Women's network in the life sciences

A women's network for managers? They've already made it anyway – why do they need such a special offer? Anyone who has ever attended a meeting of the female managers' network knows that these events are different from all the other workshops, conferences or meetings in Dechema's diary.

The Managerinnen-Netzwerk in den Life Sciences, as it is officially called, has been in existence since the early 2000s. Founded as part of the Association of German Biotechnology Companies (VBU) within Dechema, it is now open to Dechema members and interested parties. It is about making business contacts, the personal exchange of experiences as specialists and executives with different professional backgrounds and it offers a platform for discussions and co-operations. Informal networking takes centre stage. What particularly characterises the network: Regardless of whether you are an expert or not, thanks to the open atmosphere that allows for many questions, everyone takes something away from the events - from amazement at modern technology to new ideas for their own work and valuable contacts.

„We cannot say exactly what role the restriction to women plays in this openness and the high level of mutual trust, says Susanne Simon, Chairwoman of the network. But we know from feedback from managers that this is unique in this form and that we don't experience it like this anywhere else.

The network therefore also plays a very special role in the landscape of Dechema committees and events.

Although the exchange by fax, which was suggested in the founding protocol over 20 years ago, has not caught on, the last two years have brought new formats that make it easier to get a taste of what is going on: Currently, the events calendar has a fixed structure: three times a year, members meet in person or virtually to catch up, present their content and make new contacts.

The online skills exchange has kicked off the year since 2021 and the last Friday in January has been reserved for it since 2022. Born out of (coronavirus) necessity, this unique online format has become a fixed date in the calendar. The rules are simple: each speaker has five minutes to give a keynote speech, followed by ten minutes for questions and discussion. What the speakers report is entirely up to them - personal experience reports, career turning points, technology ideas, research work or founder experiences, everything can find a place here. This not only makes the skills exchange incredibly diverse, but also leads to an open exchange that you hardly ever experience elsewhere (despite the virtual space).

The other two meetings take place in person. Once a year, the managers' network visits a different host. These hosts then play a major role in shaping the programme. In recent years, the members have had the opportunity to get to know different companies and institutions such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg, where research is carried out into various regenerative therapies, Tesa Labtec in Langenfeld, which specialises in special therapeutic dosage forms, and Miltenyi Biotec, where cell therapeutics are developed and brought to clinical application. The great thing about these meetings is that they don't stop at theory - the hosts provide an insight into their research and production facilities, thus adding a significant practical aspect to the specialist presentations.

And then there are the meetings - usually in autumn - at the Dechema-­Haus, which can cover anything that is put on the agenda by the members or the chairmen. This often involves topics that are not only relevant for executives in the life sciences: 2021 was all about „Ära 4.0 – managing, marketing, selling: Better, worse, different? What virtual working changes“ – a topic to which everyone had their own experiences to contribute during and after the pandemic and where the speakers' categorisation helped to put their own experiences into a broader context and draw conclusions from them. The search for co-operation or financing partners, the development of ideas up to market entry or biosimilars were also on the agenda. „We have no shortage of topics“, says Anna-Katharina Heide, one of the two deputy chairpersons of the network. „We emphasise topics with professional relevance, whether from a technical and economic perspective or with regard to leadership skills. The quality of the content of the events is just as important as the networking itself.

The network is also open to cooperation – together with „Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte“, ­FidAR, it organised, for example, an event on „Frauen in die Aufsichtsräte“. For example, it organised an event on „skills for female supervisory board members of biotech and medtech companies“, at which the speakers provided in-depth insights into their approach and motivation, as well as practical tips.

The network is open to everyone - the manager in the corporate group in the traditional sense, the experienced manager, but also young female professionals who want to develop themselves further or are simply looking to exchange ideas with others. The only requirement is initiative. „The position is not so important, what counts is the mindset“, explains Helge Lubenow, Deputy Chairwoman. „Curiosity, initiative, the willingness to take on responsibility if necessary – these are factors that characterise our members.“

These factors also ensure that the network is constantly evolving. Although the programme is already set until the beginning of 2024 with meetings in June at IDT Biologika in Dessau, the autumn meeting on the topic of "Power without direction" and the Competence Exchange on 26 January 2024, those responsible are not resting on their laurels: The positioning of the network within and outside of Dechema and the opening up to young people are currently on the agenda. So it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years!

Article from "CHEManager" from 15 May 2023