By: Aaron D’Souza
Authenticity, Creativity, Responsibility, Sustainability, and Community are values that will ring true to any human being looking to create a positive impact to people in our world. These are also the founding values of Lunapads International Products Ltd, a social mission-based business-based company whose goal is to help individuals have healthier and more positive experiences with their menstrual cycles. Within the last ten years, Lunapads has expanded globally, and has been named one of BC’s top 20 Leading Innovators. On Sunday June 10, 2012, the Rover Crew was privileged to hear their story directly from Lunapads’ co-founder, Suzanne Siemens.
The Rovers and guests at the June meeting learned of how Suzanne went from being a high performer in the corporate world to co-founder of a company focused on helping women all over the world. As Suzanne told the story of her life changing event and stories on the company’s ups and downs, one could only think about the persistence and passion that would have went into creating such a revolutionary business.
What manifested from Suzanne’s presentation was not only the innovation in the product, but how she described her role at Lunapads. As part of the audience, we could feel how engaged she was in this company, and how truly she believed in the values and missions of Lunapads.
She shared with us that employees are an essential foundation in growing an organization; and the importance of ensuring that her employees and partners are engaged in meaningful roles, and supported and recognized for their efforts. These are characteristics that play into the everyday work environment at Lunapads. Employees at Lunapads share a “daily huddle” where each person gets to share their challenges and successes to adhere to the company’s culture of “communication, transparency, and commitment”. It is clear that the success of the company is a result of the great culture that is fostered by Suzanne and her business partner and friend, Madeleine Shaw.
In many ways, Lunapads is very similar to the Rover Crew. We recruit and train Rovers to achieve professional and personal goals. Within our operations, mentees and mentors are encouraged to have honest and transparent discussions. We continue to grow our crew and foster a culture that encourages leadership and management training. Lastly, like Lunapads, we support like-minded individuals while having fun along the way.
Suzanne’s speech was heartfelt and left a positive lasting impression. Her talk affirmed that our Crew was heading the right direction. With more inspirational speeches from people alike and motivational mentors, we will continue to learn, and help make positive changes to the world.
