About me
Shehnaaz Suliman, M.D., MBA, M.Phil., serves as Chief Executive Officer of ReCode Therapeutics, a leading privately held biotechnology company powering the future of genetic medicines with a next-generation lipid nanoparticle platform. Lead programs are in primary ciliary dyskinesia and cystic fibrosis. Dr. Suliman leads ReCode with vision and grace. As a woman of color, physician, drug developer and dealmaker, she believes in diversity and empowering others to achieve their best. According to Dr. Suliman, “Upholding each other is an imperative and amplifying each other’s success is the key to winning together.” It is this type of leadership that motivates teams, drives change, and truly makes a transformational impact in the world.
Dr. Suliman’s story does not start at ReCode. To understand why she is the outstanding leader she is today, it is important to understand how growing up under adversity instilled in her the resiliency, drive, and growth mindset that is essential for success and has kept the needs of those less fortunate at the forefront of her efforts.
Dr. Suliman grew up in South Africa under apartheid, which fueled her passion for championing the underprivileged. As a leader in the mass democratic movement in her community and as an anti-apartheid activist as an adolescent, she would protest for Nelson Mandela’s release, go to the townships to provide food to kids and volunteer at a convalescent hospital for babies. Her dedication to the community continued through medical school, where she would bring mobile clinics to townships to provide basic and essential primary health care services.
She understands more than most the value of education and opportunity, and the importance of lifting others up in the name of humanity. These fundamental truths have guided her entire career. It goes without saying that hers has been impressive. As a business leader, Dr. Suliman has a 25+ year history of advocating for more representation of women, people of color, and minority groups within the life science industry. She has been a fierce advocate in the context of starting special interest groups and playing key roles in industry organizations such as Women in BIO.
Throughout her career, Dr. Suliman has been a driving force in the life sciences industry, especially creating access to treatments for patients in the developing world. One of her proudest accomplishments was the work she did during her time at Gilead, negotiating and leading deals with generic drug manufacturers that enabled people living with HIV in the developing world to have access to Gilead’s lifesaving HIV therapies. As a result of this work, more than 12 million patients worldwide now live productive lives. Importantly, those original deals provided the blueprint that led to subsequent global treatment access to patients with HBV and HCV.
In terms of community involvement, most recently, Dr. Suliman became Chair of Executive Women in BIO, a supportive community for senior female life science leaders, and the award-winning Boardroom Ready Program (2019-current), which provides a blueprint for increasing diversity in the boardroom and has led to more than 120 board placements. Previously, she served as the Healthcare Business Women’s Association’s San Francisco chapter Vice President and played a key role in providing programming content to young developing talent, including career guidance for middle managers, mentorship, and coaching negotiating skills. She is also one of the founding members of the Biotech Sisterhood, a group of female CEOs committed to lifting up their peers in the industry.
