In Switzerland, healthcare leaders are working hard to bring new solutions, care for patients better, and keep up with changing rules. Élodie Duperchy is one of those leaders making a real difference. She’s the Country Manager at Cutera, a global company known for its high-tech medical aesthetics devices. With her background in both beauty and healthcare, Élodie has helped the company grow in Switzerland. Her strong leadership and clear vision have made her a trusted and respected voice in the industry.
Élodie’s career brings together healthcare and beauty, giving her the right experience to lead in a challenging field. She has learned and grown with every new step. Her leadership is built on trust, working well with others, and planning for the long term—especially important in Switzerland’s strict and changing healthcare system.
At Cutera, Élodie Duperchy prioritizes building strong relationships with clients and partners. She believes that success goes beyond just technology and devices; it’s about creating real value through collaboration and trust. As Switzerland’s healthcare ecosystem continues to transform in 2025, Élodie’s leadership highlights the balance between innovation and meaningful connections.
Let’s delve deeper into Élodie’s vision, experiences, and aspirations as a leader in the healthcare sector!
The Journey to Healthcare Leadership
Élodie’s journey to the medical aesthetics field began with a diverse career that spanned the perfume and cosmetics industries. For over fifteen years, she worked with prestigious brands like Henkel and LVMH, alongside smaller national companies. “I learned a lot working for these prestigious groups, as well as in smaller, national companies. It gave me a strong foundation in business,” she says, reflecting on her initial years in the beauty industry.
However, Élodie Duperchy felt the urge to explore a different dimension of beauty—one that merged science with aesthetics. Having worked for a large medical analysis laboratory, UNILABS in Geneva, she found herself drawn to the medical aspect of beauty. “I wanted to move into the business of medical aesthetics to discover a different stratum of beauty,” she explains.
This interest in merging aesthetics with healthcare led her to Teoxane, a Geneva-based laboratory manufacturing fillers. Here, she discovered the world of aesthetic medicine, focusing on skin beautification and cultivating deep relationships with industry partners. These experiences allowed her to learn about the intricacies of the business and set the stage for her transition to Cutera. “Cutera approached me to join their team, and that’s how I started my career in medical equipment. It’s been an exciting journey for the last five years,” she recalls.
Core Mission in Switzerland
As the Country Manager for Switzerland, Élodie’s approach has always centered on creating long-term partnerships. “I want us to provide our partners with real support and added value in terms of purchasing and follow-up,” she shares, emphasizing that the mission goes beyond simply meeting sales targets. For her, it’s about delivering consistent service and cultivating trust.
One of her first goals was to focus on understanding the needs of customers. “We need to help our customers think about their future projects. Listening to them, understanding their objectives and desires, and the resources they’re willing to commit is crucial,” she explains. By doing so, Élodie Duperchy believes Cutera can offer tailored solutions that fit each customer’s unique profile.
At Cutera, the philosophy is clear: it’s about offering a personalized experience, not just selling products. “It’s not about selling just to sell and satisfying a commercial objective. We can’t go far in the medical equipment business otherwise,” she asserts.
Addressing Challenges in Healthcare Regulations
Élodie’s deep understanding of the regulatory landscape in Switzerland has helped her navigate some unique challenges in the healthcare sector. When she joined Cutera, one of the significant issues she encountered was new legislation surrounding laser use. “When I joined Cutera, I learned at a Dermatology congress that a new legislation had been passed in June 2019 on the use of lasers. This law was to take effect in June 2024,” she recalls.
The new law, designed to protect the population from harmful radiation, affected how aesthetic treatments were carried out in the country. Since aesthetic medicine is not yet a recognized specialty in Switzerland, Élodie Duperchy and her team at Cutera focused on training medical professionals to ensure compliance with the law while maintaining high treatment standards.
Training, particularly in the usage of lasers, remains one of her priorities. “I’ve been in high demand by doctors and their teams to answer their questions and set up new training procedures,” she shares. Cutera’s training is not limited to internal staff but extends to medical professionals who are seeking up-to-date education. Collaborations with recognized training centers and medical associations ensure that their offerings remain relevant, effective, and compliant.
Building Trust and Strong Teams
Élodie’s leadership style is rooted in trust and open communication. “Whether it’s with my colleagues or with our partners, we have to earn each other’s trust if we are to build healthy, long-term relationships,” she explains. Her leadership approach is based on reciprocity, where trust flows not only from the top down but also horizontally among team members.
Élodie Duperchy recalls how she initially worked to rally different departments, from technical and clinical to marketing, to create a collaborative environment. “I started by rallying the technical, clinical, and marketing departments to my cause,” she notes. “Once they understood my way of working, they were able to support me with their teams, and I was able to reproduce the same thing at a second level, i.e., with my customers and future partners.”
