Empowering the future: Women in Biotech Cambridge celebrates female leadership and unpacks ongoing challenges 

In this blog, Alina O'Keeffe, Associate Director of Marketing and Communications at the BIA, celebrates last week's Women in Biotech event held by the BIA in Cambridge.

On 6 March 2025, just ahead of International Women’s Day, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) hosted the Women in Biotech Cambridge event - a vibrant gathering of trailblazing women shaping the life sciences landscape. Held at the Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre in Cambridge, this event brought together founders, CEOs, scientists, and advocates to share their stories, tackle challenges, and envision a more inclusive biotech ecosystem. With lively panels, powerful keynotes, and energetic networking, the day highlighted the transformative power of female leadership—proving that biotech’s future shines brightest when diverse voices are heard. 

A call for change: Jane Wall’s opening remarks 

The day began with opening remarks from Jane Wall, Managing Director of BIA, who set a bold tone when presenting the data from the recently launched Women in biotech leadership report.

She pointed to the low representation of women at the C-suite and Board level, with the journey of female leadership unpacked through surveys and interviews undertaken as part of the report. Jane highlighted the challenges female CEOs in biotech face, including negative press narratives and Board and investor bias, and warned of external threats like Trump’s actions against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the US and the rise of “tech bros” undermining inclusion.

“We see diversity of thought and inclusive leadership as key to maximizing the UK’s potential in the innovation ecosystem – and in starting and growing amazing companies and THAT is why today is so important” she said, emphasising how insights into the dynamics of funding, leadership, and diversity can drive action in the sector.

I hope that the publishing of the report provides us with a real moment to reflect and to come together to change perceptions, change the leadership archetype and support the incredible women leading biotech. 

Keynote spotlight: Stephanie Kuku on AI and representation 

Stephanie Kuku, Chief Knowledge Officer at Conceivable Life Sciences and a leader in health tech innovation, spoke passionately about representation in the AI revolution.

“You have to take charge of your career, especially in the AI space,” she urged, introducing attendees to inspiring figures revolutionising life sciences through technology.

She noted that while AI can carry biases, data shows progress: women are advancing in the AI revolution, particularly in university stats for engineering and STEM roles.  

Stories that inspire: from personal passion to global impact 

The first panel at the Women in Biotech Cambridge event featured a stellar lineup: Michelle Teng, CEO of Etcembly Ltd; Tiffany Thorn, CEO of BiVictriX Therapeutics Ltd; Nicki Thompson, CEO of TRIMTECH Therapeutics Ltd; and Jill Reckless, CEO of RxCelerate, chaired by Nara Daubeney, Co-founder & CEO of Phaim Pharma.  

Michelle gripped the audience with her story of founding another company to find a solution for her daughter’s illness. “It was inspiring to hear Michelle’s journey,” one attendee noted, reflecting the room’s admiration. She shared being told to “tone it down” throughout her journey to becoming a CEO, yet encouraged women to be strategic whilst not undermining their authenticity. 

Funding and bias took centre stage. Nicki noted women are “punching above their weight” in securing funds, though this surge is mostly at early-stage levels, not larger rounds. She stressed the need for support during funding and reflected on all-male boards, where female members often face a “first-time” dynamic. “Female CEOs lead differently—and that’s okay,” she said, urging women not to reshape themselves to fit traditional moulds. Tiffany tackled recruitment bias toward middle-aged white men—and called out internal biases towards motherhood in leadership roles, while Jill emphasised believing in yourself and ensuring female representation on boards.,  

Hope prevailed amid challenges. Jill spoke of the impact of her leadership in the“positive representation at RxCelerate, where more than half of her management team and half her board are female. Nicki praised women supporting each other, often offering mentorship. Attendees noted with admiration how the panellists opened up about their personal journeys and the hurdles they’ve faced and the energy in the room was palpable as people connected over drinks, sparking ideas and networks for future collaboration. 

Leadership in action: building female-dominated futures 

The second panel featured Anne Horgan, Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital Limited; Elisa Petris, Partner at Syncona Investment Management Limited; Denise Scotts-Knight, CEO, Mereo Biopharma; and Natalie Pankova, Managing Director, Deeptech Ventures, Zinc. Denise detailed her nine-year tenure leading Mereo and noted that her majority-female workforce and executive team attract talent. “Candidates come to us because we’re female-dominated,” she said proudly.

Natalie flipped the script, emphasising an often-overlooked barrier: “being young has been a bigger challenge than being a woman.” With just one man on her team, she’s driving change. All four stressed the urgent need for more female chairs, with Elisa stressing how much male mentors have helped her and pushing for male allies to bolster inclusion. 

Diversity as a superpower: data, trials, and inclusion 

The final panel featured Roz Sutton, Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at tranScrip Ltd; Rubina Ahmed, Director of Research, Policy and Services at Blood Cancer UK; Gillian Livock, Chief Commercial Officer at Evinova; Naho Yamazaki, Deputy Director of Policy and Partnerships at the Health Research Authority (HRA) and Kym Eves, Principal at ReNable Research. The focus was on diversity in data and clinical trials and how we are still rolling out therapeutics to some groups who have never been a part of the trial process for approval. Naho kicked off with the great work being undertaken by the HRA on developing guidance.

Rubina stressed the need to reach underrepresented groups—90% of trial participants are white, showing a wide participation gap—and highlighted Blood Cancer UK’s work to include diverse communities in blood cancer trials. The panel flagged barriers: the inaccessible language often used in the health sector, lack of representation in the clinical teams, and the need for education and care for participants and families. The panel discussed the roles that both digital and in-person engagement need to play in ensuring that communities and individuals from under-represented groups build trust in medical research and clinical trials - also flagging the important point that this important work requires funding. 

Closing reflections: Annalisa Jenkins on moving forward 

The day closed with remarks from Annalisa Jenkins, Non-Executive Director at Compass Pathways, who urged advancing female leadership.

“Women must find their voice to tell their stories”, she said, acknowledging huge progress but also the need to keep pushing.

She outlined three themes: diversity (“creates diverse minds”), culture (“shapes how companies allocate resources”), and community (“human interaction where we work and connect”). These, she argued, are key to biotech’s future. 

A call to action for International Women’s Day and beyond 

The Women in Biotech Cambridge event ignited a spark—blending celebration with a fierce push for change. Diversity fuels innovation, inclusion dismantles barriers, and bold leadership, backed by sharp data, charts the course ahead. These themes aren’t just buzzwords; they’re the lifeblood of progress in biotech.

This International Women’s Day, let’s seize this momentum to #AccelerateAction — smashing ‘glass ceilings’, amplifying voices, and building a future where science, investment and business reflects the full brilliance of humanity. 

To learn more about BIA's Women in Biotech, and stay up to date with upcoming events, please visit bioindustry.org/WIB