2025 Agenda
Day 1
March 11, 2025
Registration and Networking Breakfast
Anne-Sophie BriccaDeputy General Counsel - Global Compliance OfficerTerumo BCTBelgium
Dr. Galit Gonen-CohenSenior Vice President, Chief IP OfficerCSLSwitzerland
Ilja MoréeHead Legal EuropeNovartis Innovative MedicinesSwitzerland
To kick-off the inaugural European Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law, the co-chairs will set the tone for the following two days by speaking to the event theme: Empowering Women to Lead with Vision and Purpose
Olga SolomonDirector, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE)European Commission
Oliver BisazzaChief Executive OfficerMedTech EuropeBelgium
Kristine PeersGeneral CounselEuropean Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)Belgium
Networking and Refreshment Break
Correcting Health Inequality Through Life Sciences: Developing Innovative Health Care Solutions for Women
Jane LewisChief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Association of British HealthTech Industries Ltd. (ABHI) United Kingdom
Juliana NevesPartnerLicks AttorneysBrazil
Sonya RogersonHead Legal Transformation and Real Estate Novartis OperationsNovartis United Kingdom
Historically, women’s health has been under-researched, leading to disparities in diagnosis, treatment, and care. Learn about work being done by the life sciences industry to address these gaps, achieve greater healthcare equity, and develop solutions that prioritize women’s well-being. This session will cover:
- Generating support to develop medicines for women
- Driving change from the R&D stage in the medical and regulatory environment
- Ensuring equity, equality, and fairness in AI applications in life sciences – tools to prevent bias
Fiona AdamsManaging ShareholderGreenberg Traurig LLPUnited Kingdom
Ingrid SollererGC and Chief Compliance OfficerSandozSwitzerland
In this moderated conversation, hear life sciences leaders candidly discuss pivotal moments in their careers and the skills that accelerated their accent to leadership positions.
Networking Luncheon
Sponsored by 
Perspectives on EU Pharmaceutical Legislation Reform: What You Need to Know and the Potential Real-Life Impact on your Business
Delphine MarchalAssociate Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Regulatory Legal TeamEli Lilly and Company Belgium
Beata StepniewskaDeputy Director General & Head of Regulatory AffairsMedicines for EuropeBelgium
Marie ManleyPartner, Head of the UK Life Sciences PracticeSidley Austin LLPUnited Kingdom
The proposed EU pharmaceutical legislation reform seeks to address health policy integration across Europe and the accessibility and affordability of medicines. This session will debate the potential impact of the proposed reforms.
- Adapting to the legal and regulatory challenges presented by the Pharma Reform package
- Reduction in regulatory data protection
- Reduction in orphan market exclusivity
- From a legal perspective, how can innovation be preserved?
- Update on Member States’ positioning in response to implications
- Grandfathering of legislation
- Retroactivity
- Transition periods
- Secondary legislation
Marianne CunningtonVice PresidentAnalysis GroupUnited Kingdom
Koosje Van Lessen KloekePartner Leijnse Artz (The Netherlands)Netherlands
Ioana RatescuR&D Legal Head Safety, and International Regulatory Affairs & Development Europe Legal LeadNovartis Pharma AG Switzerland
The HTA regulation aims to streamline the approval process by ensuring that new technologies are assessed for their clinical effectiveness, cost-efficiency, and overall value. This session will examine experiences to date in preparing for and complying with the regulation.
- Reviewing market readiness strategies – what implementation challenges were encountered and overcome
- Examining the type of data needed for a successful JCA report
- What types of additional evidence are being used – how can real world evidence be leveraged?
- Determining how the regulation is working in practice – is it a system that will be beneficial?
Networking and Refreshment Break
Emmanuelle TrombePartnerMcDermott Will & Emery
(France)
Julia Sabine WahlPartnerCopenhagen EconomicsBelgium
Anne-France MoreauPartnerMcDermott Will & Emery France
Kristin CooklinGlobal Group Head of IPRecordatiSwitzerland
Miriam GundtPartnerHogan LovellsGermany
IP together with certain regulatory protections are key to incentivising innovation in the biopharmaceutical arena. Understanding these protections as well as the critical role that IP plays in product commercialization is a critical competency for every life sciences lawyer.
This session will review the latest policy developments in the IP landscape in Europe and the rest of the world. The panellists will also provide insights on how these changes impact investment decisions, launch strategies, product life cycle decisions, and generic market entry.
Anne-Sophie BriccaDeputy General Counsel - Global Compliance OfficerTerumo BCTBelgium
Arianna GrecoSenior Vice President
General Counsel CommercialAlnylam PharmaceuticalsSwitzerland
Lisa KinsellaVice President, Associate General CounselModernaSwitzerland
Nilda M. IsidroShareholderGreenberg Traurig LLPUnited States
Amidst an era of unprecedented technological advancements and innovation, the regulatory, governance, and risk and compliance landscape for life sciences is rapidly evolving.
During this interactive town hall discussion, hear from and engage with GCs from different branches of the life sciences industry on what they are anticipating, and how they are addressing and prioritizing the myriad risks facing their companies.
Networking Reception
Dine Arounds (Optional)
Day 2
March 12, 2025
Breakfast Breakout Sessions
Leverage the shared experiences and collective knowledge of your industry peers during these facilitated roundtable discussions.
Attendees will be preassigned to a table for each topic and rotate after 30 minutes.
