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Chief Medical Officer Surgical – Spain

The Context

After notable success in the North & LATAM, one of the fastest-growing Medical Device companies within the Surgical space decided to launch their product into the EMEA market. The company were looking to bring in a seasoned individual to drive energy and growth through the fledgling European leadership team and the entire European market as Chief Medical Officer. This senior leadership role was the key hire for the entire company at that stage as they opened new clinical training centres across the territory, so Guided Solutions were summoned to identify and recruit the right individual.

The Campaign

The role of the CMO would be at once strategic and tactical. Hands on management and involvement in clinical content for conferences and symposia were key requirements, alongside supporting the overall sales function by providing the direction in which sales channels should move and develop. The role would require an individual with the gravitas to build a strong KOL network from the ground up, as well as the entrepreneurial spirit to be the catalyst for a successful sales pipeline.

Guided Solutions were able to deliver a shortlist made up of Medical Doctors who each had their own unique brand of commercialism to bring to bear. Although it was not stipulated that surgical experience was mandatory for consideration, we were able to identify a candidate with that highly specific blend of skills, who was able as a result to hit the ground running.

Our industry-specific search and selection processes help technology-driven medical device companies reach their full potential.

Learn more about our services or get in touch to explore how our expertise can benefit your business.

Global Medical Advisor Dermatology – Spain

The Context

Our client, a Biologics company with a particular focus on the Dermatology market engaged Guided Solutions in a search to locate and recruit a Global Medical Advisor. The position had become a business necessity due to an acquisition made by our client. The new blend of products created by the amalgam of the two businesses required a central figure to harness and manage overall clinical strategy. The company had not taken public the news of their planned expansion at the beginning of the search, requiring confidentiality throughout the talent mapping and approach stages.

The Campaign

As mentioned, the key focus for the position was the development of an overall clinical strategy. Within that the Global Medical Advisor would be charged with liaising with company marketing, other market companies, partners and various regulatory bodies.The GMA would be responsible too for evaluating medical efficacy in dermatological developments, driving and developing KOL relationships, supporting communication strategies and attending relevant networking events such as international congresses.

Guided Solutions were able to identify a candidate with a dermatology-focused academic pedigree. This combined with a commercial and clinical work experience gave the company the employee they required.

Our portfolio of specialised services provides bespoke solutions to even the most challenging hiring projects. 

Whether you have a priority hire which requires immediate attention, or you are exploring the idea of adding to your team and would like some advice, contact us today and we will guide you through the hiring journey.

VP EMEA Operations Interventional Cardiology – Italy

The Context

Our client, a young interventional cardiology startup company with its parent entity based in Asia, was expanding its commercial operations into the EMEA region. Up until this point, the company had been utilising the services of consultants to map prospective markets but did not have anyone on-headcount with the required knowledge and experience. The role was conceived to move towards self-reliance.

The Campaign

The Vice President of Operations EMEA would be brought on board to conceive the location of and ultimately build the body of a front-line sales team to cover the key territories within the region. The company had little in the way of infrastructure and so an individual who had experience of establishing a sustainable P&L was pivotal, as was establishing and leveraging a broad KOL network.

Three viable candidates were selected for advanced profiling through our proprietary cloud-based behavioural assessment platform, GS Compass. Each candidate had direct cardiology market experience and a strong KOL network. The key differentiator in reaching the final decision was the extent to which each of the candidates projected confidence and assured the board of their ability not just to manage the entity independently, but to advise the main board as to the correct course to take.

96% of employees hired using the GS Compass platform are still in place after 12 months.

Learn more our advanced candidate assessment platform, GS Compass or contact us directly for an exploratory consultation.

 

VP Regulatory Affairs Orthopaedics – Italy

The Context

One of Guided Solutions’ key clients, a cutting-edge implantable Orthopaedic technology manufacturer, had been expanding steadily over a two year period.

The company had originally spun out of a leading research institute with the sitting CEO a member of the university research team. All matters on Regulatory Affairs, Product Delivery and Research & Development had been the direct responsibility of the CEO and a carousel of temporary consultants contracted when necessary.

