"Fear is Only Temporary. Regrets Last Forever": Global Healthcare Marketing leader Ikram Guerd on the Power of Mentorship and Being Bold
By Amisha Arora
"Fear is Only Temporary. Regrets Last Forever". Born in France with a multicultural background, today’s woman dreamer Ikram Guerd is a seasoned healthcare marketing expert driven by the purpose of helping others. Currently, she is the Vice President of Global Marketing of ASPIVIX US, an innovative FemTech start-up, focused on reducing pain in gynecology. In her interview with Women Who Win, Ikram reflects on her journey climbing the corporate ladder, her passion for women’s health, and the role mentorship and giving back has had in her success. Check out her story!
1 . Tell us your story. Currently, you are a B2B Healthcare marketing leader and a women empowerment mentor. How did you accomplish this and what was your journey like? Tell us a little bit about how you got to this point.
Born in France with a multicultural background, I wanted to work in healthcare driven by the purpose of helping others. Becoming a pediatrician was my childhood dream. Although I didn't become one as originally envisioned, I pursued a Master’s in Strategic Marketing that opened doors to the healthcare industry allowing me to collaborate with neonatologists/pediatricians. It was a humbled way to close the loop with my childhood dream!
I climbed the corporate ladder from a product manager in France to an executive for ASPIVIX US, an innovative FemTech start-up, focused on reducing pain in gynecology. Becoming a leader in Women’s Health allows me to make a positive impact by empowering women in their healthcare. Personally, I got involved in non-profit women’s empowerment organizations (Products by Women, Women in Healthcare…), and joined the Board of Directors of Inspiring Girls USA to raise girls’ aspirations and break down gender stereotypes.
My leadership journey led me to embrace mentoring with 70+ talents worldwide coached in 9 months, mainly women seeking guidance in marketing and their career paths. Finally, my healthcare marketing expertise, resilience, and advocacy for women have found a meaningful outlet in my international career where my passions are aligned with my values and goals.
2. What drew you to becoming a B2B Healthcare marketing leader and a women empowerment mentor? You are also an Award- Winning International Healthcare Marketer. What inspired you to achieve this?
My passions all blended into my career led me to a coherent fulfilling path.
Healthcare: Surrounded by healthcare professionals in my family, I’ve always had this innate desire to make a positive impact. Now, I have this amazing advocacy opportunity in Women’s Health to improve care in gynecology by reducing pain, too often underestimated.
Role Models & Mentors: Looking up to women (and men) with great accomplishments, exceptional former managers and mentors who believed in me.
Giving back to the community: Grateful for my mentors and role models, as well as my inspiring mentees who led me to add another string to my bow as a future certified coach focused on women's empowerment!
3. What did you do differently from others to make you stand out? You have achieved many things. Do you have any specific techniques or strategies that helped you accomplish so much?
Stepping out of my comfort zone is my key inspiration. In uncomfortable situations, (moving abroad or starting a new project), I often discover my true capabilities by learning, adapting, and embracing these new challenges.
I apply daily management, visual board, and goal setting that help me stay focused, consistent, and organized, while making progress towards my objectives.
4. Were there any times anyone ever doubted your skills? If yes, how did you overcome this and continue to work hard?
Of course! Everyone faces moments of uncertainty, but how you choose to respond and channel that doubt is what sets you apart.
My motto drives me: Fear is only temporary. Regrets last forever.
I step back to gain perspective, seek feedback, and use doubt as a fuel to push myself harder to go above and beyond to showcase my skills. I’ve developed a constructive way to deal with doubt and turn it into a motivational force. Getting into a positive mindset, surrounding myself with supportive people and embracing doubt to motivate myself, it becomes an exciting challenge I take on to continuously grow personally and professionally.
5. Lastly, what advice would you give to any women entering the same field?
Be bold, curious and network with professionals who inspire you.
Remember my motto, embrace new challenges to continue growing and go for it!
Thank you Ikram for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
Bio: Ikram Guerd is Vice President of Global Marketing for the innovative FemTech, Aspivix, which mission is to make gynecology now modern with gentle in mind. She leads the global strategic marketing and communications strategy to raise awareness around innovative solutions to reduce pain for women and is also in charge of running operations in the US. As a seasoned healthcare marketing expert with 18+ years of international career in Europe and the USA, she is a proven award-winning marketing leader with a full set of experience in leading successful teams, managing products lifecycle, building impactful marketing strategies including content generation processes, getting things done and driving growth and culture. She has been invited to participate as a moderator and speaker in marketing expert talks, as well as being a marketing awards judge several times. Passionate about women's empowerment, she advocates for them and provides mentoring and coaching for young girls and women at early stages in their careers, as well as mid-level managers. She’s part of the Board of Directors of the non-profit organization, Inspiring Girls USA, which mission is to inspire young girls and break down gender stereotypes by introducing girls to role models and meaningful conversations about their future and to a broad scope of jobs they could do. She holds a Master’s in Strategical Marketing & Communication from ISG Business School in Paris (France). She has a passion for travel, cooking, and photography. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family, giving back to the community, and learning new skills.