Syneos Health AI Leadership Spotlight: Mike Montello
Mike Montello
Chief Digital and Information Officer
Mike Montello has more than 20 years of experience working at the convergence of science, digital and technology. Prior to joining Syneos Health®, he led GSK’s digital transformation, serving as Senior Vice President, R&D Digital and Tech, increasing productivity, reducing cycle times and supporting efforts to improve therapy success rates. Within the CRO sector, he served as the CIO of Quintiles, now IQVIA, driving one of the world's largest clinical research platforms. Earlier in his career, Montello held R&D IT roles at Shire and spent more than a decade as a management consultant at Accenture, with a focus on life sciences and technology. He has a mechanical engineering degree from Penn State University and an executive MBA from the London Business School.
Getting to know Mike
Can you briefly describe your primary areas of focus or leadership within technology and AI?
My primary focus has been accelerating clinical trials and supporting efforts to improve patient access to medicines and vaccines. I focus my leadership on building AI and data capabilities that are in service of human health, and treat technology like a living ‘product’ that constantly evolves based on data.
What unique perspective or expertise do you bring to Syneos Health’s innovation efforts?
I have expertise in developing AI and data-driven products at scale. I have helped develop products that moved the industry to “smarter” study designs and decentralized trials (letting patients participate from home via digital tools). I have also worked to improve the collaboration between scientists and engineering, helping to increase the probability of success of new medicines and vaccines so biopharma reduces the number of failed clinical studies.
How do you see AI and digital transformation shaping the future of Syneos Health and the broader life sciences industry?
It’s now obvious that AI will drive the next wave of transformation. AI is expected to improve productivity across our services as AI and agents embed within today’s workflows. We aim for Syneos Health to lead in agent orchestration and strengthening human connections with investigators, healthcare professionals, and patients.
Which recent and upcoming technology initiatives or solutions are you most excited about and why?
We work with many of the world’s leading technology solutions, leveraging capabilities across Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic. We have a multi-platform approach, connecting the best-fit solutions to problems that matter to our customers.
How is your team advancing data-driven decision-making and/or automation across clinical, commercial, or operational areas?
We are advancing solutions to support faster and more predictable trial execution, focused on speed and quality. We are working to improve our trial design solutions to be more precise and aligned to customer specific needs by supporting prediction and simulation of trials to help inform customer decision-making. In commercial we are advancing our patient engagement solutions and AI capabilities for omni-channel engagement of HCPs. Across all areas of the business, we are continuously looking to automate so we can reinvest in our services.
What role does ethical AI and governance play in your approach to technology development and deployment?
AI governance is a cornerstone and enabler of our solutions. We do not see AI governance as a checkbox exercise; it’s a rigorous, continuous process to ensure AI systems are evaluated during build and during inference to ensure they operate as designed.
What motivates you most about your work in technology and AI?
Technology and AI unlock human potential, and my motivation comes from seeing people succeed through their application.
Can you share a personal insight or passion that shaped your career journey?
“The Obstacle Is The Way,” written by Ryan Holiday, has many lessons that resonate with me. Some problems are daunting, and those are most likely the ones worth solving. AI is at a critical point with maximum uncertainty and opportunity. I see this as a problem worth going after, to help provide clarity of what is possible now. You have to take action and break down this massive goal into small, iterative sprints. Code, fail, improve and be persistent.
Which of the new company values most resonates with you and why?
I am most motivated by pursuing possibilities. As a technology leader, my role is to guide our vision and strategy for the future. I need to make sure we are “focusing on the trajectory, not the point in time."
