Women in leadership numbers plateau while individual successes shine, BIA report reveals
London, UK, 4 March 2026 – Despite a marginal positive shift at CEO level, overall representation of women in leadership positions have stalled across the UK biotech sector, the BioIndustry Association’s (BIA) report, Women in Biotech Leadership: one year on, has revealed.
The report, now in its second year, combines PitchBook data with sector insights to track changes in representation across the C-suite, analyse capital flows to female-led companies and assess the evolving structural barriers affecting women in leadership.
A tale of two markets
The 2025 data paints a sharply divided picture. On one hand, a handful of female-led Series A superstars – including Draig Therapeutics, T-Therapeutics and Elevara – secured some of the largest private raises of the year, demonstrating that female CEOs can outperform even the most conservative investment conditions.
Yet beyond these outliers, the broader pipeline remains stuck.
Headline findings
- Female CEO representation reaches 18.7% – up only 0.4 percentage points from last year.
What may appear as limited growth signals, in reality, a plateau.
- The ‘outlier effect’ in capital flows.
While capital raised by women increased to 15% (up from 8% in 2024), this growth is highly concentrated. If the top three Series A deals are removed, the female representation in total capital raised drops to just 6%
- Technical leadership remains lowest across C-suite roles.
Representation in technical leadership remains the lowest across C-suite roles:
- Chief Technology Officer (CTO): 14%
- Chief Strategy Officer (CSO): 20%
A shifting global tide
The report warns that UK biotech is now battling a new headwind: political rhetoric gathering pace that threatens both progress in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and global health initiatives.
Without action, the sector risks losing the competitive advantage diversity delivers.
Jane Wall, Managing Director at BIA, said:
One year ago, we identified the structural barriers. Today, we are calling out the lack of progress. 2025 has been a year of caution and strategic maturation for the UK biotech sector, and female leaders have remained successful despite the fight against a new political current. We celebrate the 'Series A superstars' who secured high-conviction capital, like the landmark raises at Draig and T-Therapeutics. These results prove that female-led companies are delivering world-class science that is as attractive to investors as any male-led round in the market. At the same time, we must confront a sobering fact: systemically, the dial is stuck. Representation at CEO level has moved from 18.3% to 18.7%, a marginal gain that signals a plateau at a time when we need a breakthrough and NED statistics show a reversal of any recent gains made. In addition to the structural barriers identified in last year’s report, a political rhetoric is now gathering pace that threatens both progress in DEI and in global health initiatives.
Anne Horgan, Partner at Cambridge Innovation Capital, added:
By analysing a decade of C- suite representation alongside sector specific financing data for female led companies, and complementing this with surveys and interviews, the report provided a timely and much needed baseline for the sector. One year on, revisiting the data shows that many of these trends persist. The 2025 update highlights a resilient ecosystem, albeit one increasingly reliant on a small number of standout performers. Female CEOs secured 15% of total UK biotech capital, up from 8% in 2024, despite an overall decline in venture investment of more than 13%. This demonstrates that high quality science led by women can outperform even in risk averse markets. However, progress remains uneven, with capital concentrated in a limited number of large rounds. The evidence continues to point to strong leadership capability in the UK, while underscoring the need for that capability to be realised more broadly across the sector.
