Karen Russell is a global finance professional with more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry. She is a strong leader and influential communicator who empowers team members, drives performance, and delivers results.

Prior to joining Mercalis in July 2019, Karen served as Chief Financial Officer for Evidera, a business unit within Pharmaceutical Product Development (PPD), a leading global contract research organization (CRO). She also enjoyed a long and distinguished career at GSK, where she served in many finance leadership roles across the organization, both in the US and abroad.

Karen holds a BS in Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she starred on the Yellow Jackets women’s basketball team. She is a member of the Georgia Tech Basketball Hall of Fame and was named an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Legend in 2009.