BioMelbourne Network ‘Distinguished Leadership Award’ winner leads a culture of industry engagement and mentorship

The partners and staff of FB Rice couldn’t be happier for Jenny Petering, recipient of the ‘2021 Distinguished Leadership Award - Impact for Industry’. Jenny not only plays an integral role as Of Counsel at FB Rice, but she also supports entrepreneurial and biotechnology groups across Australia through sharing her knowledge and experiences in external roles as a teacher, mentor and investor. As service providers only became eligible for these distinguished awards recently, this award win acknowledges and solidifies the lasting contribution Jenny has made to the wider Biotech community.

Jenny has and continues to establish strong relationships with local and international industry partners. Together these partners create highly impactful networking forums promoting emerging companies, and companies that are seeking growth on an international scale. She shares her knowledge and experience with numerous stakeholders, including university students, start-ups entrepreneurs, large organisations and institutes, professional firms and international corporates.

“It has been a privilege for me to work within the vital biotechnology sector in Melbourne. I am constantly inspired by other industry professionals who lead, support, train, mentor and facilitate others to achieve imperative outcomes. I have witnessed wonderful female leaders in these roles, and it is a true honour for me to receive this award from BioMelbourne Network.” – Jenny Petering

As the only IP Specialist contributor to the ASX Code of Best Practice 2013, Jenny champions excellence in the Life Sciences industry. She is an established role model who has made a palpable difference to the advancement of women in the biotechnology industry by creating networks, mentoring forums, and investing in female entrepreneurs. An exemplar of this influence is her continuing work with Scale Investors. Here, Jenny mentored and advised early-stage companies and introduced entrepreneurs to strategic partners and funding. The SBE Life Sciences Executive Council is another instance where she dedicated her time to help provide the tools, networks and knowledge to help businesses grow.

Additionally, Jenny has led, educated, and inspired several generations of patent attorneys at many levels, both within FB Rice, and with teaching roles at the University of Melbourne and Monash University. Jenny is a Co-Founder, and Executive Committee Member of Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS), formed to connect industry leaders with PhD students to promote innovation in technological sciences and engineering.

Outside all of her contributions to the wider community, Jenny is top of her field in applying IP law to new technology for clients in an ever-changing environment. Within FB Rice, Jenny has led by encouraging and supporting others to forge their career paths, and by implementing her collaborative vision and inspiring colleagues. It is this mentorship that has led to a superior service, and a positive experience for our clients.

“Jenny shows true leadership by setting herself challenging goals that typically benefit others more than herself, and pursues these goals with no fuss resulting in high impact outcomes across many disciplines including education, biotech investment and commercialisation. As I reflect on her 25 years in the sector, there are clear trends revealing a character of thoughtfulness, self‐challenge, strength and an insatiable desire to deliver to the sector by supporting a number of individuals, and entities.” - Ian Rourke, Partner, FB Rice

Mentorship programme at FB Rice

Our mentoring programme provides a supportive environment for our staff. As they enter the profession, they have the opportunity to pair up with one of their experienced colleagues and rapidly broaden their skills, knowledge and networks, increasing their performance within their role. The programme is not only beneficial to our staff, but to our clients as it strengthens our entire team. We recruit the best technical experts and empower them through training and mentoring to deliver a superior service. It is the industry engagement through connections, and working to understand our clients, that leads to our overall strong client experience - our point of difference.

Jenny, along with many of our staff in leadership roles, is involved with the programme. Cameron Smith and Prue Cowin have been mentored by Jenny in their career at FB Rice, and have commented on their experience below.

“Jenny has been instrumental throughout my career since I started with FB Rice as a trainee patent attorney. Jenny has consistently supported my development by providing invaluable mentoring, advice and constant encouragement. She has helped to broaden my network by regularly facilitating meaningful introductions which have led to deeper connections with clients and industry.” - Cameron Smith, Senior Associate, FB Rice

“Since commencing my patent attorney career, Jenny has not only provided mentorship and support, but most importantly she has instilled in me a sense of leadership and personal confidence. Her commitment to the development of attorneys in the profession is unwavering. She establishes strong positive relationships with attorneys and clients alike by sharing insights and guiding them through the complex and challenging topics of intellectual property law. She is an invaluable asset to the firm and the profession.” – Prue Cowin, Senior Associate, FB Rice

About the BioMelbourne Network’s Women in Leadership Awards 2021

The BioMelbourne Network Women in Leadership Awards recognise women who have made impactful contributions to advancing the biotechnology, medical technology and pharmaceutical sector, and those who inspire more women to pursue leadership roles. Now in its seventh year running, these awards recognise that leadership occurs at all levels within an organisation and throughout the sector. They do this by celebrating the evolving stages of an impactful industry career with four individual award categories: (1) Distinguished Leadership Award – Impact for Industry; (2) Inspiring Leadership Award – Making It Happen; (3) Emerging Leadership Award – Mover & Shaker; and (4) Board of Directors Award.

A big congratulations to Jennifer Herz – Inspiring Leadership; Dr Hannah Kirk – Emerging Leadership; and Associate Professor Margie Danchin - Board of Directors. Thank you to BioMelbourne Network for coordinating these awards. Further information on these awards can be found on BioMelbourne Network’s media release and supporting material.