Executive Search · Life Sciences
Finding Groundbreaking
Life Sciences Leaders
A streamlined, owner-operated executive recruitment agency bridging the transatlantic talent gap between the US, UK, and Europe.
Our Team
Behind the Company
B.S., Northeastern University · D.E.S.S., University Pierre and Marie Curie
Jennifer founded Chase Partners in 2019 to focus on recruiting transatlantic leaders who are driven to change patient lives through creative development and innovation. With more than 25 years of experience in international executive search across Europe and North America, she has held leadership roles for some of the world's top global executive search consultancies, including Heidrick & Struggles, Euromedica, and Korn Ferry. Based in Boston and Paris, she and Nick collaborate closely to bring a unique, quick paced, culture-driven approach to Life Science executive search.
M.S., Neurochemistry, King's College · Diploma, European Market Access University
Nick Hicks holds a Master of Science in Neurochemistry from King's College London and a Diploma in European Market Access from European Market Access University. He currently heads Chase Partners' European operations from Lyon. where he leads executive search and leadership advisory activities across the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Nick brings a distinctive professional background that combines executive recruitment with deep expertise in patient engagement, advocacy, and business coaching. Prior to joining the executive search field, he advised healthcare and life sciences companies on how to integrate the patient perspective into both research and commercial strategies, helping organizations align scientific innovation, market access, and patient-centered outcomes. His work has supported companies in strengthening their engagement with patient communities and ensuring that patient insights inform product development, strategic decision-making, and market positioning. In addition to his advisory and leadership work, Nick is an advanced practitioner of the Kirton Adaption–Innovation (KAI) assessment tool, a widely used framework for evaluating individual problem-solving styles and the innovation climate within organizations.
What We Do
Our Services
Transatlantic Reach
Our experience and network across EMEA and USA brings both cultural and cross market industry insights to each assignment.
Leadership Network
Three decades of first-hand knowledge about today's life sciences leaders across the United States and Europe.
Focused Approach
We are sector specialists and limit our work load to a few selected projects completing our assignments quicker.
Real-Time Access
Clients receive access to our confidential database, allowing them to follow the search assignment process in real-time.
Why Chase Partners
The Difference
We Make
"We conduct thorough, original research for each of our engagements and expect to present a broad representation of the best talent available — and we do this very quickly."
— Chase Partners
Personally Involved
As an owner-operated, high-level executive search firm, we provide dedicated, bespoke service at every stage of the assignment. We are personally invested in ensuring each search is a success, conducting exhaustive research to identify and present the best-qualified candidates.
No Off-Limits
Chase Partners has unrestricted access to talent across the industry. We leave no stone unturned, searching thoroughly in targeted companies and institutions.
Immediate Communication
Being small and nimble, we contact candidates immediately and quickly build a shortlist—providing clients with fast, meaningful feedback throughout the process. This agility allows our clients to respond to a rapidly evolving labor market and successfully close with their preferred candidate.
Research & Insights
White Papers
At Chase Partners, our commitment to excellence in executive search is reflected in the rigorous research we conduct on emerging industry trends. Through our white papers, we aim to provide organizations with meaningful insights and practical strategies to navigate the evolving landscape of leadership change.
European Biotech US Expansion: Boston vs. RTP
A paper comparing Boston and Research Triangle Park as US expansion destinations for European biotech companies.
Download PDF →CDMO Leaders: Making the Right Moves at the Right Time
How CDMOs can align leadership soft skills with commercial strategy to drive growth in an evolving market landscape.
Download PDF →Case Study: Building a European Transplant Innovator's U.S. Business
How five retained assignments helped I-CAIR Group / Waters Medical Systems build its U.S. leadership, commercial and field teams.
Download PDF →Cognitive Diversity EU
The importance of cognitive diversity in talent acquisition in the AI era — Europe.
Download PDF →Cognitive Diversity US
The importance of cognitive diversity in talent acquisition in the AI era — United States.
Download PDF →Insights
Our Blog
$5 Billion Builds the Facility. Getting Leadership Right Protects the Investment.
Building a large-scale manufacturing facility is the manageable part. Getting the leadership team right is what protects a multibillion-dollar investment once the walls go up.
Creating a Footprint in North America?
What it really takes to establish a North American presence in life sciences, and why the leaders you put in place matter more than the address you choose.
Leadership Is Not About the Best Style; It's About the Right Fit
There is no universally best leadership style. The most effective leaders adapt their approach to the situation, the team and the moment in front of them.
CDMOs, Now Playing a Different Game
The CDMO landscape has shifted from capacity plays to partnership plays. The leadership profiles that won the last decade are not the ones winning this one.
