Working for a leading executive search firm, I've met many scientists just starting out who want to know how to plot the course of their careers. Since most biotech CEOs started on the bench, these scientists want to know how the CEOs got there and what skills are required. Generally, I think the most successful people in biotech companies are those who aren't limited by their job functions. I recruit people who can stimulate a high-throughput environment. They see something that needs to get done, so they step in and do it. It follows with the entrepreneurial spirit of not becoming pigeonholed.
--Stephen Israel, managing director, North American Health Care Division of Korn/Ferry International
