Women Of The C-Suite: Demaris Mills Of Integrated DNA Technologies On The Five Things You Need To Succeed As A Senior Executive

An Interview With Sara Connell

Address problems, not people. A high-performance culture starts with transparency. When issues arise, talk about it and solve problems together. It’s about facing facts, dealing with them, understanding it, and working together.

As a part of our interview series called “Women Of The C-Suite” , we had the pleasure of interviewing Demaris Mills.

Mills is president of Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), a global genomics solutions provider helping to accelerate scientific breakthroughs across a myriad of research areas such as oncology, infectious and inherited diseases, pharmacogenomics, drug discovery, and cell and gene therapies. With nearly 20 years of broad global experience in the life sciences, genomics, and diagnostics industries, and a proven track record of driving high-impact results, Mills leads the 35-year-old company in delivering proprietary technologies for genomic applications including next generation sequencing, CRISPR genome editing, synthetic biology, digital PCR, and RNA interference. A widely recognized leader in the custom nucleic acid manufacture industry, IDT serves more than 130,000 life sciences researchers.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your back story? What led you to this particular career path?

Early on in my career, I knew I wanted to be a part of something meaningful and tangibly make a positive impact on the world. My first job after graduating college took me into the life sciences field. It was my first foray into the world of science — a world full of possibilities — where we have the potential to drive health improvements, from optimizing patient outcomes to manufacturing life-changing therapies. I saw first-hand the power of being a part of this industry, and the ways in which it is changing our world as we know it. Nearly 20 years later, I haven’t looked back. Over the years, I’ve taken on roles of increasing responsibility, which has led me to where I am today as IDT’s first female president.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

I joined IDT in 2021, in the middle of a global pandemic. At this time, IDT was the first company in the nation to have its primer and probe kits approved by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Our RT-qPCR primer and probe kits are a key component of the CDC testing protocol for identifying COVID-19, for which the CDC obtained Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Recognizing the important role IDT was playing in enabling researchers to pinpoint SARS-CoV-2 and emerging new variants, as well as help accelerate vaccine development, I had to lead the organization in a whole new way to keep our strategy and future in focus, while also maintaining and caring for the safety of our own teams.

I was continually evolving with the shifts and stages, and stayed up-to-date on current issues so I could answer questions. I also had to empathize with the different experiences people were having. I wanted to make sure I understood how people felt, what they were going through, and how to keep them safe, all while being my own person and having my own experiences and feelings about the issue.

It’s rewarding to be part of a business that is contributing to the science that is fueling the prevention and mitigation strategies of the pandemic. As we continue to expand our solutions, it’s exciting to see how our help serves the needs of the important work being done in oncology research, antibody discovery, drug discovery, gene editing, and more. We are continuing to grow and evolve each day and I’m proud to lead an organization that serves as the backbone for the genomics industry.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Early in my career, I’m sure I made many mistakes, and some probably seem funnier today than they did then. One that stands out: I was accompanying several senior executive leaders on my first international business trip. I packed a big bag and checked my luggage as I would have for any other personal adventure. On the other side, as I stood there waiting for the carousel to bring my luggage around, I knew I had made a mistake. All of the leaders I had traveled with were standing around me waiting, with their bags in hand, clearly annoyed to be waiting for the most junior member. Since that trip I haven’t made that business travel faux pas again — I always carry on! The lesson stays with me now and, as one of those executives, I pass along the “always carry-on” travel tip with early-career folks.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful toward who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Yes, two stand out in particular — Jennifer Honeycutt, executive vice president at Danaher, and Melissa Aquino, president at Cepheid.

When Danaher started really focusing its energy on driving engagement, understanding the value that highly engaged associates could bring, I was fortunate enough to be working with these two amazing leaders. They showed me I could find my own style and voice, and that the way I wanted to lead could absolutely yield success.

At the time, I was at Beckman Life Sciences and Jennifer Honeycutt was the company’s president. I admired the way Jennifer acknowledged commitments to deliver business results yet created the space for the team to take appropriate risks to enable critical product and capability investment and innovation. The respectful and engaging culture she built, where people had the space to bring their own perspectives and not be drowned out by top-down directives, really inspired me.

I credit her with helping me to understand the real value of cultivating a listening culture and protecting the team from blockers, including the stress of business performance deliverables and expectations. She enabled us to be creative and move fast, and it paid off big time. We now refer to this as psychological safety.

Around the same time, I can recall listening to Melissa Aquino, who at the time was president at Leica Biosystems, speak at a Danaher Leadership Conference. She confidently presented an approach to leadership that said you can drive both engagement and results. I was moved; it’s a moment that I remember clearly. Today, we think, “Of course! The data clearly support that.” But at the time, many of the senior leaders in the organization weren’t so sure that you could do both. The idea was revolutionary. A few years later, Melissa led another movement for Danaher to establish the Women + Friends Associate Resource Group (ARG). Through her work with the ARG and Danaher leadership, Melissa created a safe space for women like me to be authentic. She encouraged the people-focused side of leadership and gave me the confidence to define a leadership approach that doesn’t favor business over people, but one that integrates the two in a powerful way. Going through the coaching program she piloted with the ARG was truly a pivotal moment in my career. Those experiences helped me find my inner confidence and leadership voice.

