WIB-Seattle Leadership Spotlight: Hristina Kostić

Hristina Kostić
Alliance Manager for Just - Evotec Biologics
WIB-Seattle Program Committee Co-Vice Chair

Hristina earned her bachelor's in biology and her master’s in environmental sciences from the University of Belgrade in Serbia. In September 2016, she moved to Switzerland for a second master's in evolutionary biology from the University of Lausanne. During her second master’s degree, Hristina started working in a laboratory as a research assistant, helping postdoctoral students with their projects. “When I worked in the lab, I was really thinking I was going to continue with a PhD,” she said. “I decided at the time, since I was learning a lot about biotech in Switzerland, it was better for me to work in the industry. A PhD is great, but I wasn’t sure it was really for me.”

From there, Hristina started her biotech career at Selexis, a Swiss-based company. Her role focused on global business development. She worked on partner relationships and departmental management, where she discovered that her science background gave her an advantage in the business-related role. “The job I took was a combination of science and research plus working with people,” she said. “Even if you don’t have experience in a client’s field, you can quickly capture the information and learn what those companies are working on.”

Another important thing came out of her job at Selexis: she met Jessica Bosc, who was the National President and Board Chair of Women In Bio at the time. “I heard about WIB before I moved to Seattle,” Hristina said. “I asked Jessica what Women In Bio was and what the goal and purpose were.” Hristina’s career changed radically in the next few years, as she took a sales-focused job with Catalent and then moved to work remotely from Seattle in 2022. “Women In Bio helped me because I was really new to Seattle,” she said. “Catalent doesn’t have any offices in Seattle. Being in WIB helped me meet people in person. I could go to events and meet people, talk to people, and see what people are doing here.” 

As the Programs Vice Chair, Hristina now helps to create and organize those in-person events, hoping to reach those who might be in a similar situation that she was in when she first moved here. “Come to the events!” she said. “That’s the best way to meet the Seattle community, get to know WIB, and see what we're doing.” Although volunteering for Programs can be a lot of work, Hristina has managed to balance her career, volunteering, and personal life. “As a new mom with a 2 ½-year-old daughter, it’s tough to balance those two parts of one life,” she said. “As women, we want to be successful, to learn, to achieve more in our careers, but on the other hand, we have our kids and want to take care of them. That balance is something that is tough, especially in this level of my career. But with organization, and great help from the partner that I have, it’s manageable.”

Hristina also has some wisdom when it comes to managing career ambitions: “Be brave. Push your boundaries. We are always thinking we can’t do it, but I think every woman is capable of doing whatever they want,” she said. “It’s important to set some goals and then work towards them. Sometimes you will fail, but from failure, we learn something. Failures are good if we take the best from them and learn.” As another test of her ability to keep everything balanced. Hristina recently started a new position as an Alliance Manager at Just - Evotec, a Seattle-based company. In addition, she’s now pursuing an MBA degree. “I have a full plate, with a new job and an MBA,” she said. “But that’s been one of my wishes since I joined the industry. I’m learning a lot about how to develop as a leader and work well with a team. I’m still surprised about how many new things I can learn and achieve each day.”

We at WIB-Seattle are so glad that Hristina has found time in her incredibly full life to volunteer as the Programs Vice Chair! Her unique insight on the events that appeal to people who work remotely and have just moved to Seattle helps us create engaging events that impact the Seattle community.

Submitted by Mariana Huben