KRS Market Insights: Jan-Jun 2022

A message from Steve Robertson

“The first half of 2022 has been a key growth period for KRS, both in terms of consolidating within our core Market Access & Commercial Strategy services as well as the addition of brand new service offerings and markets within consulting.

We are proud of the way the business has adapted and thrived in a vastly competitive hiring market to help our clients secure the best talent in consulting”.

Introduction

The global strategy consulting market in life sciences continues to experience rapid growth. In the first half of 2022, KRS has supported clients across immediate recruitment needs and broader people strategies, strengthening our position as a preferred exclusive partner.

This period has allowed us to adapt to emerging trends, refine our service offerings, and expand our market disciplines, helping clients tackle key challenges more effectively.

Introducing Graduate Hiring Solutions

Based on insights from our Market Research and Insights projects, we have launched a Career to Campus Rercruitment Program, led by Buse Demirbag. This initiative is designed to support organisations with smaller internal teams by acting as an extension of their recruitment function.

The program helps:

• Increase candidate flow and improve candidate quality
• Communicate the value and benefits of joining consultancy careers
• Save time with fully screened and interview-ready candidates

With growing competition for early talent, this program ensures clients hit their target hires while providing fully managed recruitment support. The program has already successfully completed several PhD hiring assignments.

Program Highlights:

• Fully managed service, including interview assessments
• Candidates with clear motivations tested through case studies
• Access to market insights to define EVP and candidate packages
• Support with offer negotiation and contract processes

Expanding Expertise: Data & Analytics and MedTech

KRS has also launched two new market disciplines: Data & Analytics and MedTech.

• Data & Analytics: This discipline has transformed the healthcare landscape by enabling data-driven decisions that optimise commercial opportunities and profitability. Tom Lambert, our Client Partner for Analytics, supports clients by placing candidates with data science expertise into consultancies building analytics capabilities.
• MedTech: The demand for candidates with MedTech experience reflects the growing importance of precision medicine and diagnostics. Chris Donald, Client Partner for MedTech, works with clients across the US and Europe to recruit talent for this high-growth area.

KRS Global Placement Overview

In H1 2022, our placements reflect both geographical spread and evolving work preferences:

• Location: 62% US, 26% UK, 8% Germany, 2% France, 2% Canada
• Work Structure: 82% of placements are fully remote or hybrid (3+ days remote)
• Level: 50% at Engagement Manager level
• Gender: 56% men, 38% women, 6% unspecified
• Firm Size: 40% large/generalist life science practice, 16% mid-large specialised consultancies, 44% boutique/mid-sized life science consultancies

These trends highlight the growing demand for mid-senior talent, remote flexibility, and specialised expertise across the consulting landscape.

Key Market Trends

DE&I: Rising Female Leadership

The representation of women in leadership remains limited but is improving. Female leaders enhance team performance, broaden talent access, and strengthen overall competitiveness.

• In H1 2022, 33 new female Partner/MD hires were made across Vault’s top 50 consultancies in life sciences.
• Continued focus on mentorship, networking, flexible work, and leadership development is essential to further improve gender representation.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Investment

The market has seen significant M&A activity, often integrating strategic analytics, technology, and consulting capabilities:

• Evaluate Ltd and Treehill Partners: Merging strategic analytics with transaction advisory services [1].
• TrialCard acquires Triangle Insights Group: Expanding consulting within commercialisation [2].
• Fishawack Health acquires Avalere Health: Geographic expansion and integration of data-driven decision-making [3].
• Genesis Research acquires Market Access Transformation: Strengthening market access and HEOR capabilities [4].
• Vintura merges with Cepton Strategies: Solidifying European presence and capabilities [5].
• Prescient Healthcare Group acquires Strategic North: Expanding US footprint [6].
• IntegriChain acquires Blue Fin Group: Combining strategic and tech capabilities [7].
• Ashfield Advisory acquires Research Partnership: Integrating market research and insights [8].
• Cello Health rebrands and expands through multiple acquisitions [9].

These activities reflect the increasing demand for consultancies with integrated service offerings, deep industry expertise, and strong analytics capabilities.

A Message from Kerone Daniel

"With these new initiatives and market disciplines in place, KRS is proud to be one of the largest global recruitment partners dedicated solely to life science strategy consulting.

We remain committed to supporting clients with full talent strategy solutions, delivering quality results efficiently, and addressing evolving market demands."