September 2022 • PharmaTimes Magazine • 26-27
// TALKING THERAPIES //
Time trial
PharmaTimes Editor John Pinching meets Johnson & Johnson’s Erin McEachren for an unforgettable chat about MedTech, sustainability, diversity and – of course – skiing
When our coffees arrive it is noticeable that, while mine has been decorated with the barista’s noble effort at a non-specific leaf, my special guest’s is emphatically finished with the maple variety.
That’s because I’m here with none other than Erin McEachren, Johnson & Johnson’s regional VP for its Surgical Vision arm and, indeed, a former skier for her native Canada. Needless to say, it’s all downhill from here – but in a good way!
Hi Erin. Tell me how early experiences have shaped your ambitions?
I grew up on a farm, was very active and loved sports, but when I was ten years’ old my knees began hurting, so my parents kept taking me to the GP every few months. Eventually the doctor recommended that I see an orthopaedic surgeon. After taking some x-rays, the surgeon revealed that it wasn’t my knees that were deteriorating, but my hip.
We discovered that I had Calvé-Perthes disease, which normally occurs in young boys. A week after receiving the results, I underwent six-hours of movement-saving surgery. Witnessing in person the power of this transformative operation and the skill of surgeons made me fall in love with MedTech and its infinite possibilities.
How did your recovery go?
Your body can recover so well at that age and it allowed me to ski and ride horses again – but it also gave me a really heightened appreciation of simply being active. At the time, I also visited people with disabilities who weren’t so lucky and I realised, “that could have been me”. Through those experiences, I knew I wanted to make a positive difference during my life.
Tell me about how sport and family gave you your foundation
I have had a different journey to most people in the industry and that’s really special to me. Being from Canada, it’s pretty cold growing up in the winter. We went skiing every week, regularly travelled to Europe and learned how to be independent. Timings became an integral part of my life.
I found some of my old note books the other day and they were full of details about whether I was eating the right food, if waxing my skis had gone well and what level of performance I was reaching! I was nine or ten at the time! It must have been this kind of dedication that earned me the privilege of being on the national team.
What life lessons did you learn from being in the international spotlight?
Ultimately, you learn so much being in a vastly competitive environment, like how to deal with pressure, retain your funding, stay in the team, form strategies and find new ways to win. It was an incredibly fun chapter of my life and I’m still great friends with all my teammates.
My goal was always to strive for the exceptional and that fundamental ethos hasn’t changed!
How has your background in sport helped ignite your MedTech career?
When I started working in MedTech, I realised what a high-stakes environment it is, with very little margin for error. In many ways, it’s like sport. You need to be sharp, on top of things and conscious that every second is vital – particularly when you’re with a patient.
Having represented my country at skiing and reached a high level of performance, I realised that there was a natural match – particularly on the vision side which, of course, can be so fundamental in sport and life.
Your vision is your most important sense. To be able to help older patients recover from a cataract procedure and have a good quality of life, or assist the younger population who are after flexibility in their lives and want to play sport or be able to use their smartphones is really rewarding.
It is such a privilege to work in this space because you are able to encounter and inspire people from all walks of life.
Has the pandemic awakened the general public to MedTech?
It’s a really exciting time for our industry and we are certainly entering a new era. The COVID-19 pandemic gave us time to reflect and say, ‘what can we do differently?’ Historically, MedTech tends to be gradual innovation, but in recent years robotics and the digital environment have been much more influential. If you combine this with the emergence of data analytics, you really start to see the magic happening.
How is that reflected in terms of a cultural shift at Johnson & Johnson?
The company is taking diversity and inclusion very seriously and I love that because it’s a huge passion of mine. I believe that the diversity we are building within our teams is encouraging the different perspectives which are so vital when it comes to product understanding and regional decision-making.
‘In skiing you often fall, and your ego is hurt, but fortitude lies in climbing up the mountain once again’
When I did my Master’s degree I travelled to India and we visited Bangalore – where so many tech companies exist – and I learned that, within research and development, difference is without doubt the key driver. To see this approach unfolding at Johnson & Johnson is very rewarding.
How much evolution have you witnessed within your specific team?
Even in the two years I have been here I have noticed the positive change in team dynamics within the Vision business unit, emphasised by the parity we now have between women and men at Johnson & Johnson Vision. Although we still need more women in leadership positions, it is a clear indication that progress is being made. One of our ‘21 Health for Humanity Goals’ is to have 50% of women in management positions by 2025.
During our hiring process, we work hard to eliminate unconscious bias, while also utilising diverse recruitment boards.
What represents the promised land for the MedTech ecosystem?
Throughout a company you need every generation to be represented, you need people from all geographies and you need balanced gender representation. You also need a mix of people from different educational backgrounds, socio-economic groups and career paths.
It also requires everybody at the organisation – and Johnson & Johnson is a large organisation – to embrace a truly inclusive culture. We have made this a reality through our ‘Credo’ – the moral compass to which all employees are committed.
What does this brave new world mean for the future?
We all have to be pioneers for diversity. It starts with better inclusivity in associate programmes and giving people greater opportunities at the beginning of their working lives.
Today’s modern up-and-coming managers also need to ask themselves, how am I going to construct this team to reflect society? And the answer lies in who they should include rather than who they shouldn’t. We then need to support people in minority groups to feel comfortable and able to find the springboard they need to succeed.
The future of MedTech hinges, not just on the diversity of people, but diversity of thought – changing the way we think.
What piece of advice would you give to young people starting out MedTech?
In skiing you often fall, and your ego is hurt, but fortitude lies in climbing up the mountain once again and pushing yourself out of the start gate because you know what you’re capable of.
Finally, Erin, which single record would you choose for the soundtrack of your life?
‘Thunderstruck’ by AC/DC.
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