International Women's Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. In the lead up to this year’s IWD we’ll be highlighting some of the great women who are members at our spaces. Meet Angela Pankhurst, Managing Director at MerGen Biopharma Limited.
Career
In Angela Pankhurst’s management career, there is no easily definable starting point, having worked in several different roles and industries. She believes that even her Bachelor of Business at University was, “just a small step in [her] journey” as she was a mature age graduate with small business experience.
Women in the Industry
When asked about being a woman in her field, Angela replies, “being a women in any field is wonderful! I don’t tend to notice gender based challenges, they are just challenges”. When she became a senior executive of a mining company almost 20 years ago, she admits that, “it was a little unusual but sometimes it helps to stand out from the crowd”. When she became Managing Director of a mining company 8 years ago it was still, “unusual, but even that is more common now”.
Role Models
Angela doesn’t have female role models in, “the traditional sense, as there weren’t many successful women when [she] left school and [she’s] never worked for a woman.” However she has several female peers who she admires greatly for the determination with which they’ve met real gender based challenges such as working on mines. Angela also admires her mother and grandmother who both managed careers and families in times and places which were a lot more discriminatory than now in Australia.
In 2018 Angela is hoping to raise capital for her pharmaceutical startup, MerGen Biopharma, so that they can advance its technologies and to be a part of growing Imritec Limited (metal recycling) beyond its one plant in South Africa.
If you're a FLUX member don't miss our International Women's Day Lunch on the Deck!
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