Alicia’s Career Journey

Why did you join ResMed?

I joined ResMed almost 17 years ago when it was a much smaller company! I had just finished a Mechanical Engineering degree and Master of Commerce when I discovered a passion for Product Development.

I’m inspired by the impact of great product design on the world. I love that in my role as an Engineer I get to create something that does a great deal of good! We’re changing millions of lives, from babies with congenital issues to those who struggle to breathe while they sleep and others with respiratory diseases such as COPD who need more invasive ventilation solutions.

Our impact is twofold – we help change patient lives, and we also support wealth generation for many small to medium businesses that supply our components. I love the idea that great product design, that truly meets the needs of the customer, will result in many families having meaningful work – from making and assembling components to shipping and supplying to marketing and selling the product.

Tell us about your career journey so far.

I started as a Design Engineer in 2006 working on mask projects before being promoted to lead the project teams developing the Pixi Paediatric mask and then the AirFit P10 mask. Once they launched, I led the Mask Research & Technology teams and then the Technology Development teams.

Throughout this time, my husband and I had three children! In late 2019, after my third baby was born, I took a job-share role as the Vice President of Ventilation Solutions where I managed the Product Development and Product Management teams. Soon after, this relatively small part of ResMed suddenly became very important in 2020 as we did our best to supply the world with life-saving ventilators at the height of the COVID pandemic.

Out of the peak of COVID and in my current position, I oversee our team of Devices Systems Engineers. While in this role, I was recently given the opportunity to project manage a new go-to-market model in our ANZ business – the new ResMed EZ Subscription program. This exposed me to commercial decision-making (such as pricing and making the complex simple for a digital customer) that I would never have come across in physical product development.

It also gave me the chance to use my product development skills in a different setting. ResMed is pretty special like that, there are many ‘gig’ opportunities like this that allow you to stretch and grow in different ways – broadening your skill set and keeping life interesting.

What makes ResMed different from other workplaces?

After spending almost two decades in a variety of roles at ResMed, I think the better question is, ‘Why have you stayed so long?!’. And the answer is simple. I’m very passionate about our purpose and the good that we do every day. The added benefit is that I get to work alongside some very intelligent, engaged and fun people!

I also feel strongly about enabling part-time work in interesting and challenging roles. I was one of the first managers at ResMed to work in a part-time capacity. I love challenging the misconception that ‘part-time’ is career-limiting, a flawed notion that you’re not as committed and cannot fill strategic roles.

I like being constantly stretched. My boss jokes that I can get bored easily, so he has supported me in juggling multiple opportunities. I am encouraged to push the boundaries – both technically as well as professionally.

One example of pushing the boundaries is working part-time. I feel strongly about enabling part-time work in interesting and challenging roles. I was one of the first managers at ResMed to work in a part-time capacity. I love challenging the misconception that ‘part-time’ is career-limiting, a flawed notion that you’re not as committed and cannot fill strategic roles.

And the icing on the top is that people genuinely care about each other at ResMed, which makes it not only enjoyable, but also a pretty special place to work!