Coulter Partners Recruits Chief Medical Officer for Bausch Health
February 25, 2025 – Life sciences recruiting specialist Coulter Partners has assisted in the recruitment of Jonathan Sadeh as executive vice president, chief medical officer and head of R&D at NYSE-traded Bausch Health Companies Inc. Antonietta Baffa, Lilyana Chukova, and Nona Footz led the assignment. “We are delighted to welcome Jonathan as our new head of research and development,” said Thomas J. Appio, CEO at Bausch Health. “His extensive experience and innovative vision will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our pipeline and strive for groundbreaking advancements.”
Dr. Sadeh brings experience and a proven track record both as a physician-scientist and a leader in the pharmaceutical industry. He has over 20 years of expertise in clinical research and drug development. Most recently, at Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Dr. Sadeh was responsible for multiple drug approvals in dermatology and gastroenterology and held several key roles including senior vice president and global programs head for immunology, cardiovascular and neuroscience, immunology therapeutic area head, as well as the China R&D head. His experience spans leading global R&D programs at major pharmaceutical companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and Schering-Plough.
In his new role, Dr. Sadeh will be responsible for overseeing the entire R&D process, working closely with Bausch Health’s scientists and engineers. He will set the strategic direction and ensure alignment with their overall goal of enriching lives through a relentless drive to deliver better health outcomes. “We are confident that Jonathan will make a significant contribution to the company’s success and commitment to being an innovative healthcare company,” Bausch Health said.
Prior to Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Sadeh held senior leadership roles at Sanofi, AstraZeneca, and Schering-Plough, where he started his industry career. He is trained as a pulmonary and critical care physician and began his medical career as an academic researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He completed his pulmonary and critical care training at Mass General and Brigham and Women’s Hospitals, received a master’s degree in clinical research from Harvard Medical School, and earned his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
Bausch Health is a global company that develops, manufactures and markets a range of products primarily in gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, dermatology, dentistry, aesthetics, and international pharmaceuticals.
Serving Life Sciences Companies
Coulter Partners 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. Coulter Partners’ team of 95 completes over 260 assignments a year working from 14 offices across the U.K., EMEA, the U.S., and APAC.
Related: Coulter Partners Assists NeoPhore with CEO Search
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.
Ms. Baffa is a senior executive level research assignments across a broad spectrum in life sciences, with a recent emphasis on scientific roles. She joined Coulter Partners in 2016 with over 20 years of extensive experience in both clinical laboratory sciences and operations management in the healthcare industry. Ms. Baffa’s prior experience includes serving as operations manager for Boston Biotech Clinical Research. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian.
Coulter Partners Forms Alliance with the Institute of Neurodiversity
Coulter Partners has formed a partnership with the Institute of Neurodiversity (ION). As a global neurodiversity changemaking organization and community, ION looks to foster awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of neurodiversity. They work with organizations, governments, the third sector, educators, and policymakers to raise awareness and advocate for policies that support neurominority inclusion. “We believe that our partnership with ION will enhance our understanding and deepen our knowledge,” said Bianca Coulter, CEO of Coulter Partners. “This will enable us to better support neurominorities and advocate change, as well as have measurable impact on good governance and transparency.”
Ms. Chukova’s focus is on C-suite and senior executive search across the spectrum of life sciences, with an emphasis on corporate, commercial, legal, and R&D roles. She has a track record executing multiple search projects across early-stage and mid-cap growing organizations. Ms. Chukova joined Coulter Partners in 2014 in London, moving to Cambridge, MA in 2022. She also has expertise in leadership assessment and development.
Ms. Footz leads on global commercial, board and executive search delivery across the spectrum of life sciences for Coulter Partners. She has over 17 years’ sourcing experience gained working with emerging and established companies in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and professional services sectors. Prior to Coulter Partners, she spearheaded the life science practice at RSR Partners. Before that, she was a client partner for Korn Ferry’s global human resources and life science practices in New York City, Princeton, NJ and Chicago.
Related: Coulter Partners Recruits CEO and Chief Business Officer for IMU Biosciences
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
