Chief Medical Officer

Cellcolabs AB

Nordics - Stockholm

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Location: Stockholm (regular on-site presence) + international travel (US / Middle East / Southeast Asia)
Search Partner: PharmaRelations Executive Search

PharmaRelations represents Cellcolabs in this business-critical executive recruitment, where we are now searching for their next senior medical leader to join the executive team. We are partnering with Cellcolabs to identify a Chief Medical Officer, who will play a central role in shaping the company’s continued clinical, scientific, and international growth.

Why this role, why now
Cellcolabs is a Swedish biotechnology company dedicated to making high-quality mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) accessible for both treatments and research. With a GMP-certified manufacturing facility in Stockholm, a rapidly expanding commercial presence in the Middle East and Southeast Asia and a dual-track model that combines patient-funded treatments with clinical development, the company is entering a pivotal scale-up phase.

Unlike traditional biotech pathways, Cellcolabs advances clinical evidence while enabling responsible, physician-led patient access in selected markets. With more than 300 patients treated since 2023 and a Phase 2B Knee OA trial commencing, Cellcolabs is now seeking a Chief Medical Officer to lead the next stage of focused, evidence-driven growth.

The CMO will join a company of around 60 employees, including a growing medical team and will shape the medical function as the organisation scales. Operating at the intersection of science, clinical practice and commercial execution, the CMO will be the architect of Cellcolabs’ medical strategy - ensuring scientific rigour, patient safety and responsible market expansion.

The mandate
This is not a traditional pharma CMO role. You will set the medical strategy with real trade-offs, lead evidence generation and build clinical trust where responsible access is possible today, particularly in Middle East & Southeast Asia. You will shape - not inherit - the medical function and governance.

What you will lead

• Focus the medical strategy - prioritise indications/markets and, critically, what not to pursue; translate into a board-aligned, milestone-driven plan.
• Evidence & credibility - oversee trials and registries globally; be the chief medical authority for quality, ethics and patient safety; engage KOLs and clinical partners.
• Clinical adoption in priority markets - engage clinic owners, hospital directors and referring physicians through peer-level medical dialogue and cultural fluency.
• Benefit–risk & medical education - build a governed, compliant content function; communicate precise, honest benefit–risk across diverse regulatory environments.
• Regulatory navigation - operates within tissue-establishment and evolving ATMP frameworks globally (incl. conditional/compassionate pathways) without compromising GMP or patient safety.
• Team & operating model - develop a lean medical team; institute scalable processes, governance and decision frameworks; partner closely with CEO, R&D, Clinical, Regulatory and BD.

What success looks like (12–18 months)

• Board-aligned medical strategy with explicit trade-offs, resourcing and milestones.
• Phase 2B on plan; real-world data collection structured and operational.
• Recognised medical credibility in key markets; named relationships progressed through your personal engagement.
• Compliant medical-education engine in place; content actively used by clinic partners and referral networks.
• Strong medical team with clear roles and effective ways of working.

What we are looking for
We are seeking a senior medical leader with a strong combination of scientific depth, strategic perspective, and commercial mindset, ideally within ATMPs, cell therapy, stem cells or closely related fields.

The role requires the ability to operate effectively in a fast-moving, resource-constrained scale-up environment, balancing high scientific standards with speed and pragmatic execution.

Key areas & requirements:

• Proven experience in Medical Affairs, clinical development and medical governance.
• Ability to lead and shape the evidence strategy, including benefit–risk communication.
• Strong commercial understanding and ability to support business-critical decisions.
• Experience working in lean organisations, with a hands-on approach and effective delegation.
• Ability to make decisions at pace while maintaining scientific integrity.
• A leadership style that builds trust, ownership and accountability in small, high-performing teams.
• A genuine motivation to build something long-term and contribute to the company’s direction and credibility over time.

In addition, the role requires regular on-site presence in Stockholm and candidates should be comfortable with a set-up involving frequent travel or relocation.

Your profile

• MD with relevant board certification strongly preferred (PhD considered with equivalent scientific authority and external credibility).
• MSC/cell-therapy depth highly meritorious; strong applied science/publication track record preferred.
• Experience in both larger organisations and resource-constrained scale-ups (prioritisation, multi-hat execution).
• Proven team builder; strategy-to-execution discipline; low-ego, collaborative, decisive and mission-driven.
• Commercial orientation & clinical trust-building; excellent peer-to-peer engagement with physicians/clinic owners.
• Multi-market exposure - ME/SEA strongly preferred.

What Cellcolabs offers
A rare opportunity to define the medical identity of a scaling MSC company; scope to shape - not inherit - the medical function; competitive compensation with meaningful equity; a mission-driven culture where scientific excellence and patient value are central. Regular presence in Stockholm with significant travel to US/ME/SEA.

Application

PharmaRelations Executive Search – Kristina Edholm
Email: Se e-mailadresse på jobbank.dk

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