Optimum Hires Nick Bastin Further Strengthening Leadership Team
11th April 2022 – Optimum Strategic Communications (“Optimum”), the specialist life sciences communications consultancy, today announced that it has hired Nick Bastin, the veteran financial and corporate communicator, to join as a permanent member of its team.
Bastin, who was previously a non-executive adviser to Optimum, has joined Optimum with immediate effect as a Managing Director and will be advising clients across Optimum’s portfolio of clients.
Bastin joins from Montfort Communications and has over 28 years of consultancy experience at agencies including CNC, Capital MSL, Smithfield Financial and Dewe Rogerson.
Alongside Bastin, Optimum has also hired Rebecca Noonan as an Account Director. Rebecca has 15 years’ experience in financial and corporate communications and was previously an Associate Partner at Camarco. Rebecca has a strong track record in advising and implementing successful communication programmes and providing strategic advice to clients.
Mary Clark, CEO of Optimum Strategic Communications, said: “We are really excited that Nick and Rebecca are bringing their tremendous breadth of experience to our fast-growing team. Post-Covid, the life sciences and healthcare sector has never been more relevant and we are seeing dramatic growth in client demand for our specialist investor relations and corporate communications consultancy. Rebecca’s experience of the investment world and passion for healthcare will be invaluable for our clients. Nick’s longstanding track record and reputation for high quality advice will be a significant boost to Optimum’s continued development.”
Nick Bastin said: “Ever since I have known the Optimum team, I have been impressed by their incredible sector expertise and total client commitment. They serve an impressive list of clients who genuinely save and transform lives and it is rewarding to be able to join the team and contribute in any way I can.”
Rebecca Noonan said: “I am thrilled to be joining the experienced and well-respected team at Optimum. To be advising some of the world’s most exciting businesses in pharmaceuticals, biotech and healthcare is a really exciting opportunity and I am proud to be working within such an inspiring and innovative company.”
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 Nick Bastin
Nick has over 28 years of experience advising companies and individuals from over 35 different markets on a wide range of multi-market, multi-stakeholder communications. Nick specializes in helping clients build powerful narratives around corporate reputation, employer brand and investor and capital market objectives.
Nick has strong transaction experience and has helped clients raise over €30bn through IPOs and has advised on M&A transactions with a combined deal value in excess of €150bn.
Nick started his career advising on the privatisation of former State-controlled economies of East and Central Europe in the mid-1990s, working on major programmes in Romania, Croatia, and Kazakhstan, as well as working extensively on World Bank funded programmes in Ukraine. He has continued to advise on a wide range of high profile transactions including the Arcelor /Mittal contested bid in 2006, Baxalta’s $32bn defence against Shire in 2016, and The Friedkin Group’s acquisition of AS Roma in 2020. He also spent six years advising BP on its employer brand following the Macondo Oil spill in 2010. During the Covid 19 pandemic, he helped PGL and the outdoor learning industry on a multi-stakeholder campaign to reopen the sector in 2021.
