Tackling these surprising blindspots can bridge gender gaps in health, economic growth and more
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I truly believe that closing the menstrual health gap is one of the greatest accelerators to achieve gender equality and equity. Welcome to Meet the Leader, the podcast where top leaders share how they're tackling the world's biggest challenges. In today's episode, we talk to Sahil Tesfou of health and hygiene company Essity. She'll talk to us about bridging taboos in women's health and the practical steps that are needed right now. Sahil Tesfou.

Subscribe to Meet the Leader on Apple, Spotify, and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. And don't forget to rate and review us. I'm Linda Lucena from the World Economic Forum.

And this is Meet the Leader. Ultimately, this is also a matter of rights to ensure that those who menstruate can do so in dignity and fearlessly. And the economic impact is tremendous. Women's health is understudied and underfunded. And that leads to some pretty shocking outcomes. In fact, women spend 25% more of their lives in poor health than men. That's a lot.

That's all thanks to a vicious cycle of underdiagnosis, delayed treatment, and underinvestment. Bridging this gap won't just mean a $1 trillion boost to annual global GDP by 2040. It can also add seven healthy days a year to women's lives. Our latest report, Blueprint to Close the Women's Health Gap, How to Improve Lives and Economies for All, highlights these facts and the reality that health gaps can be closed with some basic measures.

including counting women, getting accurate data collection in place, studying women, ensuring that women are actually included in things like clinical research, and investing in women, making sure there is funding to drive new treatments and

New Outcomes Health and Hygiene Company, Essity, is also doing its part. This Swedish company was founded nearly 100 years ago, but it is a veteran at breaking down barriers. In fact, Essity was one of the first brands to depict period blood with red and not clear blue liquid in a mainstream ad.

Essity is also a member of our Global Alliance for Women's Health, and I talked to their Chief Strategy Officer, Sahil Tesfou, about the unique ways that they're working to bridge menstrual health gaps, some of the barriers and taboos that are holding back that process. She'll share some of the practical approaches that can make a difference and the steps that business leaders in particular can pay attention to. She'll get started with more on the menstrual health gap, what it is, and why it's important to understand.

So the mental health gap actually has four dimensions. The first gap concerns whether those who menstruate have access to affordable and safe period care products, solutions and services, which is a foundation to ensure that they can menstruate in dignity. The second gap refers to whether they have access to education information to inform themselves, to self-manage

their menstruation in the right way. The third area is access to clean and safe sanitation facilities and water.

And the last but not least refers to taboos and stigmas. Do those who menstruate live in a taboo and stigma-free environment? That needs to be ensured again to ensure that those who menstruate can do so safely and in dignity. And Essity has an ongoing series of reports and knowledge that you guys do. You have this global hygiene and health survey. You've run it since 2008. And there's some really interesting statistics in there, including you talked about education is a big gap.

55% of respondents, only 55% of respondents claim to be knowledgeable about menstruation. That's an incredible stat. Can you talk a little bit about this? Why in our day and age is that still the case? Yeah. So I guess the taboos and the stigmas that still surround the topic of menstruation are one thing.

way to explain why those gaps still occur. Of course, now, when you menstruate for the first time, the question is whether your parents, you know, are willing and equipped to inform you about menstruation. Is menstruation a part of the curriculum? If you have the ability to go to school, whether that is a part of the curriculum is key. Of

Of course, you know, as a concerned society, there's again, still so many taboos and stigma surrounding the topic, which we think explains why so many people are still not knowledgeable about it. - And these taboos and stigmas are also sort of helping to make sure that

people don't get the services they need. You guys have a statistic in that report that 367 million children globally have no sanitation services in their schools in general, which of course would create a barrier for menstrual health. In your mind, what would be needed to kind of help in that respect? Well,

When it comes to sanitation, first of all, it needs to be ensured that the infrastructure is in place. Toilet facilities, bins where you can dispose of the products that you need to handle your menstruation. And of course, also those facilities need to be safe to use. And in addition, clean water is needed.

