Boston and San Francisco, December 16, 2009 - J. Robert Scott, a leading global retainer-based executive search firm, continues its expansion with the addition of two managing directors, Richard von Rueden, M.D. in Boston and Erik Lundh in San Francisco, within its Education/Not-for-Profit and Life Sciences practices.

Both von Rueden and Lundh will take an integrated approach to serving clients within and across the higher education/not-for-profit, health care and life sciences sectors, as a way to strengthen J. Robert Scott’s alignment with how its clients and prospects are organized in these fields. Over the past 23 years, J. Robert Scott has demonstrated depth of experience in recruiting executive leaders for innovative organizations operating at the intersections of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, academia and venture capital/private equity.

“Both Rick and Erik bring profound levels of executive recruiting and professional experience within the medical, higher education, not-for-profit and life sciences sectors, “ said Bill Holodnak, president of J. Robert Scott. “In supporting our clients, they will use the strength of their expertise to work with organizations such as research universities, academic health centers, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, as well as other venture- and private equity-backed life sciences organizations. In addition, they will work with the growing number of nonprofit research institutes and public-private partnerships linked to them, as health care and higher education undergo major transformations.”

Holodnak added, “Our growth in this area is directly tied to trends in the market that indicate an increasing need for strong, innovative leadership and greater integration in these sectors.”

Von Rueden will lead the global Education/Not-for-Profit practice that includes academic medicine and health care, while Lundh will assume leadership of the San Francisco office and continue to drive its growth.

Richard von Rueden, M.D.
As a board-certified physician and executive with more than 25 years of experience as both a senior executive and management consultant at top-tier organizations, von Rueden will lead J. Robert Scott’s global education/not-for-profit practice. He will focus the practice on academic medicine, health care, research universities and major nonprofit organizations, and will also help top life science companies recruit successful leaders and develop strong leadership teams.

Prior to joining J. Robert Scott, von Rueden was a partner at Heidrick & Struggles, where he was in charge of its Boston office and led search work internationally in the life sciences, academic medicine and health care, higher education and nonprofit sectors. He developed his business skills while working as a manager within the life sciences and healthcare areas globally at Bain & Company. Subsequently, he served as a senior vice president at Massachusetts General Hospital, where he led leadership restructuring and major strategic initiatives such as the introduction of managed care contracting and the creation of an integrated health care network. Von Rueden is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and earned his bachelor of arts degree at Harvard College and medical degree at Harvard Medical School.

Erik Lundh
Lundh has more than 18 years of experience in the life sciences industry and executive search, specializing in recruiting senior executives for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He joins J. Robert Scott from Heidrick & Struggles, where he led the firm’s Biotechnology Practice and was in charge of its San Francisco office. Prior to that, Lundh was a partner with another leading international executive search firm, where he completed a number of executive-level engagements in the life sciences area. Before entering the search profession, he worked for several life sciences companies in roles spanning corporate strategy, business development, sales, marketing and operations.

Within the life sciences industry, Lundh most recently served as executive vice president of Commercial Operations for Sentigen Holding Corp., a publicly traded drug discovery company. Earlier, he led the worldwide sales, business development and customer services functions at ACLARA BioSciences Inc., and he previously held senior sales leadership roles at SciQuest Inc. and QIAGEN Inc. Lundh began his career as a molecular biologist and cardiovascular research scientist at Berlex Biosciences Inc., the North American affiliate of Schering AG. Lundh earned his bachelor of science degree in biological sciences at Santa Clara University.

About J. Robert Scott
J. Robert Scott is a boutique, global retainer-based executive search firm. Ranking as the 14th largest search firm in the United States, the firm specializes in recruiting senior level executives for a wide array of companies in the financial services, technology, life science/health care and higher education/not-for-profit fields. With headquarters in Boston, the firm has offices in San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore and London. Additional information about the firm can be found at www.j-robert-scott.com.
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