At Radiometer, leadership is about more than just managing teams—it’s about making a meaningful impact on our associates and the customers we serve. Eduardo Marin, Regional Director of Human Resources for the Americas, embodies this philosophy through his dedication and personal experiences. Here’s a glimpse into Eduardo’s inspiring journey and the larger impact Radiometer is making in the healthcare industry.
A Personal Connection to Radiometer’s Mission
“My name is Eduardo Marin, and I’m the Regional Director of Human Resources for the Americas Region at Radiometer. I take great pride in my work, as it allows me to make a difference in the lives of Radiometer associates and customers. Let me tell you a bit about why my work is so meaningful to me.”
Eduardo’s commitment to Radiometer goes beyond his professional responsibilities. A few years ago, he and his wife welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. However, soon after, they were faced with the challenging reality of their baby spending several weeks in the NICU due to premature birth. During this difficult time, Eduardo witnessed firsthand how Radiometer products played a crucial role in acute care diagnostics. Radiometer transcutaneous monitors provided vital information about his daughter’s oxygen levels and breathing patterns, offering his family much-needed peace of mind.
“This experience had a profound impact on me and made me realize the importance of the work that we do at Radiometer. In my role, I’m responsible for developing strategies that attract, hire, develop, and engage our fantastic associates. Building strong teams, seeing our team members grow, and partnering with diverse associates helps us achieve our goals and provide the best possible products and services to our customers and patients.”
Building Strong Teams and Supporting Growth
Eduardo’s role involves creating strategies that not only attract and hire top talent but also foster the growth and development of our associates. By building strong, diverse teams, Eduardo ensures that Radiometer continues to deliver exceptional products and services. His dedication to employee engagement and development is key to maintaining our high standards and achieving our mission.
“For me, my purpose working at Radiometer is more than just a job – it’s about giving patients and their families comfort and confidence that our products help healthcare professionals make the best medical decisions. I’m grateful for the opportunity to make a positive impact on people’s lives, and it’s what keeps me motivated to do my job every day.”
A Mission-Driven Career
Eduardo’s story is a powerful reminder of why Radiometer exists: to improve patient care through innovative healthcare solutions. His personal experience in the NICU reinforced the critical role that our products play in helping save lives and providing peace of mind to families during their most vulnerable moments.
Radiometer’s commitment to excellence is driven by leaders like Eduardo, who bring both professional expertise and personal passion to their roles. His journey highlights the profound impact that dedicated individuals can have within our organization and the broader healthcare community.
When Noreen Karim started at Integrated DNA Technologies in January 2023, she began a journey of impact and collaboration, using her STEM skills to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Noreen continues to gain new skills with the Danaher Business System (DBS) of continuous improvement.
We met Noreen to discuss her experience and her dreams for the future.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your role.
I grew up in a small village in the northwestern Pakistan called Malakand. I received my Ph.D. in Medical Genetics in Pakistan where I worked to unveil the genetic causes underlying inherited skin diseases. After completion of my PhD in 2019, I came to the United States for a postdoc to join Dr. Robert Rice’s lab at UC Davis in Environmental Toxicology where I worked on multiple projects of genetic and proteomic nature.
I joined Integrated DNA Technologies, IDT, last year in January as a Research Scientist III. The work IDT does resonates with me because number one, my career has been centered around DNA and protein analysis. And number two, this is just something that clicked with me most of the time. The sheer molecular scale of genetic material fascinates me, especially considering its profound impact on life. And so, I am in it to pursue a long-term career in molecular biology and genome technologies.
What does your day-to-day look like?
I was hired for a project related to making a kit that would make it easier to detect or sequence cancer-causing mutations. It was put on hold based on a business decision, but since then, I’ve worked on several other projects. Lately, I’m involved in a project aimed at developing CE-IVD approved products for the detection of diseases.
There are two categories of products — RUO or research-use-only products, that are used solely for laboratory research purposes and CE-IVD or products approved for invitro diagnostic uses can be used in clinical labs. The latter category products undergo rigorous testing and validations to meet regulatory requirements.
It is very exciting to be part of a product development process that has a positive impact on real people’s health and lives.
I am a Research Scientist, so I work in research, development and innovation. My day-to-day work includes designing and executing experiments to answer questions about the product ideas that we are working towards. It also entails data analysis and interpretation to draw conclusions, troubleshooting any roadblocks, as well as presentation and report writing. My day-to-day depends on where we are in the product roadmap.
For example, for this CE-IVD project, I need to ask myself, “What data do we need to fulfill the regulatory standards? What are the experiments we will need to obtain the data? What are the documents that we need to have completed?”
What are some of your most memorable moments over the year you’ve worked with IDT?
I worked in what IDT calls “sandbox projects” — projects that are not on the company’s project list but we test different ideas that can someday be developed into a product/project. I worked on a sandbox project related to cDNA synthesis.
We had an inhouse developed reverse transcriptase enzyme at IDT. My team and I developed the buffers and identified the optimal chemical and physical conditions for that enzyme. Now, that enzyme and the buffers can be used to make RNA from very minuscule quantities, down to the picogram scale. It was exciting to see something developed so well in such a short time.
