THE CLIENT OPPORTUNITY
The client, a Northeast US-based biologics company, needed a Vice President of Research and Development, but no one in house qualified for this position. The company decided to use an executive search firm for a quick and concentrated search to fill this role. They trusted the life science experts at Ashton Tweed to find a candidate because of its connectivity and influence in the life science industry. The firm additionally provided its strategic leadership experience to help the client formulate the best way to approach this search within a small organization.
THE ASHTON TWEED SOLUTION
The client specifically needed a Vice President of Research and Development that had experience developing strategic plans for clinical product candidates and preparing board presentations. A candidate that had experience working with vaccines would be an added bonus for the client’s needs.
Due to the special nature of biological products and their difference from conventional drugs, Ashton Tweed knew this person needed to be familiar with the cutting-edge of biomedical research in order to gain the client’s full satisfaction. The firm performed thorough research and utilized its expansive network of professionals to select a number of qualified candidates. To ensure their search included all top R&D talent, Ashton Tweed reached out to both employed and unemployed professionals.
The firm spoke extensively with each candidate in order to narrow down the pool of candidates further. As part of its normal process, Ashton Tweed also took into careful consideration the culture of the company and how the candidate fit into that culture. The client simply could not have spared this amount of time and consideration without slowing the progress of the company’s various projects.
After the final round of the interview process, the client hired a superior candidate who not only had experience with board presentations and leading strategic plans for clinical product candidates, but also had direct experience with biologics and vaccines. Additionally, the candidate was a great fit both from a technical and cultural perspective.
THE BENEFIT
The client was very impressed with their new Vice President and was more than satisfied with the presented candidate selection overall. With the help of Ashton Tweed, the company was able to make a hire quickly, without having to put their business on hold. Furthermore, they recruited an ideal candidate that they would not have been able to connect with on their own.