What really changes when you move from the CRO side to the sponsor side and what lessons carry through no matter which side you’re working on?

In this episode, I talk with Mike Inkman, a clinical data leader with more than 20 years of experience across CROs and sponsors, about his career journey and what crossing the CRO - sponsor divide taught him about leadership, oversight, and risk.

We explore how early CRO roles shape flexibility and execution, why sponsor-side oversight feels fundamentally different, and how data management often identifies trends and risks others miss.

Listen as Mike shares candid reflections on leadership growth, transparency, sponsor pressure, and the realities of managing data in complex clinical trials.

What You’ll Learn

• How many careers in clinical research begin by “falling into” the industry

• Why early CRO roles build adaptability and prioritization skills

• What it’s really like managing multiple studies across multiple sponsors

• How CRO teams balance disclosure with solution-building

• What changes when responsibility shifts from delivery to oversight

• How scope limitations shape CRO data management work

• Why data management often sees trends and risks before others

• How leadership evolves from authority to advocacy

• What Mike would tell his younger self about discretion and resilience

Quote of the Episode

“Nobody’s going to be better at overseeing a CRO than someone who has worked at a CRO.”

Resources

Follow Mike Inkman on LinkedIn
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