Initiative Provides Curriculum on Executive Leadership for Women

Women In Bio is a national organization with 14 chapters across the county, committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship for women in the life sciences. They are currently celebrating 20 years of success in assisting women reach their full potential in the workplace. The Connecticut chapter was launched in 2021.

Last November, members of the national organization launched the 3.8 Initiative, and it is reaching Connecticut this year, by teaming up with Deloitte, an accounting firm.

The Initiative was named in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8th. It is a 10-month program dedicated to giving women leaders the tools and knowledge they need to become future board leaders. It was designed to create a cohort of female executives to educate women on how to be confident and lead well in positions of power.

The founders, Susan Sobolov (President at RIGImmune Inc.) and Erika Smith (CEO of ReNetx Bio), were contemplating running the program locally, but then connected with Deloitte. Because Deloitte has a boardroom program, the founders partnered with them and brought in talented women, providing a curriculum on how they can assert leadership skills in the workplace.

With Deloitte, the women receive a national level curriculum. They develop skills on how to bring value to the board of a company by working through small groups to help each other think about being in executive leadership.

The program has a formal piece which involves hearing speakers and learning how to represent a company well, according to Smith, who is also a company CEO. She also mentions an informal piece, which is equally important.

“The women in the cohort get to know each other, the recruiters and other people who want to place people on their boards,” said Smith.

This is a good way for the women to network, build connections, and hear how other women were able to succeed. The cohort is more of a community of women helping and encouraging each other.

With this specific cohort all being from Connecticut, Sobolov and Smith see it as a building block that will lead to future projects in Connecticut and other states. Companies are becoming more aware of the business acumen and talent that women possess, and the impact it can have.

There are relatively few women in positions of leadership and power because they are not given the opportunity to realize their full potential, according to Smith. Smith and Sobolov believe that if women see others pursuing that path, they will be encouraged to aim for a leadership role.

“There’s been a real understanding of the background of diversity in candidates. We are seeing movement in the right direction, and it’s going to continue to take role models, to allow women to see they can take whatever roles they want,” said Sobolov.

While things are changing, both founders believe that it is important that every woman can build a network and infrastructure, so they have support. It is crucial that women feel prepared before jumping into a new position.

“A lot of people form companies that want diversity in their teams, but they don’t know where to find that diversity, and once we start telling people we know someone like that, we can form introductions,” said Smith.

The 3.8 Initiative works on both ends to show companies the talented women in the cohort, and by assisting women in finding these positions. According to Smith, both sides have found opportunity through the initiative.

“When you have those with different backgrounds, you get great questions and better solutions,” said Sobolov.

With women specifically, the founders believe they bring something new to the table. Women communicate differently than men, they generally have a collaborative style, and a more transparent approach to power – which allows for more discussion and different approaches to problems.

Women In Bio, and the 3.8 Initiative recognize the lack of diversity in companies, especially in leadership roles, and works to fill those gaps to benefit women and the organizations. For the most part, people are past the outdated ideas that women lack the skills to run a company, so it is time that businesses reflect the progress made in the country.

Sobolov and Smith would love to see rapid change, however from their experience they believe it will be a steady trend upwards. They are hoping to see a much higher percentage of women in leadership roles.

“From reports I’ve seen women in the C-suite at 27-30 percent increase, but it still is not even,” said Sobolov. 

According to Smith, the 3.8 Initiative exemplifies the progress one individual can make by working in a group. Smith believes that natural inclination is the best way to make progress.

Sobolov, Smith, and Women In Bio are always looking for new initiatives to help. They want to empower and educate women all over the country to achieve all they want. They appreciate Deloitte for all their support and assistance with the 3.8 Initiative, and hope for future partnerships. And they are most impressed with the women who participated in the cohort and are excited for their futures.

For more information on Women in BIo or the 3.8 Initiative contact Susan Sobolov at ssobolov@comcast.net, Erika Smith at esmith@renetx.com, or visit https://www.womeninbio.org/. 

This article was reported and written by Sarah Klepack, a Connecticut resident attending Endicott College and pursuing studies in communication and digital journalism.