Kate Haviland always loved science, but she’ll be the first to admit the lab bench wasn’t where she thrived. “Although I love science, I’m a terrible bench scientist. It’s not what I’m good at,” she said. She found her lane on the business side, and she’s been there ever since.
Today, Haviland is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Medicines, a biopharmaceutical company that’s built a reputation for doing precisely what the industry often promises but rarely delivers: targeting the root causes of disease. Under her leadership, Blueprint has advanced a pipeline of medicines designed to tackle everything from rare mast cell disorders to chronic inflammation and cancer.
“Our business is fully immersed in science and medicine,” Haviland said in an interview. “I think one of my strengths is thinking about how all the pieces connect together to be a part of building companies and moving successful clinical development programs so that we can actually get them to patients and have an impact on them.”
Impact has always been at the center of her career. Growing up, Haviland was drawn to science through family—two uncles, one an oncologist, the other a medical geneticist—who inspired her to pursue work that could change lives. After earning degrees in molecular biology, biochemistry, and economics from Wesleyan University and an MBA from Harvard, she worked her way through leadership roles at Genzyme, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Idera Pharmaceuticals, focusing on oncology and rare diseases.
That focus brought her to Blueprint, where the work on rare diseases like systemic mastocytosis has become a cornerstone. The company developed AYVAKIT, the first approved treatment for the most common form of the condition, offering new hope to patients facing debilitating symptoms like anaphylaxis and severe gastrointestinal issues. “The success of AYVAKIT has certainly brought Blueprint Medicines into the spotlight,” Haviland said. Last year, the drug generated nearly $500 million in revenue, and the company is investing in next-generation programs like Blue 808, aimed at an even broader range of diseases.
But for Haviland, success isn’t found in revenue alone. At Blueprint, half of the executive team are women—still a rarity in biotech. She also mentors women at Blueprint and across the Cambridge biotech community, helping them navigate their careers and envision a path to senior leadership. The company, meanwhile, is building on its work in rare diseases—and Haviland isn’t done yet.
