Suany Orrego Carvajal-Most Empowering Women Leaders to Watch in 2026

A successful career can become so closely tied to identity that stepping away from the role feels almost impossible. Suany Orrego Carvajal learned the cost of that connection when a health crisis forced her to pause a life built around performance, responsibility and corporate achievement. The experience changed a fundamental question for her. Success was no longer only about how far she could go, but who she was becoming along the way.

Today, as General Director of Sanfer Colombia, she continues to lead in the pharmaceutical industry while carrying a philosophy shaped by that personal turning point. Her work as an author, mentor and speaker extends the same thinking beyond the boardroom, particularly through El Nuevo Liderazgo Femenino, where she advocates a more conscious balance between ambition, well-being and purpose. Her story is ultimately about redefining what it means to lead without losing yourself in the process. During an exclusive interview with TradeFlock Magazine, she talks about the leadership journey behind that transformation and the business philosophy she is now building around it.

When did you first realise that achievement alone was not enough?

After more than 25 years in leadership positions, I have reached many milestones, but the achievements that have stayed with me most are not those reflected in business results. One of the most meaningful moments was realising that my leadership could transform not only a business, but also people’s lives. Seeing my teams grow and supporting women who began to believe more in themselves gave me a different understanding of success.

A turning point came in 2012. Until then, I had built my life around work, performance and high expectations. That experience made me ask not only what I was achieving, but who I was becoming. I understood that the impact I wanted to create was to show that it is possible to achieve strong results without losing yourself along the way. That realisation continues to shape how I see success. Results matter, but so does the person we become while pursuing them and the impact we create in the lives of others.

Which experiences taught you to balance people, purpose and performance?

Leading through moments when business priorities, people and purpose seemed to compete has been one of my greatest challenges. The pandemic was one of those moments. We had to protect our teams, ensure operational continuity and maintain the availability of medicines for patients who could not wait.

The transition of our production plant created another challenge, requiring us to move operations and adjust processes while continuing to meet market demand. Both experiences taught me that leadership means holding several realities at once. Business sustainability matters, people need to be cared for and purpose cannot be lost when pressure increases.

Behind every medicine there is a patient who is waiting for that treatment. Keeping that human reality visible has reinforced my belief that strong performance and genuine care do not have to compete. Leadership has to make room for both.

What do you hope women carry forward from your journey?

I hope women understand that we do not have to choose between a successful career and a fulfilling life. We can grow, be ambitious and go very far without disappearing inside our achievements.

Supporting women who began to believe more in themselves has become one of the most meaningful parts of my leadership journey. My work through El Nuevo Liderazgo Femenino, along with my speaking, mentoring and personal brand, gives me an opportunity to share what I have learned and encourage women to think differently about leadership and success.

The legacy I want to build goes beyond the positions I have held or the results I have achieved. I want to contribute to a form of leadership where determination and empathy, ambition and well-being, doing and being can exist together. If people become more confident in themselves, more conscious of their purpose and more willing to lead without losing who they are, I will feel that my work has created something meaningful.

“Success should not cost us ourselves.”

What did your earlier definition of ambition teach you about leading differently?

For many years, I believed a leader had to handle everything. I took on more responsibility, tried to have the answers and put the needs of the business and others ahead of my own. That formula produced results, so for a long time I did not see it as a problem.

Eventually, I understood that something can lead you to success and still become unsustainable. I learned to delegate, ask for support, listen more and accept that I do not need every answer. Those changes also taught me to look at difficult situations differently.

Today, when something does not unfold as expected, I ask what it is teaching me, what I need to do differently and what I can still change. Leadership means having the humility to recognise when something did not work, learn and adjust course. Ambition remains important to me, but I no longer believe it should come at the expense of well-being and personal fulfilment.

What does “coming back to centre” mean in your leadership journey?

My leadership philosophy starts with a simple idea. Success should not cost us ourselves.

Many of my decisions today begin with one question. Is this aligned with the person I want to be and the impact I want to leave? That question takes me back to what I call “coming back to centre”, recognising who you are and what truly matters before responding to external expectations.

Conscious leadership means finding balance between doing and being, determination and empathy, ambition and well-being. It is not about giving up excellence, but about achieving it from a more sustainable and human place.

Personal fulfilment has become part of that definition of leadership because results are not enough if we stop listening to ourselves, caring for ourselves or living according to what we truly value.