The business was beginning to shake off its institutional roots and move towards fully-fledged company status ready to take some ambitious commercial steps, eyeing significant funding. On this basis the CEO was becoming increasingly preoccupied with matters of strategic leadership so the decision was taken to hire a permanent Vice President of Regulatory Affairs.

The Campaign

The role was created to provide a strategic oversight of all international device accreditation processes and keep the company ahead of impending regulatory changes to those pathways in the coming years.

The candidate for this position needed to have a demonstrable track record of hands-on management of regulatory affairs within a micro-sized entity working with a Class III device. The technology used in the device development process meant that this classification might be subject to change with the coming regulation – an eventuality that would have to be planned for. The final key consideration was exposure to multi-accreditation approval planning. This was especially important given the CEO’s commitment to obtaining further VC funding to keep the business on track to achieve its ambitious scale-up objectives.

Guided Solutions were able to draw up a shortlist of 10 candidates with a blend of attributes that made them a theoretical match for the position. The subsequent methodology involved filtering candidates based on behavioural tendency and predicting their ability to manage the myriad stresses and responsibilities forming the role’s distinctive character.

After video interviewing, psychometric profiling, and key competency assessment of five candidates, two were chosen to progress to the advanced interview stage.

The final stage involved the preparation of a hypothetical regulatory approval plan for both the US and EU as well as a deeper discussion around candidate motivations and ambitions. The successful candidate was selected based on their demonstration of the dynamism, speed of thought and track record of delivering solutions to complex problems within testing time constraints.

Our core Executive Search service helps Medical Device businesses to access and retain impactful, growth-leading talent at each key stage of the company lifecycle.

Click here to learn more or contact us directly to explore how our expertise can help your business optimise its talent pipeline.

R&D Team Build Medical Imaging – Poland

The Context

One of Guided Solutions’ long-standing clients had a requirement to greatly increase the scale of their Research & Development engineering function in order to support and continue to develop and implement product innovations. The company have a novel and disruptive technology used within medical imaging which has precipitated a paradigm shift in the way practitioners carry out procedures in the therapy area.

The Campaign

The new team and requisite management layer constituted 18 hires in total. Six Software Engineers and one Manager were required to update the core company technology. Another six Research Engineers and one Manager were required to bring to life and develop new innovations and usages of the core product, with a QA team of 4 then subsequently required to appraise and push back on unworkable adaptations.

The subject matter of the positions being filled meant that the best profiles for these roles were also courted by multi-national tech giants. The eventual team build of course contained those individuals with the necessary skills. The stand-out characteristic however, was the drive behind the skills to work for a company with an actionable plan to save and improve the quality of people’s lives across the planet. Each position we were mandated to fill was filled within the agreed timeframe.

Report: Medical Device Companies and Innovation 2018

The global Medical Device industry has long been characterised by lean, fast-moving innovation and intense competition in pursuit of improving the human condition through enhanced healthcare provision.

Guided Solutions’ Medical Device 2018 industry report examines both the existing state of the market and the forces precipitating change and transition in reimbursement, regulatory accreditation and technology.

The focus of research and statistical analysis for this report draws on a number of cited sources with particular focus on the North American and European markets.

37.2% of applications filed with the European Patent Office in 2017 originated from US-based organisations, closely reflecting wider market trends and realities of continued US dominance as the global import and
export leader.

Despite the fact that 40% of the global Medical Device industry is controlled by a big top 10 companies, fierce product innovation acceleration rates dictate that the market is still 95% SMEs, out of which more than 80% are ‘small’ companies with fewer than 50 employees.

Click here to get your own copy of this free report.

Had a Disastrous Job Interview? Here’s How to Save it!

As with many things in life, a job interview is only a ‘snapshot’ of a particular moment in time. Being specialist recruiters there have been numerous times where an outstanding candidate has gotten back to us after an interview only to share their disappointment at, quite frankly, completely messing it up.

There are many reasons why your skills and personality just don’t come across well enough during an interview – from candidates letting their nerves get the better of them to making a massive blunder (ever called the main investor by the wrong name anyone?)…

Here at Guided Solutions we have heard many of them over the years. A candidate being made redundant 5 minutes before the interview, taking it from an interesting option to a ‘help-I-need-this-job-to-eat’ type of situation, or a candidate getting in a car crash right before the interview, causing them to completely (and understandably) lose their mojo are just two examples.

