Brett Merrill
About Brett Merrill
Brett Merrill is a Senior Manager of Quality Systems at Kite Pharma, where he leads the Quality Systems staff and oversees recruitment, performance management, and staff training. He has extensive experience in quality assurance and training roles across various organizations, including GSK and Covance Laboratories.
Current Role at Kite Pharma
Brett Merrill serves as the Senior Manager of Quality Systems at Kite Pharma, a position he has held since 2020. In this role, he leads the Quality Systems staff, overseeing recruitment, performance management, and staff training and development. He represents the site at network meetings for Change Controls and Deviation/CAPA, sharing best practices and implementing improvements. Merrill provides subject matter expertise during regulatory inspections and internal audits, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
Previous Experience in Quality Assurance
Prior to his current role, Brett Merrill held various positions in quality assurance across multiple organizations. He worked at GSK as Compliance Training Manager from 2016 to 2019 and as Global Manufacturing Senior Compliance Training Design Specialist from 2014 to 2016. He also served as QA Training Manager and QA Supervisor at GSK, contributing to compliance training processes. His experience includes roles at Covance Laboratories, where he was a Quality Assurance Specialist and Technical Training Supervisor.
Educational Background
Brett Merrill earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Phoenix, completing his studies from 2008 to 2009. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from the University of Utah, where he studied from 2002 to 2006. This educational background supports his expertise in quality systems and compliance within the pharmaceutical industry.
Leadership and Initiatives
In his leadership role, Brett Merrill established a Change Control Review Board to enhance the change control process, ensuring that changes are assessed and executed according to plan and timeline. He developed a Metric Control Plan aimed at identifying critical metrics for Quality Systems, demonstrating his commitment to continuous improvement and operational excellence.
Military Background
Before entering the pharmaceutical industry, Brett Merrill served in the US Army from 1995 to 2006, holding multiple positions over the course of 11 years. This experience provided him with a strong foundation in leadership and compliance, which he has applied throughout his career in quality assurance and training.