Payment
Milestone-based, tied to search progress. No admin fees, no minimums — you pay as the work advances.
Executive Search · Life Sciences
The right
people
changeeverything
Executive search for life sciences companies where leadership drives value. We find the leaders who shape culture and accelerate growth.
Our Approach
We lead the search.
Technology expands it.
Every search is built on the same rigor: discovery that takes your culture as seriously as your science, judgment shaped by 80+ years in life sciences, and a slate curated one candidate at a time.
- 01
Define the Role
We begin with your company — its structure, culture, and goals for the hire — then define a role that attracts candidates who can perform and fit.
- 02
Source Beyond the Network
Combining relationship-driven search with machine-learning-based public-domain sourcing creates a wider candidate pool within days, then we contact each candidate personally.
- 03
Evaluate for Connection
Structured interviews assess cultural fit, leadership approach, and risk tolerance. Compensation is built to win the person you choose.
- 04
We Stay Beyond the Start
We remain involved from offer through impact, including onboarding support, since a successful hire is one who thrives.
Why CollectiveMinds
What makes us different.
Built around your outcome. Broader in reach. Grounded in decades of industry experience.
Search Reach
Machine learning expands the candidate universe by 3×. Sourcing reaches the entire public domain, not just known networks.
Speed + Confidence
A qualified pool in days. Every candidate is vetted against the scope of the search, giving you the full field and the confidence to move quickly.
Experience
80+ years in life sciences. The relationships to reach the right people—and the discretion to manage complex, confidential searches.
We stay engaged throughout the entire search, including onboarding, at no additional cost, ensuring a strong start.
Where We Lead
Across Life Sciences.
At Every Level of Leadership.
From first commercial hire to global scale, we place the leaders each stage demands.
Company Stages
- Seed
- Series A to Pre-IPO
- Early IPO / Public
- Nonprofits & Associations
Sectors Served
- Biotech
- Diagnostics & Digital
- Laboratory Testing
- Life Science Tools
- Medical Device
- Therapeutics
Leadership We Place
Board Leadership
Directors & Chairs
Enterprise Leadership
CEOs, Presidents & C-Suite Executives
Functional Leadership
EVPs, SVPs, VPs, Senior Directors & Functional Heads
Fractional Leadership
Fractional C-Suite Leaders
Who We Serve
87%of our clients are venture capital-backed, private equity-owned, or public.
We understand the specific demands of creating shareholder value. The leaders and contributors we place have to thrive under pressure, stay hands-on and decisive, pivot when the plan changes, and motivate others in resource-constrained environments.
We operate with speed and passion, bringing insight earned over decades to help clients find the right people quickly. When time matters, we deliver results.
When companies are forming and building from the ground up, we stay with them through every inflection point of growth — seed through Series A, B, C, a transaction, or going public. We understand what each of those stages asks of a leader.
Highlighted Placements
Chief Commercial OfficerDiagnostics / Laboratory Testing Company
Chief Executive OfficerDiagnostics and Tools
Chief Executive OfficerLife Science Tools
Chief Executive OfficerNot For Profit, Cancer Association
Chief Medical OfficerBiotech
Chief Scientific OfficerTherapeutics
Fractional CEOLife Science Tools
General ManagerBioPharma Business Unit, Diagnostics
Global Vice President of MarketingLife Science Tools
Marketing ManagerDigital Health
Operating PartnerTherapeutics
Product ManagerLife Science Tools
Senior Director of Global SalesLife Science Tools
Senior Vice President of Commercial Growth and OperationsMedical Device
Senior Vice President of Sales and MarketingLife Science Tools
Senior Vice President of Technical DevelopmentLife Science Tools
Vice President of DataDiagnostics
Vice President of DataDiagnostics
Senior Vice President of Technical DevelopmentLife Science Tools
Senior Vice President of Sales and MarketingLife Science Tools
Senior Vice President of Commercial Growth and OperationsMedical Device
Senior Director of Global SalesLife Science Tools
Product ManagerLife Science Tools
Operating PartnerTherapeutics
Marketing ManagerDigital Health
Global Vice President of MarketingLife Science Tools
General ManagerBioPharma Business Unit, Diagnostics
Fractional CEOLife Science Tools
Chief Scientific OfficerTherapeutics
Chief Medical OfficerBiotech
Chief Executive OfficerNot For Profit, Cancer Association
Chief Executive OfficerLife Science Tools
Chief Executive OfficerDiagnostics and Tools
Chief Commercial OfficerDiagnostics / Laboratory Testing Company
Our Leadership Team
Your strategic search partner.
CEO & Founder
Tara Kochis
Growing up in Wisconsin, Singapore, Germany, San Francisco, Indiana, and New York, I learned early how to read a room and adapt quickly. Because of that, little rattles me. I bring a level head to shifting priorities, difficult negotiations, and searches that change shape halfway through.
Early in my career, I joined a search firm as one of its first employees and spent nearly two decades helping it grow. That work taught me what scaling really asks of you: discipline, hard calls on culture, and a willingness to get into the details yourself. CollectiveMinds is built on those lessons. A modern firm rooted in trusted relationships rather than transactions.
I approach your search with a great deal of energy, along with an eye for finding the opportunity in any scenario. That is how our team shows up. We partner with life sciences companies to place the leaders who drive the next stage of growth, drawing on relationships built over decades and a search process that is rigorous and technology-enabled.
Senior Recruiting Consultant
Shelly Chatterelli
Twelve years in life sciences and biotechnology search have taught me that a resume is the smallest part of the story. I want to know what someone is actually building toward, and what a team needs in order to work — then I take the time to make sure those two things line up.
I lead with empathy and I mentor on purpose. People do their best work when they feel genuinely valued, and I have watched how quickly a team changes when the right person joins it.
The placements I am proudest of are not the fastest ones. They are the ones where, years later, everyone involved is still glad it happened.
CollectiveMinds is supported by a team of recruiters and specialists who provide a breadth of skills and depth of experience.
Data Tells the Story
Relationships open doors.
Trust lands placements.
- Placed Executives
- Across biotech, diagnostics, life science tools, medical device, and therapeutics.
- Years in Life Sciences
- The relationships to reach the right people—and the discretion to manage complex, confidential searches.
- C-Suite Hires
- Including CEO, CCO and CSO, placed in the last 18 months.
1,000+
80+
60%
Testimonials
What people are saying about us.
Partnering with CollectiveMinds has been a game-changer for our leadership hiring. The quality of candidates they presented was outstanding — each one carefully vetted and perfectly aligned with our company's needs and culture. Their hands-on approach and personalized guidance made a complex task feel seamless and, surprisingly, enjoyable. They truly understand the nuances of the life sciences industry, and their expertise gave us confidence at every step.
Chief Executive Officer
Start the Conversation