I actually presented that work as a poster presentation at the last general meeting of Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) in Florida and . I got very good feedback on that from the attendees.
Can you talk us through what your career journey has looked like as a woman in STEM? Do you have any advice for women starting their own STEM careers?
As I mentioned, I’m from the northwestern part of Pakistan. In that area, there was a lot of resistance to women’s education at the time. During my undergrad, there were times when our university would be closed for months at a time because of threats coming from the Taliban. That was one of the things that impacted me, or rather, weighed on my mind. I was constantly reminding myself, “I have to move forward. I have to resist this resistance.” That was something that kept me progressing.
I believe that people should follow their passion, whatever resonates with them, be it STEM or any other field. We spend most of our waking hours doing our work. Therefore we should pursue what brings joy to us. I think one will be more productive at what one genuinely enjoys.
Can you tell us anything else about your experience working at IDT?
Working at IDT is my first industry job.
IDT has provided me with a valuable glimpse into the industry environment. As someone who previously used these products, I now see them from the developer’s perspective. In my past year with IDT, I learned how products are meticulously planned and developed, I observed significantly larger teams collaborating towards shared goals, and understood a bit more of how companies grow and progress.
Lately, I’m delving a lot into the DBS tools, or the Danaher Business System tools. I did a Kaizen and a PSP this year, and I really am looking forward to employing the DBS tools in my work. What appeals to me is how systematically structured these tools are – they can be applied to both small-scale and large-scale challenges. Take the Problem Solving Process (PSP) tool, for example, while it may seem very basic, its structured approach allows it to be employed across diverse scenarios, taking you to the core of issues and their solutions. I think DBS tools are a good way of gaining leadership skills allowing one to be more productive and efficient at work.
Why do you think other people in genomics would enjoy a job at IDT or any other Danaher company?
Everyone who has worked in molecular biology knows IDT for their oligos (oligonucleotides). If you talk about IDT to anyone, they’ll be like, “Oh, the oligo company.” It was the same for me. I worked with IDT products throughout my career so much that when I saw there was an opening and I got the offer, I was very excited.
Another exciting feature of IDT is the cutting-edge nature of the field and therefore, our products. To give you some background, in next generation sequencing there is pre-sequencing, sequencing and post-sequencing areas. Pre-sequencing is when the DNA/RNA samples are prepared for sequencing, and post-sequencing is when the sequencing data is crunched, analyzed and interpreted. IDT works ion the pre-sequencing area making kits for sample preparation for next-generation sequencing. We are working on continuously improving the NGS track by simplifying the sample processing and driving to obtain more in-depth information from as little sample as possible. It’s a very advanced field positioned at the very forefront.
The other thing I like about IDT is its collaborative environment. Because my experience before IDT was in the post-sequencing area, it was a switch for me. The collaborative environment of IDT made it much easier. for me to learn and be productive ASAP.
Lastly, being a part of Danaher, we have access to all the DBS tools and processes which is a great way of growing and developing one’s career.
What does the future hold for you and your career?
I do not see myself being confined to the lab forever. I definitely want to learn more about organizational structures and business strategies. I like looking at the bigger perspective, which I think is very important for even somebody who’s working in the lab.
If you could give potential candidates considering a role at IDT any information or advice, what would you share with them?
I find myself very fortunate to have landed at IDT. I would circle back to what I said earlier about the cutting-edge nature of our work, the collaborative environment of IDT and Danaher, and the impact our work has on the world of genetics and on the health of people’s lives. We are also in the Bay area, which is the hub of biotech giving us the opportunity to be more aware of what’s happening in the field. It’s these things that are important for career and professional growth.
Find Your Next Step at Danaher
At Danaher, we believe in giving people the skills they need to innovate. With us, you can pioneer groundbreaking innovations and see the difference you make in people’s lives. As an industry leader in biotechnology and other fields, we help people build meaningful careers and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Why does Senior Sales Director Shwanna Tauriac compare Cepheid to a rocket ship? Because the company’s rapid growth has brought exciting changes—just the sort of challenge Shwanna was looking for in her career. In this interview, Shwanna reflects on her path to Danaher, why an open approach to leadership is best, and the bumpy but exciting road ahead.
What’s your role on the Cepheid team?
I’m the Senior Director of National Accounts. My sales team consists of seven people managing the largest Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) in the U.S., including government, Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs), and National Reference Labs.
Cepheid is growing so rapidly that in addition to coaching the team to secure business and all that fun stuff, I also help to build and improve internal processes. As a manager, my job is to move the ball forward by helping people with suggestions and coaching. For example, if I want my team to reach out to CEOs, I give them the right tools to empower them to feel comfortable speaking with that type of customer.
Also, during this time of COVID, I often worked with the teams to help when customers are upset about their allocations or other issues. The customers all want things yesterday, but we only have control of what we can control. It has really been both challenging and rewarding—for myself and my team—to have those tough discussions while still maintaining relationships with the customers.
Tell us about your journey to Cepheid.
I am a microbiologist by degree. I’ve always been a science and math geek; it just came naturally to me. And I’ve always been a people person. I come from southern Louisiana, where people are warm, friendly, and full of sunshine. But when I graduated and went to work in a lab, everybody was an introvert. I was like, “Yeah, my bacteria don’t talk back. I’ve got to do something different.” So I started a sales position with VWR International and learned about distribution.
