Stories
Real life testimonials.
What clients say about working together.
“John identified and closed the gaps between how I was positioning myself and what people needed to see. He helped me turn my experience into a memorable story, then shaped the achievements and examples from my past in a way that was really desirable for the companies I was interested in.”
→ Access
“I came to John at an uncertain moment, unclear of my value on the job market and roles to target. I had options in several directions, which was its own kind of problem.
I had unique achievements and stories but struggled to articulate them in an impactful manner and simply couldn’t generate traction with them.
That’s the bulk of the work we did. John has experience with many different audiences — big pharma, mid-size, small biotech, investors, boards — and a unique understanding of their needs. Thanks to his extraordinary ability to simplify and adapt my messages to fit my audience and to make them memorable, he reshaped the way I think of my own career and, as a consequence, how I tell my stories. We also built several versions of my CV around that principle, one for each audience, and strategised my networking and interview processes.
The effect was literally immediate. During one interview, a very senior ExCo member told me how much my new CV stood out — the best way to start a conversation. I have become much bolder, and much crisper, when sharing my biggest achievements. I have learned how to tell my stories so that they mattered to my audience, and I could observe in real time what impact looked like. John helped me overcome hurdles I’d struggled with for years. I’m not an expert yet, but I now know exactly what I have to improve on and experiment with. It is hard to overstate how much John has changed the way I talk, think and approach the rest of my career.”
Dr Thomas Jaecklin MD, now Board Member, Curacell
→ Executive Counsel
“After a restructuring, I spent several months applying for roles without success. The support I received from outplacement made little difference.
Working with John was the turning point. The CV he developed presented my experience in a clear, compelling way and I was quickly invited to interviews with four companies, including for a role I had considered beyond my reach.
John also used his network to connect me with a biotech CFO, which helped me further refine my approach. The process gave me greater clarity, better positioning and a much stronger sense of control over my search.”
Raluca Amrane, now Finance Leader, DSM Firmenich
→ Access
“I wanted to move into programme management, but my employer couldn’t offer that path. I’d applied to several of the big Basel companies and hadn’t had a single interview — and I didn’t know why. We worked on my CV, my value proposition and the experience that actually mattered. Within a month I was interviewing with four life-sciences companies. In the end I met six of the top twenty pharma plus a few biotechs, had more than one offer, and took a role I’d have thought was out of reach.”
Anon, PhD, now Global Programme Management, Takeda
→ Access
“I came to John after a reorganisation put my role in question. He helped me work through the exit and the package first, which cleared the ground to think properly about what came next.
I thought I wanted to move towards finance roles. I was also still drawn to big pharma. What I didn’t have was a clear idea on which to pursue or where to spend my energy. John helped me define the themes of interest and form goals, rather than hedge across all of it.
I knew my network was good but I hadn’t realised how strong it was. What we did was map it properly and work through how to approach each important conversation — who to talk to, in what order, what to say and what not to say. We sparred over every important discussion and generated new ideas to explore.
Two offers came. One from big pharma, a role that would have been my dream a few years earlier, at a significant step up seniority. One from a biotech. A hard decision, and a delicate one — I had advocates on both sides and needed to decline one without damaging the relationships.
We achieved what we defined as the goal: a dual-focused role, working with the most visible deal-makers in industry and the financial freedom to control my future.”
Anon, now Chief Commercial Officer, Biotech
→ Executive Counsel
“I came to John through a recommendation after a period of significant success followed by unexpected redundancy. I’d had a moderately successful career without consciously seeking it or developing a strategy for managing or directing it.
Bea McDonald PhD, now IP Counsel, HIPRA
→ Executive Counsel
“Everyone knows it is easier to find something new through someone you already know, but I found it difficult to know what to say without it feeling awkward. I did not want to ‘go networking’.
John made it much easier. He helped me find a way of reconnecting that felt natural and true to me. It’s now a habit I actually enjoy rather than something I avoid, and it’s led to conversations that go somewhere instead of nowhere.”
Anon, now Legal Counsel, Tech Manufacturing
→ Access
“I wasn’t sure what to expect but it gave me a big self-confidence boost. John immediately understood who I was and the coaching was both fluid and concrete. I feel I now have a CV that fully represents who I am and makes me professionally shine — and one that needs minimal adaptation. I really recommend working with John,”
Elodie Frey, now Scientific Content Manager, Roche
→ Clarity
“Working with John was fantastic. I highly recommend John to anyone actively looking for a new position or considering a change. John helped me articulate who I am professionally and what I offer a prospective employer. Nailing down my professional identity, value proposition and USPs was an invaluable exercise, and I can now truly say I’m proud of my CV. This experience, and John’s no-nonsense, highly transparent and compassionate approach, has very positively impacted the way I’m now proceeding with — and showing up for — my active job search.”
Alison Waterfield, now Content and Marketing Manager, Genedata
→ Clarity & Precision
“I was a bit sceptical because I was worried that I could achieve the same outcome just by using AI, but the first session was awesome. I am beyond thankful that I listened to my gut and decided to start collaborating with you. Thank you for this amazing experience.”
Ivona Begic Mandic, Digital Marketing Manager
→ Clarity & Precision
“On top of the document itself, it was personal work on what my strengths are, what can be valuable for a company, and how my CV is actually perceived. It was really helpful to gain self-confidence again — to understand that I have great achievements in my career. Now I have the feeling that my CV is shining, and that recruiters and HR can stop on my profile and say ‘what an interesting candidate — we have to meet her.’ Thank you again, John, for this work and for your availability.”
Agnes Brunette PhD, now Clinical Scientist, Sanofi
→ Clarity & Precision
“I was stuck in the gap between academia and industry, applying and not hearing back. I had a good PhD, so that’s what I was leading with. John pushed me to look beyond academia and pulled out the relevant experiences from side work I’d dismissed. The CV he built got me two interviews in under a month. The conversations were genuinely useful and not only for landing the job.”
Valerio Taggi PhD, now Project Manager, ThermoFisher
→ Clarity