Toft Group Continues Expansion With New Additions
March 17, 2016 – Toft Group, an executive search firm focusing exclusively on the life sciences and healthcare sectors, has appointed David Felker as senior vice president of executive search and Gabriela Tobal (pictured) as VP of business development. Both will lead the expansion of Toft Group’s pharmaceutical practice, which according to the firm is seeing increased demand for specialized searches within the pharma sector.
Mr. Felker will primarily focus on placing director through CEO-level candidates into pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He brings more than 25 years of leadership experience in engineering, research & development, and technology.
Formerly, Mr. Felker was founder and CEO of Sanford Rose Associates. He was with the firm for nearly 10 years and made executive level placements in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. He was also one of the founding executives and first vice president of research & development for Callaway Golf Ball Company. Most recently, he co-founded Aero-X Golf, Inc. He was the primary inventor in the company’s revolutionary anti-slice golf ball technology, and, as the company grew he held various positions, including board chairman, CEO, chief technology officer and chief operating officer.
Ms. Tobal has 25 years of industry experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry with a career spanning research, business development, corporate venture capital, and organizational culture and psychology. She most recently led company culture and organizational efforts for AirStrip, a healthcare IT company. Previously, she held positions in Amgen’s business development group and was manager of Amgen Ventures, where she helped Amgen invest in early stage biotech companies across a variety of therapeutic areas including oncology, immune disease, metabolism, neuroscience, and technology platforms.
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“We are pleased to welcome David and Gabriela to our team,” said Toft Group founder and CEO Robin Toft. “Combined, they bring 35-plus years of life sciences and industry experience, particularly within pharmaceuticals. Their leadership and track records for strategic planning and execution will ensure we can capitalize upon market demand for our services, while delivering upon our main mission changing the future of medicine.“
Projected global spending on therapeutics is expected to grow into the double digits over the next five years, said Ms. Toft. That expansion will fuel demand for new medicines as well as growth and investment into biotech companies. “We are passionate about helping these companies grow their teams in the best way possible so they can effectively create products that shape the future of healthcare.”
This business expansion follows the recent launch of Toft Group’s dedicated digital health & healthcare IT search practice. The firm’s specialized team is designed to focus on executive and niche technical searches for digital health companies, including SaaS, PaaS, big data & analytics, mobile health, genomics, personalized medicine, patient engagement, population health management, and digital medical device companies.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