US Expansion Isn't About Location Anymore—It's About Leadership
Site selection used to drive US expansion decisions. Today, the leadership team responsible for execution is what separates a successful entry from an expensive lesson.
On Board with Mercy Ships' Unique Recruitment Mission
This edition of The Bright Spark spotlights the unique recruitment challenges faced by Mercy Ships, a non-profit providing free surgical care in West Africa. Much like an interim hospital recruiter, Mercy Ships relies heavily on short-term placements requiring specialized expertise.
Unlocking Innovation: Problem-Solving Styles in Transplantation
Leaders' problem-solving is a crucial workplace skill, yet its role in executive recruitment is often overlooked. Problem-solving styles reveal a leader's unique cognitive and behavioral approach — from analytical rigor to adaptive decision-making.
Revolution or Refinement? History Shares Two Paths to Transformational Leadership
Why do some leaders transform the world with radical breakthroughs while others ensure stability through methodical refinement? From Florence Nightingale to Leonardo da Vinci, history reveals that progress depends on both adaptors and innovators.
The Unseen Edge in Executive Recruitment: Innovation Style, Part 2
An often-overlooked aspect of executive recruitment is how individuals perceive, think, reason, and solve problems. Innovation style — a dynamic mindset aligning creativity with purpose — holds real potential to drive innovation and enhance decision-making.
Why You Should Work During the Holidays
But differently. Holiday time recharges productivity and allows leaders to see new perspectives. Taking longer breaks from work is essential to sustain agility — but the real challenge is truly disconnecting and leading by example.
How "Greedy Jobs" Influence the Gender Pay Gap & What AI Could Do To Close It
Nobel Prize-winning research suggests much of the gender pay gap is a gap between mothers and non-mothers, driven by 'greedy jobs' that demand long hours. AI could help close it — but only with careful, gender-informed design.
Your Favorite Bright Sparks
'The Bright Spark' is a bi-weekly newsletter on themes relevant to life science leaders that often go unexplored in traditional publications. Chase Partners identifies the most popular topics from both EU and US networks.
Want to be a good mentor?
It's as much about you as it is them. Mentoring is the quickest way to shorten the learning curve to success. The mentor gets as much out of the relationship as the mentee — fostering mutual discovery, friendship, and growth.
Coming Home
Executive recruitment can sometimes face a formidable challenge when bringing back executives who have spent an extended period abroad. More than 70% of executives experience reverse culture shock upon re-entry.
Harnessing Habit: Transforming New Year's Resolutions into Lasting Change
Research shows over 90% of resolutions are abandoned in the first three months. Neuroscience reveals why our brains resist change — and how to overcome it through repetition and incremental goals.
The Unseen Edge in Executive Recruitment: Embracing Cognitive Diversity
Cognitive diversity — the varied ways individuals perceive, think and solve problems — is one of the most overlooked dimensions in executive hiring, yet one of the most impactful for innovation.
Innovate Within Bounds
SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking) is a structured framework driving creativity within constraints. Explore how life sciences leaders apply its five techniques — subtraction, multiplication, task unification, and more.
Deities of the C-Suite
Archetypes of the Greek gods of Mount Olympus describe behaviors and patterns of how leaders get work done. In life sciences, as CEO self-awareness escalates, the Olympians offer a unique lens for introspection — from Zeus's vision to Athena's wisdom and Hermes's communication.
Patients First: Rethinking Life Sciences Recruitment
Life sciences revolve around patients. Chase Partners introduces the Patient Engagement Advocacy Index (PEAi) — a data-driven framework to identify executives who can truly build and sustain patient-centric cultures.
October Round-Up
A roundup featuring The Remote Revolution (return to office?), Innovate Within Bounds, Patients First, and Deities of the C-Suite — key insights on leadership, innovation, and patient-centricity in life sciences.
September Round-Up
A monthly roundup covering cognitive diversity in problem-solving, navigating AI, going soft on toxic leaders, and why trust is the currency leaders trade daily in life sciences organizations.
Going Soft on Toxic Leaders
Toxic leaders may deliver short-term results, but trust is the essential leadership currency they fail to build. Drawing from the US Military, this post argues why boards must rethink tolerating toxic high-performers.
Navigating AI Using Cognitive Diversity
AI is revolutionizing life sciences, but success requires the right mix of thinking styles. Cognitive diversity — spanning structured and unstructured problem-solving — is key to building effective, bias-minimized AI teams.
Trust: A Currency You Trade Daily
Workers at high-trust companies experience 74% less stress and are 50% more productive. Breaking trust into its four domains — Competency, Sincerity, Reliability, and Care — gives leaders a practical framework to build it daily.
Get In Touch
Let's Find Your Next Leader
Whether you're looking for top-tier life sciences executives or exploring your next career opportunity, we'd love to hear from you.
