A History of Excellence

Initiating her career in retained executive search in 1981, Becky Levin founded Levin & Company in 1985 in San Francisco, California. The company’s mission was to help build strong and exciting companies in the still nascent biotechnology industry. From the beginning, Becky strived to build a company based on integrity and client satisfaction; two values which are still represented by the firm’s exemplary closure rate. As the industry has expanded and developed, so has Levin & Company.

In 1988, Levin & Company expanded into the medical device arena, specifically concentrating on bridging that industry with the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. A few years later, Levin & Company began working with research tools and bioinformatics companies as well. To better serve the various regional clusters of these industries, Becky opened Levin & Company’s second office in Boston in 1992.

In 1998, Christos Richards, already a veteran of the high tech and life sciences executive search industry, joined Levin & Company to establish and lead a new Los Angeles office. Christos subsequently became a partner in, and President of, the firm. His presence, along with the addition of the LA office, solidified the company’s foundation and industry experience, allowing Levin & Company to become a premier boutique search firm in the Life Sciences industry. The company’s success is built upon a commitment to personal attention and dedicated service to each and every client—values still personified in the firm today.

Noticing a lack of diversity at the Board level in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, Becky Levin started a program in 1994 to recruit more women to Boards.  At that time, only 5% of biotechnology and 13% of pharmaceutical Board members were women.

Today, Levin & Company’s Corporate Governance Program is focused on strengthening and building high performing Board teams who are diverse in competencies and perspectives and work together effectively to enhance sustainable corporate shareholder value.  Levin’s Corporate Governance Practice is now headed by Tamara P. Davis, who joined the company in 2000.

Levin & Company has evolved and expanded to keep pace with its clientele and its business. The firm has steadily expanded its staff nationally, yet at the same time maintained its convivial and familial culture.