Her Story
About Abhinaya
Abhinaya Uthayakumar is Director of Project Leadership at Abbott, leading all digital products in the diabetes division across 60 countries as well as the associated cloud portfolio. She earned her bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering from Georgia Tech and a master's degree in Engineering Management from Duke University. Uthayakumar also holds PMP and Certified Scrum Product Owner certifications. Her career at Abbott began in a rotational program after the St. Jude Medical acquisition and progressed through regulatory affairs, process engineering in the heart failure division, and program management focused on digital health projects such as the Novo Pen integration and the Libre app launch. She has received the Technology Rising Star Award, Outstanding Achievement Award, DVP award for the Libra app program, and Global Marketing Leaders Award. Uthayakumar attributes her rapid rise to a directorship in 10 years to her curiosity and commitment to making medical devices more accessible and affordable for patients. She values integrity, empathy, ambition, and passion, and she remains active in volunteering with the Girl Scouts, Feed My Starving Children in Dallas, and Best Buddies.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Abhinaya
01What do you attribute your success to?
Curiosity is what drives me. I am just a curious soul wanting to know what's next and how I can do some good in the world. That curiosity along with knowing I could make medical devices more accessible and affordable for patients is why I studied biomedical engineering and why I've risen to a directorship in 10 years within Abbott.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Very early on I met with this leader who told me to stop thinking about work-life balance as separate bubbles. There is no just the work bubble or the life bubble, they're all integrated into one life. On some days work takes 70% and family 30%, on other days family is 100% and work none. It's one life.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If I see a gap I respectfully ask questions early on like hey I don't understand what this means. Asking questions is the way I was able to learn more. Keep fueling your curiosity. Don't let anyone bring that aspect of you down.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There are so many cool technologies in our pipeline in diabetes. The goal is to make it more accessible, more affordable to everyone. It's not just about managing diabetes, it's preventing it from getting worse by being more proactive with our own health, understanding what eating certain meals does or going on a walk after a heavy meal. Putting the user first is where the opportunity is.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity, doing what is right even when no one is watching. Being true to yourself, ambitious, passionate. Passion is the reason I don't feel overworked. Empathy, understanding and caring about others' perspectives and feelings has gotten me through the toughest moments at work and life.
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