Carmen van Vilsteren chases seven new ‘gold standards’

“Every second, somewhere in the world, a patient undergoes angioplasty using systems I helped develop.” For many people, that would be the perfect moment to sit back with satisfaction. But not for Carmen van Vilsteren. During an appearance on the talk show Eindje van de Week by Studio040, the former Philips executive made it clear that her ambitions are far from finished. Quite the opposite: at 64, she has set herself a new mission. She wants to contribute to “seven new gold standards” in global medical technology.

Van Vilsteren does not use the term “gold standard” lightly. To her, it means technology that becomes the worldwide benchmark in healthcare: equipment or systems recognized and used by doctors everywhere. “If everyone in the sector knows your product and it reaches a market share of thirty, forty, or fifty percent, then you have a gold standard.”

According to her, she already has two to her name.

From Delft to a global leader in medical imaging

Van Vilsteren studied at Delft University of Technology before joining Philips. There, she rose to an international leadership position in the development of so-called image-guided therapy systems: advanced X-ray systems that allow doctors to visualize blood vessels and perform medical interventions in real time.

“You know angioplasty, where a narrowed artery is widened,” she explained. “But you can also treat aneurysms or perform procedures in blood vessels in the brain, legs, or arms.” According to Van Vilsteren, those systems are still used around the world today. “So often, in fact, that every second somewhere in the world, a patient is undergoing angioplasty.”

She later moved into the startup world, working on medical imaging systems for scientific research. There, the focus shifted to ultra-high resolution. “Every year, one hundred million small laboratory animals are used for research in Europe,” she said. “If you place a tiny mouse inside a clinical imaging system, you barely see anything. We developed systems that could reveal more anatomical detail in a mouse than a clinical system could.” That technology, too, found its way into laboratories and research centers worldwide.

No retirement plans

After years of executive positions, innovation programs, and work for the Dutch top sectors, Van Vilsteren recently confronted herself with an existential question: stop working, or continue?

The latter won.

Today, she invests in young technology companies, mentors startups, and works on innovations she believes can fundamentally improve healthcare. One of the projects involves microsurgical robots emerging from a spin-off of Eindhoven University of Technology. Another company is developing rapid diagnostic tests to determine which antibiotics are actually needed before doctors prescribe medication.

“Antibiotic resistance is an enormous problem,” said Van Vilsteren. “For every infection, you should first determine which treatment will actually work.” Of the seven new gold standards she has set for herself, she sees these innovations as potential candidates.

“Only female CEOs”

Almost as striking as her technological ambitions are her outspoken views on leadership and gender equality. Van Vilsteren says she consciously invests only in startups led by female CEOs. Not as a symbolic gesture, but because, in her view, the system remains deeply biased.

“What percentage of venture capital in the Netherlands goes to startups with female founding teams?” she asked in the studio. The guesses came: “Five percent?” Lower. “Three percent?” Lower. “One percent then?” Still lower. Just 0.7 percent of investment capital goes to female founders.

According to Van Vilsteren, female entrepreneurs also face fundamentally different questions from male founders. “Female CEOs get questions like: can you really do this? Don’t you want children? What are the risks? Men get questions about their vision and ambition.”

In doing so, she pointed to a broader debate about bias in the investment world. “People prefer investing in people who look like themselves,” she said. She also links this to a wider perspective on leadership. According to Van Vilsteren, women tend to take a more holistic view of organizations and societal challenges. “They look beyond just the specific task in front of them.”

That occasionally led to lighter moments with the audience — including jokes about men “thinking mainly about sex next to their primary task” — but behind the humor was a serious message: innovation, in her view, requires broader perspectives, especially in technology and healthcare.

From seven to seventy?

The choice of the number seven is no coincidence. Van Vilsteren refers to The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, as well as to an earlier presentation she gave titled 'Why I Prefer to Work With Females'.

But her mission extends beyond personal achievement. She wants female leaders to help mentor the next generation of entrepreneurs. “We work with the multiplier effect,” she said. “I want female CEOs to coach others to do the same.”

Because if nothing changes, some studies predict it could take more than a century for the investment gap between men and women to disappear.

Van Vilsteren has no intention of waiting that long.

“Are you impatient?” she was asked.

“Absolutely,” she replied with a laugh. “Very impatient.”