Odgers Berndtson Appoints Head of U.S. Life Sciences Practice
October 13, 2022 – Odgers Berndtson has named Peter Schineller as a partner and head of the firm’s U.S. life sciences practice. “Odgers Berndtson is delighted Peter has joined us as a partner and head of our U.S. life sciences practice,” said Steve Potter, CEO of Odgers Berndtson U.S. “Peter is joining us at a time of high growth for our life sciences practice. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry spanning the pharmaceutical, biotech, and diagnostic segments, Peter has held C-suite leadership positions in virtually all the functional areas within life sciences companies. This experience, combined with his executive search experience, affords him the unique ability to understand all that is required to lead and recruit for high-performing, distinctive organizations.”
Mr. Schineller was previously a managing director with Diversified Search Group’s life science practice. Before that, he served as managing director of BioQuest, a retained executive search firm recruiting healthcare innovators. Mr. Schineller has significant commercial launch experience, having managed the pre- and post-launch of more than seven newly approved products, in addition to being responsible for the creation of numerous sales and marketing organizations. He has deep expertise operating in both large cap and early-stage companies, including the co-founding of a start-up that raised more than $150 million in venture funding.
Mr. Schineller has also served in strategic and commercial roles for life sciences companies Depomed Inc. where he reported directly to the CEO; SkylineDx BV; Agendia Inc.; Alexza Pharmaceuticals; Ventana Medical Systems; Genoptix Medical Laboratory (a Novartis Company); Cypress Bioscience; Verus Pharmaceuticals; Elan Biopharmaceuticals; and Dura Pharmaceuticals. He began his career with Abbott Laboratories, with rapid career progression culminating in his role as director of Western U.S., managed health care.
“I am thrilled to have joined Odgers Berndtson at a time of expansion across the global life sciences practice” said Mr. Schineller. “In addition to my significant executive search experiences, I bring with me a wealth of experience working within innovative, growing life sciences companies. Odgers Berndtson is nimble, entrepreneurial, and its reach is truly global. I look forward to working with this great team to leverage my knowledge, expertise, and leadership background to better serve CEOs and C-suite executives at life sciences companies seeking leading edge talent and human capital advisory services.”
Odgers Berndtson delivers executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to organizations globally. The firm’s 250-plus partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of 59 offices in 29 countries. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and has been one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. It now ranks No. 12 on the Hunt Scanlon Top 50 Recruiters ranking. Odgers Berndtson has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
Recent Appointments
In July, the firm added Larry Rubin as partner and co-head for its U.S.-Latin American practice. In this role, he will work closely with other practice area leaders and country managers. “It’s exciting to grow our presence in Latin America and be able to offer our clients even more value in this region,” said Mr. Potter. “Larry has deep connections in the Latin America business community which will be invaluable to our clients with growth aspirations there.” Mr. Rubin has experience leading in large, complex corporations and a 10-year track record in the executive search industry. He also is president and chairman of the American Society of Mexico, where he leads the organization in fostering cultural, business, and civic ties between the U.S. and Mexico. In this role, he works closely with the U.S. ambassador (honorary president), representing two million Americans living in-country, companies, and NGOs.
Odgers Berndtson recently added Jonathan Davies as a partner to launch a new U.S. media and entertainment practice for the firm, based in Los Angeles. “Jonathan is an incredible addition to our team and a great example of our commitment to continuing to expand our media and digital expertise,” said Mr. Potter. “We are delighted to add a partner with such a strong track record and breadth of experience in the industry.” With more than 25 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry, Mr. Davies has held a variety of C-suite global leadership positions with U.S.-based media companies including CNN, Discovery International, and Eurosport. Prior to that, he spent more than 10 years in senior roles at media and advertising agencies, including Mindshare, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Ogilvy.
Odgers Berndtson also recently named Conrad Woody, partner and leader of the firm’s association and corporate affairs practice, as head of its Washington, D.C., office. “Today, organizations are held to a very high standard of transparency, constant communication and managing public reputation,” said Mr. Potter. “We are well positioned in D.C. to pinpoint and place leaders with the global experience and political savvy to be successful in high-pressure corporate affairs roles, and I look forward to Conrad’s leadership to elevate our presence in Washington and the broader Mid-Atlantic market.”
Related: Odgers Berndtson Launches Health and Wellness Recruiting Practice
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
