Jane Crowe didn't plan her career. She worked at McDonald's while doing a double degree at Canterbury University. She's been managing people since she was 18.

Then she took a sales rep job at Janssen Cilag instead of a cigarette company. Started in New Zealand. Got posted to Beijing through J&J's International Development Program. Moved to Australia with two suitcases and no plan.

30 years later, Jane's the Vice President APAC for Cardinal Health. She's run organisations through crises, scaled teams across time zones, and learned what it really takes to lead at this level.

In this episode, Jane shares:

The Beijing moment: Six months into her posting in China, Jane sat in a hotel room watching a research group discuss athlete's foot through a glass wall. She spoke no Mandarin. She was accountable for the project. She went back to her hotel, sat on the floor, and cried. Then she got up the next day, found a Mandarin teacher, and gritted it out. "I wasn't going to let it beat me. The more you do, the more you know it's not gonna kill you."

8 interviews and the one question that mattered: Jane did 8 interviews for Cardinal Health. The then-Global Head asked about her career aspirations. Jane said: "When I'm 80, I want to be running the local bowls club." After he stopped laughing, he said: "What I tell my team is, after they've spent time with their family and their sport and their community, whatever's left is what they bring back into the business." That told Jane everything about the culture.

How to read culture in interviews: "An interview works both ways. Ask if you can meet with others in the organisation, not just senior leadership. Ask specific questions about how they handle things — how the organisation adapted through COVID, for example. That tells you how they treat their people."

Correct vs. right: "There's decisions that are correct, and there's decisions that are right. And knowing the difference between the two. I used to make correct decisions based on data. I'm now leaning more into what is right."

How she disarms people in interviews: "By the time the interviewee gets to me, we've gone through all the skills and attributes. I try to unpick them a little bit and get them to relax. I make them talk about family and sport. Anyone can fake the normal interview. I want to get to know who you are as an individual and what makes you tick."

The year of learning: Jane chooses one thing to focus on each year. One year was quality (ISO leadership course). One year was governance (AICD company directors course). One year was privacy and cybersecurity. This year? AI.

The stopwatch trap: "I see people running their career with a stopwatch. 'I've done this role for two years. Now what?' That's very linear. What about building a parallel career path through board roles?"

Board roles and giving back: Jane's held multiple unpaid board roles — vice president for a community transport organisation, president for a childcare organisation, and vice president for the MTAA. "I've learned more from those than I have from my paid work."

What's next: Jane's leading Cardinal Health's APAC region, launching new products in nutritional delivery (Kangaroo Omni) and compression (Kendall Smart Flow), and bringing their sustainable technologies business to Australia.

Jane's story is a masterclass in grit, resilience, and leading with your authentic voice.

Maurice Ben Mayor didn't plan on a MedTech career. He studied psychology, played guitar in a band, and took a warehouse job at Synthes through a family connection.

Then a rep asked: "Do you want to come with me?"

That theatre visit - watching a surgeon in the theatre environment helping a patient - changed everything.

30 years later, Maurice has led one of the most successful runs in Australian MedTech. 11 years as President of Stryker South Pacific. Multiple business turnarounds. Chair of the MTAA during COVID.

In this episode, Maurice shares:

The 2012 turnaround: Three months into his dream job running Stryker's joint replacement business, customers and team members were leaving "at a great rate." The business went backwards. Maurice had to cancel the noise - the blame, the market excuses, the self-doubt - and focus on what he could control: great products, good people, and building the team. By 2013, they were "screaming."

The COVID response: Newly appointed as MTAA Chair, Maurice texted Health Minister Greg Hunt: "If there's any way we can help, let us know." Hunt called back immediately. "You've got to tell the industry to act like the country's at war. We need ventilators." Maurice's approach: "I don't know what to do. But what can I do? Take the next step." The path revealed itself.

The formula for talent: Maurice interviewed every rep Stryker hired, even as the company scaled. "You should disproportionately spend huge amounts of time on recruitment. Get that one right hire and everything works." His three pillars: how you recruit, how you engage, and how you develop.