But my career really grew when I began as a sales consultant at Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD). Sales was a great marriage between my technical abilities and my personality. At BD, they identified my potential early on—especially my talent with strategic accounts and maintaining high-level relationships—so I went through a leadership development program and eventually got management and capital sales experience.
When the opportunity at Cepheid presented itself, I honestly wasn’t looking. It just seemed like such a great chance to join a high-growth company that felt like a rocket ship. Because Cepheid is growing so rapidly, there are a lot of things that still need to be worked on here. It’s an opportunity to take my experiences from all the divisions and companies I’ve worked for and build a national strategic account team.
My first role at Cepheid was as a Regional Director of strategic accounts. This role gave me the opportunity to learn the organization, the people, where they were, what we needed to work toward. I felt comfortable enough to articulate my desire for growth to my manager and the coaches around me, and we made a plan. Within 12 months I was promoted to a senior director.
And if I ever outgrow Cepheid, I know there will always be other positions within Danaher I could go to and still stay in the family. That sense of family is important to me.
Tell us a little bit more about your leadership philosophy.
As they say, “My hustle game is strong.” If you tell me, “Hey, I need your help out here,” I’m going to be with you. I think people respect when they see that you work really hard. I try to be the best advocate I can for my team.
Communication is important, and so is being as open to learning from others as they are to learning from me. For example, we recently reorganized the strategic account teams, and there was a gentleman on my team who filled in during the transition. His style of working with customers wasn’t what I would have done, but his approach has proven to be successful. That was totally exciting for me to see and to learn from.
I know I have my own unique way of selling and doing my job, and I believe in that type of autonomy because I think it brings creativity. My way isn’t always the right way, but if we all get where we’re trying to go, I’m all good.
What’s challenging about your job?
Change management is probably the most challenging part of my job. Cepheid was a startup that allowed for a lot of flexibility. Now that the organization is growing and becoming more of a corporate entity, a lot is changing. For example, executive-level leadership doesn’t have time to work on every single deal anymore, and you can’t go to them whenever you want. We have a chain of command, and we’ve had to develop new approval levels and systems to accommodate this shift. Adapting to these new processes has been challenging, but we are making it through!
As a manager, I try to help my team with the changes by having open conversations. I believe people should be happy. We spend a lot of our waking hours at work; we should be happy there. And at the end of the day, if someone isn’t happy, they’re not going to give their best. We both have to be all-in for this to work.
Also, as we change, we’re developing better processes and systems to accommodate our growth. It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting, too. I appreciate the fact that we’re building the plane while we’re flying because I get to be creative. When I interview candidates, I like to be up-front and honest. I don’t want to waste their time or mine putting on a front or a show. I want to be real. I’m like, “Hey, I need help building this plane, so if you’re in, let’s do it.”
Looking at the future for you and for Cepheid, what are you excited about?
Building strategic excellence—we don’t have that yet. It’s exciting to really build a program, to find teaching and learning opportunities for our teams, and ask, “How do we continue that process? How do we help them continue to develop?” I often say these types of things aren’t one-and-done. You constantly have to work toward them and learn more.
Part of building strategic excellence is choosing the right people. Strategic thinking requires you to not only look at today but five and 10 years down the road. The win in strategic accounts is building that relationship, not getting the PO. The POs will come.
Honestly, Cepheid is a great company. We have a great product, and we are really going places because innovation is a good part of our repertoire. Of course building processes comes with challenges and hurdles. But once we get there, it’s going to be fantastic. And the journey is great, too. People just have to want to be a part of the ride.
Interested in joining Shwanna and the rest of the Cepheid team? Check out open roles or join our talent community today.
From manufacturing oligonucleotides to keeping new product introduction teams aligned, to validating new facilities, to leading blue-sky innovations, Carla McDowell-Buchanan has worn an exceptional number of hats during her 14 years at Cepheid. Below, she explains the game-changing developments she’s helped launch; reflects on how both the company and its Bothell, Washington, location have evolved over the years; and shares her excitement about taking on new challenges—including as a leader.
What do you do at Cepheid?
I’m a principal scientist at our Bothell, Washington, location, which is the company’s main raw material reagent manufacturing site. There’s also an R&D component to our work that helps keep that pipeline going with new reagents, which expands our current technology capability.
My main focus is looking for opportunities to expand the value proposition of the Cepheid platform, and do everything we can to innovate first and stay ahead of the competition. I’m also now leading a team of scientists working on an innovation project involving new chemistries to enhance our tests for better use in point-of-care settings.
Tell us about your path to Cepheid—and since joining.
The work I did for my doctorate was a nice fit with what we do here. I studied electron transfer mechanisms in DNA repair resulting from the photoproducts formed in DNA, and much of that scientific understanding directly aligned with Cepheid’s molecular diagnostic technology. One of the first chemists to work here at Bothell was also a postdoc at the University of Washington, where I went to school, and they initially brought me in for a temporary position, covering someone’s summer vacation. They liked what I was able to contribute, and in 2007, I was hired full-time in oligonucleotide manufacturing.
