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Real Chemistry, a global AI and insights-driven healthcare communications firm, has announced the acquisition of Spurwing Communications, establishing the company’s first APAC strategic hub in Singapore.

“APAC is fast becoming one of the most dynamic and strategically important regions for healthcare innovation and access to life-improving therapies,” said Kath Harrison, Group President, International Growth at Real Chemistry. “By bringing Spurwing into Real Chemistry, we’re expanding our presence in the region and deepening our ability to help clients drive measurable impact by delivering more connected, data-driven and culturally relevant engagement across these key markets.”

Founded in Singapore, Spurwing Communications has advised pharmaceutical and healthcare organisations, as well as clients across industries, throughout APAC. Emma Thompson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Spurwing Communications, will continue to lead the business as President, APAC Growth, and will report to Kath.

“Joining Real Chemistry allows us to broaden what we can offer clients, while staying grounded in the strong regional expertise and senior counsel for which our clients value us,” said Emma. “I’m extremely proud of what we have achieved as a team and excited for the next phase of our growth as part of Real Chemistry. We will continue to support our existing clients while expanding our APAC presence and adding capabilities - including analytics and AI - to enhance our connected, comprehensive regional offerings.”

“Real Chemistry’s acquisition of Spurwing Communications is an important step in our global growth strategy,” said Shankar Narayanan, CEO of Real Chemistry. “We’re continuing to invest in the capabilities and regions that matter most to our clients as they navigate growing global commercialisation challenges. Strengthening our presence in APAC allows us to better support clients across the full lifecycle - from strategy through engagement - in one of the most dynamic healthcare markets in the world.”

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NorthStar Insights has appointed Mohammed AlMaskati (pictured left) as Partner and Seth Gagahina (pictured right) as Director, based in Riyadh and Dubai, respectively. These hires aim to strengthen the firm's presence in the Kingdom and the wider GCC, and expand the agency’s creative communications capability for integrated mandates across the growing GCC markets.

Mohammed was most recently Managing Director at Hanover Communications in Riyadh, where he scaled the firm's Saudi operations. Prior to this, he previously held senior regional roles at BCW, including Vice President, Regional Operations. His career spans strategic communications, corporate affairs, and reputation and stakeholder strategy across the Kingdom and the GCC.

Seth brings creative leadership and visual storytelling background to the role. She continues as the director of Carrot Brand, complementing NorthStar's growing creative communications offering. Seth has worked on several MENA and APAC mandates, including Groupon, Checkout.com, Dusit Thani, New Balance and Air Asia.

Commenting on the appointments, Arth Malani, Founder and CEO of NorthStar Insights, said, "Saudi Arabia's ambitions are now global and the bar for how the Kingdom's organisations communicate has moved sharply higher. That demands senior counsel in the room with the relationships, the judgement and the creative range to match. Mohammed is one of the most respected communications leaders in the GCC and his joining as Partner makes a clear statement about where we are building. With Seth bringing deep creative leadership alongside him, we are strengthening our Dubai office to deliver integrated mandates to the standard of an in-house team."

Mohammed added, "Saudi Arabia's story is being written at a pace and scale few markets have seen, and getting that story right takes counsel that understands both the institutions shaping this moment and the audiences judging it. I've spent my career building that kind of trust across the Kingdom and the region, and NorthStar's model - pairing senior judgement with real creative capability - is exactly the platform this market needs. I'm looking forward to building that here."

Seth said, "In today's volatile global landscape, navigating risk requires absolute clarity in communication. Working with Team NorthStar allows me to bridge the gap between complex stakeholder engagement and powerful, high-stakes visual storytelling. I am incredibly excited to work alongside Arth, Sadeq, and the exceptional team to elevate how clients protect their reputations and command market confidence across global financial markets."