The First CGT Circle x HPNE Event in RTP
Following the success of our Boston networking event, HPNE is proud to have sponsored another event with The CGT Circle in North Carolina for women in the biopharma industry.
What is The CGT Circle?
The CGT Circle is a group where like minded women working in the cell & gene therapy space are encouraged to network at community-led events throughout the year. They aim for accessibility and inclusivity in order to empower and connect a wide range of CGT professionals.
High Purity New England has previously collaborated with The CGT Circle to host an event in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The event featured a fireside chat, with speakers Bethany Grant, Francesca Vitelli, and moderator Nina Bauer. Over 40 women attended, providing a great opportunity for networking following the engaging fireside chat where we were able to learn about the careers of our speakers.
HPNE Sponsored RTP Event
Following the success of our Cambridge event, HPNE decided to once again work with The CGT Circle to sponsor an additional event. As some members of our sales team are located in the RTP region, we decided to hold our event in North Carolina. We were lucky to also work with Women in Bio, and the event was hosted at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
The event featured a fireside chat with Juliana Blum, Principal at Oak Park Bio (formerly co-founder of Humacyte), Kelli Luginbuhl, Co-founder and CEO of Isolere Bio & our incredible moderator Susan Nichols, CEO at Propel Biosciences.
Our panelists discussed a range of topics, including “what is your why”, who gave them their biggest career push, and the best advice that they never took.
When speaking about the challenges faced by women in CGT, Juliana stated, “Part of the reason that these Women’s Groups are so great is that we get the opportunity to come together and talk about [our challenges] and make each other better.” She went on to talk about her reasons for working in CGT, saying “When you hear a patient say, I can’t believe I am so much better because I got your Humacyte vessel, that changes things. Those sweat, and those tears, and those hours are all worth it because you made somebody’s life different.”
When asked about her own “why” for working in the CGT industry, Kelly shared, “My why has really always stemmed from how can we do this better, how can we accelerate these life changing therapies, and how can we make sure that everybody has access to them? And with my background, and the tools and technologies I was familiar with, the way I felt I could do that was through manufacturing and bioprocessing tools.”
The experiences shared by the panelists clearly resonated with everyone in the audience, and created an opportune jumping off point for the rapid-fire style networking that followed.
Why is it Important to Foster Networking Opportunities?
High Purity New England is dedicated to improving the diversity, equity, and inclusion landscape in biotech, starting with our own organization. In a previous article, we discussed HPNE’s employee resource group (ERG), the Women of HPNE.
According to FierceBiotech, as of 2022, only 34% of executives in biotech were women. Creating networking spaces for women throughout the industry creates an opportunity to build foundational relationships in their career. Forbes reports that one of the top ten benefits to networking is gaining “support from high profile individuals”. These connections can create a great resource for advice in the future, and can potentially help individuals access career growth opportunities.
We believe these networking events provide a safe space for women to share their personal experiences, which can often be learning opportunities for others. Ultimately, we have found our networking events inspirational, motivational, and empowering.
Other Resources for Women in Biotech and Biopharma
In addition to The CGT Circle and Women in Bio, other great organizations to get involved with include Women in Manufacturing, and the ISPE Women in Pharma group.
To find the next Women in Bio event near you, visit their events calendar. For more information on upcoming events with The CGT Circle, get connected to their LinkedIn group.
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About HPNE
As the industry needs grow, High Purity New England, Inc. continues to supply the biopharmaceutical industry with a range of innovative products, from drug discovery and development to fill-finish, including their flagship product, custom single-use assemblies, as well as pumps, sensors, bioreactor systems, storage and handling solutions and other single-use solutions. Along with their own manufactured products for the global market, they are also a distributor for more than 18 brands in North America.
