A prominent Massachusetts biopharmaceutical executive, the commonwealth’s two top lawmakers and a Springfield organization helping people to find housing will headline a packed Associated Industries of Massachusetts Annual Meeting on May 8 in Boston.

Julie Kim, president of Takeda’s U.S. Business Unit, U.S. country head and incoming CEO, effective June 2026, will deliver a keynote address to more than 450 business leaders at the event, scheduled for 8-10:30 am at the Westin Boston Seaport hotel. Ms. Kim will also accept the 2025 AIM Vision Award, which recognizes companies, organizations and individuals who have made unique contributions to the cause of economic opportunity in Massachusetts.

House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka will jointly accept the second annual Frances Perkins Award for their efforts to pass Massachusetts’ new wage equity and transparency law last year. The law is named for Ms. Perkins, a Mount Holyoke College graduate who served as the nation’s first female Secretary of Labor.

The 2025 AIM Lewis Latimer Award, given to a Massachusetts organization that has created economic opportunity for underserved communities, will be presented to Way Finders, an affordable housing organization that makes an impact across the housing spectrum: from offering emergency shelters to fostering homeownership and delivering sustainable, affordable housing solutions. Way Finders has built more than 1,300 affordable housing units in 55 developments across western Massachusetts, with another 412 units in the development pipeline.

“AIM is delighted to welcome Julie Kim, Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano and Way Finders CEO Keith Fairey to the 2025 AIM Annual Meeting,” said Brooke Thomson, President and CEO of the statewide business association.

“These guests underscore the many elements that contribute to AIM’s efforts to create a better Massachusetts for everyone – a dynamic leader in life sciences, the two leaders of the Legislature, an innovative organization working to solve the housing crisis and, of course, the members of AIM who work with all of them to create economic opportunity.”

The AIM Annual Meeting brings together owners and CEOs of companies from every sector of the Massachusetts economy and from every region of the commonwealth. The meeting will be called to order by Gregory Buscone, Chief Commercial Banking Officer at Eastern Bank and Chair of the AIM Board of Directors.

Julie Kim currently leads Takeda’s U.S. Business Unit, which develops products for gastroenterology, neuroscience, plasma-derived therapies and rare diseases. Takeda is the largest life sciences company in Massachusetts, employing approximately 6,000 people across multiple locations.

A committed business and community leader, Ms. Kim played an active role on Governor Healey’s Economic Development Planning Council in 2023, as the lead for the Life Sciences working group. By convening a diverse set of voices from across the life sciences sector, the working group provided a holistic set of recommendations the administration on how it can continue to build upon its success as a major economic growth driver. She was also recently appointed by the Mayor of Boston to the Boston Public Library Board of Trustees, one of the city’s most iconic institutions.

Through Ms. Kim’s exceptional leadership at Takeda, the company continues to be a trusted and collaborative partner in the commonwealth, whether it’s supporting the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center MassNextGen program to boost early-stage entrepreneurs from under-represented communities or supporting programs and organizations that are focused on creating healthier communities from the inside, out. Takeda’s focus on co-creating solutions helps foster trust and unlocks the power of communities to create measurable and sustainable community impact.

“Julie Kim is an influential and passionate advocate for the critical role that the life sciences sector plays in lengthening our lead in Massachusetts. She is a collaborative leader who is not afraid to think outside the box to bolster both community health and statewide economic growth,” Thomson said.

Senate President Spilka and Speaker Mariano led the Legislature last year in passing a landmark law that made Massachusetts a leader nationally in pay equity and transparency – all without overburdening employers. The law requires public and private employers with 25 or more employees to disclose pay ranges in job postings and employers with 100 or more employees to submit wage data for aggregate wage reports.

AIM and other major business organizations supported the law.

“Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka deserve tremendous credit for passing a balanced law that will help Massachusetts attract talented workers who want to know they will be treated fairly,” said Stephanie Swanson, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs at AIM.

Since 1972 Way Finders has helped families grow and thrive in western Massachusetts through its work in housing services. Every week, thousands reach out to Way Finders for help with overdue rent, mortgage, or utility payments. Way Finders connects them to emergency financial assistance and state and federal housing subsidy programs – providing families with stable and affordable housing, and landlords with stable and predictable rental income.

Over the past decades, Way Finders has worked with tens of thousands of individuals seeking to improve their lives by improving their credit, finding better jobs, buying a home, or starting a business. Over the past five years alone, Way Finders has helped 1,012 families buy their first homes and has produced 235 units of affordable rental housing.

“The impact of Way Finders in western Massachusetts cannot be overstated,” said Mr. Fairey, the President and CEO. “When a family’s housing stabilizes or their income grows, the entire family and community benefits. Kids stay in their neighborhood schools. Adults find rewarding vocations. Rent is within reach – or even homeownership. When we talk about housing stability we are talking about building thriving, resilient communities that positively shape lives.”

“At a time when Massachusetts faces a housing affordability crisis, Way Finders is living up to its name by finding a way for people to find homes that will allow them to live, work and raise families here in the commonwealth,” Thomson said.