Let's Talk Quality16 Apr 2025

Carolina Valoyes on the guiding principles that have shaped her career.

From engineering student to SVP of Quality - Carolina shares how curiosity, resilience, and mentorship shaped her journey.

In today’s episode I was joined by Carolina Valoyes, Senior Vice President of Quality and Compliance at BioNova Scientific.

I really wanted to speak to Carolina because her story is one of bold decisions, genuine self-awareness, and a leadership style grounded in service, not ego.

She started out as an engineer in Colombia, came to the US without speaking a word of English, and moved her way into biotech leadership by staying curious, staying humble, and always aiming to contribute. Her reflections on mentorship, emotional resilience, and coaching-based leadership were powerful.

🎙️ We talk about the following:

How she went from Colombia to the US without knowing English and starting her career in Biotech at Bayer
Her first role supervising a team 15 years her senior
What an early inspection mistake taught her about resilience
Her transition from manufacturing into quality
The guiding principles that drive her career decisions
Whether curiosity can be taught - and how to coach it
The importance of painting a positive vision, not using fear
Advice for navigating “politics” at VP level
What she looks for when hiring leaders
Her advice to aspiring quality leaders

Carolina is an inspiring leader who brings humility, sharp thinking, and deep care for people into every part of her work.

Thank you, Carolina, for sharing your incredible journey.

Hope everyone enjoys the show!

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