Event Series The Leader Within Highlights Inspiring Stories of Leadership

In 2021, Colorado Bioscience Association and the Medtronic Women’s Network teamed up to create The Leader Within – a virtual event series to hear from local life sciences leaders in an exclusive setting. Executives share their leadership journey, personal details about their growth, and answer questions from the audience.

This week, our Colorado life sciences community joined us for a virtual fireside chat with the Co-Founder, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of Securisyn Medical, Elyse Blazevich. Elyse serves on the CBSA Board of Directors and is Chair of the CBSA Membership Committee.

Elyse described herself as showing up with an eagerness, irrational sense of optimism, and a relentless drive to reach her goals, grow her business, and support her team. Throughout the fireside chat, Elyse told personal stories, first of how she co-founded Securisyn Medical, a Colorado-based medical device company that is disrupting how breathing tubes are secured to improve patient safety. Starting this company with her father, Dr. Arthur Kanowitz, wasn’t always in her career plan. When the unexpected opportunity arose, she accepted the challenge to support her father’s dream with a long road of rewarding accomplishments and significant hurdles ahead. She shared that early in her 20s, during recovery from a traumatic experience, she conditioned her mind to face adversity with more empowering meanings and take determined action toward opportunity and growth.

Through Elyse’s stories, she showed glimpses into the many hats she wears not only as a leader of a team and of a company, but within her family and her personal life as well.

Elyse spoke of her two young children and reminisced on the life-changing use of a sleep coach to gain back her own time and learn the vital skill of setting boundaries. Elyse explained how her team has intentionally maintained a strong culture, through “Pits and Peaks” discussions at meetings that provide a safe space for everyone to share what is going on in their world or through crazy-sock competitions to boost connection and morale. Elyse shared that her leadership and decision-making style relies on both her analytical skills and her intuition. She concluded with being vulnerable and showing up as her authentic self in business and in life is what makes her an effective, well-respected leader and is the leadership legacy she wants to leave.

Thank you, Elyse, for exploring your story with our life sciences ecosystem and bringing your vulnerabilities to The Leader Within discussion. CBSA is so grateful to you and all of the leaders in this community that inspire others! We also thank our sponsor, Medtronic, for making this event possible.

Learn more about Securisyn Medical
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If you are interested in securing a speaking opportunity for The Leader Within, or if you know a leader in the life sciences community who would be a great fit for this fireside chat format, please contact Event Coordinator, Natalie Allen.

Thank you to our series sponsor:

Thank you to our sustaining sponsor:

Categories: CBSA News