Who is Pivotal?
The history of our clinical research organization
Pivotal was born in 2001 surrounded by an environment of high scientific tenure and drive. Our founder, Dr. Ibrahim Farr, launched Pivotal to share and implement scientific strategies and best project practices that make clinical trials more efficient and maximize our client’s drug development program’s.
We are a company with as many as 200 employees and operating in more than 22 countries we have built focused specialization across all therapeutic areas and founded a strong oncology, innovative therapies and early phases hub that enable us to tackle our customers’ most difficult challenges. After 20 years of hands-on experience, we master clinical research.
Pivotal has heavily invested in becoming a data- driven CRO that prioritizes mobility. We dive deep into clinical trials by leveraging our near real-time advance analytics and visualization platform. We discover data-driven insights to anticipate trial risks and predict their impact. We are a technology-savvy organization. This has made us an efficient, agile and resilient company that is very focused on our customers.
Our approach to clinical research can be summarized in our Innovative Organizational Model: connected with the clinical research and technology ecosystem, data-driven, agile and customer-centric.
Pivotal Foundation
Pivotal was founded by Dr. Farr
Cross-border trials
Launched the Pivotal´s Partnership Model globally
Pharmacovigilance services
Launched global PVG services
EU Footprint
Started operations in Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and UK
West EU & Central EE Consolidation
Rolled out presence and operations in 7 additional EU countries and covered almost 22 EU countries
Danah
Created Danah, our eTMF, CTMS and analytics platform
Patient Journey Services
Acquired Akcelis, a patient journey services company
Pivotal has as many as 200 professionals, (>92% are employees).
Pivotal Leadership Team
Dr. Ibrahim Farr is a leading medical entrepreneur with more than 35 years of clinical research experience. He founded Pivotal in 2001 to share and implement scientific strategies and best project practices that make clinical trials more efficient and adaptable to everchanging environments. Dr. Farr holds a Medical Degree from Autónoma University in Madrid and has specialized in Psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital Institute of Psychiatry in London and is Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians-Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (UK). Previously, Dr. Farr held senior executive roles at several pharmaceutical companies including Marion Merrell Dow, American Cyanamid (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), Rhône-Poulenc Rorer and Aventis.
And this all applies to clinical projects from Phase I to Phase IV, to non-interventional studies and in a broad range of therapeutic areas – yet, with a special focus in onco and hemato-oncology, and the treatment of rare diseases and the use of orphan drugs.
Dr. Farr is specialized in Psychiatry and Pharmaceutical Medicine and brings to Pivotal some thirty years of experience in drug development, completed in companies like Cyanamid, Pfizer, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Sanofi, always as Head of their respective scientific divisions.
Dr. Lourdes Huarte is an industry leader with over three decades of clinical research experience, she joined Pivotal in 2007. Dr. Lourdes Huarte holds an MPharm and PhD by training from the Complutense University (Madrid). She also obtained an MBA from Nova University in Lisbon. Previously to joining Pivotal, Dr. Lourdes Huarte served as Medical Director and Clinical Research Unit Director at Aventis. She also held other management roles at several Pharma companies. During her several tenures, she has been involved in all clinical trials phases (I to IV) both with IMPs and medical devices, observational studies and in most of the main therapeutic areas (especially in oncology, hemato-oncology, gene therapy, CNS and infectious diseases among others).
Dr. José Javier García is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over three decades of experience, he joined Pivotal in 2003. Dr. José Javier García holds a Medical Degree from Autónoma University in Madrid and obtained an Expert Certification in Statistical Biological Models from Complutense University in Madrid. He serves as Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the school of medicine (Autónoma University in Madrid). Previously, Dr. José Javier García served as Vice-President of the Spanish Association of Biostatisticians (ABCif), founded and was elected as the first President of the Spanish CRO Association (AECIC), and founded and served as a Board Member of the European Federation of CROs (EUCROF).
Lidia Farr is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over a decade of experience, she joined Pivotal in 2009. Lidia brings with her innovative technological solutions that enable to uncover data-driven insights to anticipate trials risks and predicts their impact. She holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from ICAI University in Madrid. She completed her last year of engineering studies at ENSTA University in Paris. Previously, she worked at J.P. Morgan in the Merger and Acquisitions department both within the Healthcare team in London and the Iberian team in Madrid.
Dr. Ernesto Estefanía is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over two decades of experience and joined Pivotal in 2008. Dr. Ernesto Estefanía holds a Medical Degree from Complutense University in Madrid and specialized as Clinical Immunologist at Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro in Madrid. Previously to joining Pivotal, he worked in the Immunology Department of Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, where he developed an intensive activity in basic and translational research projects, covering different immunology fields, but mainly focusing on transplant-related areas. Some of those research works were presented at national and international congresses and are published in high-impact international journals.
