The Voice of Leadership—Three Women, One Bold Vision
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
– Michelle Obama
Women leaders in the life sciences domain play a significant role. Leadership in life sciences demands more than innovation—one that not just demands foresight, strategy, and pushing the boundaries in pursuit of real‑world outcomes but also a steadfast commitment to equity and inclusion, rectifying past oversights by advocating for comprehensive clinical trials that meaningfully study female bodies and hormonal cycles. From employee status to C-suite roles, women in life sciences make up to 36% of executive positions in the domain—channeling a clear growth lane. These figures showcase a broader transformation underway, led by women driving the industry forward. This wouldn’t be possible if not for the leadership and maternal insight of women leaders, accelerating breakthroughs that benefit us all.
This Mother’s Day, TechEela, in collaboration with ClairLabs, a cutting-edge startup, is back with the second edition of Beyond 8, celebrating women who continue to defy the preset norms and reshape the tech space. In this second installment, we turn the spotlight on three women who embody this intersection of leadership and transformation in the life sciences space. From pharmaceutical leadership and AI-powered drug discovery to evidence-based strategy, these women are setting new benchmarks across the life sciences industry. Join us as we honor these stellar personalities who are not just nurturing life, but are transforming it—leading with purpose, driving innovation, and redefining leadership.
Featuring
Vidhi Shanghvi – Vice-President, Sun Pharmaceuticals:
The key executive at one of India’s largest pharma companies, Vidhi Shanghvi, brings together generational insight and global acumen. With a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, she leads the Consumer Healthcare, Nutrition, and India Distribution divisions at Sun Pharmaceuticals, supervising its dynamic growth areas. She focuses on expanding its global footprint and reinforcing R&D and operational strength on the domestic front. Her strategic priorities include advancing generics and specialty drugs while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards in key markets such as the US and Europe.
She also serves as a non-executive director at Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company (SPARC), contributing to clinical-stage biopharmaceutical product development and addressing complex medical needs. Vidhi is committed to transforming Sun Pharma into a future-ready organization. Along with stellar corporate excellence comes Vidhi’s adherence to holistic well-being—with her launching the non-profit mental health initiative.
Alice Zhang – CEO & Co-founder, Verge Genomics:
With a keen vision to pioneer a new era in drug discovery, Alice Zhang co-founded Verge Genomics in 2015. Driven by innovation and dedication to creating a more ethical and efficient approach to pharmaceutical R&D, Verge Genomics grew as a force to reckon with – through the effective combination of artificial intelligence with large-scale human genomic datasets. The result? A new class of AI-native drug candidates, especially in complex diseases like ALS and Parkinson’s, minimizes reliance on traditional—and often slow—animal testing models.
Under Zhang’s leadership, Verge Genomics has attracted significant venture capital investment and forged a major partnership with Eli Lilly to co-develop novel therapeutics. Verge was one of the first life sciences businesses to bring a drug candidate discovered entirely through an AI platform into human clinical trials. Zhang’s work, at the intersection of biology, data, and equity in drug development, positions her as a standout force in both biotech innovation and executive leadership.
Dr. Melanie Bennett Brewer – Research and Strategy Director, IQVIA:
A seasoned player with over 20 years of experience in healthcare design and strategy, Dr. Melanie Bennett Brewer leads IQVIA’s User Research group within its Product Experience Design team. She transforms complex real-world data into strategic insights that help pharma companies, regulators, and healthcare systems in making data-driven decisions. Be it building predictive models to assess compliance risk or driving innovation in patient engagement tools, Brewer’s influence continues to shape how clinical research evolves in a data-driven world.
Her interdisciplinary expertise in human factors, digital health, and regulatory frameworks positions her as a go-to voice in global life sciences forums. At IQVIA, she leads the integration of human-centered research into product and platform strategies to ensure that technology solutions remain both impactful and intuitive. Besides the above-mentioned initiatives, Brewer is also a staunch advocate for responsible AI adoption in quality management across clinical operations.
Beyond Recognition:
The future is not just digital—It’s diverse, inclusive, and increasingly shaped by female leadership! And these stellar personalities are doing much more than just leading the change. Their unwavering dedication, resilience, and future-ready vision pave the way for breakthrough innovations in the life sciences as they continue to excel.
