Meet the Leaders Driving MMS’s European Growth

Meet Jim!

After taking a first in Physiology and gaining a PhD in materno-foetal medicine from University College London, one of the world’s top 25 research universities, Jim worked in medical research before moving into medical writing; first in medical communications in London then in regulatory medical writing at Boehringer Ingelheim in Germany.

Working both directly within pharma companies and in the CRO space, Jim quickly expanded his knowledge from his background in metabolic and cardiovascular physiology to new therapeutic areas and indications, including oncology, diabetes, major depressive disorder, HIV, hepatitis C, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few.

After moving into management, Jim expanded his technical and soft skills further as a regional manager for the UK in 2012, then director for Europe after joining MMS in 2019. Jim set up the QC function at a previous company before becoming the service owner for QC at MMS, and leads a global team (India, South Africa and US) of QC colleagues in addition to leading the European Medical Writing group (UK, Germany, France, and Spain).

The sheer breadth and depth of document experience both in Quality Control and Medical Writing sets MMS’ QC and Medical Writing departments apart from other CROs large and small. The dedication and professionalism of these teams is unparalleled, and this can be seen in recent awards, such as the Scrip Award for best specialist CRO that Jim was proud to recently receive on behalf of MMS in London.

The success of MMS is in its dedication to providing all clients with the highest levels of service, flexibility, expertise and writer experience and leading each project – large or small – with the ethos of ensuring a smooth and professional experience for all sponsors, keeping communication open and respectful and exceeding expectations at all points.

Meet James!

Based in the UK, James joined MMS in March 2024 as the Director and Global Head of Programming.

His career spans over 25 years, encompassing extensive experience with leading pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organizations. James began his journey as a programmer within a CRO, with his role evolving from technical and lead programming positions—primarily in Oncology, Respiratory, and Cardiovascular—to management and leadership roles within the HTA space. More recently, he has led large global programming teams within CROs.

With this tenure, his objective is to guide the statistical programming team at MMS in supporting some of the world’s most innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. MMS has experienced significant biometrics growth in recent years, as the team emphasizes quality through clear processes and proprietary technology to enhance the drug development process. James believes that success of the statistical programming team is evident not only through stellar client accolades and a reputation for delivering quality but also through high levels of client and colleague retention, as well as the flexibility and strong relationships that MMS has with Sponsor clients.

Meet Sal!

Sal is excited to lead business development activities in Northern Europe. He works to facilitate discussions with drug and device developers interested in benefiting from MMS solutions and services approach and enhancing existing partnerships.

When interviewing for the post, Sal says that he was “most impressed with the longevity of MMS employees, many of whom have worked for the company for 5-10 years and beyond. I’ve since learned that global employee turnover is only 3.5%. This is unheard of in our industry and the resulting consistency and efficiency are clearly appreciated by our customers. In my 20+ year customer facing career, I’ve never seen as much commitment and urgency to provide the best quality deliverables and customer experience. Our European customers are well supported with large teams in the same time zone, plus a global 24-hour working model, accelerating delivery.”

This has inspired Sal to build meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships, leveraging industry leading practices and latest technology to optimise clinical development and improve outcomes for patients. MMS offers a unique combination of expert global regulatory, data, and statistical support. The impact is an average of 10 regulatory submissions completed per year with zero refusals.

Meet Scott!

Scott recently joined MMS at an exciting time in the CRO’s growth and evolution within the industry. His career in the industry began nearly a decade ago, where Scott contributed to the growth of biotech and pharmaceutical organisations in identifying highly skilled statisticians, programmers, and data managers. Over the past 7 years, he has dedicated himself to specialist data CROs, gaining invaluable experience and insights into the complexities of clinical trial planning, analysis, and reporting.

“Supporting biotech and pharmaceutical companies across Europe to realise their potential and accelerate the delivery of crucial, often life-saving therapies to patients has always been a driving force and key motivator for me,” says Scott. “I have found great satisfaction in building strong relationships and ensuring clinical trials are managed with the utmost care and precision.”

Scott continues, “Joining MMS was a natural choice for me, as we share core values and a commitment to excellence that resonate deeply with my own. I am consistently impressed by the depth of expertise within the team and their unwavering dedication to delivering quality outcomes. The team’s deep understanding of the evolving data landscape and complex regulatory environment enable Sponsors to rely on MMS to reduce risk, accelerate timelines, and bring life-changing treatments to patients sooner. This commitment is exemplified by one of our core values, a Sense of Urgency and Leadership, which drives us to add value for our clients by completing work on time and proactively identifying risks while communicating solutions ahead of time. Every colleague at MMS takes full ownership of the success of our projects, and I’m proud to join a global team of industry experts that all share this common goal.”

Meet Lucy!

Lucy joined MMS in April of this year, during what she feels is “a truly exciting and dynamic time for the organisation.”

Her career in the pharmaceutical industry spans over 25 years, having started her first role in the late 1990’s in Data Management, leading a talented team to deliver a groundbreaking Alzheimer’s programme for a key customer. Lucy’s role further evolved into the full-service project management space, overseeing delivery on large global Oncology, Respiratory and Cardiovascular programs. More recently, she has been dedicated to client relationship and partnership management, which she finds quite rewarding.

Lucy shares, “Having spent the majority of my working life at large CROs, I have cherished making the move to a specialist CRO. It’s very clear to me that our customers truly enjoy working with our teams. The ‘One MMS’ culture is not just an empty promise – MMS teams put their heart, soul and passion into their work because it matters personally to them. It matters that we can bring new hope to patients, families, and caregivers and it matters that our customers experience excellent service from us.”

“I’m impressed by the level of MMS expertise and deep understanding of the complexities of our industry,” she continues. “This being particularly important in Europe, providing customer solutions to navigate the complex Regulatory requirements for the region. This coupled with a flexible, can-do mindset creates a highly motivated environment, where success flourishes!”

Meet Alan!

Since establishing the first on-the-ground presence of MMS in Europe 10 years ago, Alan has been “constantly impressed by the enthusiasm, professionalism, and positive drive that we have been able to maintain in the face of substantial organisational growth.”

His background covers the fields of Consultancy, Global CROs, and Big Pharma. Currently, he is acutely focused on strengthening the operational business strategy of MMS from his office in the UK. His aim is “ensuring that we keep our SOUL and continue to excel in delivering the best in class solutions that our global customers desire.”

Alan continues, “The culture and values of MMS are best-in-class, and I am proud of the journey that we have been on. The European team’s growth has been extraordinary and development across nearly all of the MMS service lines continues to propel us forward.”