Recruitment consultant
for chemical industry, pharmacy, life sciences & healthcare

Executive Search Healthcare & life sciences

Executives who help shape the transformation process

The healthcare market is experiencing a fundamental transformation, which presents enormous challenges for service providers, payors and manufacturers – and often calls past business models into question.

These challenges include permanently rising costs and falling revenues as well as growing competitive pressure from global market players, such as Google and Amazon or the countless startups in the healthcare sector. Compounding this are changing patient expectations and increasingly demanding regulatory conditions.

The German healthcare sector requires managers who are capable of leading, innovating and leveraging potential during these times of change. Our executive search consultants for the healthcare industry will advise you as well as find and recruit these outstanding leaders for you. Through the Friisberg Group's global "life sciences" practice group, we are also very knowledgeable about global trends and developments.

From traditional to smart hospital

The Corona pandemic has put hospitals in the spotlight and exposed some considerable shortcomings. In light of growing demands and an ever-increasing shortage of specialists, continuing development from a classic hospital into a networked "smart hospital" has become an indispensable concept. The aim is to use digitized processes and new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and telemedicine to improve patient care, relieve staff and significantly increase efficiency in order to reduce costs. Big Data promises to deliver big benefits. The effective collection, analysis and integration of medical records across healthcare institutions into central systems would enable diseases to be predicted, while limiting their impact or even preventing them.

Efficiency as a success factor in the global pharmaceutical market

Not least COVID-19 has shown that the search for new drugs and vaccines is a race against time that has to be won. Up against global competition, the German pharmaceutical industry is confronted with the immense challenge of having to become more efficient – on all levels: from R&D to documentation, production, packaging, and sales. Digitization has significant importance here because the intelligent application of digital technologies can lead to optimized processes and shorter time to market.

Diversity and sustainability are among the challenges of our time, while at the same time offering so many opportunities. Our conviction and experience have led us to conclude that an inclusive management style and a diverse management team make companies more successful in the long run. In the healthcare industry, more and more companies are pursuing a sustainability strategy, both in appreciation of their social and societal responsibilities and for economic reasons. Some focal points include: increasing energy efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions, protecting the environment (e.g., from pollution), social commitment (e.g., supporting medical care in low-income countries), and ensuring compliance and integrity (e.g., anti-corruption).

Another important success factor is "customer centricity," which puts patients, doctors or pharmacists at the center. Here, too, digitization plays a major role. First, the data of the target group is gathered in order to then analyze it automatically with AI-based tools. With this as a basis, the requests and needs within that target group can be addressed in a precise way. Megatrends such as "personalized drugs," i.e., the development of medications that are individually tailored to patients and their gene pool, continue to occupy the industry.

Increasing regulation in medical technology

Digitization is not stopping at medical technology. Increasingly more functionalities of classic medical devices are being mapped in software and service is becoming even more automated. The growing complexity is accompanied by rising expectations when it comes to usability and reliability, particularly avoiding errors and ensuring patient safety. Big Data and AI are leading to a new quality of medicine. Intelligent implants offer an almost autonomous control circuit of diagnostics and therapy. Last but not least, the development of nano-robots, which is only made possible by pioneering nano-3D printing, does not require the use of algorithms. On top of the countless opportunities available to the industry, ever-increasing regulation is perceived as a great challenge.

Intelligent responses to life sciences pressures

All of this places complex demands on leaders in the healthcare industry. Just to name a few, they must lead interdisciplinary teams, react swiftly to restrictive regulations, and identify and leverage market potential. In addition to technical expertise, digital competence and soft skills such as versatility are in demand, because leaders are facing a broad range of issues. GET AHEAD advises you on putting together management teams that shape change and know how to motivate employees. Together we will find the optimal solutions to meet your specific requirements.