Our Team
Lucy Rochford
Lucy has over 20 years of experience in advertising review, helping companies uphold high standards and avoid advertising complaints.
As a former Head of Copy Clearance at PAGB, Lucy managed the advertising approval service and oversaw the development and maintenance of PAGB’s advertising codes and guidelines. Since leaving PAGB, and before setting up AdverCheck, she worked as a consultant for various consumer healthcare companies, contributing to the evolution of advertising codes, including the industry’s first advertising code for medical devices.
Lucy is widely recognised within the consumer healthcare sector for her unique expertise in advertising review, and also serves as a nutrition consultant for Clearcast.
James Walmsley
James is a pharmaceutical physician with 25 years industry experience in medical affairs and copy review within the consumer healthcare sector.
After working at Boots the Chemists, James served as UK Medical Director for both Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and Johnson and Johnson, leading the team responsible for copy review.
James has specialist experience interpreting clinical data and serves as a medical consultant for both Clearcast and Radiocentre. He’s passionate about helping companies develop compelling evidence-based claims and has significant and longstanding experience helping companies switch medicines from prescription to over-the-counter (OTC).
Lucy Rochford
After gaining a BSc in Nutrition and a State Registration in Dietetics at the University of Surrey, Lucy began her professional career in the NHS, initially as a dietitian and later as a public health nutritionist. She subsequently completed an MSc in Public Health Nutrition at Southampton.
In 2001, Lucy joined PAGB as Advertising Services Manager, where she advised on and approved advertisements for OTC medicines, food supplements, and traditional herbal medicines. Later, as Head of Copy Clearance, she managed the team responsible for advertising approvals, updated PAGB’s advertising codes and guidelines, defended approved advertisements against complaints, and provided training to member companies. Lucy also represented PAGB on the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and was part of the working group responsible for updating the CAP Code.
Since transitioning to consultancy, Lucy has helped consumer healthcare companies, and creative and communications agencies to maintain high advertising standards while avoiding complaints. She has continued to shape the PAGB advertising codes, serving on code review working groups and contributing to the creation of the industry’s first advertising code for medical devices.
Since 2017, Lucy has also worked as a nutrition consultant for Clearcast, advising on advertising scripts for foods, food supplements, and dietary regimes such as weight loss diets.
Lucy’s expertise spans OTC medicines, self-care medical devices, health-related cosmetics, food supplements, weight loss services, and borderline product classifications. She has worked on most of the UK OTC medicine brands and her experience and track record make her uniquely qualified to assist companies with advertising review.
James Walmsley
After completing his medical degree at Newcastle University, James worked in the NHS as a hospital doctor for seven years before moving into industry as a pharmaceutical physician. He first worked as Senior Medical Advisor for Boots the Chemists in Nottingham, before relocating to Surrey as UK Medical Director for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare.
At Pfizer, James led the medical team responsible for the scientific and regulatory review of a wide range of materials, implementing significant changes to streamline the process of copy review and introducing targets on quality and turnaround times. Under his leadership, the medical team became acknowledged as a growth driver through their work on claims development and facilitating new product launches. During his time at Pfizer, James served on both the global medical leadership team and the global switch team.
After transitioning to a similar Medical Director role within the UK Johnson and Johnson consumer healthcare business, James subsequently moved to a global category role as Medical Development Director. Within this role, he partnered with colleagues to research, develop and launch new products, supported by insight-driven, evidence-based claims. James also served on Johnson and Johnson’s global switch team.
James is highly experienced in medical affairs, copy review, clinical research and drug safety, and is one of a very small number of UK physicians specialising in consumer healthcare. During his career, he has worked on over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medicines, self-care medical devices, food supplements and diagnostics, and has supported many leading consumer healthcare brands.
Since 2017, James has been providing services to clients within the pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare sector as an independent scientific and medical affairs consultant. James has a specialist interest in interpreting and maximising the use of clinical data and is currently a medical consultant to both Clearcast and Radiocentre. James continues to work with clients on switch projects and chaired the European trade association AESGP’s 2023 global advisory board as it reflected on 20 years of switch within Europe and identified future challenges and opportunities.
James is a member of the Royal College of Physicians and a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. He has a diploma in Pharmaceutical Medicine and has also completed higher medical training.