The Tolan Group Places CEO for CenExel
August 8, 2023 – The Tolan Group (TTG) recently assisted in the recruitment of Stuart Goldblatt as the new chief executive officer of Salt Lake City, UT-based CenExel, a network of medical research centers. Managing partner and CEO Kaye Johnson and senior executive recruiter Hailey Brandvold spearheaded the assignment for the search firm.
“We are very excited to have a seasoned executive such as Stuart join our team to help us continue on our path as the premier therapeutically-focused and fully integrated clinical research site network in the United States,” said former CenExel CEO Tom Wardle, who transitions to the role of executive chairman of the company’s board of directors.
Mr. Goldblatt brings to the position a wealth of knowledge and an array of experiences within pharmaceutical research. He is an accomplished and proven senior executive in life sciences with more than 30 years of experience specifically within pharmaceutical research. Mr. Goldblatt will have leadership responsibilities for all aspects of CenExel including the development of strategies, goals, policies, and achievement of financial goals and growth.
Strong Experience
Prior to joining CenExel, Mr. Goldblatt was president and CEO of Cliantha Research North America. Cliantha Research is a mid-sized, full-service contract research organization that provides comprehensive and integrated research offerings in both early and late phase studies. Prior to Cliantha, Mr. Goldblatt served as chief of staff, organizational effectiveness, reporting to the CEO of LabCorp Drug Development (Covance), where he led sales management and operational delivery improvements to exceed customer and corporate expectations via comprehensive and cross-functional strategies. Before LabCorp/Covance, Mr. Goldblatt spent two decades at Quintiles (IQVIA) as vice president in a variety of senior leadership roles. Before Quintiles, he helped develop and grow a large national site management organization serving clinical research.
“I am absolutely thrilled to join CenExel and collaborate with such an established national team of industry thought leaders and high-quality research facilities,” said Mr. Goldblatt. “CenExel’s existing Centers of Excellence will continue to partner and forge even deeper relationships with biopharmaceutical, biotech, and CROs, thereby reducing drug development timelines and costs. I remain keen to continue the deliberate growth trajectory CenExel has been maintaining.”
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Formed in 2018, CenExel provides medical and scientific support in the design and execution of Phase 1 – 4 clinical trials. The company includes 18 clinical research sites, with special emphases on neurology, pain, psychiatry, vaccines/immunology, dermatology, ethnic bridging, sleep studies, and clinical pharmacology. CenExel Centers of Excellence have conducted thousands of studies, the variety and complexity of which have resulted in a vast depth of experience and insight for its principal investigators and research professionals.
Proven Search Firm
The Tolan Group is a Hunt Scanlon Top 50 healthcare and life sciences executive search firm. It provides recruiting services for clients and candidates serving the private equity market, focused on placing leadership for healthcare services, healthcare technology, and behavioral health. Tim Tolan is founder, chairman, and managing partner of the firm. He is an experienced healthcare executive leading a healthcare-centric executive search and contract staffing firm serving healthcare services, healthcare tech, long-term care, and behavioral health. Mr. Tolan has multiple decades of experience in both privately held and publicly traded companies in a variety of leadership roles. He has deep PE expertise in placing executive leadership into portfolio companies across the healthcare sector.
The Tolan Group Completes CEO Search for Lewy Body Dementia Association
The Tolan Group has placed Allison Feldman as the new chief executive officer of the Lewy Body Dementia Association (LBDA). CEO Kaye Johnson led the assignment. “The board of LBDA is excited to welcome Allison as our new CEO and know she will be a great ambassador for our organization and to the individuals and families impacted by this disease,” said Christina M. Christie, the non-profit’s board president. “Lewy body dementia (LBD) affects an estimated 1.4 million individuals and their families in the United States. At LBDA, we are committed to increasing recognition and diagnosis of LBD and ensuring all families have access to the information and support they need along their journey.”
Ms. Johnson has been overseeing all facets of TTG since 2015. She leads the day-to-day operations, major projects, and is responsible for all client delivery for the firm. Ms. Johnson directs the project team responsible for sourcing and qualifying candidates for placement. Her experience in executive search in the healthcare, behavioral health, and substance abuse industries provides her insight into the organizational and human capital needs of her clients. Ms. Johnson has placed C-suite, EVPs, SVPs, VPs, and countless individual contributors in sales, marketing, product management, technical, and clinical talent since joining the firm.
Ms. Brandvold has been with The Tolan Group for two years, serving as an executive recruiter and project manager before her promotion to senior executive recruiter earlier this year. Her expertise is in the private equity and healthcare executive search space.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
