“You can only ask so much—like 110% from people—for so long. There has to be a moment where you say, this is too much for the team.”
In this episode, I talked with Kirsty Crame, Director of Shiaba Consulting, Specialist in Clinical Drug Development. Kirsty shares her career journey, including her transition from aspiring vascular surgeon to a leader in personalized targeted therapies. We went over her key career highlights, and the challenges faced during COVID, and she gave valuable career bits of advice.
Kirsty gave insights on the importance of hiring the right people in clinical development, the balance between using consultants and in-house expertise, the cultural fit in hiring, and her experiences in the job search process, highlighting the importance of communication and feedback in recruitment.
Here’s what you’re in for:
- What it's like to get your IND cleared with a skeleton crew
- How a dream of becoming a vascular surgeon gave way to a biotech path
- The invisible toll of lockdown: returning from maternity leave into isolation
- Why the best hiring decisions often begin three to six months too late
- What culture fit really looks like—and how to spot red flags in interviews
- When outsourcing fails: why early-stage biotech still needs in-house decision makers
- The budgeting fantasy: how fast clinical plans go out of date in biotech
- Why you should treat job searches like dating—and the one thing companies get wrong
- A CMC-clinical-regulatory bottleneck no one talks about
- The problem with "unicorn" hiring expectations
Timestamps
01:56 From Vascular Surgery Dreams to Unexpected Beginnings
04:41 The High of an IND Win, and the Low of Leading Through Lockdown
07:25 The Career Advice That Changed Her Trajectory
09:34 Why Early Decisions Make or Break Biotech
17:52 In-House vs. Outsourced Roles
19:15 “What Do We Actually Need?” – A Biotech Hiring Dilemma
28:22 The Harsh Reality Behind Biotech Applications
32:36 The Value of Long-Term Professional Relationships
About Kirsty
- Kirsty Crame is a seasoned medical doctor of over 12 years of experience in drug development.
- She got her MD in Amsterdam and since then has worked across therapeutic areas, diabetes, cancer, et cetera. But most, if not all, of her clinical development career, has been using personalized targeted therapies to find new cures to cancer.
- Outside of her professional life, Kirsty is a dedicated mother of two boys. She brings the same energy and discipline from the clinic to the field.
- She's an avid field hockey player and embraces an active lifestyle that keeps her balanced and thriving.
- Kirsty and I know each other as she was a candidate and then client of mine at Medigene.
Connect with Kirsty:
About me
My name is Charles Spence and I lead Discera. After many years working in the life-science recruitment world, I decided to work for myself. Before doing recruitment I graduated with a biomedical degree, have worked in hospitals (including translation work in Seoul, South Korea), and also spent a year working in diabetes research in Stockholm. After doing research and travel, a career in business and science felt the most appropriate.
In 2023, I decided to launch my firm - Discera Search. A firm committed to solving the biggest talent needs of early clinical stage SME biotechs on the East Coast and DACH.
Connect with me:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charles-spence-clinical/
- Website: https://www.discera-search.com/
Opinions and comments expressed by the guest do not represent the company and are fully their own.
