US biopharma research business Fortrea has appointed Agnieszka Gallagher as general counsel, replacing Stillman Hanson in the role.
Gallagher was most recently chief legal officer at US life sciences business Standard BioTools. In her new role she will be responsible for Fortrea’s legal strategy and operations, as well as serving as corporate secretary and chief compliance officer. She will also sit on the company’s leadership team.
Durham, North Carolina-based Fortrea is a contract research organisation providing clinical development services to biopharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and diagnostic companies.
Anshul Thakral, CEO of Fortrea, said: “Aggie brings broad and deep executive experience in the life sciences and beyond to Fortrea, with a track record of navigating complexity in global companies. Aggie is a business leader with proven success in driving commercial opportunities, corporate governance and risk management. She is known for aligning legal strategy with corporate objectives.”
Gallagher spent two years at Standard BioTools, which she left in April before taking up an advisory role at drug repurposing researcher Every Cure. Prior to her time at Standard BioTools she had spells at OraSure Technology (as GC); Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (as chief compliance officer); ViiV Healthcare (as GC and chief compliance officer); GSK (as global head of ethics and compliance for vaccines); and Sandoz (as global legal head for biopharmaceuticals, oncology injectables and global development).
She also spent a year as senior legal counsel at Medtronic and nine years as assistant GC at Pfizer. She started her career in private practice at White & Case in New York and Warsaw.
Gallagher said: “I look forward to collaborating with our global team and our partners as we accelerate the development of innovative treatments. The opportunity to work alongside world-class developers and to uphold the highest standards of governance and compliance is both inspiring and energising. I am eager to get started.”
Hanson, meanwhile, exits after two-and-a-half years at Fortrea following “a planned transition period”. He was previously GC at G1 Therapeutics, associate GC at IQVIA and associate GC at Quintiles Transnational Holdings. Prior to that he was a corporate, M&A and securities associate at Smith Anderson.
Thakral added: “I also would like to thank Stillman for his leadership over the past few years as Fortrea was founded and established strong roots. On behalf of the Fortrea board and the entire Fortrea team, we appreciate all that he has done and wish him every success in his future endeavours.”
Back in July, US medical device business Medtronic hired Michelle Quinn as GC from medtech peer Becton Dickinson, while in May, US pharma giant Bristol Myers Squibb promoted corporate affairs executive vice president Cari Gallman to GC.
Email your news and story ideas to: [email protected]
