Pomona Partners Calls Out Gender Gap on Pharma and Biotech Stages

New analysis reveals women remain underrepresented at the industry’s biggest conferences—despite evidence that more balanced speaker line-ups are possible.

Research by speaker agency Pomona Partners has revealed a persistent gender gap across speaker line-ups at major pharmaceutical and biotech events. On average, just 37% of speakers are women, with the vast majority of high-profile stages still dominated by men.

While some events are moving in the right direction—Future Pharma 2025 leads with 71.4% female speakers and Pharma Europe 2025 features 60%—others remain notably unbalanced, with the lowest accommodating just 26.8% and 25.4% female representation respectively.

“It’s encouraging to see some events breaking the mould,” said Monika Neall, who leads speaker development at Pomona Partners.

“But they are still the exception, not the rule. Too many conferences continue to reflect the same narrow leadership circles—and as a result, the same familiar faces, many of whom are men.”

The reasons behind the imbalance are likely complex and systemic. Pomona’s team points to a combination of factors: women’s continued underrepresentation in senior executive roles, the persistence of legacy networks within science and strategy circles, and the lack of proactive speaker sourcing by event organisers.

“In many cases, it may not be an intentional exclusion. But when organisers default to the same industry contacts or wait for speakers to come to them, they’re much more likely to end up with line-ups that lack diversity. You have to be deliberate about creating inclusive platforms.”

Pomona Partners undertook the analysis as part of its ongoing work to challenge structural bias and widen access to high-profile opportunities across STEM and innovation sectors. The business works with event organisers to build more inclusive programmes — from identifying and booking new female keynotes to preparing and training emerging speakers.

“Representation matters—not just because it’s fair, but because it shapes who we see as leaders and changemakers. Every time a panel is assembled, there’s an opportunity to broaden perspectives and shift the culture of the industry. It’s time we stopped treating diversity as an afterthought and started seeing it as fundamental to better conversations.”

Pomona Partners is committed to equal or greater representation of women on its own roster, actively recruiting and developing new female speakers as it grows.