Coulter Partners Recruits Chief Development Officer for TargED Biopharmaceuticals
June 1, 2023 – Life sciences recruiting specialist Coulter Partners has assisted in the recruitment of Gerben van ‘t Klooster as chief development officer for TargED Biopharmaceuticals in London. “We are thrilled to welcome Gerben to our team at TargED Biopharmaceuticals,” said Kristof Vercruysse, CEO of TargED Biopharmaceuticals. “He brings a wealth of experience and expertise that will be invaluable to our efforts to develop our innovative therapy for patients suffering from Thrombosis. This critical hire to TargED was possible thanks to the team at Coulter Partners and their expert knowledge and understanding.”
Dr. van ‘t Klooster is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive with over 30 years of experience in drug development and commercialization. He previously served as senior vice president, alliance management after heading Galapagos’ early development portfolio for many years. Dr. van ‘t Klooster also held multiple senior positions in international pharmaceutical and biotech companies Kiadis, Tibotec, and Janssen Pharmaceuticals.
As chief development officer, Dr. van ‘t Klooster will be responsible for leading the company’s development strategy and ensuring the successful execution of all development programs. “I am thrilled to be joining TargED at such an exciting time in the company’s growth,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with the team to advance the development of our pipeline of innovative therapies and bring hope to patients with rare diseases.”
Related: Coulter Partners Places Board Members for Our Future Health Trading
TargED is a biotechnology company dedicated to the development of innovative therapies for rare diseases that develops first-in-class biological drugs to improve the treatment of thrombosis. TargED stands for targeted enzyme delivery and the company is a spin-off of the University Medical Center Utrecht. Their biological drugs are unique by using small antibodies (VhH) to deliver enzymes to sites of thrombosis, enabling “targeted” thrombolysis.
Life Sciences Focused Recruiters
Coulter Partners is a board- and senior-level global executive search specialist focused exclusively on life sciences. The firm works closely with those at the cutting edge of innovation in the industry to understand their challenges. With an extensive global network and expertise gained over 25 years in the sector, Coulter Partners have become trusted advisers on leadership in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical technology, diagnostics, health tech, CRO, and services sectors. The firm also works closely with the global investor community, hiring for their own teams as well as building the boards and executive leadership teams of their portfolio companies. Its team of 95 completes over 260 assignments a year working from 14 offices across the U.K., EMEA, the U.S., and APAC.
As Investors Retreat, Healthcare/Life Sciences Sector Stays Resilient
Healthcare and life science organizations are facing an increasingly complex landscape, with rapid technological advancements, changing regulatory environments, and heightened public scrutiny. As a result, these companies have been turning to executive search firms more than ever to acquire world-class leadership. The most pressing challenge has been finding high-impact, innovative leaders who can navigate this complex terrain and drive meaningful change.
CEO Bianca Coulter founded Coulter Partners in 2003 and has 25 years’ experience of board and C-level global search, building the leadership teams of early stage, mid-cap, and global multinationals in over 20 countries. Through appointing leadership, Ms. Coulter channels her judgment and expertise to impact patient benefit and assist those at the cutting edge of life science to achieve their goals.
Recent Search
Coulter Partners recently assisted in the recruitment of Francesco Marincola as chief scientific officer of Sonata Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company in Boston. “Throughout his successful career across academia and industry over the last few decades, Franco has stood at the forefront of discovery and drug development,” said Volker Herrmann, president and CEO of Sonata. “Having been a pioneering contributor to our collective understanding of the role of tumor microenvironments, his unique expertise in that field and in the development of cell therapies will be invaluable as we pursue strategies to reprogram entire cellular networks. We look forward to leveraging his vast experience and deep insights to help propel Sonata into the next phase of its exciting journey.”
“I truly enjoyed collaborating with the entire team at Coulter Partners,” Dr. Herrmann said. “They provided an excellent selection of candidates with very thorough background research, making it easy for us to choose Franco as our new, exceptional CSO.”
Related: Coulter Partners Recruits Chief Medical Officer for Memo Therapeutics
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
