George Clinical, a CRO focused on clinical development in the Asia-Pacific region, has appointed Glenn Kerkhof chairman of its board.

Kerkhof has over 20 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical services sector. His last role was CEO of Chiltern International and he was based in London. Previously, he was vice president of global operations for Clinical Services at Charles River Laboratories, and as vice president of clinical services for Europe and Asia at Inveresk Research. Kerkhof joins the team at George Clinical, led by executive director Dr. Marisa Petersen, to assist the company’s global growth goals.

George Clinical has almost 200 personnel and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with offices and staff across Asia, the U.S. and U.K. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the George Institute for Global Health, a global medical research organization founded by Professors Stephen MacMahon and Robyn Norton.

Professor Stephen MacMahon, who held the position as chairman prior to Kerkhof, said, “This heralds a new phase of development for George Clinical. The company has grown rapidly across the Asia Pacific region and now is ready to develop global operations. Glenn brings a wealth of global CRO sector experience to a company that has been built regionally on an academic research base. We believe that the combination of strong commercial expertise and clinical research excellence will serve George Clinical well as it pursues a global position as a high quality CRO with substantial clinical and scientific assets.”