Women Leaders Share Raw Truths About Leadership in Life Sciences

"Leadership can be challenging at the best of times, but when you have predisposed biases working against you, it makes that leadership journey even harder."

These words from Sofia Baig, President of Clinical Solutions at Precision for Medicine, set the tone for a remarkably honest discussion about women's leadership in life sciences. The virtual panel, hosted by Endpoints News and moderated by Surani Fernando, brought together four industry leaders who shared raw truths about their journeys to the top.

Breaking the Mold: The Reality of Leadership Barriers

Baig opened with a stark assessment of her path, noting four "strikes" that should have knocked her out of leadership contention: being a woman, being ethnic, being short (supported by research), and being visibly Muslim. Yet her story, like those of her fellow panelists, is one of persistence and adaptation.

"I truly believed in a meritocracy," Baig reflected. "I thought if you do a good job, you work hard, the next job will present itself. And to be honest, early in my career that was probably mostly true." But she, like many others, hit what she called "the proverbial glass ceiling straight on my nose" when she discovered that merit alone wasn't enough.

The Silent Struggle: Self-Advocacy and Cultural Barriers

One of the most striking moments came when Deb Phippard, Chief Scientific Officer at Precision for Medicine, highlighted a common pattern: "How many of us thought that doing a good job was enough and we never told everybody we were doing a good job? Meanwhile, the male colleagues are in the office of our boss saying, 'I've done this, I've done this. I'm ready for my next project.'"

This resonated deeply with the panel, with Baig adding a cultural dimension: "From my culture, it's actually not encouraged to self-promote in general, male or female. It's seen as boasting and it's not very well received."

Compensation: The Courage to Ask

The discussion took a powerful turn when addressing pay equity. Audrey Greenberg, Founder of Center for Breakthrough Medicines, emphasized: "The strongest negotiating position you ever have is on your way in." She noted that women represent the majority at entry level in life sciences, yet make up less than 20% at senior VP level and less than 5% at board level.

Baig shared a particularly moving story about discovering male colleagues were being paid significantly more. Twice in her career, she took what she called "a very difficult decision" to approach HR:

"I knew that when I walked through that door that this could be a very career-destroying moment, but I felt so strongly that I took the courage... I was that humble about it, but asked, 'Please could you look into this?'"

The Work-Life Integration Myth

Perhaps the most heated discussion centered around work-life balance and gender expectations. Phippard challenged the status quo: "I truly think a lot of women do not ask enough of their men... Why do women accept that?"

Baig offered practical advice: "Corporate America will never put boundaries on you. If you've given 24/7, they'll take 24/7. What's really important is that you put the boundaries, the boundaries that are right for you."

Looking Forward: Advice for the Next Generation

The panel concluded with powerful advice for emerging leaders:

The Path Forward

As the discussion wrapped up, one thing became clear: while progress has been made, significant work remains. The panelists' stories revealed that success comes not just from individual excellence, but from building strong networks, finding mentors (both male and female), and having the courage to advocate for oneself.

Their experiences suggest that the next generation of women leaders in life sciences will need both resilience and innovation to continue breaking barriers. As Greenberg put it, "Take risks. Please, please. I know we're risk averse... but risk equals reward as we know."