Leadership in MedTech: Ashwini Cole talks International Female leadership, Innovation, Unique Perspective and influence on DEI initiatives.

Today together with Ashwini Cole, Global Head of Medical Affairs for New Initiatives at Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies we will discuss the one of the most crucial and vital topics in the organizational development and corporate environment now - Female Leadership.

Stan: Hi Ashwini, thank you for being with us today. Let's start our Q&A with this very important question:

What unique perspectives do female leaders bring to the Healthcare sector, and how do these perspectives contribute to innovation and development in the field?

Ashwini: Thank you Stan. In healthcare, the most important member of a care team is the patient. It is an unarguable fact that women have this inherent capacity to care for another individual. As a result, we see that most of the healthcare jobs, I believe about 75-80%, are held by women.

When it comes to nurture and empathy scores, women have the advantage over men, which very well could be because of the cultural expectations or societal norms. Regardless, women being more empathetic are able to think, feel and connect with the patients in a different way than men are able to.

The perspective that women bring to the healthcare industry is the deeper understanding of patient’s requirements and needs, that are essential for development, innovation of unique solutions that satisfies the patients and their families.

This could translate at various levels, right from point-of-care to strategic decisions and policy making, locally as well as in initiatives with global impact. In addition to the empathy towards patients, empathizing with healthcare providers also play a major role in being able to come up with solutions and viable consumer products.

Stan: Can you share examples of successful initiatives or strategies led by female leaders in the Healthcare that have had a significant global impact?

Ashwini: There are several names that come to my mind. If I think historically, Virginia Apgar is a very good example for what I shared earlier on using empathy in innovation. Virginia Apgar innovated the Apgar score. The Apgar score is a quick way for doctors to evaluate the health of all newborns at 1 and 5 minutes after birth and in response to resuscitation. This score is being used till today, across the world.

In my day-to-day life, I interact with several women who work in powerful, influential, global roles within my company who are constantly making a difference by merely communicating and guiding others.

Not all impacts can be quantified. Some impacts we see and measure, others are simply felt and understood. For example, the advice I received from my mentor who is a woman – “Have faith in your own capabilities”.

Stan: In the context of the healthcare, how do female leaders overcome challenges unique to their gender in various cultural and international contexts?

Ashwini: Women as compared to men are exposed to a lot of situations that require them to compromise between relationships, family, and career. As a result of which we have developed skills to create win-win situations to thrive in all circumstances as far as possible, as much as possible.

Some ways to overcome challenges we face within healthcare industry, especially concerning career equality, salary equality and gender equality, I believe are by more women supporting women and through allyship.

Networking, mentorship, sponsorship, gaining new and unique skill sets are some of the things that have personally worked for me.

Most importantly, regardless of culture and country, I believe, in addition to gaining knowledge and support from others it is also important to acquire knowledge about yourself. To know yourself, to know what motivates you, your capabilities and what you want to achieve.

Stan: From your perspective, what more can be done to encourage and support the rise of female leaders in the healthcare globally?

Ashwini: Since I recently had my second baby, the first thing that comes to my mind is, access to childcare and paid family and medical leave. Not all countries have access to affordable childcare, and some have insufficient policies on family and medical leaves.

Women are forced to leave workforce or must take a step back from actively pursuing career opportunities.

Secondly, increase networking opportunities and provide easier means of networking for women. Networking is not easy for women. We have less time to network as we are constantly either forced or obliged to prioritize running a household, caring for children or some other social expectation.

Stan: How do female leaders in healthcare influence policies and initiatives related to diversity and inclusion within their organizations?

Ashwini: Speaking from my personal experience, most companies that I have worked for have some form of DEI strategy and initiatives in place and most of them happen to be led by women. I personally believe more women are taking the lead in DEI initiatives as women do not hesitate to be vulnerable.

Vulnerability allows for deep connections and meaningful dialogues. In addition, to create sound DEI content, you need to be able to communicate on stories from across the organization and from every possible perspective.

Women tend to tell longer, more coherent stories with description of their own emotional states as compared to men, who generally speak in a matter-of-fact manner, which makes for compelling DEI related stories. Having said that, DEI initiatives are a team effort and is implemented through a series of educational events, materials, and by collaborating with different groups within the organization.

Stan Kalinin draws on an extensive track record of more than 14 years of search and executive team-building expertise. He is the host of MedTech Opinion Leader supporting growth of MedTech industry and creating insightful stories with key market executives forging alternative narrative about the sector current and future trends.