00:00

I am a physician by training. I’m a doctor, I’m a dermatologist.

00:07

I also have a PhD, so I’m literally married to science.

00:11

I was into I.T. since I was born.

00:14

My grandfather was one of the first programmers in Belgium.

00:18

Before joining PMI, I studied two science degrees and I did my MBA as well.

00:25

I’ve been in PMI for 23 years.

00:28

I’ve been also working. I started working at Unilever as a trainee.

00:33

I’m from the United States. I grew up in Philadelphia,

00:36

and then after school I started to work in New York in investment banking.

00:40

I did marketing throughout my first years of my career

00:44

and then I pivoted into a managing director role, more a senior role.

00:48

I’m very proud to say, okay, now we are doing something different. The past is the past.

00:52

This is where we are today. And then we need to put all the forces and the energy towards the vision.

00:57

Leadership is not defined by gender. There are great men which are leaders, great leaders,

01:02

and there are women which are great leaders as well.

01:04

When you have a position that is open, you first look for the skill set, right?

01:09

But we need to be conscious about having a diverse slate of candidates.

01:15

I think diversity of people brings diversity of thought.

01:19

So, it’s absolutely critical that we’re bringing different viewpoints to the table.

01:25

So, having that diversity of viewpoint is important.

01:29

Bringing more creativity, more consumer-centric thinking,

01:35

and ultimately building a stronger organization.

01:39

For me, inclusion is the dimension that would unleash the potential of the diversity of the group.

01:45

If you look at my team, we are 27 people.

01:48

I have 15 nationalities coming from the five different continents.

01:54

Being open-minded, looking in a variety of places for people, for any position,

02:00

is critical to getting the best people on the team.

02:03

The speed of change is so fast, and we can learn so much from each other.

02:07

In regard to EQUAL-SALARY payment, or certification,

02:11

PMI is the first company that got this certification,

02:16

and I think it’s really important to have that

02:18

because it’s important to have equal pay for everybody.

02:22

I am impressed by the commitment of PMI to diversity.

02:27

You only achieve something when you start to be inclusive as well.

02:30

So, it means that we listen to each other, we respect each other,

02:35

and it’s with the diversity and the inclusion that we can achieve great things.

02:40

How many times can you say I’m working for a Fortune 500 company

02:46

and they decide to just to reinvent themselves, right?

02:49

So, bringing this diversity of thought and ideas into the company,

02:54

it’s a wonderful way to be successful.