Cepheid was much smaller then, but we were going through what at the time was a huge growth period for us, and I was able to scale up and improve some different processes so we could synthesize higher quality oligonucleotides at a larger scale. After about a year and a half, the Bothell site was getting large enough that we also needed to start establishing more formal processes for design control and product transfer, and I took the lead on developing those departments. That gave me some expertise in validating chemical reagents, oligonucleotides, and qualifying instrumentation—which then led to a role as a technical liaison, where I was part of the core teams not only here but also at Cepheid’s locations in Sweden and Sunnyvale, California. I helped keep everyone in sync on new products required to be transferred to manufacturing.
From there, my responsibilities became multi-layered—for about five years I managed Product Transfer, Program Management, and worked as site liaison for new product introductions. As our real estate in Bothell grew, we needed someone to handle facility validation—things like HVAC systems, above-ground waste tanks, and moving chemistry and oligo manufacturing, where you have to decommission and then re-qualify all the instruments. I wasn’t an engineer, but I’d learned a lot about validation protocols and systems, so I worked on those efforts for about a year and a half. We were also able to make some changes like adding large-volume solvent delivery systems. Then I moved into doing innovation, where I am now.
That’s a lot of different projects! Were you “tapped on the shoulder” most of the time, or were the moves your idea?
I’d say it’s mostly been me raising my hand—recognizing a gap and trying to put something in place to alleviate the pain points. But part of that comes from listening to the vision of our leaders. My first innovation project was sparked by a presentation from our former CEO, John Bishop. I remember he had this slide of our GeneXpert® Infinity-80 system, with DNA, RNA, cells, and proteins all run on that same device. I’d worked with proteins before I came here, and I thought, “I wonder if there’s some way to integrate protein detection on top of the nucleic acid?”
My prototype that involved detection of different types of biomarkers that took about three years for a proof-of-principle prototype. [Editor’s note: This achievement earned Carla the Excellence in Innovation Award from Danaher, Cepheid’s parent organization, in 2020.]
How would you describe this current moment, for Cepheid in general and the Bothell site specifically?
Compared to a few years ago, I do see a difference in our culture—especially here at the Bothell site. Back when I was the technical liaison between the three locations, this site was so much smaller, and it was more like a startup. It was really Sweden and Sunnyvale that had the oversight and regulatory processes in place to get their outputs onto shelves and into clinicians’ hands. At our size, and with our R&D mindset, adding those layers of accountability—things like specification settings and addressing nonconformances—was a challenge.
But we’ve grown. And I think today, people are much more willing to speak up in a meeting and share a new idea, rather than working on it in the background until they find something that works. Maybe your idea doesn’t end up being the one we use, or maybe it’s combined with something else. But you definitely have a safe space to talk about it and contribute.
At the Cepheid level, I think what we’re seeing now—especially since joining Danaher in 2016—is a real commitment to stay ahead of disruptive technology in our space. That’s important, because it’s what will allow us to stay relevant and realize the potential of all these ideas we have to help patients by developing new instruments, chemical reagents, and detection modalities. Cepheid has earned a lot of respect globally on the quality of our diagnostic tests, and we aren’t willing to bend on that. But our leaders are very focused on making sure innovation is happening, and they carve out the resources and opportunities for our scientists to think creatively and come up with better solutions.
What are you looking forward to right now?
At the moment, I’m so immersed in getting over a technical hurdle related to the current innovation project that it’s all I can think about! But I am pretty excited to someday see this project go from the blue-sky phase we’re in now all the way through to advancement in a technology that the company can use. My director has a strong background in the assay development space we are interested in, so he understands what we’re doing and he’s very supportive. He’s also exposing me to the higher-level aspects of the projects I’m working on—I sit on the steering committee, for example. Even at this phase, there is some level of structure moving the project forward, and with that comes a commitment from leadership to give us what we need to realize the vision. I started out working on it solo, but I’ve since been able to grow the scientific team to five. If we can eventually see all that work turn into something patients can use, that will be very rewarding.
I’m also looking forward to growing my leadership skills, now that I have the opportunity to manage multiple scientists and especially because we’re working across two different locations. I’m learning how to keep communication going and make sure people are engaged, feel valued, and know that they’re part of a team. I’m trying to do for them what my director does for me—if there’s a roadblock, I figure out what I can do to remove it. I do gravitate toward the early, pre-concept work I’ve done as a bench scientist. It intrigues me and feeds my curiosity. But I feel like I’m also gaining a new appreciation for being a leader.
Interested in joining Carla and the rest of the Cepheid team? Check out open roles or join the Danaher talent community today.
For Strategic Account Executive Eric Eckton, working at Cepheid is a chance to combine his passions for sales and science—and help not only customers and their patients, but his colleagues. Below, he explains the path that led him to the company and how he’s grown since, reflects on the recent wins and challenges in his role, and shares what he’s excited about in Cepheid’s future—and his future career.
What do you do at Cepheid?
My title is strategic account executive, which for me basically means laying out what we want to accomplish for our customers and then working with our local teams to help execute that strategy. I’m focused primarily on several large health systems in the Southeast U.S., talking with executives and medical directors about how our tests can help them treat patients more effectively and efficiently. Right now, most of those conversations are about our PCR test for COVID-19; there’s still a lot of need, and our product is the fastest and most accurate one on the market. But Cepheid also provides close to two dozen other critical tests, for everything from strep A to STDs.
