My Leadership Journey: Turning a Sinking Ship into an Innovation Powerhouse

Four years ago, I stepped into a leadership role that many might have walked away from. I inherited a team struggling with high talent attrition, lacking a clear vision, and uncertain about its reason for existence within the organization. As interim Head (at the time), it felt like I had been captain of a sinking ship.

But within just a few months, we began turning things around. I rebuilt the team into a high-performing, trusted partner across multiple business units, supporting digital transformation through deep expertise in computer vision, medical imaging, and audio signal processing.

Under my leadership, we didn’t just meet expectations—we went beyond them. We challenged the status quo, drove innovation, and became pioneers in Synthetic Data for Medical Imaging at scale. This work didn’t go unnoticed: The organization recognized our efforts as an emerging technology and featured them under “Innovation powered by People”.

I wrote this blog to share my leadership philosophy and personal journey, from the day I was nominated to lead a dysfunctional team, which I often refer to as a “sinking ship,” to the challenges I faced along the way, and how I ultimately turned things around to build a team now recognized for both its deep expertise and its role as a powerhouse of innovation.

The Roots of My Leadership Philosophy

I was born and raised in a small village in northern Iran, nestled beside the Caspian Sea. My childhood was shaped by the beauty of rice fields, the warmth of a small and supportive community, and the simplicity of rural life. Yet, even as a child, I was endlessly curious about what lay beyond the Caspian Sea, beyond the familiar faces and landscapes around me. This sense of curiosity deepened as I became more self-aware, eventually turning into a powerful drive to leave my country, explore the world, and learn about people, cultures, the future I could help build, and ultimately shaped me who I am today.

I failed my first attempts to make that dream a reality. I failed multiple times, a story for another time. But after completing my bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering, I finally left Iran to pursue what I call a “wild world experience”. Over the past 17 years, I’ve lived in five countries: Sweden, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, and Germany. But for me, it was never just about moving or seeing new places. It was about constantly challenging myself to learn new skills, understand people, adapt to cultures, and build meaningful relationships from the ground up. 

One consistent truth I’ve discovered across all these experiences is that while cultures vary, human connection is universal. People don’t follow you because of your title or authority, they follow you because they feel heard, seen, and trusted. This realization shaped my leadership philosophy, which I now call CCPP: A leadership rooted in Courage, Curiosity, Purpose, and People.

In the following sections, I’ll show how I applied these principles to transform a sinking ship into a powerhouse of innovation.

Saying Yes to Impossible

I still remember the day my manager called me, completely out of the blue, and asked, “Sadegh, are you crazy enough to take over this team?” He warned: “This is a responsibility no one else in the organization is willing to take on.”

But instead of feeling intimidated, I felt energized. It was a rare opportunity, one that embodied all four pillars of my leadership philosophy: CCPP – Courage, Curiosity, Purpose, and People.

It immediately sparked my Courage principle. I’ve always been drawn to missions that seem impossible, because I firmly believe the only true impossibility is the one we don’t attempt. Rather than fear the challenge, I envisioned the future. I imagined the team rebuilt, thriving, and recognized, and I was excited about the growth potential that lay ahead.

Driven by Curiosity, I wanted to uncover the root causes of the dysfunction. What were the underlying tensions? What made this team so difficult to lead? This was a chance to widen my perspective, not just within my team, but across the broader organization. I committed to learning about the people, their motivations, their pain points, and their priorities.

Even more motivating was the opportunity to recruit and develop the next generation of talent, to assemble a purpose-driven team where technical excellence met strong interpersonal connection. I envisioned a team where people felt safe, heard, and empowered to go beyond their job descriptions, a team built not just to execute, but to collaborate, innovate, and grow without unnecessary drama.

Given all of this, my answer was immediate: “Yes!”

Stepping In When No One Else Would: The Sinking Ship

Just a few days into the role, I was already feeling overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of the situation, both internally and externally. The team lacked a clear vision, and there was no structured path for talent development. As a result, morale was low, and the team was experiencing significant attrition. Several senior members had already left, and critical projects were left without owners.

