Voice of Experience: Christi Pedra, CEO, Siemens Hearing Instruments

The concept of the “corporate ladder” is such a common analogy that many in the business world only see their careers in terms of the rungs they haven’t been able to reach. According to Christi Pedra, CEO of Siemens Hearing Instruments, that kind of thinking may be a mistake. Pedra prefers to think of the ladder as a rock climb where there are more directions in a career path than strictly moving up.

“My [25 years] at Siemens hasn’t always been a vertical rise to the top,” she said. “I’ve taken many lateral moves and they’ve provided me with some excellent, much-needed experience. You’ve got your feet firmly planted, but sometimes you need to move to the left or right before you can make it to the top.”

Pedra has a knack for seeing opportunities others might miss if they only look upward. After graduating from a state college, she started her climb with non-profits such as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the March of Dimes and spent a great deal of time managing community outreach.

In 1980, Pedra entered the business world via the telecommunications industry, first with Nortel, then with ROLM. While working on an MBA from Rutgers University, she continued her career climb, this time at Siemens. There, she volunteered for projects offering significant growth potential, but these also required her to venture into unfamiliar territory.

“You can’t be afraid to go out on a limb,” Pedra said. “That’s where the fruit is.”

A Passion for Mentoring

While these projects were risky, they provided her with significant upward momentum and helped her discover her passion, one that has remained with her throughout her career: mentoring employees and cultivating talent.

“Any organization can only be as good as the people it employs,” Pedra said. “I do a lot of mentoring and creating of mentoring relationships. My managers have mentors and they mentor others.”

Upon joining Siemens Hearing in 2007, Pedra organized a summer internship program to help students find the footing they need to transition from college to the workforce, while helping the young talent combine with her existing team. With input from her son and two nieces, who were in internships elsewhere, as well as from Siemens Hearing employees, she designed a program with real business projects to challenge the participating students.

Pedra is proud that the program provides its young participants with a place to start their climb. “It’s enjoyable for me,” she said. “Watching other people start out and find their way makes you appreciate everything you’ve been through. These kids who are just starting out have a lot of opportunities ahead of them. I hope I can help them as they get started.”

That said, she wants all women to remember that it is they who should take primary responsibility for their career.

“You own your career path. You care the most. Take ownership for it and distinguish yourself with outstanding contributions,” she said.

And that is exactly what Pedra has been doing over her 25-year climb. Her drive, coupled with her ability to take a goal and, using a bit of creativity, produce results, has made her successful in her career in general and at Siemens Hearing in particular.

“One of our goals at Siemens Hearing was to bring health awareness to children and their families,” Pedra said. “We also wanted to make the process of being fitted with and having to wear a hearing device less frightening for young children.”

Pedra helped Siemens Hearing accomplish this by developing a business alliance with Disney, which resulted in Mickey Mouse-themed hearing kits for children, a Disney book featuring a new character with hearing loss named “Bunny” and large, stuffed Disney characters for doctors to use to show children how hearing devices work.

Work-Life Balance Challenges in the Climb Up the Corporate Ladder

Pedra’s challenges in her climb were not just limited to those at work; she also had to contend with how to balance competing work and family demands. She said that raising her three children and pursuing her career was difficult, leaving her to struggle with, as she put it, decisions like: “Do I go to the kindergarten parade or prepare the [corporate] budget?” Luckily, she found a handhold in another working mother and, together they made sure that, no matter what the work obligations of the day, at least one of them would always be there to support their kids.

Now, 25 years in, Pedra is a seasoned climber. Given all her experience, she can authoritatively say that climbing the career cliff is possible and that one can, and should, throw a rope to help up-and-coming climbers along the way.