Internally, I like to say my role allows me to “lead without authority,” meaning I do a lot of coaching and mentoring, but I don’t deal with things like expenses and performance reviews that come with having direct reports.
I also get to help out people I usually don’t work with directly—if a sales rep in a different area is facing a tricky situation, they might come to me for some advice on how to handle it.
Tell us about your background before joining the team—and your path since.
I think I was always a salesperson at heart, but I was also interested in science. In college, I actually started out planning to be a physical therapist, which gave me a background in biology, chemistry, anatomy, and physiology. But ultimately, I decided that wasn’t a good fit for me, and after graduation I started working in marketing for a sports broadcasting company and bartending on the side. One of my customers at the bar happened to lead a company that did transcription and dictation services for hospitals, and he encouraged me to apply for a sales job.
After that, I spent some time selling to veterinary labs, and then I moved into the diagnostics space—including at a company called LABSCO, which at the time was Cepheid’s exclusive distributor. So I actually sold Cepheid products even before I worked here. I was impressed by the difference Cepheid’s use of the PCR method makes in patient care, and after a few years, I had the chance to join the team. I started out as an instrument specialist, which is essentially a subject matter expert who supports sales reps, and over the course of a couple years, I went from working with 3 reps to 12. Then in 2019, I was tapped on the shoulder for this new position, where I’m focused on the decisions being made at the health-system level.
How and from whom do you learn?
One thing that’s great about Cepheid is there’s a true team approach to selling—and we have an amazing team. We have territory executives and field application specialists that really understand the intricacies of testing, and I’ve learned a lot from working with them. Before a presentation, it isn’t uncommon to have people in half a dozen different roles get on a call together to share what we know and discuss together how we can best help the customer.
I also learn a lot from our customers themselves. We have a saying in the lab industry: “If you’ve seen one lab, then you’ve seen one lab.” Each one really is run differently—with COVID-19, for example, every health system has its own protocol for testing. So it’s important to do what we at Danaher call “going to Gemba,” which in Japanese roughly means going to “the place where work is done.”
Talking to customers is really the best way to learn what they’re doing day-to-day, and to understand how we can help.
Can you share an example of a win?
A recent win that comes to mind was helping a customer dramatically reduce their turnaround time for COVID tests. It’s so critical to get results as quickly as possible—if a patient comes to a freestanding ER with respiratory symptoms, for example, knowing whether they have COVID-19 or another condition can change how they’re transported to the main hospital. But the time required to run the actual test itself often isn’t the only factor; in this case, for example, the health system was using a courier to move samples from all of their locations to the main hospital. We were able to not only move them to a faster, more automated solution but also help them decentralize and set up products in each location, much closer to the patients. Now people can get results within 45 minutes, which has been invaluable.
What’s challenging about your job?
COVID-19 created a lot of challenges. For us in sales, being remote was a big adjustment. Body language and other nonverbal cues are so important, and they’re hard to read when everyone’s on Zoom. We learned to pause more between questions and make sure to give people plenty of time to think. But in some ways, going remote has also opened up communication. There are customers I might have struggled to get in-person time with before, but meeting virtually was easier—and now we’re on texting terms. Some things, like presentations that involve a large group, might always be easier in person. But since we’re starting to do some limited travel again, we can prioritize those.
Another big COVID-related challenge was the high demand. It takes a lot to manufacture those little cartridges, and of course everyone wanted them—as well as our other tests, which are also very valuable. So we’ve had to make hard decisions about resource allocation.
But one thing I really like about Cepheid is that our leaders genuinely want to hear what the customers are experiencing, and we’re encouraged to share that feedback. Just recently, for example, we had slowed production of a non-COVID-19 test, but our customers asked to get it more quickly. So we pivoted to pump up inventory levels and make sure we’re meeting their needs.
Tell us about your involvement with Cepheid’s associate resource groups.
I first got involved in the LatinX + Friends ARG. I’m a first-generation American—my mom was from Mexico—and I was raised in the Latin community and culture.
But before Cepheid, I never really embraced that at work and at times, had even been told I was too high-energy or too emotional. By the time I started here, I sort of hid that part of myself away. Then I got an email about the ARG, and I decided to join the call and just observe. The stories other associates shared really resonated with me, and as I got to share my own experiences—including with Cepheid’s leaders—I started to feel more comfortable being my authentic self.
Working here has helped me better understand other underrepresented groups, too. Not many weeks go by without at least getting an email that highlights someone’s experience, and I’ve been able to participate in other ARGs like Black + Friends, as well. I really appreciate that diversity is a focus, because if everyone is thinking and talking the same, how can we really grow? We still have a long way to go, especially in terms of diversity in leadership. But from the top levels of the company, I think there is a genuine understanding and interest in having those conversations. That’s very refreshing.
What are you looking forward to right now—for Cepheid in general, and for your own career?
For Cepheid, it feels like the sky’s the limit. Our growth has allowed us to make huge investments in our testing—both expanding our portfolio and also improving the efficiency of our existing products. It’s also meant we need to keep building the plane while we’re flying it; in one division, for example, we’re more than doubling our sales force right now.
