You've just been appointed General Manager of GE Healthcare for France, Belgium, Luxembourg and French-speaking Africa. Can you tell us about your career path?

Nothing predestined me for this career path. I come from a social background where you don't see yourself in this type of position. When I was 16, I dreamed of becoming a surgeon, if possible in Africa as I have ancestors from Benin. Although I didn't follow that path in the end, I've spent almost my entire career in healthcare, partly in cardiology, and my new role covers Africa.

So we've come full circle, and to tell you the truth, I think I'm making a greater contribution to promoting
health care in our country than if I had been a surgeon.

I owe my first steps in healthcare to Boston Scientific, where I spent almost 10 years, first in gastroenterology, then on the electrophysiology team. I was the first woman to join the CODIR. The fact that I was raised by my father and evolved in an all-male world during my studies at ESTA^[1]

has undoubtedly given me a rather masculine mindset. I accept challenges without asking too many questions. Jumping into the deep end, sometimes without fins or oxygen, doesn't scare me.

There's no need to fear failure. On the contrary, the more challenges you take on, the more you grow.
Accepting difficult jobs or assignments is a formidable gas pedal.

I was then recruited by Medtronic to manage the six largest salespeople in the Cardiac Rythm Products department. I learned an enormous amount. After 3 years, I was head of the cardiac surgery division. For a long time, I was the only woman among the 120 EMEA managers. My boss used to say: "We're very happy to have Laurence. I'd immediately rebuke him and tell him to hope it wasn't because I was a woman, which made him blush. To say that diversity is one of my battles would be an understatement! I wouldn't have said that 15 years ago, but today I'm in favor of quotas and positive discrimination, as long as we're sure we're talking about the best profile.

One of the advantages of working for a large company is that you can progress through a wide variety of positions. In this case, I managed the diabetes team for France, a portfolio close to the pharmaceutical model, which enabled me to work with groups such as Air Liquide and Nestlé. Then, I was given the exciting challenge of setting up the cardiovascular group, which was like putting together a rugby team and a soccer team! Six years ago, I was appointed Managing Director of Medtronic France with the aim of positioning the company, which had always wanted to live hidden, as a healthcare player that fully assumes this role. In this respect, I am proud that Medtronic was the first company to be selected for an experiment under Article 51[2]on morbid obesity.

What resources do you draw on to move your projects forward or exercise leadership?

Empathy is one of my driving forces. Even when there are difficult decisions to be made. That's why employability is a subject close to my heart. Whenever I've had to let someone go, my concern has been to be transparent, so that they can bounce back in the right job and with the right company.

As leaders, we must play our role as role models and work towards the integration of young people
from suburbs and rural areas, as well as senior citizens. I often say:
"Always remember why you're here, who helped you, and give it back to others."

That's why I'm very active on social networks. They're great tools for helping students through work-study or internship schemes. Companies have a duty to give young people a chance, especially at the moment. Otherwise, who's going to do it? I'm lobbying my counterparts at SNITEM on this point.

What message would you like to send to future leaders and entrepreneurs?

I'm not a careerist, but I think I owe my career path to the dream I had of working in healthcare, a dream I've never let go of. My advice to younger people is: "Keep believing in your dreams, even if you're told otherwise, and make sure there's a great deal of passion in your job."

Innovation brings hope and solutions in every field,
whether it's the environment, health... You have to know how to dare and dare to dream!

What are your current projects and challenges?

I'd like to integrate quickly into GE Healthcare, to take the measure of this enlarged market and bring them what they've come for, namely someone who can move the lines internally and externally. Healthcare is not a silo unto itself. It's interconnected with the environment, the agri-food industry, etc. I'm also going to continue to get involved in issues that are close to my heart, such as diversity, employability, training for young people, etc., as I did previously at Medtronic. These are all issues that a company with a mission must address.

Corporate communication is undeniably one of my greatest challenges. In France, we have to fight against a widespread prejudice that sees "bad" companies on one side, and "good" public health players on the other.

I'm convinced that public-private partnerships are essential to preserve our solidarity-based healthcare system. This commitment has earned me a few articles in the press, but I take it on board!

There are some very good people in both the public and private sectors. It's only by working together that we'll find the right solutions. I'm sure that, if we explain it to them, the French are capable of understanding the benefits of such collaborations. That's the gamble I'm taking by joining GE Healthcare.

[1] Graduate School of Technology and Business

[2] Article 51 of the 2018 Social Security Financing Act provides for the experimentation of new healthcare organizations contributing to improving patient pathways, healthcare system efficiency and access to care.