Again, so that girls who menstruate can do so in dignity and safely. Of all the research that you guys have either compiled or conducted, is there one stat or factoid that, you know, gosh, if people knew this, that their minds would just be blown? Actually, what's really striking is we have what we call the taboo tracker.

where for the last couple of years, we have tracked taboos and stigmas as they relate to menstruation. And one really striking aspect here is that whether or not the first experience that you go through when it comes to your menstruation is positive or not,

is going to have a huge impact on the lifetime experience that you're going to have as it concerns your menstruation. So no matter if, you know, over time you gain more education, more information, you have the resources to manage your menstruation and dignity and safely. Still, if your first experience was negative, it's going to have a huge impact on what you experience throughout your lifetime.

As a team, you guys have done a variety of work in different parts of the world to help bridge the administration health gap. Can you talk a little bit about some of these initiatives so we can kind of understand how a very specific change can make a huge impact?

Of course. First of all, we have our brands, our menstruation brands, who really have a loud voice out there in the world to shed spotlight on the taboos and stigmas that concern menstruation. We were the first brand to show period blood in a mainstream TV commercial.

as opposed to blue liquid, which was what represented menstruation blood before. And that happened in 2017. And we had to change media laws across the world in order to do so. But we're very proud that we have broken down that barrier to talk about menstruation in the way that it occurs. And I think that's a very important step to break taboos and stigmas in society. In addition to that, of course, you know, beyond the actions that we can take through our own business and through our

own brands. We're also very aware that it requires a broad stakeholder group to really drive systemic change that is needed when it comes to menstruation. And for that, we're collaborating, for example, with UNICEF in Mexico, where we are running education information programs to educate and inform not just girls, but also boys and their communities about menstruation to make sure that every girl who menstruates can do so independently.

safely in dignity and actually also fearlessly. And why is it so important to educate boys and men about this? It's so important because of the importance to break down societal stigmas, to make sure, you know, that girls can have conversations with those who they live with, which oftentimes are boys and men. Also, as they go on in life, as they get educated, you know, by women and men throughout their life, as they work, as they go to the workplace, but in society more broad,

They're always going to be in contact with those who menstruate and with those who don't. And we truly believe that everyone needs to have information, education about the topic, because it is an issue that is going to impact your life more broadly beyond just menstruation, but your ability to participate in social life, to participate in education, and to also participate later in life and professional life.

You talked a little bit about policy and, of course, infrastructure. What else are people not thinking about that's really, really important in bridging those four taboos and gaps and things like that? What else needs to happen if I'm a business leader, if I'm a government leader? What else can I do to step in to help and sort of bridge these gaps?

Absolutely. I mean, let's talk about business leaders for a second. If you're a business leader, you know, chances are that many people who work for you are menstruating, you know, on a monthly basis. And to be aware of that fact and, you know, what does that mean for workplace design? Do I have, you know, the sanitation facilities that those who menstruate need as they come to the workplace, you know, to do so safely and the dignity is very important. Do I, for example, also talk about aspects around menstrual health like menopause?

Like, are my managers aware of what it means to go through menopause? How it impacts someone's productivity at the workplace? Also their mental health. Am I equipped, you know, to have these conversations as a manager is so important, you know, to ensure that those who menstruate can feel psychological safety at the workplace and also ensure that they can participate to the same degree that those can who do not menstruate.

And if this work was scaled further, right, if we were able to sort of get past these taboos, if we were able to get policy and infrastructure in place so that people had the sanitation facilities and people felt like there was freedom to do whatever they needed to do at any point. How would the world be different, say, in 20 years? What do you think would be how people would walk and talk and move around the world? How would that be different?

Yeah, I mean, I truly believe that closing the menstrual health gap is one of the greatest accelerators to achieve gender equality and equity. And with that also, it is one of the greatest accelerators across the SDGs, which are so important for this world to accomplish and to achieve. So I think we will see a world in 20, 30 years, you know, when we accomplish all of these things,

where those who can menstruate can participate in work life, in education and in social life to the degree that they do deserve, because ultimately this is also a matter of rights to ensure that those who menstruate can do so in dignity and fearlessly. And there is also an economic impact attached to that, again, because it impacts your ability to participate in life. And the economic impact is tremendous.

I think a lot of times people might not be thinking about this connection between sort of menstrual health and the global goals or any of these things, even like people's opportunity to succeed in work. Beyond even taboos, why is this just so sort of not on people's radar?

