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For five decades, Strawn Arnold has been committed to providing the highest level of life sciences and healthcare retained executive search services by leveraging the experience & insight of former industry leaders.
When working with Strawn Arnold, know that our goal is to be a member of your selection team, not the service provider that tells you what to do. We’re here to help, we’ve been in your shoes, and we look forward to being of continued service to our shared life sciences and healthcare community.
We were named a Top Retained Executive Search Firm by Executive Recruiter News, and with over 70 years of combined industry experience, we know we can fulfill your executive search needs with your company and goals in mind. We want to build relationships with our clients so that we can deliver the best results with the greatest understanding. Our process has been proven time and time again by not only finding top executive talent but by successfully recruiting that talent into critical positions for our clients.
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, pharma-medtech industry veteran Jeff Ashpitz was recruited from his role as President of Europe for the Zimmer Division of Bristol-Myers Squibb to head up an emerging biopharma practice for Strawn Arnold, a leadership role he continues to serve for the firm today. Indeed, the additions of David and Jeff formed the backbone of Strawn Arnold’s mission and charter – to provide exceptional retained search service by utilizing the expertise of former industry executives, without relying on a leveraged model used by most firms.
In the early 2000s, Strawn Arnold expanded outside of biopharma, adding medtech operating executive John Groover, who in 2003 was President of Austin-based Sulzer Carbomedics. In 2007, Oliver Esman was added to head up the generic pharma practice, bringing strong industry experience at the CHRO level to Strawn Arnold.
Over the subsequent decade Chris Schneider (medtech, HIT, services), and Mark Durham (biopharma) were added to the Partnership. Soon after Strawn Arnold added Barry Duke (biopharma) and Jenny Crutchlow (biopharma, medtech) to the Partnership as well, along with Executive Vice President Jim Alexander (biopharma), all with extensive and successful industry experience. This ensured that Strawn Arnold could offer Partner-level recruiting expertise and unparalleled industry experience across all product-related sectors of life sciences and healthcare.
Today Strawn Arnold is a thriving and hands-on firm, well recognized as not only one of the largest but one of the most knowledgeable and customer-centric retained search firms dedicated solely to the life sciences and healthcare market. Our Partners and EVPs span across the United States and tailor our services to the client without compromising partner-level focus and results.
Resumes or information sent to SAA may be preserved in its secure Applicant Tracking System (ATS).
