Validant’s team members share a common vision of ensuring safe and reliable access to the world’s life-saving healthcare products. They also share the belief that expert strategy should be paired with seamless execution to deliver successful outcomes.
Tim Dietlin is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Validant Group. Tim joined the Validant Group’s executive team following more than 25 years of leadership experience in the healthcare and life sciences sector.
Prior to joining the Validant Group, Tim served for eight years as Global Managing Partner of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Practice at Heidrick & Struggles, a leading global executive search and management consulting firm. In this role, Tim led all aspects of the practice’s healthcare and life sciences business and specialized in providing leadership advisory services to a broad portfolio of clients, including established pharmaceutical companies, emerging high-growth biotechnology firms, and investor backed service and technology companies.
During his tenure at Heidrick & Struggles, Tim focused on helping clients build the leadership capabilities required to navigate and thrive in today’s fast-changing global healthcare environment. Tim’s strategic guidance also included placing executives at the Board of Directors, CEO, commercial leadership and R&D leadership levels.
Tim’s extensive experience includes leadership roles at IBM, where he led the life sciences strategy and transformation consulting practice; INC Research, where he served as Senior Vice President of Global Consulting and Strategic Alliances; and Campbell Alliance, a life sciences management consulting firm, where Tim led the firm’s Research and Developmentand Medical Affairs consulting practices.
Tim graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and earned an MBA from DePaul University (the Charles H. Kellstadt Graduate School of Business).
Tim sits on the Chicago board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and lives in the Chicago area with his wife and three children.
Tim Dietlin
Chief Executive Officer
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Sanny has expertise in business law from more than 15 years as a litigator for innovative companies.
Sanny Kataoka joined Validant as Corporate Counsel in 2015, bringing deep expertise from her 15 years as a litigator specializing in business and employment disputes. Appointed Chief Legal Officer of the Validant Group in 2021, Sanny leads the Validant Group legal department and oversees the organization’s legal, compliance and enterprise risk management functions.
A native of San Francisco, Sanny has worked with several large technology clients as well as numerous small-to-mid-size company clients on business matters ranging from employment discrimination and wrongful termination claims to contract disputes and product liability claims. As an associate at large Bay Area law firms, she also litigated civil matters in state and federal court as well as before administrative agencies.
As a law student, Sanny served as a judicial extern for The Honorable Saundra Brown Armstrong of the United States District Court, Northern District, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District. She is fluent in Cantonese and can speak some Mandarin. Sanny holds a Bachelor’s degree with high honors in Mass Communications from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, where she was a Joseph Drown Foundation Scholar.
Sanny Kataoka
Chief Legal Officer
Nathaniel leads information technology operations and strategic planning for the company, implementing global IT systems and policies that meet the highest standards of data security and quality.
Nathaniel Cartagena was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Validant in June 2021. He leads information technology operations and strategic planning for the company, implementing global IT systems and policies that meet the highest standards of data security and quality.
Nathaniel has more than ten years of experience as an information technology executive, most recently as Director of IT Services for Greenleaf Health. During his time with Greenleaf, Nathaniel initiated significant security improvements to the organization’s devices, systems, and electronic documents and communications. He also transitioned the firm’s internal IT support from a managed service provider, guiding the organizational change and expectations and optimizing all outsourced processes. Nathaniel’s expert, detailed management of these systemwide IT enhancements enabled Greenleaf to fulfill client expectations for information security and workflow and to support substantial growth of the firm’s team and client base. Throughout these efforts, he continued to provide direct support for all software and hardware solutions, administer and audit existing systems, create training and reference materials to help end users make the best use of tools, and advise on internal and external projects such as the redesign of Greenleaf’s website.
Nathaniel was previously Senior Advisor at Mindovo, Inc., a technology advising firm, where he developed training materials and lessons for new advisor development, created strategic plans for sales initiatives, and led promotional days resulting in record-setting revenues. His client-facing activities focused on developing innovative IT procedures and systems for CEOs, philanthropists, and local celebrities.
Prior to this, Nathaniel mentored students and worked as an advocate and liaison between the student staff and professional staff at Michigan Technological University, earning several awards in recognition of his work. Nathaniel graduated magna cum laude from Michigan Technological University with his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics.
Nathaniel Cartagena
Chief Information Officer
Andreas has over 13 years of experience in M&A and corporate finance, 10 of which have been in the life sciences industry.
Andreas has over 13 years of experience in M&A and corporate finance, 10 of which have been in the life sciences industry. Most recently he served as Vice President, Finance and Operations, at Exeevo, a life sciences CRM start-up, where he built and led the finance team and other support functions. Andreas played a key role in completing Exeevo’s spin-out from its former parent, Indegene.