I think, again, I think because like many topics that concern mostly women, I think it's not on the agenda because it's a topic that's a bit uncomfortable, I think, for people to talk about because it's a very private matter, of course, also, you know, to menstruate as it concerns your body. And I think that makes a lot of people very uncomfortable to talk about the agenda. I also think that many of the decision tables up until today, unfortunately, we don't see a lot of women represented.

at those table and as those who menstruate are not represented, of course, the conversations are also not going into the right way. So again, if we want this to move, there is a clear connection here also to the gender equality agenda that many stakeholders are driving. And once we ensure that, you know, the decision makers are represented in a way that it represents our societies, of which half are women, I think we will also see an uptake in the conversation around menstruation.

Let's talk a little bit about your career. What has prepared you for the role that you're currently in now? What experiences or projects or things like that? So I've been a consultant for most of my life. I like to describe the profession of a consultant to be a problem solver, which is something that I'm personally very passionate about. I get a lot of energy from solving problems, especially problems that nobody else has tackled before. And I think that

rigor to solve a problem analytically, conceptually, but also to take people along on the journey as you do so, I think is really something that has prepared me for my role as chief strategy officer today of the Asseti group, but also more broadly for the advocacy work that I'm driving. As you're approaching maybe a big problem that needs to get a lot of people on board, what's your thought process? Are there certain steps that you take? Things you're like, gosh, we need to do X and Y in order to make Z happen. How do you approach it?

So I think clarity is the greatest accelerator when it comes to solving a problem. So that clarity on what problem are we even trying to solve here? I think you cannot spend enough time on having alignment on that. And once you have clarity on that, really break down the problems and the different elements that need solving and then send everyone off in their own swim lanes to do so and ensure that everyone while swimming is

in their own direction, still has sight of what everyone else is doing. So you can swim, you know, on your own, but still in harmony towards the goal that you're trying to commonly achieve. I think that clarity at the beginning of the process, but also throughout the process, I think is the greatest accelerator. That combination of clarity, but also flexibility

freedom to sort of go in and figure out what you need to do in your swim lane. Why is that so important to build momentum across the team? I think it's so important so that everyone knows what their own contribution is going to be, because I think if you understand your own contribution, you're also going to develop ownership of your contribution. And I think also that put that trust in people that they also know how to get

to the goal because there's a reason why they are part of that problem solving, because they have a certain expertise, a certain skill. And then to also trust in them, I think can also really ignite a passion, you know, beyond just ownership to really drive towards a common goal. So I think that combination of having clarity of what you're going to do, while at the same time also leaving a certain degree of freedom to act, I think can really move mountains.

What are some of your favorite methods to sort of build that clarity, right? Everybody talks about over communication, but sometimes it's unclear, you know, how to really drive that home across all the channels all the time. You're never done, you know, building clarity. What are your favorite ways to do that?

I think it's really having these regular check-ins, these problem-solving check-ins, which are an instrument and a tool that consultants also like to use. So it's really coming back to that original problem that you're trying to solve instead of updating each other on progress of activity.

I think that is very important. It's sometimes difficult to also do that because you're so caught up in the day-to-day activities and you want to report back on that activity to show that you're making progress. But I think to really pause from time to time and to go back to that original problem that you were trying to solve and to be very

honest in these problem solving sessions, whether you're really on track to doing so, or if you're just creating activity at that point in time, I think is a super important tool to apply in such situations.

And can probably help people make sure that those meetings are actually additive and effective. In your career, of course, it's hard to make change, right? That's what we're all trying to do. It's very, very difficult. Is there ever been a time that you have hit a wall? You get through it, right? But you hit a wall. There's a moment where you're like, gosh, I don't know how we're going to get over this one. Can you tell me a little bit about that and kind of how you puzzled it out? Yeah.

