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10 n e w h a v e n B I Z | J u l y 2 0 2 1 | n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m W hen Rebecca Frey worked as a vice president of global operations at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, she was part of a biotech leadership team where the women outnumbered the men. She knew that level of gender diversity was rare in her industry. Yet she wasn't fully prepared for what she encountered when she le in 2017 to take a VP role at a small New York biotech startup, and later at small startups in Boston. "I suddenly found myself in a space where there were very few women, or people of col- or, in leadership," says Frey, a Latina. "at was a harsh reality at the time." If national statistics are any indication, her experience isn't surprising. A 2020 survey of 100 biotech companies released in June by the industry group BIO found that while By Joanna Smiley women made up 47% of total employees, they account for just 31% of executives and 23% of CEOs. at was only a slight improvement from 2019's report, when women comprised 46% of teams but only 30% of executives, and just 16% of CEOs. But Frey is part of a growing network of women bioscience leaders in Greater New Haven and across the state — from academics to chief executives to investors — who are trying to move the needle in Connecticut. ey are hoping to pool their influence to build a pipeline of women biotech leaders and raise the profile of the talented scientists and executives who are already here, which they hope in turn will propel more women into upper management. eir efforts have picked up steam in the last few months, fueled in part by a renewed focus on diversity, equity and inclusion following protests over the death of George Floyd last summer. "ere's definitely momentum and it's not just here. It's pretty much across the bioscience industry nationally now," said Frey, who is now chief operating officer of Branford's EvolveImmune erapeutics and also sits on the boards of Halda erapeu- tics and Elm Street Ventures, a New Haven venture capital firm. "ere's a lot going on and that's why I feel very encouraged." Erika Smith, CEO of ReNetX Bio, a New Haven biotechnology firm developing a drug to reverse the damage from spinal cord injuries, said she first met Frey at an event in Boston and they instantly bonded. e pair discussed all the powerhouse women life science leaders they knew around the state, but how little they interacted, partly because Connecticut's bioscience companies are scattered around the state. ey started brainstorming about what they could accomplish if they joined forces. Last fall, they launched Executive Women in Bio, a group that expanded last April into Connecticut's first chapter of the national organization, Women in Bio. "ere's just something about women helping women on the executive side," Smith said. "We don't have the 'old boys' network,' so to speak, so I think we all really want to help each other." e chapter is led by Susan Sobolov, a former Alexion R&D leader and Connecti- cut resident who is now chief operating officer of New Jersey-based Caelum Biosci- ences. Sobolov said the group already has 157 members. She said large pharma companies like Pfizer and Alexion have long had their own women's networking groups. But in Con- necticut, there are a lot of small startups where women may not have "critical mass." "Because the whole company is only 12 or 15 people," she said. She said Women in Bio also covers other professions that touch on the life sciences industry, including lawyers, investment pro- Going lean: More companies outsourcing financial work PHOTO | STEVE LASHCEVER WOMEN IN BIO Greater New Haven leaders steer effort to diversify top ranks of CT's burgeoning life sciences industry By Natalie Missakian (From left) Morag Grassi, Susan Sobolov and Erika Smith are all players in New Haven's life sciences industry trying to make sure women are represented in the sector's leadership roles. Gender diversity in U.S. life sciences industry Total employees 0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 47% 53% Executives CEOs 69% 31% 23% 76% Men Women Source: Measuring Diversity In The Biotech Industry: Advancing Equity And Inclusion Survey Report

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