At the intersection of science, entrepreneurship and visual storytelling, a bold new exhibition is set to redefine how we see women in innovation. Drawn to Lead, launched at the EnterpriseWOMEN Showcase in July 2025, brought to life 5 original portraits of women scientist-entrepreneurs from the University of Cambridge – not as muses or metaphors, but as the architects of their own futures.
Commissioned as part of the EnterpriseWOMEN programme and unveiled at Innovate Cambridge’s Glasshouse before touring Cambridge Judge Business School and public venues, the exhibit is both a celebration and a provocation. These women, who were selected for their deep engagement with the programme, the quality of their work and the richness of their personal and professional journeys, stand as symbols of a much larger collective: diverse, ambitious and often unseen.
This is not about 4 or 5 individuals. This is about the stories that rarely get told in business schools or art galleries. It’s about visibility: who gets seen, how and why.
The portraits are deeply personal and yet universal. They candidly invite the viewer into labs, landscapes and lives often hidden in both the public eye and traditional representations of power.
The Journey (with her genuine smile)
In ‘The Journey (with her genuine smile)’, artist Laura Pearson-Clark paints Sabila Chilaeva, a scientist exploring mRNA therapeutics, framed by motifs from her Chechen heritage and molecular biology. The intricate lace of her culture echoes the cellular structures under her microscope, rendering her as a researcher who is determined and at ease.
Artist: Laura Pearson-Clark, Contemporary British artist working in mixed media.
Sitter: Sabila Chilaeva, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, University of Cambridge.
Capturing the kind determination of a scientist deep in the world of mRNA therapeutics. It weaves together her Chechen heritage with the intricate, lace-like networks Sabila observes under the microscope. Soft hues of peach and pink are in stark contrast with the clinical, hard-edged world of the laboratory. An informal pose – no white coat, no barriers. Just confidence at ease, a woman owning her space.
Learn more about Laura Pearson-Clark
You Can Spread Your Wings
Joodi Mourhli, Syrian participant on EnterpriseWOMEN, is depicted in ‘You Can Spread Your Wings’ by artist Nesrin Amin, standing between Syria and Cambridge where graduation caps transform into birds. Her work in education is metaphorically, and literally, giving flight to others. “The quill, the scarf, the bridge… everything in this painting speaks of authorship, movement, and hope,” says Amin who herself hails from Egypt.
Artist: Nesrin Amin, Cambridge-based amateur artist working in oil and acrylics.
Sitter: Joodi Mourhli, Palliative and End-of-Life Care Research Group, Cambridge.
Joodi standing between 2 worlds, a Syrian bridge linking with a Cambridge one. Above, graduation caps take flight, gaining wings and becoming birds. Her project lifts students the same way: unlocking potential and turning ambition into flight. The quill, paired with the flowing curve of her scarf, echoes authorship and grace. Pages rise toward the bridge, marking the power of words to carry dreams across borders. In the corner, a reminder that every future begins with a personal story.
Learn more about Nesrin Amin
The Curl Chemist
In ‘The Curl Chemist’, Olabimpe Olayinka is captured by Lente Artemieff as both scientist and cultural reformer. Her work developing natural hair products for women of colour is science, yes – but also reclamation, empowerment and industry transformation.
Artist: Lente Artemieff, works in different mediums to capture life’s moments and people’s faces.
Sitter: Olabimpe Olayinka, Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge.
This portrait captures Ola, a scientist, innovator and advocate for natural beauty, whose work bridges the gap between chemistry and culture. Through her creation of natural hair products, she reclaims both identity and industry, crafting each formula with intention and care.
Learn more about Lente Artemieff
Sabuhi at work
The portrait of Sabuhi Essa, by scientist-artist Dr Tennie Videler, shows her amid the Hunza Valley of Pakistan, with design sketches in hand. Subtle references to Aga Khan funding and Cambridge’s 3 lions point to her global journey and personal support system – including her father, husband and brother. “It’s a portrait of a woman building, not just buildings, but possibilities,” says Videler.
Artist: Dr Tennie Videler, Research manager in structural biology; artist still exploring her favourite style and medium.
Sitter: Sabuhi Essa, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.
Sabuhi is an entrepreneurial architect, sometimes designing amid the stunning landscapes of Hunza, Pakistan. Her paper nods to international and Aga Khan funding, while the 3 lions of Cambridge’s crest represent the men who have lifted her: her husband, brother and late father.
Learn more about Dr Tennie Videler
Uterus Lab
Lastly, ‘Uterus Lab’ by Naomi Davies, originally commissioned for She Speaks Science, portrays Dr Stasa Stankovic and her research on ovarian ageing. But here, the lab is reimagined: every figure reveals a uterus – post-surgery, trans, joyful, grieving – reclaiming the organ as a site of science and identity.
Artist: Naomi Davies, Cambridge artist working in pen and watercolour.
Sitter: Dr Stasa Stankovic, CEO and Co-founder of OvartiX.
This piece explores Stasa’s research into ovarian ageing and how the uterus – often hidden, yet deeply impactful – shapes many aspects of life: from pain to joy, fertility to identity. The lab depicted here is imagined differently. Each figure reveals a uterus: some carrying life, some post-surgery, some in trans bodies, each telling its own story. Even Stasa’s own uterus (or my impression of it) is included, a reminder that what is unseen can still define us.
Originally created for She Speaks Science.
Learn more about Naomi Davies
At the heart of Drawn to Lead is a challenge to the conventional. Where women have long been objectified in art – as muses, nudes, or symbolic figures – here they are subjects of invention, vision and impact. “These artworks say: I am here. What I do matters,” says Halabi.
More than just portraits, these pieces are declarations and acts of cultural knowledge exchange. Through visual storytelling, Drawn to Lead makes a statement: diversity is not a checkbox. It is a source of creativity, insight, and leadership.
As Cambridge becomes a global hub for innovation, Drawn to Lead invites us to pause; to look, to listen and to recognise the women shaping the future not only with their minds, but with their stories.
The exhibit is currently on display at Innovate Cambridge Glasshouse until 5 August 2025, after which it will move to Cambridge Judge Business School. Further details to be confirmed.
EnterpriseWOMEN
This university-level entrepreneurship learning programme is designed for women in the early-stages of their entrepreneurial journey. Whether you’re exploring entrepreneurship, you’re an early-stage founder, or somewhere in between EnterpriseWOMEN is for you.
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