Case Study
Pharmaceuticals & Biotechnology/ Consumer Centricity
Consumers at the Center
A Life Sciences Company Reaches Across Industry Lines to Find a Consumer-Focused Executive
Situation
In the rapidly evolving world of healthcare, one company in particular has made the clear and strong statement that consumer needs are at the center of its business strategy. This $35 billion multinational healthcare organization focuses on consumer health, diabetes care, human vaccines, and innovative drugs. As a reflection of its patient-centered strategy, the company recently sought to appoint an executive as its Global Head of Market Analytics and Customer Insights. This executive would be charged with building a team that would leverage data, consumer research, and healthcare trends to help catalyze consumer-centric initiatives across the organization.
Approach
While the life sciences industry has only recently embraced the idea of consumer centricity, other sectors have developed long-term expertise in leveraging data and research to give consumers the experiences they value. Our client indicated it was interested in evaluating candidates from a wide range of backgrounds, especially those from outside its specific industry. Our cross-industry global team identified a slate of executives from technology, healthcare, and the fast-moving consumer goods sector, also known as consumer products. This latter sector, in particular, has developed a broad base of skilled, consumer-focused executive talent. The key was to identify an executive who would be able to drive consumer centricity across a large, international organization.
Outcome
Following an extensive search, the client hired an executive from a major consumer products company as the Global Head of Market Analytics and Customer Insights. At his former place of employment, the winning candidate built the global consumer insights function from the ground up, which will also be one of his key responsibilities in his new position. Earlier in his career, the executive led the global consumer insights function at one of the world’s largest brand-name food and beverage companies.
