Linda Blackerby and Nicola (Nicky) Marlin joined the OmniScience Board of Directors in 2023, but their paths first converged in 2016 at Citeline, the leading provider of clinical trial and pharmaceutical intelligence. Linda’s Citeline story begins as a founding member of the startup in 2004. Starting out as Head of Sales, she was part of the acquisition by Informa in 2006, then rose to the role of President in 2010. From there she supported the spin-out of Citeline from Informa for $2.6 billion in 2022.

In 2016, Nicky joined the team as Citeline’s first Head of Product Management, ultimately assuming the role of Citeline’s first Chief Product and Strategy Officer in 2021. Linda and Nicky shared a 5-year mission during their time together at Citeline - To help clinical development teams leverage the full power of data to inform real-time clinical trial decision making.

Today, Linda and Nicky are joining forces once again to amplify OmniScience’s mission: Leveraging genAI to transform and accelerate clinical trial operations, ultimately getting more treatments to patients faster, at lower cost.

We sat down with Linda and Nicky to get the backstory on their partnership and why they decided to combine forces with OmniScience.

Q: Linda and Nicky, you worked together at Citeline before joining OmniScience. Could you share more about that collaboration and your achievements?

Linda: “I started at Citeline when it was a clinical trials data solutions startup. I joined forces with Nicky years later when Citeline was at a pivotal transformation point. Nicky joined to help us rethink our customer- and data-driven solutions strategy.“

Nicky: “Achieving this required listening deeply to customer challenges and aligning our strategy accordingly. We also prioritized building a strong team culture—one that celebrated innovation, collaboration, and purpose. At Citeline, success wasn’t just about the products; it was about the people behind them and innovating with a test-learn-change approach.”

Q: Linda, as a founding member of Citeline, what strategies helped transform it into a market leader?

Linda: “It was all about seeing the bigger picture—not just collecting data, but transforming it into actionable insights. We earned customer trust through transparency and by delivering solutions that supported critical decisions for pharma and biotech companies. This was only possible by pairing a sharp commercial strategy with relentless innovation and a customer-first mindset.”

Q: Linda, you were later appointed as Informa’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. What experience from that period have you been able to bring forward to the OmniScience team?

Linda: “DEI is a business imperative. Diversity has been proven to drive innovation faster. And when people feel they are included, and that they belong, they are engaged. We all know how important colleague engagement is to accelerate earnings. As the first-ever Chief DEI Officer at Informa, I was able to help create the initial strategy and roadmap for DEI. In fact, Informa just earned the #3 spot on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work UK list. The proof is in the pudding, as they say.”

Q: Shifting gears, a fundamental part of your life that readers might not find on your LinkedIn Profile is that you are a painter. How do you think your artistic pursuits influence your approach to business strategy and leadership?

Linda: “Art teaches you to approach problems from different angles and to embrace the iterative process - just like business. It’s also a reminder to pause, reflect, and allow creativity to lead, which is essential when crafting strategy or solving complex challenges.”

Q: Nicky, while we are on the subject of things you might not find in your professional profile - you are an accomplished triathlete. What lessons from competition apply to your professional life?

Nicky: “Triathlons test endurance, strategy, focus, and belief - qualities that are invaluable in business. Competing teaches you to tackle unforeseen challenges with resilience and determination. After a race, I return to work with renewed clarity and energy. It’s a reminder that balance and perseverance are critical to success.”

Q: With a PhD in Analytical Chemistry, you’ve transitioned from research to strategic leadership. How has that shaped your approach to life sciences?

Nicky: “I loved the precision of lab work, but realized my passion lay in connecting the dots - bridging global research data with strategic decision-making. At OmniScience, I’m leveraging this to transform clinical trials, ensuring better patient outcomes by aligning science, technology, and market needs.”

Q: Reflecting on your Citeline tenure, what lessons inform your work at OmniScience?

Nicky: “At Citeline, we galvanized the organization around a unified strategy focused on customer needs. Success came from listening to customers and translating their insights into actionable product strategies. At OmniScience, this customer-centric approach drives everything we do, from product design to go-to-market strategies.”

Q: How did you each learn about OmniScience, and what inspired you to join its Board?

Linda: “I connected with CEO Angela Holmes through Women in Bio, an organization that introduces experienced industry leaders to emerging innovators. Angela's vision for OmniScience and her deep understanding of the market challenge and opportunity immediately resonated with me. I saw an opportunity to make a market-first, meaningful difference in patient outcomes.”

Nicky: “Linda and I were both impressed by Angela’s and the OmniScience team’s ability to understand the nuanced challenges of the drug development industry, and what’s needed to tackle those challenges head-on. Her team’s passion and data science expertise made it clear that OmniScience could be transformative to clinical trials as we know them, and I wanted to contribute to shaping that future.”

Q: Looking forward, what are your predictions for OmniScience?

Linda: “OmniScience will be a game-changer, leading the industry in GenAI-driven clinical trial efficiencies and delivering unparalleled value for sponsors and patients.”

Nicky: “I think OmniScience will set the standard for how human end-users will collaborate with AI to transform data into actionable insights.”