A snapshot of my role and life at Vodafone

We’ve created the Centre for Health at Vodafone in partnership with Deloitte, with the goal of closing the gap between digital health ambitions and the paper-based reality of today. As the centre’s head, I lead the team as we work towards freeing up more time for healthcare providers to spend with their patients instead of doing admin, accelerating patient flows and improving outcomes by connecting specialists. We’re also intent on improving employee experiences and retention rates in the healthcare field.

With my mixed medical and technical background, I have spent many years in hospitals all over the world. I’ve seen first-hand the challenge that clinicians and admin staff face in healthcare systems and I am very driven to contribute to improving this situation. I think that whatever work you do you need to have a passion for it and for me, there is nothing more rewarding than bringing systems and solutions to clinicians that help them in their daily work and clearly help patients too.

I’m only as good as my fantastic team

A leader is really only as good as their team. A lot of new leaders are surprised by how much effort it takes to lead properly – it’s time consuming but it really pays in the end, because it is so rewarding to see your team performing well and reaching common goals. Personally, I see my main role as empowering my team to achieve. Being approachable and a good listener are important, and though I do demand a lot, in return I give back a lot of flexibility and empowerment.

I have also always really wanted to be a good role model for other women in tech. I’ve been mentoring others for a long time, even before I took on any official people management roles. Being at Vodafone, where there is such a great spirit and culture, it’s easy to do this. It’s a very supportive and inspiring environment. We even have a quarterly initiative called ‘Spirit Day’ where employees are encouraged to learn new skills. I’m a mother of two and I am given so much flexibility in order to successfully balance my home and work demands. Dealing with a challenging job as well as a family isn’t always easy but it’s realistic to achieve that balance at Vodafone.