Mette Luxhøj

Is it possible to bring new angles to the gender gap? As a leader in MedTech I see that my journey started a long time ago-affected by my own bias I could have stumbled.Here are some snapshots of my life. Flashing back to when I was a little girl. I cut my long hair off because of compliments. Foolish somehow but also a statement. Already back then I wanted to be complimented for my brains and wins not my hair or brown eyes. I competed in sports with boys both in basketball and athletics. I was fast and strong but not enough for me. I thought it would be easier to be a boy when I grew up. I didn’t like becoming a woman. I thought it made me weak. Over the years I found out that it was never about gender as such but misperceptions. Embracing myself as the person I am made me realize that my strength is deeply anchored in the way I overcome challenges, push boundaries, team up and defy stereotypes. Being strong is certainly not about gender. My human skills are my strongest assets as a person and leader.Taking on leadership roles has been an incredible journey for me -full of continuous self-reflection and realization of potential. I feel truly grateful for the successes my colleagues and I have achieved together and all it has taught me. However, my dream was never to become a leader. I don’t think I was encouraged to see that path ahead or even thought it was possible when I grew up. I for sure stepped out of my comfort zone the day I entered MedTech–often as one of the few women in the room. I really felt I had to prove my worth –show even better results to be noticed and acknowledged. From my perspective many talented women still seem to be hesitant to step into leadership or are not given the opportunity even in a Nordic country as Denmark.