Neil Crump

Neil Crump - Co-founder and Managing Director, Aurora

Contact details: +44 (0)7738 206 153 / neil@auroracomms.com

Neil is an experienced healthcare communicator having working at a number of high-profile agencies, consistently delivering award-winning work for his clients.

Prior to forming Aurora, Neil was board director of Athena Medical PR for three years.  Neil met his business partner and Aurora co-founder, Claire Eldridge, at Fleishman-Hillard Healthcare, which he joined as senior account executive in 1997, leaving as associate director in 2002.  During this time he also undertook a secondment at AstraZeneca UK, to manage the brand communications for a major launch.

Neil has worked on national and global campaigns for many premier medicines including: Plavix, Nexium, Zyban, Lovenox / Clexane and Aldara. He has worked in the area of devices and diagnostics as well as supporting communications for a number of leading patient advocacy groups both in   the UK and overseas.

Throughout his career Neil has held the strong belief that the most effective campaigns are delivered by optimising the client-agency relationship - where great outcomes are achieved in an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust.  He is also an advocate of PR evaluation and demonstrating return on a client's investment.

He first got into PR in 1995, by securing a position as public relations officer and subsequently press officer for a top-five University.

Sitting on two committees (Executive / Membership & Marketing) of the Healthcare Communications Association,   he is committed to the association's aim to drive the highest standards and promote best practice, innovation and excellence in healthcare communications.

Neil got his passion for bioscience communications as a University of Bath graduate in Biology, and worked, for a number of years following graduation as a microbiologist.

Career highlights:

• Being inspired by the GLOBALHealthPR partners from around the world, who own and manage their public relations agencies, at the Annual General Meeting in Tokyo in March 2008
• Aurora being selected, in early 2008, as the UK partner in GLOBALHealthPR, the largest independent organisation dedicated exclusively to healthcare communications worldwide
• Launching Aurora with Claire at the PMEA ceremony in December 2005
• Winning Communiqué awards for programmes and projects which he has led, including the accolade of Communiqué Consultancy of the Year at a previous agency 
• Commendation in 2001 Communiqué awards for Young Achiever of the Year as Associate Director with Fleishman-Hillard Healthcare
• Winning the Public Relations Society of America, Award of Excellence for Best Global Programme in 2000,    for Zyban (GlaxoSmithKline) at the ceremony in New York