On top of that, I inherited a bulk of unresolved conflicts from the legacy organization, projects that had missed deadlines, ongoing political tensions, and a history of blame that I hadn’t even been part of. The weight of past failures and Mistrust persisted across the team.

It quickly became clear to me why no one else had wanted to step into this role; on the surface, it looked impossible. Leading this team felt like trying to steer a sinking ship.

Shaping Purpose Through Curiosity, Courage and People

The first step in addressing the team’s challenges was to truly understand the people involved and initiate courageous conversations. In those early months, I held a series of structured meetings with individual team members, key stakeholders, and business leaders. These sessions weren’t just status updates, they were opportunities to understand hidden issues, bring transparency to our situation, and renegotiate project timelines based on realistic expectations.

One of the most challenging yet rewarding parts of this process was engaging directly with business units to understand their priorities, frustrations, and roadblocks. These conversations helped me build a broader perspective on the organizational dynamics and revealed how deeply intertwined our team’s struggles were with system-level issues. This phase deepened my understanding of the landscape and fueled my motivation to lead with greater empathy, clarity, and impact. I used my learning to shape the “Purpose” of the team and the reason for its existence. Together with the team members, stakeholders, and senior leaders, we to shape our vision: “ Accelerating digital transformation across business units by delivering impactful AI solutions in medical imaging and computer vision, tailored to business-critical needs” . However, our vision has since evolved beyond its original scope. Driven by a forward-looking mindset, I believe we have the potential to do more than deliver business value; we can also become a powerhouse of innovation. As a result, we have expanded our vision to reflect this ambition:

“Accelerate digital transformation across business units by delivering impactful AI solutions in medical imaging and computer vision, while pioneering innovation in synthetic data and audio signal processing to shape the future of science and healthcare.” I must emphasize that none of these achievements would have been possible without the talented individuals I had the privilege to recruit, mentor, and develop over time. What follows is a reflection on that journey, from building the team and shaping its culture to guiding talent through recruitment, development, and internships, ultimately creating a team that not only delivers but drives innovation.

Building a World-Class Team Through Diversity and Purpose

Recruiting new talent is one of the most exciting and fulfilling aspects of my leadership journey. It aligned perfectly with my core principle of prioritizing people and gave me the privilege of mentoring the next generation of talent. Drawing from my extensive experience living and working in countries like Sweden, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, and Germany, I brought a global perspective to the recruitment process. This resulted in building a team that is not only highly skilled but also remarkably diverse, comprising talented individuals from Spain, Iran, Portugal, Germany, and Poland. These rich cultural diversity perspectives have not only enhanced our creativity and problem-solving capabilities but have also fostered a truly inclusive environment. When recruiting for the team, I placed a strong emphasis on qualities like integrity and flexibility, given the nature of our organization. We needed individuals who could seamlessly collaborate across various business units and engage in a trustworthy manner with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds, including biologists, radiologists, oncologists, and ophthalmologists. The nature of our projects was incredibly varied, so beyond technical expertise, it was crucial to find talent with the adaptability to thrive in multiple domains.

While integrity and flexibility were my primary focus, I soon discovered that several candidates also possessed strong leadership potential. Over time, many of these recruits have risen to the next level, becoming trusted leaders who now drive major initiatives within the company. This blend of qualities has not only strengthened our team’s core but also ensured that we have a pipeline of future leaders ready to take on new challenges.

Talent Development and Coaching

Once the team was assembled, I faced the challenge of integrating a group of predominantly fresh graduates into the complex corporate environment. Most of the data scientists were new university graduates, and only one member remained from the legacy team. This meant they had minimal experience dealing with corporate dynamics, stakeholder interactions, and the internal political landscape of a large organization.

To bring them up to speed quickly, I prioritized understanding each individual's drivers and motivations through regular one-on-one meetings. I sought to discover what inspired them, whether it was recognition, purpose, autonomy, or career growth, and tailored my approach accordingly.

I consistently communicated how their work contributed to broader business goals and global impact, reinforcing a sense of purpose. I also made it a priority to create a psychologically safe environment where everyone felt heard and encouraged to contribute. This openness fostered a culture of collaboration and dialogue.

