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PRA Health Sciences's Overview

Total employees5123
HeadquartersRaleigh
Founded

PRA Health Sciences was a prominent global contract research organization (CRO) that provided a broad range of outsourced clinical development and data solution services to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Founded in 1982, PRA was dedicated to advancing clinical research through innovative approaches and a patient-centric focus. Their services spanned the entire lifecycle of drug development, from early phase studies to post-approval research, including clinical trial management, biostatistics, regulatory consulting, and data management. In July 2021, PRA Health Sciences was acquired by ICON plc in a landmark deal valued at approximately $12 billion, creating one of the world's largest and most comprehensive CROs.

Where is PRA Health Sciences's Headquarters?

HQ Function

Served as the global corporate and operational headquarters, housing executive leadership, strategic planning, finance, legal, human resources, and oversight of global clinical trial operations.

Notable Features:

The headquarters was located in a modern office park, featuring facilities designed to support a large-scale, technology-driven CRO. It likely included collaborative workspaces and advanced IT infrastructure.

Work Culture:

The work culture at PRA's HQ was typically described as innovative, patient-focused, and collaborative, with a strong emphasis on quality, scientific rigor, and meeting the complex needs of pharmaceutical and biotech clients.

HQ Significance:

The Raleigh headquarters was pivotal to PRA's global strategy and operations, coordinating research activities across numerous countries and establishing its reputation as a leading CRO.

Values Reflected in HQ: The headquarters likely embodied PRA's commitment to innovation in clinical research, operational excellence, and its role in advancing global health outcomes.

Location:

Before being acquired by ICON, PRA Health Sciences had an extensive global reach, with operations in more than 90 countries across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. This widespread presence enabled the company to conduct large, complex, multinational clinical trials. Globally supported functions included clinical trial management and site monitoring, patient recruitment and retention, data management and biostatistics, regulatory affairs strategy and submissions, medical writing, pharmacovigilance, and bioanalytical laboratory services.

Street Address:

4130 Parklake Ave

City:

Raleigh

State/Province:

North Carolina

Country:

USA

PRA Health Sciences's Global Presence

Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, USA

Address: 721 Arbor Way, Suite 100, Blue Bell, PA 19422, USA

Acted as a key hub for East Coast US operations, facilitating engagement with numerous biotech and pharmaceutical companies headquartered in the Pennsylvania/New Jersey/New York corridor.

Swansea, Wales, UK

Address: The Ethos Building, Kings Rd, Swansea SA1 8AS, United Kingdom

Supported PRA's extensive clinical trial activities throughout the UK and continental Europe, navigating diverse regulatory environments and patient populations.

Buying Intent Signals for PRA Health Sciences

Highperformr Signals uncover buying intent and give you clear insights to target the right accounts at the right time — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams close more deals, faster.

Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Executive Team of PRA Health Sciences

As of April 2025, PRA Health Sciences' leadership includes:

Colin Shannon - Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Linda Baddour - Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Kent Thoelke - Executive Vice President, Chief Scientific Officer and President, Enterprise Products
Michael Brooks - Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Margaret Keegan - Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Product Registration

Investors of PRA Health Sciences

PRA Health Sciences has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

Publicly Traded (NASDAQ: PRAH)
KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P.) - (Prior to IPO and a significant shareholder during its public trading period)

Executive New Hires/Exits in the Last 12 Months

Hire0
Exits0

The acquisition of PRA Health Sciences by ICON plc, finalized in July 2021, was the primary driver of executive changes. PRA's leadership team largely transitioned out of their roles or took on new responsibilities within the combined ICON organization. In the 12 months leading up to the acquisition finalization, there were no major, distinct executive hires or departures publicly announced for PRA Health Sciences as an independent entity, as focus shifted towards the merger and integration.

Departures

Most PRA Health Sciences Executive Leadership, Following the completion of the acquisition by ICON, the majority of PRA Health Sciences' executive leadership team departed or transitioned as the two companies integrated their management structures.

New Appointments:

Select PRA Management, A number of individuals from PRA Health Sciences' management and operational teams were appointed to new or integrated roles within the expanded ICON organization post-acquisition.

Technology (Tech Stack) used by PRA Health Sciences

Discover the tools PRA Health Sciences uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

PRA Health Sciences Email Formats and Examples

Prior to its acquisition by ICON plc, PRA Health Sciences utilized standard corporate email formats. The most common structures typically involved combinations of an employee's first name and last name, or initials, followed by the '@prahs.com' domain. These formats are now historical as the prahs.com domain is no longer in active use for email by the former entity.

[firstinitial][lastname]@prahs.com (e.g., jdoe@prahs.com) or [firstname].[lastname]@prahs.com (e.g., john.doe@prahs.com)

Format

jsmith@prahs.com

Example

80%

Success rate

News and media

ICON plc NewsroomJuly 1, 2021

ICON Completes Acquisition of PRA Health Sciences, Creating the World’s Leading Healthcare Intelligence and Clinical Research Organisation

ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) today announced that it has completed its acquisition of PRA Health Sciences, Inc. The combination brings together two of the highest quality, most innovative and fastest growing organisations in the sector, creating the world’s most advanced healthcare intelligence and clinical research organisation....more

Business Wire (for ICON plc)February 24, 2021

ICON to Acquire PRA Health Sciences, Creating a Leader in Healthcare Intelligence and Clinical Research

ICON plc (NASDAQ: ICLR) and PRA Health Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: PRAH) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which ICON will acquire PRA in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately $12 billion. The transaction brings together two high-quality, growing organizations with similar cultures and a shared focus on high quality and efficient clinical trial execution from Phase 1 to post-approval studies....more

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