Milena Vicente

I built this career from the ground up — starting in a laboratory and moving into roles I held locally, remotely, and across the Americas, Europe and Asia, often leading people I rarely saw in person. What carried me through the distance wasn’t stamina. It was that I liked the work itself: leading, and watching someone find their own way forward.

Along the way I reported to a long line of very different leaders, and learned to read each one rather than wait for them to adapt to me. I tried to lead the same way. No two people need the same thing from you, and treating everyone identically is not the same as treating everyone fairly. Adjusting how I worked, again and again, without becoming someone else — that was most of the job.

Twenty-eight years in this industry, and I stayed because it’s where I feel useful. This work is that same instinct, made deliberate.