ACDM Board

I have been in the pharmaceutical industry for over 23 years, working in both CRO and Pharma, most of this time in biometrics (clinical data management, stats programming). I’ve now been on the board of the ACDM for many years, and it has been very challenging but rewarding to be able to bring people together, to learn, and share knowledge. My remit has been primarily to communicate with the membership to highlight activities, try to ensure that the website is constantly changing, introduce revenue streams and new special interest groups, and ensure that the ACDM stays in the number one spot in internet search engines. This ever-changing industry has thrown so may challenges our way, it has been hard work keeping the association going despite companies cutting back on spending. I don’t easily give up, and despite moving into a completely different area of work as a Global Metrics Strategy Leader, it has not deterred me from spending some of my own time working with fellow dedicated board members to keep the momentum of the ACDM moving forward.

Bertrand Le Bourgeois graduated as an engineer from Ecole Centrale in France, with a marketing specialisation from HEC Business School. He has spent his career in Management and IT Consulting, in the healthcare and life science industries at major service providers for Clinical Research and Data Management.

Now Bertrand runs PharMarketing, an operational consulting company based in France and acting in Europe and US, delivering services regarding Data Privacy, GxP, quality compliance, legal representation and IT Best Practices.

He is speaking regularly at industry conferences in Europe and US, and sits at the Board of Data Management Biomedical and Association for Medical Professionals AMMIS.

Jo started her career as a Data Manager in Searle back in the 1990’s, where she developed to a high level global data manager role, with particular expertise in new technologies and process improvement. This is also where her career in the ACDM began as part of the website sub-committee and gaining the MSC in Clinical Data Management that the ACDM set up in conjunction with Kingston University. After several mergers and acquisitions Jo left the pharmaceutical company side of the industry and started working with an Entrepreneur in a start-up CRO. Together they grew the company, developing a reputation for quality and expertise in Biometrics and Jo became the Managing Director of MDSL International after 5 years broadening her data management experience into strategic management. In 2013 CROS NT acquired MDSL International and Jo became the UK Country Manager, working on a number of special projects while maintaining her strategic management responsibilities, including Integration, Quality Management Systems, Continuous Improvement, Functional Service Provision, HR, Business Development. In 2019 Jo moved to her current position at Phastar as Director, Clinical Data Management for the global CRO. Jo joined the ACDM conference committee in 2010, and acted as chair from 2014 to 2019 and also joined the ACDM board in 2014 as Treasurer.

My road to Data Management was not straightforward. I completed my MSc in Plant Breeding before I joined an international program on partial resistance to diseases (in plants) which took me to Hyderabad, India. I worked at the International Crops Research Center for the Semi-Arid Tropics for 5 years to complete my research and obtained my PhD degree from the Wageningen University, The Netherlands. I then joined a veterinary contract research organization in The Netherlands as a statistician. I finally became a Data Manager for Royal Numico in 2004 and I became a Team Leader when Numico was taken over by Danone in 2007. In 2013 the R&D division for Early Life Nutrition and Advanced Medical Nutrition was renamed to Nutricia Research and is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands. I was first introduced to the ACDM through a colleague from Nutricia in Liverpool. I joined her at the ACDM Conference and the ACDM brought me into contact with many others in the field of data management. I joined the Training Committee for about 2 years. In my view the ACDM connects people and stands for knowledge, innovations and new technologies. Through the SIGs, the LinkedIn forums, the training and the Conference, the ACDM brings a unique know-how to its members. I have been a member of the Board since 2014.

Robert King has over 29+ years of industry experience and for the last 17 years he’s had global leadership roles in Data Management/Statistics and Clinical Development support functions. Where he’s been key a driver in developing and implementing corporate strategic direction across clinical development and eClinical technologies as well as gathering significant experience in the FSP marketplace. He is presently an Executive Director at PPD accountable for the strategies and provision of client-specific customised solutions supporting clinical development. The first 10 years of Robert’s career were at Roche, Scherer DDS and Pfizer doing various roles with increasing responsibilities within the Data Management and Statistical Programming functions. Before joining Eisai in 2002 as the EMEA Head of Biostatistics and Data Management before becoming the Global Head of Data Management after 2 years. After 7 years at Eisai Robert moved to ICON where he managed ICON’s global internal consultancy group consulting on topics as diverse as risk-based monitoring, eTMF/CTMS technologies and Corporate SOP oversight, before joining PPD in 2012. Robert first started supporting the ACDM back-in 1993 on the Technical and Conference sub-committee, which included helping organise the ACDM’s first ever conference and he also joined the ACDM board in 2000. After 11 years of supporting the ACDM in 2004 he decided it was time to “retire” from the ACDM to spend a little more time with his young twins.

Background and experience?

I started more than 30 years ago as a statistical programmer and worked myself into data management. I worked at a CRO, then I took the role as a managing director, first in Sweden and then in the USA. Close to 19 years ago I co-founded a CRO, we developed the Viedoc eClinical System. As the company expanded we separated the different parts into a CRO and Viedoc Technologies, we later sold the CRO and now focusing on the global expansion of Viedoc.

Before Viedoc I worked for the global first company in ePRO in early 90’s, the first version weighed 2 kg and had four buttons, the second version only weighed 1 kg! Praised by the users for its user friendliness and it was so easy to carry along. Later I started working at a CRO with paper CRFs and manged quite a few large studies, I was lucky to work pretty early with eCRFs, in the mid 90’s – interesting how far we’ve come!

I have focused mainly on the business development side of things but have always promoted data management and worked towards data managers. I am a teacher at the university in Uppsala in the Master Course in pharmaceutical development, specifically in Data Management and in non-interventional studies. The past year and next year I will be teaching at the university of Montpellier in specific courses in data management.

What do you hope to bring to the ACDM board?

I have enjoyed being a member in the ACDM Digital Group. I would like to continue to work for ACDM in the Board, not only to internationalise the association, but maybe also bring in the perspective of an e-clinical software developer.

Do you have any ideas you would like ACDM to take forward?

Internationalisation! Make ACDM the natural choice for all data managers. There are far too many data managers out there who aren’t members!

Ramlal Waghray has over 35+ years of experience in the industry out of which he has spent his last 15+ years working for large majors like Oracle, Arisglobal building and delivering innovative solutions for the Life sciences Industry. He has played diverse roles in his career – Consulting, General Management, Business Head managing a P & L and leading Product Engineering & Delivery units. 

He is Currently CEO, Predlytics – a Data Science company offering solutions across diverse industry verticals. He is also actively engaged in offering Strategic Consulting services in the Life sciences domain.

He is an angel investor and a mentor for startups and also a visiting professor at a leading B School teaching Data Science and Machine Learning.