Where Are The Women? Nordic Biotech Searches For The ‘She-Suite’

Female Leaders Discuss Barriers Between Women And The Traditional CEO Position In The World’s Most Progressive Economies

For all its good intentions and lauded action toward gender equality, the biotech industry in Scandinavia and the Nordics has a female CEO rate hovering around 23%. While the number of women entering academia, innovative companies and laboratories is healthy, gender equality in the C-suite leaves a lot to be desired. 

Nordic Leaders, Jessica Martinsson, Helena Strigard, Kara Brotemarkle
L-R: Helena Strigard, Jessica Martinsson and Kara Brotemarkle • Source: Shutterstock

Published last year, the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report found that Iceland, Finland, Sweden and Norway were leading the charge in gender equality. It should follow, then, that these countries must have a high rate of female CEOs in their respectively thriving biotech industries. On closer inspection, this is not the case.

Unpublished figures from SwedenBio show that female CEOs amount to 23% in the country, largely on par with the wider...

Medtech Insight Podcast

Keep up with the top medtech business and regulatory news.

Medtech Insight brings you interviews and analysis, on the go.

More from Strategy

News We’re Watching: New FDA Approvals For Breast Implant, Colon Cancer Test, Imaging Agent; TAP Expansion, AI Standards

This week, Establishment Labs Holdings announced the FDA gave it premarket approval for Motiva breast implant, Cologuard lands FDA approval for Cologuard Plus and GE HealthCare gets FDA nod for a new imaging agent. The FDA announces another expansion for TAP into ophthalmology and radiology. The AAMI and CTA will join forces to develop standards for AI and ML-enabled health care products.  

MI-Business (Free-2): Prison Is the First Mental Health Visit for Many in Spain

 
• By 

Spain has one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe, with 160 individuals imprisoned per 100,000 residents. In 2020, 43,494 people were incarcerated in facilities not managed by regional health authorities — essentially all regions except Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Navarra.

News We’re Watching: Neuralink’s Blindsight Gets FDA Breakthrough Device Tag; FDA Pump Recalls, Guidances; Discure, DeepLook Bolster Coffers

This week, Neuralink announced it received US FDA breakthrough device designation for a device to restore sight; medtechs Discure and DeepLook secured new funding; FDA pump recalls from B. Braun Medical and Fresenius Kabi; Axonics prevails in patent infringement lawsuit with Medtronic; Merit Medical buys Cook Medical for $210m.

FDA Releases Six More De Novo Summaries

 
• By 

The US FDA released six more device classifications in early September, including products from Edwards, Interscope, and Baxter Healthcare.

More from Business

test carousel-Medtech

 
• By 

test carousel-Medtech

test carousel

 
• By 

test carousel-HBW

News We’re Watching: New FDA Approvals For Breast Implant, Colon Cancer Test, Imaging Agent; TAP Expansion, AI Standards

This week, Establishment Labs Holdings announced the FDA gave it premarket approval for Motiva breast implant, Cologuard lands FDA approval for Cologuard Plus and GE HealthCare gets FDA nod for a new imaging agent. The FDA announces another expansion for TAP into ophthalmology and radiology. The AAMI and CTA will join forces to develop standards for AI and ML-enabled health care products.