How We Helped a Pharma Company Boost Internal Leadership Fill Rate from 25% to 68%
In the pharma industry, where leadership decisions directly influence compliance, production, and innovation outcomes, having the right leaders in the right roles is non-negotiable. Yet many companies find themselves relying too heavily on external hiring, risking misalignment, cultural mismatches, and longer time-to-performance.
One of our pharma manufacturing clients was facing this exact challenge.
The Challenge: Over-Reliance on External Hires
Despite having a sizable internal workforce, 75% of leadership positions were being filled externally. The company lacked a structured mechanism to identify, develop, and promote internal talent—especially in critical functions such as regulatory affairs, manufacturing, and R&D.
Our mandate was clear: build an internal leadership pipeline that was future-ready and pharma-specific.
Our Solution: A Structured Talent Review and Succession Planning Framework
We partnered with the client’s HR and functional leaders to introduce a pharma-aligned Talent Review and Succession Planning process that could consistently identify and groom leadership talent across key operational functions.
Key Interventions:
- 🔍 Comprehensive Talent Assessment:
We evaluated 400+ mid-level managers using the 9-box matrix, integrating it with pharma-specific competency models to ensure role relevance—especially in GMP-regulated environments. - 📈 Function-Specific Development Tracks:
Developed custom career paths for high-potential employees in R&D, Plant Leadership, Quality, and key support functions, giving clarity on growth trajectories and readiness expectations. - 👥 Monthly Talent Councils:
Established ongoing Talent Councils consisting of business mentors and HR leaders to review succession pipelines, validate promotion-readiness, and coach managers proactively.
The Results: Leadership Transformation from Within
The outcomes were clear—and powerful.
- ✅ Internal fill rate for leadership roles rose from 25% to 68%
- ✅ Leadership bench strength increased by 54%
- ✅ Attrition among top-performing managers reduced by 30%
“We stopped chasing outside talent once we saw how much potential existed within our own labs and sites.” — Operations Head, Client Organization
Conclusion: From Hiring Gaps to Leadership Depth
This case highlights the untapped leadership potential that often lies dormant within pharma organizations. With the right structures and tools, companies can stop firefighting leadership gaps and start building sustainable, internal succession pipelines that drive long-term performance and culture alignment.
Are you ready to unlock leadership talent within your own organization? Let’s discuss how a structured and pharma-specific approach can help.
