Track Record
SELECTED CASES
We advise many of the life-science companies that matter most. It’s our peer-quality insight into strategic and technical needs — and deep networks — that results in optimal leaders with exemplary teams. The Sonder Group has filled hundreds of critical positions in the life-science industry with new employees who build value.
A sample list of completed searches:
Chief Executive Officer
Molecular Diagnostics Company
Venture-backed Point of Care Molecular Diagnostic company needed CEO to raise a Series “B” round and lead company to an exit.
Specific challenges: Former CEO left abruptly due to personal reasons. Client desired a candidate with public company diagnostics experience but be nimble join a 20 person small company to immediately secure financing.
Approach & Outcome: Networked with large and small diagnostics company CEO’s with a focus on those who had sold small Dx companies to large companies. Final hire has a strong CFO background with significant fundraising success and over 6 exits.
Chief Executive Officer
DNA Instrument Company
Venture-backed DNA Mapping Instrument company seeking CEO leader to raise money to fund product development and build value for investors.
Specific challenges: To find a dual player with proven track record of raising early-stage rounds plus product development leadership to meet aggressive product development timelines to achieve funding milestones.
Approach & Outcome: A carefully selected list of candidates with early-stage experience growing life science tool Newcos. Final hire had founded two companies as an Engineering head, risen to CEO and drove two successful exits.
Chief Laboratory Director
Molecular Diagnostics, USA
A Molecular Diagnostics start-up with rapid growth in patient testing volume looking to hire a laboratory director to relieve the part-time Chief Medical Officer and to properly organize the operations for future expansion and efficiency.
Specific challenges: To find a hands-on expert in a particular disease expertise who has the vision and experience to build the organization in compliance with regulations in anticipation of rapid growth.
Approach & Outcome: Found several rising stars with an entrepreneurial spirit from larger diagnostics services companies focused in similar indications. Placed a stellar board-certified (ABMG & ABMS) finalist in a short time. She not only had the perfect passion for a start-up company but also possessed excellent genetic disease knowledge.
President, North America Subsidiary
Life Science Instruments, Denmark
A wholly-owned subsidiary of a European Life Science Instrument company seeking a leader for the North America operations to re-organize the team and meet aggressive sales goals.
Specific challenges: To find a focused, efficient and experienced leader with the right mix of strategic team-building, industry connections, and effective sales skills, as well as a proven track-record.
Approach & Outcome: A carefully selected list of candidates with experience working in the US as well as Europe were contacted and presented to the client. We were able to find the perfect fit by honing in on an additional intangible quality — a true appreciation for working across the Atlantic Ocean by building communication, not walls.
VP Research & Development
Synthetic Biology/Genomics, USA
A venture-backed gene synthesis company moving from research to order fulfillment requires an R&D leader with a heavy focus on product development to engineer quality, control, and scalability into processes for transfer to manufacturing.
Specific challenges: The business is based on novel ground-breaking technology that requires a leader able to apply best practices to new methods and deliverables. Very few scientists have direct commercial experience in this field and therefore the talent pool was limited.
Approach & Outcome: We focused on finding candidates who had experience in protein expression and new consumable technology development and a solid understanding of product development principles. We quickly narrowed in on the finalist who had an excellent molecular biology background along with experience managing product development focused R&D teams in a world-leading life sciences product supply company with several international sites. Since hiring him, the client has worked with us to complete two follow-on searches, for a Senior VP of Manufacturing and a Director of R&D.
Vice President and Business Line Leader
Multi-billion dollar public engineering company, USA
Due to an internal promotion, the client was looking for a marketing leader who understands contract engineering business models but who also has experience in life science instrument development, in order to manage a distributed team of product managers located in various international sites.
Specific challenges: The client is a highly-regarded company supplying precision components of instruments. We needed to find someone who could see the opportunity to provide novel solutions leveraging the company's expertise.
Approach & Outcome: We sought candidates with deep experience marketing scientific instruments but who were solution sales oriented and could lead a re-focusing initiative. The finalist demonstrated a strong ability to "tell a story" which set him apart by helping the company evolve from selling components to selling bigger solutions and applications, and establishing partnerships with a range of clients from venture-backed startups to billion-dollar life sciences supply companies.