Experienced Recruiting Team

 

 

Rich Carter 
Eduard Alberts
Steve Merwin
Bruce Phelps
Diane Plume
Rachael Lommen 

 

 


President

Rich Carter is President of Sanford Rose Associates® - San Francisco. In addition to his executive search expertise, Rich has over 20 years of general management, technical management and marketing/sales experience in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices and diagnostics. He has held senior positions with multinational corporations, start-up companies and not-for-profit organizations. After obtaining his Doctorate in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), he joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. He later moved to the private sector, serving in various management positions for DuPont Medical Products and Baxter Healthcare before joining Chiron Corporation as head of its diagnostics business unit, which included business ventures with Johnson & Johnson and other global entities in the Far East.

Prior to assuming the position of President of the greater San Francisco office of Sanford Rose Associates®, Rich held senior management positions at a medical diagnostics subsidiary of Boehringer Mannheim (Roche) and at a local medical foundation. Having filled high-level healthcare positions both as a hiring manager and search professional, Rich brings to Sanford Rose Associates® an intimate knowledge of the industry and a full appreciation of the added value that results from finding the “perfect fit” for a key position. He also understands the difference that a key placement can make to an organization.

Over the years, he has been a member of such professional and scientific organizations as the Medical Marketing Association, American Society for Cell Biology, Bay Area Biosciences Center, American Association for Clinical Chemistry, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, and the National Association of Personnel Services (NAPS). He was also a sponsoring member of the Bioscience Forum and currently serves on the NAPS Board of Directors and the Leadership Council of The International Executive Search Federation (IESF). The Sanford Rose Associates® - San Francisco office has been a “Five Star Office” for every year of operation (since 2000) and has been “Office of the Year” for four of the past five years.


Vice President & Managing Partner

Eduard has over 20 years of life science industry career success, which includes extensive global experience growing markets and recruiting top-tier talent in Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East, Europe, and North America.  Prior to joining Sanford Rose Associates® - San Francisco Eduard’s industry experience included domestic and global responsibilities in sales, marketing, and business development across a wide array of niche segments, as well as different sized companies and a wide range of cultures.  His ability to create and develop global teams in the life sciences industry has served him well in his transition to executive search. 

After receiving his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from Albertus Magnus University in Germany, Eduard joined Bio-Rad Laboratories and worked in sales and product management in Cologne and Munich.  He then assumed a variety of marketing and sales positions in Europe, Israel, and the corporate headquarters in St. Louis for Sigma-Aldrich, Inc., a leading manufacturer of life sciences reagents.  In his next industry career positions at Vi-Jon Laboratories (St. Louis), Applied Biosystems (now Life Technologies) in Foster City, California, and Tecan USA (with corporate headquarters in Switzerland), Eduard broadened his knowledge of the industry and established an even greater network of life sciences industry relationships.

Eduard is a member of several life sciences industry professional and scientific organizations.  In addition to English, Eduard is fluent in German and conversational in Hebrew.  He and his family reside in the San Francisco Bay Area.


Vice President & Managing Partner

Steve Merwin is Vice President of Sanford Rose Associates® - San Francisco. Steve Merwin joined Sanford Rose Associates® in 1999 and has since built a strong and dependable reputation for client and candidate satisfaction. Steve is an accomplished search consultant within the healthcare and life sciences arena and has consistently placed key executives from Manager to the C-Level across all functional areas including Commercial Operations, Research & Development, Clinical, Regulatory and Finance. Working with start ups and Fortune 500 companies alike, Steve utilizes a thorough and multi-pronged approach to delivering key executives for crucial positions.
 
By utilizing the firm’s proven processes, Steve has developed collaborative and long term relationships with candidates and clients alike.  For the past four years, Steve has been honored as one of the top search consultants within the global network of firms that make up Sanford Rose Associates® including being honored as Recruiter of the Year.
 
