Clinical research site network CenExel Clinical Research announced on Tuesday the appointment of Dr. Sy Pretorius as chief executive officer, effective 1 May 2026.

Dr. Pretorius succeeds Ryan Brooks, who will remain a member of the company's board of directors.

CenExel said that Dr. Pretorius joins the company with more than three decades of experience in clinical research leadership, spanning senior executive and management roles where he was instrumental in driving global clinical development programmes, early-phase research, and integrated clinical trial services.

Dr. Pretorius currently serves as CEO of Ergomed Group, where he leads value creation efforts across the PrimeVigilance, Ergomed CRO and ADAMAS businesses after the group transitioned from the public market to private equity ownership. Prior to joining Ergomed, he served as chief operating officer at EVERSANA, where he led drug and device commercialisation services. Earlier, as president of Clinical Development and chief medical officer at PAREXEL, he oversaw a USD3.6bn global P&L and led more than 16,000 employees worldwide.