Josef H. von Rickenbach

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

As Chairman and CEO of PAREXEL, Mr. von Rickenbach has taken PAREXEL from its pioneering beginnings as one of the first clinical research organizations (CROs) three decades ago to its place as one of the top public biopharmaceutical services companies today. He has led PAREXEL through its IPO, multiple public offerings, and over 35 mergers and acquisitions during the Company’s 30 year history to expand its portfolio in order to meet changing client needs and market demand. Under his leadership, PAREXEL has evolved to provide a broad range of services to the biopharmaceutical industry, including globally integrated clinical development, regulatory affairs consulting, commercialization services and technologies that expedite time-to-market.

Foreseeing the globalization of clinical research, Mr. von Rickenbach worked to expand PAREXEL’s global footprint to provide access to a wide array of geographies for clients’ programs. PAREXEL now operates in 71 locations throughout 52 countries, and has more than 12,000 employees. 

Mr. von Rickenbach has made several innovative contributions to the advancement of the biopharmaceutical services industry through PAREXEL.  As the biopharmaceutical industry adopted information technology, Mr. von Rickenbach created a leading advanced technology offering, and today PAREXEL’s subsidiary Perceptive Informatics is a front runner in providing eClinical solutions.

Mr. von Rickenbach’s extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical services industries puts him at the forefront of drug development and management. After having begun his career with Schering-Plough, Mr. von Rickenbach also held positions with ENSECO (formerly ERCO).

In 2010, Mr. von Rickenbach was named Executive of the Year in North America, where PAREXEL’s global headquarters are based, in the seventh annual International Business Awards, which celebrate managerial excellence worldwide.  Mr. von Rickenbach won the Ernst & Young New England Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 1997, and has also served as a judge of the program.

Mr. von Rickenbach has served as Chair of the Association of Clinical Research Organizations (ACRO) and is a long-standing member of the ACRO Board of Directors. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Healthcare Institute and on the Health Policy and Management Executive Council of the Harvard School of Public Health.  Additionally, he is a Vice Chair of the CEOs Against Cancer initiative sponsored by the American Cancer Society.

Mr. von Rickenbach holds a B.S. degree in Business Economics from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland, and a Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School.