Kathryn Golden, Ottimo Pharma

Kathryn Golden didn’t set out to be a scientist. In fact, she made her parents promise she wouldn’t have to become one when she enrolled at a science-focused high school. But a chemistry class changed everything, setting her on a path from MIT’s bioprocessing labs to senior leadership roles in Biotech and pharma.  Now VP of Technical Operations at Ottimo Pharma and co-founder of Sunflower Therapeutics, Kathryn’s career has been shaped by a relentless curiosity, a deep commitment to patient access, and a willingness to step into the unknown. She shares her journey from building perfusion bioreactors in grad school, to leading global CMC teams, to launching portable manufacturing units for biologics in the developing world.  In this conversation, Kathryn reflects on lessons in leadership, mentorship, and integrity - from creating a calm, learning-focused culture to knowing when to walk away. She talks openly about imposter syndrome, what it really takes to transition into executive roles, and how entrepreneurship, like science, is best approached as an experiment.