Medicine in Need (MEND) is a not-for-profit research organization devoted to the development of inhalable vaccines and other therapies for use in developing countries. After receiving a sizeable grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, company founder David Edwards, an internationally known scientist, Harvard Professor, and the inventor of MEND’s primary pharmaceutical technology platform, recognized that it was time to recruit a CEO.

“The Board and I were prepared to consider candidates from many different backgrounds,” says Edwards. “As equally important to us as demonstrated expertise in the life sciences was an abiding passion for MEND’s mission as a not-for-profit research and development organization. We were looking for a CEO for whom the challenge of doing something different from a typical biotech start-up would be exciting.”
MEND turned to J. Robert Scott in part because of the firm’s expertise in both the biotech and education/not-for-profit sectors. Explains J. Robert Scott Managing Director Jonathan Fortescue, “Product development partnerships (PDPs) and similar, smaller start-ups have created an entirely new employment arena. The best candidates must have biomedical expertise as well as the capacity to thrive in a mission-oriented, not-for-profit culture. Because of our experience and connections, J. Robert Scott has a strong track record of finding and recognizing candidates with these distinctive qualities.”

Working closely with David Edwards and MEND’s Board to further hone the search criteria, Fortescue soon gathered what else would best complement Edward’s myriad strengths. “David is highly creative but also very extended. We often didn’t know knew where in the world, literally, he might be at any given moment. At one point, we had eight different phone numbers for him. So, we knew pretty quickly that the perfect candidate would have to share David’s intensity, while also bringing strong business instincts and a passion for detail to the organization.”
“With our expertise in both the life sciences and the not-for-profit sectors, we were able to find a number of promising candidates for MEND,” says Jonathan Fortescue. “We combed our extensive networks in each sector, and then our research team looked for prospects with great promise who wouldn’t immediately come up on the radar. This usually means pursuing leads in multiple target universes.”

An early advantage in the search was that J. Robert Scott had done numerous searches in the vaccine space. “We knew everybody in this small corner of the life sciences industry,” said Fortescue. However, the solution lay elsewhere. Fortescue directed his team to delve into companies working on diverse delivery technologies including inhalation. The challenge to find more than just a successful executive. “When we found Dr. Schiermeier, it was as if we had placed a custom order for the perfect candidate,” laughs Fortescue. “He trained in the same program as David Edwards. They shared the same scientific interests and perspective. They were both bilingual and both had even married French women. The similarities were remarkable.”

Equally as important as the similarities between Edwards and Schiermeier, were the differences. While Edwards had chosen the blue-sky thinking of academia, Schiermeier had gone the corporate route, honing his business expertise in the many facets of running a company.

Edwards quickly saw Schiermeier’s virtues. “It isn’t easy to hand off something that you’ve helped found,” recalls Edwards. “But in Andrew I met a like-minded soul who wanted to succeed in all the right ways. As protective as I felt about MEND, it was clear Andrew would make an immediate contribution. And he has. In the past year, clinical trial and pre-clinical development has gotten underway; we have received additional funding, and we have established some interesting third party arrangements.”

“I am grateful to Jonathan and J. Robert Scott for their dedication and insights,” concludes David Edwards. “They took the time to really understand MEND and what we needed. And then they delivered.”