And for individual associates, myself included, growth comes with a lot of opportunities to develop and do more. Right now, I’m heading a “competitive intel” team that’s looking at what it takes to win within health systems, and I’m part of various leadership development programs. For one program, I was recently paired with a mentor who’s several levels above me, and he’s been helping me think beyond my comfort zone. I’ll tell him that in the next year or so I want to manage my own team, and he’ll ask, “Okay, and what do you want to do five years from now?” He’s also worked in various departments, including Marketing and Operations, so he’s helping me think beyond sales, too, and realize that seemingly different roles can have a lot in common. So much of it comes down to good communication. It’s been great, because he really understands and cares about what our customers are thinking—and what I’m thinking, too.
Interested in joining Eric and the rest of the Cepheid team? Check out open roles or join our talent community today.
After spending most of his career on the bench leading R&D projects, Gerardo Gutierrez initially wasn’t sure about switching to sales. But at Cytiva, he’s realized R&D and sales have more in common than he imagined—and it all comes back to helping patients. Gerardo reflects on joining the company during COVID-19, shares his experience in Danaher’s LatinX + Friends Associate Resource Group (ARG), and explains what he’s working on going forward.
First, what do you do at Cytiva?
I’m a sales specialist for our Biacore instruments, which means I support our customers—researchers at universities and biotech and pharmaceutical companies—who use our technology to develop new therapies. Biacore machines allow them to study the interactions between molecules in real time. If they want to test a new drug, for example, they can see exactly where, and for how long, antibodies stay bonded to a specific protein. A group of scientists that helped develop one of the COVID-19 vaccines last year used our instruments to verify parts of the virus and characterize its binding territories.
It’s my job to talk with customers about the experiments they want to do, then use my knowledge on Biacore and the science behind it to advise them on which option will give them the best results. Essentially, I get to help scientists solve problems so they can help their patients. That’s my passion, and I’m so thankful I get to be part of work that matters.
So I knew it was a great company and a great product. But when the opportunity to join came up, I was still a little worried at first; I’d spent 12 years on the bench, and I wasn’t sure if sales was the right move for me. Then I started having informational interviews with some of the managers, and I realized how similar the work was to what I’d done at UGA, when I was designing experiments. You talk with researchers to understand their needs and their short- and long-term plans, and then you partner with them to help them succeed.
What’s challenging about your job?
Right now, because of COVID-19, we can’t meet face-to-face with our customers. But I think that’s a challenge we’ve been able to turn into some great opportunities. For one thing, I cover a lot of territory, and I can reach more customers remotely than I can in person. And when I schedule calls, I try to get the whole team together—the account manager, the application scientists, the field engineer, and me. That way we can all meet the customer at the same time and answer any questions they have right away. We call it “showing Cytiva muscle”! I think it’s helped customers be confident in our team and the products we offer.
What’s the culture like on your team?
I first joined in August 2020, so I’ve been working from home so far—and I’d always wondered how that would work in terms of getting to know your colleagues. But we have so many tools we can use to communicate, I actually feel very close to my team. Once a week, we get on a call and go outside—you can walk, garden, whatever you want to do—and just chat about anything except work. One of my teammates was growing chili peppers, so I gave him a recipe. Little things like that really bring us together, even though we’re all remote.
Tell us about getting involved in Danaher’s LatinX + Friends Associate Resource Group.
I’d never had the chance to join a group like this before, so when I first heard about it I thought, “Well, let’s see what I can learn.” And it’s been great. We’ve had events like salsa lessons, which I never expected at work. But the ARG is also a place to share our struggles and successes—and our ideas. We help each other with our personal growth plans, which is something everyone at Danaher updates with their manager every six months. Being new to the team, it’s been so helpful seeing how others develop and present their plans.
The ARG has also given us an opportunity to share our culture, costumes, and language with other associates—and to know that’s appreciated here. A lot of companies have mission statements around inclusion, but at Danaher and Cytiva it’s not just words. You see it in action. English isn’t my first language and I have an accent, so I’ve sometimes felt shy. But I’ve realized that people on my team are truly interested. They want to hear about how to prepare a certain dish or pronounce a certain word. That gives me more confidence and makes me feel like I belong.
Plus, everything is so global now, it’s more important than ever for all of us to learn about different backgrounds. Diversity is something we should be proud of and be talking about on a daily basis. It helps everybody.
What’s next for you?
There are so many opportunities to grow. It’s hard to keep up! Not only within Cytiva, but throughout Danaher. One thing I appreciate about working here, though, is that it’s not just the classes you can take and the tools you can learn. It’s the guidance you get. It’s kind of the best of both worlds—I feel a little like an entrepreneur in my job, because I’m in charge of my own business and territory. And I’m in charge of how I want to develop my career, too. But I also have so many people who are there to help.
I’ve been interested in marketing, for example; I like the idea of reaching people who aren’t yet aware of our technology but could really be helped by it. So I shared that with my manager, and within a couple of days she suggested a class I could take and put me in touch with some people I could learn from. I feel like whatever I decide to do, I’ll have people supporting me and pointing me in the right direction.
Interested in joining Gerardo and the rest of the Danaher team? Check out open roles or join our talent community today.
