Worldwide Bolsters People Program Welcomes Chief Human Resources Officer Joy Clark

MORRISVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Worldwide Clinical Trials, Inc., (Worldwide) an award-winning, full-service, midsize, global CRO, named Joy Clark, formerly senior vice president, People, for Valassis Digital, as the company’s new Chief Human Resources Officer.

The number of drugs entering clinical trials continues to climb – up 12% from more than 260,000 just over a year ago – according to Clinicaltrials.gov. At the same time, drug sponsors are increasingly outsourcing to contract research organizations (CROs) for help in managing their portfolios, especially small and emerging biopharmaceutical firms with leaner headcounts and clinical experience.

Worldwide is investing in its “uncommon people program,” which is focused on identifying, recruiting, developing and retaining the highly skilled professionals needed to keep pace with this booming industry. The company continuously seeks out people who can navigate the breakneck speed and complexities of new discoveries, changing technologies and methodologies, and shifting global and regulatory environments to drive innovative product development and reduce development timelines.

As Chief Human Resources Officer for Worldwide, Clark will lead talent acquisition, talent development, global HR services, total rewards and employee engagement initiatives. She and her global team of HR experts will be strong advocates for helping the over 1,600 people of Worldwide succeed both professionally and personally. Their focus is to reimagine leadership and talent practices to create an uncommonly rewarding work experience – an important differentiator for the company amidst a market pervaded by large, commoditized CROs.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to partner with Joy to build an amazing people experience – one that has the power to unleash the full performance and potential of our uncommon talent around the world,” said Peter Benton, president and COO, Worldwide Clinical Trials. “Joy has dedicated her career to driving real change and growing cultures where people can thrive, belong and do their best work."

Clark joins the company from Valassis Digital (formerly Maxpoint), an advertising and marketing intelligence company in Morrisville, NC, where she grew the HR function from scratch to a strategic function. Prior to that, Clark led a variety of HR functional areas and initiatives, including employee relations, people operations, compliance and diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, and programs for companies like Cree, Sony Ericsson, Penske and QVC.

“I love building talent and teams. I couldn’t pass up the chance to bring what I’ve learned over the past 25 years to an organization like Worldwide – one that’s working with passion and purpose every day to improve lives,” Clark said. “I cannot wait to help fuel Worldwide’s differentiation in the market by reimagining our employee experience. Our focus will be on empowering our team to remain top of the industry in expertise and ensuring they have the tools and technology to reshape the way they live and work.”

Worldwide’s core values and culture continue to attract top talent from inside and outside the CRO industry. For example, in the past 60 days, the company announced that Gaurav Sharma joined the company as Therapeutic Area Leader, Rare Disease and Oncology, Philippa Marshall, MD, BSc, FFPM, joined as Vice President, Scientific Solutions, Immune-Mediated Therapeutic Disorders and Shaolian Zhou, Ph.D., joined as Senior Vice President and Lab Director for Bioanalytical Services. To find a career opportunity at Worldwide or learn more about how Worldwide employees are working with passion and purpose every day to improve lives, visit worldwide.com/careers.

About Worldwide Clinical Trials

Worldwide Clinical Trials employs more than 1,600 professionals around the world, with offices in North and South America, Eastern and Western Europe, Russia, and Asia. Founded by physicians committed to advancing medical science, Worldwide is out to change how the world experiences CROs – in the best possible way. From early phase and bioanalytical sciences through late phase, post-approval and real-world evidence, we provide world-class, full-service drug development services.

With infrastructure and talent spanning 60 countries, we execute predictable, successful studies with operational excellence across a range of therapeutic areas, including central nervous system, cardiovascular, metabolic, immune-mediated inflammatory disorders (IMID), oncology and rare diseases. We never compromise on science or safety. We’re never satisfied with the status quo. We’re the Cure for the Common CRO.

For more information, visit http://www.worldwide.com.

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