Sandy’s professional experience includes over 40 years in executive and senior operating management positions within the pharmaceutical, health care and life sciences industries and as a legal practitioner. His experience in a major international business service provider and senior counsel and executive management responsibility for a major international pharmaceutical company occurred during periods of explosive growth.
As President and Chief Operating Officer of Quintiles Transnational Corp. , Sandy had responsibility for all operating divisions, as well as worldwide business development. During his nearly six years in this role, the corporation’s annual revenues rose from approximately $90 million to $1.6 billion. Sandy also oversaw the successful integration of over 40 acquisitions as the Company’s employee base increased from approximately 1,000 to 20,000 located in 135 offices in more than 30 countries. During the same period, Quintiles Transnational Corp. became a member of the Fortune 1000, the NASDAQ 100 and in November 1999 it joined the S&P 500.
Prior to joining Quintiles Transnational Corp, Sandy spent 23 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President, Administration and General Counsel of Glaxo Inc. where he sat on the company’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee and was deeply involved in managing Glaxo’s growth, which at that time made it the fastest growing pharmaceutical company in the nation.
Sandy is Of Counsel to the law firm Smith, Anderson, Blount, Dorsett, Mitchell & Jernigan. He has sat on the board of directors of numerous companies both public and private and has chaired the boards of several companies. He currently sits on the boards of two publicly traded companies.
Sandy is an adjunct professor in the clinical research program at the Campbell University School of Pharmacy. He also sits on The Duke Brain Tumor Advisory Committee, the Duke University Medical Center Board of Visitors, the Duke Cancer Patient Support Program Board of Advisors and the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center.
Sandy is the author of the book Humanity at Work: Encouraging Spirit, Achievement & Truth to Flourish in the Workplace (2008).
Sandy received his B.S. in pharmacy and his Juris Doctor degrees from St. John’s University in 1968 and 1971 respectively. In 1998, he was the recipient of the St. John’s University Alumni Outstanding Achievement Medal. He had been licensed to practice pharmacy in New York and Rhode Island and is licensed to practice law in the states of New York, Ohio, and North Carolina.
Mr. Costa is married with three children. His wife, Jean, is also an alumna of St. John’s University, from which she graduated in 1968 with a B.S. in mathematics. In 1996 Jean received an MSW from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
