Her Story
About Gabriela
Gabriela Guillen, MBA, is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Medtronic, specializing in global marketing strategy with a focus on thyroid health and the head and neck portfolio. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare marketing and international business, she has built a career spanning regional and global leadership roles — driving product commercialization, market expansion, and strategic portfolio growth across multiple continents.
Gabriela has held progressive roles at Medtronic, Kimberly-Clark, and GE Healthcare, developing deep expertise in women's health, medical imaging, infection prevention, and advanced medical technologies. Her work has consistently centered on improving patient outcomes, particularly through early detection initiatives for conditions such as breast and thyroid cancer. She is known for identifying market opportunities, leading cross-functional teams, and executing product launches that expand market share while meaningfully improving quality of life for patients.
Grounded in a philosophy of patient-centered impact, continuous learning, and mentorship, Gabriela attributes her success to early mentorship that helped her transition from human resources into marketing — and to a willingness to step outside her comfort zone and embrace new challenges. A Six Sigma Green Belt certified leader, she remains committed to advancing healthcare innovation globally and ensuring that every initiative she leads contributes to better patient care and awareness worldwide.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gabriela
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute much of my success to a remarkable leader and mentor I met early in my career at GE. As the general manager of the healthcare business at the time, he recognized skills in me — demonstrated during a short assignment — that he believed could translate into a strong career in sales and marketing. His confidence in me made a real difference; without his mentorship, my career path would likely look very different today. The opportunity he gave me to join GE's leadership training program became the foundation for everything that followed — building my product knowledge and developing the cross-functional leadership skills that allowed me to move into sales and marketing.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received was to step outside my comfort zone. When I was offered a role in sales and marketing — with no prior experience in either — I chose to take the risk, and it completely changed the trajectory of my career. That experience taught me that real growth comes from saying yes to challenges, even when you don't feel fully ready.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to anyone building their career is this: be passionate about what you do, and never stop learning. The work you're doing right now is building the foundation for what comes next — but only if you stay curious and keep an open mind.
Seek out opportunities to grow, even when they feel uncomfortable. I learned this firsthand. When my mentor at GE — the general manager at the time — offered me a role in sales and marketing, I had no background in either. But he saw something in me, and I chose to trust that. Making the leap from HR to Marketing was well outside my comfort zone, and it changed everything.
If I had said no, my career would look very different today. Taking risks and embracing challenges can make all the difference.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest opportunity in my field is improving patient outcomes through innovative medical device solutions, medical education and awareness campaigns — particularly in early detection of conditions like thyroid and breast cancer. At the same time, a key challenge is ensuring that global products and strategies consistently deliver meaningful improvements in quality of life, while navigating the complexities of international healthcare environments.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that guide my life and work are improving patient outcomes, ensuring patient safety, bringing genuine passion to meaningful work, continuous learning, and mentorship. These principles shape every decision I make and keep my efforts aligned with what matters most — creating a lasting, positive impact on patients and healthcare systems around the world.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Florida
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.