TOPX Network – Platform for Visibility, Inspiration & Empowerment

The awards’ core mission is threefold: to give visibility to remarkable female professionals, to celebrate their achievements, and ultimately to inspire the next generation to follow in their footsteps. With 30 nominees selected across three categories – Science, Industry, and Entrepreneurship – TOPX is not just honouring individual success; it is building a movement that champions gender equality and diversity in the life sciences.

This initiative is part of a larger effort by the TOPX Network, a vibrant community dedicated to fostering connections, mentorship, and leadership among women in life sciences and healthcare. The network provides a platform for knowledge exchange, professional development, and strategic partnerships, helping women advance their careers and influence the future of the industry. The Awards ceremony, held during the networks flagship event TOPX Summit, serves as a rallying point for this community, offering visibility and recognition to rising stars who are shaping the future of healthcare and scientific discovery.

The Future of Life Sciences Leadership

This year's winners exemplify what the Females to Follow Awards stand for: scientific excellence, bold innovation, and a steadfast commitment to improving human health. Their words reflect not just their work, but their core values – equity, collaboration, and patient-centered progress. They are the future leaders who will shape policies, inspire change, and drive breakthroughs in biotech and healthcare.

Together, they embody a new generation of leadership – ambitious, inclusive, and impact-driven. Their success stories serve as powerful examples for aspiring women in the industry, reinforcing the importance of perseverance, mentorship, and community support.

Winners TOPX Females to Follow Award 2025

Rising Star in Science:

Dr. Arlene John, Assistant Professor at University of Twente

“My commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is inseparable from my work in explainable AI for biomedical applications. We must go beyond merely recognizing our differences and embed them into the way we design transparent, trustworthy AI tools that truly work for children, women, and individuals in low-access settings. Through my research, I aim to ensure that no user/patient is treated as an afterthought, and that the technology we build reflects the diversity of the people it is meant to serve. I am also part of the DE&I team of my faculty at the University of Twente, where I aim to bring this mindset into our daily work and our classrooms, building an environment where inclusion is practiced, not just discussed.”

Rising Star in Entrepreneurship:

Hanne Callewaert, CEO and Co-Founder of AstriVax Therapeutics

“As female founder and CEO of AstriVax Therapeutics, I fully embrace our company values of authenticity, entrepreneurial, caring and disciplined, because they are fully overlapping with my own values.  I try to role model and encourage people to take on new assignments, small and big ones, to allow personal and professional growth. By doing so, we grow a diverse, caring team in the company, with a well-balanced gender, age and expertise spread. Ultimately, encouraging people to go out of their comfort zone, with full support,  is key to get to more diverse and inclusive teams.”

Rising Star in Industry:

Anne Vogel, Senior Manager Process Engineering at Kite Pharma

“As one of the first members of the TOPX community and as a chapter lead for Women@Gilead (Kite NL), I am actively influencing the narrative around equity, diversity and inclusion. Winning the Females to Follow award is a huge milestone for me: it is a powerful acknowledgment that progress is possible when we act with intention. But for me, this is not the finish line. Instead, it is a motivator to keep working toward permanent, indisputable change that ensures equity is the standard for future generations.”

Spotlight on TOPX Inclusive-3 Awards

A highlight of this year’s summit was the speeches of the Inclusive-3 — a select group of three distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion within life sciences and healthcare sectors. These individuals were chosen as the 2025 Inclusive-3 and invited to take the stage to share personal insights, experiences, and key lessons on fostering a more inclusive workplace. Their stories serve as both inspiration and practical guidance for industry peers.

The 2025 TOPX Inclusive-3 winners are:

Annick Kronenburg, former Neurosurgeon & Senior Investment Manager at Oost NL

Annick Kronenburg is a neurosurgeon turned into a venture capitalist.

Together with fellow doctors, Annick Kronenburg has started a campaign called “van ik naar wij”, that turned into a movement with the aim to encourage healthcare professionals to break down the (non-functional) hierarchy, to promote more equal collaboration in healthcare, and ultimately to increase job satisfaction and job retention in healthcare with the ultimate goal: from individual success to collective professional belonging.

Wiesje van der Flier, Executive Director at Alzheimer Nederland

Wiesje van der Flier is since 1 November executive director of Alzheimer Nederland. Before that she was the scientific director of Alzheimer Center Amsterdam of Amsterdam UMC.

As a scientist and executive, Wiesje has dedicated her career to find out the how we can prevent or stop Alzheimer, a devastating disease that affects many people at old age, and particularly more women than men. Not only are women at greater risk of developing Alzheimer, we are also more often caregiver for somebody with dementia. With this Inclusive-3 award TOPX would like to honor her for her relentless work and dedication and would like to encourage her in her mission to a future without dementia, for men and women.

Judith Heikoop, Co-Founder of Mitochondrial Capital

Judith Heikoop is the co-founder of Mitochondrial Capital, a women-led investment movement. With her initiative Judith aims to shift the flow of global capital and empower women as investors as well as entrepreneurs, integrating scientific breakthroughs with smart venture financing to unlock high-return investments in Life Sciences & Health, and generate health, longevity and prosperity for generations to come. 

By spotlighting these visionaries, TOPX Network aims to highlight active efforts and initiatives that are closing the gap at our workplace, in our healthcare and across the life sciences & health sector. Their stories and missions exemplify how committed individuals can drive meaningful change, whether through innovative investment, research, leadership, or advocacy. Sharing their experiences encourages others in the industry to take tangible steps toward creating more equitable and inclusive environments.