With over 20 years of experience recruiting for the biotech industry, Kara Coluccio is a consultant in Spencer Stuart’s global Biopharma and Boards practices, specializing in board, CEO and C-suite placements. She serves innovative organizations that work at a fast pace to drive groundbreaking therapies for patients, and she is passionate about supporting leaders and companies that are changing the lives of patients through the medicines they discover.
Kara believes it critical for a biotech recruiter to have a deep appreciation for the science involved and nuances inherent in leading science-first, patient-centric companies. She also understands the unique complexities of building a new company with the right board and leadership to help it evolve, and she possesses an astute ability to assess transformational leaders in a tight talent market. Throughout her career, Kara has been viewed as a trusted adviser, sought after by clients for her formal and informal advice and thought partnership.
Partnering to advance science through strategic biotech leadership placement
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Kara’s previous role at a boutique Boston-based firm gave her the opportunity to partner with paradigm-changing biotech companies across a spectrum of early-stage private, newly or well-established public and commercial states, helping them build the right leadership teams as they scaled. She has led several board evolution advisory projects to help companies ensure the proper governance appropriate for their stages of lifecycle.
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After launching her career in healthcare policy in Washington, D.C., Kara spent several years at a global executive search firm, working in the life sciences practice and supporting clients globally, including biotech and large pharma companies alike. She then joined a New York-based boutique recruiting advisory firm, where she worked closely with companies and investors accelerating scientific innovation and driving the exponential expansion of the biotech industry.
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Having also started her own retained recruiting advisory firm, Kara has the unique ability to relate to entrepreneurs and leaders, particularly in their efforts to drive results, hone strategy and build a sustainable business.
Kara has a B.A. in history and sociology of science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Bioethics from University of Pennsylvania Medical School. As an active member of multiple networks of women biotech leaders, she is an avid supporter of diversifying boards and C-suites of biotech companies. Kara is currently a member of the board of advisers for Life Sciences Cares Boston.