Team size: 700

Major legal advisers: Cahill Gordon, A&L Goodbody

What impact did the pandemic have on the pharmaceutical and medical technology Industries and your company in Ireland?

ICON’s core business is clinical trials so, as the pandemic hit, we had to ensure Covid vaccine clinical trials were completed as quickly as possible. ICON worked on the clinical trial for the Pfizer Covid vaccine which was the first Covid vaccine to get regulatory approval. All of us in ICON are very proud of our role in this record-breaking vaccine development which has been used to vaccinate millions globally.

In what ways do you see the in-house legal role evolving in your region over the next few years?

The trend of in-house lawyers taking on additional areas of responsibility outside of legal will continue. As lawyers are trained to analyse problems and work on commercial solutions, this approach can be applied in many areas of business beyond legal. In my role as chief administrative officer and general counsel, for instance, I am responsible for quality assurance, customer contracts including work orders and change orders, facilities, and procurement in tandem with legal.

What are the most significant cases and/or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

ICON legal was central to ICON’s acquisition of PRA Health Sciences in July 2021 for $12bn. To shorten the period of uncertainty, we focused on reducing the time frame for completing the transaction, from signing to closing the deal. In only four months’ time, ICON legal handled the issue of anti-trust and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and obtained shareholder approvals for the deal. This acquisition has made ICON the world’s largest and most comprehensive healthcare intelligence organisation, employing 38,000 employees in 53 countries.

As we enter the next decade, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

ICON is a 38,000-person company in fifty-three countries with many service lines in an evolving and highly regulated industry. Our legal team is required to maintain a very good understanding of ICON’s business and strategic plans to provide a strong legal service, supporting both the current and future state of our business and serving offerings.