Dr. Ibrahim Farr is a leading medical entrepreneur with more than 35 years of clinical research experience. He founded Pivotal in 2001 to share and implement scientific strategies and best project practices that make clinical trials more efficient and adaptable to everchanging environments. Dr. Farr holds a Medical Degree from Autónoma University in Madrid and has specialized in Psychiatry at the Maudsley Hospital Institute of Psychiatry in London and is Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians-Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine (UK). Previously, Dr. Farr held senior executive roles at several pharmaceutical companies including Marion Merrell Dow, American Cyanamid (Wyeth Pharmaceuticals), Rhône-Poulenc Rorer and Aventis.
And this all applies to clinical projects from Phase I to Phase IV, to non-interventional studies and in a broad range of therapeutic areas – yet, with a special focus in onco and hemato-oncology, and the treatment of rare diseases and the use of orphan drugs.
Dr. Farr is specialized in Psychiatry and Pharmaceutical Medicine and brings to Pivotal some thirty years of experience in drug development, completed in companies like Cyanamid, Pfizer, Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and Sanofi, always as Head of their respective scientific divisions.
Dr. Lourdes Huarte is an industry leader with over three decades of clinical research experience, she joined Pivotal in 2007. Dr. Lourdes Huarte holds an MPharm and PhD by training from the Complutense University (Madrid). She also obtained an MBA from Nova University in Lisbon. Previously to joining Pivotal, Dr. Lourdes Huarte served as Medical Director and Clinical Research Unit Director at Aventis. She also held other management roles at several Pharma companies. During her several tenures, she has been involved in all clinical trials phases (I to IV) both with IMPs and medical devices, observational studies and in most of the main therapeutic areas (especially in oncology, hemato-oncology, gene therapy, CNS and infectious diseases among others).
Dr. José Javier García is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over three decades of experience, he joined Pivotal in 2003. Dr. José Javier García holds a Medical Degree from Autónoma University in Madrid and obtained an Expert Certification in Statistical Biological Models from Complutense University in Madrid. He serves as Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the school of medicine (Autónoma University in Madrid). Previously, Dr. José Javier García served as Vice-President of the Spanish Association of Biostatisticians (ABCif), founded and was elected as the first President of the Spanish CRO Association (AECIC), and founded and served as a Board Member of the European Federation of CROs (EUCROF).
Lidia Farr is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over a decade of experience, she joined Pivotal in 2009. Lidia brings with her innovative technological solutions that enable to uncover data-driven insights to anticipate trials risks and predicts their impact. She holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from ICAI University in Madrid. She completed her last year of engineering studies at ENSTA University in Paris. Previously, she worked at J.P. Morgan in the Merger and Acquisitions department both within the Healthcare team in London and the Iberian team in Madrid.
Dr. Ernesto Estefanía is a healthcare and life sciences executive with over two decades of experience and joined Pivotal in 2008. Dr. Ernesto Estefanía holds a Medical Degree from Complutense University in Madrid and specialized as Clinical Immunologist at Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro in Madrid. Previously to joining Pivotal, he worked in the Immunology Department of Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, where he developed an intensive activity in basic and translational research projects, covering different immunology fields, but mainly focusing on transplant-related areas. Some of those research works were presented at national and international congresses and are published in high-impact international journals.
Pivotal Culture
Chief Executive Officer
At Pivotal, our purpose is building a better clinical research world. The insights and quality services we provide help build trust and confidence in the clinical research industry.
At Pivotal, our purpose is also building a great firm that attracts, develops, excites and retains exception people. Everyone in the company is responsible for creating leaders around us, for leveraging diversity as an asset.
By doing so, we play a critical role in building a better clinical research world for our people, for our clients and for the patients.
We have built a real value driven organization. Our values act as our ‘North Star’ guiding our people in all our work, from our recruiting interview to our team evaluations, to how we interact with our clients.
We generate trust and closeness. Trust is the single most important ingredient we put in all clinical trials. We deliver transparently as agreed.
We make decisions based on data. We prioritize work based on the impact on our client’s performance indicators. We are predictive, proactive and not reactive.
We strive for quality in everything we deliver, we prioritize clinical quality by design and risk management.
We like to share our knowledge with the clinical research community. We know that as a team, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
We bring people together with the same values. We are inspired by the lives of our patients. We have integrity in all our actions.
Pivotal Locations
