Leadership is not a Destination, but a Journey

As a member of the eyecare community for close to 20 years, Jill has helped shift treatment paradigms through the companies she has been involved with in the pharmaceutical, surgical, diagnostic, and biologic markets. She has a passion for helping doctors treat patients with unmet needs by helping to deliver medications to advance patient care.

You shared with OWL that your path to leadership was not a destination, but a journey. Can you elaborate on that?

My journey in the eyecare space has been one of exploration and growth. As many of us do, I started in sales years ago and really thrived in this arena. Launching new and paradigm changing products, as well as introducing newer companies to the space, became my passion. Although I remained in sales roles for quite some time, my responsibilities and geographies I covered became greater over time, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It allowed me to get a better perspective of differences in markets at the local, regional and national level. Simultaneously, I began to feel that expanding my skill set and evolving my career forward was important. I was ready! I became involved in training and then nearly 5 years ago joined Dompé in a Field Marketing, KOL Strategy role. Here at Dompé, I was finally ready to embrace what I’d been told for years, that I was a natural leader. I never really understood what that meant until embracing the role here and being able to work for an amazing mentor as well as with an incredible team of people who I have known and respected for years. While I do appreciate pushing yourself out of your comfort zone into growth roles, for me I felt I needed to be ready to do this. I always assess my own pros and cons before making a move to a new role, especially that of leadership. I don’t take this role lightly and couldn’t be more proud of the team we have created here. I’m looking forward to my continued growth in this role.

As a relatively new leader, what do you see as the most important qualities of a successful leader, and how do you aspire to embody these qualities?

For me, trust, empowerment, empathy, adaptability and vulnerability are crucial qualities for a successful leader. I aim to embody these by fostering open communication, understanding team members’ perspectives and challenges, and motivating others towards shared goals. I also want my team to feel fulfilled and valued, so it’s important for me to have a solid understanding of what this means to each individual and in many ways, be a people strategist. How can I align my team members with tactics that not only fulfill them but challenge them and push them a little bit out of their comfort zone so that they grow? I also rely on my mentors and connect regularly with them to reflect and continue to hone who I want to be as a leader.

With respect to diversity in leadership, Dompé is one of the few companies in ophthalmology that has a high percentage of females in leadership. Tell us more about Dompe’s approach to gender equality.

There are no gender quotas or policies at Dompé, but a keen attention to competences and meritocracy. Meritocracy means hiring the most qualified people for the job and paying them fairly, regardless of gender. This approach has helped the company to improve on an already strong foundation. Dompé has a female majority workforce, which is common in the Life Sciences industry. In addition, the percentage of women in management and leadership positions has been steadily increasing over the past three years. Currently, women make up almost 50% of the leadership team. In addition to Co-CEO Nathalie Dompé and COO Eriona Gjinukaj, the biotech sector, which accounts for 75% of Dompé’s revenue, has been led since its launch by a woman. The company’s most recent global leadership team hire was also a woman.

We enjoyed having you at the 2023 OWL Leadership Summit and you took part in our impactful meal-packing session with Rise Against Hunger. In what ways does Dompé encourage its employees to make an impact beyond their job?

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the OWL Leadership Summit this year and found it not only impactful, but valuable! In addition to the sessions and networking, I thought the meal-packing at the conclusion was not only a great way to give back but to connect with others passionate about doing the same. At Dompé we held a similar session to this during our National Company Meeting. Dompé truly cares about the well-being of its employees and wants us to feel fulfilled both personally and professionally. That being said, Dompé encourages our employees to give their time at community service agencies, organizations, schools, and other similar groups. For me, these opportunities provide a sense of purpose, foster a positive impact on others, and create meaningful connections to my community.