Why MedTech, Biotech and CRO organisations are no longer hiring for expertise alone, and what this means for talent, training and leadership development. For decades, hiring in life sciences has followed a relatively predictable formula. If you needed scientific expertise, you hired scientists. If you needed commercial growth, you hired salespeople. If you needed leadership, you promoted your top performers. It worked because the roles themselves were relatively well defined.

Four years ago, I wrote an article following a conversation with my friend and colleague Greg Walsh about sales effectiveness and how the same principles could be applied throughout a business. The article focused on sales efficiency ratios, customer understanding, effective processes, training and measurement, all of which remain highly relevant today. Last week, Greg and I met for lunch and found ourselves revisiting the subject. Not for the first time, discussing what has

In biotech scale-ups, talent risk rarely announces itself loudly. It does not arrive as incompetence, bad intent, or lack of intelligence. More often, it appears quietly—embedded in promotion decisions that feel logical, fair, and even inspiring at the time they are made. One of the most underestimated risks is appointing first-time leaders into roles that sit at the fault line between science, regulation, capital, and operational delivery. This is not an argument against dev

Patterns Begin To Emerge One of the advantages of interviewing thousands of people over many years is that eventually patterns become impossible to ignore. Different industries. Different countries. Different personalities. Yet many of the highest performers share surprisingly similar characteristics. They Take Ownership High performers rarely blame circumstances. When results fall short, they ask: "What could I have done differently?" Ownership creates learning. Excuses pr

Most business leaders can tell you their sales growth, operating margin, pipeline value and forecast for the next quarter, all of which are crucial measures of business performance. But how many can tell you how long it takes their organisation to hire a critical employee? At first glance, time to hire may appear to be little more than a recruitment metric. In reality, it can have a direct impact on revenue, product launches, customer relationships, regulatory compliance and

One recent conversation brought this into sharp focus. Having met with a candidate about an opportunity they shared feedback that stood out not because it was flattering, but because it was revealing:

At BioUK, I recently led a Power Hour session on a topic that deserves more attention: leadership alignment as a driver of success in biotech and medtech. BioUK BioLearn Power Hour: Remtec - Building Investor - Grade Leadership Teams in Life Sciences

In today’s MedTech and Life Sciences hiring landscape, the challenge is no longer simply filling vacancies, it’s identifying, engaging, and securing the right talent in an increasingly complex and constrained market. Across the UK, Europe, and the United States, organisations are navigating a rapidly evolving workforce shaped by skills shortages, technological disruption, and shifting candidate expectations. In this environment, traditional recruitment approaches are no longe