Empowering the next generation of women HealthTech leaders
Challenge
Women make up just under half of the world’s population, yet only around 4% of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are women. However, reports highlight that having a greater number of women in management and senior leadership positions is linked to heightened performance across organisations. (Harvard Business Review, 2019; McKinsey, 2018). A leading life sciences measurement and tools group commissioned this project with the goal to upskill female healthcare entrepreneurs involved in projects funded by the NHS England SBRI Healthcare/NIHR i4i/AI in Health and Care portfolio, in skills pertaining to business leadership. Thus, the main objective of the Empowering Women in HealthTech Innovation - Leadership Programme was to empower women to enhance their own entrepreneurial capabilities as leaders, ultimately bringing additional value to their organisations.
Approach
We set up and managed the application call for the Empowering Women in HealthTech Innovation, leading to the selection of 36 successful applicants amongst women researchers, MedTech CEOs and innovators within a range of other roles. We also created and delivered a three-day online course, structured around the following themes:
- Setting direction
- Making a difference
- Changing behaviour
Through lectures, practical exercises, and discussion groups, the course engaged with key issues facing women leaders in HealthTech seeking to achieve their professional goals. Topics included leadership, executive presence, setting strategic direction and enabling change. Women leaders from a variety of HealthTech backgrounds were invited as guest speakers and panellists to share their insights and leadership journeys with the participants.
Impact
