You can have the technology. You can have regulatory approval. You can have the clinical evidence. You can even have the funding.
But if you don’t have the right commercial leadership, turning that innovation into adoption, market share and revenue becomes considerably harder.
Across The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and The USA, finding those leaders is becoming an increasingly important part of the growth equation for MedTech companies. The scale of the market tells the story.
- Germany has more than 210,000 people working directly in MedTech, and according to BVMed, 68% of surveyed MedTech companies were recruiting in Sales — more than any other function. More than 80% reported difficulties filling vacancies, with Sales among the areas specifically affected.
- Switzerland has around 71,700 people employed in MedTech and one of the highest concentrations of MedTech employment per capita in Europe.
- The Netherlands has a thriving Life Sciences ecosystem, with a 2025 industry analysis identifying 151 MedTech companies alongside hundreds of biotech, digital health and supporting organisations.
- The United States operates on another scale entirely. MedTech directly supports nearly 519,000 jobs, with its wider economic impact supporting close to 2 million jobs and approximately $381bn in annual economic output.
These are sophisticated, competitive markets, and that makes hiring commercial leaders very different from simply hiring someone who can "sell".
The strongest VP Sales, CCO, Commercial Director, Business Development and GTM leaders understand how to:
→ Build a market rather than simply inherit one
→ Navigate complex hospital and healthcare buying environments
→ Develop KOL and clinical relationships
→ Build and manage distributor networks
→ Translate clinical value into a compelling commercial proposition
→ Develop pricing, reimbursement and market-access strategies
→ Recruit and lead high-performing commercial teams
→ Take a business from first revenues → scale → international expansion
Importantly, the person who can build a business in Germany may not necessarily be the person who can scale it in the USA.
- Different healthcare systems.
- Different reimbursement structures.
- Different buying behaviours.
- Different regulatory environments.
- Different routes to market.
Look beyond the CV.
This is why I think MedTech companies need to look beyond the CV when recruiting commercial leadership.
- Who has actually built something?
- Who has opened new markets?
- Who has created distributor networks?
- Who has launched technology clinicians hadn't previously used?
- Who can quantify the revenue they've generated?
- Who has taken a company from €5m → €20m rather than simply managed a €100m territory?
- Who already knows the KOLs, hospitals, distributors and decision-makers you need to reach?
For start-ups and scale-ups in particular, the cost of the wrong commercial hire isn't just their salary.
It's the lost 6–12 months. The missed revenue. The distributor relationships that weren't built. The market launch that didn't gain traction and potentially another funding round being reached without the commercial milestones investors expected.
Great technology creates the opportunity. Great commercial leadership turns that opportunity into a business.
About the author
James Allen specialises in identifying senior Commercial, Sales, Business Development, GTM and Strategy leaders within Medical Devices, particularly across Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and USA.
If you're building or restructuring your commercial organisation and finding the right people is proving difficult, reach out to James.