The collective talent of our people propels Danaher’s success. Your talent is our most essential resource, and it’s also your greatest opportunity—which is why we are so intentional about developing it. From the moment our associates arrive at Danaher, they are surrounded by supportive colleagues and encouraged to take advantage of learning and development resources that will hone the skills they bring to the table and challenge them to discover new strengths. From the Danaher Business System to leadership training to proven growth tracks, our L&D programs ensure that whatever your career dreams, we can help you achieve them. The stories in this series will show you how.
Michelle Gao, Director of Talent Development
From day one at Danaher, I’ve been asked, “Hey, Michelle, do you have a thought on this?” At the beginning, I’d say, “Nope, just listening. I’m fine.” But then, at some point, I realized I had become someone who was able to say, “You know what? Yes, I do have an opinion here. Based on my experience, I think we need to consider this.”
In my eight years with Danaher, I’ve learned firsthand that stretching outside your comfort zone leads to growth, and this learning has become a vital part of my approach to developing leaders. At Danaher, it’s easy to find the stretch. There are always new things to explore—Danaher Business System (DBS) tools, an Operating Company (OpCo) in an industry you know nothing about, or dreaming up ways to make things better. And the culture encourages everyone to chime in, just as I learned to do.
My progression through Danaher has been a balance of staying open-minded to new experiences and sticking to my passions. I joined Danaher straight out of my Human Resources and Industrial Relations graduate program, which I completed after earning an undergraduate degree in Accounting, both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
During this time, I discovered how much I love leadership development through working with the University Leadership Counseling centers. I knew that I had found my passion, and ultimately what I wanted to drive my career towards. However, in my first role at Danaher, I was placed in a compensation role. It made sense with my accounting background, but I fully expected to hate it. I soon realized that compensation is about a lot more than just how much people are paid, and it’s equal parts art and science. Danaher invested in me by sending me to compensation courses to learn the fundamentals of total rewards and job classification—knowledge that has served me in every subsequent role. I also started to understand Danaher’s scope and complexity, and how everything fits together.
My next role was as an HR business partner at Videojet—one of our OpCos in the Product Identification platform—supporting the vice presidents of Global Operations and Global Supply Chain. It still wasn’t where I thought I wanted to be, but I ended up falling in love with the role and the work. Being at Videojet taught me what it is to truly partner with your client groups to move a strategy forward, and how to trust my fellow HR colleagues with my life. Then, in 2017, I moved to Danaher Corporate, where I’ve had roles of increasing responsibility in Leadership Development and Learning. I was promoted last November to lead the team focusing on executive Leadership Development programs.
Throughout the years and across all of these roles, I’ve had amazing leaders who gave me the space to grow through development opportunities. They helped me find the balance between trying something new and narrowing in on where my passion lies. They’ve given me the chance to stretch beyond what I thought I was ready for by trusting me, letting me stumble, giving me the feedback I needed, and always having my back. Recently, I was asked to act as the project manager on a strategy development process that brought together the Danaher Business System Office and the Corporate Talent Management team. Talk about high-stakes work, and unprecedented visibility—both to our most senior leaders and to the direction of the company! I spent all four months of this project second-guessing myself as I tried my best to get it done.
The thing is, if you’re doing it right, development is not always fun and can often feel like an uncomfortable stretch. When you have an assignment that takes you out of your comfort zone, there can be a lot of insecurity that comes with it. It can also be pretty emotional to be introspective and reflect on your personal derailers that affect the way you lead or contribute to a team. But without these experiences and subsequent reflections, growth happens at a much slower pace.
The thing is, if you’re doing it right, development is not always fun and can often feel like an uncomfortable stretch.
Michelle Gao
I’ve grown my confidence at Danaher by giving it my all, having the right leaders advocate for me, learning our businesses and DBS, and saying yes when someone asked if I wanted to do more. I’ve also been a little lucky with being ready for the next right thing at the right time. Even though I have been willing to try something new, I have often gone in with a feeling of trepidation. But at every turn, I’ve had fun and learned more than I could have imagined. When I mentor interns and other associates now, my advice is to stay open to opportunity. You may have an idea of what you are passionate about, but there are other experiences you just haven’t encountered yet. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t change a thing about my own journey—it’s shaped me into who I am today and how I approach the work that I do.
Ready to take the next step towards growing your career? Explore our open jobs or join our talent community to get started!
STEM Recruiter Keithen Stallings springs out of bed every day at 4:30 a.m. Even with the early start, the East St. Louis, Illinois, native knows there aren’t enough hours in the day to help everyone he wants to support, but he’ll do his best with the time he has.
Stallings is energized by the potential of the next generation—the people he recruits for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) roles through Danaher’s University Recruiting program as well as those he mentors as Founder and President of The Access Foundation and as President of 100 Black Men of St. Louis. Whether he’s supporting underprivileged kids in STEM education or mentoring local adults, Stallings remains focused on reaching as many people as possible, driving inclusion in STEM, and maximizing his impact.
As Stallings puts it: “I believe that what people see is what they’ll be, so I try to be the best version of myself and inspire others to do the same.”
