Jane Summerfield

Hogan Lovells

If taking partnership at an international firm isn’t enough of a career high for you, imagine being promoted and then asked to co-lead a global life sciences practice just weeks before the pandemic hit. That is exactly what happened to Hogan Lovells’ co-life sciences and healthcare industry head, Jane Summerfield, in 2020 (who incidentally had her third child last year while her NHS doctor husband was also busy at work).

Summerfield spent much of 2020 advising clients on the regulatory and commercial challenges of Covid-19 projects ranging from vaccines, therapeutics and face masks, to ventilators. This included advising Penlon on its ventilator deal with the Government which enabled it to mass-produce an adapted version of its existing ventilator at unprecedented speed. “Three months work was done in three weeks,” she says, a reflection of her dedication and staying power.

Dealmakers such as these are few and far between, helping clients to find practical solutions to novel problems at breakneck speed under intense pressure.

Summerfield’s upward trajectory is only just starting; the lessons she has learned from Brexit and the pandemic will put her at the cutting edge of the life sciences sector for many years to come.