Mr Malcolm Burgess relocated to Hong Kong in 2011 to take up the role of executive vice president of ICON with special responsibility for the growth and development in Asia Pacific (APA C). Since relocation, Dr Burgess has played a key role in acquisitions and alliances across Asia Pacific as well as the organic growth of ICON’s service provision and headcount across the region.

Prior to moving to Asia Pacific, he was responsible for the global clinical research strategy and focused on establishing alliances and partnerships with two major clinical research organizations (CROs) in China and Japan. Before that, he was the chief operating officer for the US clinical research division with additional global leadership roles in biometrics and interactive voice response system.

In addition to his global experience in drug discovery and development, Dr Burgess has also played an active role in establishing off-shore support organizations for both pharmaceutical companies and CROs. He was instrumental in the establishment of a statistics and programming unit in Mumbai, India, in 2000 for Novartis, and more recently, he established two multi-discipline offices in Chennai and Trivandrum.

In an interview with BioSpectrum, Mr Burgess shares his views on the CRO industry trends in India and China and the shape it is expected to take in the future.

What have been the trends in the CRO industry in India and China during the last five years?