Medtronic VP passionate about elevating women in leadership

Leadership & Management: Welcome to Health Industry Hub’s Women in Leadership Series – connecting, engaging and empowering women in the MedTech, Pharma and Biotech sectors by celebrating and sharing the journey of inspirational and passionate women leaders in the industry.

Liz Carnabuci, Vice President & Managing Director, Medtronic Australia & New Zealand, joined Health Industry Hub to reflect on the leadership that has led to the company’s recent recognition as an award winner of Best Workplaces™ Australia 2021 and how her Asia Pacific experience has influenced her in leading through the current unprecedented period of change and upheaval.

“I’m a big believer in bringing great inclusion and diversity to a wonderful workplace for everybody to come together. And that’s what we’re building at Medtronic. It’s such a fantastic honour to be part of this team.

“Having the [Asia Pacific] perspective allows you to be more open minded when you look at decisions that need to be made during unprecedented times and how that impacts people differently. We’re all incredibly different and that’s the fantastic thing about being human beings.”

Liz also shared her views on top leadership challenges facing females in the MedTech industry and the importance of remaining authentic on the path to senior leadership roles.

“One of the challenges that I’ve certainly tried to push myself through, and something that I can share as well, is that as female leaders you’ve really got to have a fundamentally strong plan with great advocates to help you along the way. The other thing is not to be afraid to speak up and really go for it. Sometimes, as women we worry about our readiness, and sometimes it’s less about that and more around going for the growth. You’ve got to push yourself into some of these uncomfortable areas, but get some good support.”

In inspiring others in the MedTech industry and leaving a lasting legacy, Liz added “I really want to support women in leadership. Very interestingly I was reading your recent article on the ASX 300 Census and I was a little shocked to still see just 6% of women as CEOs. I don’t want to wait to 2086 to see women making up 40% of executive leadership teams, so then I feel that’s my legacy. I want to certainly help other women get to executive roles and those leadership roles. More importantly, I also want to see this world where inclusion, diversity and equity is real, and it’s living and breathing in organisations. And that it’s making a difference because we know it can lead to success, growth and amazing things.”