Executive Search Success Story: Placing a VP of Commercial Excellence to Build Pricing, Contracting, and Value-Based Selling Capability for a Medical Capital Equipment Company

How JRG Partners executed a confidential North American executive search that equipped a private-equity-backed medical capital equipment and diagnostics company with the VP of Commercial Excellence and pricing leadership required to stop margin erosion from unmanaged discounting, build a pricing and contracting function, equip the sales force to sell on clinical and economic value to health systems and group purchasing organizations, and deliver the margin improvement in the sponsor’s plan.

The Challenge

A private-equity-backed medical capital equipment and diagnostics company had strong technology and a loyal installed base, but its commercial model was built for relationship selling to individual departments. As purchasing shifted to health system value analysis committees and GPO contracts, sales representatives discounted aggressively to close, with no pricing governance, no deal desk, and no ability to articulate clinical and economic value. Average selling prices had declined more than 12% in two years while costs rose, and the sponsor’s margin plan was at risk. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the value-creation plan:

• Average selling prices down more than 12% in two years from unmanaged discounting
• No pricing strategy, governance, or deal desk; representatives negotiating with full discretion
• Health system and GPO contracting handled reactively with inconsistent terms and compliance
• No value-based selling capability or health economics evidence to support value analysis committee decisions
• Quote-to-contract processes slow and error-prone, delaying capital deals
• Sponsor margin targets dependent on commercial discipline not yet in place

Recognizing that margin recovery required a commercial excellence executive, the CEO and sponsor engaged JRG Partners to recruit a VP of Commercial Excellence, supported by a Director of Pricing, Contracting & Deal Desk and a Director of Value-Based Selling & Health Economics. The company required an executive search partner with deep medtech expertise and access to commercial leaders who had built pricing and value-based selling capability in capital equipment businesses.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Medical Capital Equipment and Diagnostics Commercial Expertise

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across medical capital equipment, diagnostics, and large medtech commercial organizations and healthcare pricing and contracting functions, including commercial excellence, pricing, contracting, and value-based selling leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of health system procurement, GPO dynamics, value analysis committees, and the pricing disciplines that protect margin in capital sales.

Pricing and Contracting Build Experience

Our team specializes in identifying commercial excellence leaders who have built pricing governance, deal desks, and value-based selling programs from the ground up, converting discount-driven sales organizations into value-driven ones.

Private Equity Value-Creation Alignment

JRG Partners has extensive experience serving healthcare-focused private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, with a clear understanding of margin targets, commercial transformation timelines, and the urgency of commercial leadership placements.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Pricing & Commercial Model Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, sponsor operating partners, CFO, and Chief Commercial Officer to review price realization, discounting patterns, contracting practices, value evidence, and quote-to-contract processes. This review defined a VP of Commercial Excellence profile combining pricing and contracting build, value-based selling, and commercial governance leadership.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting commercial excellence, pricing, and contracting leaders at medical capital equipment, diagnostics, and large medtech commercial organizations who had led documented pricing and value-based selling transformations. Over 255 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of establishing pricing governance and deal desks, structuring health system and GPO contracts, building health economics and value-based selling programs, improving price realization, and accelerating quote-to-contract cycles. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented a pricing, contracting, and value-based selling plan to the CEO and sponsor, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified price realization, margin, and contracting outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 255+ medtech commercial excellence, pricing, and contracting leader profiles mapped across North America.
• Placed a VP of Commercial Excellence with proven pricing and deal desk build experience in 46 days.
• Recovered average selling prices by 9% within twelve months.
• Established pricing governance and a deal desk that ended unmanaged discounting.
• Built value-based selling and health economics capability for health system and GPO decisions.
• Improved gross margin by more than 500 basis points, exceeding the sponsor’s target.