Bench International's Denise (DeeDee) DeMan Elected to SoCalBio's Board of Directors

LOS ANGELES, June 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Bench International, a global, milestone-based, performance-driven executive recruiting and consulting firm serving the life sciences industry, today announced that Denise (DeeDee) DeMan, chairman and chief executive officer, has been elected to the Southern California Biomedical Council's (SoCalBio's) Board of Directors. SoCalBio is a trade association that promotes and supports biomedical and biotechnology research, development, and manufacturing in Southern California.

"I'm honored to be a member of SoCalBio's Board along with a top-notch group of influential individuals from across the life sciences sector," said DeMan. "It's especially encouraging that there are now three women on the Board, at a time when the industry so desperately needs gender diversity in the boardroom and other top positions. I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience with SoCalBio to help fulfill its mission of supporting the economic development of the biomedical and biotech industry in the LA area."

DeMan founded Bench International in 1974 and ever since has been deeply committed to shattering the glass ceiling for women in life sciences. She has been a Hall of Fame Inductee of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Board Member for the West Coast Chapter of the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, Founder of The Forum of Global Pharmaceutical Diversity and Inclusion (FRxDI), Member of the Board, Learning Forum International, as well as Member of the Board, Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF).

"We are lucky to have dedicated civic leaders like Ms. DeMan and Bench International, whose support empowers SoCalBio and fuels the organization's tireless efforts in promoting the Southern California bioscience community for economic growth and job creation," said Ahmed Enany, president and CEO of SoCalBio. 

A full list of SoCalBio's Board members can be found here: http://www.socalbio.org/leadership.htm

About Bench International
Bench International specializes exclusively in providing senior talent to the global life sciences sector. Bench's multinational team of accomplished recruitment professionals, each equipped with long-standing in-depth life science industry experience, has successfully met client needs for executive leadership since the firm's founding in 1974. In addition to its Los Angeles headquarters facility, Bench maintains offices in New York, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. For more information, visit www.benchinternational.com.

About the Southern California Biomedical Council (SoCalBio):
The Southern California Biomedical Council is a nonprofit, member-supported trade association that supports and promotes life-science research, development, manufacturing, job creation and overall economic growth in the six counties of the Greater Los Angeles region (Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Bernardino).

The Council's programs help local firms gain access to capital, potential partners and business support services. The annual SoCalBio Investor & Partnership Conference has grown to become the region's premiere showcase for emerging life-science companies and technologies. SoCalBio also promotes technology transfer and workforce training, while informing policy makers and the public at large about the benefits of the region's life-science industry.

SoCalBio is open to membership by firms and organizations engaged in life-science technology development and commercialization. More information is available at www.socalbio.org.

SOURCE Bench International