Being a company president-a job that entails handling day-to- day operations-or a chief executive officer (CEO)-who manages all aspects of a business-involves a unique combination of managerial skills. These roles are especially challenging for women, who are rare at corporate helms, particularly in the two-decade-old biotechnology industry. As biotech matures, the percentage of women at the top is growing. "Biotech is a relatively young industry. People are still working their way up. But we are starting to see more and more women in top positions," observes Cynthia Robbins-Ross, editor-in-chief of Bioventure Publishing Inc. in San Mateo, Calif., which compiles an annual survey of women in the biotechnology industry.
MANY GOALS: Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems' Deborah Neff notes several management challenges that exist in large companies. The percentages of women among the higher ranks in biotech are low. According to Bioventure's Women in Biotechnology Survey for 1995, only 5 percent of ...
