- Clinilabs, a New York-based specialty CRO focused exclusively on central nervous system drug and device development, has appointed Laura Shannon as Chief Executive Officer, with company founder Gary Zammit, Ph.D., transitioning to the role of Executive Chairperson.
- Shannon joins from IQVIA, where she served as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer for the U.S. and Canada regional business units, and brings more than 30 years of biopharma industry experience spanning large and midsize pharma, emerging biopharma, and medtech — with a track record of building high-performing teams, forging strategic alliances, and driving growth across complex CRO and life sciences organizations.
Clinilabs, a specialty contract research organization dedicated to central nervous system drug and device development, announced on August 14, 2026, the appointment of Laura Shannon as Chief Executive Officer. Shannon’s appointment coincides with the transition of company founder Gary Zammit, Ph.D., to the role of Executive Chairperson — a structure designed to preserve Zammit’s scientific leadership and institutional knowledge within the organization while enabling dedicated commercial and operational leadership at the CEO level as Clinilabs advances its next phase of growth.
Shannon brings more than 30 years of biopharma industry experience to the role, most recently serving as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of the U.S. and Canada regional business units at IQVIA — one of the world’s largest CRO and healthcare data organizations. Her career spans broad global leadership responsibilities across large and midsize pharmaceutical companies, emerging biopharma, and medtech — with a consistent emphasis on building high-performing teams, developing strategic partnerships, and scaling organizations through periods of commercial and operational complexity. Her appointment represents a deliberate investment in commercial leadership depth at a CRO that has built a distinctive scientific reputation in CNS research under Zammit’s founding direction.
Clinilabs operates as a specialty CRO with a concentrated focus on CNS indications, offering clinical development services for pharmaceutical and device sponsors working in sleep disorders, psychiatry, neurology, and related therapeutic areas. The company’s CNS focus enables depth of scientific expertise, patient population access, and endpoint measurement experience that generalist CRO organizations typically cannot match at the same level — a differentiation that has made Clinilabs a sought-after partner for sponsors developing novel CNS therapies and devices where specialized knowledge at the investigator, data, and regulatory level is directly tied to study quality and speed.
The executive transition reflects a broader pattern in the specialty CRO sector, where founder-led scientific organizations are increasingly investing in experienced commercial leadership to drive the next stage of market development and partnership expansion. By pairing Shannon’s commercial and organizational experience with Zammit’s scientific depth in an Executive Chair role, Clinilabs is positioning for growth without disrupting the scientific culture and CNS expertise that differentiate it in the CRO marketplace.
“I am deeply honored to join Clinilabs as Chief Executive Officer. Gary and his team have built a truly differentiated, science-driven CRO with deep expertise in CNS drug and device development with a genuine commitment to developing therapies for patients. I am energized to lead this talented team with Gary and the rest of management to advance Clinilabs in its mission to bring better, safer, and more effective treatments to patients who need them most.”
Laura Shannon, Chief Executive Officer, Clinilabs
Sign up to the free weekly newsletter for all the latest news, resources and podcasts in contract manufacturing. 
