Our Credentials

Executive search in the highly technical and specialized fields of pharmaceutical and biomedical R&D requires a strong scientific background, in-depth industry knowledge, and strong interpersonal skills, as well as a personal touch.

Gail F. Blair, President of Blair & Company, has a unique background that combines all of these qualities. Prior to founding Blair & Company in 1998, she worked for 12 years as a search consultant, specializing in pharmaceutical and related industries. She has conducted more than 100 searches, of which approximately three-quarters involved positions requiring a doctorate (M.D. or Ph.D.).

Scientific Background — Ms. Blair was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to conduct graduate studies in biology. She earned an M.A. degree from Fairfield University. She spent 12 years as a biology professor at a number of colleges in Connecticut and served on statewide committees to revamp healthcare curricula.

Industry Knowledge — Ms. Blair has nearly 20 years of experience working in and serving the healthcare industry. She spent 5 years as a senior professional sales representative for Smith, Kline & French Laboratories, making sales calls and developing sales training materials and speaker programs to support sales through physicians, hospitals and pharmacies. Later, she held management positions at Physicians World Publications, a medical publishing firm. There, one of her early responsibilities was to increase sales of Continuing Medical Education programs to target accounts in the pharmaceutical industry, including SK&F, DuPont and Bristol. As Director of Scientific Project Development and Sales, she oversaw projects in 18 leading R&D therapeutic categories and worked with 15 of the top 30 pharmaceutical firms. As Director of Marketing and Sales, she developed comprehensive communications programs for new product launches by Abbott, ICI, Pfizer, Roche, Searle, SmithKline, and Squibb.

Interpersonal Skills — Ms. Blair's background in education and sales is the foundation of the interpersonal skills that she applies to the challenge of clearly defining position requirements and attracting candidates to new positions. Her skills in screening and evaluating candidates are grounded in her undergraduate degree in psychology (B.A. degree from S. Joseph College in West Hartford, CT) and in specialized assessment training.