Chantal Swan

Chantal Swan is a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ Global Healthcare Practice, specializing in senior executive and C-suite appointments across the biopharmaceutical industry. She advises clients ranging from emerging, venture-backed biotechnology companies to established global pharmaceutical organizations, with particular expertise in research and development leadership spanning early discovery and translational science through clinical development, regulatory affairs and medical affairs. She also partners with early-stage biotechnology companies on broader C-suite leadership appointments, helping build executive teams to advance scientific innovation and drive organizational growth.

Chantal brings more than 25 years of combined experience in scientific research and executive search, offering clients a distinctive combination of scientific depth, industry insight and global leadership expertise. She advises clients on the emerging capabilities reshaping biopharmaceutical R&D—including computational sciences, data and AI-enabled approaches to drug discovery and development—and helps them identify and recruit leaders who can integrate these capabilities with traditional scientific and R&D expertise. Before joining Russell Reynolds Associates, Chantal helped develop the biotechnology practice at another leading global executive search firm.

Prior to transitioning into executive search, Chantal spent approximately 15 years as an academic scientist, contributing to international research on the ocean’s role in climate change. She held research appointments at leading institutions in the United States and at ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology), and was a NASA graduate research fellow.