08 March 2020
Happy International Women's Day
Today on International Women's Day we bring you inspiration from another leading woman, eviDent Foundation board member Angela Wheelton OAM, DSJ, MBA.
Did gender-based roles ever affect your career?
No, not in the early days, as it was never a discussion point at that time. I began my career as a clinical dental therapist in school dental vans in metropolitan Melbourne and later in country areas of Victoria, that I really enjoyed. After 20 years of working in a female dominated environment, I felt it was time to move on to something else to extend myself. My mantra has always been be good at what you do, stay focused and strive to be a role model for the generations that follow you. I never allowed gender-based roles to influence my career path. I went on to complete my MBA and joined the corporate sector as the only female in a very male dominated space to join a global company based in Switzerland.
My appointment as Managing Director of Strauman Australia and New Zealand was at a time when there were no other female managing directors globally. Together with my team, we focused on new technology, building something that we fully supported, and dental teams and patient outcomes continued to be our focus and priority. As a strong advocate for ongoing education with the International Team of Implantology (ITI) we were successfully able to harness this energy on our journey.
When did you begin to take on leadership roles?
I did not think I would ever take on such a significant role, it is something that clearly evolved over time. As we gained more experience, we became more confident, but I was certainly nervous in the early stages. I had a committed team and incredible support and partnership with the ITI that fundamentally paved the way forward.
Tell us more about your role as an eviDent board member.
I joined the board because eviDent has so much potential to make a difference. I wanted to be able to incorporate my recent philanthropic background and experience to successfully move the organisation forward. My aim is also to be a strong and effective advocate for dental health research. It is a way of giving back to a profession that has given me so much. It is also my intent to share what I have learnt in my career to maximum benefit for the eviDent Foundation.
What do you say to women considering the step into leadership?
If you have a pathway in mind, then follow that and don't let distractions affect you. Focus on education and life-long learning and always strive to do the best that you can. My view was as long as the journey ahead was heading in a positive direction I would step forward and see where that would take me.
Find out more:
Health Sector Leadership Program - applications opening soon
