To stay competitive globally, the nation needs the talent and creative ability of all of its people—both women and men. However, women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and men vastly outnumber women majoring in most STEM fields in college.
The gender gaps are particularly high in some of the fastest-growing and highest-paid jobs of the future, like computer science and engineering. Giving women equal opportunities to pursue — and thrive in — STEM careers helps narrow the gender pay gap, enhances women’s economic security, ensures a diverse and talented STEM workforce and prevents biases in these fields and the products and services they produce.
In this forum, women leaders at Amgen share the challenges they’ve faced as women in STEM and offer their insights and advice on how to stay the course and continue to make progress on cracking the code.
Carol Malysz, Executive Director, RI Bio | Roundtable Moderator
JULIE MATTHEW Director, Manufacturing, Amgen:
1. Why are more women needed in STEM? How important is it to encourage women towards scientific careers? How can we support women in science? Encouraging more women in STEM careers will help bring more balanced perspectives on what to focus on to deliver value to society and how we can go about solving critical challenges.
Not every woman needs to or wants to pursue a career in science, but exposure to the option should be available to young women, and those with an interest and inclination should have ready access to support and role models. If we can encourage those with a true passion to cultivate that passion, outcomes for them and for society will be that much greater.
2. What has been the driving force behind your scientific career? My passion for learning how and why things work was instilled by my parents who were both scientists, so “wow, that’s so cool!” is a sentiment I was lucky to experience often and from a very young age. That sense of wonder and awe continues to motivate me and is a very rewarding aspect of my current role.
I have an engineering background and have done technical as well as quality roles before ultimately landing in manufacturing. I love the scale of manufacturing and find it genuinely exciting – both for the technical challenges and the opportunities to work with and lead amazing teams.
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3. What have been the defining moments that have allowed you to shine as a leader? 2021 was a particularly challenging year – the on-going pandemic brought significant personal and business challenges. In the midst of this, we also saw historic levels of competition for talent within the industry drive significant movement within key roles that challenged our operational stability while we were also ramping up our production run rates. I am proud of my team’s resilience and how they navigated these challenges. I was honored to support them through to a brighter 2022, where we’re looking forward to continued growth and success.
4. How do you care for yourself in crucible moments? I need to be very purposeful in my choices of how to spend my time, but the workplace flexibility that has been driven by the pandemic has made this much more possible. I feel that taking advantage of this flexibility, focusing on my needs and the needs of my team, and role modeling these behaviors will create a more inclusive, productive, and sustainable workplace that can weather future storms.
5. If there are no barriers, no limitations, what is on your professional wish list for 2022? Normalize flexible work arrangements for the long-term – we need this to become commonplace and ingrained in our culture for continued inclusion, sustainability, and productivity.
JEN LYTLE Senior Manager, Quality, Amgen:
1. Why are more women needed in STEM? How important is it to encourage women towards scientific careers? How can we support women in science? Guiding and encouraging women to pursue a science-based career will continue to diversify these industries. Collaboration and innovation from different perspectives and educations result in a high value to the business. As more women showcase their passion for science it also encourages the next generation’s interest and knowledge of varying career paths.
Recognize and encourage fellow women in science by celebrating each other personally and professionally. Take time to network and meet other women in science through your network and across the industry.
2. What has been the driving force behind your scientific career? My decision to advance a career in science was not a clear path, I enjoyed math and science but I lacked knowledge of the vast careers within this industry. Coupled with my focus in science, I also had a passion for helping and serving people but hadn’t found a perfect match until I came across Amgen. It was a mix of all the factors I loved…a lot of science with a strong patient focus. I love that every day I learn something new and challenge myself and my team to continue to grow and develop as Quality Assurance professionals. It motivates me knowing that the career I chose improves patients’ lives and I make a difference through science and innovation.
3. What have been the defining moments that have allowed you to shine as a leader? Resiliency, it’s a word that seems to have gained more meaning after March 2020. I learned what being a leader meant during a pandemic, how to bring compassion and resiliency together to support each other. The fallout of challenges from supply chain to childcare to loss of loved ones makes you reflect on what is important and how you are going to be the best you can be. Going through this experience, it has given me more perspective and flexibility in ways to manage and lead.
4. How do you care for yourself in crucible moments? In the day-to-day pace it can be challenging to recognize when you need to refresh. I had a manager that once told me some days will be long and others will be average but each week reflect on your overall balance and then look across the month. If you tipped the scales and were unbalanced, reflect on how to improve and make the effort to adjust.
5. If there are no barriers, no limitations, what is on your professional wish list for 2022? Host an in-person cross functional team building event to advance staff engagement.
ANN PHILIPPON Senior Manager, Facilities & Engineering, Amgen:
1. Why are more women needed in STEM? How important is it to encourage women towards scientific careers? How can we support women in science? We can support women in science by empowering each other –seeking input from other women, amplifying their voices, creating opportunities, and advocating for them.
Increased diversity expands a team’s perspectives, which in turn increases creativity and innovative problem solving. Therefore, it is in all of our best interest to foster diversity in STEM. We can also support women in science by encouraging them to take risks, embracing their ideas, highlighting their hard work, and celebrating their successes and achievements.
2. What has been the driving force behind your scientific career? My dad was an engineer and always inspired my interest in math and science – we spent many hours together building geodesic domes and hovercrafts for science fairs when I was in school. My mom was an English teacher, so she reinforced my love of writing, language, and grammar, and always made sure I carefully edited my homework and reports! They offered a great cross-functional combination of parental influence and drove me to be a hard-working student with an appreciation for science and education. My work in biotech project management requires a balance of hard and soft skills and is well suited to my multi-disciplinary background.
3. What have been the defining moments that have allowed you to shine as a leader? Given the pandemic, most of us have had to define new ways of managing our jobs and our personal lives without succumbing to overwhelm on either front. I took on a new management role for the first time last year, so I’m learning the ropes in a whole new world. Luckily I’m blessed with a very talented, capable, and engaged team. They’ve been understanding as we figure things out together and even identify opportunities to improve our processes along the way. Trust, honesty, and vulnerability are key.
4. How do you care for yourself in crucible moments? Be forgiving of yourself and others, and keep in mind that being a perfectionist is not always the best approach. Sometimes the best medicine is a good laugh – or even a good cry! Stepping back and putting things in perspective is almost always a helpful step to take.
5. If there are no barriers, no limitations, what is on your professional wish list for 2022? My team has changed significantly in the past several months, so I’m eager to partner with new members of my group and learn about their ideas, strengths, interests, and working styles.
You’ve made it as women in science; how did you crack the code?
“Know and leverage your advocates and pay it forward. We don’t advance alone.” {JM}
“Take inspiration from watching female friends and colleagues confidently take on ambitious new assignments and face unexpected
personal and professional challenges with grace, empathy, and often an invaluable sense of humor!” {AP}
“Act like you belong here – because you do. Speak up and be heard.” {JM}
“Listen and learn from others, be vulnerable.” {JL}
“Aim to build trust and respect in every interaction.” {JM}
“Learn from your successes and failures, always walk away with a lesson.” {JL}
