Building a Fractional C-Suite for an Australian Biotech Spin-Out
09 Nov, 20265 minutesHow Barrington James appointed three senior executives in record time, giving an early-stage...
How Barrington James appointed three senior executives in record time, giving an early-stage epilepsy company the leadership it needed across Australia and Europe.
The Challenge
After meeting at BIO-Europe Spring, Barrington James partnered with an Australian university’s technology transfer office to help build the leadership team for a newly formed biotech spin-out focused on epilepsy.
Like many academic spin-outs, the company had strong science but no executive structure. Its founders were accomplished researchers, but turning a promising therapeutic programme into an investable business required a different kind of expertise. The company needed senior leaders who had built biotech companies before and could guide it through complex regulatory pathways, clinical planning and entry into international markets.
At this early stage, full-time C-suite hires weren’t realistic. The company needed experienced executives who could bring senior-level judgement and credibility on a fractional basis, committing the time the business needed without the cost of permanent appointments.
The brief was demanding: find medical, scientific and commercial leaders with the right technical expertise, proven early-stage buildout experience, and the ability to work effectively across Australia and Europe.
Our Approach
As exclusive recruitment partner, we worked closely with the technology transfer office and the scientific co-founders to understand the company’s science, its development plans and the gaps that posed the greatest risk. Together, we identified the most critical leadership roles and set clear hiring priorities.
Drawing on our established biotech executive search network, we targeted leaders who had already taken early-stage companies through buildout, rather than executives whose experience was limited to large, established organisations. This focus mattered: spin-outs need leaders who are comfortable working with limited resources, building processes from scratch and preparing a company for investment.
Within 48 hours of the brief, we presented shortlists of pre-vetted, reference-checked candidates, giving the founders confidence that every executive they met was a credible fit.
We also managed the process end to end. With stakeholders spread across Australia and Europe, we coordinated interviews and gathered feedback across time zones, keeping momentum high and decisions moving. This allowed the academic founders to stay focused on their research while we handled the logistics of senior hiring.
The Results
- 3 C-suite appointments: Chief Medical Officer, Chief Scientific Officer, and Chief Business Officer/Strategic Advisor.
- 48-hour shortlists: Qualified executive candidates presented within two days of the brief.
- Less than one week to hire: The CBO appointment went from first submission to signed offer in under seven days.
Together, these appointments gave the company a well-rounded leadership team covering clinical strategy, scientific direction and commercial development. With experienced executives in place, the company was better positioned for investor due diligence and early-stage funding discussions, and better equipped to present itself as a credible, investable business.
The partnership has since grown to include a CEO/Managing Director search and further hiring in CMC and Regulatory Affairs, as the company continues to build out its capabilities. It has also led to introductions to other universities, expanding Barrington James’ work across the academic spin-out ecosystem.
Building Your Biotech Leadership Team?
Whether you’re launching an academic spin-out or scaling an established company, Barrington James delivers specialist biotechnology recruitment, executive search and fractional and interim leadership solutions. We understand the pressures facing early-stage companies and can help you put the right leaders in place, quickly.
Get in touch: help-me-hire@barringtonjames.com
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