Charting a Course
Growing up in East St. Louis, Stallings attended a public school among poverty-stricken neighborhoods. While he had a lot of great teachers, there were many obstacles and a lack of resources in the schools and community. He credits his mom, a single parent who worked several jobs while raising three boys on her own, for his work ethic and leadership skills.
“When I was growing up, you really had to be intentional about the choices you made and the path you took. I needed to have a plan to graduate from high school, to go to college, and to do something better than what I’d seen around me. I was blessed to have my mom and older brother—two people who guided me in the right direction,” says Stallings.
After graduating from Illinois State University—the first in his family to earn a college degree—Stallings continued to chart a course for his future. He returned to his community to help others fulfill their own potential.
In 2017, Stallings’ sense of duty and passion for helping others inspired him to found The Access Foundation, a nonprofit organization committed to providing kids with access to education and STEM resources. Stallings draws on his own background to coach students from kindergarten through high school and into college. “A lot of these kids are in situations that they don’t know how to handle. They need encouragement to realize their potential,” he says. In 2019 alone, 1,200 kids participated in the Access Foundation’s leadership academies and other events.
Stallings is fueled by encouragement and gratitude from the students he mentors and their parents. “Sometimes I don’t realize the impact I’m having until I hear it from someone else,” Stallings says. Recently, a mentee texted Stallings about earning a 3.5 GPA. And the mother of a mentee, whom Stallings had mentored for five years, thanked him on Facebook; her son had just been awarded Mentee of the Year by the 100 Black Men of St. Louis, and Stallings had presented the honor himself. The mother shared that Stallings took her son to his first Rams game in 2014 and praised him for “showing up” when her son needed it most.
Colleagues at Danaher appreciate Stallings’ contributions and feel inspired by his dedication to making an impact. “As people leaders, we have a responsibility to create an environment where associates can bring their whole selves to work,” says Nicole Wormley, Director of Talent Branding and University Recruitment. “Keithen’s commitment to St. Louis is a part of who he is. I’m so proud of his accomplishments for Danaher, and I’m equally proud of the many ways he contributes to his community.”
An Opportunity for Impact
Stallings has worked as a university recruiter for nearly two decades—and when he saw the chance to lead STEM recruitment at the university level for Danaher, he seized the opportunity to impact STEM recruiting and inclusion initiatives on a national scale.
Stallings was impressed by Danaher’s focus on continuous improvement. “ I knew I could come here and be successful,” he says. “Danaher provides me with the flexibility to build programs like the STEM Ideas Program,” which offers new grads an in-depth, fast-track path to STEM leadership. “Even though I’m in my first year,” Stallings says, “I’ve been encouraged to make the changes to the program that I thought were needed. We’re always focused on making things better.”
Right now he’s focused on a biomedical engineering initiative, traveling to colleges around the country to promote Danaher’s rotation program and to teach students about high-visibility, fast-track positions at Danaher. Stallings views his job as equal parts recruiter and coach, and says he spends a lot of time reminding students of their capabilities.
“The ways students work today will simply blow the minds of the average employee,” Stallings says. “I remind the students I meet that they’re at the cutting-edge of technology and they should take full advantage of it. But how they show up is important, too. I tell them to practice speaking with friends and to practice in the mirror. Every interaction they have is part of the interview process. Every conversation matters. I encourage them to bring everything they have to the table,” he says.
Pursuing a More Inclusive Future
Today’s students grew up with technology at their fingertips, and it’s their skills and potential that give Stallings hope for the future. While he’s seen great progress since he started his career, there’s more work to be done to drive equity in opportunities, especially in underprivileged communities and for people of color, Stallings says. The lack of resources in certain communities and the increasingly high cost of education and student debt remain barriers to inclusivity in STEM fields.
But Stallings sees glimmers of hope for kids who might not have the opportunity or financial resources to take traditional paths from high school to college to the workforce. He works with LaunchCode, an organization that offers free training for technology jobs in major cities around the U.S. And through the 100 Black Men’s Youth Ambassador program, students aged 8 to 18 complete a curriculum focused on conflict resolution, problem-solving, and goal-setting.
On the Access Foundation’s “Super STEM Saturdays,” Stallings takes high school students to local colleges to teach them the steps to get into college—and to show the reality of the possibilities in front of them. “Lots of students don’t have that foundation or a guide to let them know what it takes to get into college,” he says. “It’s a multi-year process. You can’t wait until your senior year to decide you want to go.”
At Danaher, recruiters cast a wide net in hopes of finding candidates from a range of backgrounds and communities. When Stallings attends career fairs and hackathons, he focuses on skills and potential, not credentials or appearances. “We have to recognize that some of the traditional methods of recruitment may not work with the new generation. We need to play in their space and to make them comfortable being who they are,” he says.
Committed to a Life of Influence
If his own life is any indication, the students that Stallings mentors have a real chance to accomplish anything they set their minds to.
“I think every person is put on earth to make it just a little bit better, every employee should have that same mentality. The work we do at Danaher naturally has a great impact. Everyone who joins gets a chance to contribute to Danaher’s larger purpose.”
While he hasn’t found a way to add more hours to the day, Stallings is determined to squeeze the most out of each one. “My work doesn’t have boundaries. I try to help as many people as possible, professionally and personally.”
