About Us

Wes brings over two decades of leadership experience and a proven track record of delivering growth and operational excellence across multiple high-profile companies within the pharmaceutical services industry.  Having served as CEO/President of five different companies, Wes has a wealth of expertise to lead LabConnect through its next phase of growth and international expansion.

Before joining LabConnect, Wes served as President of UPS Healthcare, overseeing a $10 billion business unit, after his role as CEO of Marken where he built the industry’s leading global logistics company.  Mr. Wheeler previously served as President of Valeant Pharmaceuticals (now Bausch Health), CEO of Patheon (now part of ThermoFisher), and Divisional CEO of DSM Pharmaceuticals. His early career includes more than a decade in leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline, most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing & Supply.

Wes also serves on several boards, including Chairman of BioTouch and Board Director at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Evotec, Envirotainer, and Argenta.

Julia brings a depth of international business and industry experience specializing in driving dynamic revenue growth, optimizing commercial operations, and cementing strategic partnerships that drive business objectives forward. During her 16 years at Marken, a UPS Healthcare company, Julia held several progressive leadership positions focused on strategic client relationships and operations across Europe. In addition, Julia has lived in APAC region where she oversaw operations for Marken Japan and Singapore. Julia also served in North America as a regional director of East Coast operations in New York and Philadelphia.

Prior to joining LabConnect, Julia was a key member of the Marken Executive Committee as Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Sales where she led Marken’s global strategic sales, marketing, sustainability, packaging solutions, and the team of global alliance directors who oversaw governance with Marken’s largest clients.

Julia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philology with an emphasis on the Chinese language and a Master of Science in Chinese Language, Literature and Culture from Edinburgh University, Scotland, UK.

Cindy has more than 25 years of leadership experience in public and private full-service CROs where she has led the global expansion of Phase II-IV business, along with business support functions, resulting in substantial organizational growth. She brings a deep understanding of customer challenges in drug development and is known for driving transformation. Cindy’s customer-centric approach is derived from experience in operations and commercial. She is passionate about serving customers and creating high-performing teams that do the same. Most recently, Cindy served as SVP, Commercial for PPD, a large, global CRO. She earned a Master’s in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dale brings over 40 years of Information Technology professional experience across a variety of industries, from defense and semiconductor manufacturing to healthcare commercial and clinical laboratories. Dale is responsible for all technology initiatives, overall direction for the company’s technology products, and for application development processes companywide. Prior to LabConnect, he served as Chief Information Officer at Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories, a large Commercial and Hospital-based Laboratory in the Northwest, which LabCorp acquired. Dale has also held a variety of leadership roles at Carilion Clinic Laboratories, which Quest acquired, and TriCore Reference Laboratories.

Debra is responsible for developing and executing people-centered strategies to support LabConnect’s success. She previously served as Corporate Vice President, North America for DiaSorin, where she was responsible for the strategic direction and execution of all Human Resource programs. Debra has held global leadership roles within biotechnology, healthcare, and service industries, including Amplifon Americas, 3M HIS, and GE Capital IT Solutions. She is a Senior Professional (SPHR) with the Society of Human Resource Management and Strategic Human Resource Leadership from Cornell University.

Dennis brings over 20 years of industry and leadership experience to his role as Chief Operating Officer. Over his career, Dennis has demonstrated the ability to drive major change initiatives and programs focused on process improvement, organizational effectiveness, and client success. Prior to joining LabConnect, Dennis held diverse leadership roles such as President Pharmacovigilance, SVP Business Development, VP Strategic Initiatives & Research, and Head of Strategic Business Planning within the life sciences industry in North America and Europe. Dennis earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University.

Jean Marie is a strategic marketing leader with extensive global experience supporting a range of industries from life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical devices, and telecommunications. Over her career, Jean Marie has held various leadership positions for public and private companies such as ProPharma Group, EnvisionRxOptions (Rite-Aid), Medco Health Solutions, Verizon, British Telecom, and Alcatel-Lucent. Jean Marie has an MBA from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, and French from the State University of New York in Albany.

As one of LabConnect’s founding partners, Jeff brings more than 30 years of global leadership experience in operations and business development across the pharmaceutical research and healthcare industries. Jeff is responsible for the ongoing development of LabConnect’s global partnerships and capabilities. Prior to LabConnect, Jeff was the Founder and Director of Nexus Health Management International, where he was involved in the development of inpatient behavioral health services in Southeast Asia. Previously, he served as Vice President of Strategic Alliance Development for Charter Behavioral Health Systems, Vice President of Operations/ Development at Option Care, Inc., and Franchise Operations Manager for Medicine Shoppe International. Jeff earned his BA in Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

John is a proven leader with more than 20 years of experience in the clinical drug development industry. Having started his career in research as a study coordinator, John has an in-depth understanding of the full clinical trial life cycle. John is accomplished at leading large cross-functional teams and managing complex global trials for pharma and biotech partners. Prior to joining LabConnect, John served as Vice President of Client Services in the Central and Specialty Lab division of a large full-service CRO and has held various senior leadership positions in Clinical Operations. John earned his International Business Degree and Management Information Systems degree from Texas Tech University and his Juris Doctor degree from South Texas College of Law.

Marc is an experienced healthcare executive with a track record of defining and monetizing global and European growth strategies across the pharmaceutical and digital health industries. He’s held leadership roles in several global and European companies, such as Merck/MSD, Express Scripts, Teva Pharmaceuticals, ProPharma Group, and Qualizorg BV. Marc holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiotherapy from Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Marc was also appointed as a Member and Open Innovation in Science Expert (IOS) at the Scientific Advisory Board of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute at the University of Salzburg, Austria.

Nicole is an experienced clinical development professional with over 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry. For 20 years, Nicole has been building and supporting Functional Service Provider (FSP) teams, listening to understand the challenge to be solved and partnering with clients to create a bespoke solution. She has experience leading large global multi-functional teams with models from 2 FTEs growing to over 50 FTEs supporting mid-size biotech companies, as well as teams of over 400 FTEs supporting top 10 pharma companies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Alabama.