MedExecWomen ads

Meet Our Board: Maria Shepherd Today we're shining a spotlight on Maria Shepherd, our co-founder, and President and CEO of Medi-Vantage, a strategy research advisory company. Maria recognized what medtech was missing: a community for its most senior women. So, she decided to take action, co-founding MedExecWomen alongside industry veteran Laurie Halloran. Their goal: an organization dedicated to advancing medtech by sharpening executives' strategic skills and connections. The MedExecWomen community is now thriving, providing an invaluable peer network at the most senior levels and promoting greater representation of executive women in leadership and board roles. That work supports a lasting shift: when medtech leadership reflects the industry it serves, healthcare improves for all. Maria’s perspective is grounded in a 20+ year career across some of the industry's most influential companies — Philips, Covidien (Medtronic Minimally Invasive Therapies Group), Boston Scientific, and C. R. Bard GmbH (BD) — where she built a reputation for sharp strategic vision, marketing insight, and disciplined execution. Today she also serves as a corporate board director and remains a committed advocate for women in medtech, having spent years co-chairing the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association's Corporate Relations Committee and working for medical device, diagnostic and digital health client companies. Her advice for aspiring leaders? • Keep learning. Understand your broader organization and market dynamics -- and master reimbursement, which often determines whether a medical technology survives. • Hire leaders and doers, then delegate for real -- including decisions you'd make differently -- with clear guardrails, metrics, and dates. • Be fully present and own the outcomes. Once you're in the room, make it your job to pull others in, and always read the room. • Build your tribe. Form real working relationships with the best people inside your company and across the industry. • Ask directly -- for the promotion, the project, the raise. Apply when you meet 70% of the qualifications, and don't count yourself out over gaps that are often self-imposed. Outside of work, Maria and her husband travel globally to learn about new and old cultures, and enjoy time with family at their DownEast Maine cottage. Thank you, Maria, for the vision and persistence behind MedExecWomen. Which piece of Maria's advice lands most for you? Tell us in the comments. #MedTech #WomenInLeadership #ExecutiveWomen #MedExecWomen #BusinessStrategy

#MedExecWomen 2026 highlight: Executive Interview with Heather Knight, Chief Commercial Officer at Solventum, interviewed by Karen Zaderej, Board Chair of MedExecWomen. The discussion covered leadership, mentorship, innovation, authenticity, and what it takes to grow through different stages of a career. Heather shared thoughtful insights on servant leadership, building strong teams, leading through high pressure moments, and staying focused on solving real problems for patients and customers. One theme came through consistently throughout the conversation: impactful leadership is built through curiosity, resilience, authenticity, and a willingness to keep learning. #MedTech #WomenInMedTech #LeadershipDevelopment

The energy in the room during the #MedExecWomen Pitch Showcase was incredible! From assistive robotics for the DeafBlind community, to bladder cancer detection, breakthrough MRI contrast agents, and ingestible microbiome sampling capsules, each founder brought a different perspective on where healthcare is heading next. Thank you to our featured companies: Tatum Robotics, Samantha Johnson, Founder & CEO Cellens Inc, Phuong Jean Pham, Co-Founder & CEO Microvitality, Zoe Watson, Co-Founder & CEO Reveal Pharmaceuticals, Vera Hoffman, CEO and our 2026 winner! 🏆 Thank you as well to moderator Elizabeth Graham, Chief Operating Officer at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, and our judges Susana Amorim Lopes of Gilde Healthcare, Jenny Barba of Features Capital, and Neha Begwani of Morgan Stanley for leading such a thoughtful discussion around innovation, investment, and the future of medtech. One of the most exciting parts of MedExecWomen is creating space for emerging companies and leaders to share ideas, make connections, and move healthcare forward together. #MedTech #DigitalHealth #HealthcareInnovation #WomenInMedTech

Our afternoon keynote at #MedExecWomen2026 will feature a leader dedicated to amplifying the voices of smaller medtech companies in the conversations shaping our industry. We're thrilled to welcome DeChane Dorsey, Executive Director of AdvaMed Accel. She represents the small companies that make up 70% of AdvaMed's membership. These are founders and innovators navigating the path from clearance to commercialization within real capital constraints. Hear from DeChane on new government programs working to dismantle industry barriers, as well as the geopolitical shifts every medtech leader should be tracking. It’s a fitting session leading into our 2026 Pitch Showcase and the four rising medtech companies taking the stage. Don’t miss it. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eMNHyYwS May 12 | Westin Boston Seaport #MedTech #Innovation #MedExecWomen

Announcing our #MedExecWomen2026 Executive Interview! We can't wait to welcome Heather Knight, CCO at Solventum, to the stage for a candid conversation on her career journey and what it takes to lead at the highest levels of medtech. With 30+ years spanning Baxter, Medtronic, Covidien, Tyco Healthcare, and Kendall — across commercial, R&D, supply chain, and global operations — Heather has seen our industry from every angle. She brings both depth and authenticity that will make this session a highlight of the day. Have you registered yet? Don't miss the Executive Interview and a full day of strategy and connection built around the theme: Powering Progress: Leading with Impact & Agility in Connected Healthcare. Join us on May 12 at the Westin Boston Seaport: https://lnkd.in/eMNHyYwS #MedExecWomen #MedExecWomen2026 #MedTech #WomenInLeadership

The next phase of medtech will be defined by how well we connect what has traditionally been separate. As Dr. Jessica Mega shares, the opportunity ahead is not just about advancing individual technologies, but about bringing them together in ways that make care more cohesive. “The future of medtech leadership is connecting the dots. Devices, digital tools, medicine…the more we can connect the dots and make medicine less fragmented, the better off our patients will be.” Join us in Boston on May 12, 2026 to hear Dr. Jessica Mega speak on the future of connected medtech leadership. Register at https://lnkd.in/eMNHyYwS #MedExecWomen #MedTechLeadership #WomenInMedTech #HealthcareInnovation #ConnectedHealthcare #ExecutiveLeadership