Women In Aesthetics: Diane Gomez-Thinnes, Head of Galderma US

Diane Gomez-Thinnes is a trail blazer. She has carved out an impressive path from her experience as a marketing manager crafting messages for the world’s first drug-eluting coronary stent and J&J’s first neurovascular stent, to leading teams through massive transformation at Ethicon. She then served as Worldwide President for Mentor, Johnson & Johnson’s breast aesthetics and reconstruction business,where she was responsible for global commercial and operational functions. Diane is credited with rebuilding the breast aesthetics and reconstruction business into a global leadership position by achieving industry-leading milestones.
In 2021 she joined Galderma to head up the company’s US operations As a leader, Diane is a passionate and active supporter of diversity and inclusion actively as a vital business enabler. In 2020, she was named to Medical Marketing and Media’s (MM&M) Hall of Femme, and to the 2020 KPMG Women’s Leadership Summit.

WL: Who were some of your mentors?

Diane: I’ve had many foundational mentors throughout my life who have impacted my career in more meaningful ways than they’ll probably ever know.
Col. Ray Garcia, a World War II veteran I met when I was a process engineer in Philadelphia, had this amazing life: a humble beginning in San Antonio, became a wartime pilot as part of the Greatest Generation, went on later to work later at NASA. He inspired me to do more and to make an impact. That’s part of what prompted me to take a leap forward and make a career change to find purpose in my work. And, in turn, as I achieved success, I was able to serve as inspiration for others who grew up like me, a daughter to two immigrants who worked factory jobs.

I am fortunate to have a group of women friends from my first job in healthcare who reconnected several years ago, after nearly two decades. This group of successful women continually offers me guidance and perspective to tap into when needed.

I’ve also been so fortunate to have sponsors in my career. A sponsor is someone who goes beyond giving advice and is willing to put their reputation on the line to endorse you and help open doors for you to find that next, important opportunity in your career progression. I am grateful to one particular leader at Johnson & Johnson who recognized that I was ready for greater challenges and took action to ensure I stayed with the organization when I sought opportunities outside earlier in my career with J&J. That same sponsor, though saddened somewhat about my decision to recently leave, understood and cheered me on as I moved into a new chapter of my career at Galderma. We remain close and I will always value the support.

Mentorship and sponsorship are both instrumental to cultivating talent, and it’s something I look forward to bringing more to the forefront at Galderma. I often talk about our “people agenda” at work to ensure we are developing talent not just to meet the business needs today, but for continued future success.

WL: How did you get into aesthetics?

Diane: I grew my career in the medical devices space of healthcare after having spent a few years in the oil industry using my chemical engineering degree after college. Maybe influenced by my sister who was in medical school at the time, I landed in healthcare because I wanted to connect more personally to my work with greater purpose, and the fossil fuels industry just wasn’t it! There were some similarities. Medical devices, like oil, was a male dominated industry at the time— cardiology, neurovascular, trauma. I enjoyed my time being on the forefront of some of the most life-changing innovations in medicine and I learned to “hang” in tough environments and worked my way up in commercial leadership roles gaining credibility as I went along.

It wasn’t until I had the chance to join the breast aesthetics devices business that I found more women. These women served as industry thought leaders, in the sales organization and on my leadership team. That was my start five years ago in aesthetics! I found an industry fueled by passion, energy, and entrepreneurship, where consumer insights and trends are constantly top of mind to deliver on what can make a person feel whole or happy by using products and treatments.

Aesthetics is more about how people feel and less about how they look because how we feel influences every aspect of our lives. Aesthetics treatment outcomes permeate how we relate to others, how we show up at home or work, and even the energy we radiate towards others and that can have a positive impact that continues beyond ourselves. That’s what drew me in.

Fast forward to today, I don’t think there is a person out there who can honestly say that experiences, especially during the past almost two years, haven't changed them in some way. Pandemic lessons of resilience, finding new ways to work and connect, knowing and prioritizing what’s truly important in life to name just a few. I also found myself opening doors a bit wider for “real” conversations about the Black experience in America and sharing my own background and lived experiences as a first-generation Latina to hold myself and leaders around me more accountable to efforts around diversity and inclusion, to ensure they lead to positive change and opportunity in meaningful ways.

At Galderma our purpose statement is “Advancing dermatology for every skin story.” That really speaks to me and what I love most is how across our aesthetics, consumer care and prescription medicine businesses we are bringing decades of cutting-edge innovation in the science of skin to serve every face, every life stage, every age and every experience. I’m incredibly excited to be a part of shaping the next chapter in Galderma’s amazing 40+ year legacy.

Our expertise in skin science and the latest consumer knowledge, informed by demographic shifts, digital and social trends, and consumer behavior, fuels every part of our company. In our aesthetics business we benefit from new consumer insights to help us shape the next big thing for healthcare professionals and their patients. At Galderma, collaboration is part of our DNA – a cultural driver for how we interact within and beyond the company. We think of ourselves as one integrated company with a singular focus on skin – it’s a very exciting time to be a part of this organization.

WL: What advice do you have for women who are rising stars in this industry?

Diane: Say Yes! Sometimes as women, we second guess ourselves too much. When a manager asks us to take on an important project, we immediately start thinking about what experiences and skills we lack to be able to get the work done, when we should just say yes and run with it! As women, we should feel empowered to take on new opportunities as part of our growth, no matter how scary or uncomfortable they may seem. Take a leap. Say yes.

In aesthetics, we often hear that it’s all about relationships and it definitely is. I also encourage associates to always ensure they have interests outside of work. Networking doesn’t mean always talking about work. Building connections with people is more than just talking about your job, it’s about learning about each other’s lives and finding other shared interests that can bring you closer together. Take time to get to know people more deeply.

WL: How would your colleagues describe your management style?

Diane: Servant leadership. It took me many years to get there and I’m still working at it. I have come to learn that success is achieved when it’s shared with others and built together. It’s the people and the culture of an organization that makes great things happen. For me, the WHO and the HOW is as important as the WHAT. And the best teams are those that are diverse and truly inclusive.  

Carla Harris of Morgan Stanley has a perspective on innovation that really captures it for me. The idea that we are all competing to be the most innovative in business, whatever industry we're in, and the way to win that competition through ideas, perspectives, and experiences. She says you need a bunch of different people in the room to get those innovation levers in play. Diversity and inclusion as business driver – the ultimate competitive advantage.
As a leader, the HOW takes time and investment. It takes being vulnerable. It takes truly getting to know people and what motivates them. Together the shared mission will drive the team and yield results.

The pandemic called upon leaders to be empathetic, vulnerable, and business leadership is no longer top down. That won’t change when we can finally put the pandemic behind us. We live in a 24/7 global interconnected environment communicating directly with customers and consumers using everchanging technology enabling webs of relationships.

The qualities of servant leadership meet the challenges of this world:
Relationship building and management
Leading from the center, not the top, in the web of relationships
Comfort with, not just tolerance, of diversity
Work / life integration as a priority
I highly recommend reading the Power of Perception by Shawn Andrews if you’re interested in this leadership style!

WL: Name a quote or quotes that best describe your philosophy

Diane: Daniel Lubetzky, KIND Snacks Founder: It takes strength to be kind; it’s not a weakness.

Being kind does not mean being passive. Being kind takes action and empathy. It takes real work to put yourself in the shoes of others. Strength does not come from dominance or exerting power over others.

My Parents: No te ahogues en un vaso de agua. Translation: Don’t drown in a glass of water.

Basically, don’t make a mountain out of a mole hill. With the demands of business today, not to mention the demands at home as a mom, it’s a good reminder to keep things in perspective.