International Women’s Day was earlier this month (8th March), and while we took the opportunity to celebrate the women of Fresenius Medical Care UK & Ireland, we believe this shouldn’t be limited to one day.
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, Marie swiftly had to pack up her departmental office and send her team to work from home. Marie is extremely proud of the resilience of her team and the wider company. “I couldn’t feel prouder in the way that Fresenius Medical Care has reacted to the pandemic, always putting patients and employees first. All decisions have been made with integrity and compassion.”
The pandemic has also given way to positive changes within the business, with Marie highlighting the continuing support to all employees’ work-life balance, bringing in measures to support all employees irrespective of gender, role, tenure, and 24-hour access to Fresenius Medical Care’s health and wellbeing service.
As a woman who had a “lockdown baby”, and a mother with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and therefore clinically extremely vulnerable to COVID19, Marie had her personal challenges too. She, however, has been greatly impressed at the way in which the company supported her, which in turn gave her the ability to lead her team in the most efficient way possible.
The unfortunate reality is, that a woman of Marie’s seniority in healthcare is hard to come by, but at Fresenius Medical Care the board is split 50:50. “Provided you have the right values, the right aptitude, the ability to, you can build your career within the organisation. Opportunities are there for all. We are a meritocracy.”
There is, however, always room for improvement. Marie still sees issues societally with giving women the same access to opportunities and decision-making power. “To change this, we all need to take accountability for giving women the opportunities and education to reach their full potential, empowering them to contribute.”
Two of Marie’s healthcare heroines, Rosalind Franklin and Henrietta Lacks, were instrumental in advancing the medical research and knowledge that impacts everyone around the world and were not recognised for their contribution at the time. Whilst they were not duly credited at the time, they are now, and although women still have a long way to go, it’s imperative that we take the time to celebrate their success.