RRD International Names J. Scott Tarrant President

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Jun 13, 2013, 01:02 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., June 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RRD International, a product development company that provides expert-level strategic, regulatory and operational support to biopharmaceutical companies and investors, announced today the appointment of J. Scott Tarrant as its President. Mr. Tarrant joined RRD in 2010 as Chief Business Officer and has been responsible for shepherding the company's strategic growth initiatives.

"Scott has played a pivotal role in the company's growth and development," said Charles (Chuck) Finn, PhD, CEO and Co-Founder of RRD International. "Not only has Scott been responsible for developing our go-forward strategy, he has helped align internal practices and models to drive marketplace adoption. His insight and understanding as to the state of change within the life science industry, together with his development knowledge make him the ideal person to run RRD day-to-day."

While day-to-day operational responsibilities will be transferred to Mr. Tarrant, Dr. Finn will remain actively engaged in determining the strategic direction of the company and providing high-level support to our partners. "Scott's promotion will enable me to focus fully on the strategic and scientific needs of our clients' development programs. This transition also enables the most effective use of our internal resources to the benefit of our clients and the Company," added Finn.

"Since RRD was founded in 2002, it has been evolving to meet industry needs and this transition represents another chapter of our growth," said Frank Hurley, Chairman of the Board, CSO and Co-Founder, RRD International. "When Symphony Capital needed world-class product development capabilities to support its 400 million dollar investment in pipeline programs, they chose RRD to maximize opportunity of each drug candidate. This became the foundation of our asset-centric development model. Since Scott joined RRD in 2010 he has worked to optimize this engagement platform based on industry feedback and the needs of our focused customer base."

The result of these efforts has been the launch of RRD's Product Development Team (PDT) model, an effective, asset-centric alternative to traditional industry practices. Comprehensive in scope, encompassing all aspects of product development, the PDT model is resource efficient with an intense focus on minimizing cost, time and risk to achieve human proof-of-concept (POC).

"We have evolved and grown by improving how RRD works, the value we provide and the way we deliver it," said Scott Tarrant, President, RRD International. "As President, I will be responsible for leveraging the PDT model to further build the business and distinguish the benefits of our approach among investors, partners and prospective clients."

Prior to joining RRD International, Tarrant served as Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for UK-based Xceleron Ltd and led the formation of its US subsidiary in Maryland. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Accium BioSciences, Inc and Carepeutics, Inc and has previously held executive and sales management positions at Gene Logic, TherImmune Research Corporation and Nalco Chemical Company.

Tarrant is a former combat engineer officer in the United States Army. He received his B.S. in Biology from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Syracuse University and is a graduate of the International Executive Program in General Management at INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France and Singapore.

About RRD International:

RRD International is a product development company that provides integrated, expert-level strategic, regulatory and operational support to biopharmaceutical companies and investors. The Company's unique Product Development Team model (PDT) provides an effective, asset-centric alternative to traditional industry practices. While comprehensive in value, structure and function – encompassing all aspects of a development program including strategic planning, management and execution – the PDT model is also highly resource efficient with an intense focus on minimizing cost, time and risk to achieve human proof-of-concept (POC). Since 2002, RRD has worked with more than 100 organizations across all major classes and therapeutic areas. For more information, visit rrdintl.com.

SOURCE RRD International