October 22, 2019

ZOLL Medical, an Asahi Kasei company, develops and markets lifesaving medical devices and software for emergency care.

Situation
In response to rapid growth, ZOLL created the position of president to manage the company’s core business. ZOLL needed an outstanding executive who understood the challenges of selling capital equipment to life sciences customers. In addition, the company needed someone who fit its strong culture, and had the ability to manage the challenges inherent in taking a newly created position.

Process
Travis & Company had previously worked with ZOLL and knew the company well. To prepare for this project, we met with the hiring manager and executives who would serve on the president’s staff, and spoke to members of the board who would be involved in the hire. As a result, we developed a deep understanding of the new position that enabled us to present the job to potential candidates in a compelling way, and evaluate them in relation to the company’s needs.

Travis & Company conducted a national search that resulted in a strong field of finalists. The search was completed on time, and ZOLL hired an outstanding candidate who was strongly supported by the hiring manager, the board of directors and the new president’s staff.

Outcome
The president rapidly established himself in the new position and led the business through a sustained period of rapid growth. As a result of that success he was promoted to CEO with oversight of multiple divisions.

Words
of Praise

What differentiates Mike is his effort to understand the role and the company before he starts the search. This gave him the insight to attract qualified and interested candidates. He did a fantastic job keeping me, and our CEO, aware of his progress along the way. Most importantly the search was a success.

— David Lester, VP, Global Human Resources, Taconic Biosciences