UK and EU headquarters of an established global pharmaceutical company

Context
I was approached by the newly appointed General Manager, with whom I had a prior working relationship. One of his first priorities was to replace the existing UK & Ireland Medical Director, a role critical to both operational leadership and regulatory accountability.

Initial Engagement
The search for a new UK & Ireland Medical Director was completed successfully, with the incoming leader quickly establishing authority and visibility within the organisation.

Shortly after joining, the new Medical Director identified significant gaps in both UK and EU medical compliance frameworks, exposing the business to both operational and reputational risk.

Challenge
Addressing these issues required more than incremental hiring. The organisation needed:

• Immediate remediation of compliance failures

• Expert medical governance and signatory oversight

• Temporary leadership cover to maintain continuity while root causes were addressed

As part of the remediation plan, the UK Medical Director was seconded into the EU organisation to lead corrective activity, creating the need for an Interim UK Medical Director.

Approach
I supported the business through this period by delivering a combination of permanent and interim appointments across both regions.

For the EU organisation, this included:
 

• Placement of multiple expert final signatories to stabilise governance

• Support in building out the EU Medical Information function

In parallel, I worked with the UK team to strengthen the wider medical and compliance organisation, placing roles across:
 

• Final signatory leadership

• Medical Science Liaison

• Medical Information

• Safety, Quality, and Regulatory Affairs

Impact
This was a period of acute pressure for the organisation. The appointments made during this time were central to:
 

• Remediating business-critical compliance failings

• Reducing regulatory and reputational risk

• Restoring confidence in the company’s medical governance across the UK and EU

The work went beyond individual searches, forming part of a coordinated effort to stabilise and rebuild the medical organisation during a high-risk phase of the business.