director profiles
Carys Thomas Ampofo
Director - healthcare
Carys has over 13 years of PR experience and has worked with Ash since its inception in media marketing, business to business, and health care.
In 1988, Carys began to promote Ash in the healthcare business arena, and in 2001 launched the company’s specialist healthcare division, which she now heads up.
Carys’s knowledge and expertise spans campaigns and issues management within ethical and consumer healthcare.
Career highlights include:
- Led a campaign to 'bring to the table' previously unresponsive PRODIGY-authoring team, by coordinating a multi-stakeholder group concerned at the inadequate treatments and advice on an early version of the GP electronic prescribing system PRODIGY. Highly commended: Communiqué 2000 Professional Campaign of the Year.
- One of the most successful ever use of media relations to drive patient recruitment for the MIST migraine – hole in the heart trial. With no concurrent promotion, the MIST website received 12,000 hits within 24 hours, and 50,000 hits within a month of the media launch. MAA received over 600 telephone enquiries within 24 hours. The target to sign up patients suitable for screening (1000) was met within 36 hours and this was exceeded four-fold within one month of the media launch.
- Launch of the RetarDENT/ RetarDEX range from dentists to consumers via Boots and expansion of listing through marketing support
- Secured expansion from initial listing with major high street multiple of Equazen’s IQ fish oils supplement through isolated, successful PR campaign
- Journalist for the self build industry, including technical writing for the Individual House Builders Association
- On the launch team for one of the first Christmas blockbuster toy brands ever – Polly Pocket
Positions held:
- Chair of the HCA ROI Evaluation Sub Committee
- Executive Committee and Evaluation and Training Sub-committees of the Healthcare Communications Association (set up in 2001 to promote best practice in healthcare communications)
- Publicity Club of London Council member
- Publicity Club of London Charity Summer Ball committee member
- NICE (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence)
