Life Sciences leader Polaris announces key additions to its global executive team

By CIOReview | Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Evolving healthcare compliance landscape fuels growth in the United States, Canada and Europe for industry-leading technology and consulting firm

New York, NY : Today, Polaris, a QuintilesIMS company, announced the addition of three senior executives to the firm. Chrisoula Nikidis has been hired as the Canadian Head of Compliance and Ethics Solutions. Mark Scallon was named Senior Principal, to help lead Polaris’ consulting division. John Moose joined the team as Principal, specializing in Fair Market Value (FMV) and clinical research activities. Additionally, Mario Prohasky has been promoted to Principal, and will lead Polaris’ consulting services in Europe. These newly appointed executives will support Darren Jones, Polaris’ global practice leader for compliance consulting.

“The continued growth of compliance and transparency legislation and industry codes around the world makes it more complex than ever for Life Sciences companies to stay compliant. Polaris has a proud reputation for providing the industry’s brightest experts to guide pharmaceutical, medical device and biotech companies through the compliance challenges they face. With these additions, Darren and his team will continue that rich legacy,” said Andy Bender, Founder and General Manager, Global Compliance.

Chrisoula Nikidis will lead Polaris’ compliance consulting and technology offerings in Canada. She has navigated the complex environment of compliance and ethics in the Life Sciences industry and has contributed to numerous compliance initiatives to measure, manage and transform corporate culture. As a compliance innovator and strategic leader, she has focused on balancing risk mitigation with business needs and doing the right thing. She has played a pivotal role in the advancement of compliance, ethics and integrity through her leadership in the Canadian Pharmaceutical Code of Ethical Practices, development of multi-stakeholder frameworks as well as with her work with Innovative Medicines Canada, IFPMA and the 21 APEC economies as Industry Co-Chair of the Biopharmaceutical Ethics Initiative working group.

She is a recognized speaker and advocate in the public policy forum bringing to the team a world-class understanding and expertise on the issues and challenges facing the advancement of ethical policies and best practices, particularly in areas of Canadian compliance and transparency. Prior to joining Polaris, Chrisoula was the Vice-President, Ethics, Integrity and Governance at Innovative Medicines Canada.

Mark Scallon rejoins Polaris, and will leverage his 18+ years of global compliance experience to support clients’ needs. He has extensive experience working with clients to transform their compliance function, with particular expertise in compliance program development, monitoring, audits, risk assessments, global spend transparency and FCPA/ABAC matters. He has assisted a number of Life Sciences organizations in identifying global compliance risks and develops practical recommendations to align their policies and procedures with industry practices, guidelines, regulations, and laws.

He worked for Polaris from 2006 to 2014, helping to grow the consulting business through the development and market penetration of the company’s service offerings. Additionally, he oversaw the opening of Polaris’ west coast office in San Francisco. Mark has now returned to Polaris after working at KPMG and Forensic Risk Alliance.

John Moose will specialize in advising on assessing, approving, and documenting the Fair Market Value (FMV) of third-party fee-for-service arrangements, clinical research activities, and services provided by healthcare professionals. John has conducted hundreds of FMV assessments across group purchasing organizations, pharmacy benefit managers, all types of distribution channels, clinical research providers and healthcare professionals.

John relies upon nearly 30 years of accounting, valuation, and litigation experience to develop robust valuation models and methodologies that help support documentation for regulatory purposes. He is Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) as recognized by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Prior to joining Polaris, John was a Senior Manager in the Life Sciences Regulatory and Operational Risk Group of Deloitte & Touche LLP, where he worked to consolidate and unify valuation methodologies to ensure consistency across the organization. Before joining Deloitte, John was a Director in the Life Sciences practice of Huron Consulting Group where he assisted in founding the Third-party FMV and Clinical FMV service offerings.

Mario Prohasky has been promoted to Principal, overseeing Polaris’ EMEA consulting services from his base in London. For over six years, Mario has focused on the global compliance needs of the company’s clients. He has been responsible for managing global projects focused on aligning business needs and compliance best practices. He has conducted a number of audits and risk assessments for Polaris’ global clients in the US, Canada, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Mario also helps to lead Polaris’ global FMV and data analytics practice.

“Polaris’ team has always been a key differentiating factor in why Life Sciences companies work with us. Our experts provide the deepest insights and experience in the industry. Clients look to us not only to guide them in regard to current and existing legislation, but to anticipate what lies ahead – the “What’s Next?” culture that Polaris embodies. These new additions to our team will help us drive that ethos to the next level,” said Darren Jones, Managing Partner, Polaris Management Partners.

About Polaris

Polaris, a QuintilesIMS company, delivers innovative, best-in-class solutions for today’s toughest life science challenges. Our exclusive services range from comprehensive technology and software solutions to expert consulting, strategy and planning, as well as end-to-end managed services and outsourcing. We are uniquely focused solely on the life sciences industry. Since 2001, the world’s most recognized pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies have relied on Polaris as their trusted life science compliance solutions partner.

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Polaris is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Amsterdam, Boston, Hong Kong, New Brunswick, Paris and San Francisco. Learn more at www.polarismanagement.com