Leaders

People today look for simple, affordable, and quality treatment for the diseases like cancer. With the mission of saving as many lives as possible, Cancermitr was established as an online patient-centric community platform focused on end-to-end cancer care solutions from discovery to recovery. You can think of them as a virtual OPD with distribution centres for quality, accessible, affordable cancer treatment solutions. Under the leadership of Mansi Mehta and Niyati Mehta the company is thriving to become the largest cancer community in the world.

Mansi Mehta has completed her graduation from Mithibai College, Mumbai, and did her master’s in Human Resource Development Management from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. She has worked with the firms like Heidrick & Struggles, Russell Reynolds, and Execuzen for 10 years and she spent five years running a leadership advisory venture of her own known as Nodus Talent International. She is an impact investor in social enterprises focused on healthcare & education and is also involved in the start-up ecosystem where she actively mentors them on strategy, people, process, and network collaborations across functions.

Mansi Mehta engages in an exclusive interaction with the Women Entrepreneur Magazine.

What motivated you to establish Cancermitr? Tell us about the underlying idea behind the venture and some of its most unique features.

Nearly one-sixth of deaths are due to cancer. 10 million people die every year, making it the second most common leading cause of death. Most people get diagnosed late which leads to delays in treatment because of a lack of information and resources. They start facing uncertainty in the efficacy of treatment, develop complications from side effects, and eventually die because of the lack of cure for late-stage cancers. Cancermitr was born with the sole purpose of saving lives by bringing awareness on screening, access to cancer treatment, and affordability in care, at everyone’s doorstep.

We provide personalized treatment experiences to a patient based on their needs and capacities.

One-stop solution, Information concierge by 24/7 support, affordable packages, simple process, instant access, and end-to-end support are some of the unique features of our firm.

Tell us about the various responsibilities you shoulder. What are your primary focus areas in the said role?

Broadly, my role is that of an engine that runs the car, to maintain optimum efficiency until our destination arrives. Our destination is far. It is to be the world leader in cancer care.

I believe that big things are accomplished by taking small steps consistently. Leading the vision, building strategies, and steering my team with passion, compassion, and clarity are my biggest responsibilities. Building culture, people, processes, and partnerships in the healthcare industry are the other areas of influence. Apart from that, I get involved in onboarding new initiatives, new geographies, new relationships, new challenges, and building a new narrative. Hopefully, through our interventions, I can be the voice of patients & partners on challenges in the cancer care ecosystem, and someday contribute to government initiatives and policymaking on cancer care as well.

"At the intersection of passion and compassion there is a field. I will meet you there"

Tell us about some of the most critical challenges you have faced and how you overcome them.

I, most often, look at a problem and ask myself, “how can I fix it?”. Once we start approaching our challenges as opportunities, the path starts clearing up. Intent, intuition, and innovation are the three things that help me seek answers/solutions. After that, moving from chaos to clarity, making tough decisions for better outcomes, or even accepting things that one cannot change, becomes easy.

Overcoming the fear of cancer, building trust with patients, bridging gaps through technology, and more, are some of the other challenges that I faced during my journey. Spreading awareness regarding early diagnosis of cancer, providing solutions at any time & anywhere, and reducing the treatment expense helped me overcome these challenges.

What are some of the most significant milestones that you have achieved throughout your professional journey? What has been your success mantra?

P&L ownership (at a very young age) in the leadership advisory and executive search industry covering APAC, the Middle East, and Europe; venturing into my own leadership advisory firm by the age of 32, building 2 ventures and 1 foundation before turning 40. And most importantly changing the course at the peak of my career to bring change in the lives of others are some of the milestones driving my journey. Resilience is the only mantra for me.

What would be your advice to young women and girls who also aspire to become business leaders and entrepreneurs in the future?

I am nobody to give advice. I simply believe that life is full of chances and all about choices until it’s not. So, whilst we can, we should. We should take risks, create something purposeful, fuel up with passion, break our barriers, beat the odds, find a seat at the table, and show up, speak up and smile.

Mansi Mehta, Founder & CEO, Cancermitr

Driven by purpose and inspired by loss, Mansi Mehta embarked on the social development sector a few years ago. She has good working experience of more than 15 years in leadership advisory and executive positions. She loves challenges, facilitates value, cherishes relationships, and builds propositions.