Women in Biotech: developing life science leadership in the north-west
In this blog, Albert Maguire-King, Media and Communications Executive at the BIA, discusses the recent Women in Biotech event in Manchester. The panel highlighted the importance of fostering home-grown talent, supporting female role models, and offering mentorship opportunities.
On 18 September 2024, accompanied by incredible sunshine and iconic views of Manchester, the BIA held its Women in Biotech event, kindly hosted by KPMG.
The evening provided an expert panel, chaired by the BIA’s Kate Barclay and featuring Kath Mackay, CSO at Bruntwood SciTech, Caroline Phillips, CSO at RedX, Linda Randall, Associate VP at Pharmaron Gene Therapy and Natalie Kenny, CEO of BioGrad Group.
Though the crux of the conversation revolved around how best to attract and retain talent in the northwest, as well as the importance of harnessing female leadership within the sector, the conversation was wide-ranging and covered a myriad of issues.
The panel discussion
Kath was vocal about her passion for the momentum currently taking place in the north-west.
The biggest issue she foresaw was one of numbers as the growing economy of the north-west would create an ever-greater number of senior jobs, which would require attracting talent from outside of the region.
However, she and the other panellists highlighted many factors which would entice people into such a move, such as great quality of life, lower property prices and a critical mass of life sciences companies, providing long-term stability and job security.
The issue of attracting talent was further touched upon by Caroline who noted that, though there are great graduates and PhD students around the north and those jobs are filled very quickly, further down the line attracting talent becomes an issue in the region. Home-grown talent and encouraging people to develop through their organisation into leadership positions was agreed as being a key strategy for the region.
The importance of female role models
One pivotal point, brought up by Linda which the rest of the panel shared agreement upon, is that it’s hard for some women to envisage themselves in certain roles and this can be a barrier. The importance of visible female role models was therefore incredibly important. Natalie was strong in highlighting that she actively rebuffed any hints of imposter syndrome, having confidence in her abilities and grasping opportunities as they arose.
Asked at the end of the event what advice they would have for women coming through the sector and looking to advance to senior roles, panellists highlighted the necessity of seizing every opportunity you can, while it was also advised to say yes to chances and work out the details later.
Mentorship and finding people to support and advocate for you through your journey was a key point raised – and it was great to conclude the evening by hearing more about the BIA’s Women in Biotech mentoring programme, the third cohort having just been launched for applications.
Following the discussion, attendees made the most of KPMG’s fantastic hospitality, enjoying some quality networking and an incredible sunset across the Manchester skyline.
What's next?
More Women in Biotech events are scheduled, with an event booked for London in December, as well as a further event in Cambridge next March. We hope to see you there.
