Amrop Appoints Co-Leader of Global Life Sciences & Healthcare Practice
January 17, 2024 – Amrop, a global leadership advisory and executive search partnership, has named Cecilia Callmer as new co-leader of the global life sciences & healthcare practice. Based in Malmö, Sweden, she will co-lead the practice together with Sabine von Anhalt (Germany), who continues to serve in this function since 2018. “The Amrop Board is delighted to appoint Cecilia to this global leadership role,” said Annika Farin, Amrop chair. “Our life sciences & healthcare team is a strong example of Amrop’s ability to bring together focused sector experts, true global reach and experience across the full leadership life cycle – from recruitment to assessment to development.”
“I am delighted to share the leadership of the life sciences & healthcare practice with Cecilia, who has a great record of engagement and professionalism, and who will add her deep sector knowledge and leadership services experience to the team,” said Ms. von Anhalt. “Our common goal: to continue developing Amrop’s life sciences & healthcare work to new strengths across our global footprint.”
Ms. Callmer has more than 20 years’ experience in multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, working globally across the HR function based out of Sweden and Denmark. Prior to joining Amrop in 2021, she was vice president of human resources at Camurus, and has held previous HR executive roles at Novo Nordisk, Ferring and Diesel. She executes executive search and leadership advisory assignments, leadership assessment and development, management assessment, and executive coaching.
“I am delighted to share the leadership of the life sciences & healthcare practice with Cecilia, who has a great record of engagement and professionalism, and who will add her deep sector knowledge and leadership services experience to the team,” said Ms. Callmer. “Our common goal: to continue developing Amrop’s life sciences & healthcare work to new strengths across our global footprint.”
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Amrop’s life sciences & healthcare practice is set serve a broad spectrum of requirements across all areas of the sector, including private equity-backed companies and early-stage life science businesses. Amrop works with regional and global pharmaceutical and biotech companies, medical devices & diagnostics, early-stage and growth companies, healthcare services, and academic & research institutes.
Amrop Re-Elects Chair
Amrop has re-elected Hamburg-based Annika Farin as chair to direct the global group for a second term of three years. Since her initial election in 2020, Ms. Farin, a founding partner of Amrop in Germany, has led Amrop’s global partnership through the pandemic while building a strong strategic alliance with U.S.-based JM Search, and growing the group significantly. “We still see executive search and leadership advisory as an art,” Ms. Farin said. “It’s supported yet challenged by so many current trends, among them social media and AI. Our founding partners created Amrop to offer bespoke services to our clients nearly 50 years ago, which today we are more committed to than ever.”
Asked about the reasons for her successful steering of the firm, Ms. Farin said: “We have nearly 200 strong, very entrepreneurial partners around the globe. Our firm is all about stimulating ideas, allowing for communication and nurturing what is our strongest asset – our culture.”
Founded in 1977, Amrop advises organizations in executive search, board, and leadership services. The organization has 67 offices in 54 countries.
New Presence in Spain
Amrop recently opened a new office in Madrid, Spain. “Over the past three years Spain has been leading growth in the Euro zone, driven by structural changes, investments, and a dynamic employment market,” said Ms. Farin. “We see many opportunities in this positive economic climate, and it is therefore the right moment for Amrop to enter the market. Amrop Spain will benefit from our strong global capabilities in senior talent acquisition and assessment. We look forward to collaborating with our new team.”
Led by Oscar Garcia-Velasco, an experienced entrepreneur who has previously led regional and global organizations in the technology and private equity industries, the Amrop Spain team is positioned to provide client-focused executive search and leadership advisory services. He is joined by partners Isabel Reija, a C-level executive and entrepreneur who is a reference in the local and regional energy sector, and Carmen Tuñas, an executive search partner with more than 20 years’ experience working across different industries such as banking, retail, logistics and private equity, among others. The team is rounded with Federico Cuneo, an entrepreneur and search professional with more than two decades of experience within Amrop, having been part of the Amrop’s global board for nine years and a past chairman of the Amrop Partnership. He joins Amrop Spain as chair and senior global partner.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor; Lily Fauver, Senior Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