Prior to Exeevo, Andreas was a member of the corporate development team at Syneos Health and its predecessor, inVentiv Health. While at Syneos/inVentiv, he helped establish the corporate development function and executed M&A, investment, and strategic partnership activities. He contributed to many key initiatives, including the merger of INC Research and inVentiv Health. Andreas began his career in the Corporate Finance & Restructuring practice of FTI Consulting, where he advised debtors and creditors in distressed situations.
Andreas is a graduate of the Honors Program at Boston College’s Carroll School of Management. He lives on Cape Cod with his family. He is a passionate sports fan and avid traveler and enjoys cooking in his spare time.
Andreas Tsitsos
Chief Corporate DevelopmentOfficer
As the Chief Business Development Officer for Validant, Barbara is responsible for driving business through identification of new markets, implementation of growth strategies, and the design of business processes.
Barbara brings over 20 years of sales management and business development experience in biotech and pharma, health care, and regulatory and clinical services. From February 2021 to June 2022, she oversaw business development, client relations, and operations at DataRevive, a Validant Group company. She has negotiated and closed numerous complex transactions while leading sales teams at Fisher Scientific, Quorum Review IRB (an independent ethics review board), and NDA Group AB (a drug development consultancy for the U.S. and Europe). These results were driven by Barbara’s passion for building relationships with organizations to cultivate long-term growth.
Barbara’s sales expertise is complemented by scientific understanding from her previous career as an immunology researcher for both Immunex and Bristol-Myers Squibb. She holds a Bachelor of Science in microbiology from the University of Washington and an MBA from Seattle University.
Barbara Clendenen
Chief Business DevelopmentOfficer
Martyn Edney has more than 25 years of international human resources strategy and operations leadership in multiple industries including consulting, human data science, diagnostics, and technology.
Martyn Edney has more than 25 years of international human resources strategy and operations leadership in multiple industries including consulting, human data science, diagnostics, and technology. Martyn’s core expertise is in talent acquisition and talent management, building performance and capability, evolving culture, and employee engagement within high-growth, complex, and diverse businesses.
Martyn joined the Validant Group from CareDx, an innovative diagnostics and technology company serving the organ transplant community, where he held the position of SVP, Head of Human Resources, based in the Bay Area. Martyn led the reorganization of CareDx for its next phase of evolution, driving over 60% annual headcount growth via a structured and measured talent acquisition strategy, in addition to transitioning the HR function to a focused partnership and delivery model. He defined and implemented a global real estate and facilities strategy that delivered large-scale projects including a CLIA lab expansion, a dedicated R&D facility, and the relocation of the corporate and Midwest hubs. Another key initiative led by Martyn was the re-definition and enhancement of the performance management cycle and the launch of an organizational development framework encompassing LinkedIn learning, management development, coaching, and effective team-building.
Prior to this, Martyn spent 13 years at IQVIA, a global human data science organization, where he held multiple roles in the U.S., Europe, and the U.K. Most recently, Martyn spent six years as the HR Leader for the U.S. & Canada Business Unit based in Philadelphia and New York. During that time, Martyn developed and implemented an HR growth strategy that scaled from $1bn/900 employees to $3.5bn/8,500 employees through organic growth, merger integration of over 2,000 employees, and 16 acquisitions across a multi-dimensional commercial, consulting, technology, data, and clinical business. Under his leadership, the business impact, support capacity, and cost-effectiveness of the HR team increased measurably. Defining and enabling a performance-driven culture, Martyn also led the launch of several significant global employee engagement initiatives for IQVIA: He provided executive leadership and guidance for Employee Resource Groups launched across 100+ countries; created the positioning and approach for Diversity and Inclusion; and oversaw the design, distribution, and output of a global employee engagement survey that connected over 70,000 employees and resulted in the highest participation and engagement rates in company record. Additionally, Martyn developed and led IQVIA’s strategic partnerships with the American Cancer Society and American Heart Foundation, enabling multi-faceted business and employee engagement impact.
Before moving to the U.S., Martyn spent a number of years leading HR for IQVIA across 40+ countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa while based in London, U.K., and Madrid, Spain. In his earlier career, Martyn held HR leadership positions at Expedia, Kraft Foods, and Scoot.
Martyn is from Oxford, U.K., and now lives in the Bay Area. He studied Human Resources at Oxford Polytechnic and Oxford Brookes University and is currently sitting his Fellowship for the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development.
