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Ni Voice
A man in a
woman’s world....
– Paul Furlong,
Managing Director Medela UK
As a man working in a company almost exclusively with
women, in an industry sector that by its nature exists solely
to serve women, this often presents people with an easy
Principles and passion
In order to really understand our customers, I’ve had to immerse myself in
question when they meet me for the first time:
the world of breastfeeding. I’ve had some personal experience in this area, as
both of my two daughters were breastfed, but joining Medela ensured that I
What is a man doing being the managing director of a breast
rapidly got the broadest insight possible. Medela is completely unique in its
pump company?
outlook and approach – it is genuinely dedicated to breastfeeding and it is the
only company in the sector which bases its technologies on serious research
conducted by the world’s most recognised lactation experts. This passion and
But the truth is, not long after joining Medela UK in 2006, it was never a
dedication quickly rubbed off on me.
question I asked myself. Which is not to say I’ve always been an expert in the
field: before I was first approached by Medela, I knew as much about breast
Research into such critical areas as breast anatomy and breastmilk
pumps as I did about bicycle pumps or fuel pumps, which is to say not much!
composition has informed innovations in our products, such as the unique 2-
Phase Expression, the only breastpump technology that mimics a baby’s
I do, however, have a background in healthcare. I’m a research chemist by
nursing rhythm. Clearly I don’t use the products myself, but it is this research-
background and before joining Medela I worked in sales and marketing for a
led approach which ensures I am one hundred percent confident in our pumps
number of multinational pharmaceutical companies. Wherever I’ve been, I have
– and the outstanding feedback we get from mums justifies this confidence.
always had a strong belief and passion in the products and good customer
Also, given we are the number one choice of healthcare professionals and
service. It’s about appreciating the context in which we market our products –
facilities worldwide speaks volumes.
and breastfeeding is obviously an important and emotive issue.
What attracted me to working with Medela was the feel of the company.
Although it’s an international business now with operations across six
continents, it’s still very much run in accordance with the values of its founder
Olle Larrson. Since I arrived in the job in 2006, I’m pleased to say the emphasis
has very much been on evolution rather than revolution: all I have to do is rely
on the principles of the company and then execute them.
The emphasis is on the customer and the product at Medela, but also on the
employee. The company is a great investor in people, and while we have
nearly doubled our UK staff to 22 from 12 since I joined, I can count on one
hand the number of people that have left, which hopefully suggests we’re
doing something right.
Dynamic industry
And now to the women. It’s true that men are in the minority at Medela,
but this is not by design, it is just that the best qualified and most suitable
people we interview have to this day tended mainly to be women. It’s ironic
that one of our competitors tends to employ mainly men, and I’m sure this is
very much by chance too: the nursery industry is as dynamic and target-
oriented as any that I have worked in and there is nothing soft about it. You
wouldn't, for example, notice any difference between a woman working in the
nursery industry and a male working in pharmaceuticals and in many cases, the
gender of our Account Managers or the rapport they have with the client is
irrelevant, as the people they deal with are so ambitious that they have moved
on before they got the chance to build a relationship with them.
Because of all these reasons, I really don't feel at any disadvantage at all
being a man in this business. People are people, whether they are men,
women, grandmothers or daughters.
10
•
NURSERY INDUSTRY
•
SEPTEMBER 2009
•
www.nursery-industry.co.uk
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