David Felker joins the company as SVP, Executive Search, and Gabriela Tobal as VP, Business Development
San Diego - March 15, 2016: Toft Group, an executive search firm focusing exclusively on building leadership teams for life sciences and healthcare companies, today announces their aggressive expansion on the West Coast, by adding two executives into newly created roles. David Felker joins the company as Senior Vice President, Executive Search, and Gabriela Tobal, joins the company as Vice President, Business Development. Both will lead the continued expansion of Toft Group’s Pharmaceutical Practice.
The expansion of the leadership team is in response to Toft Group’s increasing client demand for specialized searches within the pharmaceutical industry, and follows yet another consecutive year of significant company growth. Robin Toft, Founder, President & CEO of Toft Group commented, “We are pleased to welcome David and Gabriela to our team. Combined, they bring 35+ years of life sciences and industry experience, particularly within pharmaceuticals. Their leadership and track records for strategic planning and execution will ensure we can capitalize upon market demand for our services, while delivering upon our main mission - changing the future of medicine.“
As Senior Vice President, Executive Search, David Felker, PhD will primarily focus on placing Director through CEO-level candidates into pharmaceutical and medical device companies. David brings 25+ years of leadership experience in engineering, research & development, and technology. David is the former Founder & Managing Director of Sanford Rose Associates – Del Mar, an award-winning retained search firm that, for almost 10 years, made executive level placements in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and specialty chemicals industries. Previously, David held multiple senior Technology Manager roles within DuPont Company. He was also one of the founding executives and first Vice President of Research and Development for the Callaway Golf Ball Company. Most recently, David co-founded Aero-X Golf, Inc. dba Polara Golf. He was the primary inventor of the company’s revolutionary anti-slice golf ball technology, and, as the company grew, held various positions including Chairman of the Board, CEO, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Operating Officer. David holds a PhD and Masters in Chemical Engineering from Iowa State University, and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire. He was a National Science Foundation Undergraduate Research Participant from Iowa State University and is an inventor with 45 patents.
Gabriela Tobal, MSc, MBA joins the company as Toft Group’s Vice President, Business Development with a national focus. Gabriela has 25 years of industry experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry with a career spanning across research, business development, corporate venture capital, and organizational culture and psychology. Previously, Gabriela held positions in Amgen’s business development group and was Manager of Amgen Ventures, where she helped Amgen invest in early stage biotech companies across a variety of therapeutic areas including oncology, immune disease, metabolism, neuroscience, and technology platforms. She most recently led the company culture and organizational efforts for AirStrip, a Healthcare IT company. Gabriela holds a BS in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, an MSc from Scripps Institution of Oceanography in Marine Biology, and an MBA from the University of Maryland.
About Toft Group Executive Search
Toft Group Executive Search is “Changing the Future of Medicine, One Relationship at a Time” and we take pride in the fact that our work helps our clients accelerate getting novel products to market. We are a global retained executive search firm that is 100% dedicated to life sciences & healthcare industries. Our customers include biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device, digital health, and diagnostic companies. With offices in San Francisco, San Diego and Boston, we assist a wide range of local, national and international companies - from venture backed start-ups to Fortune 500 corporations.
