Greg Baird’s resumé reads like a who’s who of the healthcare business, including senior positions on the client side at companies such as Pfizer, Searle, Genentech, and Novartis, and in the agency world with big names like Burson-Marsteller, Hill and Knowlton, and Porter Novelli. His experience includes work on the first broad-based patient education program sponsored by a pharmaceutical company, the first patient guarantee program for prescription drugs, the first substantial Rx product donation to clinics serving low-income Americans, the first Internet-based science education program sponsored by a biotechnology company, the first multi-company prescription drug discount card for Medicare-eligible Americans, and several of the industry’s most successful corporate reputation and employee engagement initiatives.

So when Baird decided to launch his own consulting business 18 months ago, that firm—Wholepoint—was an instantly credible competitor in the healthcare public relations sector. The firm stands out for its ability to go beyond pharmaceutical marketing to provide assistance on corporate branding, employee communications, and a broad range of strategic challenges facing the CEOs of major healthcare-focused organizations. It also stands out for a point of view that emphases candor in its counseling relationships and authenticity and honesty in the positioning work it does.

The firm has built up an impressive staff. In addition to Baird, the team includes director of strategic development and interactive Erik Hansen, a veteran of Ruder Finn; vice president Victoria Christian, formerly of Hill & Knowlton; and Beverly Simons, who previously held senior positions at Ruder Finn, Ketchum and more and now heads Wholepoint’s media monitoring and editorial services operations.

Wholepoint guards its client list closely and does not discuss specific assignments, but highlights of the past year include creating a web-based platform for a rare blood cancer that allows an unprecedented alliance of patient support group leaders and self-publishers to come together for the benefit of the larger patient and caregiver community across the country. The firm also managed external reputation management and employee communications program for a highly visible acquisition of a U.S. biotechnology company by a foreign-based global healthcare company.