Mari-Louise Ackerman is a veteran at Siemens Healthineers in her capacity as a Sales Professional. Her passion for gender equality is tangible and further compounded by raising two young daughters for whom she is paving the way to excellence and success.
She believes that many things can give women a sense of empowerment but at the forefront is self-worth. “If you do not value yourself, nothing and no one can make you feel valuable. It is so important for us women to lift each other up. If we can all lift each other with a positive comment and encouragement, rather than break each other down with jealousy, and being in constant competition with other women, we will all walk with confidence."
Mari-Louise attributes her level of confidence with her self-worth and she directly credits this to her upbringing and a family structure that supported her unconditionally. She lives by this design and emulates this parental guidance with her own children with the conviction that it will bring the next generation strength and courage.
As women it is important to help other women to achieve more in their careers. Mari-Louise’s strategy in supporting other women is acknowledging their work well done and by celebrating their strengths and accomplishments. She tries to mentor other women by sharing valuable advice. And above all, she aims to be a good confidante and teacher.
Mari-Louise shares some valuable advice to women who want to pursue a career in leadership
“Find a mentor that you look up to, someone that you feel inspired by. Be confident in your decision-making ability. Don’t compare yourself with others. Be willing to take some risks. On National Women’s Day, think about where you want to end up in your life. Create a vision board and put it up on your wall to keep yourself motivated every day. Work towards your goals. Find what makes you happy and then work towards achieving that.”
