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Women in Dentistry: In the Vanguard: A Q&A with Ivoclar Vivadent’s Sarah Anders

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Sarah Anders

Dentaltown interviewed Sarah Anders, Ivoclar Vivadent's recently promoted chief operating officer and senior vice president of North American sales, about her successes and the inevitable challenges she has faced in the dental industry. Anders is no stranger to the business. Over the past 20 years she's held positions in sales, marketing and continuing education with major dental materials manufacturers. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry and a master's in business administration. When she's not working, Anders enjoys spending quality time with her husband and children. They enjoy running, hiking, swimming and water skiing. Read on to learn more about this influential woman in dentistry.

What is your favorite memory from your career in dentistry so far?
Anders: Through my career I have been truly blessed to experience dentistry through strong relationships with colleagues and industry leaders from around the world. It is hard to pick one favorite memory; however, I can share an experience that was a turning point for me. It gave me a clear perspective on what we can achieve every day through our efforts and with our passion for dentistry.

About 12 years ago, I was heading up a unique marketing campaign that connected patients, their dentists and their dental technicians. We captured personal stories of patients who had restored their smiles with IPS Empress. We spent a weekend with this incredible group of patients from all walks of life, along with their dental professionals. For them, restoring their smile was not about cosmetics, but rather it was about confidence, self-esteem, their careers, and most importantly, their families.

To personally see individuals share their emotions about how dentistry did more than just restore their smile, but rather restored their life, was inspirational. This was life changing for me, and a turning point in understanding the “why” of what we do. As a profession, dentistry has a profound impact on people's lives, and it is both an honor and a privilege to be a part of it.

What have been some of the challenges, and the solutions you have found, while working in a predominantly male industry?
In many ways it's about perspective. I believe individuals need to look critically at their own skill set, knowledge base and experience to define their personal point of differentiation. I worked hard to build a career that offered me diverse experience from sales, sales training, clinical education and marketing. My experience has spanned multiple segments of the dental space.

Looking back, I realize that most of this time was spent in male-dominated environments; however, I never really looked at it this way at the time. I ensured that what I brought to the table was knowledge, professionalism, ideas and an energy to drive positive results.

As my career has progressed, I have been more cognizant and more aware of the impact this gender difference may have. Furthermore, I have recognized that my strong foundation of past successes is enhanced by my unique perspective as a female leader. I focus on taking a bigger-

picture view, listening to area experts, and trying to develop people and teams such that their unique personal points of differentiation can accelerate results.

There are more women in all aspects of the dental profession than ever before. How has this influenced the profession, and in what ways will it continue to influence the future?
It is true we are seeing more women choose dentistry as a career—as dentists, dental technicians and in the industry space. In my view, each individual's ambitions are driven by an internal determination that focuses that individual on her or his career and objectives—whether that person is male or female.

Societal norms have evolved such that women in the workforce have more opportunity to focus on their careers if they choose. This change in norms has also allowed men to focus more on family. I don't think this is just a change for dental, but rather a shift in balance overall. For dentistry, I think the stronger influences on how the profession will change include the trend toward corporate dentistry; the burden of rising dental-school debt; and the requirement for more capital- intensive equipment in practices.

What advice would you give to women who are in the early stages of their careers in the dental industry?
For any individual in the early stage of her career, the key is to be like a sponge. Don't miss an opportunity to expand knowledge related to your position, your product, your organization or your industry. Identify individuals whom you consider successful and learn their best practices. Be open to new ideas, new projects and new networks. It is a small industry with a big heart. Your focus should be on delivering exceptional results and on your personal integrity as a trustworthy and high-quality professional. At the end of the day, dentistry is about people, and it is amazing to see the great things that great people do.

Looking ahead, what challenges do you expect that dental manufacturers will face in the next five years?
As we look ahead, there are two key trends that I believe we need to be cognizant of. The first is the forecast related to patient growth for dental offices, as published by the ADA. The trends show a lag in the key practice-growing segment of insurance-based dentistry, and more growth with children and the elderly. This will have an impact on how dentists practice and market their practices moving forward.

The second noteworthy trend is consolidation. We are seeing rapid consolidation at multiple levels—dental practices, dental laboratories, manufacturers and dealers. It is expected that this shift will bring a stronger corporate influence to dentistry overall. As dental manufacturers, we realize there will be increasing pressure to quickly introduce new products to market. At all levels of the supply chain there is expected to be increased price pressure. Further, meeting overall expectations of large group practices will influence how we work with our laboratory and dealer partners to meet the needs of these dental organizations.

As we navigate the trends in our industry, it is important to remain patient-centered. The products we manufacture have a profound impact on a person's life. Our products help restore somebody's oral health, and our efforts should be focused on the quality of products, and elevating the quality of care for consumers.




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