Women’s Life Sciences Network

The Women’s Life Sciences Network was born out of a desire to foster exchanges between like-minded female professionals in the Life Sciences industry. The objectives of the Network are to provide a platform for high-level discussion of life sciences law and policy developments, facilitate and strengthen informal contact among women professionals, and mentor and promote the advancement of women in the field.

Josefine Sommer (Senior Associate – Sidley) and Anna Pavlou (Head of Legal, Global R&D and Regulatory – Galderma) co-founded the Women Life Sciences Network (WLSN).

Ahead of the next WLSN event in London, Anna Pavlou, Head of Legal, Global R&D and Regulatory at Galderma, and Josefine Sommer, Senior Associate Sidley Austin, co- founders of the WLSN, had a short discussion with Sam Atkinson Interim Chief Quality & Access Officer at Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Note: the in-person event will be subject to local restrictions and guidelines at the time of the event.

Events

February 12, 2020 (Brussels) – Presentation by Isabel de la Mata, Principal Adviser for Health and Crisis Management, European Commission and Dineke Zeegers Paget, Executive Director, EUPHA
October 15, 2019 (Zurich) – Presentation by Emer Cooke, Director, Regulation of Medicines and other Health Technologies, WHO and Petra Dörr, Former Deputy Executive Director, Swissmedic, followed by a discussion with Nakisa Serry, Corporate Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Celgene International and Melinda Friend, Chief Regulatory Counsel, Colgate-Palmolive
June 25, 2019 (Brussels) – Discussion with Olga Tkachenko, Scientific Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission and Petra Zoellner, Senior Manager Regulations and Industrial Policy, MedTech Europe
February 20, 2019 (Brussels) – Discussion with Kristine Peers, General Counsel, European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries (EFPIA) and Rebecca Wood, Partner, Sidley and Former Chief Counsel, Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
November 7, 2018 (Brussels) – Discussion with Amaryllis Verhoeven, Head of the Intellectual Property Unit (DG GROW F5), European Commission
June 14, 2018 (Brussels) – Presentation by Olga Solomon, Head of Unit, Directorate General for Health & Food Safety (DG SANTE), European Commission
February 21, 2018 (Brussels) – Presentation by Dorthe Poulsen, Chief Legal Adviser, EU and International Coordinator, Danish Medicines Agency
October 18, 2017 (Brussels) – Panel discussion with Stephanie Lane, Director Public Policy, MSD Europe Inc.; Sini Eskola, Director Regulatory Affairs, EFPIA; Elizabeth Kuiper, Director European Affairs, EFPIA
February 8, 2017 (Brussels) – Presentation by Maya Matthews, Deputy Head of Unit, Strategy and Coordination, DG Health and Food Safety, European Commission

October 4, 2016 (Zurich) – Presentation by Andreas Balsiger Betts, Head of Legal Affairs, Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) followed by a discussion with Johanna Friedl-Naderer, Senior Vice President, Head of Europe and Canada, Biogen International GmbH; Nicole Neuhaus, Associate General Counsel, Catalent Pharma Solutions GmbH; Ingrid Sollerer, Global Head Legal, Biopharmaceuticals and Deputy General Counsel, Sandoz International GmbH
May 25, 2016 (Brussels) – Discussion with Lenita Lindström-Gommers, Senior Expert, European Commission, DG Health and Food Safety
February 4, 2016 (Brussels) – Discussion with Nathalie Moll, Secretary General, EuropaBio
September 16, 2015 (Brussels) – Discussion with Nina Cromnier, Chair Management Board, European Chemicals Agency (ECHA); Director General, Swedish Chemicals Agency
June 24, 2015 (Brussels) – Discussion with Emma Trogen, Director, Legal Affairs, Cosmetics Europe and Giulia Ciarlo, Policy Advisor, Health Technology and Cosmetics Unit, DG GROWTH, European Commission
April 14, 2015 (Paris) – Panel Discussion with Lidia Retkowska-Mika, Co-Chair, DIA EuroMeeting 2015 & Director of Legal Department, Polish Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products (URPL); Paula Salmikangas, Chair of Committee for Advanced Therapies (CAT), European Medicines Agency (EMA) & Senior Researcher, Finnish Medicines Agency (FIMEA); Isabelle Clamou, Director, Global Regulatory and R&D Policy – Europe, Amgen
February 5, 2015 (Brussels) – Discussion with Sabine Lecrenier, Head of Unit for Health Technology and Cosmetics, European Commission
October 8, 2014 (London) – Discussion with Emer Cooke, Head of International Affairs, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
June 4, 2014 (Brussels) – Discussion with Isabel de la Mata, Principal Adviser for Health at the Directorate General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO)
April 3, 2014 (Brussels) – Panel Discussion with Dara Corrigan, Director, Europe Office, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Anna Richo, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, UCB