Transforming Finance Leadership for a Growing Pharmaceutical Business

Overview
A US-based pharmaceutical company experiencing rapid growth required a hands-on Vice President of Finance to lead their financial planning and operations across a lean, commercially focused environment. With operations spanning the US and Europe and a workforce of 600 globally, they needed an executive who could seamlessly blend strategic financial leadership with operational execution.

After an internal replacement process proved ineffective, the company faced a six-month vacancy that disrupted FP&A activities and left executive leadership overstretched. Their hybrid working model, entrepreneurial culture, and high-impact expectations required a candidate who could step in and own both the strategic and day-to-day financial functions.

Client Challenge
The organization had struggled to find a suitable leader due to:

A high volume of misaligned applicants, often too corporate or clinical-focused.

The need for a commercially savvy finance executive, not just experienced in hospitals or large enterprises.

A preference for candidates who thrived in smaller, agile teams and could multitask across functions.

A strong emphasis on FP&A, business partnering, and end-to-end ownership of deliverables.

Cultural fit—someone motivated by impact, autonomy, and hands-on involvement.

Our Solution
Executive Coalition partnered directly with the CEO and HRBP to define a high-precision brief targeting:

10+ years of senior finance experience within pharma or medical businesses.

Track record of leading FP&A, budgeting, reporting, and accounting teams.

Hands-on style with the ability to work across business functions and adapt to fluid needs.

Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement abilities for cross-functional partnering.

We launched an outbound executive search campaign within 72 hours and engaged our curated network of high-caliber finance leaders across the pharmaceutical and biotech space.

Candidate Outcome
Within three weeks, we delivered a vetted shortlist. The selected candidate—an Executive MBA-qualified CPA with over 13 years of commercial finance leadership in a top-tier pharmaceutical company—stood out for:

Deep experience in FP&A, forecasting, M&A, and post-acquisition integrations.

Proven ability to lead lean, high-performing finance teams while driving strategic transformation.

History of launching analytics platforms, managing international stakeholders, and working across time zones.

Passion for leaving a larger organization to make meaningful contributions in a more entrepreneurial setting.

The candidate joined also relocated to support hybrid office engagement. Their motivation, cultural fit, and adaptability matched the client's exact needs, ending a long-standing leadership gap.

Why It Worked

We filtered out mismatched profiles early, saving client time.

Our insight into high-growth pharma environments ensured we matched on culture, not just credentials.

We delivered trusted advisory throughout—from defining the brief to final offer acceptance.