Why CRO Growth Is Still a People Business with Egle Pavyde

In this episode of The Human Protocol, Theodora Savlovschi-Wicks is joined by Egle Pavyde, Vice President of Business Development at APICES CRO. Egle shares her journey from pharmacy and stem cell research into the CRO industry, business development, marketing, M&A integration, women’s leadership, and longevity. This is a grounded conversation about the human side of clinical research growth: what happens after acquisition, why integration needs more than restructuring, and why keeping expertise inside a company depends on listening to the people doing the work. We also talk about women in life sciences leadership, the reality of building a senior career alongside personal responsibilities, and why graduates entering the industry need to be proactive, visible, and comfortable with technology. Finally, Egle reflects on AI, business development, travel, wellbeing, and why technology can remove repetitive work, but should not replace critical thinking, human judgement, or meaningful relationships. Key takeaways 🔸 Why people and culture matter so much during CRO mergers and acquisitions🔸 Why clinical research remains a people business, even as technology grows🔸 What still needs to change for women in senior life sciences leadership🔸 How business development professionals can use AI without losing the human touch🔸 What graduates can do to stand out in today’s clinical research market Host:Theodora Savlovschi-WicksLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/theoswicks/ Guest:Egle PavydeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/egle-pavyde/ The Human Protocol is a podcast from Vivexa, exploring clinical conversations at the intersection of people and trials. 🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the people shaping clinical research.