Karen West is General Manager/Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand within the clinical development team at Syneos Health. Karen has over 30 years experience in the clinical trial industry of which over 22 years has been within Syneos Health through acquisition. Prior to joining Syneos Health, Karen has held a number of positions throughout her career within the clinical trial fields of clinical operations, project management, biometrics, training, business development and executive and strategic management.
Karen has worked across all phases of clinical development through to large scale Phase 3 multi country studies with extensive experience particularly in the phase I and first in human space. Karen has managed large teams within APAC and also globally including teams in North America and Europe. She has led teams across multi-functional areas including project management, clinical operations, business development/proposals, biometrics and medical writing.
In 2023, Karen was appointed as the inaugural General Manager/Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand for Syneos Health. In this role Karen acts as the local Australian based advocate and support for local Australian biotechs and pharmaceutical companies as well as global companies looking to conduct work in Australia and New Zealand. One of the key aspects of Karen’s role is site relations and management, including the establishment of new site relations. Karen is passionate about promoting Australian and New Zealand clinical trial capabilities globally, often presenting at global conferences and roadshows.