From left to right: Lauren Rose, Nia Williams, Yue Qiu, Lucy Porter

International Women’s Day (IWD) is held annually on March 8 to recognise the accomplishments of women around the world while working toward gender equality. Women’s equality and highlighting the barriers that perpetuate gender inequality are collective efforts that help us reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go. IWD’s theme for this year is #BreakTheBias – a theme that explores the challenges women still face in the workplace, and how to achieve a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. 

At Orion Health, we’re passionate about promoting equality in our workplace and supporting our women from all walks of life to reach their full potential. We champion gender equality and break down bias in the workplace, and we have outstanding women at the helm of our success. In celebration of and to raise awareness, we have highlighted four of our amazing women in engineering, sales, finance and governance.

Tell us about your background and role at Orion Health

Lauren: I started as a graduate test engineer and have moved through a number of roles ranging from product support through to implementation. I’m now a senior solution engineer responsible for designing, implementing and verifying solution configuration. I work closely with the Development team to deploy our newest technology. Most recently I’ve been working with Southern Cross Healthcare to deliver their Clinical Workstation Mobile solution and Vitals/Progress Notes capabilities.

Nia: I have a BSc in Nursing which I studied in Dublin, Ireland. I then moved to London where I worked as a nurse in both medical and surgical specialties for a few years before moving into the medical device industry where I further learned the importance of how technology supports successful healthcare. It was a very competitive environment in London with so many amazing medical technologies available and I was privileged to work alongside some really inspiring people. At Orion Health my role is sales director for the North Island, New Zealand. I am responsible for building strong relationships with our customers, understanding their needs and making sure they’re happy with the products and services we provide. I also assist in maintaining and expanding our business, as well as raising awareness of what we can offer and the exciting work we are doing around the world. 

Yue: As a first-generation immigrant and mother of two school-aged daughters, I’ve called New Zealand home for the last 20 years. I’m the financial planning and analysis manager at Orion Health and have been here for 4.5 years. I’m responsible for providing reporting and analysis of financial performance across the entire organisation. In addition to overseeing the annual budget, quarterly reforecast, and cash flow management for the company, I also connect various parts of the company with finance.

Lucy: My first role at Orion Health was most likely sorting the industry magazines or opening letters on reception at around age 7. Since then, I’ve been lucky enough to work in many different departments including R&D, Professional Services, Bid Management, Business Operations and HR. Having recently rejoined as an executive director, it has been really exciting to catch up with familiar faces and see how the products have progressed over this period.

How do you expect the workplace to change over the next five years to encourage more women into leadership and managerial roles?

Nia: I think over the next five years, workplaces will become even more flexible to accommodate some of the challenges that women face. A hybrid model of remote working and improved maternity and paternity leave, as well as schemes to help women get back into the workplace after career breaks.  I believe there will be more initiatives in the future to retain and attract women into leadership roles, such as mentoring and coaching opportunities. Along with this, highlighting the women in leadership roles in the organisation so their examples can inspire other women. Workplaces are already creating a culture where women feel confident to speak out and have the support of the executive leadership teams. Though most of these concepts are not new, I believe there will be more focus on them over the next five years, which can only be a good thing.

What advice would you give to women in the workplace trying to make their mark?

Lauren: Learn to assert yourself; trust in your ability and don’t be afraid of making mistakes – I think that’s the most important lesson I’ve gained over the years. Listen to the advice of others, especially those more experienced and stick by people who support you if you can. Take any opportunity to better yourself and try to have fun along the way.

Yue: One of my previous managers said this to me and I always remember: When opportunity comes, men tend to put their hand up first and figure out after if they can do the job. Whereas women tend to go through the thinking process first and worry about what if they can’t do the job. So put your hand up first! You will have challenges along the way, but ask for help from your peers, take on the opportunity and see it through until the end. You will find that you can do it, and the sense of achievement will further enhance your confidence.

Lucy: Through my lens of having dipped in and out of the workforce whilst having my four children, I think women need to back themselves more. Make sure you value what you bring to the table, just because you may have been out of paid employment for a period of time doesn’t mean you haven’t learnt a ton of new skills and new perspectives.

Interested in a career at Orion Health?

See our careers page