3 Essential Elements for Hiring a Great CDMO Executive

Established in the late 1990s, the CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) industry was initially created to add critical supplementary manufacturing capacity for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device organizations. Since then, the CDMO industry has evolved. The influx of investments from private equity coupled with significant market consolidation led to the industry’s robust growth. Today, companies partner with CDMOs to accelerate the development of new technologies and bring new products to market. As a result of these shifts, the demand for CDMO talent has increased significantly. Given the complexity of the industry, recruiting and assessing leaders who can successfully navigate the CDMO business model is a challenge.  

To demystify what makes for a great CDMO leader, we dive deep into the 3 key areas of expertise and associated skillsets that hiring teams should focus on to successfully hire top C-level talent in the industry.  

B2B Partnerships 

At its core, CDMO is a services business. Compared to other life sciences organizations, CDMOs operate within a B2B model, so successful leaders need to take a services-first, manufacturing-second approach. This means prioritizing relationship management, client satisfaction, and the ability to tailor services to meet partner organizations’ unique needs. As a result, top CDMO candidates must be highly collaborative, adaptable, and capable of balancing both operational excellence and relationship management to achieve growth targets. 

Quality Results on Tight Timelines 

CDMO organizations operate under much tighter timelines than other non-contract life sciences organizations in the medical device, pharmaceuticals, or biotechnology industries. At the same time, CDMOs are held to the same quality standards. If a CDMO receives an FDA 483, or “Notice of Inspectional Observations,” they are prohibited from manufacturing products or servicing their customers. Thus, when assessing and recruiting top CDMO talent, talent teams need to seek out individuals who are adept at juggling client priorities under a compressed timeline, rapid decision-making and resource allocation, adjusting to unforeseen challenges, and managing risk, while at the same time remain laser focused on customer service to meet client expectations without compromising the product quality. 

Stakeholder Management  

CDMO leaders are required to navigate a complex network of stakeholders, from multiple clients to internal teams, regulatory agencies, investors, and suppliers, while balancing the interests of each party. This contrasts significantly with non-contract businesses like traditional pharmaceuticals or medical device manufacturing, where stakeholder management is primarily focused on internal teams, regulatory bodies, investors, and occasionally patients. Given this challenge, in the search for top CDMO talent, it is critical to identify leaders with strong capabilities managing expectations across a range of stakeholders, a savviness for cultivating transparency and trust, and the innovative mindset needed to deliver services, anticipate needs, and respond to changing demands in new ways. 

To recruit top CDMO leaders, it is critical to understand how the industry’s unique needs are differentiated from the broader life sciences industry. Hiring teams must identify leaders who are capable of balancing technical expertise, regulatory knowledge, and strategic vision with managing a diverse portfolio of client relationships, driving innovation under tighter timelines, and adapting to ever-evolving demands of multiple stakeholders. Although the CDMO industry is still nascent, rapidly evolving to meet the needs of its partners, talent is the essential element for organizations to unlock growth, drive value, and realize their full potential.  

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