International Day of Women and Girls in Science Q&A
with Charlotte Peake, Technical Development Manager
At Lextox, we are fully committed to the progress and success of our female colleagues and are incredibly proud that our senior management team is over 50% female. However, according to the Institute of Engineering and Technology, women only account for 29% of the STEM industry; a statistic we’d like to see change.
Not only is Lextox a STEM business but also a company that offers drug and alcohol testing to family law, an industry led by women, so it’s in our DNA to support women to reach their full potential without barriers.
As part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we asked Charlotte Peake, Technical and Development Manager and recent winner of SYNLAB’s Innovation, Research and Development Award, for her thoughts on how the UK can get more women in science and what she enjoys most about working in the industry.
What is your role at Lextox?
I’m the technical and development manager, which means I am responsible for the technical aspects of the laboratory and also developing and validating new methods for our drug and alcohol testing services.
How did you get into a career in STEM?
I’ve always enjoyed science and so undertook a variety of courses. I did the International Baccalaureate in place of A-levels, which included maths, biology and chemistry up until graduation and I also have a first BSc in Forensic Science from the University of South Wales.
Do you feel there have been a lot of women in STEM during your career? Has this changed over the years?
I think there has been an increase in women in STEM over the years, so the industry is going in the right direction. There are a lot of women across our parent company, SYNLAB, in scientific roles and in senior or management positions, which is really positive.
How do you think we can encourage more girls and young women to consider a career in STEM?
I think it really needs to start at a young age and continue through secondary education schools. There needs to be a shift away from gender stereotypes and more visibility of female role models.
When I was in school (many years ago) there was still an idea that biology was for women and physics and maths was for boys. I feel like this is changing but you still see a lot of gender bias in books and toys aimed at young children.
What changes would you like to see in the industry to encourage more women in STEM?
The STEM industry could work more closely with schools to provide programmes that connect school age children to women currently working in STEM subjects. This would show what careers are out there, that it is accessible to women and also provide realistic guidance for what it takes to achieve that, such as course options.
School children also need to know which subjects to focus on early on; when I went to university many students struggled with the maths involved on the course because they had not continued past GCSE level.
How does Lextox ensure the development of its female colleagues?
I have always found Lextox to be an inclusive and supportive environment for women; the senior management team, the reporting scientist team and the laboratory team are all over 50% female. One key thing for me is that Lextox is really supportive of flexible working, which has enabled my career to continue growing after having children.
About Charlotte
Technical and Development Manager
Charlotte has over nine years’ experience in toxicology and joined Lextox in 2013, starting as a laboratory analyst and progressing to laboratory manager in 2019. In April 2023, she took on the role of Technical and Development Manager to focus on method development and assay improvements. Charlotte has a BSc in Zoology (2:2) from Cardiff University and a 1st Class Honours degree in Forensic Science from University of South Wales, where she was awarded the RSC prize for Best Performance in Advanced Analytical Chemistry in her graduating class.