Nordic Life Science 1
CAREER CHOICE // CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 390 MILL
ION REASONS TO BELIEVE: Michaela Gertz on Financing Innovation in Women’s Health With SEK 390 million in fresh funding and a Phase II trial in endometriosis underway, Gesynta Pharma’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Michaela Gertz is navigating the financial complexities of a VC-backed biotech with precision and purpose. T E X T B Y A L E X A N DR A HOE G B E R G I N BIOTECH, THE CFO'S role is far from just managing spreadsheets – it’s about navigating uncertainty with strategic foresight. Michaela Gertz knows this terrain intimately. “It’s a high-risk environment,” she says. “As a CFO, if you don’t thrive on complexity and ambiguity, this isn’t the place for you.” Unlike other industries, life sciences CFOs must contend with long development timelines, unpredictable trial outcomes, and capital-intensive R&D. “You raise funds based on an investment case, then reality hits – everything often takes longer and costs more,” Gertz explains. “You need to be agile and creative to continue to deliver results within changing parameters.” The intersection of finance and biotech innovation Michaela Gertz didn’t set out to become a life science CFO. With a master’s in business and economics from Uppsala University and early career stints in banking and private equity, her trajectory seemed headed for the financial sector. But a portfolio company in biotech changed everything. “They needed support, and I started working with them,” she recalls. “I switched over to that company, worked on a lot of different projects and tried to build companies around scientific ideas, and financing them.” Since then, she has carved out a niche at the intersection of finance and biotech innovation. Her first offer to take on the CFO role came unexpectedly when her employer – a Swedish life science company – listed on Nasdaq. “I told my boss I didn’t know much accounting, my expertise was more financing,” she laughs. “He said: ‘How hard can it be? Just do it.’” The learning curve was steep – reporting, accounting, following-up, and the realities of being a listed company – but Gertz embraced it. “It was a lot of self-learning. I was quite alone in that role as I was surrounded by biotech experts and I had to catch up fast,” she recalls. While that first step into life sciences was happenstance, Gertz soon felt the appeal of life sciences goes beyond business. “It’s the people that made me stay in the industry. We’re doing something good for humanity and it's very fulfilling to work within this industry. Everyone I know is so smart, has deep expertise in their areas, and is genuinely interested in building something. It's a really nice business to be in,” she says. NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG | 71