AI Magazine Issue 1 2018

Acquisition International - Issue 1 2018 21 Pioneering Treatments to Restore Patients’ Quality of Life encouraged to come forward if they have made a mistake. Amistake spotted early can be fixed.” Honesty and transparency are Leonor’s key principles, and these stick with her throughout her role as CEO. She is honest and transparent with her team, and earning their trust and respect is important to the working relationship. If a person has not done well, then Leonor will tell them, and if they have not, she will also tell them. Leonor is thrilled to have been selected as Female CEO of the Year 2017 within the UK, and she explains how she feels this is not just recognition of her work, but also a recognition of other women within the industry who can believe that they can be just as successful. “On a personal level, it is always lovely to get recognition but I think it is very important for younger women to see the achievements of senior women recognised. I was the first woman in my family to have a career and first started work in an era where there were virtually no female role models in business. It means a lot to me to have the opportunity to act as a role model for other women; if I can do it, anyone can. It does take hard work, and compromise, but the most important advice I would pass on to anyone wanting to achieve success is to be authentic. Work to be the best version of yourself that you can be rather than try to copy someone else.” In summary, having been honoured to have been selected for this award, Leonor is keen to state that this is not the limit of her and RAFT’s success. There are many plans going forward which Leonor refers us to, as there looks to be a very exciting future ahead for RAFT. “Receiving this award has been a great boost for the end of 2017 but it is not the end of what we want to achieve. RAFT has a great number of plans to celebrate its 30th anniversary – from launching another spin-out company to take another of our inventions to patients; to setting up RAFT USA. Also, we are talking to a virtual reality company to create virtual reality laboratories for schools and hope to start a new programme of research into finding a cure for keloid scarring. RAFT is in the latest cohort of the Mayor’s International Business Programme run by the Mayor of London and we are excited about exploring the opportunities that will also bring. “Ultimately, I am proud that, with the support of so many amazing people, I have been able to achieve a great deal to date, but I still think there is more that I can achieve.”