SHERIDAN, WYOMING – July 21, 2025 – In a market often defined by bold strategies and high-stakes negotiations, five biotech CEOs have recently steered their companies into billion-dollar acquisitions — and each of them is a woman. These industry leaders not only shaped breakthrough therapies but also orchestrated some of the most high-profile M&A deals of recent years, underscoring the growing influence of women in biotech leadership.
Intra-Cellular Therapies: Sharon Mates’ Strategic Vision Realized in $14.6 Billion J&J Acquisition
Sharon Mates, founder, chairman, and CEO of Intra-Cellular Therapies, led the company from its 2002 inception to this year’s landmark $14.6 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. Mates guided Intra-Cellular through key milestones, including FDA approvals for its atypical antipsychotic Caplyta in 2019 and 2021.
In 2024, Mates projected Caplyta would generate $5 billion over the next decade. “We kept getting asked,” Mates told BioPharma Dive. “So we said, ‘Okay, why not tell you? Here it is.’” That same year, Caplyta delivered a 47% sales increase, reaching $680.5 million.
Mates also oversaw the company’s $130 million IPO in 2015. By late 2024, Intra-Cellular’s market cap had surged to nearly $7 billion — a figure that doubled following the J&J buyout, cementing its status as a high-value target.
Blueprint Medicines: Kate Haviland Drives Growth and $9.5 Billion Sanofi Deal
Kate Haviland, Blueprint Medicines’ CEO since 2022, transformed the company’s trajectory with Ayvakit at the center of its success story. Under her leadership, Blueprint expanded Ayvakit’s indications, including a groundbreaking 2023 approval for indolent systemic mastocytosis.
Ayvakit revenues soared from $110.9 million in 2022 to $478.9 million in 2024. This explosive growth set the stage for Sanofi’s $9.5 billion acquisition in June 2025. Commenting on the deal, Sanofi’s Brian Foard noted Ayvakit’s story is “just getting started.”
Haviland also navigated setbacks, securing a $120 million partnership for Gavreto with Rigel Pharmaceuticals after Roche’s exit, demonstrating her resilience and strategic acumen.
Carmot Therapeutics: Heather Turner Delivers a Fast-Track $2.7 Billion Roche Acquisition
Heather Turner’s brief but impactful tenure as CEO of Carmot Therapeutics culminated in Roche’s $2.7 billion acquisition in January 2024. Turner spearheaded the development of promising obesity therapies, including a GLP-1/GIP receptor dual agonist and an oral GLP-1 analog, both showing impressive Phase Ib results in 2024.
Before becoming CEO, Turner served as COO and oversaw Carmot’s oncology-focused spin-off. Post-acquisition, Turner joined Terns Pharmaceuticals’ board and assumed leadership of LB Pharmaceuticals, reflecting her continued influence in biotech innovation.
Capstan Therapeutics: Laura Shawver Secures $2.1 Billion AbbVie Buyout
Laura Shawver, CEO of Capstan Therapeutics since its 2022 launch, led the startup from early funding rounds to a $2.1 billion acquisition by AbbVie in June 2025. With initial backing from pharma giants like Pfizer and Bayer, Shawver built Capstan’s proprietary in vivo cell engineering platform and advanced its lead CAR T candidate, CPTX2309.
In 2024, Capstan’s successful Series B round and promising preclinical data positioned it for the AbbVie deal. Shawver, known for strategic exits, previously led Synthorx’s $2.5 billion sale to Sanofi and guided Silverback Therapeutics through a reverse merger with ARS Pharmaceuticals.
Vigil Neuroscience: Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch Champions TREM2’s Comeback in $470 Million Sanofi Deal
Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch, CEO of Vigil Neuroscience since 2020, attracted $255 million in funding and built a pipeline targeting the TREM2 protein — a pathway many in the industry had abandoned. Despite skepticism after AbbVie and Alector’s trial failure, Vigil’s early 2025 data showed promising safety and biomarker results for VG-3927.
This success enabled a $470 million acquisition by Sanofi, with potential deal value reaching $600 million based on future milestones. Magovcevic-Liebisch’s leadership defied market sentiment, securing investor confidence in a challenging therapeutic space.
Strategic Leadership Reshaping Biotech’s M&A Landscape
These five leaders exemplify how strategic vision, operational excellence, and resilience can translate into landmark deals — redefining both their companies' futures and the biotech industry’s leadership narrative. As M&A activity remains a key growth engine, their achievements signal a strong future for women executives shaping the sector.
Learn more at BioSpace.com.