June 13, 2022 -- While women leaders are becoming more prominent in the biotech industry, particularly female scientists, it remains dominated at the C-suite level by men. A panel at the 2022 Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention will explore how to close the gender gap and become more inclusive.
ScienceBoard.net spoke with Nasha Fitter, co-founder and CEO of the FOXG1 Research Foundation, who will participate in the June 14 panel at BIO 2022, "Female Founders: Paving the Way for Innovation and Equity."
"When I think about the people leading biotech companies, I can only think of one woman I know that started and is running a biotech company," Fitter said. "I don't see a big gender gap in science, but I do see the gender gap -- again -- in business."
Being a mother can be a potential hindrance for the career paths and trajectories of women forcing them to make sacrifices once they have children, according to Fitter, who co-founded the FOXG1 Research Foundation shortly after her daughter was diagnosed with the syndrome.
"Women have tended to be the ones that don't take risks," Fitter observed. "To be a founder, you have to take a risk. There is a high chance you're going to fail and most women still aren't okay with that."
Watch the video below to learn more.