Small Steps, Big Impact – Jessica Leygues

In this special episode in partnership with ESCP Business School, I’m joined by Jessica Leygues, an ESCP Business School MSc Biopharmaceutical Management alum, current General Secretary of the Women's Cancer Institute, for a thought-provoking conversation about her inspiring journey and her work redefining healthcare systems. Jessica, an engineer by training from AgroParisTech, shared her early career in biotech consulting and her transition to leadership roles, including as CEO of Medicen Paris Region during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She discussed how her experiences in the public and private sectors gave her insight into where real impact can be made in healthcare.

Jessica emphasized that values-driven leadership and small teams have allowed her to focus on deep, meaningful change, particularly in her current project, building the Women's Cancer Institute from scratch. We explored her belief in co-constructing solutions alongside patients and teams, and how this approach is central to her leadership style. She noted the importance of fighting for what you believe in, balancing small victories, and ensuring inclusivity in decision-making.

We also touched on the broader challenges in women's health, where systemic gaps, such as the underrepresentation of women in clinical trials, are leading to disparities in outcomes. Jessica's goal with the Women's Cancer Institute is to address these gaps with a holistic approach that includes personalized care, patient feedback, and a commitment to changing the cultural narratives around women's health.

It was an inspiring conversation about leadership, innovation, and the future of healthcare, all driven by the belief that listening to people and co-creating solutions is the key to meaningful progress.

"Fight for what you believe in"

MEET OUR GUEST Jessica Leygues, General Secretary of Women’s Cancer Institute.

Jessica Leygues is the General Secretary of Women’s Cancer Institute in France. Jessica is an engineer by training from AgroParisTech, and started her career at Alcimed consulting firm where she spent eight years developing new healthcare markets (Biotech/MedTech) for entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs and large corporations as well as for the public and semi-public innovation sector, including the French Ministry of Research, research institutes, competitiveness clusters and knowledge transfer centers. Strongly committed to optimization initiatives for healthcare systems, Jessica then joined Celgene, where she was responsible for a partnership hub aimed at developing the healthcare value model. In April 2020, the midst of COVID pandemic, Jessica became the CEO of Medicen Paris Region, Europe’s leading health cluster, where she redefined the strategic positioning of the group in order to launch concrete reindustrialization initiatives to accelerate growth in the French healthcare industry and boost national sovereignty to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.