Clinilabs Expands Leadership Team With Laura Shannon as CEO as Founder Gary Zammit Moves to Executive Chairperson
Clinilabs, a specialty contract research organization (CRO) focused on the development of central nervous system (CNS) drugs and medical devices, has announced an expansion of its executive leadership team as the company prepares for its next phase of growth. The organization has appointed Laura Shannon as Chief Executive Officer, while Gary Zammit, Ph.D., Clinilabs’ founder, will transition into the role of Executive Chairperson.
The leadership transition reflects Clinilabs’ continued expansion, growing global capabilities and long-standing focus on supporting the development of treatments for patients living with psychiatric and neurological disorders. The company said the strengthened leadership structure is designed to build on its scientific expertise while supporting broader growth and international opportunities.
Shannon brings more than three decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry to her new position. Throughout her career, she has held leadership roles spanning large pharmaceutical companies, midsize organizations, emerging biopharma companies and medical technology businesses. Her experience includes strategic development, commercial operations, alliance management, team building and organizational growth.
Before joining Clinilabs, Shannon served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for the U.S. and Canada regional business units at IQVIA. In that position, she was responsible for leading a multibillion-dollar sales and account management organization covering research and development, Real World Solutions and Commercial Solutions.
Her extensive experience across multiple segments of the life sciences industry is expected to complement Clinilabs’ scientific and clinical development capabilities as the CRO expands its services and geographic reach.
Laura Shannon Takes Leadership of Clinilabs
As CEO, Shannon will be responsible for guiding Clinilabs through its next stage of development and strengthening the organization’s position as a specialized CRO serving the CNS drug and device development market.
Her appointment comes at a time when pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies continue to seek specialized partners capable of navigating the complexities associated with neurological and psychiatric clinical research. CNS development can present significant challenges, including patient recruitment, endpoint selection, trial design, clinical assessment and the need for specialized scientific expertise.
Clinilabs has built its organization around these challenges, developing expertise in CNS-focused clinical research and supporting sponsors throughout different stages of drug and device development.
Shannon said she was honored to join the organization and emphasized the differentiated capabilities that Clinilabs has developed under Zammit’s leadership.
“I am deeply honored to join Clinilabs as Chief Executive Officer,” said Shannon. “Gary and his team have built a truly differentiated, science-driven CRO with deep expertise in CNS drug and device development with a genuine commitment to developing therapies for patients.”
She added that she was looking forward to working with Clinilabs’ management team and employees to advance the company’s mission of supporting the development of better, safer and more effective treatments.
Her comments underscore the importance of combining scientific capabilities with operational and commercial expertise as Clinilabs continues to grow.
Founder Gary Zammit Moves to Executive Chairperson
As part of the leadership transition, Zammit will move from his position as company leader to Executive Chairperson. He founded Clinilabs with the objective of improving CNS drug and device development through clinical research, and he has played a central role in establishing the company’s scientific focus and specialized capabilities.
In his new position, Zammit is expected to continue contributing to the organization’s strategic direction while supporting Shannon and the broader management team.
Zammit described his tenure at Clinilabs as a highly meaningful professional experience and expressed confidence in Shannon’s ability to lead the company into its next stage.
“We are filled with immense pride and gratitude as we welcome Laura as our Chief Executive Officer and I transition to Executive Chairperson,” said Zammit, Ph.D. “It has been the privilege of a lifetime to lead this remarkable organization and to work alongside a team so deeply committed to improving the lives of patients with neurological disorders.”
He highlighted Shannon’s experience in biopharma leadership, team development, commercial strategy and alliance management as key strengths that make her well positioned to lead Clinilabs.
Zammit’s transition also provides continuity for the organization. Rather than stepping away from Clinilabs, he will remain involved as Executive Chairperson, allowing the company to retain his institutional knowledge, scientific perspective and understanding of its development journey.
Supporting Continued Global Expansion
The leadership announcement also comes as Clinilabs continues to expand its international capabilities. According to the company and its investment partner, the organization is increasingly positioned to conduct studies requiring access to patient populations across the United States, Europe and other international markets.
This geographic expansion is particularly important for clinical development programs in CNS disorders. Recruiting sufficient numbers of appropriate patients can be challenging for neurological and psychiatric studies, and multinational trial capabilities can help sponsors access broader and more diverse patient populations.
The company’s expansion into Europe is therefore expected to complement its existing capabilities in the United States while strengthening its ability to support global clinical programs.
Mehran Ahmed, Partner at InTandem Capital, welcomed Shannon’s appointment and recognized Zammit’s contribution to the company since its founding.
