cohn & Wolfe unit, and previously served as healthcare practice director and senior vice president for sister agency Hill & Knowlton. She also held SVP roles at Omnicom’s Ketchum subsidiary and number-one independent firm Edelman.

Susan GoldsteinSusan Goldstein

Barton is now charged with leading strategic and operational oversight of Ruder Finn’s U.S. healthcare practice, as well as strengthening the agency’s core competencies in emerging healthcare areas.

Ruder Finn’s U.S. healthcare practice was previously led by a team of senior leaders.

Ruder Finn also announced that worldwide healthcare practice chair Susan Goldstein will assume the added title of growth initiatives president, a new agency-wide role that focuses on overall agency growth.

Goldstein, who joined Ruder Finn in 2007, will continue in her current role while focusing on adding new value for existing and prospective healthcare clients and will lead healthcare partnership and innovation opportunity development.

Barton and Goldstein are both based in New York. They report to CEO Kathy Bloomgarden.

New York-based Ruder Finn is currently ranked the forth-largest healthcare agency in the country by O’Dwyer’s. The agency in 2015 accounted for nearly $26 million in healthcare-related fees, according to O’Dwyer’s ranking of PR firms.