In my work, I often talk about how to release and relieve stress. As a busy leader, what do you do to prepare your mind and body before a stressful or high stakes meeting, talk, or decision? Can you share a story or some examples?

For me it starts with thinking about how I want to As up in a meeting. I ask myself, “How do I want to be received?” and feel confident in that — even if it’s an intense meeting. I also do breath work (breathing in through the nose, out the mouth). The technique helps get me into a calm, prepared, and mindful state for meetings.

As you know, the United States is currently facing a very important self-reckoning about race, diversity, equality, and inclusion. This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have a diverse executive team?

For IDT, a Life Sciences company at Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR), diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is an ongoing journey and we are committed to continuously improving our culture. DEI is important at all levels of an organization — especially at the executive level — and helps us to further enhance a culture of inclusion and support a workplace that encourages diversity of background, thought, and perspective. That’s why we’ve developed five Associate Resource Groups, which are associate-led groups that reinforce our shared purpose and elevate our ability to develop, include, and engage all associates.

Our goal is to continuously improve and sustain an inclusive culture in which diversity provides deeper customer insights and creates a competitive advantage in the markets we serve. By attracting, developing, and engaging an outstanding team of diverse associates, we are helping to realize life’s potential for ourselves, our customers, and our stakeholders.

As a business leader, can you please share a few steps we must take to truly create an inclusive, representative, and equitable society? And could you share an example for each?

1. Be open to learning. As a leader, your job is about enabling and bringing out the best in people. Everyone has a different contribution to make. This means being on an ongoing learning journey, being open to being inspired, and constantly growing and evolving. There are always different ways to do things — and each person has a different perspective, personal experience, or point of view to share.
2. Remove barriers. Leadership is supposed to help take barriers out of the way and enable teams to be their best selves. It about facing the facts, dealing with them, understanding them, and working through them together.
3. Always see the individual. Creating a high-performance culture starts with transparency. Lead with empathy and create a safe space that ensures people can bring their perspectives. Cultivate a listening culture and engage with people — it is human nature to want to feel connected. Focus on talking through and solving problems, not people.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Most of our readers — in fact, most people — think they have a pretty good idea of what a CEO or executive does. But in just a few words can you explain what an executive does that is different from the responsibilities of the other leaders?

An executive is responsible for seeing the big picture, and ensuring the company and its associates drive initiatives and priorities toward strategic objectives. It’s about leading through strategy, breakthroughs, and advancing the business forward, rather than keeping the trains moving and on time.

In the day-to-day, a CEO is the manager of managers of managers. You’re not going to do the work, but you need to understand what people need to ensure they’re enabled and empowered to complete what needs to get done.

What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a CEO or executive? Can you explain what you mean?

I think there is a preconceived notion that CEOs/executives have it all. But you cannot have it all — no one does, even if they seemingly do. I’m often asked, “How do you do it all,” and I truthfully loathe the question. It implies that because I am one thing, I cannot be another, or that I or others in my life have suffered for me so I could become who and what I am today. Instead, we should reframe that thinking from “having it all” to “having what matters most to you.”

Personally, I have followed a path toward my goals, and along the way I have learned a lot about myself and what matters most to me in life. With that understanding, I’ve been able to set very intentional goals and make choices to ensure I’m working toward or have the ability to achieve or experience those things.

In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges faced by women executives that aren’t typically faced by their male counterparts?

Physical otherness and preconceived assumptions about what a woman can or can’t do: Early on in my career, I was often the only woman at the table, and I was constantly made very aware of it. On top of my physical “otherness” and the related assumptions I had to navigate, I couldn’t relate to the leadership models around me; I couldn’t see myself in them. They were often monolithic and centered around a stereotypical aggressive male model, so I assumed I needed to change myself to be a leader. I thought, “If I want to be a leader, is that what I must become?” I would try to adopt these foreign behaviors, thinking that was what it took to succeed at my job, but all that did was make me self-conscious and constantly second guess myself. I had to look to those around me to approve or disapprove of my approach. It was a significant barrier, and it made me question whether I could thrive here as my authentic self.

Over time, I’ve discovered things about myself and continued learning, and I was lucky to encounter positive role models in my journey who helped me realize it didn’t have to be that way.

What is the most striking difference between your actual job and how you thought the job would be?

Earlier in my career, I always thought the president of a company had it easy — they just tell people what to do. As I advanced in my own professional journey, took on increasing roles of responsibility, and eventually became an executive and now president of a global corporation, I see how the pressure and stakes are much higher. Yes, there can be long hours. Yes, there is stress. It’s all relative — but focused on doing different things.

