International Women’s Day is this week and with all the talk about #Metoo this year, it may surprise you that women are still not getting executive roles in the workplace.
In San Diego’s biotech industry, only 3 percent of biotech companies have a female CEO, says Robin Toft with Toft Group Executive Search.
“It’s not a pipeline problem,” says Toft, “plenty of women are graduating from the bachelors, masters PhD level.”
Toft blames part of the gender gap on a lack of mentoring programs. She says companies need to redesign themselves to be more attractive to women’s needs.
Despite the huge female leadership void, Toft remains hopeful that women will soon be able to fill the c-suite positions. She believes women are having a moment.
“There is a huge talent crisis happening created by baby boomers retiring,” Toft said.
In order to remain competitive for a job, Toft recommends three steps: identify the role you want, get out in the community to find out what skills you need to get there, and apply even if you don’t have the qualifications.
