Equality in innovation involves visualizing female leadership

Innovation is one of the many territories where women still have a long way to go to achieve full equality. Progress in the right direction is evident, but insufficient. There are many reasons for this situation and, of course, none has to do with capacity, talent and passion for work that is strategic for companies and for society as a whole.

Science and technology are two of the mainstays of innovation, although, strictly speaking, it would be more correct to link it to the ability to generate new solutions and knowledge. Therefore, there are many territories and areas of knowledge that are involved in this type of process. In short, whoever innovates invents or, what is the same, whoever invents innovates. And in this process, women are conquering, not without difficulties, an increasing share of prominence.

A new session of La Vanguardia Talks brought together three women who hold positions of power in the field of science and business this week to reflect on the challenges of equality in innovation based on their own experiences. The debate, moderated by Susana Cuadrado, editor-in-chief of Sociedad de La Vanguardia, included the participation of Marta Melé, computational biologist and researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputer Center (BSC) and winner of For Women in Science; Neus Bastús, a researcher at the Scientific Institute of Nanotechnology and Inorganic Nanoparticles, and Vanesa Blanch, director of innovation at Mercadona. A session that was held at the Seventy BCN hotel on March 28 and that was broadcast via streaming.

The three speakers develop their task in the field of innovation from relevant positions. They have managed to break the glass ceiling that still prevents many women from accessing positions of responsibility in the world of research. Knowing his career and his work helps to understand the importance of his work and his contribution to society.

Marta Melé explained that in the group that she leads at the BSC, “what we do is use massive data analysis to understand what makes each of us different. The idea is to understand why each person is unique”. This task is related to advances in biomedicine and the paradigm shift towards personalized medicine in which “patients are treated and not diseases”. For this, it is essential to know and understand how the genes of each person are activated and this process “involves analyzing all the available data” taking advantage of the BSC’s computing power.

Until reaching this leadership position, Melé graduated in biology at the University of Barcelona (UB), and obtained a PhD in Computational Biology at the same center. Her next step took her to the United States “where I spent five years studying gene activation and what makes us unique at Harvard University.” Upon her return to Europe, she came up with the offer from BSC.

A brilliant academic resume is an absolute must to climb the ranks in the highly competitive world of science. Neus Bastús, a researcher at the Scientific Institute of Nanotechnology and Inorganic Nanoparticles, is another example of this requirement. This scientific researcher from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) applies her extensive knowledge to “develop production protocols for new nanoparticle materials, especially inorganic ones”. These materials are characterized by being at the nanometric scale, which means that they “present and have different properties that can be optical, electrical or conductive and that make them very useful for applications in the field of biomedicine, energy, the environment and many others.” which, in some cases, are yet to be developed.

Bastús’ journey began with obtaining a degree and a doctorate in physical sciences at the University of Barcelona in 2008. As in the case of Melé, the next step took him to another country to expand his knowledge. In his case, the chosen place was “the University of Hamburg where I learned a lot about how to produce and use nanoparticles in many materials.”

Each in their field of action, the three participants in the session have in common a great desire for knowledge. The head of innovation at Mercadona has a degree in Economics from the University of Barcelona. She completed her training from her with a master’s degree in Intelligent Business Intelligence and Business Management and Administration. Her first steps were in the field of strategic and operational marketing and “since 2019 she has been part of the external work relations department at Mercadona, from where she shares the company’s innovation model with society and is connected with the innovative ecosystem. A process that affects all aspects related to the products and processes from sustainability, ingredients or packaging and that includes obtaining the opinion of customers, who are known internally in the chain as “bosses”, on possible improvements, novelties or innovations. The objective: “To be the first to satisfy customers”. And the result: 217 novelties and 370 improvements in the assortment and 25 innovations during 2022.

Unlike Melé and Bastús, Blanch’s task does not take place in the field of scientific research. However, he shares with them the goal of improving the lives of others through innovation. Her role at the distribution giant is to “identify solutions that can add value to my colleagues who work to improve products and services and thus better meet the needs of our customers.”

Melé assured that the essence of his work consists of “generating knowledge, which can then be transformed into value and innovate”. For the BSC researcher, women are gaining prominence in leadership positions in the select ecosystem of scientific research. However, this change is not “going as fast as she should go.” The presence of women in the world of technology is still very low and “in fields where the presence of women in careers is important” then they do not reach leadership positions in the same proportion as men do ”.

“There is equality during the doctorate, but it is lost as the research trajectory advances towards more senior standards,” Bastús stated. For the CSIC scientist, throughout her professional career, which is marked by competitiveness, many personal determining factors such as motherhood have an influence, “which make many women decide to direct their careers towards other fields not so closely linked to classical science and more focused on dissemination or technology transfer”.

Vanesa Blanch transferred her vision focused on the reality of the company. “Really in recent years there have been changes both in people and in organizations to promote entrepreneurship and innovation,” she explained. The Mercadona board of directors stressed that “we are in a context of uncertainty where we have to become more resilient, more competitive and adaptive to the situation we are experiencing”. Innovation is essential in these changes and encourages companies “to provide training, information on the evolution of the company, tools, time to think and spaces for the entire workforce”. The consequence of these initiatives is “the development of talent in organizations”.

The equality plans are an important advance in the fight against the gender gap. “In Mercadona it was implemented in 2009 and promotes the same rights and opportunities for workers and workers; for example, the same level of responsibility corresponds to the same salary”, Blanch clarified. 61% of the 99,000 employees of the supermarket chain are women. If we look at management charges, the percentage of directives is 46%. Blanch highlighted that seven women are in charge of the company’s strategic departments: logistics. “That’s an inspiring reality,” she said.

Marta Melé was emphatic in stating that “there is no equality in European supercomputing centers where most of the group leaders are men.” In the BSC “there is an equality plan and an initiative that aims to end the gender gap.” The computational biology expert highlighted the importance of “giving visualization” to the careers of women who reach leadership positions in the world of science and technology.

Melé referred to the need for women to receive “help at crucial moments in their scientific career, such as going from PhD to being a group leader.” The BSC board assured that this is a delicate passage “in which we need support to prevent many women from abandoning their scientific careers.”

“The theoretical equality between men and women in the scientific world is fading as, after the doctorate, things get more serious and the career advances towards a more senior status,” reflected Bastús. Mother of two daughters, this researcher considered that “it can be reconciled, but it is always at the cost of making sacrifices and accepting resignations. There are times when situations arise that are difficult and tense to manage. Even so, it is possible, putting in a lot of desire and knowing that it is a very demanding task”.

For the three participants in the debate, it is essential to fight against gender discrimination, measures such as the one approved by the Government so that both sexes enjoy the same time on maternity or paternity leave; or companies that pay the same salary for the same work regardless of the gender of the employee, as in Mercadona. But it is also necessary to “break with stereotypes and for this we need to show more women in leadership positions that encourage and inspire young women to follow in their footsteps,” claimed Melé.

“The legislative part has improved a lot in the last five years,” confirmed Bastús. The researcher explained that “you have to show younger women that there are different types of female leadership and provide them with the tools to help them overcome aspects that are very common and that affect self-confidence or the so-called impostor syndrome that it is more common in them than in them”. Another aspect that the three speakers considered decisive is that of achieving co-responsibility within the family.

The three coincided in emphasizing that their day to day is very demanding and stress a faithful companion. Despite the inconveniences and difficulties, they consider themselves very lucky to be able to develop an activity that they are passionate about and do it from a leadership position. Ultimately, innovation is about improving people’s lives, and there are few things that serve a more exciting purpose.