Five controllable factors that determine whether your next executive hire accelerates progress or derails your search.

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?

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 (H

Stepping away from a long career in life sciences executive research brought unexpected clarity. After years of working within established organisations, garden leave gave me the rare chance to pause and reflect on what I truly wanted from my professional life. The answer came quietly, while tending to my garden: I wanted to build something of my own. This post shares my journey from being an employee to launching Sharon Shields Consulting, a specialist consultancy focused on