Meet an illustrious personality, Jacqueline Tejeda Carnot, a recognized Technology Leader with the ability to manage cross functional teams across various industries and multicultural environments. She has worked in the Healthcare industry for almost two decades, contributing to shaping the lives of patients and healthcare professionals through technology.
As a seasoned Informatics Director for Western Europe at Roche, Jacqueline is passionate about shaping the Healthcare Ecosystem through data and information. She takes pride in co-creating technology strategies that will accelerate digital transformation, drive decisions, and advance science. Jacqueline enjoys learning, she is constantly curious about new technologies and she loves connecting with people in a professional and personal way.
Jacqueline’s Long-Standing Journey
When Jacqueline finished high school, she was very clear about what she did not want to do. She did not want to be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a nurse, or a writer. However, she was not sure of what she wanted to do either and explored many other opportunities.
As a 17-year-old adolescent, it was challenging to make a decision that would influence one’s life forever. In school, Jacqueline liked math and chemistry, so the most likely path for her was doing maths or engineering. On the other hand, Jacqueline wanted something practical, so engineering seemed to be a better fit and then, at the time, informatics was a sort of fashion, so she decided to study Software Engineering.
This is what led Jacqueline to the Information Technology sector and she has been there ever since. She did her master’s degree in Havana, Cuba, and her first job was also in Cuba at the National Neuroscience Center. After four years of professional career, she moved to Belgium and started working for Exact Software, a financial accounting software company.
Jacqueline worked in Belgium for almost 20 years in different industries and sectors:
Financial Accounting, the Steel industry, E-commerce platforms, and Pharmaceuticals. The last 17 years of her career have been in Information Technology for the Pharmaceutical and Biotech industry. She spent seven years at Merck, leading the European Program Management Office and Global Programs for the Human Health division, and the last 10 years at Roche, leading technology operations of several affiliates within the commercial organization.
Winning the Faceoff against Challenges
In Jacqueline’s long-spanning journey, there have been many challenges and a couple of them allowed her to develop her resilience and adaptability muscles and she is grateful for that. The first big challenge that she faced was moving from Havana to Brussels and starting to work in a completely different work environment and in a different language (to be precise, two additional languages, English and French). Exact Software is a rather big company, with a culture of high exigence, and fitting into this culture, becoming productive, and managing the work and social environment was a significant challenge. She managed to go through this difficult period, thanks to the support of her boss at the time, Rudolf de Schipper, and her international colleagues from Colombia, Malaysia, and Cuba.
The second big challenge was when Jacqueline decided to go into the e-commerce sector and she moved to Tectrade Software. Tectrade was a company located in Bruges, in the north of Belgium. She was very excited about working on e-commerce and she underestimated the language challenge. In the north of Belgium, the official language is Flemish and, at the time, she was not able to speak one word of it. Besides, there is a special dialect in Bruges, so the locals (like most of her colleagues) would speak the dialect rather than the official language.
Jacqueline adds, “The first month in the company was really painful as I only spoke to my boss. My colleagues were shy to speak in English and I was also shy to approach them. I was at the point of depression when one of my colleagues invited me to a team’s lunch. This was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship and the way for me to become part of the team.”
Despite the challenges, Jacqueline keeps very good memories of her passage by Tectrade and her colleagues from Brugge, with whom many became friends.
About Roche
Roche is a global healthcare company that operates in the f ields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Its mission is to improve the lives of patients by providing innovative healthcare solutions. The company aims to address unmet medical needs and contribute to the advancement of medical science.
In terms of innovative offerings, Roche has a diverse portfolio of medicines and diagnostics that cover a range of diseases and conditions. The company is known for its expertise in areas such as oncology, neuroscience, infectious diseases, and rare diseases. Its pharmaceutical products include both small molecule drugs and biologics, while its diagnostics division develops and manufactures a wide range of tests and platforms to help diagnose and monitor various diseases. Its vision is to be a leader in personalized healthcare, where treatments are tailored to the individual characteristics of each patient. The company believes that by understanding the specific genetic and molecular makeup of patients, it can develop more targeted and effective therapies. This approach has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.
Overall, Roche is committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and contributing to the advancement of healthcare through innovation and collaboration with healthcare professionals and partners worldwide.
