EPR Podcast 23 – Inspiring inclusion in pharma – Kylie Bromley, Biogen
Posted: 27 February 2024 | European Pharmaceutical Review | No comments yet
In this podcast, recorded ahead of International Women’s Day, Biogen’s Dr Kylie Bromley reflects on her career in the pharmaceutical sector and shares valuable insight into how the industry can work together to build greater gender equality and diversity.
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Dr Kylie Bromley is Vice President and Managing Director, of Biogen UK and Ireland
In this episode, Dr Kylie Bromley, Vice President and Managing Director of Biogen UK and Ireland, talks about her career journey in the pharmaceutical sector, sharing personal experiences and lessons, and discussing industry efforts to inspire inclusion in the workplace.
After obtaining a PhD in pharmacology from the University of Melbourne, Australia, Kylie started her career in a clinical-research role in the pharmaceutical industry. In her 20+ year career she has held a number of diverse roles at several pharmaceutical companies before joining Biogen in 2016.
During her time at Biogen, Kylie has been involved in several initiatives that support women in their careers. In this podcast, she discusses her involvement in Biogen’s Women’s Impact Network (WIN), an employee resource group dedicated to supporting and empowering women within the organisation. She also reflects on her role as a founding member of Pharma Australia Gender Equity (PAGE), now the Pharma Australia Inclusion Group (PAIG).
Women in the pharma industry
Reflecting on her experiences, Kylie acknowledges both the progress made and the ongoing challenges, including the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles.
Citing data from a recent LinkedIn survey, Kylie states that, overall, female representation in the workforce globally is around 42 percent. However, this drops down to 32 percent for ‘senior leaders’ and then to 25 percent for C-suite.
“You’re getting more and more inequity as you…get to the more senior levels,” Kylie says. “I think there is a lot of work to be done, there’s no question.”
An opportunity to inspire inclusion in pharma?
When considering how opportunities drive great equality in the industry, Kylie notes the importance of investing in development, fostering allyship and promoting inclusive practices.
Organisations must ensure access to development, networking, and career opportunities – across the board – to create a truly equitable environment”
“We have two themes for International Women’s Day. There’s the UN theme, ‘Invest in women: accelerate progress,’ and then the International Women’s Day theme ‘Inspire Inclusion’,” says Kylie.
Organisations must ensure “access to development, networking and career opportunities – not just for women, but across the board – to create a truly equitable environment,” she explains.
Allyship is also fundamental in inspiring inclusion, but it cannot be achieved by one company alone.
“How do we come together as an industry to keep striving to lead the way? Because I do think that that’s the opportunity that this industry has…to be seen as absolute leaders on creating the most inclusive environment that we can.”