One realization I have had is the importance of communication. Being a leader is all about building relationships with people. When you’re leading, you’re spending a lot of your time communicating with others. So it’s important that people feel seen, understood, and that they know what they need to do to understand and relate.

I also didn’t realize how lonely it can get when you’re at the top. You can’t get too close to others like you did in peer groups — you’re a team of one — and there’s a shift in the way in which you have relationships because you’re viewed as a different type of colleague. At this level, it’s critical to seek guidance and input from alternative connections and networks.

Is everyone cut out to be an executive? In your opinion, which specific traits increase the likelihood that a person will be a successful executive and what type of person should avoid aspiring to be an executive? Can you explain what you mean?

Anyone can learn to become a successful leader. Successful leaders have the ability to instill trust and confidence in the people they lead, effectively drive performance through their teams, and coach and develop others into the roles they want for their future.

What advice would you give to other leaders to help their team to thrive?

My advice is to develop and reinforce your own leadership philosophy. My approach to leadership is simple: it’s about unleashing and enabling the talent on your team. Your people are your most valuable resource. At IDT, we have a saying — “the Best Team Wins” — and it continues to be critical to live and support that idea wholeheartedly.

Bringing great people together who are united in a common goal is step one. Leadership plays an important role in enabling everyone to unlock the potential they have within them. To me, leading well means communicating, empathizing, and empowering your people.

That’s why a lot of what I do is listen and learn. I have discovered and adopted this philosophy based on my own experiences. I’ve always been driven and passionate about my work, but my leadership style was not always what you see today. As I mentioned previously, over time, I’ve discovered things about myself and continued learning, and I was lucky to encounter positive role models in my journey who helped me realize it didn’t have to be that way. All of this has influenced the leadership philosophy that grounds me today.

How have you used your success to make the world a better place?

It’s very important to me to use my success to inspire more goodness in our industry, communities, and world. Here are a few ways I’m leveraging my success to help others:

• Supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. As a female member of IDT’s leadership team, I’m passionate about representing women in leadership and advocating for all associates who are looking to build their path toward leadership roles. I believe in lifting others up, mentoring, and hiring and developing diverse teams that are comprised of different minority groups and walks of life. It’s just one way to ensure people feel included and see they do not have to have the same experiences that others may have had.
• Leverage science as a force of good. It’s a privilege to be part of a company helping advance genomic research and medicine, and being a force of good in the world. In this capacity, I have the ability to shape and drive what we’re doing by making sure we’re investing in the right opportunities that benefit not only my team and company, but humanity. A core belief at IDT is enriching the lives of others — doing meaningful work that benefits all. IDT is proud to give back to the communities we work and live in, and in Q1 2022 alone our associates logged nearly 250 hours of volunteer time off, committed $225,000 in charitable contributions, and assisted more than 10 global organizations. Making the lives of others better has ripple effects — to our associates, customers, businesses, and communities at large.

What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?

1. Address problems, not people. A high-performance culture starts with transparency. When issues arise, talk about it and solve problems together. It’s about facing facts, dealing with them, understanding it, and working together.
2. Create a culture where people feel they can have fun and feel at ease. When you can have fun, feel at ease, and do good work, your people can, too. An effective culture requires both — it doesn’t favor one over another.
3. Cultivate a listening culture. People value being able to bring their perspectives, and will feel more encouraged, engaged, and connected. Be respectful in communications, be supportive, and allow for open and honest dialogue.
4. Offer a safe space for testing and learning. Make it possible for people to safely challenge norms, make mistakes, and be real. Creating an environment where testing and learning is encouraged can drive associate engagement.
5. Find others who will give open and honest feedback. Always be on a learning journey. Be open to being inspired. Self-reflect, and constantly grow and evolve. Connecting with others who provide open and honest feedback can open your mind to doing things differently.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

If I could inspire a movement, it would be to unlock the promise of genomic medicine. We are currently at an inflection point where we are realizing the tremendous impact we can all make together in the expanding area of genomic medicine — to improve patient outcomes, accelerate more scientific breakthroughs, and advance our understanding of biology and disease to improve human health. I am excited to see how this new era of genomics will transform healthcare as we know it today, for generations to come, and serve the greater good.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Since I was young, my parents would tell me, “It’s your job to always do your best and bring you best.” When I’d bring home a test or project, my parents would ask, “Well, did you bring your very best?” and this has resonated with me over the years. It helped me to develop self-awareness and reflect on how I want to prepare and how I want to show up. I do want to bring my very best and I always can hear my parents telling me: It’s your job to do and bring your very best to what you do.

We are very blessed that some very prominent names in business, VC funding, sports, and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world or in the U.S. with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

Oprah Winfrey. Her incredible ability to connect with people is at the heart of her success. As a leader, that is inspiring.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.