BioNTech co-founder says gender equality made vaccine possible
Özlem Türeci credits firm’s more than 50% female workforce for speed at which first viable jab created
The co-founder and chief medical officer of BioNTech has credited its speed at producing a viable vaccine to the fact its workforce is more than 50% female. Speaking on International Women’s Day, Özlem Türeci also said the fact women are so under-represented in decision-making roles in medicine was “destroying value” for stakeholders.
The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first to be approved in the UK and Türeci said it was the company’s balanced workforce that “made the impossible possible” in creating a jab in just 11 months.