Today, March 8, is international women’s day. To celebrate the achievements of women we’re revisiting our list of the women that have founded some of the hottest biotechs in Europe.
Once upon a time, you would have been hard pushed to find a woman in a senior position at a top biotech – now, they are creating some of the most pioneering companies in the industry.
Many have built their career in biotech, starting out as passionate life science or medical students, maybe moving into a PhD or positions at multinational companies before using their entrepreneurial spirit to break into industry themselves. Others have taken a slightly different route.
Last year, Philip investigated gender diversity in the biotech industry. Turns out that just 20 of the top 112 positions at the top 10 pharma and biotech companies in the world were held by women – that’s around 18%.
The numbers were similar in Europe, with women making up only 18% of executives and 13%of board members. Of the top European biotechs, Philip found MorphoSys to be the most diverse.
Although the proportion of women isn’t as high as it should be, it has been improving. We hope to put the spotlight on the great work that women do in biotech, and show that the gap deserves to be closed. The door is opening more and more for women to make their mark in biotech; Here are some that have done just that:
Denise Scots-Knight
Co-Founder and CEO of Mereo Biopharma, UK
Bringing promising new drug candiates to the market is difficult enough, without having to fight for funding and resources with other biotechs. Scots-Knight realized this and co-founded Mereo biopharma, a speciality biopharma that helps biotech and pharma companies overcome R&D and financial challenges. Mereo provides them with the resources they need to optimize the drug development process and resolve unmet medical needs. Scots-Knights has over 25 years of R&D management and investment experience, thanks to spending her career working in technology, asset management and investments.
Read the full list here.
