Women in the bio pharma industry are benefitting from initiatives designed to put more women on corporate boards. One of these – Boardroom Ready – specifically sets out to help women take the step from VP-level and higher positions to board membership.
The organization Women In Bio (WIB) launched its Boardroom Ready program in 2016. Women with VP and higher titles who have substantial managerial experience and a desire to serve on corporate boards may apply for a certification program held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Twenty women are chosen for the program each year.
An article in Life Science Leader features several women who completed the program and are now serving on boards. Cynthia Smith has 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical operations and since completing the program in 2016 has joined the boards of three public pharmas.
The article also provides a link to a story titled “Connecting Women Who Are Boardroom Ready” that further details how the program works. It quotes Carolyn Brougham, chair and founder of Boardroom Ready who says, “Leaders of companies kept saying, ‘Well, we do want gender parity on our board, but we just can’t find qualified women.’ The problem is they were going to women who were already on four or five boards. This program is a way to identify new talent and overcome the barrier of having previous board experience.”
Note: This program may be of special interest to members of the AWESOME community who hold VP-and-higher positions for bio-pharma companies – and serve as “food for thought” for leaders in other industries.