CRO

Syneos Health lands former IQVIA R&D leader as CEO

Syneos Health has tapped Costa Panagos to take the reins from former CEO Colin Shannon, who will transition to the role of executive chair.

Panagos recently served as president of R&D solutions at IQVIA, where he led its network expansion. Before that, he held various roles across the industry, including positions at Q2 Solutions and Bayer.

Panagos takes the helm from Shannon, who held Syneos’ top spot for almost exactly year. In 2023, he replaced former CEO Michelle Keefe, who served as the chief executive for a year and a half.

“Syneos Health has extraordinary capabilities and potential, and I’m honored to help lead the company’s next phase of growth,” CEO Panagos said in an Oct. 9 release. “With deep therapeutic, medical and scientific expertise, we’re uniquely positioned to deliver differentiated offerings—from early development to commercialization.”

Syneos is based in North Carolina and provides contract research and commercial services to biopharma companies. Back in September 2023, Syneos was acquired by a group of private investment firm affiliates consisting of Elliott Investment Management, Patient Square Capital and Veritas Capital.