On Thursday, September 29, over 230 sponsors, members and guests of Virginia Bio convened for an inaugural event, Women Building Bio: The XXFactor. Darden Executive Education sponsored this event and were represented by Lili Powell, Assistant Professor of Business administration and Martin Davidson, Johnson & Higgins Professor of Business Administration, at University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
The purpose of the conference was two-pronged: both sparking discussion about how to create an environment where female scientists and entrepreneurs can contribute to the field and providing insights to women for managing their career in biotechnology. In the morning, Lili Powell kicked off the Personal and Professional Development portion of the program by presenting the concept of leading with “grit and grace,” both keeping your eye on the prize and being goal-focused in the face of distractions (grit) and accepting what is (grace). Powell engaged the group in a focus exercise to demonstrate these principles.
The bottom line was an approach to “putting more being in doing” and celebrating your team after a failure, which is even more important than celebrating successes. It was a talk that resonated with attendees, as seen through the many tweets and retweets throughout the session.
Martin Davidson continued the Personal and Professional Development theme in the afternoon with a discussion of “Building and Sustaining Effective and Rewarding Mentor and Sponsor Relationship.” Davidson lead an engaging session discussing the differences between mentors and sponsors and what to look for in both. He also shared research around bias, particularly unconscious bias and how it impacts women and underserved minorities. He exhorted the group to keep a disciplined focus on their larger purpose, values, and goals, echoing the “grit” portion of Powell’s presentation.
In addition to faculty presentations, two panels of women leaders in bio were convened to share their experiences coming up through the ranks. Over lunch, young women in BioSTEM impressed attendees with their dedication and brilliance as scientists, followed by moderated table discussions around how women can be successful in bio.
Darden Executive Education was pleased to be associated with this impactful event supporting women, Virginia businesses and health sciences. If you have any questions regarding Darden’s work with this industry, please contact Heather Huff at HuffH@darden.virginia.edu.
Photography provided by Virginia Bio. See all of the event photos here.
