Listen to this articleThe impact of new medicines, procedures, data analytics, and other innovations created by companies in biotechnology, diagnostics, therapeutics, laboratory and clinical services during the first two decades of the 21st century have changed the lives of millions of people around the world. And as Slone Partners celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, its evolution as a leader in life sciences executive search closely resembles that of the industry itself.
“We have witnessed an incredible myriad of breakthroughs and discoveries in the life sciences during our 20-year history as a company,” said Slone Partners founder Adam Slone. “It has been an amazing journey, and I take great pride in our role in helping recruit and place many of the top leaders in the innovative companies that are doing such exciting work.”
When Slone Partners began in 2000 the industry landscape was far different, and the pace of change was far slower than it is today. But Slone soon realized that the life sciences was the sector where the firm could make the biggest impact in the market.
“Within about five years after founding Slone Partners, we saw a significant shift globally towards precision medicine and individualized care. It was interesting to see the reaction from various sectors within healthcare including therapeutics, life sciences, biotech, diagnostics, and clinical services,” Slone said. “It wasn’t quite a eureka moment; it was more about understanding the larger puzzle consisting of distinct pieces – policies, finance, clients, and candidates.”
As the industry grew, the company grew along with it, but it took a unique approach, becoming one of the first all remote companies in its sector.
“When you’re meeting clients on their ground, and meeting with candidates on neutral ground, you spend meaningful time building face-to-face relationships instead of spending energy managing an office and the associated infrastructure,” Slone said. “Decentralizing, in that context, allowed us to focus more on the work and it also saved the team hours of commuting.”
Today the company has 50 full-time employees, working in cities all across the country.
“Once we realized this remote office structure worked, we decided to restate our mission and began building our own culture of caring for one another more deeply as people, while emphasizing accountability,” Slone stated. “This new kind of infrastructure built trust among the team and gave each member of the team the ability to deliver results from their own work spaces, maximizing efficiency and improving work/life balance. The result has been a wonderful corporate culture that has helped us achieve amazing results.”
Slone credits Slone Partners CEO Leslie Loveless and President Tara Kochis-Stach with building and leading a world-class team providing exceptional service to its client partners.
“Working with Adam and the team has been the highlight of my professional career,” said Loveless. “We consistently inspire, challenge, and support one another – all with the goal of creating an amazing experience that exceeds both client and candidate expectations.”
“Adam recruited me fairly early on, but even then, I could feel his great passion for this work, and I believed in his very clear vision for our company’s future. Here we are, 15 years after I joined Slone Partners, and I am so proud of the experienced and talented team that we have been able to build together,” said Kochis-Stach.
“Both Tara and Leslie are smart, caring, passionate people of great character. They have loved and protected the company and have consistently done amazing work on behalf of our clients,” Slone said. “Working with them and the rest of our team, nationwide, is the one thing I have loved most about our business.”
Although Slone has reduced his day-to-day responsibilities with Slone Partners, he remains actively engaged with the firm, with a specific focus in strategy, finance, and business development in Boston and California. He and Slone Partners are also co-founders of Wolf Hill Group, a newly-launched national recruitment firm focused on the cybersecurity industry.
Slone is also founder and president of Life Serve Youth Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering achievement and unlocking the full potential of underserved youth through the love of tennis and the character-building experience of sleepaway camp.
“I’ve been playing tennis since I was very young, and it made such a positive impact on me that I wanted to share my experience with kids who otherwise might not be able to have the same opportunities that I had,” he said. “Life Serve hosts a two-week sleepaway camp every summer for young people from underserved communities in Boston, New York, and in between. In addition to high level tennis training, we provide a significant leadership and mentoring component, and ultimately the kids learn that if they work passionately towards any goal, they can do or be whatever they want in this world.”
The culture that Slone instills in the campers at Life Serve is also one that has been carefully cultivated at Slone Partners – built around a commitment to excellence, accountability, teamwork, and respect.
“It’s about core values as a framework,” he said. “We hire smart, passionate, devoted team players with outstanding character. The onboarding process at Slone Partners is very hands on. Our senior people offer considerate and compassionate support from day one for new employees to set them up for success. This is a vitally important part of our company culture. Our senior people received that same courtesy when they were new and they pay it forward.
“Cultural fit is absolutely essential for our team; people have to fit in. In the early days, we made some mistakes on cultural fit, but we learned from those mistakes. That’s why today, for our clients, cultural fit is the biggest priority we have when vetting candidates. That piece is absolutely critical for us and our client partners,” said Slone.
Slone Partners will mark its 20th anniversary with a special gathering for the entire company later this year.
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