Three mindsets for pressure:

1. Focus on what you can control - ignore the noise
2. Believe that if you take the next step, you'll find a way
3. Step back and ask: How lucky am I to be in this role?

Leadership signals over words: "If you spend five minutes on a performance review, your team will too. If you're highly compliant, your team will finish slightly below you. If you set the bar here, that's where it's going to be."

The stopwatch trap: "I see people running their career with a stopwatch. 'I've done this role for two years. Now what?' That is the most destructive thing for people's careers. Focus on business life cycles - running a business that does well, then badly, then back to high. Those rhythms don't happen on a stopwatch."

Acting like a leader before you are one: "If you aspire to be a leader, act like one. Treat your peers, your boss, people in other functions like you're their boss. Don't be the one who achieves the goal but leaves body bags everywhere."

What's next: Maurice is working with Australian scale-ups, particularly in private equity, helping them navigate complex technologies and reach their next level of ambition. And managing his daughter Chloe May's debut album, "Train to Nowhere," just released.

Maurice's story is a masterclass in resilience, self-awareness, and leading with integrity. Whether you're a rep in your first year or a leader navigating uncertainty, this episode will ground you.

 I sat down with Glen Pearce — and serendipitously, it was the same day Ryeqo, Gedeon Richter’s treatment for women suffering with endometriosis, was listed on the PBS.
We unpacked some brilliant leadership lessons:

• Be curious, not the one with all the answers
• Read the room and look to your team for solutions
• Trust that the answers often lie within the group
• Ask the right questions
• Listen closely — even to what your body is telling you

Glen’s perspective is thoughtful, grounded, and genuinely inspiring.

An inside look at what great territory planning really involves—featuring insights from John O’Hare, a highly accomplished and experienced National Sales & Marketing Manager at one of the world’s leading Medtech companies.

In this episode, Tara interviewed Tim Martin, an expert in delivering Generative AI training for businesses.

Tim shared tips on:

• Where to start with Generative AI for novices  
• How AI can be incorporated into businesses
• Watch out and pitfalls
• The future of AI in business

This episode takes us through the journey from sales to sales leadership with expert advice from Group Sales Manager Shannon Walding. 

Shannon  shared some great tips, here's a sneak preview of just some of his insights: 
When preparing to move from sales into sales leadership:

• exhaust your sales experience and opportunities in your current position
• take on additional responsibilities without a title
• take on international training opportunities or invest in your own training and share those insights with your teammates
• coach and help your peers without a leadership title
• gain sales leadership training
• be open to relocation to access leadership opportunities
• build up your influencing skills
• access mentors

If you are in sales and looking to progress into leadership, tune in to learn more about how to do this successfully.

This episode takes us through Kelley Mirabello's remarkable path. Beginning her career as an account manager in the pharmaceutical world, Kelley rose to become VP of International Markets, overseeing multiple P&Ls globally for a heavyweight in the medical technology
 sector. Her narrative is filled with actionable advice and the kind of insights that can only come from someone who's navigated the ups and downs of a dynamic career.

Here's what you're in for:

• How to gear up for leadership roles
• Expanding your scope from one P&L to over 20 globally
• Crafting questions that cut through to what matters
• Decision-making powered by data and analytics
• Maximizing mentor relationships

Kelley shares the strategies and mindset shifts crucial for navigating your own professional journey, whether you're aiming for the top or just curious about what it takes to advance in the med tech world.

In this episode, we had the privilege of sitting down with Peta Sitcheff, Sales Trainer and Mindset Coach for the Med Tech Industry, with a successful career in medical devices herself. She graciously  shared her career journey and sales tips and tricks for medical device and life sciences sales professionals aiming to engage customers and achieve their goals in 2024.

Here's a sneak peek of what you can expect:

- How to build trust with customers

- What to consider in customer conversion and change

-  How to be ready when opportunity presents itself

Members of our community get 10% discount for Peta's coaching and training services, contact [email protected] for the code or more information.