Fred N. Eshelman, Executive Chairman
PPD, Inc.
Fred Eshelman is the founder, vice chairman and chief executive officer of PPD (Nasdaq: PPDI), a global contract research organization providing discovery, development and post-approval services, as well as compound partnering programs, to biopharmaceutical, medical device, academic and government organizations.
His career has included positions as senior vice president of development and vice president of clinical operations for the former Glaxo Inc., a subsidiary of Glaxo Holdings, plc, as well as various roles in drug development with other pharmaceutical companies.
Eshelman is on the executive committee of the N.C. Medical Foundation and serves on a number of industry boards, including the Association of Clinical Research Organizations. He also sits on the board of visitors for the School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina, his alma mater, and serves as an adjunct professor. One of the top pharmacy programs in the United States, in May 2008 the school was named the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in recognition of his many contributions to the school and the pharmacy profession.
Eshelman received a doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati and a bachelor’s in pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a graduate of the Owner President Management program at Harvard Business School.