Prior to joining Sanford Rose Associates® eleven years ago, Steve started his career in the management program at Enterprise Rent-A-Car and also worked in the banking industry. He graduated from California State University - Chico in Northern California and is a Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC). 


Vice President & Managing Partner

Bruce has over 25 years of combined Technical Management, Operational and Research & Development experience in biotechnology, medical devices and diagnostics, as well as executive recruitment. He has held senior positions with both multinational corporations and Venture Capital (VC) backed start-up companies. Prior to his executive search career, Bruce was with Abbott Laboratories (Diagnostics Division), Chiron Corporation/Novartis, and Aviir (a VC-funded start up) in Palo Alto,CA. He has had extensive experience in assessing and hiring scientific and technical talent across a wide range of technologies and cultural environments.

After receiving his doctorate in biochemistry from Indiana University (IUPUI), Bruce completed postdoctoral studies at Fels Research Institute in Yellow Springs, OH. Bruce then accepted a Senior Staff Fellowship position at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), St. Elizabeth Hospital in Washington, D.C.  He then transitioned to the private sector, holding various operational, research & development and technical management positions at Abbott Laboratories (Diagnostics Division) in Abbott Park, IL. While at Abbott Labs, Bruce built several strong project development teams that worked closely with teams stationed at Dainabot in Tokyo, Japan and Abbott Delkenheim in Wiesbaden, Germany to develop several diagnostic instrument systems and assays. He later joined Chiron Corporation (Novartis)  in Emeryville, CA as Vice President, Research & Development for the Blood Testing Division. There he managed activities for a Joint Business with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics (a division of Johnson & Johnson) and an Alliance with Gen-Probe, Inc., to develop diagnostic instrument platforms and assays for the blood screening industry. Prior to assuming the position of Vice President and Managing Partner with Sanford Rose Associates® - San Francisco, Bruce was Chief Technology Officer at Aviir, Inc., a company focused on the development of commercial tests for cardiac disease.

Bruce is a member of several professional and scientific organizations including the American Association of Clinical Chemists (AACC), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Chemical Society (ACS), Sigma Xi, and Sigma Chi Omega (National Chemistry Honorary Society). He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Foodbank of Contra Costa and Solano Counties, a non-profit organization. 


Vice President & Managing Partner

Diane Plume is Vice President and Managing Partner for Sanford Rose Associates® - San Francisco.  As a proven and accomplished executive search professional whose career spans 20+ years in talent acquisition, Diane is dedicated to delivering exceptional client service. Prior to joining Sanford Rose Associates®, Diane honed her recruitment skills as an Associate in the executive search practices of large, international consulting firms, and later as the Principal in her own search business.

With broad, generalist experience, Diane has consistently and successfully identified key executive level talent for clients within diverse industries including healthcare, life sciences, biotech, financial services (banking, insurance, capital markets), transportation, telecom, retail, manufacturing, distribution, and not-for-profit organizations.

With the ability to professionally engage executive talent, Diane has assisted clients in hiring leaders in the areas of sales, marketing, finance, IT, operations, human resources, legal, R&D, and communications. Her placements include mid-level management through C-level and Board of Directors.

Diane graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science degree and completed post-graduate coursework in Human Resources at the University of Minnesota. She currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area. 


Operations Manager

Rachael Lommen is the Operations Manager for Sanford Rose Associates®- San Francisco and maintains and oversees the San Francisco Office.  Since joining Sanford Rose Associates® in 2004, Rachael has held many roles including that of Administrative Assistant and Researcher, and routinely provides assistance to the Search Consultants on special projects and marketing. Her attention to detail and expert skills make it possible for the team to function smoothly and effectively. Prior to joining Sanford Rose Associates®.  Rachael worked as a Registered Dental Hygienist for 3 years before realizing her true passion was in the search industry. As a Dental Hygienist, she worked in multiple offices in the Bay Area. Rachael holds a B.S. in Dental Hygiene from the University of the Pacific and graduated at the top of her class.

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