Gender diversity is a prevalent issue across different industries in the country and the pharmaceutical industry is one such industry where women are under-presented. A report by Mercer India shows that out of the 49.5 million-strong pharma workforce only 11 percent of it is represented by females. However, the statistics vary depending on the sectors. For example, R& D has 17 percent female representation, manufacturing has 12 percent, sales & marketing has a mere 5 percent while corporate functions stand at 21 percent.

Therefore, when the right spark meets great minds, incredible things can happen. Throughout history, we have many inspirational WomenInScience who have been this spark and inspired many young girls to pursue a passion for science. Similarly, Pharma and Lifescience industry has a distinctive feature. Unlike other male-dominated sectors, women play a major role in shaping this industry. In the West, pharma companies are professional entities and, as a result, the sector continues to be an old boys' club. In contrast, the Indian life sciences sector (be it pharma, biotech or healthcare services) is largely promoter-driven and you see women steering it from the front. As a result, the number of women are lifting up them, and strongly waiting to see what that next generation will bring to the Life Sciences world.

When it comes to female leadership roles, the figures are more dismal. Though the industry has some prominent women leaders such as Zahabiya Khorakiwala, Managing Director at Wockhardt Hospitals, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw ­ Founder and Chairperson of Biocon Limited, Samina Vaziralli, Executive Director of Cipla and Anjula Masurkar, Clinical Director at ENTOD Pharmaceuticals, a lot still needs to be done to address the gender gap issues in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. A report by McKinsey Global Institute states that India could add up to $0.7 trillion to its GDP by 2025, by paying more attention to the skewed gender equality ratios.

In this issue, the Women Entrepreneur magazine brings in to spotlight a list of `Top 10 Women in Pharma & Lifesciences - 2022'. This list of ten leading and inspiring women is crafted by a team of CEOs, VCs and the our editorial board, thus delivering inspiring stories of their journey and the contributions & roles played by them in the creation and empowerment of a powerful nation.