Innovative Trials appoints first Chief Operating Officer to strengthen patient-centered services and accelerate global growth

Innovative Trials, a leading global provider of clinical trial patient engagement, recruitment and retention solutions, has today (Friday 17 April 2026) announced the appointment of Anita Owen as its first-ever Chief Operating Officer (COO). 

In her new role, Anita will lead the company’s operational strategy, ensuring Innovative Trials has the right processes, systems and infrastructure in place to meet its ambitious plans for global growth while maintaining its core patient-centered focus, an approach highly valued by clinical trial sponsors, research sites and patients.

Anita brings more than three decades of clinical research experience to Innovative Trials, having begun her career as a Clinical Research Associate (CRA) for Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) before moving into more senior management positions for organizations including Schering-Plough, Chugai Pharma Europe, INC Research and PRA Health Sciences. Prior to joining Innovative Trials, she spent four years at US-based clinical research organization (CRO) Caidya, first as Vice President and Head of Clinical Trials Monitoring and then as Senior Vice President for Clinical Operations. 

Anita Owen, Innovative Trials’ new COO, said: “I’m excited to have joined an organization with the same ethos that I have held throughout my career: to make patients’ lives better. It can be all too easy in clinical research to focus on targets and managing red tape and lose sight of the fact that clinical trial subjects are real patients facing their own challenges.

"We must never forget that effective patient recruitment and retention are key determinants of whether a clinical trial succeeds or fails, and services centered around patients’ needs are pivotal to this. Innovative Trials’ ‘human-first’ focus really sets them apart in this field and I am looking forward to using my experience to help build the foundations that will enable the company to grow further as quickly and efficiently as possible, without losing sight of what matters.”

Anita, who will report directly to Innovative Trials co-founder and CEO Kate Shaw, has extensive experience in clinical operations and project and leading large global teams, particularly in the US and Asia-Pacific (APAC) regions. Notable achievements include:

• Overhauling corporate strategy and reimagining processes, people structures and technology to deliver clinical trials more efficiently and cost-effectively for the benefit of both patients and pharmaceutical clients
• Redesigning and launching modernized risk-based approaches for improved and more cost-effective clinical trial data monitoring
• Boosting profitability of a large clinical operations function by about 60 percent for a previous employer through the implementation of efficiency initiatives.

Kate Shaw, co-founder and CEO of Innovative Trials, said: “Appointing our first-ever Chief Operating Officer is a major milestone for Innovative Trials as we focus on our next phase of growth. She brings a huge amount of clinical research and operational leadership experience to our company, along with a proven track record of managing high-performing teams. Just as importantly, she shares our belief that patients must always be at the heart of clinical research. Anita will play a central role in strengthening our foundations as we seek to scale our impact for clinical trial sponsors, Clinical Research Organizations and, most importantly, patients.”

Anita’s appointment further strengthens Innovative Trials’ leadership team as the company continues to expand its global capabilities to better support the pharmaceutical sector in effective, timely and patient-centered approaches to boost clinical trial patient recruitment and retention and give studies the best chance of success.

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Notes to editors

About Innovative Trials

Innovative Trials is a prominent international company specializing in patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials. Boasting 16 years of experience, Innovative Trials provides three fundamental services in this domain:

• 1:1 In-country Recruitment Coaching & Site Support, facilitated by in-country patient recruitment experts operating in more than 70 countries,
• Site & Patients Educational Materials,
• Navigator, a patient support center for referral pre-screening and retention. 

With expertise in over 500 trials, 30+ therapeutic areas, and more than 100 conditions, Innovative Trials has established itself as a trusted and seasoned partner for pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations (CROs) and biotechnology companies. For more information, visit www.innovativetrials.com