Parexel Announces The Appoints Biotech Business Head Jim Anthony As Chief Commercial Officer & President Of Parexel Biotech

Parexel, a leading global clinical research organization (CRO) known for providing insights-driven clinical and consulting solutions to the life sciences industry, has announced the appointment of Jim Anthony to the expanded role of Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and President, Parexel Biotech. This move is aimed at further strengthening the company’s customer focus while driving growth and long-term value across its operations.

Jim Anthony has been closely associated with Parexel Biotech since its launch in 2019, serving as its global leader from the outset. Most recently, he held the position of President and Global Head of Parexel Biotech, where he successfully led strategic initiatives to expand the company’s footprint in the biotech sector. With his new expanded responsibilities, Mr. Anthony will oversee both biotech and pharmaceutical customer strategy and relationships worldwide. He will focus on leveraging Parexel’s broad suite of solutions and its strong therapeutic expertise across Phase I-IV clinical development to help accelerate the delivery of life-changing therapies to patients.

Peyton Howell, Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Our industry and clinical development are ever-changing. Parexel’s ability to evolve and innovate to deliver for our customers is more important than ever. The addition of a Chief Commercial Officer further supports this strategic focus as we work to meet our customers’ needs and accelerate our growth objectives. Jim is the ideal person for this expanded role as demonstrated by his exceptional leadership of Parexel Biotech, growing this business from its start in 2019 to where it stands today, contributing approximately half of Parexel’s global revenue. We look forward to his continued leadership and contributions, building on and scaling this success across our entire commercial organization. We also sincerely thank Conal Burgess for his contributions to Parexel’s success.”

Mr. Anthony mentioned, "I'm honored to serve in this expanded leadership role at such a pivotal time for our customers and our company. By looking more holistically across all of our customers — from large pharma to small, emerging and mid-sized biotechs — we're strongly positioned to fully leverage our strengths, respond to market challenges with greater agility and strengthen our overall approach to accelerate our growth. I look forward to building on the strong foundation that Conal has established as we continue to support and partner with our customers in maintaining our focus on what matters most — delivering life-saving treatments to patients."

As part of the company’s long-term succession planning, Conal Burgess, President and Global Head of Enterprise Partnerships, will transition from his role on December 31, 2025. Mr. Burgess concludes a distinguished 30-year career with Parexel, during which he played a key role in building sustainable partnerships with large pharmaceutical customers. His leadership contributed significantly to the company’s ability to support customers from early-phase development through post-approval, laying a strong foundation for future growth.

Mr. Anthony brings over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical development and the CRO industry to his expanded role. Since joining Parexel in 2010 as Vice President of North America Business Development, he has held a series of senior leadership positions with increasing responsibility. 

These include serving as Corporate Vice President, Enterprise Account Leader where he managed two of Parexel’s largest pharmaceutical clients Executive Vice President and Global Head of Parexel Biotech, and later President and Global Head of Parexel Biotech in 2023. His extensive background and proven leadership make him well-positioned to lead Parexel’s next phase of growth, supporting both biotech and pharmaceutical customers in advancing innovative therapies to market.