Dr Dallimore is chief executive of Perth-based biotech company...

Dr Dallimore is chief executive of Perth-based biotech company Argenica Therapeutics and says people in roles like hers continue to battle a perception they hold an all-consuming and life-draining position.

The mother of three insisted this was not the case and that flexibility was key to thriving in the role.

“I’ve been on calls all morning folding laundry and I work from home Mondays. I think a lot of women feel guilty that a role like (a CEO) may be too big, that their kids are going to suffer,” Dr Dallimore said.

“Make sure that you’re just working smarter as opposed to longer.

“With my team, I tell them I don’t mind if they’re in the office or not, or need half a day to go to kids’ assemblies, as long as the work is done efficiently.”

Argenica, which listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in June 2021, is developing a drug aimed at protecting brain cells following a stroke or other acute central nervous system injuries.

The company — a spin-out from the University of Western Australia and The Perron Institute — employs nine staff, including four females.

As well as driving a culture of flexibility, Dr Dallimore said she had redefined the CEO role by putting faith in the team to execute projects in her absence and by ensuring outcomes were valued far beyond the hours put in.

Dr Dallimore recalled working at one of the big four accounting firms and seeing her manager take note of the people who were not in the office at 6.30pm.

“It was such a bizarre culture. It would build a culture of people sitting there not being particularly productive,” she said.

Argenica is heading into a phase two clinical trial for patients who have suffered an acute ischemic stroke. The trial is expected to run in 10 hospitals across Australia, including Fiona Stanley Hospital, and recruit about 92 patients.

The company is expected to dose its first patients towards the end of the year.

Dr Dallimore says the company will remain in WA.

“I think a lot of people think you can’t do biotech from Perth, that’s something we’re really trying to change,” she said.