A: Celebrating Your Success: Embracing the Power of Self Promotion to Benefit You Personally and Professionally
Karin PramburgerHead of IPPolpharma GroupSwitzerland
Bibianne BonChief Legal OfficerRecordatiItaly
In the life sciences field, where innovation, research and collaboration drive progress, knowing how to strategically showcase your achievements and share your wins is key to building and maintaining a strong professional reputation. This breakout session will address key aspects including:
- Ways to effectively develop your personal brand to guide the way you approach everything and everyone
- Overcoming imposter syndrome and societal conditioning
- Presenting your achievements strategically to build and maintain your professional reputation
- Sharing your wins to motivate and inspire colleagues and industry peers
B: Navigating Your Career: Insights into Industry and Legal Talent Trends in the Life Sciences Industry
Jerry TemkoManaging Director, In-House Counsel RecruitingMajor, Lindsey & Africa United Kingdom
Lisa OwensManaging Director, In-House Counsel RecruitingMajor, Lindsey & AfricaUnited Kingdom
No matter where you are in your professional journey. it is important to look around the corner for your next role and plan accordingly. In this breakout session, a life sciences legal recruiter will help you chart the way forward, covering the following topical subjects:
- Highlighting legal talent trends in the current market
- Skills in demand
- Diversity and inclusion in HC and senior hiring
- Career development strategies
- Building a personal brand
- Continuous learning and professional development
- Navigating career transitions
- Identifying when to make a change
- Tip for job searching in a competitive market
- Outlining the route to board positions
Networking and Refreshment Break
Sarah CowlishawPartnerCovington & Burling LLPUnited Kingdom
Georgina KonPartnerLinklaters LLPUnited Kingdom
Anne Kristine Steen MarkeSenior AI & Digital Governance LeadNovo NordiskDenmark
Olena GoloborodkoDirector, Corporate Legal CounselPfizerSwitzerland
- AI use cases in the life sciences sector
- Challenges of adoption of AI and relevant considerations for pharma and MedTech
- Approach of competent authorities to AI
- Impact of the new EU AI Act on the life sciences industry
- Considerations for establishing a set of legal guidance and quality of oversight for the use of AI
- Key commercial considerations when leveraging AI
- Data governance
- Protecting IP
- Diligence
Strategies and Tactics for Engaging and Effectively Managing a Multi-Cultural, Multi-Generational Team Life Sciences Team
Christina JordanVice President and Associate General Counsel, International MarketsBristol-Myers SquibbUnited Kingdom
Cristina AlexandrescuAssistant General CounselGSK BiologicalsBelgium
The workforce in life sciences often consists of different cultural backgrounds and generations. This session will provide practical information to help leaders appreciate and harness the unique perspective and strengths of team members.
- Understanding the important differences that are part of generational identities
- Identifying the distinct preferences for how different generations receive and process information and what influences their decisions
- Developing techniques to effectively communicate and collaborate with team members from different generations
- Understand emotional perception and expression to influence your team
Networking Lunch
Preparing for Increased Litigation Under the New EU Product Liability Directive: Proactive Strategies to Safeguard Innovation in Life Sciences – A Case Study
Sonsoles CentenoPartner Pérez-Llorca Spain
Zoe KimberlyArea Counsel, EuropeAbbVieUnited Kingdom
Simon NeillAssistant General CounselJohnson & JohnsonBelgium
Cristiana SpontoniPartner, Practice Leader, Health Care & Life SciencesJones DayBelgium
This panel will take you through a hypothetical interactive case study exercise to highlight the changes to product liability regulations that directly impact life sciences companies.
- Navigating the changes to the product liability framework including the burden of proof and latent defects in complex biologics or advanced therapies
- Reviewing the new disclosure requirements and expanded scope for both products covered and damages
- Assessing the risk of increased product liability litigation for novel therapies, personalized medicine and digital health solutions
- Developing litigation strategies to prepare for pan-European class actions and the rise of litigation funders
Competition Enforcement in the Pharmaceutical Sector: Lessons Learnt from Dealings with European Commission and the National Competition Authorities
Aileen MurtaghSenior Director, Legal CounselBiomarinIreland
Ulla SchwagerHead of Unit at Directorate General Competition (DG COMP)European CommissionBrussels
Sibel YilmazPartnerCovington & Burling LLPBelgium
With the growing intensity of antitrust and merger rule enforcement, this session will explore the emerging challenges and key considerations for the life sciences industry as competition law continues to evolve.
- Merger control: Aftermath of the European Court of Justice’s Illumina/Grail Decision
- European Commission Priorities 2024-2029: A new approach to competition policy
Networking and Refreshment Break
Laetitia SzallerGeneral Counsel & Head of ComplianceEgetis Therapeutics ABBelgium
Bibianne BonChief Legal OfficerRecordatiItaly
Antje-Katrin WeigeltSenior Vice President & General Counsel EuropeTeva PharmaceuticalsThe Netherlands
Denelle Waynick JohnsonExecutive Vice President & General CounselUCBBelgium
Ingrid VandenborrePartnerSkadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Belgium
To close out the inaugural Summit, join a frank discussion between a diverse group of women as they share their personal experiences of being leaders in life sciences law. The conversation will focus on the highs and lows and the events that have been the most significant in their professional lives to date.
Topics to be discussed include:
- Navigating gender barriers and bias in a male-dominated field
- Leadership styles and approaches – what’s worked, what hasn’t
- Achieving work-life balance in a high-stakes industry
- Career pivots and growth and lessons learnt
- Mentorship and paving the way for the next generation of life sciences women leaders