Health and Life Sciences

Leadership rooted in care. Built for complexity.

Saxton Bampfylde provides executive search in health and life sciences for organisations where leadership decisions genuinely matter. Health and life sciences are evolving at an unprecedented pace, reshaping what good leadership looks like across a diverse and interconnected landscape, healthcare delivery, the NHS and private providers, life sciences and biopharma, research and innovation organisations, digital health, and the wider health ecosystem. The appointments made at the most senior levels shape not only outcomes for patients and populations, but the culture, resilience, and long-term capability of the institutions themselves.

We have been advising on leadership across health and life sciences for decades, supporting some of the most important appointments in the sector. Our work includes Chief Executives, Chairs, clinical and scientific leaders, board members, and senior executives across healthcare providers including the NHS, life sciences and biopharma, research and innovation organisations, health technology, private and independent care, and the charitable and academic sectors.

Central to our approach is a strong commitment to building diverse and inclusive leadership teams, with a breadth of experience that better reflects the populations they serve, strengthen decision-making, and support sustainable performance.

Executive search for health and life sciences

Every search we run is shaped by the organisation behind it. Here is what that looks like in practice.

 

We start by understanding youToggle

Before we consider candidates, we listen. Every organisation carries its own culture, its own pressures and its own sense of what good leadership looks like in practice. We take the time to understand all of that before we do anything else, because it determines everything: where we look, how we assess, and how we represent you through the process.

We search across sectors, deliberatelyToggle

The best candidate for a senior healthcare role is sometimes the leader who brings a different frame of reference, from a regulated industry, a complex public body, or a commercial environment where the pressure to perform is equally unforgiving. Our consultants are specialists across sectors who share knowledge and insight across the firm, which means a healthcare client draws on expertise far broader than any single practice.

Exceptional candidate careToggle

Senior leaders considering a move in this sector are weighing a significant decision about where they want to make their next contribution. We treat every candidate accordingly, properly informed, well prepared, and supported throughout with care and discretion. Honest conversations and real feedback, from someone who picks up the phone. Many stay connected through our networks for years, and more than a few have come back to us as clients.

Inclusive search, by designToggle

Healthcare serves everyone and its leadership should reflect that. Our research model is built to go beyond the expected talent pools deliberately, mapping candidates others would not reach. Our partnerships with diversity networks such as EPOC and Onboard mean we can access and advocate for candidates who bring the breadth of perspective this sector needs.

A global network with local depthToggle

Behind every search sits our Panorama network, 400 leadership experts across the globe, each embedded in their market. For health and life sciences organisations looking internationally, or seeking leaders with experience of different healthcare systems, that reach opens up a candidate pool that only a domestic search might not.

Leadership support that goes furtherToggle

We work with boards and leadership teams long after an appointment is made, on succession planning, board effectiveness and helping new leaders settle into complex organisations through leadership coaching.

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Our clients

Our team

Client

"Saxton Bampfylde were very efficient and extremely helpful. Excellent write ups of candidates and very insightful - and aligned with what we found at interview. Better than typical NHS recruitment firms who have a very narrow perspective on what good looks like."NHS Chair

Placed candidate

"They were really responsive, I was kept informed and given advice and support throughout the process. The whole experience felt very personalised. They all went the extra mile. With Saxton Bampfylde, the relationship has been sustained beyond the campaign, which is something I value." UK health body

Client

"We are a complex and transforming organisation, and it was lovely to work with people who understand us, the brief and working within the inclusive manner that we do."Ellie Orton CEO of NHS Charities Together

Client

“Beyond our core candidates, the wider connections made in this process have been worth every minute.” Sanger Institute

The right leader changes everything. Let’s find yours.

Speak to our health and life sciences team about your next appointment.

Get in touch

 

View our current roles

Recent appointments

  7. Appointments

    Big Picture Medical appoints Hilary Thomas to Senior Advisory Team

    Global healthcare technology company, Big Picture Medical, has welcomed Hilary Thomas to its Senior Advisory team. With a strong clinical background and extensive experience at leading consulting firms including KPMG and PA Consulting, Hilary brings valuable operational expertise and strategic... Read more

    View Big Picture Medical appoints Hilary Thomas to Senior Advisory Team

  8. Appointments

    Tobias Alpsten joins Big Picture Medical’s Senior Leadership Team

    Big Picture Medical strengthens its Senior Advisory team with the appointment of Tobias Alpsten, founder and former CEO of iPLATO – a Huma Company. The appointment brings 25 years of healthcare and life sciences expertise to support Big Picture Medical’s... Read more

    View Tobias Alpsten joins Big Picture Medical’s Senior Leadership Team

  10. Appointments

    The Royal College of General Practitioners announces new Chief Executive

    The Royal College of General Practitioners will be appointing Mark Thomas as its new Chief Executive Officer. Mark is currently the College’s Executive Director of Policy and Communications and has been acting as Interim Chief Executive since the departure of... Read more

    View The Royal College of General Practitioners announces new Chief Executive

Related Insights

  6. Articles

    A healthy perspective on executive search

    Helen Buckingham’s career has taken her across many different areas of the health and care sector in the UK over the past 30 years. She joined the NHS as a graduate trainee originally in a finance role, and has progressed... Read more

    View A healthy perspective on executive search