The Management Team
Laurence P. Birch, President and Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Birch joined DATATRAK’s Board of Directors in 2007. He expanded his leadership role in the company by assuming the role of Chairman in May of 2008 and ultimately became DATATRAK’s President and CEO in January of 2009. Previously, Mr. Birch served as President and Chief Executive Officer of NeoPharm, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. Prior to joining NeoPharm, Mr. Birch served as CEO and President of AKSYS, Ltd., a hemodialysis developer and manufacturer from 2005 to 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Birch served as co-founder and managing director of Stratego Partners, a cost management consulting firm, from 2003 to 2005, Sr. Vice President-Business Development and CFO of Technology Solutions, Inc., a systems integration and consulting company, during 2002, CFO of Brigade, Inc., an internet support company, from 1999 to 2000, and five years with MCI Systemhouse where he held a variety of senior finance and general management positions. Mr. Birch began his career with Baxter Healthcare, a manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceuticals and medical devices, where, over the course of 13 years, he held a variety of positions. Mr. Birch holds a Bachelor of Science-Finance from the University of Illinois and a MBA from Northwestern University-Kellogg Graduate Business of Management. Mr. Birch is also a Certified Public Accountant.
Chris Wilke, Chief Technology Officer
Mr. Wilke is the Chief Technology Officer at DATATRAK. Mr. Wilke previously held positions at DATATRAK including VP of Research and Development, VP of Software and Systems Development and Director of Research and Development. Mr. Wilke was also the VP of Development for ClickFind, which was acquired by DATATRAK in 2006. Mr. Wilke has over 14 years of industry experience, including co-authoring a business plan for the eClinical market in 1995 in conjunction with serving as the original product architect for DATATRAK eClinical™. Mr. Wilke has a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Bill Coates, Vice President Sales
Mr. Coates is the VP of Sales at DATATRAK, monitoring all business development activities and sales personnel. He has been with DATATRAK since 2006 and is essential to the success of the sales team. Mr. Coates has over 30 years business experience with nine years industry experience. He has had experience with eleven acquisitions, four as the lead executive and was also an executive member of the management team responsible for growing AMS from 45 to over 700 employees. Mr. Coates served as the VP of Sales for ClickFind, which was then acquired by DATATRAK in 2006. Mr. Coates obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from California State University.
Varnesh Sritharan, Vice President of Legal Affairs and Secretary
Varnesh Sritharan is the VP of Legal Affairs at DATATRAK International and is responsible for overseeing DATATRAK’s Legal and Human Resources departments. Mr. Sritharan, who serves on the Senior Management Team, joined DATATRAK in 2007, and advises the Company on a variety of corporate and legal matters. Prior to joining DATATRAK, Mr. Sritharan was a corporate associate at the law firm of Calfee, Halter & Griswold, LLP, one of the largest law firms in Ohio. At Calfee, Mr. Sritharan focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings and other corporate transactions. He earned his law degree from the University of Illinois and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Massachusetts.
