Quest Diagnostics on Thursday said its CEO-elect, Jim Davis, made several organizational changes and leadership appointments of seasoned executives to better support the company’s two-point business strategy of accelerating growth and driving operational excellence.
Karthik Kuppusamy was named senior vice president, clinical solutions; Mark Gardner has been appointed senior vice president, molecular genomics and oncology, a new position; and Kristin Wallace is now senior vice president, compliance, succeeding Tim Sharpe, who retired in August.
“These latest appointments continue to strengthen Quest’s leadership team and position us well to continue to innovate in a post-pandemic health care environment,” Davis said. “Both Karthik and Kristin are proven Quest leaders and are ready to assume additional responsibilities within our team. Mark comes to Quest with deep knowledge in molecular genomics, genetic sequencing and oncology, combined with commercial and technology expertise which are critical as we drive growth in these areas.”
“We have made substantial progress in our transition to new leadership, as evidenced by the strong team Jim Davis has built,” Steve Rusckowski, Quest’s chairman, CEO and president, stated. “Quest is well-positioned in the market and Jim has a great leadership team in place as we pursue the next phases of growth and development.”
Kuppusamy is responsible for bringing innovative diagnostic solutions to market through Quest’s clinical franchises as well as pharma services, genomic services and global markets, in partnership with the company’s highly capable medical and research & development teams. Previously, he led the North region as general manager, based at the lab in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Before that, he led the neurology franchise.
In his newly created role, Gardner is responsible for driving growth in Quest’s advanced diagnostics offerings by providing genetic sequencing services, cancer diagnostics and working closely with the company’s clinical franchises. He joins Quest from Corza Medical, a private equity operating company focused on surgical technologies and tools, where he served as executive partner, SVP and GM of European commercial operations and biosurgery products. He built a career in molecular genomics, next-generation sequencing and oncology diagnostics, having served at a range of companies that include Thermo Fisher Scientific, Life Technologies, Invitrogen and Omniseq. He began his private sector career as a McKinsey consultant after serving in the Navy, where he reached the rank of lieutenant commander.
As the compliance leader, Wallace is responsible for maintaining and building on Quest’s industry leadership in ethics, integrity, compliance and privacy. Wallace joined Quest in 2009 in the legal department as senior corporate counsel. Over the years, she has provided legal support for the company’s operations, franchises, pricing, regulatory, privacy, compliance, billing, and Quest for Health Equity. Most recently, as the chief regulatory counsel, she worked closely to oversee FDA review of new tests to support Quest’s COVID-19 response.
