Alena Hammond

About Alena Hammond

One day while in seventh grade, my dog was diagnosed with heart failure. I was fascinated with the anatomy classes at that time. My parents still remember how I sat the dog on my lap and explained to him how hearts work, why his was failing, and the therapy to bring it back to health. This was the beginning of a fascination with medical science and its power to improve lives that led me to dedicate 25+ years in the Contract Research Organization (CRO) industry, developing new medicines for patients in need. Because my mission is to bring them back to health. In this pursuit,#everymomentmatters.I´m Senior Vice President, Global Head of Full Service Delivery & Clinical Operations at Fortrea, and I am proud to admit I don´t have all the answers. That would mean I´d spend all the time focused on me, not on my team, who is my other big passion. I work hard to create an environment in which people actually #deliveronpotential. I give them voice and freedom to use their creativity and to feel empowered to drive change. So I am also on a mission to build careers with meaning. Over the years, I have had the privilege of working in two of the World´s Leading CROs, Quintiles and Labcorp/Fortrea, in a variety of operational and executive roles in:• Global Clinical Trial Optimization• Oversight of Delivery Portfolio, for Large Pharma and Biotechs• Alliance Management• Project Management • Risk ManagementConsistently, I have achieved a track record of elevating therapeutics to top performing financial, operational and employee engagement metrics. I have led through numerous organizational opportunities, inclusive of:• Acquisition of a mid-sized CRO and leading subsequent integration activities, • Ensuring business continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic and other global political conflicts,• Organizational and operational design and leadership transformation initiatives.WHAT´S NEXT:Labcorp Drug Development has been publicly announced to spin off from Labcorp into FORTREA, a new leading global CRO with significant growth opportunities today and in the future. I am honored to lead the new strategy with which we are reimagining Clinical Trials Delivery to be simpler, nimbler and even more patient and site focused.

Experience

1. Chief Operating Officer

   Rho

   Jul 2025 — Present

   After decades in clinical operations - from large, global CROs to smaller organizations in growth mode - I have learned that success in this industry isn\'t just about systems and scalability. It\'s about people, purpose, and the \"how\" and \"who\" behind the \"what\". That\'s exactly what drew me to Rho.Rho has built something rare: A place where deep scientific rigor and operational excellence live alongside quirky joy, fierce collaboration, and a genuine heart for the work. I\'m excited to roll up my sleeves and help this new chapter unfold.

Education

• The University of Alabama

  BSN, Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse

  1986 — 1990

Skills

• Program Management
• Ich-Gcp
• Edc
• Therapeutic Areas
• Ctms
• Clinical Trials
• Good Clinical Practice (Gcp)
• Clinical Operations
• Clinical Research
• Oncology
• CRO
• Drug Development
• Gcp
• Clinical Trial Management
• CRO Management
• Diabetes
• Line Management
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Clinical Development
• Electronic Data Capture (Edc)
• Clinical Monitoring
• Clinical Trial Management System (Ctms)
• Biotechnology