Country Manager I Global Med-Tech Company
With a deep local understanding of the most entrepreneurial med-tech talent in Japan, NGS Global helped a leading global firm establish its local Japan subsidiary.
Background
Our client was an Australian based innovator with an advanced high-level ultrasound disinfection solution with a unique automated process that improved efficiencies and reduced cross contamination between patients. They had established offices in North America and Europe and had been employing consultants to analyze the Japanese market for their next market entry target.
The Need
Our client required an entrepreneurial Japanese leader to establish the local subsidiary as well as beginning to build the business structure that would eventually lead to a small commercial unit for the Japan operation. The candidate needed to have strong relationships within the Japanese healthcare and hospitals network and could be an advocate for new, best-in-class alternatives to long-held products and processes. The role needed to report directly into global and have the ability to bridge the expectations of headquarters with established practices on the ground.
Our Search Process
Commissioned from global headquarters, NGS Global’s Japan office scouted out a comprehensive talent map of senior commercial leaders within the infection prevention, point of care diagnostic and minimally invasive med-tech sectors from our existing network of contacts built over the past 15 years in market and new research through our in-house resources.
Priority was placed on candidates that not only met the language and hospital network requirements, but those we knew to have an entrepreneurial spirit or with prior experience in establishing a Japanese K.K. After several weeks of internal interviews at NGS Global’s Tokyo offices, we presented the client with a longlist of six qualified candidates (with CV’s and our own qualitative assessments) and a strong recommendation for three candidates that we considered to be the highest priorities.
The client selected four candidates for interview and conducted the first two rounds via video conference (at NGS Global’s Japan office) before the client prioritized two exceptional leaders and flew to Tokyo for final interviews. A formal offer of employment was made and accepted by the lead candidate and the entire process was completed in nine weeks.
Our NGS Global Value-Add
• Deep local networks within the Japanese medical device candidate community built over 15 years of domestic search experience. The ability to call on the best candidates in the market, from the position of a trusted advisor, so as to schedule initial meetings to present the role.
• An established track record of advocating for new entrepreneurial businesses entering Japan (for both life sciences and technology) and a deep understanding of promoting the attractive elements of the role (as well as addressing potential concerns) that may arise when a company has no established presence in the local market.
• Best-in-class reporting and assessments delivered in a timely, Japan-centric manner.
Our Executive Search Methodology