Villa (pictured) has spent 15 years working in the healthcare sector and was most recently at research consultancy Genactis, where he last served as vice president responsible for US pricing and reimbursement projects.

He earlier worked as senior director for pricing access and reimbursement at the same company following spells as brand director at Endo Pharmaceuticals and AstraZeneca.

Bob Douglas, global head of Synovate Healthcare said: “Paul’s hands-on professional style and extensive and varied experience both agency- and clientside make him a valuable addition to our team. I look forward to with Paul to grow our payer research in both the US and globally.”