As part of our ‘Female Leaders: Inspiring Together’ series, we interviewed Marie-Jeanne Landre – Global Marketing & Medical Director at Coloplast – about how she manages her work-life balance and the importance of networking and opening up to others for personal development and career growth.
Thank you for taking part in this campaign. To start with please could you tell us a bit about your current role and about the company that you work for?
For the past few years, I have been the Global Marketing and Medical Director for the interventional urology business unit at Coloplast. Coloplast is a well-known Danish company at the size of around €2 billion euros a year, and our products cover ostomy care, continence care, interventional urology and wound and skin care. The interventional urology business unit is the smallest one and the fastest-growing so far.
What inspired you to get into the medical device field initially?
So, I actually joined the medical field a bit randomly. I was eager to get a job and earn money, and I just so happened to get a job in medical devices. I started in the pain area and the pain centers were starting in France. I got involved in the development of these new therapies and it was really fulfilling. I really developed a passion for it and since then I’ve never stopped wanting to work within the medical device industry.
What barriers have you encountered during your career and reaching a position of seniority within the industry?
“As a parent with a career, you have two very important jobs, together they could take up 200% of your time. You suddenly get very busy and very, very stressed.”
I wouldn’t say I have had barriers as a woman but maybe more struggles as a young parent. I think both women and men experience these kinds of struggles. As a parent with a career, you have two very important jobs, together they could take up 200% of your time. You suddenly get very busy and very, very stressed. You have a lot of pressure and this is what you have to manage.
With that in mind, how do you manage your work-life balance?
Well, you cannot do it all on your own. I think it is important to get support, if possible, within your family. Being very well organized is important and you need to invest in this process at the start to get it right. So, I actually had to hire some very nice people to help me with house duties and to take care of the kids. It’s very important to know how to open up and to seek assistance when you need it.
What’s been the accomplishment that you have been most proud of in your professional career?
The accomplishment that was really a great victory was getting reimbursement of one of the new treatments for pain. When I started, everyone was saying, ‘you cannot do it. It’s not possible.’ It’s really tough to move the needle when it comes to reimbursement because it would mean creating a new category. I had to not only work within my company, but also outside work with key opinion leaders. We had to work internationally to really get the best of other countries and see how they had done, and this is how we did it. We had to, of course, produce scientific literature and convince the authorities. It took time, but finally we did it, and that was really a great victory.
Have there been any challenges within your career that you have had to overcome, whether that was a particularly difficult situation within your career or a point where you’ve had to make some tough decisions?
At one point in my career, I had to decide whether to move abroad or not, because I very quickly became involved within international business and working in different subsidiaries. I decided to stay in France and to travel back and forth a lot. I know many people make these decisions, both men and women, and that was the decision I made. It was tough because I was attracted by the life of working abroad, but I don’t regret it.
Do you ever feel self-doubt or question where you’re at in your career? And if so, how do you manage that?
Everyone has self-doubt and there is a time where you need to reflect on yourself. It’s good to take some distance and quiet time to think about things, but it’s also very important to open up and share your thoughts with other people. I think it’s very useful to both receive some mentoring and to give some and to share your experiences with other colleagues and peers. It really helps you to figure out how you are measuring against others and that helps you figure out if your situation is particularly difficult or not, or how you can handle it differently. When you open up, it is a very positive experience and you get lots of energy from others.
What do you think are the main challenges for women in MedTech?
“Try to manage time for yourself, for your goals, and try to find time to think about new ideas. Otherwise, you get eaten up by both sides, private and professional, and you need to save time for yourself to develop.”
I think the main challenge is balancing your private life and working life. Try to manage time for yourself, for your goals, and try to find time to think about new ideas. Otherwise, you get eaten up by both sides, private and professional, and you need to save time for yourself to develop.
What is the best piece of advice that you’ve ever been given?
To open up and to network. We often don’t take the time to do that because we are really busy with our activities, private and at work. I think it’s really important to take the time to grow and to exchange with others.
Who would you say are the women that have inspired you the most, and that can be in a professional capacity or in a personal capacity?
When I think about it, the women that have inspired me most are actually my mother, my grandmother and my mother-in-law. They were working women with very different styles. They had to fight for their freedom and education and for mine. I’ve always admired them and I still admire them for that. They are great examples for me. I also like to hear about other women’s careers and paths, and that’s why I’m taking part in this series. I think it’s not fair to only listen; sometimes you also need to speak about yourself and your experiences to give back.
What do you think is the best way to encourage more women into the medical device industry in the future?
I don’t have statistics, but the medical industry, as a whole, successfully attracts a lot of women. Medical device might be a bit more masculine, but the health care industry in general, is very appealing to women. Helping others is really at the core of our DNA. In Western Europe, we see a figure as high as 70% for women in med schools. There will be many women coming into the industry and we need to encourage women to be involved in influencing and driving this industry.
What would be the one piece of advice you would give to a young woman just starting out in her career in the industry?
I would say that there is a lot to do and it’s not a walk in the park every day. Having perseverance is really important; don’t give up and follow your dreams. Learn as much as you can, as fast as you can to drive your own growth. It’s also a lot of fun and it’s very important to have fun along the way also.
Is there anything else that you would like to add that we haven’t covered?
“We need more women at the top and we need to increase that diversity. In an ever-changing world, it is key for companies to have different views in order to solve issues.”
I think this is a great initiative, and I would like to thank you for that. I think we need to share more stories and experiences. I want to encourage all the young women to be resilient and that you can see that everyone can do it. We need more women at the top and we need to increase that diversity. In an ever-changing world, it is key for companies to have different views in order to solve issues. So, ladies, keep it up and please hurry to the top!
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 us on LinkedIn to join the conversation and hear the insightful stories of our featured female leaders.