Martyn Edney
Chief Human Resources Officer
Taryn Fritz Walpole joined the Validant Group’s executive team following more than two decades of strategic communications, regulatory, and marketing experience that includes leadership roles on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Prior to her role as Chief Marketing Officer, Taryn served as Chief of Staff and Executive Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Greenleaf Health, a business unit of the Validant Group. In this capacity, Taryn was responsible for Greenleaf’s marketing and communications programs, including new product launches, enhanced service offerings, and corporate campaigns. During her 14+ years at Greenleaf, Taryn led the firm’s cross-cutting initiatives and corporate programs. Taryn also provided guidance to clients on projects spanning medical products, regulatory compliance, and FDA engagement strategy.
Taryn joined Greenleaf following five years of service at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), most recently in the role of Deputy Chief of Staff. In this capacity, Taryn planned and executed all of the FDA’s priority announcements, high-profile public health actions, and medical product crisis incidents on a wide variety of issues.
During her FDA tenure, Taryn played a leading role in the creation and implementation of FDA’s first process plans for coordinating public announcements and managing crisis situations, including message platforms, communications and outreach strategies, and tactical activities.
Taryn began her FDA career following a decade of service as a senior staffer for Capitol Hill lawmakers. Taryn’s leadership roles included service as the Senior Advisor and Communications Director for US Rep. Henry Bonilla, and Deputy Press Secretary for US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Taryn received a B.A. from Southern Methodist University, with a dual major in Communications/Journalism and Political Science.
Taryn Fritz Walpole
Chief Marketing Officer
Brian has over 35 years of experience providing quality, regulatory, medical safety, clinical, and strategic leadership for global healthcare businesses.
Brian Burns is President and a Quality leader at Validant, based in the New England region. Brian brings deep executive experience in Quality and Regulatory strategy and improvement with a track record of comprehensive quality performance improvement.
Prior to joining Validant, he served as an Executive Vice President of Global Quality and Regulatory Affairs at Haemonetics Corporation and Fresenius Medical Care over the course of five years. Brian led institutionalizing corporate quality systems for all operational areas and upgraded quality systems to support evolving business needs such as combination products while improving complaint handling, operational metrics, supplier quality, clinical quality, and global quality systems training.
Brian served as Executive Vice President of Global Quality, Medical Safety & Regulatory Affairs of Boston Scientific Corporation for seven years. Brian was responsible for quality assurance for Boston Scientific’s businesses worldwide and served as company liaison to all compliance bodies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Union Competent Authorities, and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.
Previously, Brian held various Quality Assurance, Operational, and General Manager roles with Cardinal Healthcare, Allegiance Healthcare, and Baxter Healthcare. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering with a Minor in Mathematics and Chemistry from the University of Arkansas.
Brian Burns
President
Helm has nearly 20 years of experience as a senior services management professional with a proven track record of achieving results.
As a Vice President for Validant, Helm is responsible for project and personnel management associated with critical initiatives within leading Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology organizations.
Working exclusively within these FDA-regulated Life Sciences industries, Helm partners directly with each Client’s technical leadership to deploy the most appropriate mix of tactical and strategic consulting resources for any phase of the product lifecycle. Ranging from a single Subject Matter Expert to matrixed groups across multiple divisions, these resources work side-by-side with each client’s teams to support the planning and execution of critical quality systems, product development, manufacturing, engineering, and cGMP regulatory compliance activities.
Before joining Validant, Helm held positions of increasing responsibility within Research, Technical Recruitment and Business Development for Harvey Nash, a UK based executive search and professional recruitment firm serving clients in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. With over 30 offices worldwide, Harvey Nash provides specialized executive search, IT professional services and IT staffing to clients in the technology, finance and banking, health care, manufacturing, and government sectors.
Helm holds a Bachelors Degree in International Affairs and Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Helm Siegel
VP, Client Engagement
Theodore brings over 12 years of business experience in healthcare and professional services.
As Vice President of Client Engagement, Theodore leads Client & Talent Engagement globally and has overall responsibility for account management and talent delivery & management across all sectors of Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Device & Diagnostics.
Working exclusively within these FDA regulated life science industries, they partner with client leadership to deploy the most appropriate mix of execution and strategic consulting resources for any phase of the product lifecycle. Ranging from a single Subject Matter Expert to matrixed groups across multiple divisions, these resources work side-by-side with each client’s teams to support the planning and execution of critical regulatory, quality, and cGMP compliance initiatives.
Previously Theodore was responsible for the development of our European headquarters in Cork, Ireland, where he cultivated business relationships across EMEA regions, grew and led a team of Client and Talent Engagement associates, and led critical business processes and partnerships across EMEA.
Theodore holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Theodore Hellen
LinkedIn
Colm Coveney
Client Engagement Director
Colin Larsen
Sr Client Engagement Manager
Mara Mitchell
John Tritschler
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