Oxford women shaping the face of UK biotech
7th December 2016
Impact of women, both in Oxford and the UK’s biotech scene, celebrated in Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2016 report.
Women shaping the development of the UK biotech sector have been celebrated in a new report, 50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2016, which prominently features eight female innovation leaders linked to the Oxford innovation community.
Published in partnership with University of Cambridge Judge Business School’s Entrepreneurship Centre and the Innovation Forum, the BioBeat report highlights the impact women are having on shaping the future of UK biotech.
The report contributes to the wider movement to increase female representation at the top of business, as highlighted by initiatives such as the 30% Club, TechTonic, and Upward. Aside from the ethical imperative to ensure equality in society, bridging the UK gender gap has the potential to add an extra £150 billion to GDP (or up to an 8% increase) by 2025, translating into an additional 840,000 additional female employees[1].
The eight women from the Oxford ecosystem are:
Carolyn Porter, Deputy Head of Technology Transfer, Oxford University Innovation (OUI)
As the arrival of Oxford Sciences Innovation in Oxford’s ecosystem has created a boom in spinout generation at OUI over the past 18 months, Carolyn and her team have seized the opportunity. Three of her team’s recent spinouts – OxStem, Evox, and Vaccitech – have raised a collective £36.9m. Carolyn herself holds board positions on four Oxford spinouts, and Carolyn has led or supported the creation of twelve spinouts since joining OUI.
Emma Sceats, Chief Executive Officer, CN Bio Innovations
A former member of the team at OUI, Emma made the entrepreneurial leap to Oxford University spinout CN Bio Innovations in 2010 where she rose first to COO and then to CEO at the start of 2016. Emma has overseen the raising of £5m in external funding and £2m in research funding for the company, which looks to make animal testing a thing of the past by offering organs-on-a-chip.
Professor Eleanor Stride, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Oxford University
A leading researcher in drug delivery, Eleanor’s work led to the creation of University College London spinout AtoCap, which is commercialising electro-hydroponic processing technologies aimed at the more efficient delivery of antibiotics. Alongside BioBeat’s recognition, Eleanor has also been highlighted this year as one of the 50 most influential women in engineering.
Angela Russell, Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Oxford University
Applying Angela’s research of regenerative medicine has led to the creation of OxStem, an Oxford spinout which broke UK spinout records earlier this year when it raised £16.9m in seed financing at launch. She was also the co-founder of fellow spinout MuOx, which was acquired by Summit Therapeutics in 2013.
Eva-Lotta Allen, Chief Business Officer, Immunocore
Immunocore, which has its roots in Oxford University, is one of the new breed of life sciences firms focused on immunotherapy – a potentially game changing technology in oncology. Since joining the firm in 2013, Eva-Lotta’s impact has been substantial, contributing to the company’s $320m series A, established four discovery partnerships, and entering into two clinical trial collaborations with MedImmune and Lilly.
Kate Bingham, Managing Partner, SV Life Sciences
An Oxford biochemistry graduate and advisory board member for Oxford Spinouts Equity Management, Kate has been instrumental in raising the Dementia Discovery Fund at life sciences investor SV Life Sciences. The fund has wide-ranging backers, including support from GSK, Johnson & Johnson, Lilly, Pfizer, Takeda, UK Department of Health, and Alzheimer’s Research UK.
Elaine Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer, Carrick Therapeutics
Bringing together a coalition of researchers from Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and London, Elaine is leading a world-class R&D pipeline targeting aggressive cancer. Under her leadership, Carrick has already secured $95m in venture funding. Elaine is also a Non-Executive Director of IP Group, a patient capital investor with its roots here in Oxford.
Helen Townley, Nuffield Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Oxford University
Helen’s nanoparticle research is underpinning Xerion Healthcare, an Oxford spinout she co-founded in 2015. The company uses nanoparticles to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy, where early research has indicated that radiotherapy combined with nanoparticles can halt the growth of cancerous tumours.
Talking on the importance on showcasing the growing role of women in British bioscience, Carolyn Porter said:
“Women are already having a significant impact on the Bioscience industry but we need female leaders that can inspire the next generation and expand our impact at senior levels across multiple disciplines. This report shows that OUI, Oxford University, and the wider Oxford region is helping to create these role models.”
For more information or to arrange interview, please contact:
Gregg Bayes-Brown, Marketing and Communications Manager, Oxford University Innovation
T: +44 (0)1865 280867 | E: gregg.bayes-brown@innovation.ox.ac.uk
[1] The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in the United Kingdom, McKinsey Global Institute, November 2016: http://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/women-matter/the-power-of-parity-advancing-womens-equality-in-the-united-kingdom
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