Allerton Bishop was engaged by a global contract development and manufacturing organisation with a long-established presence across Europe. The company specialises in small molecule drug development, with capabilities spanning both drug substance and drug product — delivered from sites across the UK, Western Europe, and Northern Europe.
The brief was to appoint a Business Development Director to lead a team of account executives and inside sales professionals. This key leadership role was tasked with driving commercial growth across European pharmaceutical markets and required a blend of client-facing expertise, leadership capability, and deep pharmaceutical sector knowledge.
Why Allerton Bishop?
We were brought in as a specialist executive search partner to solve two specific challenges:
- Engage passive, high-value candidates and competitors who weren’t responding to traditional advertising.
- Improve candidate quality, after previous direct outreach and internal efforts failed to deliver the calibre required by the hiring team.
The client valued the market insight and knowledge Andrew Davis brought to the process. A detailed market map became a live working tool, enabling collaborative decisions and real-time feedback. It also helped realign internal expectations with what was achievable in the current talent landscape.
Transparency and Clarity
Salary and performance bonus expectations were clarified and challenged throughout — not just with the candidate, but with hiring leaders and HR. This proactive approach allowed everyone to align early, reducing time wasted and ensuring offers were grounded in current market conditions rather than internal assumptions.
“Andy’s 20 years of international executive search experience was invaluable. He managed timelines assertively and ensured a complex group of stakeholders received clear, consistent communication.”
As part of the final offer process, Allerton Bishop supported the client through a delicate pivot. When the initial preferred candidate showed a lack of motivation to proceed, we moved quickly to secure the second-choice candidate — someone more motivated and aligned with the role. That individual is now in post and delivering results.
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Results Summary:
✔️ Targeted engagement of passive talent and sector competitors
✔️ Value-adding market map and real-time feedback with hiring leaders
✔️ Strategic challenge on salary and bonus benchmarks to drive alignment
✔️ Assertive, transparent offer management with timely decision-making
✔️ Full reference available upon request
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Delivering results in executive search is never one-dimensional. Each mandate demands different skills — from sourcing talent to managing delicate offer stages with clarity and pace.
If you're hiring for a critical commercial or operational leadership role and your current approach isn’t delivering, let’s talk.
At Allerton Bishop, we offer creative, cost-effective solutions that don’t compromise on service or quality.
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