WELCOME: GLOBAL BHP BRAINTRUST
A Message from Andrea Pfeifer, Chair of the Global BHP BrainTrust
2023 is being called a watershed moment in women’s health care with the spotlight on gender bias and health inequities. The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023 is, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. This theme is aligned with the priority theme for the upcoming 67th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW-67).
Advancing the health and well-being of women globally not only requires closing the digital divide and medical research gender gap, but for private equity firms to invest in women entrepreneurs. Globally women owned businesses garner only 7% of funding from private equity and venture capital firm. As Alec Ross, a Distinguished Professor at the Business School of l’Universitá di Bologna in his book The Industries of the Future that has been translated into 24 languages and a best-seller on 5 continents wrote, “Fully integrating and empowering women economically and politically is the most important step that a country or company can take to strengthen its competitiveness.”
This year AC Immune, the company I co-founded and lead, marks its 20th anniversary. Who would have thought in 2003 that a start-up of 4 people, with a shared vision of scientific excellence around Alzheimer’s R & D would become an internationally respected Biotech company, with over 150 in staff, almost 60% of whom are women, and quoted since 2016 on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Today AC Immune is at the forefront- focusing on two vaccines for Alzheimer’s and one for Parkinson’s, developing safe and innovative treatments across neurodegenerative diseases, and committed to making a significant and positive difference in the world.