Emerald Clinical Trials Appoints Former Novotech COO Michael Stibilj as CEO to Lead Next Phase of Asia-Pacific CRO Growth

• Emerald Clinical Trials, a Singapore-headquartered global full-service CRO with over 1,000 professionals across 40+ countries and 70+ locations, has appointed Michael Stibilj as Chief Executive Officer effective October 1, 2026 — bringing 30+ years of CRO industry experience including six years as COO at Novotech, three years as CEO at PPC Group, and 22 years in regional and global leadership roles at IQVIA.

• The appointment follows a transformative year for Emerald Clinical, including the acquisition of Hongyi Clinical Development Services — which combined two organizations to create a clinical development platform spanning China, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas — and positions the company for its next phase of growth under a CEO with deep Asia-Pacific operational depth and a track record of scaling CRO organizations through complex transformations.

Emerald Clinical Trials, a leading global full-service CRO headquartered in Singapore, announced on September 30, 2026, the appointment of Michael Stibilj as Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2026. The appointment concludes a period during which Glenn Kerkhof served as Interim CEO, delivering continued growth and operational excellence for Emerald Clinical’s clients. Kerkhof remains on the Board and continues to advise the company.

Stibilj brings more than 30 years of CRO industry experience to the role, most recently serving six years as Chief Operating Officer at Novotech — the Asia-Pacific specialist CRO — where he led operational transformation and growth across the company’s regional network. Prior to Novotech, he served three years as CEO of PPC Group and spent 22 years with IQVIA in multiple regional and global leadership positions, accumulating deep expertise in Asia-Pacific markets including China, Singapore, and Australia. His career spans complex organizational transformations, significant revenue growth mandates, and market leadership initiatives across some of the industry’s most recognized CRO organizations — experience directly applicable to Emerald Clinical’s ambition to build a globally competitive, Asia-Pacific-anchored CRO platform.

The appointment follows a defining year of strategic transformation at Emerald Clinical. The acquisition of Hongyi Clinical Development Services created a unified clinical development platform combining both organizations’ capabilities — resulting in a CRO of more than 1,000 professionals across 40+ countries and 70+ locations, with end-to-end Phase I through Phase IV and real-world evidence capabilities spanning China, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. In China, the company operates as Emerald Clinical 弘翼临床. The combined platform serves more than 160 biotechnology companies and 15 of the world’s top 20 pharmaceutical firms across recognized scientific leadership areas including renal, oncology, cardiometabolic, autoimmune, ophthalmology, and early phase development.

For CRO sponsors, Stibilj’s appointment reinforces Emerald Clinical’s strategic positioning at the intersection of global reach and Asia-Pacific depth — a combination the company’s leadership believes will be the defining characteristic of the most competitive CROs as Asian clinical development continues to grow faster than any other regional market. His selection reflects an explicit board decision to invest in operational leadership with the depth, regional credibility, and transformation track record required to scale a 1,000-person platform operating across more than 40 countries without sacrificing the quality, speed, and transparency that define Emerald Clinical’s sponsor relationships.

“The outlook for our industry has never been more exciting: global clinical development is on a sustained growth path as innovation pipelines expand — and Asia-Pacific is where that growth is fastest. The future of clinical research will be shaped by the application of technological advances at the intersection of global reach and Asia-Pacific depth — and no company sits more squarely at that intersection than Emerald Clinical.”

Michael Stibilj, Chief Executive Officer, Emerald Clinical Trials