Last week our team attended the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) International Convention 2019. As a prominent region in the life sciences space, Philadelphia served as an ideal location for representatives from leading biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers, and related organizations – including many from this region – to gather.
Featuring more than 1,500 sessions and networking opportunities with more than 16,000 attendees from 74 countries, the convention offered a range of opportunities to connect and learn. We were excited to join global and biotech thought leaders, many of whom we work with, to discuss and share insights on key policy issues, technological and medicinal innovations, partnerships, and other major trends affecting the healthcare system worldwide.
Our team helped to organize several Women in Bio (WIB) events that took place during the convention, including speed networking, a meetup, an executive breakfast, and the CEO Plenary.
The events provided current and prospective WIB members with the opportunity to meet and discuss shared interests. Attendees gathered at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown for the CEO Plenary, which featured a panel of speakers highlighting their experiences as well as the importance of a community in building, leading, and inspiring change to advance biotech and create an impact:
– Simone Fishburn, Vice President and Executive Editor, BioCentury Inc., and former President of Women in Bio (moderator)
– Dr. Aoife Brennan, CEO, Synlogic, Inc.
– Bethany Edwards, Co-Founder and CEO, Lia Diagnostics
– Dr. Sheila Gujrathi, CEO, Goassamer Bio
Throughout the event, the top five industry pressures we identified earlier this year were frequently cited, as well as others that are expected to impact our clients. We noted a range of strategies to address them, including strategic transformation, which we’ve executed with many of our clients to improve outcomes. As we partner with our life sciences clients to enable their success, this event reinforced many of the trends and challenges we’ve been tracking and provided valuable insight into additional opportunities to enable success.