New leadership for biotech is in high demand. Technology and science continue to rapidly evolve, creating a need for constant innovation. Biotech needs leaders who can both inspire innovation and support the company through evolution. Christian & Timbers finds those leaders, at whichever stage a biotech company is at.
A biotech company preparing for its first clinical trial needs a different type of leader from a company building commercial partnerships or expanding an approved product. Regardless of stage, the right biotech executive for your company must understand the science, make sound decisions, and bring the team together around what comes next.
Christian & Timbers’ experience in technology, healthcare, and life sciences gives us a competitive edge as the top biotech executive search firm. In the new age of technology and AI, Christian & Timbers is especially equipped to find biotech leaders.
The biotech executive search team helps biotech and life sciences companies recruit leaders across all company stages and roles, including CEOs, board directors, scientific and medical leaders, and commercial executives. Our work connects the skills a company needs now with the experience it will need at its next stage.
More than 100 leaders placed across biopharma and life sciences.
Talk with Christian & Timbers about your next biotech leadership hire.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
VP of Clinical Development
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
VP of Regulatory Affairs
VP of Clinical Development
Our biopharma executive search practice works with companies from early development all the way through clinical and commercial growth. Christian & Timbers has placed more than 100 leaders across biopharma and life sciences. Our deep experience in both biopharma and tech helps us ask intentional, targeted questions that hit all the needs of a biotech role.
Biotech leadership roles rarely fit a generic job description, and they need to be tailored to each specific company. A chief commercial officer may need to understand a new scientific platform while also building its first customer relationships. A board director may need to have clinical judgment, public-company experience, or financial oversight depending on the company. Christian & Timbers shapes the search around the work the leader needs to accomplish. Then Christian & Timbers assesses candidates against those needs.
Our biotech executive searches span across many roles, including board, C-suite, scientific, medical, commercial, technology, and AI leadership. When scientific development depends on partnerships, data, product strategy, or moves into new markets, this is especially useful. Douglas Gladstone, managing partner at Christian & Timbers brings life sciences executive search experience across biotech, biopharma, diagnostics, medical devices, and pharmaceuticals.
These case studies show the leadership needs behind 3 different biotech and biopharma executive searches. The outcomes shown reflect the work of each company's full team; the cases show the role Christian & Timbers played in recruiting the biotech executive team leader.
DAB.bio had developed a continuous fermentation platform. They needed help turning its tech into a profitable, commercial business. DAB.bio partnered with Christian & Timbers biotech executive search firm and recruited Willem-Jan Meijer as chief commercial officer and co-managing director. Following the hire, DAB.bio had other successes. They launched a lab-scale product, formed a partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, generated its first revenues, and secured investment, which enabled them to scale. Read the DAB.bio case study.
Christian & Timbers helped Telix Pharmaceuticals find Maria Rivas, MD and William Jellison as board members. Christian & Timbers’ experience in tech, biopharma, and board executive search positioned the firm as the best option for Telix Pharmaceuticals. Rivas brought clinical development and pharmaceutical leadership experience. Jellison brought financial and public-company governance experience. Hiring Christian & Timbers for both roles showed how board searches can add complementary skills as a biopharma company grows.
Christian & Timbers found and recruited Deborah Zajac as a general partner and co-leader of IndieBio New York. Her role helps founders who are working to turn scientific ideas into viable companies through mentorship, connections, and commercialization guidance. This is a leader for the leaders. Read the IndieBio New York case study.
Each biotech executive search starts with the company's next decision. For example, an early-stage business may need a leader who can build a team and win partners. On the other hand, a clinical-stage company may need experience guiding development programs. Lastly, a commercial-stage company may need someone who has scaled a product, organization, or market presence.
First, the biotech executive search team begins by defining the results the executive needs to deliver and the decisions they will own. Next, they map the relevant talent market, connect with potential candidates, and assesses their experience and how it would fit with the company's stage and goals. That process includes examining how candidates have led scientific or commercial teams, handled major company milestones, and collaborated and communicated with boards and investors.
The result is a biotech executive search built around your actual leadership needs. Whether your need is advancing a pipeline, building partnerships, scaling operations, or preparing for commercial growth, Christian & Timbers will find the person.
Yes. Christian & Timbers has a biopharma practice and reports more than 100 leadership placements across biopharma and life sciences. Our executive search work includes biotech, pharmaceutical, and related life sciences organizations.
Christian & Timbers' biotech executive search practice can source candidates for any executive role, including CEOs, chief scientific officers, chief medical officers, chief commercial officers, and board members. Christian & Timbers recruits technology and AI leaders when the role calls for those skills.
Yes. Christian & Timbers’ biotech executive search team works across major life sciences markets and can run a search that reaches far beyond a single city. they can also recruit from a specific city if that is a need. Learn more about our Boston executive search work.
Reach out to a biotech recruiter to discuss what your company is building and what the next leader needs to accomplish. Contact Christian & Timbers to discuss your biotech executive search.
