Celebrating Women in Science

Women’s Equality Day, celebrated on August 26 in the United States, commemorates the adoption of the nineteenth amendment to the Constitution in 1920, ensuring a woman’s right to vote. We took the opportunity to meet with our Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), Sigma Mostafa (she/her), who is also a part of REACH Women, an Employee Resource Group (ERG) whose membership spans the JSR Life Science Company portfolio. REACH Women was created to provide a platform for women employees to connect, support, and empower each other. 
 
Join us in learning more about Sigma’s experience as a woman in STEM. 

What is your role at KBI?  

I recently became the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at KBI. My previous role, before becoming the CSO in July, was the Site Head for the largest site in the KBI network, located in North Carolina. 
 

How do you personally make an impact in this industry? 

In my 23-year industry career post PhD, I have developed processes for hundreds of therapeutic proteins. The first seven years of my career were at Eli Lilly and Company. I was the core team leader for Taltz™ which is for psoriatic arthritis. I was also the upstream lead for Lilly’s highest-grossing drug Tulicity™ for diabetes.  
 
Solving tough development and manufacturing challenges to bring drug candidates to market to serve unmet patient needs is an honor and a privilege. This is truly my life’s calling.  
 
As a female C-suite executive who came through the technical ladder, I am keenly aware that I am viewed as a role model by many of our women employees. Also, as an industry veteran, many women in my professional network see my trajectory as a path they can emulate. I take it as a serious responsibility to always be transparent and accessible to our junior employees and to share freely what I have learned along the way. 
 

What does Women's Equality Day mean to you? 

While we are celebrating the anniversary of the nineteenth amendment that gave women the right to vote, it’s also a time to contemplate the many facets of inequality that women still face, and to join forces to break these barriers one at a time. 
 

How can others in the industry advance the equality of women in STEM?

In our professional lives, self-confidence and networking are the two areas where women tend to fall behind, which leads to a lack of self-promotion. Women often come across more tactical than strategic, which is a function of not having a wide-ranging network to gain feedback from. Women also have a disproportionate challenge in achieving work-life balance. Others in the industry can help advance the equality of women in STEM by creating platforms where women can network and receive targeted mentoring on the above areas.  
 

What advice would you give to young girls looking to pursue a career in science? 

Practicing self-confidence and setting long-term, meaningful goals is important. Life is full of twists and turns. Your innate belief in yourself and your commitment to a goal that’s larger than you will keep you moving forward. There are many paths to get to your goal, the only thing you must do is not give up. 
 

What does life outside of work look like for you? 

My life outside of work centers around my family and an educational non-profit we have built together.  

Why is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) at work important? 

DE&I creates a nurturing and accepting culture at work. It creates an environment where everyone feels seen and heard. For a company to be thriving and maintain long-term growth, DE&I is a must. 
 

Want to learn more about sigma?

Sigma was recently featured in an article by BioPharma-Reporter, titled, Women in Science: KBI Biopharma’s Sigma Mostafa – ‘grit and self-confidence are crucial for success’.