SAN FRANCISCO: W2O Group has acquired Los Angeles-based boutique ARC2 Communications & Media.
ARC2 founders Christine Cassiano and Andrea Rothschild both previously worked at Hill+Knowlton Strategies as SVP and West Coast healthcare practice co-leads.
Cassiano’s healthcare experience includes roles at Amgen, Allergan, and Abraxis BioScience, where she was the corporate communications and investor relations director, according to her LinkedIn account. She has also worked at Sony Pictures Entertainment and Tickets.com.
Rothschild’s experience includes a decade at Amgen, according to a statement from W2O, where she led the global commercial operations communications team.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cassiano and Rothschild said in a blog post about the deal that W2O chairman and CEO Jim Weiss has been "both a supporter and a mentor" since they struck out on their own.
"We have stayed in touch with Jim and his leadership team and have watched as they have expanded beyond their roots in healthcare to bring innovation in data-driven insights and content creation to technology, financial, and consumer clients," they wrote.
W2O Group President Bob Pearson said the experience of Rothschild and Cassiano across industries will have synergy with the firm’s ongoing work.
"They’re friends. It’s always nice when you know people well," he said. "You come in with a lot of trust."
This story was updated on February 18 with comment from Pearson.
