Clients of DELTACON Executive Search, Zurich, include world-renowned companies as well as hidden champions and the progenitors of future innovations which we will only be hearing about in the world of ‘tomorrow’. On the basis of many years of management experience in the pharmaceutical, medical and diagnostic industries and proven expertise in a direct approach, applying excellent methodological expertise and tried-and-tested diagnostic tools, we at Zurich are able to find the TOP candidates best suited to your company. We have an outstanding network across our industries and supplement this pool of candidates with our Direct Search approach as well as intensive database searches. DELTACON stands for expertise in the industry, the highest levels of quality, reliability, and assurance for our clients. Our fulfilment rate is 98%, and we achieve this within just 6 to 8 weeks. It is these services that have led to us being recognised as the best Executive Search Consultancy in Germany in the ‘Executive Search’ area. You can place your trust in us.

Switzerland and Zurich rank amongst the most efficient and attractive economic locations in the world, and regularly take up the top positions in international rankings. There are countless reasons why companies from across all different sectors are established in Switzerland: innovative strength and technology, a liberal economic system, political stability and close ties with foreign markets, excellent education and health systems, first-rate infrastructure, high quality of life, as well as a competitive tax system. Many market-leaders on the world stage from different industries have established their global or regional headquarters here. Our focus areas include the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries. As can be seen in other sectors, digitisation and artificial intelligence are driving an acceleration in innovation in the fields of pharmaceutical and medical technologies. Switzerland has developed to become the leading industrial cluster in “Life Sciences” in recent years through new disciplines, such as health-tech and digital health, as well as innovations in diagnostics and gene therapy. A great many start-ups showing high levels of innovation are driving the market forwards. The labour market is correspondingly multicultural and diverse, and therefore particularly attractive for us as an Executive Search Consultancy firm for capturing the imagination of the most interesting candidates for our clients.

Advantages for you with DELTACON Executive Search Zurich

Do you have any questions about DELTACON Executive Search Zurich?

Key sectors of DELTACON Executive Search Zurich

Where to find us:

Industry expertise at our Zurich location

Our Zurich location is focused on companies in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in the fields of medical technology and diagnostics. All three sectors are extremely innovative and are driving the development of our healthcare system.
Here in Zurich, we would be delighted to be your first point of contact to reach out to other sectors of DELTACON Executive Search.

What is the difference between biotechnology companies and pharmaceutical companies?

In contemporary language, the term “pharma” has become rather ambiguous. By definition, pharmaceuticals are medications with a chemical basis. The active pharmaceutical ingredient, or ‘API’, must have a low molecular mass, i.e. less than 900 g/mol. As such, we are talking about so-called ‘small molecules’. Examples include Losartan, a medication for reducing blood pressure, or acetylsalicylic acid, more commonly known as ‘Aspirin’. These rank amongst the very first medicines manufactured at the end of the 19th century.
In contrast, biopharmaceuticals (or ‘biologics’) are drugs that are produced on a biological basis. They can be of plant or animal origin: bacteria or enzymes, for example. Their molecules are termed ‘large molecules’ or biologics as they have a much more complex molecular structure and a molecular mass up to 100 times larger than small molecules. Their development and production is correspondingly complex, often involving hundreds of production steps.
Achieving an exact distinction between the two terms, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, is now practically impossible as many pharmaceutical companies now also produce biologics.

What is gene therapy?

Gene therapy takes a completely different approach to drug therapy. Gene therapy involves a direct intervention within the body’s cells: for example, it can repair defective genes and therefore cure genetic (hereditary) diseases. An intact gene is inserted into the genome of the target cell to replace a defective gene that is responsible for a disease developing.
In recent years, attempts have been made to repair defective genes using a more precise method: genome editing. Despite countless experimental clinical trials being carried out, only eight therapies were approved by the American FDA and/or the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2020.

What are the particular challenges for Executive Search and Recruiting in the pharmaceutical industry?

The pharmaceutical industry and pharmaceutical companies face particular challenges when recruiting and selecting candidates for their organisation; these challenges cannot be seen in any other industry in this form:
• Research-based pharmaceutical companies – in contrast to generic companies – are highly-specialised organisations. They focus on a few specific therapeutic areas, for example in the cardiovascular field, diabetes, oncology, or dermatology, where any given company will have built up many years of expertise. There is no single pharmaceutical company which can cover all the different therapeutic areas.
• The life cycle of a drug is very long. Research and development alone can take ten to fifteen years, and sometimes even longer. From the first time a product idea is generated in the laboratory to product launch, it takes 15 – 20 years before all the regulatory, safety and quality standards are met, and the product can be launched to market.
• This is the reason why pharmaceutical research is extremely expensive. Development of a new drug all the way to market maturity is estimated to cost around €600800 million.
• A pharmaceutical company cannot set any price it likes for its new product: there is a European Health Authority, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which oversees the regulatory process in Europe, and prices must be negotiated individually with each country. The same is also true outside of Europe.
• This is precisely the challenge faced by Executive Search & Recruiting:
• Scientific experts who want to see their drug – their baby – advance right from discovery to marketing authorisation must have a long-term outlook, and remain within the pharmaceutical company for 15 – 20 years.
• Following the protracted development phase, a successful product launch on the commercial side is crucial for the long-term financial success of the entire pharmaceutical company. Price negotiations with health authorities are taking on an increasingly important role. The new product must be able to demonstrate an effective therapeutic benefit over the competition which must be documented as part of clinical trials. For example: “works better, faster, or has less/no side effects”.
• In recent years, the “Market Access” department has established itself as a new discipline within pharmaceutical companies, and its function is of enormous strategic importance. Successful candidates will not only be able to demonstrate thorough scientific, medical/pharmaceutical education complemented by a knowledge of health economics, but will also be able to provide convincing proof of how their work has performed.
The above examples from scientific research and “Market Access” illustrate the particular challenges faced by Executive Search and Recruiting, which must be overcome in order to identify, target and win over the best and most suitable candidates in the market for pharmaceutical companies. It is not only the candidate's professional education, experience, and scientific background, but above all their personality, their fit to the new company, their personal qualities such as communication and team-working abilities, and their future personal ambitions which must fit in with the pharmaceutical company's structure.