ROCKVILLE, MD--Emmes, a global, full-service Clinical Research Organization (CRO) dedicated to supporting the advancement of public health and biopharmaceutical innovation, today announced that Peter Ronco has been named Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Ronco succeeds Dr. Christine Dingivan, who will now serve as a senior advisor to Executive Chairman Sastry Chilukuri, and Emmes’ Board of Directors.

“Emmes has a 45-year legacy of scientific innovation and advancing public health. Peter’s leadership and operational expertise in the life sciences sector will be invaluable in our next phase of growth. I am excited to welcome Peter to the Emmes team,” said Kyle Peterson, Managing Director at New Mountain Capital and member of the Board of the Directors of Emmes. “We are grateful for Christine’s leadership through an important chapter of growth and diversification after taking over from the original founders. She is a remarkable physician-entrepreneur and industry leader and will continue to support Peter, Sastry and the Board going forward.”

“Peter is a seasoned and innovative life sciences leader. He brings deep experience in running global operations with frontline use of technology and data science, which will propel our company forward,” added Mr. Chilukuri.

Mr. Ronco is a global pharmaceutical executive with experience in a number of R&D leadership positions over more than two decades. He most recently served as Senior Vice President, Global Development at Johnson & Johnson, responsible for the design and delivery of a drug development portfolio of more than 500 active clinical studies across all therapeutic areas and phases of development. He has also held senior roles with Bristol Myers-Squibb, Accenture and Pfizer.

“I am thrilled to be joining a company with an outstanding scientific track record and extensive credibility in clinical research,” said Mr. Ronco. “Emmes has a storied history, addressing some of the most complex health issues of our time. We look forward to an exciting future together as we partner with patients, clinical sites, government agencies and biopharmaceutical companies to advance the next phases of scientific innovation and change the trajectory of health care.

“I believe that advances in decentralized clinical trials, data science, and generative AI offer huge potential to make clinical research even faster and more patient-focused. Embracing and accelerating the uptake of these approaches will allow us to have a greater impact on global health and biopharma innovation in the discovery and development of new medicines.”

Mr. Ronco is a graduate of Nottingham University in the United Kingdom and will be based out of Emmes’ Rockville, Maryland, headquarters.