Seaton will join Tonic in February in the newly created role of director of lifestyle. She will report to founders Scott Clark and Oliver Parsons.
'The move to significantly up-weight our consumer lifestyle offering is driven by the growing demand for consumer PR with substance,' said Clark. 'As an agency that was launched five years ago as a fusion of lifestyle and lifesciences, this is not a new move for us, but simply an important evolution in the development of Tonic.'
Tonic's current clients in the consumer lifestyle offering include Nestle, Nivea, Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benckiser.
Seaton joined Red Door in 2002 (PRWeek, 7 March 2007). Previously she was an associate director at Cohn & Wolfe for five years, where she played a role in the launch of the agency's consumer health offering Elixir (PRWeek, 2 August 2002).
Before that, Seaton worked at Shandwick International and Nexus Choat.
In her new role, she will work alongside Tonic MD Neil Flash, who she worked with at Cohn & Wolfe.
The appointment is the latest development for Tonic after its acquisition by marcoms group Huntsworth earlier this year for £3m (PRWeek, 13 July).
Red Door MD Catherine Warne said Seaton would not be directly replaced. The agency is looking to recruit a senior communicator to head up a new business unit that will encompass the agency's consumer work and its disease-awareness activity.
'We are looking for someone who has consumer health insight and prescription- only medicine experience,' said Warne. The agency expects to make an appointment in the New Year.
Recent appointments at the agency include Annie Aulds and Richard Buchanan, who join as senior account managers. Cassandra Knight, Ryan Muirhead and Zahida Zahoor are on board as junior account executives.
