Leading Pharma & Biotech Journalist Richard Staines Joins Optimum

LONDON, Nov. 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimum Strategic Communications ("Optimum"), the specialist life sciences communications consultancy, today announced that it has hired Richard Staines, the experienced, specialist pharma and biotech journalist, to join as a permanent member of its team.

Staines has joined Optimum as an Account Director with immediate effect and will be advising clients across its portfolio.

He joins from the specialist life sciences publication BioWorld and has more than 20 years of journalism experience and an in-depth knowledge of pharma and biotech, having worked for publications such as APM Health Europe and pharmaphorum.

Mary Clark, CEO of Optimum, said: "We are delighted to welcome Richard to the team. He is a consummate professional, with vast knowledge of the life sciences industry and a strong network of contacts after covering pharma and biotech for more than a decade. His communications skills and insights will be invaluable in helping our clients raise their profile across a range of media."

Richard Staines said: "After more than two decades as a journalist, I am thrilled to take this new step in my career with Optimum, I can't wait to start working with such an experienced, talented and hard-working team."

About Optimum Strategic Communications

Optimum Strategic Communications is an international healthcare communications firm which specialises in strategic investor relations, corporate and financial communications. Our senior team of healthcare specialists, based in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Zurich, and New York, are experienced and trusted advisors to some of the world's most exciting public and private companies, both large and small, across pharmaceuticals, medtech, biotech, health tech and healthcare services.

Over the last 20 years we have worked with over 300 healthcare companies, advising them on financial communications and investor relations, including major corporate activity such as fundraising, IPOs, and M&A, as well as corporate reputation and crisis scenarios.

We have an exceptional network of contacts across the international investment community in Europe and the US; contacts we have built and maintained over the last three decades. Our team includes ex-fund managers and analysts, scientists, as well as financial and corporate communications specialists.

For more information please visit www.optimumcomms.com.

About Richard Staines

Richard began working as newspaper journalist in the late 1990s after joining the National Council for the Training of Journalists's post-graduate training scheme. He has gone on to work for a range of different publications, including local newspapers, trade magazines and national newspapers.

Richard always had a passion for healthcare and took a role as deputy news editor at Nursing Times in 2005, where his stories included grilling the then Prime Minister Gordon Brown about his plans for nurses' pay.

Richard then joined APM Health Europe, the pharma and life sciences newswire, in 2010, before working at specialist industry website pharmaphorum in 2015 and most recently BioWorld. There he has worked on high profile stories such as the development of COVID-19 vaccines and the war in Ukraine and its impact on clinical trials.