Following their acquisition by Stifel, the founders of Bryan Garnier engaged us to replace their outgoing Head of Healthcare, who was joining a competitor. With their internal head of talent on maternity leave, they needed rapid support and market insight.

Brief:

A French-speaking investment banking leader with strong sponsor access, large-cap experience, and a track record in healthcare M&A—someone capable of driving both revenue and client growth.

Ahead of our briefing call with the co-founders, we identified 47 relevant candidates with at least €4 million in annual attributable M&A revenue and significant experience in healthcare deals. We looked to focus on identifying diverse talent as a priority.

After refining the brief, we created a scorecard and criteria matrix (available on request), ensured stakeholder alignment, and launched the search with bi-weekly progress calls to maintain complete process transparency.

Approach:

We contacted 35 of the 47; 21 declined to explore the opportunity due to personal reasons, being satisfied in their current position, or uncertainty around Bryan Garnier’s new ownership. Only two were ruled outpost-screening—demonstrating the precision of our mapping.

Two candidates stood out as ideal fits. We approached them directly, and both agreed to meet the co-founders immediately. Ultimately, one of these individuals ended accepting Stifel’s offer to join them!

Results:

The successful candidate came from a Bulge Bracket bank and brought with them a multi-million-euro client book. We supported them through the negotiation and resignation process. They start in September and are poised to help Stifel become a leading healthcare franchise in Europe.

‍