If you are inherently curious and globally minded, this is perfect for you.
In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, career paths are rarely straightforward. For many executives, the key to navigating these complexities lies in continuous learning, adaptability, and strategic focus—qualities that can transform a career from conventional to extraordinary. Executives like Polly Israni exemplify how an intentional approach to professional development can lead to remarkable outcomes.
Starting as an engineer with a strong technical foundation, Polly’s aspirations extended beyond the boundaries of being a software engineer. Eager to expand her impact, she joined Intel through a rotational leadership development program for sales and marketing and pursued her MBA from the prestigious Kellogg School of Management. Finding herself in at Salesforce during a hyper-growth phase of the company as a young professional right out of business school, Polly embraced the personal growth that came with the company’s evolution and growth, on the Healthcare and Life sciences team.
With a thirst for knowledge, Polly immersed herself in learning from her roles and counts herself fortunate to have had managers and mentors early in her career who made a significant impact on her development. She found strong advocates who helped her gain visibility as well as understand her blind spots with kindness and empathy. In fact, a mentor’s advice prompted her to consider the value of specialisation when she was moving up through her career. “He said to me, at some point I need to pick a major. I have to figure out what I’m going to double down on,” Polly reflects, sharing that it was a turning point for her.
It was here that Polly carved out an expertise; making a decisive shift to double-down on marketing, honing her skillset that eventually led her to a prominent role as a divisional Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at a Fortune 10 healthcare company.
INSEAD Collaborative Leadership Programme
Polly is currently in a transitional phase, carefully assessing the evolving market, especially the impact of AI on healthcare and life sciences. Rather than rushing into her next role, she's taking this time to thoughtfully chart her path forward. Through her boutique consulting agency, Polly is getting good glimpses into the innovators of this market, actively supporting HealthTech companies as a fractional CMO. This offers her a valuable opportunity to learn, grow, and ensure that her next move aligns perfectly with her strengths, passions, and the future direction of the market.
During this transition time, Polly seeks to be a student of both the industry itself, and of the discipline of leadership. Having led change management initiatives in past work experiences, the INSEAD Collaborative Leadership programme was firstly an opportunity to reflect on her leadership journey from a neutral lens of her peers and professors. It secondly presented an opportunity to deepen her understanding of modern leadership approaches to better equip herself for future challenges.
“I don’t know what I don’t know, so the programme came at a suitable time for me to gut check what I learnt along my own leadership journey,” Polly muses, sharing that her motivation for the programme was twofold.
Knowing INSEAD's reputation for experiential learning, she was eager to engage with the material both through case studies and practical exercises. One of the most impactful aspects of the program for Polly was the exceptional facilitation by the Programme Director, Professor Michael Y. Lee, whose passion and skilful engagement elevated the learning experience. Despite it being his first time teaching the programme at INSEAD, the delivery was seamless, and Polly found herself deeply immersed in the subject matter.
Additionally, the diversity of the peer group—comprising over 40 leaders from around the world—was a significant highlight. As the only American participant, Polly was exposed to a wide range of unique insights and leadership challenges, including the significant challenges faced by leaders in regions like Ukraine.
“Exposed to unique insights and leadership challenges that the cohort faced, it broadened my horizons in ways that I couldn’t have anticipated. It blew me out of the water!”, she recalled, sharing that it not only deepened her understanding of decentralised leadership but also fostered a whole new level of personal and professional growth.
Strong Guidance of INSEAD Coaches
During her time at INSEAD, one of the most unexpected yet valuable aspects of her experience was the involvement of the leadership coaches. These coaches played a crucial role in helping her and her peers uncover blind spots, both on an individual level and within the team dynamics.
Polly was particularly struck by how the coaches observed and reflected on the way her learning team handled various situations, and a particular moment that stood out to Polly was when a coach challenged the team on their lack of conflict when assigning roles. The team had naturally fallen into a pattern where individuals would volunteer for roles, and everyone would agree without debate. The coach pointed out that while this approach seemed harmonious, there are scenarios where this leads to unproductive outcomes.
Polly has found from her own INSEAD experience that from the wealth of global perspectives to faculty that are not just experts in their fields, but also passionate educators– INSEAD is a journey of intellectual challenge, self-discovery, and global networking.
Completing her programme at INSEAD and as she looks to the future, Polly comes away with learnings to bring to her clients and her next leadership role in health tech. She is eager to apply these learnings to drive impactful change in the industry.
While Polly’s professional achievements are notable, her personal life has also played a crucial role in shaping who she is today. Raised on the East Coast, Polly’s childhood was filled with outdoor activities, music, art, and a deep-seated love for learning—interests that she continues to nurture.
Now residing near San Francisco, California, Polly remains close to her family, many of whom have relocated to the West Coast, drawn by the tech boom. Despite her demanding career, Polly makes time for the activities she loves. She leads a hiking club, takes dance classes, and actively engages with her community. Her commitment to staying connected to her roots and her community is a testament to her belief in a balanced and fulfilling life.
One of the things Polly was excited about for coming to the INSEAD campus in Fontainebleau was the beautiful forest that edges the campus grounds. “I actually came a day or two early specifically so that I could explore the hiking trails with a friend. It was a wonderful experience and an added layer of enjoyment to my INSEAD experience,” Polly reminisced as we ended off the interview.
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