<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Sharon Shields Cons]]></title><description><![CDATA[Sharon Shields Consulting]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 06:09:48 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Is “Culture Fit” Holding Back Diverse Talent in Specialty Pharma Leadership?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ask any Specialty Pharma leader what they want in their next executive hire and you’ll hear familiar themes: “fresh thinking,” “diverse perspectives,” “ability to challenge the status quo.”

Then the search progresses, and a strong candidate gets rejected with a vague line: “They’re great, but I’m not sure they’re a culture fit.”

In many organizations, that is where diverse, high‑potential leaders—especially those who don’t look, talk, or network like the current C‑suite—quietly disappear from ]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/is-culture-fit-holding-back-diverse-talent-in-specialty-pharma-leadership</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a76f390421979b2d973aba0</guid><pubDate>Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_2242d33a5c0443d18ed809e8f4bba49f~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Tilting the Scales: GLP‑1 Drugs, Obesity, and Who Gets to Rewrite Their Biology]]></title><description><![CDATA[GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs started as diabetes medicines. Now they’re quietly becoming one of the most powerful tools in obesity treatment — and they’re still evolving.

The science is advancing quickly. The harder question is whether access, cost, and policy will keep up.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/tilting-the-scales-glp-1-drugs-obesity-and-who-gets-to-rewrite-their-biology</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a6f13ee3e0c16484ff83f6d</guid><pubDate>Sun, 02 Aug 2026 10:17:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02bcdc_f6031476a06d4afc987be0caffc50810~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Can This Founder Scale? A Talent Partner’s Checklist for Life Sciences VCs]]></title><description><![CDATA[A Practical lens for Board Members - Will this PI Founder still be CEO by Series B? Most European life sciences funds back companies where the founding CEO is a first‑time scientific leader: a PI out of a top lab, an ex‑pharma director, sometimes a computational founder with limited management experience. Very few investment memos say, “And we expect to replace them before Series B.” Yet that’s exactly what happens in a lot of cases—not always for the wrong reasons, but often avoidably. The...]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/can-this-founder-scale-a-talent-partner-s-checklist-for-life-sciences-vcs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5ce731b30426ce140767d8</guid><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:25:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/804c18c8464044daa438b6b945afad94.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The First 5 Hires for a Platform Biotech: Who, When, and Why?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Your first five hires will decide whether your “platform biotech” ever becomes more than a pitch deck. In the first 18 months you’re not building an org chart, you’re building an engine: one person who truly owns the platform, one who runs everything that isn’t science, one who turns data into a scalable system, an early regulatory voice to stop you tripping over yourself later, and a business partner who keeps capital and deals flowing. ]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/the-first-5-hires-for-a-platform-biotech-who-when-and-why</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5cd8c5383816e00d401fe4</guid><pubDate>Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:00:07 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6a655aadfbb14fa9a35c9682f792a421.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Bridging the Peaks and Valleys: Flexible Research Capability for Executive Search Firms]]></title><description><![CDATA[Executive search firms live with constant peaks and troughs in demand, creating pressure on research teams, margins, and delivery quality. This article explores how flexible research capability—blending strong in‑house teams with trusted external support—can help firms manage volatile workloads, protect consultant time, and maintain consistent standards without over‑hiring or risking burnout.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/bridging-the-peaks-and-valleys-flexible-research-capability-for-executive-search-firms</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a54f2d0b644d50072f4d3f5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 27 Jul 2026 11:00:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d5e3cc455f3e4a25821a816ed4122f37.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[AI in Pharma: What the Research Says vs What Scientists Say in Real Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[What the AI Research tells us vs what people are saying! If you read recent scientific reviews on artificial intelligence (AI) in the pharmaceutical industry, you get a clear message: AI is transforming drug discovery, clinical development, manufacturing, and safety.¹⁻⁵ If you talk to bench scientists, clinical teams, or data scientists over coffee, you often hear a more complicated story: pockets of impressive success, a lot of incremental improvements, and quite a few stalled pilots. Both...]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/ai-in-pharma-what-the-research-says-vs-what-scientists-say-in-real-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5b5b95830cbda37bbe6832</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:00:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02bcdc_0487bb7c7aae45b481932052a8ae299c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Launching Sharon Shields Consulting ]]></title><description><![CDATA[On 23rd July, I’m officially launching Sharon Shields Consulting — a specialist consultancy focused on executive research, market mapping and talent intelligence for life sciences organisations across the UK, Europe and the US. I also partner with executive search consultancies who need deep, reliable research support for complex senior mandates.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/launching-sharon-shields-consulting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a492422f239585c47f90593</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:06:14 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02bcdc_c23c932ee7fc4fcb885794b926b35ea5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Location, Location, Location - Where to set up your Biopharma or Therapeutics business in Europe?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Choosing where to set up in Europe is just the beginning. The real challenge — and the real competitive advantage — lies in finding, attracting, and retaining the right people in markets where the best talent has choices]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/location-location-location-where-to-set-up-your-biopharma-or-therapeutics-business-in-europe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5a08ffddb26a9ae72511b1</guid><pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:48:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_b7195e8a4a8448b2a147ec5ef37930aa~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[For Decades, Collateral Damage Was the Price of Cancer Treatment. That’s Finally Changing.]]></title><description><![CDATA[For generations, treating cancer has relied on a pretty brutal calculus: hit the body hard and hope the cancer dies first. Traditional chemotherapy is essentially a scorched-earth strategy. It works, but at a massive cost—wrecking the heart, gut, and nervous system along with the tumour. . For decades, researchers have chased a deceptively simple question: What if we could send the drug only where it’s actually needed? Antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, are the most promising answer we’ve...]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/for-decades-collateral-damage-was-the-price-of-cancer-treatment-that-s-finally-changing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a53a1320eb6d92caeeba74d</guid><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2026 10:19:06 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/899b46e8401d4aedb3421b319e2c3c62.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fractional Roles in Life Sciences: A Smarter Way to Access Senior Talent]]></title><description><![CDATA[Fractional vs Interim in Life Sciences – Not the Same Thing

