As part of our ‘Female Leaders: Inspiring Together’ series, we interviewed Leila Bahreinian – CEO for Lento Medical Innovation – about her journey from mechanical engineer to CEO, her greatest achievements and why you shouldn’t try to be anything but yourself!
Firstly, thank you for taking part in this. This campaign means a lot to us and I really appreciate your time doing this. To get started, can you tell us a bit about your current role at Lento Medical Innovation and what the company does?
Absolutely and thank you very much for considering my profile for this interview. Lento Medical Innovation is a small startup with an innovative idea in digital personalized surgery planning for total joint replacement. I joined the team as the Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder to help transfer this idea and new startup, into a revenue-focused business, and we are in the clinical evaluation stage right now.
Has Covid had an impact on your business?
Unfortunately, it has. Up until even one month ago, we were really going forward looking for investors, but we got into a chicken and egg position in that they wanted to see clinical evidence before they would invest, and to be able to develop that we needed investment. When Covid-19 hit, many orthopedic cases got canceled. Our ability to travel and meet surgeons in hospitals or at conferences got compromised. When cases started resuming back in summer last year, patients were hesitant to try any novel technology in their procedure. So, Lento got hit. I know orthopedic surgeons got hit, and we got hit with them.
What inspired you initially to start a career in medical devices out of all the different industries you could be working in?
For me, it was the opportunity to witness that what I was doing was actually benefiting humanity. As an engineer, your passion is resolving problems. But sometimes you don’t necessarily witness the effect. In medical devices, the effect of your work can be more evident. Somebody has a stroke, is rushed into the hospital and a few days later they are walking outside on their feet because of the medical device provided to the surgeons. That is just heartwarming.
“Somebody has a stroke, is rushed into the hospital and a few days later they are walking outside on their feet because of the medical device provided to the surgeons. That is just heartwarming.”
Definitely, and I think a lot of people enjoy that aspect of working in this industry. Looking back, what barriers have you encountered during your career growth and success as a female leader, if any?
I graduated about twenty years ago from my bachelor’s degree. In the beginning, as a mechanical engineer, I did feel some sense of hesitation with some colleagues or field workers for being a woman in an overall with a hard hat and steel-toed boots on. Later too, as a young female Vice President of a joint venture and going to different workshops and conferences, I sometimes felt some traces of doubt, but it was nothing of surprise to me. I expected it going into mechanical engineering; I knew it was a male-dominated field. Medical device is not as male-dominated, but it is still.
When I was younger, it was very important for me to prove myself and make sure that male colleagues and managers would understand that I was capable. But little by little, I decided to stop proving myself; to accept people as they are while remaining true to myself and humble too. Actually, after a while many trusting and lasting friendships were developed as a result.
As a successful professional, how do you manage your work-life balance?
You know, I have been asked this question, but I ask should there be a balance between work and life? We are living in a stage of humanity where there is no clear border really between work and life to begin with. So, I have come to this realization that instead of trying to balance, I have to manage my tasks. How? By prioritizing them and then giving them each their deserved attention and focus. Either at home or at work. Every day I have to consciously choose what I’m going to spend my attention on, be it completing a business plan, checking in with my daughter, networking with a VC, or reading a book with my son. I need to be very selective about my list and then do it. Do I make the wrong priority, or do I sometimes let worries and judgments carry my attention away? Absolutely – I’m only human, yet I try my best.
Thinking back to everything you have achieved, what accomplishment are you the most proud of?
“Throughout my career, I have had very endearing team members and now they are in very prominent positions in their careers, happy and thriving. That really makes me very, very content.”
I like to think it is the relationships that I have made and specifically, the teams that I have built. Throughout my career, I have had very endearing team members and now they are in very prominent positions in their careers, happy and thriving. That really makes me very, very content. Also, I am very proud of the risks that I have taken in my life; pursuing engineering to begin with, then moving from R&D to marketing, moving between countries, pursuing entrepreneurship, and building an organization from scratch. I am proud of all of them, but above all, it is the relationships.
It must be rewarding to hear that people you have mentored have gone on to have successful careers. In terms of self-doubt, is this something you have ever suffered with and if so, how do you manage that?
I have. What I have been working on for the past few years is to witness this self-doubt and explore where it is coming from. I have realized that sometimes the source of the doubt is an assumption of what somebody else is thinking. I have come to the conclusion that this manner of assessing myself is unrealistic and ineffective. It does lead to self-doubt but is not helpful. I can never assume that I really know what other people think about me or my performance and even if I do know, I cannot control that. So, to overcome the doubt, I try to focus only on what I can do within my ability and control, which is essentially doing my best for the task at hand. I am working on this every day and every night – practice makes progress.
What is the best advice that you’ve received at any point in your career?
What I have always relied on is what my mom has told me, which is whatever you set your mind or heart on, you can achieve. This has given me strength at the most challenging times and helped me refocus and reenergize when I reach a daunting task or problem.
You might have partly already answered this, but what woman or women have inspired you the most?
Yeah, I would say my mother, she is my rock; she is smart, beautiful and forgiving. She taught me forgiveness and growing a big heart. She’s a dentist, a retired university prof, and a single mother of five. She is an avid learner; you will always find a few books on her nightstand, and she’s spiritual and kind. She always has the right thing to say to give you strength and inspire you. Sometimes it’s, ‘hey, just forgive yourself’ and sometimes, ‘hey, gather yourself up.’ I never know with her, but she is always right!
I think this is specifically a good question for you, with your background in the male-dominated engineering side of the industry – what advice would you give to your younger self or to any women considering starting their career in medical devices?
“Come to this industry as you are – a woman. Recognize that already there are several women in the industry who have paved the way, keeping the door open for the next generation to come…Do not try to be anything other than yourself; you are fantastic as you are!”
I would tell the younger version of myself and the young women who enjoy solving problems, loving strategic thinking, and thrive in helping improve quality of care through innovation and technology, that if you find that drive in yourself, come to this industry as you are – a woman. Recognize that already there are several women in the industry who have paved the way, keeping the door open for the next generation to come. So, come as you are to realize your passion and help improve patient care. Do not try to be anything other than yourself; you are fantastic as you are!
Our ‘Female Leaders: Inspiring Together’ series is running throughout March with the aim of inspiring and supporting women to become future leaders in their respective industries. Follow our LinkedIn page to join the conversation and hear the insightful stories of our featured female leaders.
