IWD 2021: Carolyn Porter - Empowering Women in Innovation

As part of International Women’s Day, we interview Carolyn Porter on her role at CytoSeek, her views on women in business and what a more gender-balanced world-view means to her.

Tell us about your role. 

I am CEO of an innovative spin out Company from The University of Bristol called CytoSeek. Our ambition is to improve the outcomes for patients suffering from cancer due to solid tumours by developing the next generation of cell therapies.

Our technology is added to a patients own cells to make them more effective at killing solid tumours which cause the majority of deaths worldwide due to cancer.

What do you enjoy most about your job?  

I enjoy working in an industry such as the biotech sector where achieving your mission will potentially save lives. I also enjoy the challenge of translating academic innovations into a commercial context which is where I have focused in the most recent part of my career.

You get the opportunity to work with brilliant scientists and contribute to the legacy of building a Company at the same time, while engaging with diverse stakeholders from investors through to commercial partners.

And what are the most challenging aspects? 

Currently we are a small team and this means my role spans lots of disciplines so having the bandwidth to deliver on all fronts while being a mother of 3 can be challenging.  We also operate in an inherently risky sector developing cutting edge technologies which need significant investment to progress.  An ongoing challenge is driving Company progression to attract sufficient capital to keep pace with our needs.

What 3 things do you think you need to progress as a woman in business?

Tenacity, resilience and being prepared to take risks!

What are the biggest challenges the future generation of women in business face?

I may be biased in my choice of challenge due to the capital requirements of our sector but access to finance for female-led businesses and entrepreneurs will remain a challenge. There are emerging female focused funds which are seeking to address this challenge but there is still some distance to go.

What can the next generation bring to business that previous generations may not have?

I hope increasing numbers of visible female role models in business and awareness of gender bias will lead the next generation to avoid conscious and unconscious gender bias as they embark and succeed in business roles. I am starting to see this in the younger generation of my own family as my daughter aspires to future roles not historically typical for her gender.

What does a more gender-balanced world-view mean for you?

In business this ultimately means a more effective and productive organisation where employees are treated equally in terms of their contribution to the organisation, their pay and their opportunities for progression irrespective of their gender. 

How can we enable more women to take a place at the board-room table?

The impact of having a diverse Board on Company performance has been tracked and recognised by governments and commercial organisations alike. Initiatives such as the 30% club whose overarching mission is to target 30% female representation on all Boards globally initially targeting public companies combines a number of strategies.

These strategies which include training and mentoring initiatives to develop a pipeline of female candidates and tracking and disseminating information to illustrate the impact of diversity need to be rolled out to non-public companies and ideally in the longer term targeting the percentage that reflect more broadly population gender diversity.

How can businesses evolve to be more gender-balanced?

Ensuring organisational leaders develop a culture of gender parity which starts at the top and filters down through the organisation and is championed by both men and women leaders. Supporting women to advance their careers and take on more leadership roles including through the use of mentors although I consider this as a development strategy irrespective of gender.

Proactively dealing with unconscious bias in the recruitment process and rolling out learnings of working in the COVID era to improve flexible working are other areas businesses can address to improve gender balance.

What advice would you give to young women and men starting out in business today in context of promoting a more diverse world-view?

Take risks in your career choices as you build your business experience and don’t let your gender influence your career decisions. A diverse world view in business will only arise if both men and women participate in promoting gender equality so I would encourage both young men and women to be aware of the issues and champion diversity in their future workplaces.

What women inspire you and why?

I helped found a women in tech network while working in the Oxford ecosystem and am constantly inspired by peers who became part of my network as part of that group including young female entrepreneurs at the start of their careers. They inspire me because of their energy, what they have achieved and their commitment to promoting the success of women in technology businesses.