Concentric names Robert Palmer as first chief innovation officer –

Concentric Health Experience has brought on Robert Palmer, a veteran of Juice Pharma and HCB Health, as its first chief innovation officer.

Palmer started at the agency on October 1, reporting to CEO Ken Begasse. Palmer is tasked with introducing innovative strategies, processes, and tactics to the agency and working closely with the project management, editorial, digital, and strategic planning teams.

His initial focus for innovation is new digital technologies and campaigns built on behavioral science techniques.

“I’m very interested in digital strategy and tactics that tap into the huge amount of data available,” Palmer said. “New technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and voice-activated chatbots would certainly be a focus. Another focus area, where we have a lot of expertise here and skill with, is what we call applied cognitive science, or behavioral science.”

The agency has created the chief innovation officer position to shake up the traditional agency model, Palmer said.

“The agency has grown very fast in last four to five years, and it has created the job to continue the evolution from a traditional agency to a capabilities-based model that’s very entrepreneurial, flexible, and smart,” he explained.

Before joining Concentric, Palmer was chief innovation officer at HCB Health. He previously spent six years as EVP and MD at Juice Pharma and three years as a managing partner at Sudler & Hennessey.

He also spent six years as EVP and MD at Juice Pharma and three years as a managing partner at Sudler & Hennessey. Earlier in his career, he worked at Rosetta Marketing Strategies and DDB subsidiary Tribal DDB.

Concentric’s revenue jumped more than 24% in 2017 to $48 million. The agency had about 250 staffers at the end of 2017.