LONDON—Ketchum has promoted partner Amanda Sefton to director of its global healthcare practice. Sefton will remain in London and will continue serving as managing director of the London healthcare practice during the transition, while a search is underway for her successor in that role.

Sefton has 15 years of experience working in three regions—Europe, North America and Asia—for some of the world’s largest healthcare brands, from pharmaceuticals to patient advocacy to service delivery.

She will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the practice, ensuring the continued delivery of client service, and acquiring talent to deepen the agency’s healthcare capabilities around the world. This includes collaborating with senior counselors and leaders from Ketchum’s other practices and specialty areas, such as clinical trial patient recruitment firm MMG, medical education specialty Inspired Science, change management and internal communications firm Ketchum Pleon Change, and word-of-mouth marketing firm Zócalo Group.

Sefton was named a Ketchum partner in June. She previously held roles at Ketchum that include director and associate director of the London healthcare practice, as well as director and associate director of the London office. Earlier, she worked at Ogilvy PR and served as director of Weber Shandwick’s Asia-Pacific healthcare practice while she was based in Hong Kong.