EMERGING BOARD LEADER
Saundra Pelletier
Saundra Pelletier is the Chief Executive Officer, President and Executive Director of Evofem Biosciences, Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing innovative products to address unmet needs in women’s sexual and reproductive health.
Since joining the Company in 2015, Ms. Pelletier has been responsible for Evofem’s rapid growth and evolution, including the Company’s transition to the public market in January 2018 and multiple equity financing rounds that have raised in excess of $491 million.
Under her leadership, the Company launched its first commercial product in September 2020. Phexxi™ is the first and only hormone-free, on-demand, prescription vaginal gel approved in the United States for the prevention of pregnancy. The Company has also advanced its investigational product candidate, EVO100, into a Phase 3 clinical trial for the prevention of urogenital transmission of both chlamydia and gonorrhea in women and expects to report top-line data from the EVOGUARD trial in mid-2022.
Ms. Pelletier brings more than two decades of broad executive leadership experience to Evofem, including a strong track record driving multiple billion-dollar product launches, expanding commercial capabilities in ex-U.S. markets and advocating for women’s health. Throughout her career, she has had oversight and accountability for Sales, Marketing, Operations, Medical Affairs, Regulatory Affairs, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Business Development, and Strategic Partnerships.
Ms. Pelletier was previously the founding CEO of Woman Care Global (WCG), an international nonprofit organization focused on creating sustainable supply chains that delivered products to women in more than 100 developing countries. Under her leadership, WCG secured approximately $68M in committed funding from major foundations and USAID.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Pelletier served as Corporate Vice President and Global Franchise Leader for G.D. Searle, where she managed a $250 million business unit focused on women’s healthcare. She later moved to Women First Healthcare, where she served as Vice President of Pharmaceuticals and raised $40 million in capital.
She is a Director of TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on novel targeted therapeutics for cancer. She serves as the chair of the Governance/Nomination Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Center for Community Solutions, a San Diego-based non-profit organization focused on ending domestic violence.
Ms. Pelletier is a published author, skilled moderator and coveted keynote speaker. She has appeared at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, the Davos World Economic Forum, the Clinton Global Initiative, the International Conference on Climate Change, the MAKERS Conference, Women Deliver, the International Conference on Family Planning, the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, the University of Oregon’s Lundquist School of Business, and the University of California, San Diego. Recent podcast appearances include Pharma Voice Woman of the Week, FemTech Focus, Breastcancer.org, HERmd, and the Skinny Confidential.
Awards and Recognition:
- 2021 MM+M Hall of Femme Honoree
- Named to Inc. Magazine’s 2020 Female Founders 100 List
- Named to the 2021 and 2020 Pharma Voice 100 List
- Awarded San Diego Business Journal’s 2019 Business Woman of the Year
- Awarded the Athena San Diego Pinnacle Award for Life Sciences
- Named a “New Champion for Reproductive Health” by the United Nations Foundation
- Profiled by The New York Times, Inc. Magazine, CNN, San Diego Business Journal, The San Diego Union-Tribune, Fierce Pharma, Pharma Voice, Life Science Leader, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Glamour, Marie Claire and Vogue