etrials Worldwide, Inc. , a provider of adaptive eClinical software and services that optimize clinical trial management by turning data into intelligence and shortening the pathway to an actionable study endpoint, has announced that the board of directors has appointed M. Denis Connaghan as the company’s president and chief executive officer. Mr. Connaghan replaces Chuck Piccirillo, etrials’ vice president of technology, who has served as interim president and chief executive officer since July 10. “Denis is a dynamic leader who brings a proven track record to lead etrials and build shareholder value. He is an accomplished team builder with a solid understanding of the intersection of healthcare and technology, the cornerstone of etrials’ integrated suite of eClinical applications. The board is confident Denis has the right operational skill set and experience in serving customers and executing M&A transactions to create a scalable platform for profitable growth,” said Robert Brill, chairman of the board of directors. ”On behalf of the board, I want to thank Chuck for his stewardship and efforts over the past four months, and the senior management team and etrials’ employees for their hard work and continued dedication to the company’s business transformation efforts.” Mr. Piccirillo will resume his position as vice president of technology. “I am excited about having Denis join etrials. His extensive experience and leadership style will enable etrials to achieve the company’s fullest potential in the growing eClinical marketplace,” said Chuck Piccirillo. Mr. Connaghan, 58, is a seasoned executive with over twenty-five years of leadership experience in the software and healthcare industries. Most recently he served as managing director within Marsh USA’s Global Operations responsible for Global Operations and Global IT Program Management Offices. Prior to that, he was chief executive officer of P2PLink, a medical transaction business for workers’ compensation owned by The Hartford Insurance and Marsh USA. Between 2003 and 2005, Mr. Connaghan was an executive consultant in the life sciences and healthcare IT industries, assessing the viability and market potential of healthcare-related technologies and businesses. He held senior executive positions at Misys Healthcare Systems, most recently as chief executive officer, Misys Transaction Services. He also served as chief executive officer and board member of Delphi Information Systems and chief operating officer and board member of Microware Systems Corporation, both NASDAQ-listed companies. A native of Australia, Mr. Connaghan holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. “It is an exciting time to join etrials as the company progresses with its extensive re-engineering plan,” said Mr. Connaghan. “With its integrated product suite, superior technology and proven consultative sales and service delivery model, etrials offers compelling value to pharmaceutical and bio-tech companies burdened by the rising cost of getting new drugs to market and increased regulatory oversight. etrials is positioning itself to gain market share and scale the business in the growing eClinical market and I look forward to spearheading etrials’ next stage of growth.”