📊 Case Study: Strategic Leadership Placement for GMP Operations in Clinical Supplies

Client Industry: Pharmaceuticals – Clinical Supplies Management

Role: Operations Director (GMP/GDP)

Location: Frankfurt, Germany

Timeframe: 4 weeks from search initiation to offer acceptance

The Challenge

Clinigen Clinical Supplies Management, a global leader in clinical trial logistics, faced a critical leadership gap at its newly expanded Frankfurt facility. The site had recently doubled its warehouse capacity to 2,200 m², adding walk-in cold rooms and -80°C freezers to support cell/gene therapy trials. However, rapid growth and post-merger integration pressures exposed a lack of operational leadership, resulting in:

1. Compliance Risks: Inconsistent adherence to EU GMP/GDP standards for sterile manufacturing and biological sample storage.

2. Operational Bottlenecks: Delays in cold chain distribution for time-sensitive clinical supplies across Europe.

3. Team Fragmentation: 50+ staff across warehousing, quality control, and logistics lacked cohesive direction.

The role required a leader who could balance hands-on GMP expertise with strategic vision to align Frankfurt’s operations with Clinigen’s global expansion plans, including its €35M annual R&D investments in Europe

Our Approach

Implemented a dual-track recruitment strategy targeting passive candidates in Germany’s competitive pharma hub:

1. Market Intelligence-Driven Targeting:

   • Leveraged Clinigen’s public expansion announcements (e.g., Frankfurt facility upgrades) to position the role as a career accelerator.

   • Focused on managers at global CROs/CDMOs with 8-12 years’ experience in GMP biologics/sterile operations.

2. Leadership Competency Framework:

   • Prioritised candidates with proven success in post-merger integration, citing Clinigen’s ongoing corporate strategy.

   • Assessed cultural fit through scenario-based interviews on EU Annex 1 compliance challenges and team upskilling.

3. Strategic Candidate Engagement:

   • Highlighted Clinigen’s niche capabilities (e.g., -80°C storage for cell therapies) to attract innovators.

   • Emphasised the role’s impact on pan-European distribution networks, including rapid 24-hour delivery capabilities from Clinigen’s Dublin hub.

Within 14 days, presented 4 pre-vetted candidates, including a high-potential Operations Manager from a Top 5 pharma company.

The Result

• Candidate Placed: A 10-year veteran with:

  • GMP Leadership: Managed sterile fill-finish operations for mRNA vaccines at a 500+ employee site.

  • M&A Experience: Led integration of a €200M biologics facility post-acquisition.

• Impact:

  • Compliance: Achieved 100% audit readiness for EMA inspections within 3 months.

  • Efficiency: Reduced cold chain dispatch times by 25% through SAP-driven workflow redesign

  • Client Feedback: "They delivered a leader who speaks the language of GMP and growth. Their grasp of our merger landscape was pivotal in securing buy-in from a candidate who’s now driving our EU expansion." - HR Business Partner, Clinigen Clinical Supplies Management

Why It Worked

✅ Niche Regulatory Fluency: Our team’s understanding of EU GMP Annex 1 ensured candidates could move through evolving sterile manufacturing standards.

✅ Growth Storytelling: Leveraging Clinigen’s Frankfurt facility upgrades and Dublin logistics hub positioned the role as a strategic career move.

✅ Speed-to-Impact: Balancing urgency with rigor – 87% of submitted candidates had prior experience managing >€10M CAPEX projects, aligning with Clinigen’s infrastructure investments.

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