From Chemistry Student to Company Founder in 8 years – A Personal Story
Sophie Costello
Athena SWAN
Monday, 02 June 2014, 1.30pm to 2.30pm
Teaching Room A, Rosemary Rue Building, Old Road Campus, Nuffield Department of Population Health, OX3 7LF
Hosted by Olena Seminog
Sophie Costello is the Founder & Director of Costello Medical Consulting, which provides medical communication support to the pharmaceutical industry and public sector in the areas of medical affairs, medical education, publications and health technology assessment. Sophie will give a personal story of what motivated her to start Costello Medical following completion of her Chemistry degree in Oxford. She will also discuss the challenges faced by women in leadership positions and how to overcome these
Sophie Costello, Founder & Director Costello Medical Consulting Ltd
Sophie Costello and Richard Short founded Costello Medical Consulting Ltd in November 2008. The company is dedicated to providing medical communication support to the pharmaceutical industry and public sector in the areas of medical affairs, medical education, publications and health technology assessment. Costello Medical also utilizes its skills through several pro-bono initiatives. The company now employs over 50 permanent staff in 2 countries. Sophie’s current role in the company is overseeing strategic direction, client management and development of the ambitious and talented teams. Sophie has a degree in Chemistry from Wadham College at the University of Oxford, and a Master’s in BioScience Enterprise from the University of Cambridge. In the last 18 months Sophie has also taken on the challenge of combining her work life with being a mum to her two baby daughters.
"When completing my degree in Oxford in 2000 I was very unclear about where I wanted my career to go. In fact, I had barely given it any thought with all my focus on surviving my organic chemistry final. Eight years later I founded Costello Medical Consulting Ltd. At the time the company consisted of myself, my husband and we had one client. Since then we have grown to a permanent staff base of 50 people based in Cambridge, UK, with a second office established in Singapore in April 2014. I will give a personal story of what motivated me to start Costello Medical and what has given me the drive to overcome the many challenges the company has faced. I will specifically consider how my own experiences have shaped my leadership style, and how this in turn has impacted the culture and growth of the company. Specifically, I would be delighted to discuss with you the challenges faced by women in leadership positions, and how to overcome these."
For further details contact: Olena.seminog@dph.ox.ac.uk
This event is part of the Athena SWAN seminar series of the Nuffield Department of Population Health.