Generating Multiple Executive Search Outcomes for Consumer Medtech Company Movano
Movano is an exciting, fast-growing publicly traded startup with a clear mission: helping people live healthier, happier lives. Operating at the intersection of medtech and consumer devices, Movano combines vital health data with personalized intelligent feedback, delivered as stylish products. And it’s tailoring its first offerings for women, who have historically had to make do with consumer medical devices “pinked and shrinked” from versions optimized for men.
It’s no surprise, then, that Movano would care deeply about the people it hires. “It’s all about the people, the culture, and having teams who work well together,” said Movano CFO J. Cogan, CFA. “HR issues can drag a company down if you’re not careful.”
Charged with finding a VP of Business Development, J. engaged with Westwood & Wilshire, largely on the strength of the executive search firm’s references. “I made lots of calls, asked lots of questions of their current clients, and heard very positive feedback,” he said. “And I felt comfortable with W&W’s Michael Cane, Kristin Speer, and Andrea Tegstam as soon as I met them.”
It All Starts With Listening
Cogan praised the process of working with Westwood & Wilshire. “First and foremost, they’re great people,” he said. “They wanted to know who we are, what we need, what the company and the position are all about. They listen carefully, and they use feedback productively to find candidates that meet our needs.”
For the VP of Business Development search, “they brought us lots of strong, capable candidates,” he said, including Michael Soule, who had extensive experience managing global and national sales, strategic direction, and new business development at companies including Bose Health, Virgin Pulse, Weight Watchers Health Solutions, and Medtronic.
One Search, Two Hires
But J. didn’t stop once they’d chosen Michael Soule for their VP of Business Development. The Movano team was so impressed with another candidate that Westwood & Wilshire brought to them—Stacy Salvi, formerly the Head of Strategic Partnerships for Fitbit and also an attorney—that they created a new position, VP of Strategy, for Stacy to occupy.
“We realize it’s unusual to create a new position for a candidate we didn’t hire for the original open position, but we don’t want to ever waste good talent,” J. said. “We’re so happy to have in place two new executives who people can trust, who have good judgment and great experience, and who can add real value to Movano.”
After the success of that double search, J. made the easy decision to engage Westwood & Wilshire to find a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) for the company. This executive search resulted in Movano hiring Tyla Bucher—whose more than two decades of global integrated consumer marketing experience includes roles at Hasbro, Twentieth Century Fox, Lionsgate, and most recently connected fitness startup; Hydrow—as its first CMO.
Digging Below the Surface
From her candidate perspective, Tyla was impressed that Andrea Tegstam, who led the CMO search for Westwood & Wilshire, was able to look beyond the skills and experience listed in LinkedIn to discern her soft skills, personality traits, and potential to work in Movano’s company environment and with the rest of the executive team.
“One thing that stood out about the process with Westwood & Wilshire was how careful and considerate they were of my existing role, where I was happy in my job and not actively looking to move,” Tyla said. “It was a big decision for me, and Andrea and Mike acted more as facilitators than recruiters. The key question they asked was, ‘Where do you want to be in 5 years?’ When I gave my answer, Andrea said, ‘You can be there now with Movano.’ That was when I realized that the Movano position was exactly the stretch I was ready for.”
From Candidate to Hiring Manager
Tyla is now building out her marketing team and has engaged Westwood & Wilshire to help with that search. “I like that they put the onus on me to determine the capabilities I’m looking for,” she said. “It forces me to think more critically about the role I’m trying to fill and about the kind of person who’s right for that role. Their process sets me up for success.”
The Importance of Building Strong Teams
Both J. and Tyla emphasize the importance of hiring people who not only have the skills and experience to do a particular job, but also will work well with the rest of the team.
“The Westwood & Wilshire folks focus on co-creating a team rather than just filling individual positions,” Tyla said. “They understand that especially in a startup, it’s crucial that people be flexible, resilient, and able to handle a fast-paced environment—while exhibiting a high level of EQ [emotional intelligence] and complementing each other’s abilities.”
When asked how his executive search expectations were met by Westwood & Wilshire, J. replied: “They exceeded our expectations. We couldn’t be happier with Michael, Stacy, and Tyla. They work well together with one another and with the broader team, and they’re very smart and experienced. I really feel that we have a superstar team in place. I’m thankful that Westwood & Wilshire found all of them for us, and now we’re working with W&W to fill additional positions on our engineering and go-to-market side. It’s a great partnership.”
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