Everyone in executive search claims to be different. They claim to be faster, cheaper, or better networked. But very few can prove their impact.
That’s the uncomfortable truth. The industry doesn’t need more Partners, Consultants or Search Firms. It needs better outcomes.
Most search firms operate on a simple equation: fill the role fast, collect the fee, move on. Success is measured in time-to-hire, not years-of-impact.
But here’s what we know from placing life sciences leaders for over a decade: the cost of a bad hire isn’t just financial, it’s scientific. Bad hires cause delays to treatments, missed regulatory deadlines, and ultimately impact patients.
While speed and cost might grab headlines, it’s Quality of Hire at the heart of the story. Because top leadership hires deliver many times the value of the average hire.
Quality of Hire isn’t just our success metric – it’s our operating philosophy. We’ve designed our entire search process around one question: did this leader deliver impact?
When you work with Fraser Dove, you’re not buying activity. You’re buying outcomes. And we’ll still be tracking those outcomes long after other firms have moved on to their next fee.
We Approach Quality of Hire in Life Sciences Differently
Hire The Best in the Market, Not on the Market
High-quality leaders aren’t browsing job boards. They’re thriving in their current roles, delivering impact for your competitors. We identify, engage and secure talent from our network of 150,000+ life science leaders. Leaders who are proven, not just promising.
Avoid hiring on CV but Firing on Performance
Leader’s achievements and experience at one company don’t always translate to the next. That’s why we use Teamscope, our AI-powered assessment platform, to evaluate what predicts success, de-risking your hire before you make the offer.
Track Leadership Impact, Not Vanity Metrics
Most search firms live for the placement. We live for the impact that placement has on your business. We track whether your leaders get promoted, exceed objectives, and help your business grow. Many of our placements celebrate 7-10+ year tenures and are thriving.
We Know Quality of Hire Determines Your Competitive Advantage
In life sciences, leadership quality of hire is exponentially more critical than in other sectors. A poor commercial hire in any sector will cost a business money. But a poor R&D hire in pharma could potentially cost lives, and millions in failed development programmes.
The truth is, hiring in the life sciences has become more complex, not less. Too many leaders are hired on CV but fired on performance. The post-COVID boom has resulted in inflated achievements. And the best candidates are well compensated and secure in their roles. The stakes are clear:
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Regulatory Complexity Demands Flawless Judgment
From GMP compliance to clinical trial design, life sciences leaders operate in environments where a single poor decision can trigger regulatory action, delay market entry, or compromise patient safety. You need leaders whose judgment has been proven under pressure.
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PE-Backed Growth Amplifies Leadership Impact
For private equity-backed life sciences companies, executive leadership directly determines whether you hit the growth milestones and investor returns that define success or failure. There’s no room for mediocrity when valuations depend on pipeline progression and market penetration.
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Leadership Tenure Reflects Quality of Hire
The average tenure for life sciences executives is 3-4 years. Our placements average 7+ years, with many celebrating a decade or more. That’s not luck, it’s the result of a rigorous process designed to measure what others ignore.
Quality of Hire in life sciences leadership isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between a business that scales and one that flatlines or faulters.
We Built a Better Measurement System
Recruitment has a measurement problem. Everyone tracks speed and volume. Few track impact.
At the leadership layer, this becomes mission critical. A mis-hire at VP or C-suite level can derail regulatory approval, destroy team morale, and cost you growth milestones that investors demand. Leadership impact compounds over years, which means your measurement system needs to look beyond probation rates.
Traditional Search Metrics vs Quality of Hire Metrics
Activity-Based
(Typical Search Firms)
- Time to hire
- Number of candidates submitted
- Cost-per-hire
- Candidate satisfaction scores
- Interview-to-offer ratio
- Probation pass
Outcome-Based
(Fraser Dove)
- Years of sustained impact
- Promotion rate of placements
- Business value created
- Achievement against objectives
- Growth milestones contribution
- Multi-year tenure and progression
The difference? Accountability.
FDI-QHI, our Quality of Hire index, track our placements over 5, 7, even 10+ years. We know which leaders got promoted, which ones helped their companies hit Series B funding milestones, which ones are still driving impact, turning what others claim into measurable success.
That’s not luck. That’s what happens when you design your entire process around Quality of Hire.
We Focus on Outcomes, Not Activity
Everyone in executive search claims to be different. Very few can prove it.
The uncomfortable truth? This industry is full of activity but very little accountability. Most firms compete on speed or cost. We compete on impact.
Watch our Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Macaskill, explain why a Quality of Hire focus changes everything for life sciences businesses.
In this video, Andrew breaks down:
- Why traditional search metrics measure the wrong things
- The true cost of bad hires in life sciences (it’s not just financial, it’s scientific)
- The three stages where we embed Quality of Hire: sourcing, assessment, and post-placement tracking
- The specific value drivers – we monitor promotions, objective achievement, and growth milestone contribution
This isn’t theory. It’s how we’ve built our business since 2014.
The result? many of our placements are still thriving in their roles 7, 8, even 10 years later.
We Deliver Quality of Hire in the Life Sciences Through Proven Solutions
Quality of Hire is embedded in everything we do. From executive search to succession planning, we’ve built our solutions around one goal: ensuring your leaders deliver lasting impact.
Keystone Search
Keystone Search, our executive search solution, caters for critical or confidential hires from SVP to Board. Combining behavioural science with traditional headhunting, we identify and engage high performers who align with your organisational culture and strategic goals.
Learn more
Leadership RPO
Leadership RPO, our recruitment process outsourcing solution, supports your talent acquisition strategy during rapid growth or transformation. Working as an extension of your business, this scalable, cost-effective solution helps leaders manage resourcing needs effectively during change.
Learn more
Teamscope
Teamscope is our AI-powered platform to better inform hiring, team development, and succession planning. By leveraging validated scientific frameworks and advanced machine learning, Teamscope provides actionable insights on team dynamics and individual capabilities, helping you build high-performing teams.
Learn more
We Deliver Quality of Hire Across the Life Science Value Chain
C-Suite & Board
Identifying superstars who can steer your company’s sustained growth and innovation.
Science & R&D
Delivering high-calibre talent who can transform discoveries and ideas into product innovations.
TechOps & Quality
Securing impact players who streamline processes and enhance operational efficiency.
Business Services
Uncovering top-tier talent in business services who support and drive your infrastructure.
Commercial & General Management
Finding leaders who can drive organisational effectiveness and grow the bottom line.
We Partner with the World’s Most Innovative Life Science Businesses
We Are The Right Choice For Quality Of Hire
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We are life science executive search expects.
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We provide cutting edge search and selection solutions.
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We specialise in the leadership-layer.
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We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.
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We’ve been identifying, engaging and securing high-impact leaders since 2014.
We Know Your Next Leader
Complete our Form, and our talent acquisition specialists will be in touch to discuss your specific search requirements. Alternatively, call us on +44 (0)203 355 7050.