Adapting to a New Business Leadership Style
In the last few years, Roche has transitioned from a “command and control” leadership style to a more collaborative or “servant” leadership style. The company used to prioritize tasks and operate in a structured, hierarchical manner. Leaders were the primary decision makers and the teams were expected to follow the decisions/orders. Feedback was usually flowing one way only, from leader to subordinate; and the emphasis was on maintaining control and achieving specific goals.
In today’s dynamic business environment, leaders do not have full control and/or full knowledge to make all decisions. Relying on the skills and capabilities of the teams is a must. So, the role of the leader has changed to be at the service of the team: creating a vision for the team, architecting the ways of operating, catalyzing the team, and coaching team members for optimal performance.
Decisions are made at the lowest possible level, where most of the knowledge is available. Teams and individuals are empowered to make these decisions and they have become more autonomous. Feedback flows both ways, from the leader to the team members and from the team to the leader. Nowadays, effective leadership demands adaptability, emotional intelligence, and collaboration. Leaders must communicate, think strategically, and exhibit resilience. Empathy, confidence, and a team-oriented approach are essential.
Jacqueline decodes her Role and its Responsibilities
In Jacqueline’s role as the Information Technology Director, she leads Informatics Partnering for Western Europe, Northern Europe, and Canada, for both divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. This includes partnering with senior stakeholders in 40 affiliates (20 Pharma and 20 Diagnostics) to drive impactful outcomes.
Along with her team, she leads and co-creates technology enabled business strategies that align with their local and regional goals and will allow them to achieve their business ambitions. This translates into cutting-edge informatics solutions that will increase internal operational efficiency, create new services for customers and patients, increase customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction, and ultimately improve healthcare outcomes.
The Informatics Partnering team also plays a crucial role in driving digital transformation within Roche. It explores emerging technologies and trends, identifies opportunities for process improvement, and proposes innovative informatics strategies to enhance commercial workflows. Her team also acts as advisors and consultants, providing guidance on informatics best practices, data governance, and regulatory compliance. They actively engage with internal and external stakeholders to understand their challenges and provide tailored informatics solutions to meet their specific needs.
Leading the Way to Success
One of the things that Jacqueline is proud of is the transformation that she has gone through as a leader, from a strong hierarchical, command and control way of operating; towards a more selfless leadership style. A few years ago, she believed that to be a good leader one needed to be an expert first, so she could guide the teams in the right direction. Today, she strongly believes in a fully empowered and autonomous team, that given a clear direction and purpose can operate independently, make decisions, and create amazing results. She has learned to fully trust and empower people, she has learned to accept decisions that she is not always comfortable with and this has made her more nimble and focused on setting the direction rather than driving the execution.
Jacqueline would say that her transformation has allowed her to support the teams adopting agile methodologies and mindsets. The company operated a significant transformation toward agile about five years ago and this seemed an uphill battle, she is proud to say that she has won together.
On the business side, she has made contributions towards Digital Transformation and Innovation, including the way the company engages through digital channels and the way it leverages technology for Digital Health solutions to improve healthcare outcomes. She also has an Executive Certificate in Strategy and Innovation from MIT Sloan Executive Education.
Last, but not least, Jacqueline is thrilled to be coaching startups with a societal impact through the organization “Live for Good”. She also supports the assessment and selection of startups with a technology or healthcare impact through the Innovation Advisory Council and the Coalition Next organizations where she is a member. This work is also in support of young women who want to step into the entrepreneurial space.
Growing Hand-to-Hand with Technology
Technology is evolving at a pace never seen before, so keeping up to date with it is not an easy task. To maintain a sufficient level of knowledge, Jacqueline reads many articles (at least a couple every week), especially related to the evolution of GenAI. Every year, she tries to take a course on a specific topic that she would like to explore deeper, like for example: Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, etc. She has to admit that this is not possible every year, but she tries her best. Roche is a member of the Innovation Makers Alliance in France, so at least once a year, the company participates in a big technology event where it can touch, feel, and be inspired by the application of the latest technologies across industries.
Roche also does a peer exchange once a quarter with their peers from the Pharmaceutical Industry. These exchanges are extremely helpful as the company addresses challenges that are common to most of them. Finally, she keeps engaged with the vibrant startup ecosystem through the different organizations she works with (Innovations Advisory Council, Live for Good, and Coalition Next).
