Executive Search in Life Sciences - balancing industry knowledge and management skills

What makes executive search in life sciences special is certainly the diversity of the positions. We are talking about a field that covers a wide range of medical devices, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Looking at the research and development departments in these sectors alone makes on thing clear: it does not get boring! Often it is also about finding candidates who have both industry expertise and the necessary "soft skills" for a position in management. That is a challenge!

Each search is different and we also view and treat it individually. The top priority is always to adapt your own processes - even during a search - that in the end both the customer and the candidate are satisfied with the result. For the customer, a search is an investment in the safe future of his company. It is interesting to note that professional knowledge is increasingly less important in day-to-day business the higher up you get on the career ladder. Naturally a certain familiarity with the product or research object is necessary, but the higher the position, the more important is knowledge of the processes and the handling as well as "leadership qualities". Internationality, cultural competence and interdisciplinary expertise come into play, both horizontally and vertically. In order to meet these requirements, an open and trustworthy communication is required between all parties involved. This is the only way to get the search results to the optimal result.

This column was origianlly published in the German magazine Transkript, as seen in the picture above (copyright Transkript).