Medela is a family-owned medical device company that prides itself on being research-based. By collaborating with global key opinion leaders, leading scientists, medical experts, and universities to inform product design that meets the needs of patients and clinicians. Medela has two business units, “Human Milk” supporting breastfeeding families and “Healthcare” providing medical vacuum solutions. The company has more than 1,800 dedicated employees across 21 subsidiaries that distribute products to hospitals, patients, and families in more than 100 countries.
As part of the announcement last week of the Comparably Leadership Awards for 2020, Medela CEO Annette Brüls was announced as the current #1 CEO for Women in the nation.
Comparably spoke to Brüls about how she came to Medela, what makes her company’s culture and mission special, and how to successfully scale the culture as the company grows.
Comparably: Tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to Medela?
Annette Brüls: All my life, I have been fascinated by the possibility of improving people’s lives through technology. With a career history in medical technology, I have more than 25 years in this industry and a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering with distinction from the University of Liège.
Before joining Medela as CEO in 2018, I was the president of Diabetes Service and Solutions for Medtronic. One of the things that drew me to Medela was the opportunity to develop technology and innovative new products and services that improve the quality of life for our customers and patients across the life spectrum. As an engineer by training and a working mother, the chance to improve resources and products to better support mothers and their babies and improve healing for patients all over the world inspires me. I’m thrilled to be part of such a committed company today.
Comparably: What’s special about the culture at Medela?
Annette Brüls: Medela is a family-owned business and the son of our founder, Michael Larsson, is still the chairman of the board. He is highly dedicated to the mission of Medela, was the first male certified lactation consultant, and has invented many of the products that are standards of care today. The family ownership and long-term commitment makes Medela special compared to many other stock-listed companies.
In addition, from my few years within Medela, I’ve noticed a few key things that make Medela so special.
Passion for our customers: Our customer is at the center of everything we do. Always seeking ways to improve their lives, we engage with our customers through our digital support programs and focus on research and insights to make our products and services better every day. At Medela, we know every mother’s journey and patient’s requirements are unique, so we continue to adapt to meet their evolving needs.
Dedication to science and research: For decades, we have been working with the world’s key opinion leaders, leading researchers, medical experts, and universities to gain a deep understanding of the underlying mechanisms of breast milk, chest drainage, and wound healing. This has enabled us to continuously advance our technology and develop new products, education, and services, all to improve outcomes and quality of life of our customers and patients.
The commitment of our employees: Our employees’ passion and commitment to the company and its products and services are unique. Every member of the Medela family knows that their work has a profound impact on the lives of millions of mothers, babies, and patients. According to our most recent employee survey in 2019, 71% of our colleagues would recommend Medela as an employer.
Comparably: Can you describe your company culture in five adjectives?
Annette Brüls: Passionate, purpose-driven, innovative, sustainability-focused, and collaborative.
What advice would you give on how to build and scale company culture?
Annette Brüls: The most important thing is to establish a corporate culture that really fits the company. The only way to do this successfully is to include your employees along the journey and ensure that they identify with the culture to help achieve the desired results and provide the best service to customers and stakeholders. The other important aspect is to ensure that the leadership walks the talk, that they are living and authentic examples of the culture. It usually starts at the top, and the way the top behaves will definitively shape the culture across the organization. And we want to create a culture of inclusion and belonging, where every employee has the opportunity to thrive. I always like to say: nothing starts with results, everything starts with people!
Comparably: What are some mistakes companies make when it comes to building a strong culture?
Annette Brüls: Often companies adapt a general messaging template that is not inclusive of the values and team members unique to the organization. It’s important to include employees to help them understand the culture, stand behind it, and exemplify your organization’s culture with customers. Employees are our best brand influencers, and their passion and commitment to the organization is critical to putting the customer first. The culture needs to be lived every day and should not be something that looks good on a poster. Culture is how people behave when no one is looking.
Comparably: What advice would you give yourself if you could go back in time to talk to your younger self?
Annette Brüls: Throughout my career, I have developed a few leadership principles that serve as a guide. Reflecting on my early professional self, I believe these principles were true for me even then. They may not have been top of mind the way they are for me today, so I suppose my advice would be to focus on these principles to navigate forward. I like to call it my personal PURPLE leadership brand:
- It’s the people behind the company that makes the difference – always!
- Every one of us is unique, and we must use this uniqueness to our genuine advantage.
- Empower and foster accountability to achieve. Every employee should feel like the CEO of their own desk, act like an owner.
- I firmly believe that you cannot and do not do a good job without having a passion for the products you offer or the company you work for. Hold on to it, nurture it, and use it for good.
- Keep learning. The world around us is continuously changing. Only through continuous learning can we develop ourselves, personally and professionally.
- This is especially true for me today, but leading by example is the only way to be a credible and true leader.
Comparably: Anything else that we should know about Medela?
Annette Brüls: As a woman leading an organization committed to health alongside balancing motherhood responsibilities, I am personally dedicated to propelling our organization forward with solutions that improve lives while limiting our environmental impact. This year has been unusual in every respect, but this is a year of tremendous opportunity for our organization. We’ve introduced a new production line in the US to support critical care COVID patients and supported research to understand the impacts of COVID-19 on breast milk. From expanding our employee’s paid parental leave in the US to 16 fully-paid weeks to introducing solutions to help Medela employees pursue professional growth as they choose, to transitioning to a predominantly remote workforce, these most recent changes are just the first steps. We have introduced a global corporate social responsibility program to fully invest in policies that encourage and empower sustainable development, inclusive and diverse teams, and strengthen partnerships to help improve health disparities in communities all over the world. My favorite part is that our employees are happy about these changes – their response has been so positive. Midst a year of much change and uncertainty, it’s reassuring for me to know that my Medela family feels confident in the direction we are moving.
