A survey of nearly 100 biotechnology companies found that women and people of color account for a minority of leadership positions in the organizations, according to a new report by the Biotechnology Innovation Organization.

The survey is the first in what BIO said will be an annual examination of diversity in the biotech sector. BIO members were polled online on where they stood in representation in terms of gender and race/ethnicity. They also were asked what they were doing to improve diversity and inclusion.

Women consisted of 45% of the total workforce of the companies surveyed, BIO said in a statement. However, women only accounted for 30% of executives and 18% of board members. At the same time, people of color accounted for 32% of the workforce but only 15% of executives and 14% of board members.

"BIO will continue to publish an annual survey to track industry progress as it works to expand representation at all levels," Joanne Duncan, BIO's president of membership and business operations division, said in a statement. "BIO has developed resources available at RightMixMatters.org such as BIO's Diversity and Inclusion toolkit and the BIO Boardlist, that aim to help biotech companies achieve their diversity and inclusion goals."

Many survey respondents said they are committed to making improvements, with about half of saying that diversity and inclusion is one of their organization's stated values or priorities.

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