Synteract Appoints Keith Kelson as Chief Financial Officer and Member of Executive Council and Philip Doren, Ph.D., as Vice President, Biometrics

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Synteract, a leading full service contract research organization (CRO), has hired new executives to support customers on a global scale. Keith Kelson will serve as chief financial officer and member of its executive council, and Phil Doren has been appointed vice president, biometrics. They were chosen for their expertise and leadership acumen in their respective fields; Kelson has executive financial experience in a variety of roles and industries and Doren has more than 20 years of global clinical development experience.

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Kelson will be managing the company's financial portfolio and business affairs. He brings more than 12 years of experience to the role of chief financial officer. Prior to this position, Kelson served as executive vice president and chief financial officer for Insight Health Services Holdings Corporation, a diagnostic imaging firm with more than 1,300 employees and $180 million in revenue,  achieving a dramatic turnaround in profitability and increasing productivity. Prior to that, Kelson served as chief financial officer at SecurusTechnologies, a $400 million telecommunications and software company. Kelson holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Texas Christian University and has been a certified public accountant since 1991.

Doren will be responsible for overseeing the biostatistics, data management and IT services departments, in order to provide executive oversight and continuity. Doren's 20 years of clinical development experience led to the creation of this new executive position. His experience has been garnered at clinical research organizations, including his most recent position as vice president, clinical data, analysis and reporting organization (CDARO) at Covance. He has also held executive positions with Quintiles, eRT, TKL Research and Kendle. Doren has a doctorate in animal breeding from Texas A&M University.

According to CEO Wendel Barr, the new executives will be pivotal to Synteract's plans for continued growth and expansion.

"Synteract is well-respected in the industry for providing our clients service excellence tailored to their specific drug and device development needs. Keith and Phil will augment and complement the strong leadership team that we have in place to serve a broad spectrum of pharma and biotech companies. The leadership acumen and industry expertise that both Phil and Keith bring to the table allows us to further enhance the quality and continuum of service that is critical to meeting the expectations of our clients' current and future needs, on an international scale."

Synteract announced in late 2012 that it plans to acquire multi-national CRO Harrison Clinical Research. The acquisition will provide Synteract with additional resources and scale to support global programs and the ability to assist clients throughout their entire development life cycle, from emerging products through post-marketing.

About Synteract (www.synteract.com)

Synteract is a full-service contract research organization with a successful 17-year track record supporting biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical companies in all phases of clinical development. With its "Shared Work – Shared Vision" philosophy Synteract provides customized Phase I through IV services collaboratively and cost effectively to ensure on-time delivery of quality data so clients get to decision points faster. Headquartered in California, with offices in North Carolina and the Czech Republic, Synteract delivers trials internationally, offering expertise across multiple therapeutic areas including notable depth in oncology, CNS, cardiovascular, respiratory and ophthalmology.

CONTACT:
Rachel Hutman
[email protected]
760-230-2424

SOURCE Synteract