Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | March 9, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY MICA KANNER-MASCOLO WBJ Staff Writer A s an undergraduate, Kim Boericke watched as her mother battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer that sent her from experimental treatment to experimental treatment. While her mother is now in remis- sion, she had to undergo two years of low-dose chemotherapy to get there. Seeing her mother navigate treatment sparked Boericke's interest in clinical research. Originally, Boericke had planned on going to medical school, but she ended up switching directions to drug development. "I'm a builder and fixer by training," she said. "Going into research allowed me an opportunity to still have a parallel path of being able to contribute to sup- porting research and development." Boericke held leadership roles at research firms for more than 20 years before she was recruited to be the chief operating officer of Veristat in 2024. e Southborough-based clinical research organization provides support and outsourced clinical trials to compa- nies in the process of drug development. In January, she was named the firm's first female CEO in its 30-year histo- ry. Now, she is aiming to double the company's revenue over the next several years and grow its global headcount from just under 400 to nearly 800. "She's demonstrating now as the leader that she has a clear capacity to formulate and express a vision of where they're going," said Veristat board member George McMillan. Veristat is one of the 50 biggest CROs in the world, according to the clinical research training organi- zation CCRPS. Veristat generates eight figures in annual revenue but competes against much larger firms, such as the $15-billion IQVIA in North Carolina, the $5-billion PPD division of ermo Fisher Scientific in North Carolina, and the $6-billion AppTec division of Chinese firm WuXi Biologics, which is building a $300-million facility in Worcester. $2B to bring a drug to market Coming to Veristat, Boericke was particularly interested in finding ways for clinical trial participants to have more flexibility in where and how they receive treatment. Boericke now looks to tackle major industry hurdles, including the strict criteria used to select patients, lengthy Improving clinical trials Veristat's first female CEO aims to double the Southborough firm's revenue and headcount in the $50B outsourced clinical trials industry George McMillan, Veristat board member PHOTO | COURTESY OF VERISTAT "I've been a project management brat for most of my career," said Veristat CEO Kim Boericke. "To be honest, it's my happy space."

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