I’m seeing more life sciences organisations explore fractional senior roles – and they’re often confused with interim roles.

Interim: usually full‑time, time‑limited, covering a defined role for a fixed period.
Fractional: usually part‑time, longer-term, adding senior expertise for a set number of days or hours without owning the whole role.
In a milestone‑driven, resource‑constrained environment, fractional models can be a very pragm]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/fractional-roles-in-life-sciences-a-smarter-way-to-access-senior-talent</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a5228f8c549c55b35b0b7b7</guid><pubDate>Sat, 11 Jul 2026 11:54:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_e18f9447a3694ceead0254f0e64eb414~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[ESG Is Now a Leadership Competency. Are You Hiring for It?]]></title><description><![CDATA[For executive search firms and VC talent managers operating in life sciences, ESG has become one of the most consequential forces shaping who gets hired, who gets funded, and which organizations attract the leadership talent capable of building enduring companies.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/esg-is-now-a-leadership-competency-are-you-hiring-for-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a50eb43cb673b1177c8f813</guid><pubDate>Thu, 09 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/f07472d3c1b34cd7a2493fa6a39d5b61.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[From Broken Brain to Whole-Body Network: What the Gut is Teaching Us About Mental Health]]></title><description><![CDATA[For decades, psychiatric drug development has operated with a deceptively simple story. Mental illness lives in the brain. Depression is a serotonin problem. Drug development followed that logic. That story isn’t exactly wrong. But it is increasingly incomplete. What if depression isn’t primarily a brain disorder - but a network disorder?]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/from-broken-brain-to-whole-body-network-what-the-gut-is-teaching-us-about-mental-health</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4fc2b9c6874e38d2bc11f9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02bcdc_09ae7336cf5d49d1921eaf033f52106a~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What Makes a Life Sciences Leadership Search Succeed – or Fail?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Five controllable factors that determine whether your next executive hire accelerates progress or derails your search.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/what-makes-a-life-sciences-leadership-search-succeed-or-fail</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4e2039d5b596d4f9233c3c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 11:00:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_ab5865494a754bdaaeaad2c0dc9bee12~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Leadership Skills That Don’t Exist Yet in Life Sciences Organisations]]></title><description><![CDATA[Most executive searches in life sciences begin with a familiar brief. Strong scientific background. Commercial acumen. Proven track record. It is a reasonable list. It is also increasingly insufficient. What if the leadership profile you are searching for is based on a role that no longer exists?]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/the-leadership-skills-that-don-t-exist-yet-in-life-sciences-organisations</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4e6513263db6b31f1abbee</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_efb454838add4c5494b7d47914774a76~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Biotech: From Sandcastles to Seniorlytics]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thoughts from the beach - Ageing, learning and seniorlytics! Last weekend, I spent a day at the beach with family and friends aged 6 to 70. The younger ones threw themselves into the sea and into sandcastle building—fearless, curious, and quick to learn from mistakes. The older adults contributed stories and thoughtful advice, grounding our fun in lived experience. Children are called “sponges” for good reason: their brains form up to a million new connections every second (Harvard Center on...]