Coulter Partners Strengthens Global Leadership Team
October 16, 2026 – Life sciences recruiting specialist Coulter Partners has expanded with the additions of Carlos Gómez-Arnau, Doug Roberts, and Stuart Penney as client partners. “These strategic hires further strengthen the firm’s international presence and reinforce its commitment to supporting clients across key healthcare, life sciences, and biotechnology markets,” Coulter Partners said.
The appointments expand Coulter Partners’ capabilities across Europe and North America, including the establishment of a stronger presence in Spain, while enhancing the firm’s leadership advisory and executive search expertise in the U.S. and U.K. “Together, Carlos, Doug, and Stuart bring extensive experience advising healthcare, biotechnology, medical technology, and life sciences organizations through critical growth and transformation stages,” the firm said.
“As demand for exceptional leadership across health, science, and technology continues to intensify, the right leader at the right moment can change everything,” said Nicholas Green, CEO of Coulter Partners. “Carlos, Doug, and Stuart have built their careers advising organizations through exactly those moments. Carlos cements our presence in Spain, a growth market where having leadership on the ground is a genuine advantage, while Doug and Stuart strengthen our position in the U.S. and U.K. Each brings the deep sector expertise, international networks, and judgment our clients count on.”
“We are delighted to welcome Carlos, Doug, and Stuart to Coulter Partners,” added Bianca Coulter, co-founder and executive chair of Coulter Partners. “Their complementary expertise, international perspectives, and deep understanding of the sectors we serve will further enhance our ability to help clients build leadership teams capable of transforming healthcare and driving innovation worldwide. The appointments follow Coulter Partners’ continued investment in expanding its global capabilities and leadership expertise, reinforcing the firm’s position as a trusted advisor to companies at the forefront of healthcare, life sciences, and technology innovation.”
Mr. Gómez-Arnau joins Coulter Partners in Madrid, supporting the firm’s continued expansion in Spain and Southern Europe. With nearly two decades specializing in executive search and leadership advisory, he has advised leading life sciences, healthcare, consumer, and medical technology organizations. Most recently, Mr. Gómez-Arnau served as principal at Heidrick & Struggles, where he focused on senior leadership appointments across the life sciences and consumer sectors.
Mr. Roberts joins the firm’s U.S. team, bringing extensive experience partnering with biopharmaceutical companies and non-profit organizations to build leadership teams across research, development, and regulatory functions. Most recently, he served as senior vice president, client partnerships and head of research at The Higgins Group, where he advised founders, boards, and executive teams on executive and interim leadership appointments.
Related: Coulter Partners Strengthens Senior Leadership Team
Mr. Penney further strengthens Coulter Partners’ U.K. and international presence, drawing on more than 20 years of experience in executive search across international life sciences and healthcare markets. He has worked extensively with venture capital and private equity-backed innovation-led businesses, supporting board-level and executive appointments across North America, Europe and the U.K. Most recently, Mr. Penney served as senior partner and co-owner at PIR International.
Serving the Life Sciences Sector
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 is a trusted leadership adviser in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical technology, diagnostics, health-tech, CRO, and services sectors.
Scaling Growth Through Transformative Talent
High-growth environments can compress time, magnify decisions, and expose leadership gaps in an instant. As companies move through periods of rapid expansion, the ability to build and evolve the right leadership team becomes increasingly critical to sustaining momentum and creating long-term value. Across private equity, venture capital, and technology-driven businesses, organizations are rethinking how they assess executive talent, strengthen leadership benches, and prepare teams for the demands of the next stage of growth. From founder-led recruiting and executive assessment to AI-enabled talent intelligence, cybersecurity leadership, and organizational design, the focus is shifting toward more deliberate, data-informed decisions about the people ultimately responsible for scaling the enterprise.
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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.
Ms. 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.
Related: Coulter Partners Recruits CEO for Babraham Research Campus
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
