At mdgroup, our people are at the heart of everything we do. From our senior leadership to our global teams, each individual shares a passion for making the clinical more human and delivering remarkable experiences for patients and families. Together, we bring diverse expertise, deep industry knowledge, and a shared commitment to driving innovation in clinical research, always with patients at the center.
The Executive Team
Miriam Dervan
FOUNDER & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Entrepreneurial and intuitive, Miriam founded mdgroup in 2002. Today, mdgroup is a global patient health services business dedicated to supporting clinical trials through highly personalised, patient care-led solutions.
As CEO, Miriam brings deep industry expertise and an unwavering commitment to putting patients first. She has built a culture grounded in empathy, quality, and human connection, where patient needs guide every decision and teams are empowered to deliver meaningful support that improves both patient experience and trial outcomes.
Beyond mdgroup, Miriam is passionate about helping others succeed. As a former Chair of Women in Business for the European Council of WEConnect Europe, she champions women-led enterprise, education, and collaboration. She openly shares her journey—from school-leaver to founder—to inspire and support the next generation of entrepreneurs.
LaQuinta Jernigan
CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER
As Chief Commercial Officer, LaQuinta brings extensive healthcare expertise and a strong track record of building sustainable commercial partnerships. She works closely with clients to understand their challenges, goals, and operational realities, helping develop tailored solutions that support successful clinical trials.
With experience across both operations and sales in the life sciences sector, LaQuinta has a balanced perspective. She understands the complexities of bringing therapies to market on time, retaining patients, and staying within budget—while keeping the patient at the centre of every decision.
Driven by a passion for improving the clinical trial experience, LaQuinta focuses on removing barriers that can impact patients’ quality of life during a study. For her, being part of mdgroup is about more than delivering services—it’s about building trusted partnerships that help make clinical research more accessible and patient-centred.
Ian Sandbach
FINANCE DIRECTOR
Ian came to his position as Financial Director with a wealth of experience. He qualified as a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in practice and has held senior financial roles in FTSE 100 companies around the world including GSK, Vodafone and K3 business technologies, a key partner for Microsoft.
Having been involved in large scale company growth during his career, Ian has implemented various accounting systems on a global level, reporting to financial compliance bodies where he has worked in the UK, North America and Europe.
Ian drives our corporate performance and profitability, maintaining the highest quality reporting across our global enterprise. He’s passionate about the mdgroup commitment to delivering remarkable results for our clients and takes a dynamic, strategic approach to mdgroup product development and innovation, keeping us at the forefront of the clinical research industry.
