One of the four focus areas for Syncona’s D&I Framework is women in leadership. We remain committed to supporting women in leadership roles across our organisation, with two of our key female leaders being Kate Butler (CFO) and Elisa Petris (Lead Partner). Below they provide an overview of their career journeys and job roles, why they were attracted to Syncona, and their advice for women seeking to progress in their careers.
Can you tell us a little about your background?
KB: I have experience across the FTSE 100 and biopharma, including at Gilead. After Gilead acquired Kite I took on the Head of Finance role at Kite Europe and worked on the launch of Yescarta, one of the first approved CAR-T therapies. Here I was working in a truly innovative area; it was setting the ground for something that no one had done before and it was fascinating to be at the forefront of it.
EP: After graduating from Imperial University with a Microbiology degree, I decided to pursue a PhD in Molecular Biology. Whilst I loved the science, I did not want to be a scientist, and instead I looked into careers where I could focus on bringing the science to life through commercialisation. I gained consultancy experience with L.E.K and then joined Michel Dyens & Co. where I worked on transactions overing the healthcare space, before pursuing an MBA.
What really interested you about Syncona?
KB: I had a strong desire to stay close to cutting-edge innovation focusing on high unmet medical needs, and Syncona provided that opportunity, as well as the chance to combine and utilise my previous experience. The strength of Syncona’s team was another factor. I wanted to work somewhere I would be able to continue developing myself and would be able to learn from others, including Rolf Soderstrom, my predecessor as CFO.
EP: I wanted to get closer to the earlier stage of the science again, where I could support companies at the forefront of innovation and deliver patient impact. I was excited about being an active contributor to the success of a company, especially given the Syncona model where we often build companies from the transformational science coming out of leading universities and support them to late-stage development.
Kate, in your role as CFO you have stepped up to the Leadership Team, what are your values, and how do you motivate your team?
KB: My values include integrity, transparency, respect and inclusion. I believe it is important to demonstrate your values consistently in everything you do and to call out behaviours that are not in line with these. Leading from the top is also vital, this sounds cliched but it’s true. In terms of motivating the team it’s important to empower them through providing enough room to grow and feel challenged. It is imperative that this is accompanied with the right level of support and in the absence of a blame culture, to make them feel safe to take calculated risks, and to feel comfortable to flag issues and own any mistakes.
Elisa, what has been your biggest achievement since joining Syncona?
EP: My involvement in Blue Earth Diagnostics has been one of the highlights of my career so far. Axumin, an imaging agent that can help detect prostate cancer, was an asset that had been deprioritised by GE Healthcare which we spun out to form Blue Earth. We grew the company as the sole investor from its formation, hiring a world class team who we worked alongside to accelerate the development of Axumin so it could reach patients 18 months earlier than our original plans – something which was enabled by our agile model. I was closely involved in supporting the team in successfully launching Axumin and it was amazing to experience the launch of a product, from up close, and to see the subsequent impact this has had on patients.
What have been your main recent focus areas?
KB: I joined Syncona in 2022 as Group Finance Director with the main objective to restructure and develop the finance organisation to best support the company’s strategy. We have simplified processes to make them more efficient, enabling the team to focus on supporting the company’s strategy. In this I was heavily supported by Rolf, who has helped to enable an easy transition for me in my new role.
EP: In my role of Head of Business Development at Beacon I’ve focused on the company’s restructuring this year, including supporting the execution of key transactions such as the divestment of their manufacturing facility. Beyond this, my role as Lead Partner is multifaceted, and no two days are the same, with a lot of my time spent working on other portfolio companies where I am on the Boards, such as Quell and Forcefield.
Do you have any advice for women starting out in industry?
KB: My advice is to be open and honest, with others as well as with yourself, and to never apologise for being yourself – you have as much right as anyone else to be where you are. It is important to set your own personal boundaries, and to think carefully about saying yes to the opportunities that cross these boundaries. It is also immensely important to find a good mentor who you can discuss things with, and who will also challenge you. Finally, it is important to realise your career path doesn’t have to be linear. Particularly in the finance industry, it may be that a lateral move makes more sense for you – and you should be open to this.
EP: Build your own network of women in the industry. Good, strong relationships where there is trust take a long time to build so start this as early as you can. Within your network it’s important to surround yourself with people you can look up to and with people who are smarter than you - it’s the best way to learn! Recognise that each firm is different when it comes to their culture and focus areas; do your homework to understand where you fit in best and find somewhere that aligns with your values. Part of this is also about finding your own style, and not emulating someone else’s. Finally, it’s okay if it doesn’t work out, it’s just as valuable to learn what you don’t like and aren’t good at as it is to know what you do like and you are good at.
