‘Calibre One: Meet The Experts‘ is a series that delves into the minds of our Partners at Calibre One. Join us as we talk with our industry leaders about their experiences, insights, and strategies in navigating the competitive landscape of executive search and placement.
Background
I know a lot of recruiters, but I don’t know many, if any, who ever said “I’m going to be a recruiter when I grow up.” Like others, I fell into search serendipitiously and then I proceeded to fall in love with it. As the first person in my family to attend college, I’ve always considered myself a lifelong learner and was drawn to science and nature. When I relocated after college to the Bay Area, I knew nothing about the biotech industry or executive level recruitment, but the combination of the two really sparked my interest in this field as a career. I was fortunate to have strong mentors and to be exposed to investors and life sciences companies from an early point in my career. I started from the ground up as a Researcher and this foundation still serves me well today, particularly as I like to bring a hands-on orientation even as I’ve progressed my career to the Partner level.
Areas of Specialization
Throughout my search career, I’ve specialized in life sciences with a core focus on biotherapeutics, while also working extensively across adjacent sectors like medical devices, diagnostics, and med-tech innovation. I concentrate on impactful leadership positions, including those at the Board, C-suite and VP levels. I’ve worked across many disciplines, including R&D, clinical development, regulatory, medical affairs, and technical operations, as well as business development, finance, and commercial. This has allowed me to see how all the pieces fit together in a company and I can thus offer viewpoints from an organizational perspective as well as tap into a broad network. Likewise, I have worked in a plethora of modalities, technologies, and therapeutic areas with clients ranging from venture capital-backed companies to multinational, publicly traded, commercial-stage organizations.
What Do You Love About Your Role?
There are a number of things I love about my role, from the impact we have on healthcare by identifying the best leaders who in turn are helping patients, to the more individualized satisfaction by assisting someone in reaching the next stage of their career. Being part of an ecosystem where we are helping people who help companies, who in turn help patients, is rewarding. As one example, I recruited a company’s original Chief Commercial Officer who put in the strategy for their initial product approval, which in fact was the first product approved for a specific indication. Identifying the right executive is always a unique endeavor and I take satisfaction in putting together a complex puzzle and solving a challenging situation for a client. More recently in my career, I have taken on more mentorship oriented roles helping colleagues understand that what we do – and how we do it – is critical to human healthcare, which has been a very positive experience.
What is the Landmark Placement for a Client?
Tough question as there are no cookie cutter searches, each is unique. One that initially comes to mind is when I placed a CCO into a company about two years from commercialization, but shortly after their hire, there was a clinical setback and all of a sudden my placement no longer had a role. But the company thought highly enough of their background and skillset that they made them a Board Director and they’ve since joined a second Board. The company went on to get their clinical development back on track and I then recruited some of their clinical leadership. Ultimately, they were acquired which was a very solid exit, but more importantly, their product is now approved and helping seriously ill patients. Being a small part of that story is meaningful to me, and it’s moments like these that remind me how deeply our work can ripple outward—into real human impact.
What Does Success in Executive Search Look Like For You?
It’s about the process and Journey, not just end result. It’s not just placing someone in the role at the moment, but looking back several years later and knowing they had a positive impact. Success means providing guidance and advice, and risk mitigation to clients. A successful search stems from the ability to respectfully challenge while fully supporting both your team and your client.
What is the Greatest Opportunity of the Decade?
While AI seems like a no-brainer answer and it certainly has the potential to unlock some of the complexities of the human body and healthcare overall, I believe one of the greatest opportunities (and challenges) in executive search lies in identifying leaders who can guide organizations in using AI and other technologies to enhance, rather than replace, their human talent. It’s a combination and integration of technology and people. Even with technological advances, leaders must still create an empowering and thoughtful culture where people want to work. This is true in the world of executive search. We are already leveraging AI from an administrative streamling perspective, but the human touch and the building of longterm relationships will remain essential. From a drug development standpoint, there is still so much to unlock within gene therapy, personalized treatments, synthetic biology, as well as a continued focus on rare diseases. Exciting times ahead!
What’s Your Favorite Quote?
“Attitude is the ‘little’ thing that makes a big difference.” -Winston Churchill