Women In Bio Announces Appointment of Mary Thistle to the Board of Homology Medicines

NEW YORK, March 20, 2018 -- Women In Bio (WIB), an organization of professionals committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences, is pleased to announce the placement of a alumnae of its Boardroom Ready program to the Board of Directors of Homology Medicines, Inc., a genetics medicine company. Launched in 2016, Boardroom Ready is Executive Women In Bio’s exclusive executive development platform, designed to fuel women’s participation on corporate boards in the life sciences.

“We are very excited with the progress we have made in our first three years,” remarked Carolyn Brougham, Chair of the Boardroom Ready Program, “We have had multiple board placements, and just wrapped up the application process for the 2018 program. We look forward to seeing another dynamic group of women join corporate boards around the world.”

Mary Thistle, Chief of Staff of the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, has more than 25 years of experience in finance, strategy and business development functions across different therapeutic areas, including gene therapy, and participated in the first class of the Boardroom Ready program in 2016. Prior to joining the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute, Ms. Thistle was Chief Operating Officer of Dimension Therapeutics Inc. where she oversaw the company’s Series B financing and initial public offering, expanded the pipeline through strategic business development transactions, and led the sale of the company to Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. Prior, Ms. Thistle was the Senior Vice President, Business Development at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for multiple acquisitions and assisted in the sale to Merck. Ms. Thistle held senior level positions at ViaCell Inc. in finance, operations and business development, and then served as Senior Vice President, Business Development at PerkinElmer after ViaCell was acquired. Ms. Thistle began her career in finance as a Certified Public Accountant. Ms. Thistle also serves on the Board of Directors of Enterome SA.

“Homology is pursuing scientific and business strategies to advance the Company’s gene therapy and gene editing platform toward the clinic,” said Ms. Thistle. “Patients with rare diseases need more options that have the potential to address the underlying genetic cause of disease, and I am excited to join the Board and work with the Homology team with the goal of bringing new treatments forward.”

Commenting on Mary’s appointment to the Board, Arthur Tzianabos, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Homology, stated, “Mary has extensive strategic operations, business development and finance experience that we can leverage to advance our nuclease-free gene editing and gene therapy platform. We believe that her appointment to our Board strengthens our ability to deliver on our mission to cure patients with genetic diseases.”

Women In Bio (WIB) is an organization of professionals committed to promoting careers, leadership, and entrepreneurship of women in the life sciences. Each of its 13 chapters hosts numerous events throughout the year, including networking, career development, professional education, and executive level-focused events. WIB also hosts a mentorship program which offers women the chance to mentor or be mentored, a Young Women In Bio program, which offers events and encouragement to middle-school aged girls, webinars, and the support of a large national organization with 13 chapters and growing. As a volunteer organization, WIB offers leadership opportunities at every stage of your career, and a chance to expand your network in a supportive and professional environment. For more information, visit www.womeninbio.org.

Boardroom Ready 

In its third year, the Boardroom Ready Program is a cohesive program designed to elevate, promote, and place highly qualified women to corporate boards.  Intensive board competency building curriculum at George Washington University, held annually to refine each candidate’s understanding of the duties, responsibilities, and commitments related to serving on both public and private boards, is only the beginning. Boardroom Ready candidates also work with a professional resume writer to craft a board-tailored Curriculum Vitae and biography.  In addition, each candidate is partnered with an experienced board mentor to help navigate the path to board service.  Throughout the program and following completion, WIB, LifeSci Advisors and other sponsors work to facilitate matching program graduates with companies seeking new board members. For more information regarding the Boardroom Ready program, including cost, the selection process, and application requirements, please visit http://www.womeninbio.org/page/BoardroomReady.  We are currently seeking qualified mentors for our 2018 board candidates.

Contact: Carolyn Brougham, Chair Boardroom Ready, Women In Bio
E-mail: [email protected]