What exactly is life sciences and why should it matter to all of us?

From new medicines and gut health breakthroughs to AI accelerating scientific discovery, life sciences are changing how we prevent disease, treat illness and live healthier lives.

Join us for IWF Chicago’s panel of women leaders as they take science out of the lab and explore what life sciences is, what innovations could mean for our health, and how discoveries move from promising ideas to real-world solutions.

Plus: Get a behind-the-scenes look at Portal Innovations, where scientists and entrepreneurs are developing the next generation of healthcare discoveries.

No science background required — just curiosity about what’s next for our health and healthcare.

Details:

Thursday, November 4 | 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Portal Innovations | 400 N Aberdeen St., Chicago, IL 60642

Guests are warmly welcome to attend.

Speakers:

Evonne Sepsis, Founder of ESC Advisors 

Evonne Sepsis has spent her career in the healthcare sector. She founded ESC Advisors, an advisory firm specializing in life sciences companies, advising clients on both mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and financings. Prior to founding ESC Advisors, Evonne was head of healthcare banking at Susquehanna Financial Group and was a Managing Director at C.E Unterberg, Towbin.  Evonne started her investment banking career at Salomon Brothers. Prior to business school, she worked at APM, a healthcare consulting firm. Evonne received her MBA from Yale and her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern.

Ritu Shah, CEO of ClostraBio

Ritu is a seasoned biotech executive with over 25 years of experience in drug development and strategic portfolio management. Currently, Ritu serves as the CEO of ClostraBio, and she specializes in scaling early-stage life science startups toward successful funding and acquisitions. Her track record includes leadership roles at Pyxis Oncology, Avexis, and Shire (now Takeda), where she led operations, M&A, and Portfolio Mgmt, including billion-dollar immunology portfolios. At ClostraBio, she is overseeing the commercial launch of their unique probiotic called CLB101™ as a dietary supplement for various applications related to maintaining and promoting gut health.

Moderator
Marianne Sutcliffe, Board Member & Consultant, Science for Life

Marianne is a strategic executive with deep experience across the healthcare industry. Over her 25+ year career at Abbott and AbbVie, she launched new businesses and revitalized major portfolios. She is known for leading transformation and growth, building high-performing organizations, and guiding complex mergers and acquisitions. Today, she serves on boards and advisory committees including the IWF Board as a Board Member at Large.

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