PPD

Paul D. Colvin has been appointed senior vice president of clinical operations for North America, PPD, Inc. and Simon J. Britton has been named vice president of clinical operations for Asia.

Mr. Colvin joins the company from Eli Lilly and Co. where he most recently directed clinical operations and global patient enrollment optimization. During his 14 years at Lilly, he held a series of leadership positions including chief operations officer for the global cardiovascular brand team; European clinical operations senior manager for the oncology, critical care, primary care and neuroscience business units; global clinical operations manager for oncology project teams; and clinical project management leader for the oncology project team.

“Paul Colvin brings extensive global development experience across a wide range of therapeutic areas garnered during an impressive tenure with Lilly,” said William Sharbaugh, chief operating officer of PPD. “His experience as a leader in the trenches of clinical drug development will serve him well in overseeing our North American Phase II-IV operational unit.”

Mr. Britton assumes the newly created senior management position created specifically for the company’s business in Asia. Mr. Britton has more than 16 years of experience having served in various leadership roles in the biopharmaceutical industry. He spent the last seven years at GlaxoSmithKline where he most recently served as head of international clinical operations, managing the company’s global clinical operations group across 25 countries.

With Mr. Britton’s appointment, PPD has divided its Phase II-IV operational units into four distinct territories: North America; Latin America; Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Asia.

“With Asia’s escalating importance to global drug development, additional leadership will enable us to drive PPD’s continued growth in the region,” Mr. Sharbaugh said. “We are pleased to gain Simon Britton as a member of our team with his comprehensive international experience and proven ability to expand business scope and deliver quality results. This strategic restructuring of our business units geographically will enhance our ability to leverage PPD talent globally, strengthen internal standardization of our processes and further our ability to manage complex multinational trials efficiently,” Mr. Sharbaugh added.