✨ Introduction
In the latest episode of Career Diaries by elemed, Maarten ter Mors, Senior Vice President and Head of Brachytherapy Solutions at Elekta, shares his fascinating journey from curious engineer to corporate leader. Maarten offers valuable insights on leadership, the importance of sales skills beyond commercial roles, embracing AI, and navigating a career without rigid plans, all within the fast-paced, life-changing world of MedTech.
From Curious Mind to Executive Leader
Maarten’s journey began with a fascination for how things work, a childhood curiosity that naturally led him to engineering. While working in academia, an opportunity to help address the Y2K bug, a computer glitch feared to cause widespread problems around the year 2000, came onto his path and he grabbed it. That moment did not spark a grand career plan but it opened a new door.
His medtech path really took off at Philips Healthcare, where he transitioned from technical roles into product management. He realised that understanding the customer was just as important as building the product. That insight eventually led him to general management and now to a senior leadership role at Elekta focused on advancing cancer care through innovation.
Why Sales Is Not Just for Salespeople
One standout belief from Maarten’s episode is that sales is a skill everyone can benefit from, not just the commercial team.
Throughout his career, he has seen the power of being able to communicate clearly, inspire confidence and bring people along. This applies whether you are pitching a product, a new idea or a strategic decision. Experience, confidence and staying alert help you deal with bigger decisions even when you do not have all the facts. Once you feel confident about a decision, you can then explain it clearly to your teams.
Maarten disagrees with the idea that sales belongs only to salespeople. In his view, engineers, regulatory professionals and marketers can all benefit from learning how to articulate value and influence effectively.
Building Teams and Letting Go
Another key theme is Maarten’s transition from “doer” to leader. Moving from engineering into product management meant stepping away from the details and trusting others to execute.
“One of the hardest parts of leadership is letting go of doing everything yourself. The goal is to build a team of people better than you at different things and let them fly.”
He learned to focus on the voice of the customer, bridging technical teams with market needs and sharpening the organisation’s ability to deliver products that truly matter.
Embracing AI and Staying Relevant
After ChatGPT emerged, Maarten and his wife’s regulatory consultancy, CREATE, explored AI technology, saw its potential and quickly developed a dedicated tool for medtech workflows. That tool is now ChatMDR.
But as Maarten points out, AI is only as powerful as your ability to explain its value. Once again, sales skills, storytelling, positioning and clarity are vital.
“AI won’t replace your job, but someone using AI better than you might.”
He encourages professionals across the industry to embrace emerging technology, stay curious and constantly evolve how they work.
Don’t Over-Plan Your Career
Maarten also offers a refreshing take on career planning: do not overdo it.
Instead of fixating on rigid goals, he suggests following your interests, building on your strengths and staying open to opportunities, even those that do not follow the script.
“I never had a 10-year plan. I just said yes to interesting opportunities. You do not need to know where the road ends, you just need to keep moving.”
A Legacy That Matters
Ultimately, Maarten wants his work to contribute to something bigger: improving the lives of cancer patients. It is a purpose that brings energy to his team and meaning to his role.
By combining deep technical expertise, strong leadership and human-centred thinking, he hopes to leave behind more than business results he wants to make a difference.
Key Takeaways
🟣 Sales is a universal skill. Whether you are pitching a product, a project or an idea, being able to communicate and inspire is essential.
🟣 Curiosity is a career superpower. Stay open, ask questions and never stop learning.
🟣 Let go to lead. Delegate, empower and focus on the bigger picture.
🟣 AI is an opportunity not a threat. Embrace it, learn how to use it and communicate its value.
🟣 Don’t fear ambiguity. Say yes to growth even if you do not know exactly where it will take you.
🎧 Listen to the full episode of Career Diaries with Maarten ter Mors to hear how a curious mind and open attitude led to a career at the forefront of medtech innovation.
