March Comm Convo: The Confidence Conversation
***If you do not receive your event confirmation within 1 business day of RSVPing (above), check your email spam folder. The automated Luma email includes the Zoom info and cal invite.***
March Comm Convo pricing:
Complimentary for T2B Pro and Student community members (log into your T2B account and access your promo code here)
$40 for Basic members (access to live event only)
If you're not part of Ticket to Biotech, confirm you're eligible, and join before registering for this event:
T2B Intake Form
MARCH COMM CONVO: THE CONFIDENCE CONVERSATION
In communications leadership, confidence carries weight. We're trusted advisors shaping critical narratives and guiding major decisions. Yet the expectations around confidence often come with mixed messages and unspoken assumptions. This Comm Convo opens an honest discussion about confidence in our profession – how we express it, how others perceive it, and how these dynamics influence our effectiveness as leaders. We'll examine real scenarios that challenge our confidence and share proven approaches for navigating them successfully.
WHY ATTEND
Share perspectives on balancing confidence with other leadership qualities when counseling C-suite executives and boards on sensitive communications decisions.
Exchange strategies for building strong partnerships across functions while maintaining conviction in communications expertise.
Discuss practical approaches for fostering genuine confidence in communications teams, particularly during challenging organizational moments.
Consider how different expressions of confidence can strengthen our profession's influence and impact.
MEET OUR SPEAKERS
VICTORIA FORT
Victoria Fort is SVP, Strategy & Corporate Affairs and brings deep experience in helping to build biotech companies and brands, with over two decades working across the industry. Prior to joining Frontier Medicines, Tori founded and led uncapped communications, a leading biotech consultancy, as part of the GCI Health Group. During her tenure, uncapped and GCI Health Group experienced rapid growth, helping to guide emerging and leading companies including Nkarta, Apellis, Dynavax, Exscientia and many others. Prior to the founding of uncapped, Tori served as an Executive Vice President at GCI Health, working with large biopharmaceutical companies on a global scale.
Tori is passionate about the oncology community and has helped to launch and grow numerous oncology brands in the U.S. and globally. Her team’s campaigns have garnered numerous industry recognitions and she received MM&M’s inaugural 40 Under 40 award.
Tori received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Smith College.
SHEILA GUJRATHI, M.D.
Sheila Gujrathi, M.D. is a biotech entrepreneur and executive, healthcare investor, drug developer, and speaker with over 25 years of experience in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. She has founded, built, and run numerous biotech companies and led the development and approval of life-changing pharmaceutical drugs for patients with immunology and oncology diseases. In addition to founding her own biotech companies, she currently serves as a chairwoman, board director, strategic advisor and consultant to many start-up companies and investment funds.
She serves as executive chair of Ventyx Biosciences and Lila Biologics, chair of ADARx Pharmaceuticals, and director of Janux Therapeutics. She previously served as chair of Turning Point Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb for $4.1B) and ImmPACT Bio (acquired by Lyell). Dr. Gujrathi is the co-founder and former CEO of Gossamer Bio. Prior to Gossamer Bio, she served as chief medical officer of Receptos (acquired by Celgene for $7.2B). At Receptos, she led the advancement of the pipeline, including Zeposia®, which is approved for multiple sclerosis and for ulcerative colitis. Previously, she was vice president of the global clinical development group in immunology at Bristol-Myers Squibb and held multiple roles in immunology and oncology at Genentech. Earlier in her career, she was a management consultant in McKinsey’s healthcare practice.
Dr. Gujrathi received both her M.D. in the accelerated Honors Program in Medical Education and her B.S. in biomedical engineering with highest distinction from Northwestern University where she was the 2024 commencement speaker. She completed her internal medicine internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School and additional fellowship training in allergy and immunology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Stanford University.
Dr. Gujrathi has earned multiple leadership awards, including Corporate Directors Forum Director of the Year; Healthcare Technology Report Top 25 Women Leaders in Biotechnology; Athena Pinnacle Award, and was named among the Fiercest Women in Life Sciences. Dr. Gujrathi is passionate about making the working world safe and inclusive for women and other minority groups. She is co-founder of the Biotech CEO Sisterhood, a group of transformative trailblazing female CEOs, and the South Asian Biopharma Alliance.
NYAMBE "YAM" SUMBWANYAMBE
After nearly two decades in the pharmaceutical industry, including a fulfilling tenure at MSD where I led impactful initiatives in strategy, learning, and career development, I found myself at a crossroads: stay in a role I loved or take a leap to create something greater. That’s how this next stage of The Black Sherpa was born… a mission-driven platform empowering underrepresented talent to break through systemic barriers and claim the career progression and satisfaction they deserve.
At MSD, I worked on projects that fuelled business growth while championing employee development and inclusion. One of my proudest achievements was leading the award-winning ‘Lead Your Career’ program, which accelerated professional growth, promoted allyship, and earned recognition for excellence in education. These experiences inspired my passion for creating pathways for those navigating workplace challenges.
The Black Sherpa started as a podcast focused on social mobility, career progression, and personal growth. It’s now evolving into a platform for tangible change. Along the way, I’ve seen how exclusive workplace cultures, biased hiring practices, and low-impact diversity initiatives can hold back talented individuals. I’ve also been inspired by stories of the people that break through or help others and the courageous leaders making commitment to meaningful change a non-negotiable in an unfair world suffering from ED&I fatigue. I’m determined to deliver solutions that work: empowering people with the tools, support, and confidence to thrive in spaces that often overlook them.
This mission is personal. As a father of mixed-race children, I want to leave behind a world where their talent, and the talent of others like them can shine without limits. My vision is to make diverse leadership the norm, not the exception.
The Black Sherpa isn’t just about conversations; it’s about action. I intend to build in public and by partnering with individuals and organisations, help create inclusive workplaces where talent is recognised, nurtured, and elevated.