Quintiles has named Steven Skolsky global head of its clinical & data operations (CDO) unit, the core of the company’s clinical development division that monitors the clinical conduct at research sites and collects and manages data from thousands of patients in hundreds of clinical trials conducted around the world.

A 30-year veteran of the biopharmaceutical industry, Skolsky will lead the 5,000-employee CDO unit, which unites clinical data management and clinical operations under one umbrella to accelerate data flow and ensure the quality of Quintiles’ data.

“Steve’s deep knowledge of the industry and proven leadership capabilities will enable Quintiles to increase the value that we deliver to customers in today’s rapidly changing environment we call the New Health,” said Paula Brown Stafford, president of clinical development at Quintiles.

Skolsky previously served as vice chairman of the board and is a current board director for Basilea Pharmaceutica, a Basel, Switzerland-based pharmaceutical company. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for Adherex Technologies.  Most recently, he was principal at Expis Partners, a strategic life science consultancy. He previously served as president and chief executive officer of Sequoia Pharmaceuticals and chief executive officer of Trimeris, and spent more than 20 years at GlaxoSmithKline in a range of senior leadership roles.