Suttons Creek Expands Business Development Leadership to Meet Growing Industry Demand

Pharmaceutical and biologics companies continue to accelerate investment in device combination products, and in turn Suttons Creek is expanding its business development organization to ensure we meet the evolving needs of our clients and the patients they serve.

Over the past several years, we have seen a clear shift across the industry: more companies are entering the combination product space for the first time, more programs are advancing into later-stage development, and expectations around delivery innovation, regulatory readiness, and execution confidence continue to rise. To support this momentum, Suttons Creek has made strategic investments in dedicated business development leadership with deep experience across pharma, biologics, and complex development programs.

Building a Dedicated Business Development Division

In spring 2025, Suttons Creek welcomed David Urban as Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. This role marked an important milestone for the firm: establishing a focused, senior leader responsible for aligning our go-to-market strategy with the realities facing modern combination product teams.

David brings decades of experience leading business development strategy and growth initiatives across life sciences consulting, technology-enabled services, and regulated healthcare environments. His background includes building and scaling sales organizations, integrating marketing with sales, and partnering closely with executive and technical leaders to support complex, high-stakes programs. Since joining Suttons Creek, David has focused on strengthening client engagement, refining how we communicate value across the development lifecycle, and ensuring our commercial approach evolves alongside our technical depth.

Expanding Regional Leadership: East and West

As demand for Suttons Creek’s services continues to grow, we are pleased to announce the addition of two senior regional sales leaders:

• Jennifer Engels, Director of Sales – East
• Karen Keeley, Senior Director of Sales – West

Jennifer brings extensive experience partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech organizations across the eastern U.S., with career spanning roles in commercial leadership, account strategy, and solution selling for regulated life sciences environments. Her background includes working closely with clinical-stage and commercial-stage organizations, supporting cross-functional stakeholders, and helping teams navigate the operational and regulatory complexity that accompanies device-enabled therapies.

Karen joins Suttons Creek with deep experience supporting pharma and biologics companies across the western U.S., including leadership roles serving large, global pharma organizations as well as emerging and mid-sized biotech companies. Her career has focused on building trusted client relationships, supporting sophisticated development programs, and aligning technical solutions with long-term business and patient goals.

“Both Jennifer and Karen have reputations in our industry for being client advocates and building long-term relationships that support project success,” says Urban. “An especially critical need as more companies pursue advanced delivery systems and patient-centric innovation.”

Why This Matters Now

The growth of Suttons Creek’s business development team reflects a broader reality across the industry:

• More therapeutic programs now require integrated drug–device strategies earlier in development
• Regulatory expectations for combination products continue to increase
• Internal teams are navigating device development, human factors, quality systems, and vendor strategy, often for the first time
• Patients and healthcare systems are demanding safer, more intuitive, and more effective delivery solutions

By expanding our business development leadership, Suttons Creek is ensuring that sponsors have direct access to experienced partners who understand both the technical and strategic challenges of combination product development, and can connect them quickly to the right expertise at the right time.

Looking Ahead

We are excited to continue supporting pharmaceutical and biologics companies as they bring innovative, patient-centered combination products to market. With a strengthened business development organization, Suttons Creek is well positioned to grow alongside our clients and remain responsive to the pace and complexity of the industry.

Connect with us:

• View our 2026 Conference Schedule to find in-person opportunities to meet the Suttons Creek team
• Visit our Suttons Creek page on LinkedIn to reach out, connect, and help welcome our newest team members

We look forward to continuing the conversation—online and in person.