
Executive leadership
Since our inception in 1976, PRA has amassed a level of expertise that has enabled us to conduct complex global clinical trials across all therapeutic areas and provide outsourced clinical services across all phases of pharmaceutical and biotech drug development.
Our teams of experts are the core of the company promoting our forward-thinking culture with innovation, continuous attention to detail, constant quality improvement and a high priority approach to safety and timelines. Our pioneering mindset and specialist knowledge can make an enormous difference to your study.
Leadership team
Colin Shannon
President and CEO

Colin Shannon is President, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Director of PRA. Mr. Shannon joined PRA in 2007, serving first as President and Chief Operating Officer (COO). Mr. Shannon has contributed significantly to the development of PRA's current mission and vision. As CEO, he has been instrumental in driving PRA's decision-making processes and building a talented pool of clinical professionals. Prior to joining PRA, Mr. Shannon was Executive Vice President of Global Clinical Operations at Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. (PPD) where he oversaw clinical, biostatistics and data management operations worldwide. During his 12 year association with PPD, he held various leadership roles including COO for the company’s European division and Chief Financial and Administration Officer for Europe and the Pacific Rim. Prior to PPD, Mr. Shannon had more than 15 years of experience in a variety of financial and accounting positions in the utility and multimedia industries. Mr. Shannon earned his MBA from London's City University and is board certified by the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.
Mike Bonello
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Mike Bonello was named Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in May 2018. Prior to his appointment as CFO, Mike had served as Senior Vice President, Accounting and Corporate Controller for PRA, after having joined the company in 2008. Prior to joining PRA, Mike held positions with Cree, Inc., where he was Director of Finance/Corporate Controller, and Genworth Financial (formerly GE Mortgage Insurance Corporation) where he served as Vice President, Domestic Controller and Global Reporting Leader. Mike also served in the audit practice with PricewaterhouseCoopers. He received a BBA from St. Bonaventure University.
Tami Klerr
Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development & Marketing Officer

Tami Klerr is Executive Vice President and Chief Sales & Marketing Officer. Ms. Klerr joined PRA from InfaCare Pharmaceutical Corporation where she held the position of Vice President of Clinical Operations. Prior to that, Ms. Klerr spent 13 years with Pharmaceutical Product Development, Inc. (PPD) in a variety of senior roles in business development, key account management and operations. Along with her extensive business development and operational skills, Ms. Klerr brings a strong portfolio of therapeutic experience. Ms. Klerr earned a BS from the University of Pennsylvania.
Harris Koffer
Strategic Advisor to the CEO

Harris Koffer is Strategic Advisor to the CEO. He previously served as President of Strategic Solutions at PRA from 2013 through 2018. Prior to joining PRA, Dr. Koffer served in several roles at RPS including CEO, President and COO. He also served as Vice President, Clinical Trials and Pharmaceutical Business Development for Quest Diagnostics and Vice President and General Manager of Covance Clinical Services and President of Covance Periapproval Services. In these roles, he was responsible for global Embedded Clinical Development solutions, central laboratory services and full service clinical research and development capabilities for Phases I-IV of drug development. In addition to more than 30 years of experience in clinical drug development, he has served as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacy in Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science. He earned both a BS in Pharmacy and doctorate of Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science (now known as the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia) and completed a fellowship in Clinical Pharmacology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Samir Shah
Executive Vice President, President of Strategic Solutions Division and Global Regulatory Affairs

As Executive Vice President of PRA Health Sciences and President of PRA’s Strategic Solutions Division and Global Regulatory Affairs, Mr. Shah has more than 25 years of industry experience. Mr. Shah is responsible for each units global operations, strategy, and business functions. He joined the (legacy) RPS organization at its inception in 2000 before it was acquired by PRA in 2013. Mr. Shah is one of the key pioneers and a leader in the development and maturation of the Embedded sourcing model and has specific expertise in transformation models in the biopharmaceutical life science space including strategic sourcing, change management, and optimizing effective governance and operating structures.
Prior to joining PRA Health Sciences, Mr. Shah held various positions across clinical operations and business enablement in the biopharmaceutical industry at US Bioscience and Zeneca Pharmaceuticals and in the CRO sector at Theorem Clinical Research (formerly BioPharm/IBAH Clinical Services) and Parexel. In addition, he also served as a Research Scientist at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry. Mr. Shah has a BS degree from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
Kent Thoelke
Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer

Kent Thoelke is Executive Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer. Mr. Thoelke provides corporate oversight and strategy for Scientific & Medical Affairs, Pharmacovigilance & Patient Safety, Therapeutic Centers of Excellence, Real World Data, Patient Access & Experience, Digital Health & Virtual Trials, and their integration into operational delivery. Mr Thoelke is an industry pioneer in the application of mobile first strategies, which integrate clinical trials and provide access directly to patients in both virtual and hybrid-virtual models. He emphasizes leveraging real world data, social insights, and patient connectivity to advance global drug development. With more than 25 years of experience in the global drug development, diagnostic, and device industry and experience in 40+ countries, he understands the global drug development environment and maintains established relationships with international therapeutic experts in several indications. Mr. Thoelke has lectured on his experience in the current landscape of clinical trial recruitment and drug development timelines. He actively pursues novel technologies and strategies to drive a more evidence-based clinical drug development paradigm. A leader in the field of medical informatics, Mr Thoelke leverages data to maximize patient engagement by selecting high-performing sites to minimize overall drug development timelines.
Chris Gaenzle
Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel

Chris Gaenzle is Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel. Mr. Gaenzle has a strong background and expertise in leading large, multi-faceted, and global teams through exceptional growth. As CAO and General Counsel, he also oversees human resources, talent acquisition, quality assurance, compliance, and legal, in addition to data privacy and cybersecurity. Mr. Gaenzle previously served as CAO, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary at Syneos Health, Inc. He has also held leadership roles at Pfizer Inc. and Hunton & Williams.
Margaret Keegan
Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer

Margaret Keegan is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for PRA Health Sciences. Mrs. Keegan joined PRA Health Sciences in 2019 and is also a member of the PRA Health Sciences Executive Committee. Prior to joining PRA, she was President, Clinical Operations at IQVIA; having also held the role as President Data Management, Biostatistics, Safety and Regulatory. She has held a variety of senior leadership positions spanning all functions within development and was a member of the IQVIA Executive Leadership team. Mrs. Keegan is also Chair of the CDISC board.
Mrs. Keegan has over 25 years of biopharmaceutical industry experience, having held leadership roles at large pharmaceutical and CRO companies. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Pure and Applied Mathematics from the University of Strathclyde and is a Chartered Statistician.
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