Kendle appoints Christopher Bergen chief administrative officer and Simon Higginbotham chief marketing officer

Kendle has appointed Christopher Bergen to the newly-created role of chief administrative officer and executive vice president.

Bergen was previously chief operating officer at the company, which he co-founded in 1981.

He served as president and chief operating officer from 1981 until April 2008 and as chief operating officer from April 2008 until July 2009.

He has more than 30 years of experience in the clinical research industry, with demonstrated expertise in the design and implementation of innovative technology solutions to enhance clinical trial delivery and organizational efficiency.

As chief operating officer he provided executive leadership for Kendle's ERP initiative, the largest initiative in the Company's history, which will yield significant benefits for the organisation and its customers, including streamlined global processes, enhanced organizational efficiency and real-time access to clinical trial data to facilitate efficient project management. Kendle currently is in the final stages of implementing the financial components of its ERP.

"As we move forward and position Kendle to compete for higher-level strategic outsourcing opportunities our infrastructure and ability to deliver on a global scale have never been more important," said Candace Kendle,chairman and chief executive.

"This new executive leadership role and the appointment of our most senior leader to fill it demonstrates Kendle's continued focus on the key business drivers that will support our future growth and meet the strategic outsourcing needs of our customers."

In addition, reflecting Kendle's increasing focus on strategic customer relationships, Simon Higginbotham is adding the chief marketing officer role to his leadership of the company's Early Stage business, assuming the title of senior vice president and CMO effective immediately.

Additional moves to enhance key strategic roles within the company in recent months include the appointments of Jarrod Pontius as vice president, chief legal officer and secretary and the appointment of Keith Cheesman as senior vice president and chief financial officer.