Building APAC Medical Leadership Capability Through Strategic Executive Search

A US-headquartered medical device organisation was preparing to appoint its first VP, Medical & Quality – APAC, creating a new executive leadership function to support regional growth.

Before launching the search, the organisation needed clarity on how this function should be structured, where it should sit within the business and how the role should be positioned to attract the right executive talent.

Barrington James partnered with the organisation to provide strategic market intelligence, competitor benchmarking and executive search expertise, helping shape the role, secure Board approval and ultimately appoint a transformational APAC leader.

The Challenge

The client was entering a significant period of growth but had no existing structure to build from within APAC Medical & Quality leadership. It needed to understand how comparable businesses approached their Medical Affairs, Quality and Regulatory functions, and whether the market even contained executives with the right experience and capability.

The challenge went beyond identifying candidates. The client needed confidence that the proposed leadership model was commercially viable and genuinely attractive to the executive market, in a highly specialised medical device sector where the strongest candidates are rarely looking. On top of that, internal stakeholders needed to align and the Board needed to approve the investment before any search could begin.

The organisation needed a partner who could bring market expertise and strategic guidance, not simply execute a search assignment.

Our Approach

Barrington James approached the engagement as a strategic executive search partnership, starting with market intelligence and advisory before the confidential search itself began.

Working closely with the General Manager and HR leadership team, we assessed the APAC medical device market to understand:

• How competitor organisations structured their Medical, Quality and related leadership functions
• The availability and movement of VP-level talent across the region
• Executive compensation expectations and market benchmarks
• What would make the opportunity genuinely compelling to high-calibre passive executives

Over a three-month advisory phase, we built a comprehensive market intelligence report covering organisational structures, talent availability, compensation insights and recommendations for role positioning, giving the client the evidence it needed to present the opportunity internally, secure Board approval and move forward with confidence.

Once approved, Barrington James was exclusively appointed to run a confidential executive search. Using our specialist network and market knowledge, we identified and engaged senior executives across APAC, ultimately securing an individual who wasn't actively looking for a new role but was drawn in by the strategic scope and the chance to build a new function from scratch.

Results & Client Impact

The engagement delivered value long before the appointment itself was made. By combining executive search expertise with strategic market intelligence, Barrington James gave the client the evidence to make a significant leadership investment with real market backing.

• Successfully appointed the client's first VP, Medical & Quality – APAC
• Delivered a comprehensive market intelligence report supporting Board-level approval
• Mapped 50 to 80 executive profiles across the APAC market
• Presented a shortlist of 5 qualified executives, with all five progressing through the interview process
• Completed the confidential executive search within 60 days

The appointed executive has since passed probation and established key foundations for the function, implementing best-practice processes and SOPs where none existed before, strengthening the organisation's Medical & Quality capabilities across APAC and helping position the business for future growth and competitiveness.

The engagement has since grown into an ongoing strategic partnership, with Barrington James continuing to support further leadership appointments and talent requirements across the organisation.

Summary

This engagement shows the value of executive search beyond candidate identification. By combining market intelligence, organisational benchmarking and confidential search, Barrington James helped a growing medical device organisation define a critical leadership function, secure internal approval and appoint a senior executive capable of shaping its future APAC strategy.

Rather than simply filling a position, Barrington James acted as a strategic advisor, providing the insight and access needed to make a confident leadership decision.

Building a new leadership function of your own? Get in touch with our team to discuss how a strategic executive search partnership could work for you.