British Pharmacological Society Fellow Professor Jackie Hunter CBE has been recognised in the ’50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2016’ report. Dr Anna Zecharia, Head of Education, Training & Policy at the British Pharmacological Society, has been also been named as one of the report’s ‘Rising Stars’.
The report, created by BioBeat Founder Miranda Weston-Smith, identifies 50 influential women in UK biotechnology who are transforming today’s challenges into tomorrow’s opportunities. There are 24 Rising Stars named alongside more established colleagues.
Professor Jackie Hunter CBE is the CEO of benevolentBio, a role she took up in 2016 after stepping down as CEO of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). benevolentBio uses artificial intelligence to augment the research capabilities of its drug scientists and gain new insights for drug discovery and development. She founded OI Pharma Partners in 2010 to harness the power of open innovation in the sector and has extensive experience of pharmaceutical drug discovery and development.
Jackie was awarded the Society’s AstraZeneca Prize for Women in Pharmacology in 2015. As part of the prize, she presented a lecture at Pharmacology 2015 on ‘Pharmacology – past, present and future’.
Professor Hunter commented:
“I am really proud to have been recognised in the BioBeat report amongst so many really impressive women. I think it is very important to demonstrate that women are making a real difference in business and science and this report is a superb example of that.”
Dr Anna Zecharia has been recognised for her work on the Society’s project, Focus on Pharmacology, a multi-faceted programme of work that is intended to help us understand the impact of pharmacology across the UK and ensure that its underpinning knowledge and skills are supported now and into the future.
Anna also co-founded ScienceGrrl, a non-profit organisation for gender equality in science. She led on its manifesto report ‘Through both eyes’ and as a result, joined the government’s Diversity Steering Group.
Anna commented:
“I’d like to thank Miranda and Biobeat for including me in the report, and to congratulate the other women who have been named. It’s a real honour to be recognised, and especially for a project I care so much about. The Focus on Pharmacology project is hugely challenging and rewarding, especially in a changing global scientific landscape. Strengthening our communities and the links between them is at the heart of our work at the Society, and Focus is helping inform how we champion and support them. I’m proud to now be a part of the Biobeat community, and look forward to contributing to it – and making sure the many fantastic role models within it are visible to early career members of the Society, the ScienceGrrl network and beyond!”
Jonathan Bruun, CEO of the British Pharmacological Society commented:
“It is great to see one of our distinguished members, and one of our fantastic team recognised and honoured in this way for their considerable achievements. Women have played, and will continue to play, a fundamental role in science and in the way we educate or communicate with others on scientific subjects, and BioBeat is to be commended for recognising Jackie, Anna and the many other successful female scientists in their report in this way.”
BioBeat is a collaborative innovation platform for bioentrepreneurs and leaders. They hold an annual event, BioBeat, which invites successful women in the bio sector to discuss business topics for growing the sector. ’50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusiness 2016’ has been published ahead of BioBeat16, which will take place on 16 November 2016 in Cambridge.
For further information:
Sophia Griffiths, Communications Manager, British Pharmacological Society
020 7239 0180 or 07789 552 498
Sophia.Griffiths@bps.ac.uk