It’s always heart-breaking when this happens, particularly as often times the interviewee would have probably been a fantastic match for the role!

That’s why we would like to share with you some ways to try and get things back on track!

If it truly went wrong…

…chances are you are probably well aware of this and don’t need to wait for the Hiring Manager’s feedback before trying to mend it. In this case, a good way to get things back on track is sending a follow-up note.

Start by thanking the Hiring Manager for their time, as being polite always helps put things on a positive level. Then follow with an outline of what skills or experience you did not sufficiently outline during the interview or use that as an opportunity to humorously counteract any major faux pas you have made.

Finish off by suggesting a few dates on which you could come by to elaborate further in person.

…and even if the Hiring Manager or Recruiter have gotten back to you with negative feedback, you might not want to give up just yet…

Especially if you were the only candidate to be considered, leaving them with no alternatives, there might still be a way to salvage the situation. And hey, even if there were multiple contenders, who is to say they did not mess up as well?!

Give the Hiring Manager a call thanking them for their consideration and express your disappointment at your performance. Ask for further feedback and counteract any concerns. Reiterate succinctly how your particular skills set and experience make you the best candidate for the job.

The motivation this demonstrates and the honest explanation for your bad performance might entice them to reconsider.

Another great trick is to provide the Hiring Manager with a few (written) references…

This can be particularly helpful if there are several people within the company who need that extra convincing of your suitability and has worked out particularly well for a few of my candidates.

Ask your former managers, clients or even co-workers to give you a reference. Make sure the focus is on the areas the Hiring Manager has doubts about in particular. If possible, try and get references from individuals who are relevant to the job you are applying for.

As always, if you are working with a medical device recruiter make sure they are aware of your concerns and ask them for help in resolving the situation!

A good recruiter will know both sides of the story and can advise you accordingly!

None of these methods are fool proof of course, however:

If you don’t buy a ticket, you don’t win the raffle!

If you are interested in learning how to get invited to interview in the first place, take a minute to read our 6 Tips to Get You invited to Interview!

 

Guided Solutions is a European market leader in Medical Device Recruitment.

Visit our website to find out more about our comprehensive range of search & selection services or get in touch directly via +44 1904720040.

Sales Team Build Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Rehabilitation – Europe

The Context

Through a pre-existing relationship between the Guided Solutions Leadership Team and the newly appointed CEO of an ambitious Nordic start-up, we were instructed to build a direct sales team across Key Western European markets including Netherlands, Germany, UK, Norway, Denmark & Sweden.

The company, based out of Finland, had developed a highly novel technology with potentially disruptive application centred on the Orthopaedic, Traumatology and Rehabilitation space. The technology had been originally developed by two PhD research students out of the University of Helsinki.

The technology had application within an over-saturated product area. On top of that, two multi-nationals had cornered the market with seemingly little appetite for the adjustment our client’s proposition presented.

The product had gone through numerous clinical trials, had achieved regulatory approval and was demonstrating market attractiveness through a limited distributor sales model. According to the data gathered, the product presented both an improvement in clinical outcomes and a reduction in price from a health economic point of view in comparison with alternatives already dominating the marketplace, and so the decision was taken to go direct in the markets mentioned above

The Campaign

The first challenge of the recruitment campaign was to identify individuals in each of the localities who could understand and reflect the regional attitudes of the specific customer base. All individuals who could potentially fit this mould then had to be cross-referenced with the overarching requirement that the company had for a fairly aggressive expansion of sales in order to satisfy Venture Capital investors and important timelines.

Each market represented a variation from the next and slightly different criteria had to be followed to match what the client required from each region. Quite logically, our search began within the two monoliths already dominating the market. We then expanded our search outwards to cover individuals within the clinical setting of the product who had a commercial aspect but potentially from a different area.

Guided Solutions is Europe’s largest international executive search consultancy operating exclusively within Medical Devices, with more than 8000 placements in 35 countries and counting.

Need a team to support a specific function within your Medical Device business? Learn more about our Team Build service or contact us for an exploratory discussion.