“On behalf of InTandem, I would like to thank Gary for his commitment to Clinilabs. He is a true partner and leader who deeply cares about his colleagues,” Ahmed said.
He noted that Zammit founded Clinilabs around a mission of improving CNS drug and device development through research and has maintained that focus throughout the company’s development.
Ahmed also expressed enthusiasm about Shannon taking over as CEO, pointing to her experience in global operations, sales and scaling CRO businesses.
Experience Across the Biopharmaceutical Industry
Shannon’s professional background could provide Clinilabs with additional expertise as the organization seeks to scale its operations and deepen relationships with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
Her career has included leadership responsibilities across different types of life sciences organizations. This broad experience provides exposure to the different challenges faced by established pharmaceutical companies, emerging biotechnology businesses and medical technology developers.
At IQVIA, her most recent role involved oversight of a large commercial organization serving clients across multiple areas of the life sciences sector. Her responsibilities included relationships and business development spanning R&D, real-world evidence and commercial solutions.
For a specialized CRO such as Clinilabs, this combination of clinical-development knowledge and commercial leadership experience could be valuable as the company seeks to establish new partnerships and expand its customer base.
The CRO market has become increasingly competitive, with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies looking for providers that can offer specialized scientific expertise while also delivering operational efficiency and access to global clinical trial infrastructure.
Clinilabs’ CNS specialization gives the organization a focused position within this market. The appointment of Shannon adds another layer of leadership expertise as the company seeks to expand that position.
Focus on Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders
CNS drug development remains an important area of pharmaceutical research, covering conditions affecting the brain, nervous system and mental health. Clinical development programs in these areas often require specialized trial methodologies and experienced investigators and can involve complex patient populations.
Clinilabs has focused its CRO capabilities specifically on CNS drug and device development, giving it experience in research programs associated with neurological and psychiatric conditions.
The company’s leadership emphasized that this scientific focus will remain central to its strategy following the executive transition.
Shannon’s appointment is therefore not positioned as a change in Clinilabs’ core mission, but rather as an opportunity to strengthen the organization’s leadership as it expands. Her commercial and operational background complements Zammit’s scientific and entrepreneurial experience, creating a leadership structure designed to maintain continuity while supporting growth.
The transition marks an important milestone in Clinilabs’ development. Zammit’s move to Executive Chairperson allows the company to retain the involvement of its founder while giving Shannon responsibility for day-to-day executive leadership and future growth initiatives.
For Clinilabs, the combination of founder-led scientific expertise and new executive leadership could support the company as it expands its international footprint, develops new sponsor relationships and continues providing specialized clinical research services.
The organization’s focus on CNS drug and device development remains at the center of its strategy. With Shannon bringing more than 30 years of biopharmaceutical experience and Zammit continuing in a strategic leadership role, Clinilabs is positioning itself to build on its existing capabilities while pursuing new opportunities across the United States, Europe and other global markets.
The leadership expansion also reflects the broader evolution of specialized CROs within the pharmaceutical research ecosystem. As drug developers increasingly rely on external partners for complex clinical programs, organizations with deep therapeutic expertise, global capabilities and strong operational leadership are becoming increasingly important.
With Shannon now serving as CEO and Zammit taking on the role of Executive Chairperson, Clinilabs enters its next chapter with an emphasis on continued growth, international expansion and its long-standing objective of helping advance innovative treatments for patients affected by neurological and psychiatric disorders.
About Clinilabs
Clinilabs is a global, full-service contract research organization (CRO) focused exclusively on central nervous system (CNS) drug, device, and technology development. Drawing on deep, indication-level expertise, established processes, the latest technology, and global reach spanning North America, Europe, and beyond, Clinilabs manages Phase 1-4 trials to accelerate treatments for a range of psychiatric, neurological, and substance use disorders, as well as rare and ultra-rare CNS disorders. For further information, please visit clinilabs.com
About InTandem Capital Partners
InTandem Capital Partners L.P. is a private equity firm that invests in and helps accelerate the growth of select healthcare services companies. Its goal is to build excellent businesses of significant value working collaboratively with its management team partners. InTandem is solely focused on investing in businesses that align closely with the Healthcare Quintuple Aim – the simultaneous pursuit of enhanced patient experience, elevated provider experience, improved clinical outcomes, greater healthcare equity, and lower cost of care delivery.
The firm is comprised of former business executives and experienced investors, and is positioned to provide strategic, acquisition and operating expertise to help companies grow and increase their contribution to an improved healthcare system. InTandem provides active support to the management of its portfolio companies directly and leverages its network of industry executives to augment its capabilities. For further information, please visit intandemcapital.com