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The move comes as Silicon Valley takes fire for
what many perceive as an unfriendly atmosphere for women.
Venture capital in particular remains a male bastion, with just
4 percent female senior investing partners, according to
Pitchbook.
With the new hire, NEA will employ six women at the level of
partner or managing director, but none in the senior position of
general partner. One of the women is a partner overseeing
marketing and investor relations, but not investing itself.
NEA, known for backing companies such as Workday Inc ,
Salesforce.com Inc and Gilt Groupe, is one of the world's top
venture firms, with its latest fund totalling $2.6 billion.
Health science is one area where women venture capitalists
appear to be making serious gains, with some of the most
accomplished health investors, including Beth Seidenberg of
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Ann Lamont of Oak
Investment Partners.
Gallagher, a former venture partner at Frazier Healthcare, is
chairman of Atara Biotherapeutics, which develops treatments for
kidney disease and ovarian cancer, and AnaptysBio, which
develops therapeutic antibodies. She was president and chief
executive of oncology-drug developer Calistoga Pharmaceuticals,
which was acquired by Gilead Sciences Inc in 2011 for $375
million.
She will be based in NEA's Menlo Park, California, offices.
NEA's biopharma portfolio includes cancer-therapy companies
Adaptimmune, Epizyme and Tesaro.
(Reporting by Sarah McBride.; Editing by Matthew Lewis and Andre
Grenon)
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