CVS Health names chief communications officer

CVS Health has a new chief communications officer. The company named Kimberly "Kym" White as senior vice president and chief communications officer. She will have oversight of corporate communications and reputation, media relations, social and digital communications, employee engagement, crisis and issues management, corporate social responsibility communications, and executive visibility.

White will report to Tom Moriarty, executive vice president, chief policy and external affairs officer, and general counsel.

“Kym was a key partner in helping us communicate our landmark decision to stop selling tobacco products more than five years ago, and left a lasting impression,” Moriarty said. “She understands we’ve been evolving as a company since, and it’s critical to have someone of her caliber helping shape our transformation story.”

White was most recently senior vice president and chief communications officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a global biotechnology company based in Boston. Additional in-house experience includes leading global corporate communications at Baxter International, a diversified healthcare company based outside of Chicago.

An agency veteran for seven years, White was global sector chair for health at Edelman, the world's largest public relations firm. She spent 16 years with Ogilvy/New York, where she held a variety of roles, including global health chair and managing director of Ogilvy's New York public relations business.

White began her career at Burson-Marsteller in Chicago.

She was named one of the top 10 health influencers by PR Week and Medical Marketing & Media in both 2016 and 2017. She also served as a Cannes Lions Pharma juror in 2017.

“I’ve been so impressed by the leadership CVS Health has demonstrated over the past few years, including its response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” White said. “Effectively communicating those efforts has never been more important, particularly for a company that interacts with one in three Americans every year and has nearly 300,000 employees across the country.”

White, a graduate of Northwestern University, will be based in New York City.