Beth Durrance's Biography | Global Drug Outsourcing

Background and Interests

After graduating with a degree in Biology Beth went to work in a clinical cytogenetics laboratory processing prenatal samples for genetic analysis.  After several years as a bench technologist she moved into a client services role with a company that manufactured and sold clinical instruments and reagents to the clinical and research genetics markets.

After making several geographic moves from NC to New York, then to Boston, on to Chicago and later to Philadelphia, she made an industry career move from genetics to the software industry, working for a company that developed electronic data capture software for clinical trials.  This took her to the UK to open an office and learn about managing  EDC software accounts in Europe for a US-based company.  Eventually this led to business development roles for both large and small CROs, selling into small and mid-size pharmaceutical companies, and finally, to her current role with PharmaServicesNetwork, brokering relationships between US clients and foreign CROs.  This role is unique from her previous roles selling CRO services as it is focused almost exclusively on selling ex-US services which can be quite challenging in today’s business climate.  Her knowledge of the marketplace and past experience help her find creative solutions to the myriad issues that can arise when working in such a highly regulated industry where the competition is  fierce.

When not brokering deals between providers and sponsors, Beth enjoys reading, water sports, international travel and is a college basketball fanatic.  Her favorite ex-US countries to visit are Italy & Greece for their people, their food and wine, and their breathtaking scenery.  Her two favorite drives are the 17-mile drive on Pacific Coast Highway south of San Francisco and the Amalfi Coast Road between Positano and Amalfi, Italy.  Her dream job is one that pays her to sample the best food, wine and luxury hotels in exotic locations around the world and then write about them in an upscale travel publication.