The Serious Business of Hiring Leaders: Identifying the Exceptional in a Competitive Landscape
The healthcare and life sciences sectors are not just evolving—they are transforming at a pace never seen before. The right leadership is crucial to not
Our team
At Hunton Executive, identifying and developing extraordinary leaders is at the core of what we do. So, when it comes to building our own senior leadership team, we hold ourselves to the highest standard—we seek out only the very best. That’s why we’re proud to have a team of exceptional in-house talent and a carefully selected network of trusted partners who share our commitment to leadership excellence.
To deliver truly impactful outcomes, we collaborate with a portfolio of industry thought leaders and specialised consultants, enabling us to provide deep insight and agile solutions across every engagement.
With over 25 years of experience in executive search, HR, talent acquisition and leadership strategy across global and regional markets, our clients gain direct access to seasoned advisors—never junior handovers. This senior-led model ensures trusted guidance, higher-quality outcomes, and a strategic partnership that delivers measurable value for your business, from start to finish.
Meet our team
Vanessa Meikle
CEO + FOUNDER
After 23 years of building successful workforces for healthcare providers, pharmaceutical, medical device, medtech and biotech companies across Australia, New Zealand, APAC, Europe and the USA. Vanessa Meikle has a deep understanding of the link between an organisation’s leadership and its performance. Vanessa studied psychology at university, and from there developed an interest in what makes leaders truly extraordinary. She’s since trained in organisational and professional career coaching and spent two decades working in executive search, recruitment, and organisational consulting. She founded Hunton Executive in 2020 to help healthcare and life science companies hire, develop, and retain the best leaders. She’s also a member of the AICD and an active board member with Axis Health Co and the Entrepreneurial Women in Health Networking group.
Anthea Gribbin
DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE SEARCH
Anthea Gribbin is a highly experienced executive search, talent acquisition, and human resources (people and culture) specialist with over 20 years of success partnering with healthcare providers and services, pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech and medtech organisations across Australia, APAC, UK and Europe. She has deep expertise in hiring for complex, regulated sectors such as healthcare, mental health, pharmaceuticals, and MedTech, underpinned by her background as an HR Director in the UK healthcare system, a Talent Acquisition Lead in a multinational pharmaceutical company and leading recruitment agencies within the healthcare and life sciences market. Anthea holds a degree in Management (Leadership) and a Postgraduate CIPD qualification in HR, giving her both the academic foundation and practical experience to drive leadership transformation. Known for her hands-on, strategic approach, she builds robust human-centered recruitment functions, refines best-in-class hiring strategies, and ensures leadership talent aligns with organisational goals. Whether scaling a high-growth business or strengthening an executive team, Anthea consistently delivers senior leaders who create long-term impact.
Andrea Croft
ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST
Andrea Croft is an organisational psychologist who is responsible for Hunton Executive’s psychometric assessments, leadership development, performance coaching and onboarding transition coaching. Andrea is a business psychologist with extensive experience applying psychological principles to improve individual, team and organisational growth and performance. She partners with leaders and People & Culture professionals to enhance their organisation’s leadership capabilities, improve team dynamics, and create high-performance cultures. She brings a wealth of experience in assessment, coaching and leadership development gained in the Health Care and Life Sciences industry. She has worked across the Asia Pacific region, as well as in the UK and the US.
Josianne Robb
Executive Coach
Josianne Robb is a senior executive leader with a 30-year international career leading global technical and commercial teams towards design, development, commercialisation, and adoption of digital solutions. With unique leadership and corporate experience encompassing leadership development, business development and partnering, transformation and change in Europe and Asia, across several industries, Josianne has both breadth and depth of executive experience to coach leaders to deliver immediate results. Josianne is an experienced board director, c-suite executive, NLP master practitioner, executive coach, and entrepreneur. She has extensive global experience transforming people, perspective, and performance by helping people and organizations adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing environment.
Meet our partners
Our approved specialised consulting experts that support the commercial growth of healthcare and life sciences organisations globally.
Axis Health Co – a powerhouse of industry experts, each bringing deep domain knowledge and leadership experience including our own CEO, Vanessa Meikle.
Axis Health Co - Strategic management consulting
Strategic advisory, commercial partnerships and interim leadership—designed to tackle the unique challenges at every stage of a product’s lifecycle in the Australian market.
Australia and New Zealand
Axis Health Co. is a hands-on advisory firm that delivers strategic consulting and commercial expertise to life sciences and healthcare organisations navigating the complexities of the Australian market. With deep industry experience, the firm partners with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical technology, and medical device companies to solve business-critical challenges across the product life cycle. Their services span strategic leadership and advisory—offering board and executive-level guidance, interim leadership, and government and corporate affairs expertise—to commercialisation support, including new product planning, patient journey mapping, and asset development. Axis Health Co. also excels in forging strategic partnerships that broaden market access and accelerate the delivery of critical treatments through collaborations with distributors, healthcare providers, and advocacy groups. By combining sector-specific knowledge with tailored, scalable solutions, Axis Health Co. empowers clients to achieve sustainable commercial success and meaningful patient outcomes.
An organisational psychology practice dedicated to helping teams flourish and thrive
Specialistion in Psychometric Assessments, Transition Onboarding Coaching, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching
global leadership assessment and development
Andrea Croft is an organisational psychologist who is responsible for Hunton Executive’s psychometric assessments, leadership development, performance coaching and onboarding transition coaching. Andrea is a business psychologist with extensive experience applying psychological principles to improve individual, team and organisational growth and performance. She partners with leaders and People & Culture professionals to enhance their organisation’s leadership capabilities, improve team dynamics, and create high-performance cultures. She brings a wealth of experience in assessment, coaching and leadership development gained in the Health Care and Life Sciences industry. She has worked across the Asia Pacific region, as well as in the UK and the US.
Professional Development Partners
Partnering with organisations that support the educational and development of emerging and seasoned leaders.
Global Access for only $398 per year through Hunton Executive (normally $498)
Growth Faculty
A year of virtual global events, masterclasses, book club events and on-demand learning
Unlimited Access
Growth Faculty brings together the people, the thinking, the tools, and the sharing of ideas to grow teams and businesses. It is a place to access brilliant ideas for inspired leadership through regular learning webinars and events. Through Growth faculty you get access to the world’s brightest minds, business-critical topics, and proven frameworks, equipping leaders with the mindset and skillset for now and the future of work.
Register using our unique code ‘HUNTON’ for $100 off
Articles
The Great Executive Shift: Why Healthcare and Life Sciences CEOs Must Evolve to Thrive
The global business landscape is witnessing an unprecedented shift in executive leadership. Across multiple industries, CEOs are stepping down or transitioning out of their roles
Master the Art of Interviewing: How to Listen, Connect, and Hire Exceptional Leaders
In today’s competitive market, finding and securing top-tier leaders isn’t just about asking the right questions—it’s about listening deeply and understanding who they truly are.
Hospital Leadership Is Changing—Is Your Executive Team Ready?
Hospitals in 2025 are redefining what it means to lead. The past five years have brought extraordinary disruption—and the next five promise even more profound
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
