Woman of the Year 2024 STAR: Dr. Kathrin Schoenborn

Dr. Kathrin Schoenborn, Chair Emerita, HBA Europe, is being honored for her relentless effort in building the HBA in Europe to be the force that it is today. She dedicated over 14 years in generating HBA’s brand presence, shepherding its continual and rapid growth, creating value for sponsors, and most importantly, directly and indirectly advancing the careers of many women. 

She co-founded the Frankfurt location in 2010 and through her subsequent HBA leadership roles, she also empowered and mentored other women to do the same in other countries. She handed the reins over to the current HBA EMEA leadership team with 12+ healthy and thriving HBA locations. Furthermore, she served as an advisor for HBA Asia-Pacific in their quest to establish presence in that region.

During her tenure, Dr. Schoenborn formalized the continent-wide 1:1 mentoring program. With the support from European-based teams, it grew into a high-value and well-subscribed initiative that we see today. She served as a mentor herself since the start of the program. Additionally, from the European Leadership Summit to the annual Gender Pay Report, and her work revitalizing a credentialed advisory board and stimulating grassroot interest, she continually built and strengthened the core strategic pillars for the HBA to create impact in Europe. 

Dr. Schoenborn served as Vice-President at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, until 2022, amassing a vast 30 years of experience in global leadership roles in program management, strategic partnerships, innovation, R&D operations, and change management. 

Dr. Schoenborn continues her mission to empower and advance women in healthcare. She remains an active volunteer with the HBA and is often cited as an exceptional mentor and coach. Today, as business angel and executive advisor, she actively and purposefully supports female entrepreneurs with finance, experience, her network, and her penchant for initiation and growth.