How to combat the Bay Area talent crisis in life sciences
Be flexible, creative and aggressive in your search for talent. Consider alternative types of candidates. Recognize what the competition is offering and don’t bury your head in the sand.
Robin Toft
Robin Toft is the founder, President and CEO of Toft Group Executive Search. Over her 10+ years in the executive search industry, Robin has placed over 500 executives from director through C-level, including numerous CEOs, within rapidly growing biotech, pharmaceutical, diagnostic, medical device, and digital health companies. Robin’s passion is working with private equity, venture-backed, and entrepreneurial early and mid-stage companies to build their management teams.
Before starting Toft Group, Robin worked for 20 years in the industry, most recently as Senior Vice President of Global Commercial Operations for Roche in the San Francisco bay area. At Roche, she also held the position of Vice President of Virology. Prior to joining Roche, she was the first executive Vice President of Sales at ViroLogic, Inc. (now Monogram Biosciences). Before that, Robin served in a variety of senior management positions at Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp). Robin began her Life Sciences career in 1988 with SmithKline Beecham Clinical Laboratories.
Robin’s passion and leadership in business and within the community has earned her numerous awards, including the Athena PINNACLE Top Company Award, San Diego’s Women of the Year Award, EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year Awards finalist, and the San Diego Business Journal “Women Who Mean Business” and “Most Admired CEO” awards finalist in multiple consecutive years. Robin currently serves on the board of directors for the Scripps Mercy Hospital Foundation, LEAD San Diego and The Clearity Foundation. Robin has a B.S. in Medical Technology (Clinical Laboratory Science) from Michigan State University, and she taught Medical Technology at the University of Hawaii.