Leading with Competitive Edge

The Situation
The Medical Director with one of our clients, a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical company took flight in March 2001. While other pharmaceuticals were busy on the M&A trail, and expanding their markets, our client was left in the lurch to look for a highly competitive and experienced substitute. The earlier executive search company hired by our client in March 2001 had been silent for more than a year. The requirements naturally, are stringent and the process was like looking for the needle in the haystack. There are only a handful in Malaysia, with the best already hired by their competitors.

In June 2002, we were approached.

The Approach
Given the scale and scope of responsibilities, and coupled by the disadvantage that our client was without a Medical Director, we had to refrain from media advertisement. We employed the Executive Search process immediately. The Targeted search focused on successful players in agreed peer organizations and we combed the market from leading private hospitals, to research laboratories and every nook and corner in the industry. The whole exercise was done with high extent of discreetness that we had not ruffled the feather of our client’s competitors or the industry generally.

What We Delivered
Our ability to process the assignment within very tight timescales was essential. Within a span of 4 weeks, we presented our client with 8 profiles of candidates. The top brass was almost relieved and met up with all eight candidates. Three of them were shortlisted for a second interview with the regional team, and after much negotiation and convincing, the right candidate was hired. The whole exercise took only about slightly more than 2 months. With our special attention to specific cases, the client realized it was worth the switch and swift move.