Her Story
About Kelsey
Kelsey Mollick serves as District Sales Manager for Watson Marlowe, where she specializes in OEM medical device and diagnostic instrumentation, helping engineers during the design phase to spec out the correct products for new medical devices. She has been in her field for 10 years, following earlier roles as a research associate at a startup where she handled tasks including hazardous waste management and market research, and as a pharmaceutical-style sales representative at Roche. Kelsey earned her undergraduate degree in pharmacology in three years at UC Santa Barbara and completed her master's degree in molecular biology and pharmacology there in 2015, during which she served as a teaching assistant for biochemistry and pharmacology courses. She also holds a DOT certification for hazardous waste. Kelsey attributes her success to persistence and a genuine passion for solving problems and helping design new technology that serves patients. She values respect, empathy, and optimism in her professional and personal life, and advises young women entering the industry to find a niche where they can provide unique value based on their background.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Kelsey
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say probably persistence and a real passion for helping solve problems. I've always loved puzzles and helping people design new technology. So inherently I've been successful in this field because I genuinely like the work. I love to see new better products hit the market that really serve patients and I love being a part of that journey.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Really sticking to what you believe is right and not always waiting for approval or reassurance from anyone but really when you know the right thing to do believe in yourself and make it happen. Defend your case and make sure that you're bringing others along for the ride but not to change your values or change what you believe is the correct course of action but to really listen to your experience and trust yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find a niche that you can really provide unique value and utilize that. I came in without an engineering background but I did have a master's in molecular biology and pharmacology and so my experience there helped me understand customers at a deeper level that many of my colleagues with engineering backgrounds didn't have. Find a niche and become an expert in something.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is making sure I reach the right decision maker at the right time. You can't convince someone to design a new medical device but you can be there ready and known when they do have the need for the product that you're selling. Finding the customer and making sure that you provide them the right information right when they need it and making sure that our company is agile enough to act quickly.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Definitely respect. Respect is a huge one for me. I think it's important to respect your colleagues respect your customers respect those who work for you and those you work for. Always act with respect. Another one I would say is maybe empathy is really important. I have a quote actually on my laptop too that says seek first to understand then to be understood. And then I'm a really optimistic person in general even when things are tough I try to find a lesson that I've learned from it.
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.