GfK HealthCare, the largest provider of fully integrated custom health care marketing research in the world, announced today the appointment of Ben Walton as head of its United Kingdom operations.

GfK HealthCare Appoints Ben Walton as Head of its UK Operations (Photo: Business Wire)

GfK HealthCare Appoints Ben Walton as Head of its UK Operations (Photo: Business Wire)

Based in London, Mr. Walton will be responsible for the strategic support and development of GfK HealthCare's business across the United Kingdom. In addition to managing and expanding GfK's team of health care research professionals, he will ensure the highest levels of service for its UK client base of pharmaceutical companies and medical device and diagnostics manufacturers; stimulate business growth within existing and prospective accounts; monitor budgets and oversee all department activity, while delivering the overall GfK HealthCare global strategy specific to the UK market.

Mr. Walton's health care background spans the pharmaceutical manufacturer and marketing research agency sides. He started his career as a brand manager at AstraZeneca before joining Adelphi International Research in 2005. At Adelphi, Mr. Walton developed his research and management skills as he progressed through several positions in the organization, culminating in his appointment in early 2011 as client strategy director, a post he held until joining GfK HealthCare.

"As we enter 2012, I see great opportunity for our UK office to reach the next level of growth under Ben's leadership," said David Mackenzie, group client lead for HealthCare at GfK. "Ben has an exceptional record of fostering significant, longstanding relationships with clients, having previously led the development of several Agency of Record agreements, and so I am confident his enthusiasm, fresh perspectives and experience will help us to build upon our longstanding reputation of excellence in health care research in the UK."

About GfK HealthCare

GfK HealthCare (www.gfkhealthcare.com) is the largest provider of fully integrated custom health care marketing research in the world, with the broadest range of custom and syndicated research offerings as well as innovative proprietary approaches to meet a product's needs across its life cycle. GfK HealthCare is part of the Custom Research sector within the GfK Group (www.gfk.com), which offers the fundamental knowledge that industry, retailers, services companies and the media need to make market decisions. GfK delivers a comprehensive range of information and consultancy services in the three business sectors of Custom Research, Retail and Technology and Media. The No. 5 market research organization worldwide operates in more than 100 countries and employs over 11,000 staff. In 2010, the GfK Group's sales amounted to EUR 1.29 billion.

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GfK HealthCare
Jessica Makovsky
VP Global Communications
+1-267-304-3780
jessica.makovsky@gfk.com