- What is your name and what is the name of your business?
My name is Daniel Taplin and the company is Life Sciences Recruitment.
- What does the business do and who are your customers?
We help anyone looking to recruit in the life science sector – To clarify, the life science sector encompasses industries focused on enhancing human health and spans pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostics. My niche is focussed on medical communications and affairs, so I look to recruit for these specific areas. The aim is to become the industry expert in a particular niche so that when a company is looking to recruit in your specific area, they immediately think of you.
- What’s the history of the business & what’s your role within the business?
So we are a subsidiary of Morgan Prestwich who are a global recruitment agency focussing on Life Sciences and Healthcare industries at Board, C-Level, VP, Director and Management level. We tend to focus on recruiting at the level slightly below this. Morgan Prestwich have been going for 16 years now.
- How long have you had an office here at Freshmill and why were you looking for a space like this?
So we moved here March 2025. I was actually at Freshmill in a previous role and so knew it well. When Mark, the Director at the time, was looking for new premises closer to his home around the Haywards Heath area (we were previously based in Reigate) and mentioned Freshmill, I was really positive about it because I knew what a lovely place it is to work! Our previous office in Reigate was our own office, we had our own kitchen etc, which meant we had to look after it, buy the coffee etc. As lazy as it sounds, having a serviced office at Freshmill was such a great opportunity because we didn’t need to worry about any of that, we can just do the work, lock the door and leave!
- Why does Freshmill work well for you and your business?
For the reason I have said before, having a serviced office here at Freshmill means avoiding the hassle of cleaning the office and buying the coffee which is amazing! Also, because we are a small company, finding small offices is difficult, most are larger and therefore very expensive and so Freshmill is actually great value! I also enjoy the social aspect of being at Freshmill. It is nice to be part of a bigger community here, I play football with a few people in the building so it is great to chat to them at the coffee machine etc!
- What is the most important lesson you have gained from your career so far?
Before is started recruitment I was a professional golfer and before that I played football for academies. One of the lessons I was taught when I was at Fulham was ‘Hard work beats talent’. It was on a sign above the changing rooms when you walked in. Basically, it means talent is no substitute for hard work. You can be naturally really talented at what you do, whether that be recruitment, sport or whatever industry you are in, but if you don’t work hard and put the hours in, you will never reach your potential.
- Where do you hope to be in 5 years’ time?
So I will be 33 in five years’ time. I really don’t think about the future that much. Personally, I hope to be buying a house next year with my girlfriend, with a garage (so we can turn it into a golf simulator!). In my working life we are looking to recruit someone to help me in the next couple of months so by then it would be great to have a little team underneath me, a couple of line reports and perhaps a couple of people reporting to them. So perhaps a team of 4 but, really, who knows! I would also like to continue to forge a path as the industry expert in my field, so I am the go-to when companies are recruiting for medical communications and affairs.
- What advice would you give your younger self just starting out?
If I hadn’t gone down the professional sporting route that I did, I would personally tell myself not to go to university and go and get an apprenticeship in whatever I had a passion for. That is because in my industry I come across many, many young people with university degrees and masters with 50-60K of debt and they cannot get a job. It’s very sad. On the other hand, if you go and get an apprenticeship in, for example, plumbing, electrician, accountancy etc, you will finish by the time you are 21-22, you will have a couple of years of industry experience under your belt as well as the qualification and will be a step ahead of everyone else.
- What is your favourite quote/mantra?
London is Red! I am a big Arsenal Fan!
- If you could, who would you switch places with for the day, and why?
It would probably have to be Tiger Woods when he came back and won the Masters in in 2019. In the run up to this he had to have a few surgeries on his knee and his back fused and was out of the game for over two years. Everyone had written him off. And then he came back and won the Master’s at Augusta National and I think it could be one of the greatest ever sporting come backs of all time. It was incredible. It was his 15th major. I would love to be him on that day!
