Koenig & Associates

Koenig & Associates, LLC is a retained executive search firm specialising in the life sciences industry, and it has recruited top talent in that field since 2005. The firm trades on the line The Art of Hiring, It's in Our DNA, and states that it brings more than 30 years of experience in identifying and assessing exceptional talent while working exclusively in what it calls a life-changing industry. Mary Koenig founded the firm in 2005 after 18 years as a corporate human resources executive and, in that role, a purchaser of retained search services. That experience on the buying side is what shaped the model: a highly customised, sophisticated concierge service that operates as an elite extension of the client's business. She built the firm from the ground up into full profitable operation within its first year, and it remains a woman owned business. The offer is deliberately narrow, with 100 per cent retained searches and 100 per cent focus on life sciences.

Koenig & Associates works with companies of every size in its sector, from small start-up biotech businesses through to mid-size and large organisations, and has conducted executive search assignments for companies in pharmaceutical and biotech, medical device, diagnostics and healthcare services. Its core focus areas fall into two groups. On the commercial side the firm places sales, marketing, managed markets, sales operations, market research, sales force effectiveness, pricing, reimbursement, market access, HEOR and sales training leaders. On the general and administrative side it covers human resources, business development, alliance management, communications, compliance, finance, government affairs and information technology, along with board director appointments.

The position the firm takes is that hiring is an art rather than a science, and that the right leader is the building block for future growth and must align with an organisation's trajectory and culture. Three things are put forward as the reason to choose it. Its background as corporate human resources leaders gives it a perspective on building teams from the inside as well as the outside. Its network is made up of personal, long standing relationships that have been carefully cultivated, with few candidates off limits. And its service is described as responsive, accessible and thorough, with communication and follow up guaranteed to clients and candidates alike. Searches are founder led, with the founder personally invested in each one from concept to completion, and the internal culture is built on collaboration rather than competition.