In a farmhouse in Austin, Texas, Bill Strawn joined Ken Houtz who had built a robust solo search practice after a storied career with Johnson & Johnson. When Ken retired, Bill sought to expand the firm and added Jerry Arnold to form Strawn Arnold. Over the next several years, biopharma executive David Leech was added to the Partnership, with a continued focus on high-level searches within the pharma sector.
In 1998, Jeff Ashpitz, a BioPharma/MedTech veteran was recruited to lead the emerging biopharma practice. David and Jeff’s addition cemented Strawn Arnold’s mission to provide exceptional retained search services with the expertise of former industry executives rather than a traditional leveraged model.
In 2003, the firm diversified beyond biopharma by adding medtech executive John Groover, who was President of Sulzer Carbomedics. Both Jeff and John went on to serve as Managing Director/President of the firm. Oliver Esman joined in 2007 to head the generic pharma practice, bringing strong CHRO-level industry experience to the firm.
Over the next decade, Strawn Arnold continued to grow with the addition of Chris Schneider (medtech, HIT, services), Mark Durham (biopharma), and Jeff Dodson (biopharma) to the partnership. Partners Barry Duke, Jenny Crutchlow, and Executive Vice President Jim Alexander also joined, all bringing significant industry experience. This expansion ensured Strawn Arnold offered partner-level recruiting expertise and comprehensive industry knowledge across life sciences and healthcare sectors.
Today, Strawn Arnold is recognized as one of the largest and most knowledgeable customer-centric retained search firms in the life sciences and healthcare market. Our Partners and EVPs tailor services to clients, maintaining a strong focus on partner-level results.
