Building a global centre for life sciences and deep tech takes more than ambition. It takes the right people in the room. Here's how Freshminds helped one Health Science Innovation Centre strengthen its strategic leadership from the ground up. 

The Centre, which focuses on health science and deep tech, approached Freshminds to build out that leadership capability. It was going through a period of rapid commercial and operational expansion, and needed support building the governance structures, systems and processes to deliver that growth across the region, with a focus on inclusive innovation.

The organisation sits at a unique intersection between industry, academia, technology and clinical practice. The newly created Partnerships Lead role was central to that ecosystem — creating valuable and impactful collaborations between industry players, academic institutions, healthcare providers and clinicians.

A trusted relationship built on delivery

The relationship began in June 2025 when a senior client, who had previously worked with Freshminds consultants during their time at McKinsey, returned looking for specialist consulting support.

Freshminds quickly identified and placed an experienced Partnerships Lead who combined strategic thinking with deep knowledge of healthcare innovation. The consultant became an integral part of the organisation, continuing to support the client on multiple initiatives to this day.

Following the success of that engagement, Freshminds was invited back when a new Executive Director joined the organisation at the end of 2025. With ambitious plans to expand the organisation's impact, the leadership team needed additional strategic capability.

The challenge

The client was leading a major initiative to develop a roadmap for inclusive innovation and sustainable growth. The programme sought to:

• Strengthen the region's position as a global leader in life sciences, deep tech and sustainability

• Create long-term economic and societal value

• Bring together a wide range of stakeholders across government, academia, healthcare and industry, each with different priorities, governance structures and expectations

To make the programme a success, the organisation needed experienced consultants who could:

• Operate confidently at executive level

• Build consensus across complex networks

• Turn ambitious strategy into practical delivery

Why Freshminds?

Rather than engaging a traditional consulting firm, the client wanted access to experienced strategic talent that they could flexibly embed within their small teams to work alongside without the overhead cost.

Freshminds was able to provide:

• Senior strategy consulting expertise at pace

• Professionals with experience across healthcare, innovation and deep technology

• Individuals capable of engaging credibly with senior leaders across government, academia and industry

• Flexible consulting support that could scale with the programme

The result was highly specialised expertise embedded directly within the client's team, allowing them to move quickly while retaining ownership of the programme.

The roles

Following the placement of the Partnerships Lead, Freshminds supported the organisation with two strategically important appointments.

Strategic Programme Manager

This consultant became central to coordinating the year-long programme, establishing governance structures, aligning multiple stakeholder groups and translating strategic objectives into clear deliverables. The role required exceptional programme management skills alongside the credibility to influence senior leaders across diverse organisations.

Strategic Partnerships Manager

Freshminds also helped identify a professional to support partnership development and external engagement. Working at the intersection of healthcare, research and industry, the role focused on building relationships that would strengthen collaboration and help turn innovation into measurable impact.

The outcome

By accessing specialist consulting talent through Freshminds, the client was able to rapidly strengthen its delivery capability at a pivotal moment.

The engagement delivered benefits that extended well beyond the initial project:

• Three specialist consultants retained. All three specialists were extended into further engagements

• Permanent capability built. One of the partnership-focused consultants successfully transitioned into a permanent role, helping the organisation retain critical expertise as its programmes evolved

• Long-term strategic impact. While the full impact of the programme will take years to realise, the foundations have been laid for new collaborations that aim to establish the local region as a global centre for AI, deep technology, life sciences and sustainability. The partnerships being developed today will help shape the region's innovation ecosystem for years to come

Looking to build specialist strategic capability?

The ability to bring in experienced, flexible consulting talent can be the difference between maintaining momentum and losing it.

Whether you're leading a transformation programme, launching a growth initiative or navigating complex stakeholder environments, Freshminds connects organisations with experienced strategy and transformation consultants who can deliver impact from day one. Speak to our team to find out how we can support your business.