Yes, of course. So I think I've hit many walls along the way, like most people. Yeah, I think it's typically a very teachable moment when that happens. And I think the trick really is, and that's also something that I figured out maybe a little bit later in my career, is to also really pause.

in these moments and to also, you know, grief a little bit that something might have not turned out the way that he wanted it to turn out and to really also check in with yourself to think about, okay, how did this make me feel? And why do I feel this way? And what can I take out of this situation now, you know, to either avoid such a situation in the future or to take learnings that I can apply to other situations as they might come along. But really those check-in moments and to be very honest with yourself also, you know, about how it made you

made you feel and how you make me maybe also made other people feel in that moment, I think is, is super important. I think it was interesting that you said, Hey, sometimes you just have to grieve for this thing that you wanted it to happen in a certain way. Then that's just not going to happen. The context is different. Maybe the team is different. Maybe the project is different. Maybe you, how you thought this was going to walk and talk just isn't going to be, um, how important is updating yourself to the problem that you actually have?

I think it's super important because sometimes you also just got to drop your agenda, right? Because maybe what you set out to do is not what is any longer needed, you know, to solve the problem at hand and to also a little bit remove yourself then, I guess, from the equation in that journey is super important. And that's a tricky thing to do because, of course, you self-identify with the issues that you're trying to solve and you believe, of course, there's a reason why you start off

in a certain direction. And then to really redirect course can feel difficult. It's this whole concept of opportunity costs, which I think is a very difficult one to grasp when you're in the moment of trying to solve something. Is there a book that you recommend? A book that I recently read, which I really enjoyed, which might sound a bit popular and maybe even cheesy, is The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck. It's a book that I really enjoyed reading because I think it puts...

a lot of spotlight on the fact that in many situations that you're in, whether it's in your private life or in your professional life, you know, where, you know, maybe you lose a little bit compass of what your own values, you know, might be because you get distracted by everything that's going on, you know, around you and to really, you know, stay focused on, you know, yourself and to listen inwards as much as you can.

to understand what really drives you, what you are really passionate about, what you really want to achieve in life, as opposed to what other people expect you to achieve in life. I think the book was a good reminder for exactly that. And I think also a really good reminder to remove your ego from a lot of the situations that you face in life. And I think that ability to understand when it's your ego talking versus something else, I think that's a very important muscle to build and definitely one that I also continuously try to train.

Is there a piece of advice that you've always been grateful for? I think it's not to take yourself too seriously. I think that really helps. And I think while, you know, you work on important topics, you feel, you know, you're doing impactful work in this world. I think sometimes it's,

It can happen, you know, that the work that you're doing gets mixed up a bit, you know, with your own ego, your own agenda in a way. And if there's too much of that part also in what you're doing, I think you're not really driving towards, you know, the solutions that you're there to drive. So I think to take yourself out of the equation from time to time can be so relieving also as you go forward and can also make what you do a lot more fun. So I think not to take yourself too seriously was one of the advices that I try to follow as well.

How do you apply that maybe in your day to day? Is there a question you ask yourself or a reminder you say, hey, you know what, let's step back or what do you do? I mean, I personally try to as much as I can to just check in with myself on a daily basis and sometimes several times a day, especially when there is moments where I feel triggered by something I can't 100 percent explain why that is now and where I also feel that my reaction to a certain situation maybe is not really in line with what

the situation probably deserves in terms of a reaction. And then to really wonder why is that? And to also be honest, you know, with myself, because, you know, sometimes it is the ego talking, you know, sometimes it's the disappointment talking. Sometimes it's grief talking. There's so many emotions that you have on a daily basis, which you can't switch off

you know, as you go to work and as you enter a meeting, as you leave work again, as you go home, speak to family and friends, like there is so much at play at all points in time. And to have that ability to really check in and to be honest with myself, definitely something that I'm training to do even more of.

That was Sahil Tesfou. Thanks so much to her. And thanks so much to you for listening. World Economic Forum has launched a special women's health gap tracking tool this week. Take a look at that and the report I mentioned, Blueprint to Close the Women's Health Gap, How to Improve Lives and Economies for All.

We'll make sure to have a link in the show notes. These are just a sampling of the launches and insights from this year's annual meeting. We'll be covering this all month. Do not miss a single session or insight. Follow the latest on social media with the hashtag Web25. Find a transcript of this episode and

as well as transcripts from my colleague's podcast, Radio Davos, at web.ch slash podcasts. This episode of Meet the Leader was produced and presented by me, with Jerry Johansson and Taz Kelleher as editor, and me as studio engineer in New York, and Gareth Nolan driving studio production. That's it for now. I'm Linda Lucina from the World Economic Forum. Have a great day.