2023 Woman of the Year Christi Shaw

Christi Shaw is a life sciences leader and patient advocate with over 30 years of experience across a broad range of therapeutic areas. Christi is driven by values, integrity, and a deep commitment to accelerating innovation and enabling access to patients battling difficult-to-treat diseases. 

Most recently, Christi served as Chief Executive Officer of Kite, a Gilead Company, and was a member on the executive committee and the board of directors for Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). She also held senior executive positions at Lilly, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson.

Christi has been commended for her unique understanding of both the patient and business side of the industry, as well as for the determination and empathy she brings due to the personal experience of losing her mother, father, and sister to difficult-to-treat diseases. She has found tremendous success in her belief that when you put the patient first, the business achievements follow. Christi fosters cultures of inclusion and opportunity, developing enterprise mindsets at all levels and leading without labels to cultivate teams that share a purpose and passion. 

While being a caregiver to her older sister, Christi and her younger sister co-founded the More Moments More Memories Foundation, an organization providing grants to help patients and caregivers access oncology clinical trials for potentially life-saving treatments. 

Christi holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Iowa State University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. She currently serves on the board of directors of Avantor and HBA’s Advisory Board. Christi is very active in sustainable farming and resides with her husband and son in Santa Monica, CA.