What led to you working in the dental industry?
I moved over from Medtech to dentistry to become a part of the digital dentistry transformation and to get closer to the patient. In addition, a huge selling point was to play an even greater role in bringing more smiles to faces globally and elevating the link between oral health and overall health.
Describe your journey to where you are today and the key steps that got you there.
I started as an engineer, became an operational leader, leaned into commercial and P&L leadership, software and marketing. I’m currently leading a large P&L in a fast-growing market as well as Global Customer experience. Reflecting on my career, I have had many great mentors who helped to guide my path. I was encouraged to:
- Be continually curious and clear about how I can uniquely add value.
- Take the opportunities that no one else wants.
- Be flexible and okay with learning each day.
- Be sure not to be the smartest person in the room but surround myself with them.
- Know what I’m good at and where I need to cover my blind spots.
How do you keep a work/life balance?
Balance in my mind is not achievable. I view my life/career like rooms of a house. I strive for flow as I move about the rooms of the house. There will be times that I am able to spend more time with loved ones (formal living room), there will be other times that I spend more time at work (kitchen), and when done really well, there are times that the two come together (family room). I do believe we can have it all, just not all at the same time.
Can you share some information about your company’s initiatives to help support and encourage women entering or working within the dental industry?
As part of our Sustainability program BEYOND, we take significant action while also going beyond for women in dentistry. There are many initiatives that I could talk about, all of which I am proud of and humbled by. There is so much female potential and camaraderie in this industry, it’s exciting and inspiring at once! But to summarize… Internally, we are very proud of our DS Women ERG (Employee Resource Group), which has over 1000 members from across the globe and plays a pivotal role in supporting the growth of female employees through allyship, mentorship, talent development, workshops, networking sessions, and resource sharing.
Externally, we believe in empowering women and elevating their position as key players and influencers in the dental industry of today and the future. A prime example of this commitment is our “First to 50” Global Women Speaker Development Program, which provides training for selected female Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) and ensures greater representation of women in dentistry as speakers at industry-leading events.
We also believe in celebrating women’s achievements in the industry, for example, through our Smart Integration Award, which recognizes female dentists and dental technicians from around the world who work in smartly integrated practices or labs. The most recent award ceremony celebrated 35 winners!
Erania is responsible for leading Dentsply Sirona’s efforts to enhance the customer experience across multiple areas, including brand management, clinical education, digital marketing, and key opinion leader governance and programs, as well as heading the company’s sustainability strategy, BEYOND. Additionally, Erania is responsible for the rapidly growing orthodontic aligner solutions business, including the DTC-focused Byte brand and the B2B-focused SureSmile brand.
Prior to Dentsply Sirona, she worked at Medtronic plc and at GE Healthcare, holding multiple commercial, marketing and operational leadership roles.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Tuskegee University and is pursuing an Executive MBA at Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business.
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