A diverse organization is key

The Spotlight Editorial Team interviewed Chief Financial Officer Jorge Gomez to further introduce him to employees as he joined the company three month ago. In this conversation, Jorge shares some of his professional experiences and beliefs, as well as insight into where the Company’s opportunities lie in the dental market.

You’ve had extensive experience working in the healthcare industry with Cardinal Health, what initially attracted you to the dental segment?

Jorge Gomez: For me, it was three things: First, dentistry has a lot of potential for growth globally. Dentistry has become advanced in a certain number of countries and there are still many emerging markets that have a lot of potential for years to come. Second, specifically for Dentsply Sirona, this company has a great foundation in terms of R&D capabilities and a well-established stable of brands. That combination is a good recipe for maintaining a strong presence in the marketplace. Third, dentistry in general, not only in developed markets, is evolving from products to solutions and procedures. I think this company has the breadth of products, talent and technology to be able to move into a new paradigm of dentistry along the lines of integrated dental product solutions. We’ll be able to help dental professionals to follow the patient across multiple steps of treatment.

You’ve had a very international career, living and working all over the world including New York, Singapore, Belgium, and Brazil. How did those experiences influence you? What did you learn from other cultures?

JG: For me personally, the most important lesson from having had exposure to multiple cultures is an understanding that what motivates people in different parts of the world is different. When you are leading a company, you have to be mindful of those differences in order to connect with people in different ways. It’s important to be able to motivate people according to their own perspectives on work and life. I think that’s actually one of the most important things I’ve learned.

In addition to that, I also believe that having a diverse organization is key to being at the forefront of a market and staying ahead of the competition. When you have a management team and workforce who are truly diverse – coming from many different backgrounds – it allows the organization to create the best possible solutions as people approach problems from many different angles. The two most important benefits of having a global experience were gaining an understanding of how people are motivated and gaining an appreciation for the effects of a diverse team on problem-solving.

Chief Financial Officer Jorge Gomez shares insight from his career experiences and ideas with the Spotlight Editorial Team.

Are there places that had a specific impact?

JG: Working in Japan was particularly interesting as it taught me about being methodical, following processes and steps in a disciplined way. When I worked in Brazil I learned the importance of connecting with people at an emotional level before getting down to business. In Europe, I expected there to be a lot more commonality across countries but learned just how distinct each country is culturally, and that was both surprising and amazing.

Could you share your vision for the Company moving forward?

JG: There are some elements on which we would like to focus for the future related to the direction that dentistry is heading. I alluded to the need for having an integrated model for procedures and solutions rather than simply focusing on selling individual products. Other sectors of healthcare have already undergone this change from selling products to understanding the total cost of a solution and tracking the patient across the entire continuum of care. Secondly, as a company we need to leverage the power of the enterprise. We have a lot of powerful capabilities across the globe but historically we haven’t taken advantage of that. We’ve begun to centralize our capabilities under Project Växa and we need to continue to work together seamlessly across multiple pillars and geographies. It’s crucial that we integrate both our approach to the customer and in the way we work internally.

Considering how the market and industry are developing, what do you see as the most important potential challenges internally and externally at the moment?

JG: Today we don’t yet have a common view of the customer because we go to market as many separate groups. Having better visibility to our customers is important. We haven’t completely taken advantage of our scale yet. Some of our processes haven’t quite matured for a company of our size, which means there’s definitely a tremendous opportunity to improve.

Externally, the market ecosystem is changing rapidly. There’s the emergence of new types of customers. For example, Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) and direct to patient models are becoming more common. Another factor is the pace of innovation. Large enterprises tend to move more slowly compared with pure or niche players who are often more able to be agile because if you only have one product or one solution, you tend to move faster. Managing our scale while still being nimble is a balancing act and a challenge.

Is there anything you would like to say to the employees directly?

JG: Oh definitely. I am very happy to be part of this company. All of our employees around the globe can be proud of what this company stands for. What we do is for the benefit of society. Dentistry is a very important sector within healthcare and this company has a long tradition of quality, great technology and advancing dentistry. We have to take advantage of that foundation. We have a great financial standing and a lot of reasons to be excited about the future. If we work as one unified company and deploy our resources in the most effective way, we are going to continue to be the global leader in dentistry.

Jorge, thank you for your time.