Through her leadership, Élodie Duperchy has fostered a sense of unity and support within her team, particularly during difficult times, such as the pandemic. “Everyone needed reassurance. We were still in the middle of the pandemic (spring 2020) and there had also been various changes within Cutera Switzerland,” she remembers. Even in times of uncertainty, Élodie’s focus on consistency, perseverance, and responsiveness has been key to maintaining team morale and customer satisfaction.
A Pivotal Innovation in Acne Treatment
One of the standout successes under her leadership is the introduction of Cutera’s Aviclear platform in Switzerland. Aviclear, the first FDA-cleared energy device for the treatment of mild to severe acne, has brought significant advancements in patient care and clinical results. “Aviclear is a real technological breakthrough that will enable us to take patient care to the next level,” she states proudly.
Aviclear uses a 1726 nm wavelength to target and suppress the sebaceous glands, which are responsible for acne. This treatment is incredibly effective, with clinical studies showing that acne outbreaks are less intense and frequent after the procedure. “It significantly eliminates acne in just three treatment sessions,” she explains, highlighting the positive impact this technology has had on patients’ lives.
For Élodie Duperchy, this innovation is more than just a technological advancement. “Acne is one of the most common skin diseases, with a psychological impact that can be extremely serious,” she reflects. The ability to offer patients a non-invasive, effective solution for acne marks a pivotal moment in advancing patient care in the aesthetic industry.
Embracing Digital Transformation for Enhanced Patient Care
Digital transformation is central to Cutera’s operations worldwide. “As an American company, Cutera is at the cutting edge of digital transformation,” Élodie Duperchy explains. From sales teams using Salesforce to field service management with Outsmart, these technological advancements are implemented internally by the company’s global management, benefiting all countries, including Switzerland, by streamlining operations and improving efficiency.
The newest generation of Cutera devices, including the Aviclear and Xeo+, are also connected to the internet, allowing doctors to monitor and manage their devices remotely. “This enables our field service engineers to react more quickly in the event of a technical problem, as they can find out remotely where the error originated and make a diagnosis,” she explains. This not only saves time but also cuts down on labor costs, as engineers can resolve issues remotely rather than spending time traveling to the site.
Navigating Compliance and Innovation in a Regulated Market
Élodie Duperchy and her team face a unique challenge in Switzerland due to its strict regulatory environment. However, Cutera has always ensured that its products comply with both European and Swiss regulations. “As recently as April 30, the Federal Council in Bern took the decision to simplify the future import into Switzerland of medical devices approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),” she explains.
Since all Cutera devices are FDA-approved, this decision has simplified the process of bringing new technologies to Switzerland. In addition, Cutera’s products carry the CE mark, which is valid not only in the European Union but also in Switzerland, ensuring that they meet the necessary standards. Her leadership in managing these regulatory processes ensures that innovation and compliance go hand in hand.
The Hallmarks of Impactful Healthcare Leadership in 2025
For Élodie Duperchy, the hallmark of an impactful healthcare leader in 2025 is the ability to inspire and motivate others while managing the complexities of a rapidly evolving industry. “Our partners—doctors, hospitals, and private aesthetic clinics—need to be able to influence and motivate their teams to deliver high-quality care,” she says.
Leadership in healthcare requires clear vision and adaptability. Élodie Duperchy believes that a leader must be able to steer through uncertainty and change while making informed decisions. “A leader in the healthcare sector must have a clear vision of the direction to take, while being able to navigate in a sometimes uncertain and constantly changing environment,” she explains.
In addition, she emphasizes the importance of training and continuous learning. “At Cutera Switzerland, we do our utmost to adapt to market developments. Because what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. Listening to the market and its players is essential.”
Guiding Aspiring Leaders with Authenticity and Conviction
As a female leader in healthcare, Élodie Duperchy hopes to inspire others—both women and men, across all generations—to stay true to themselves and pursue their dreams with conviction. “I think I’d like to address everyone, women of course but also men, all generations, I’d say: always follow your course of action, listen to the advice of others of course, but always stay aligned with your soul, your heart, and your body,” she shares.
Élodie Duperchy encourages aspiring leaders to trust their instincts, believe in their potential, and embrace their authenticity, quoting Napoleon Hill: “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” This mindset, she believes, is key to overcoming challenges and making a meaningful impact.
Her advice for future healthcare leaders is to remain authentic in all you do. “I think staying authentic is a strength, even if it sometimes feels like going against the grain,” she says. By drawing on this authenticity, leaders can find the strength to make sound decisions and navigate difficulties with resilience. “Drawing on your authenticity gives you a palpable strength that enables you to be right in your actions and decisions. Then everything becomes fluid, despite the difficulties,” she concludes.
