Alisandra Rizzolo is the youngest of five siblings, and she grew up with a belief instilled by her father that she could achieve anything she set her mind to do. That sense of capability and drive set the tone for her career, which today has taken her to the role of chief administration officer and head of transformation at LifeScan.
Rizzolo got her start in sales, where she learned the value of accountability and ownership through a draw against commission incentive structure. This early experience equipped her with essential skills and traits that would propel her throughout her career. Rizzolo balanced her career between tactical and strategic roles, allowing her to gain an understanding of the business landscape. She developed national and global programs, implemented them in field and regional roles and returned to global positions at higher levels, continually expanding her knowledge.
LifeScan’s vision is to create a world without limits for people living with diabetes. The company, a leader in blood glucose monitoring, serves more than 20 million people who rely on its OneTouch brand products to manage their diabetes. Despite starting with traditional meters, test strips and lancets, LifeScan has evolved by creating technologically advanced meters and wellness solutions.
Within just four years of joining LifeScan, Rizzolo led all functions within the company on transformative journeys, streamlining operations, reducing costs and fostering growth. Her leadership eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in costs, simplified infrastructure and minimized tech debt, the company said. She also masterminded a comprehensive organization redesign, fostering a healthy balance of experienced and emerging leaders across functions and layers, according to the company.
Rizzolo’s leadership philosophy, “Focused and committed talent aligned with a common mission will deliver, every time,” has been the cornerstone of her career approach. This mindset has enabled her to overcome obstacles, align goals and drive collective progress in various teams across her career.
“I am privileged to have a supportive partner who backed me each time I said ‘yes’ to new opportunities,” Rizzolo said. “In the early part of my career I committed to myself that I would say ‘yes’ to roles that were unrelated to the trajectory I was on. That resulted in multiple cross-country moves, great experiences in numerous functions, immersion in new industries and ultimately a firm understanding of my core leadership philosophy… As a result of my experiences I found a common thread — I truly love leading leaders.”
