Sue MacLeman receives BioMelbourne Network’s 2017 Women in Leadership Award

02 June 2017

Recognition of Sue’s senior corporate leadership and directorship in Australia’s MTP sector

Sue MacLeman, Chief Executive Officer of MTPConnect, has been awarded BioMelbourne Network’s 2017 Women in Leadership award today, recognising her leadership and outstanding contributions to supporting the medtech, biotech and pharmaceutical (MTP) sector. The award was presented by the Honourable Linda Dessau AM, Governor of Victoria, at the 9th Annual Connecting Women Lunch at Mural Hall. The event was attended by over 400 people including senior representatives from industry, government and academia who came together to support, inspire and encourage each other to strive for leadership roles in healthcare innovation.

Sue has more than 25 years’ experience as a MTP executive with roles in corporate, medical, commercial and business development at Schering-Plough Corporation (now Merck), Amgen and Bristol-Myers Squibb. In addition to her executive role, Sue also sits on the board of a number of public and private entities globally, including Oventus Medical Ltd, Reproductive Health Sciences Ltd and Dalroar Pty Ltd, and is also a consultant for Mesoblast Limited. In February 2016, Sue was appointed CEO of MTPConnect, one of the Government’s Industry Growth Centres set up to develop a world-leading MTP sector in Australia.

In addition to her leadership roles, Sue is passionate about addressing the skills gap in the sector, upskilling the current workforce with the necessary business and commercialisation skills and creating pathways for students to easily transition from University to industry. Sue is a mentor in the Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS), an industry-led mentoring initiative providing support and guidance to second-year PhD students looking to extend their professional networks.

On winning the award, Sue said, “I’m incredibly honoured and humbled to receive such a prestigious accolade amongst so many exceptional women who have all thrived in corporate leadership roles and played an important role in our sector. I believe that having diversity within leadership is crucial to drive innovation and collaboration within the MTP sector.”

Dr. Bronwyn Evans, Chair of MTPConnect, said “Sue is an outstanding leader and this award recognises her inspiring and tireless work in the sector. In particular, under Sue’s leadership, MTPConnect has had an important impact on the sector, accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship, identifying and removing barriers to success to deliver sectoral competitiveness, collaboration and productivity.”

Dr Krystal Evans, Chief Executive Officer of BioMelbourne Network, also commented, “The BioMelbourne Network Women in Leadership Awards celebrate the talented, tenacious women who are advancing the medical technology and pharmaceutical sector. Our 2017 awardee Sue MacLeman’s leadership skills have shone through at all stages of her career, not only her technical and corporate skills, but her ability to lead and inspire the people around her. Sue has risen to the challenge of leading the new Industry Growth Centre, MTPConnect, and has shown outstanding leadership in her ability to unify key sector stakeholders around a shared vision for the future of our industry.”