Name: Keren Leshem

Title: CEO and Board Director

Organisation: OCON Therapeutics

I’m currently the CEO and a Director/Board Member at OCON healthcare. An innovative women’s health company with a mission to introduce safer intrauterine drug-delivery technology to improve and impact women’s health and quality of life.

I was honored to be featured in FORBES magazine as one of 3 women shaping the future of women’s health, I’ve recently been invited to the World Economic Forum as a technology pioneer and named 1 of 100 women of influence by Entrepreneur magazine.

I’m a Board director at a Swiss company: ASPIVIX, I’m a steering commitee member with the NIH - Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation IEF (Innovation Equity Forum), I‘ve joined UK’s FemTech Lab’s admissions and advisory Board as well as LSX’s Advisory Board and I’m a Mentor at the Israeli 8400 Healthtech Network program.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Keren's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

Juggling business, professional, personal and corporate goals while trying to create real impact and change

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

Leaders don't necessarily have to be at the top of the organizational chart - we have leaders all across the team, our lives, our families and our networks. I've always had passion for healthcare and for people and with my new(er) role in women's health I feel I can make a significant difference in our lives and health with tailored and safer therapeutic solutions.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I start my day sprinting and slowly speed up :)

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

People need to be heard and seen even when they are successful in their jobs - they need to be thanked and reminded that they are a crucial part of our success.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

anti-fragile by Nassim Talub:

“Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty. Yet, in spite of the ubiquity of the phenomenon, there is no word for the exact opposite of fragile. Let us call it antifragile. Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.”

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Leadership is earned not taken. be the leader you'd like to see in others!

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Pivoting OCON Therapeutics from failing to global success while plowing thru incredible challenges of team, investors, board, strategy, regulations, competition - you name it!