Meet Claudia Gallo, VP Human Resources EMEA at Global Medical Device Company: Align Technology

Align Technology is a global medical device company. What began as an up-and-coming start-up 25 years ago, is now a Fortune 500 company that is pioneering digital orthodontics and the clear aligner market. Our flagship product – the Invisalign® clear aligner system – has been used to treat over 14 million patients worldwide.

However, we are much more than just clear aligners. We focus on digital transformations that help drive dental and orthodontic practices. Our Align Digital Platform™ provides doctors with a suite of proprietary technologies that improve the efficiency of their practices, helping them to develop better communication with their patients, from the initial consultation through treatment and follow-up, to provide personalised care that patients value.
 
 
Claudia Gallo
 

What do you think makes the company unique?

 
First, I would say that there is a huge market opportunity for Align to transform smiles and change lives through digital orthodontics.

Second, we constantly focus on ensuring that we create career opportunities to help our people excel professionally, from those that work in our labs and manufacturing plants, to our corporate offices.

And lastly, throughout our history, a large part of our commitment has also been to communities. One of our impactful programmes is the ‘Act of Random Kindness’ initiative – a non-profit programme which provides free-of-charge orthodontic treatment to patients with challenging oral health issues – including patients that cannot be put in metal braces.

Since 2018, over 140 Invisalign-trained doctors have treated more than 200 patients under this initiative. We are also since 2013 a proud supporter of Operation Smile, a global, medical non-profit organization that has provided thousands of surgeries for people born with cleft lip and cleft palate in low- and middle-income countries.
 

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 
Over the last few years, I believe we have truly been able to solidify an environment where one can flourish and expand their roles and responsibilities. And it is no secret that the tech industry has not historically had as many women in a variety of roles. However, here at Align, we are working to offer increasing opportunities that encourage career growth for our diverse global team. For example, in 2021/2022 we hired increasingly more women for tech positions, and we are already in a pretty good place to reach our 50% target in this specific field.

Last year, we launched a talent management programme which included a “Women in Leadership” online course from Yale University. Following the completion of the course, participants created a trusted network, which led to the formation of a “Women at Align” employee resource group. This programme provides opportunities for women in senior leadership roles to mentor and nurture the talent of early career colleagues, helping them to progress in their roles.

Even before the pandemic, we had been working on ways to improve our employees’ working lives. Thanks to technology, we’ve been able to offer a new working model. With virtual desktop solutions and collaborative tools like Microsoft Teams or Asana for example, we now have a fully flexible policy in place with three days at the office per week, and even a few 100% remote positions.
 

What can we hope to see from Align Technology in the future?

 
Align is committed to continuous innovation in digital orthodontics – with over 2 billion dollars, invested into our technology to date. We will continue to invest to help our doctor customers increase treatment efficiency and deliver superior clinical outcomes.

With our passionate and purpose-driven teams, we plan to continue learning from the ever-evolving technological landscape to further elevate our products and services.