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/biotech-from-sandcastles-to-seniorlytics</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a4d1a4a646539e11634ce31</guid><pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:59:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02bcdc_2688109532824dc783441ffef6274499~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Revolutionising Vision: The Future of Eye Health Through Gene Therapy]]></title><description><![CDATA[Could the Eye Become the Blueprint for Regenerative Medicine?]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/revolutionising-vision-the-future-of-eye-health-through-gene-therapy</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a47de3d4a3614e014edffff</guid><pubDate>Sat, 04 Jul 2026 15:12:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_d51b2bb0875845919df01afbaf4319d5~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Human-Centric Leadership: Why People Matter More Than Ever]]></title><description><![CDATA[POV Throughout my career in industry, executive search and talent acquisition, I've had the opportunity to work with leaders across a wide range of organisations, industries and growth stages. While leadership styles vary significantly, the most effective leaders I've encountered tend to have one thing in common: they genuinely put people first. As Simon Sinek famously said "Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge." In an era defined by rapid...]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/human-centric-leadership-why-people-matter-more-than-ever</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a47ce839ac9a398d130a82e</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:03:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/2789fba4f9de4318a4fe0cbcfd39b671.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Growing Momentum Behind Neurodegenerative Disease Research]]></title><description><![CDATA[How innovation, investment and talent are advancing Alzheimer's disease and other neurological disorders Intricate digital rendering of a brain, with a network-like structure against a dark background, highlighting the complexity of neural connections. My interest in neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases stems from both professional and personal experience. My first step into executive search was through a Talent Acquisition role at a pharmaceutical neuroscience research centre, where I...]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/the-growing-momentum-behind-neurodegenerative-disease-research</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a479bfd0e6d46569494e1b7</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 12:03:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_4ded471c15b34abbb532b0ee4f60e4b3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pharma &#38; Biotech Trends 2026: What’s Driving the Industry Right Now]]></title><description><![CDATA[Discover the latest pharma and biotech trends in 2026, including M&#38;A activity, FDA approvals, AI drug discovery, and emerging therapies shaping the industry.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/pharma-biotech-trends-2026-what-s-driving-the-industry-right-now</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a43aac63c06bdad542921b5</guid><pubDate>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 06:00:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_fe646c0c79b24fe2818a7b72f203bea9~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Analysing the Impact of the EU Pay Transparency Directive on the Life Sciences Sector]]></title><description><![CDATA[The EU Pay Transparency Directive (EU) 2023/970 has introduced significant changes aimed at promoting fairness and equality in pay across industries. For the Life Sciences sector, where talent competition is fierce and diversity is increasingly valued, this directive brings both challenges and opportunities. This post explores how the directive affects HR and Talent Managers in Life Sciences companies, focusing on gender neutral pay practices, transparency, and salary ranges.]]></description><link>https://www.sharonshieldsconsulting.com/post/analysing-the-impact-of-the-eu-pay-transparency-directive-on-the-life-sciences-sector</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6a45025981da23eacaa49938</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 13:22:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/02bcdc_22c41187f7e246f7b39e85cd80e0dcb1~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>sharonshieldsconsu</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>