Executive Search Success Story: Building the Operations and Commercial Leadership Team to Expand Prefilled Syringe and Cartridge Capacity at a Private-Equity-Backed Fill-Finish CDMO

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a private-equity-backed sterile fill-finish CDMO with the operations, manufacturing, sterility assurance, supply chain, and business development leadership required to add prefilled syringe and cartridge capacity for GLP-1 and biologic demand, secure constrained components, and convert a wave of customer inquiries into long-term capacity reservations.

The Challenge

A sterile fill-finish CDMO had built a solid vial business when demand for prefilled syringes and cartridges driven by GLP-1 therapies and self-administered biologics overwhelmed the market. The sponsor approved three high-speed syringe and cartridge lines, but the company’s leadership had run vial operations only, glass syringes, plungers, and needles were on allocation, sterility assurance was sized for two lines, and the commercial team was fielding capacity inquiries from dozens of pharmaceutical companies with no structured approach to pricing and reserving capacity. Executive leadership and the sponsor identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the expansion:

• Operations leadership with vial experience only, ahead of three high-speed syringe and cartridge lines
• Glass syringes, plungers, needles, and cartridges on allocation from a small number of suppliers
• Sterility assurance and microbiology sized for two lines, not five
• Dozens of capacity inquiries with no pricing, reservation, or take-or-pay framework
• Customer technical requirements for combination products and device assembly the company had not supported
• Sponsor returns dependent on lines reaching utilization quickly after installation

Recognizing that the expansion required leadership with prefilled syringe and cartridge experience, the sponsor and CEO engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Chief Operating Officer, Vice President of Manufacturing for Prefilled Syringe & Cartridge Operations, Vice President of Sterility Assurance & Microbiology, Vice President of Supply Chain & Component Sourcing, and Vice President of Business Development & Capacity Planning. The company required an executive search partner with deep fill-finish expertise and access to leaders who had scaled syringe and cartridge operations.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Sterile Fill-Finish Practice Focus

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice recruiting sterile fill-finish leadership for CDMOs and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a clear understanding of prefilled syringe and cartridge technology, component supply dynamics, sterility assurance scaling, and CDMO commercial models.

CDMO Commercial Expertise

Our firm has extensive experience recruiting business development leaders who have structured capacity reservation and take-or-pay agreements with pharmaceutical customers.

Private Equity Portfolio Experience

Our team works routinely with sponsors on leadership builds tied to capacity expansion, with a clear understanding of utilization ramp and return timelines.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Expansion Plan Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the sponsor’s operating partner, CEO, and head of quality to review line specifications, installation schedule, component supply status, customer pipeline, and sterility assurance capacity, defining five executive profiles sequenced to line installation.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting operations, prefilled syringe manufacturing, sterility assurance, supply chain, and business development executives at sterile CDMOs, biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and combination product operations who had led documented syringe and cartridge expansions. Over 390 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of starting up high-speed prefilled syringe and cartridge lines, scaling sterility assurance across multi-line facilities, securing allocated glass and component supply, supporting combination product requirements, and structuring capacity reservation agreements. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented expansion plans to the sponsor, CEO, and board, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified start-up, supply, and commercial outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 390+ sterile manufacturing, quality, and CDMO commercial executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning operations, syringe manufacturing, sterility assurance, supply chain, and business development within seven months.
• Commissioned three high-speed syringe and cartridge lines on schedule.
• Secured dual-source multi-year component agreements for the full expanded capacity.
• Contracted 90% of new capacity before first line installation.
• Grew revenue from $380M to $720M with margin improved by 600 basis points.