A Company Culture Like None
Roche culture is characterized by several key elements that make it unique and distinct:
• Patient-Centric Approach: The company’s primary focus is the well-being and needs of patients. It is dedicated to improving patient outcomes and enhancing the quality of life for individuals facing various health challenges.
• Innovation and Research Excellence: The company has a strong commitment to innovation and research. Its culture encourages curiosity, creativity, and the pursuit of scientific excellence.
• Collaborative Spirit: Collaboration is at the heart of Roche, its culture by working together, both internally and externally, the company can achieve better results. It fosters partnerships with healthcare professionals, academia, patient organizations, and other stakeholders to drive scientific advancements and improve patient care.
• Diversity and Inclusion: The company strives to create an inclusive and respectful work environment where individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences can thrive and contribute their unique perspectives.
• Ethical and Responsible Behavior: The company places a strong emphasis on ethical conduct and responsible business practices. It is committed to conducting its operations in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner.
• Agility: The company emphasizes the ability to adapt, innovate, and respond quickly to changes and challenges in the healthcare industry.
Breaking the Myth of a Perfect Work-Life Balance
Jacqueline believes that there is no such thing as a perfect work-life balance. However, yes, she has found a balance that works perfectly for her. A few years ago, she had a Leadership Circle survey, which is a 360-degree survey about your leadership style. The biggest area for improvement in her leadership circle was “work-life balance”. She was seen by her teams as overdriving herself and potentially creating a burden for them. This was a wake-up call and since then, she started to take some practical measures.
Jacqueline’s agenda is blocked after 18:00, so she does not accept any calls after 18:00 unless there is something very urgent happening. She adds, “You might think that for me this is easy, as I’m based in Europe and I profit from being in the middle time zone of the globe. This is partially true, but I think balancing the working hours is of utmost importance and should be possible for people in the Americas and APAC time zones as well. Weekends are mostly to resource me and for family activities. I try not to open my laptop or reply to emails during the weekend. I have to admit that I do read emails when they arrive on my phone, but I do not reply to them until Monday. I try to respect not only my time but also the personal time of my colleagues.”
Apart from this, Jacqueline also focuses on her overall well-being by exercising once or twice a week. Even though, exercising isn’t her cup of tea, she knows its importance and it also makes her feel good. Her hobbies are quite diverse, but one of the things that she loves is traveling. She has always loved discovering new places and cultures, so she tries to visit a new country every two years. Every year, she has the dilemma of going back to visit her family in Cuba or discovering a new part of the world, so the best compromise that she has found is to alternate between both. She also has a passion for Asian cultures and food, especially Korea and Japan. Jacqueline and her family enjoy Korean and Japanese food at home almost every week. She also watches Korean films and TV series and enjoys revisiting their history now and then.
Looking Forward to an Ambitious Future
Jacqueline has always believed that a big portion of their professional life is driven by the opportunities that will come to them and the decisions that they make around these opportunities. This can shape one’s path and take one from one professional field to another one. At this point, Jacqueline too is waiting for the next opportunity to come and she hopes to be ready, confident, and courageous to embrace this new opportunity and continue to grow.
On the personal side, Jacqueline and her husband are entering a new stage, with both of their kids studying at university and becoming adults. She hopes to cope well with this new stage and at some point start enjoying it.
Jacqueline’s Heartfelt Wisdom for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
“For women leaders aspiring to grow in their careers, my main advice is to be confident in yourself. As a woman, I know how difficult it is to build this confidence and not to doubt your skills and capabilities at times. We sometimes think that we should tick all the boxes to grow into a new position or to step into a new opportunity. This is rarely the case, so be flexible, be courageous, and trust in yourself.
For every leader, I would advise fostering a mindset that values continuous learning, adaptability, and perseverance. Embrace challenges as opportunities for growth and see failures as valuable lessons. This mindset will enable you to constantly improve, innovate, and stay resilient in the face of adversity.
Additionally, building strong relationships, seeking mentorship, and networking can also greatly contribute to your career growth. It’s important to surround yourself with a diverse group of individuals who can offer different perspectives and support your professional growth.”
