"For most of my career, I looked around the room and saw male C-suite leaders. This was especially true in healthcare, even across companies that largely serve women. I came to realize that the industry didn't have the CEO I was searching for. I was looking for a female leader who understood both the business and the experience of the patients that they served. At that moment, I decided that I would take on that role myself."
"In 2023, with just two days' notice, I transitioned into the CEO role after more than 20 years in brand and marketing leadership across Fortune 500 companies, disruptor brands, and consumer health startups. Those experiences taught me that leadership doesn't have to follow a blueprint. When the traditional approach isn't serving the people you are trying to reach, you have to build a new path forward."
"Stepping into the CEO role wasn't just a career pivot, but a necessary step to redesign the kind of workplace and company culture I wanted to be a part of. From leading with empathy to making space for women's lived experiences in the boardroom, I've learned what it takes to reimagine leadership in industries that have historically underrepresented and undervalued women-both as leaders and consumers."
"Female leadership is still the exception in healthcare, even in sectors that focus on women's health. Though women make up a majority of the healthcare workforce, their representation in executive positions remains strikingly low. The healthcare industry lags in diversifying leadership; only 15% of health system CEOs are women. To be clear, I'm not advocating removing men from their roles as CEO. Diversifying the industry and creating truly balanced leadership teams, however, is critical. Doing this allows the industry to reflect the populations it serves."
A seasoned brand and marketing leader transitioned into a CEO role to provide female perspective and reshape healthcare leadership. The transition occurred rapidly in 2023 after more than two decades in Fortune 500, disruptor, and consumer health startups. Leadership is reframed as adaptable rather than blueprint-driven, requiring new paths when traditional approaches fail patients. Emphasis on leading with empathy and incorporating women's lived experiences in boardrooms aims to redesign workplace culture. Women remain underrepresented in executive healthcare roles, with only 15% of health system CEOs being women. Diverse leadership correlates with higher profits and better employee performance.
Read at Fast Company
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