50th Anniversary – Strawn Arnold

Celebrating 50 Years of Excellence at Strawn Arnold

As we conclude our year-long 50th anniversary celebration, we reflect on the incredible journey that has brought us here. Over the past five decades, Strawn Arnold has been at the forefront of life sciences executive search, connecting visionary companies with transformative leaders.

Our success is a testament to the trust and collaboration of our clients, candidates, and dedicated team of search professionals. Together, we’ve navigated the ever-evolving landscape of life sciences, driven by a shared commitment to innovation, integrity, and excellence.

But this milestone is just the beginning. As we look ahead to the next 50 years, we are more excited than ever about the future. We will continue to leverage our deep industry expertise and unwavering dedication to deliver unparalleled results for our clients, candidates, and the patients they serve.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to the next 50 years!

Celebrating 50 Years of Strawn Arnold

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.

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