What Makes a Biotech Executive Stand out from the Pack?
Talented executives are always in demand in the biotech industry. Leaders who stand out in the field demonstrate flexibility to deal with change and failure, as well as a track record of hitting milestones. Successful biotechs typically progress along similar paths, moving from small scientist-driven enterprises eager to test their ideas, to established companies with many employees and a focus on delivering products to patients. As such, their needs change along the way, says Jemma Challinor, co-founder and Managing Partner for biotech executive recruiter Precision BioSearch. The best executives for an early-stage biotech are adaptable, capable of bringing a certain level of energy to a company while operating with limited resources, she says. By definition, early-stage biotechs are completely unique, says Pierre Vercher, Recruitment Manager at Approach People Recruitment  theyre developing new scientific niches, exploiting novel technologies, or discovering new kinds of products. Its not like in pharma, where you have expertise in one subject, and sometimes you can go straightforward and find the person in another company doing the same thing, he says.