Over the past year, “progress” in drug development started to look very different. AI moved beyond pilots into day-to-day execution, while protocols, regulatory expectations, and budgets grew more complex. The mandate to accelerate only intensified—and so did the pressure on sponsor–CRO partnerships to deliver with clarity and confidence.
So what actually worked in 2025—and what didn’t?
Join an executive fireside chat with leaders from Thermo Fisher Scientific and the PPD™ clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific for a candid, lessons-learned conversation grounded in real-world delivery. Hear what teams discovered in execution – not theory – and how those insights are shaping 2026 plans in an environment where uncertainty is the new baseline.
You’ll walk away with practical takeaways on:
- Where AI and digital workflows delivered real impact, where adoption stalled, and how to scale responsibly
- How CRO partnership dynamics changed—what’s driving friction, what “good” looks like now, and how to reset ways of working
- How to navigate shifting priorities and constraints without compromising timelines or quality
- How to reduce integration pitfalls across systems, vendors, and workflows to build a more resilient operating model
Bring your questions and join the conversation live. Register now to turn 2025 learnings into smarter, faster, more confident decisions for 2026.
- Adaptive Trials ,
- AI ,
- AI in clinical development ,
- Clinical Research ,
- clinical research organization ,
- CRO ,
- CRO/CDMO integration ,
- Data Science ,
- Drug Development ,
- hybrid/decentralized trials ,
- Innovation ,
- Operational Excellence ,
- PPD ,
- PSG ,
- Quality ,
- quality systems ,
- Regulatory ,
- Thermo Fisher ,
- validation & governance
Speakers
Krishna Cheriath, Vice President, Head of Digital and AI, BioPharma Services, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Krishna Cheriath serves as the Head of Digital and AI for BioPharma Services, supporting pharma services and the PPD™ clinical research businesses of Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science. He leverages advanced analytics and AI to enhance clinical research and patient outcomes. With leadership roles at Zoetis, Bristol Myers Squibb and prominent consulting firms such as PWC and IBM, Krishna brings over 15 years of expertise in data strategy. Additionally, he is an Adjunct Faculty at Carnegie Mellon and Rutgers, contributing to the development of data-driven leadership programs.
A digital, data and analytics evangelist, Krishna advocates for responsible and ethical innovation. His passion for positive societal change through data and digital transformation fuels his work, along with his commitment to fostering a more connected humanity. As a champion of empowered, empathetic leadership, Krishna constantly seeks new innovations and ideas to drive impactful change.
Message Presenter
Mike Kleppinger, President, Commercial Operations, the PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Mike Kleppinger serves as President of Commercial Operations for the PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific. In this role, he leads a team of more than 750 professionals responsible for commercial, marketing, sales and business development. He is accountable for delivering business through executive oversight of the entire commercial organization, leading strategy planning and executing customer-centric, innovative solutions to maximize client satisfaction and proactively drive operational models forward.
Mike is an accomplished global leader in the life sciences and pharma industry, with a proven ability to leverage the voice of the customer to increase market penetration, lead brand evolutions and nurture high-performing commercial teams. His career includes a number of executive leadership roles with clinical research organizations (CROs) and, recently, in the contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) segment. He most recently served as Managing Director at SEQENS, where he was responsible for operations and commercial performance of its innovative business unit. He also has held commercial leadership roles at several CROs. He has more than 30 years of business development, marketing and life sciences experience.
Mike earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from North Carolina Wesleyan University, an MBA from Campbell University and a PhD in Business, Management and Marketing from Capella University.
Message Presenter
Brenda Bruker, Executive Director, Clinical Development Strategy & Innovation, Clinical Research Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Brenda Bruker is part of the Clinical Development Strategy & Innovation team and leads several transformation initiatives supporting Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Accelerator™ Drug Development operational delivery model. She has been with Thermo Fisher Scientific since 2002, holding a variety of roles in new product/service introduction, commercial integration and business transformation. Prior to joining Thermo Fisher Scientific’s PPD clinical research business in July 2023, Bruker developed and led the industry’s first CDMO integrated operating model with the company’s pharma services business.
Prior to joining Thermo Fisher Scientific, she supported primary research in pre-clinical vaccine development at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, in Bethesda, Maryland, and the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison, Wisconsin. Bruker holds a BSc in Biochemistry from UW-Madison and an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.
Message Presenter
(Moderator) Guzel Adams, Customer Insights & Strategy Director, the PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Guzel Adams is Customer Insights & Strategy Director at Thermo Fisher Scientific’s PPD clinical research business, where she leads enterprise marketing initiatives that strengthen brand performance and accelerate growth. With 20+ years of experience across healthcare and life sciences, she combines customer insights, brand strategy, and modern go-to-market planning to deliver measurable impact.
At Thermo Fisher, Guzel has shaped enterprise-wide value proposition and messaging work, supported major post-acquisition brand transition efforts, and helped launch omni-channel go-to-market programs that outperform industry benchmarks. Previously, she led marketing strategy and insights for digital health and SaaS initiatives at Anthem (Elevance Health) and held marketing strategy roles at Kaiser Permanente.
Message PresenterWho Should Attend?
This webinar will appeal to a broad audience across biopharma and biotech, including:
- Clinical Development and Clinical Operations leaders
- Innovation, Digital Transformation and Data Science stakeholders
- Biometrics, Regulatory, Quality and Compliance teams
- Program, Portfolio and Vendor Management leaders
- Emerging biotech teams navigating speed, capital constraints and complexity
What You Will Learn
Attendees will walk away with executive-level takeaways they can use immediately to sharpen 2026 decisions—without the buzzwords.
- AI & Digital: What actually moved the needle in 2025—and what quietly stalled
- Smart AI adoption: How to scale innovation with confidence, not chaos
- Sponsor–CRO partnership dynamics: What changed in 2025, where friction shows up, and how high-performing teams clarify roles, decisions, and accountability early
- Operating in uncertainty: How leaders navigate shifting priorities, resourcing, and assumptions without compromising timelines or quality
- End-to-end integration: When connected partners accelerate outcomes—and when handoffs, systems, and workflows introduce avoidable drag
Expect candid lessons, real trade-offs, and a few myths challenged.
Xtalks Partner
The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
The PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, enables customers to accelerate innovation and increase drug development productivity. Utilizing patient-centered strategies and data analytics, their capabilities cover multiple therapeutic areas and include early development, all phases of clinical development, peri- and post-approval, novel approaches to patient recruitment and investigator sites, and comprehensive laboratory services. Recognized as a global industry leader in accelerating promising medicines from early development through regulatory approval and market access, they serve pharma, biotech, medical device and government organizations with custom-tailored solutions, including full-service partnerships and functional service partnerships. As a strategic partner in clinical development and analytical services, they apply cutting edge technologies, therapeutic expertise and a firm commitment to quality to help customers deliver life-changing therapies.
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