Challenge
Precision BioSciences faced a critical challenge: how to build and scale leadership capabilities to support ambitious global growth. As the company expanded into new markets, securing the right senior leadership became an urgent priority.
Historically, Precision BioSciences relied heavily on executive search firms to fill its most senior roles. While this delivered some early wins, it came with significant downsides. Annual spend on search quickly grew to a substantial figure, straining the budget at a time when investment in product development and market expansion was also essential.
Beyond the financial cost, this reliance created a transactional relationship with limited strategic value. The search process often lacked depth in understanding Precision BioSciences’ evolving leadership needs and did little to help the business learn systematically from the external market. As leadership capabilities became clearer internally, the company struggled to translate those insights into broader market awareness or proactive talent planning.
This lack of visibility created real risk: without an informed view of external leadership talent, Precision BioSciences risked missing opportunities, reacting slowly to succession needs, and failing to benchmark effectively against competitors.
Solution
To address these challenges, Precision BioSciences adopted a hybrid model that combined retained consulting services with a purpose-built software platform. This new approach was designed to move beyond transactional search and embed leadership capability building directly into the organisation’s growth strategy.
The consulting team worked closely with HR leaders and executives to identify the most critical roles, particularly at the CEO minus one (direct reports to the CEO) and CEO minus two levels (key senior managers). Together, they defined clear leadership criteria, succession plans, and future capability requirements aligned with business objectives.
Alongside this advisory partnership, the business implemented a custom software solution to track, analyse, and benchmark leadership talent in real time. Tailored to the company’s context and continuously updated to reflect shifts in the external market, the platform gave visibility into potential successors, competitors, and emerging leadership trends—enabling the organisation to manage talent risk proactively rather than reactively.
Outcome
The shift from a transactional search model to an integrated consulting-and-technology solution delivered several high-impact benefits:
Enhanced market visibility – The organisation gained credible, data-driven insights into the external talent landscape. Real-time visibility supported better decision making, allowing leaders to benchmark capabilities against the market and refine succession plans.
Significant return on investment – Moving away from exclusive reliance on traditional executive search delivered major cost savings. By building internal knowledge and leveraging technology, the business reduced annual talent acquisition spend while improving quality and speed.
Agile external database – The continuously updated database provided a live view of potential candidates and competitors. This capability equipped the company to respond quickly to talent needs, maintain competitiveness, and ensure leadership continuity as it scaled globally.
Ultimately, this integrated approach positioned Precision BioSciences to scale sustainably, with leadership capabilities aligned to strategy and informed by real-time market intelligence.
Learn more
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