Raising the Bar on Leadership for the Evolving CFO/Financial Executive

July 9, 2020 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Webinar, click "live-stream" button to view

Add to Calendar 7/9/2020 8:00:00 AM 7/9/2020 9:00:00 AM Raising the Bar on Leadership for the Evolving CFO/Financial Executive

Within the life science eco-system, the role of the CFO/financial executive continues to shift. CFOs and financial executives are assuming increasingly complex roles, from managing day-to-day responsibilities, to driving value creation across the business, to navigating the markets and volatility. As a ‘strategic partner’ to the CEO, CFOs/financial executives must master the art of balance and agility with appropriate skills, talents, experiences and support.


To start, below are five key characteristics that exemplify the evolving life science CFO/financial executive:

  • Holistic perspective encompassing the entire value chain
  • Insight and ability to communicate business drivers
  • Eye for the right kind of talent
  • Facility for cultural change
  • Integrity and interpersonal skills needed to pull all these together


How can you become a finance leader and recruit those who will support and succeed you? What should emerging finance leaders think about as they step into the CFO/financial executive role? Or for the seasoned executive who is taking on their 2nd or 3rd role, what should you keep in mind to ensure your ability to consistently lead with success?

Join us as we draw on the wisdom of our panelists to understand and discuss the art and expertise of today’s ‘successful, cross functional’ life science CFO/financial executive. Sponsored by the MassBio Business Development and Finance forum working group. MassBio makes every effort to accommodate our entire community at each of our events. Please let us know at least 3 days in advance of the event if you require special accommodations, such as captioning.

 Webinar, click "live-stream" button to view
Senior Vice President, Finance, Cygnal Tx
Pauline McGowan joined Cygnal Therapeutics in January 2019 as Senior Vice President of Finance. She has more than 20 years of financial planning, accounting, and operational experience in the life sciences industry. Most recently, Pauline served as Head of Finance at Ginkgo Bioworks during a period of rapid growth, including a $275M Series D financing and $100M joint venture with Bayer. Prior to Ginkgo Bioworks, Pauline served as Vice President of Finance at Concert Pharmaceuticals. She played a lucrative role in joining the privately held biotech company in 2007, while also managing its governance and SEC Compliance through S-1 filing and successful IPO. She began her professional career at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Pauline holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University and was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in Massachusetts.