Setting clear expectations and key performance indicators from the start ensured that everyone understood their role in shaping the team's culture. Regular check-ins allowed me to track progress and identify opportunities to recognize achievements. I never hesitated to express gratitude, often sending personal thank-you notes or highlighting contributions in team newsletters. Over time, these small acknowledgments accumulated into a clear picture of performance, leading to top performer awards and recognition for those who consistently excelled.

At the same time, the continuous feedback process we had in place allowed us to address underperformance early, with empathy and structured improvement plans. This ensured that team members had the support they needed to grow and align.

Interns Play Central Role in Driving Innovation and Talent Development

I’ve always believed in the power of internships as a strategic tool for both talent development and building a dynamic pipeline. Despite being the least experienced members of the team, interns can bring an impact that far exceeds expectations by their strong motivation to build their future. They act as a talent pipeline and serve as a valuable upskilling resource for our data scientists. Through their involvement, I could evaluate the potential of team members in managing complex tasks before they move into more significant leadership roles.

Interns create a "sandbox" environment where data scientists can improve their leadership skills, learning to delegate, mentor, and build trust. This hands-on experience not only helps interns grow but also significantly upskills our data scientists, resulting in multiple publications and strengthening our team's reputation.

Some of our best hires have come from our intern program, proving that investing in internships pays off not only by fostering new talent but also by promoting the growth of existing team members. In addition to helping us to drive innovative and forward-thinking ambitious projects.

How We Became Leaders in Synthetic Medical Imaging

After building a strong, talented team, I believed we could achieve far more than just meeting business-critical needs in medical imaging and AI. My ambition was to transform the team into a powerhouse of innovation. Together with the team, I defined a clear strategic direction aimed at addressing multiple use cases across the organization by tackling the challenge of data scarcity, leading me to explore generative AI for synthetic medical imaging.

I vividly remember sitting on a beach in Italy, reading a paper on diffusion models in 2022. It was at the height of the generative AI surge, and it struck me: could we leverage these advancements for medical imaging? The quality of images generated by diffusion models was exceptional, surpassing GANs and variational autoencoders. This revelation sparked the idea of using generative AI for synthetic data generation.

However, we faced several challenges. The team was still maturing, the technology was nascent, and stakeholders were largely unaware of the potential impact. To overcome these hurdles, I held numerous awareness sessions and talks to educate stakeholders about synthetic medical imaging. I also formed a dedicated working group and recruited two interns to collaborate with one of our data scientists on this initiative. One of these interns is now a key driver of the project.

We engaged with regulatory bodies like the FDA to discuss the potential of synthetic data, aligning our efforts with industry priorities. Over two years, we transformed into a center of excellence for computer vision and medical imaging, significantly contributing to scientific publications, filing patents, and earning the trust of stakeholders. Today, we are recognized not only for delivering high-quality innovation but also for shaping the future of synthetic medical imaging and the AI-driven Pharmaceutical industry.

From a Sinking Ship to a Functional Team

Today, our team stands as a recognized leader in synthetic data generation, no longer resembling the sinking ship it once was. Under my leadership, the team has grown to include nine dedicated data scientists, and I've had the privilege of upskilling and mentoring 14 individuals, including both seasoned professionals and young interns. This growth has been marked by numerous career advancements, with three of our data scientists being promoted to senior roles.

Through our internship program, we've also successfully integrated next-generation talent into the company, with three out of four interns being recruited as full-time team members. Our team's reputation now extends across industry, academia, and regulatory bodies, where we are seen as a trusted partner in synthetic data generation. We've earned this trust not just through our technical excellence but through our integrity, efficiency, and flexibility, providing business leaders with visibility and autonomy.

I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to take this risk and help shape the future of our organization and the careers of so many talented individuals, guided by the core principles of curiosity, courage, purpose, and people.

Final Reflections

Looking back, what began as an overwhelming challenge quickly became the most transformative chapter of my career. Taking on a team that many viewed as “a sinking ship” required more than just strategy, it demanded empathy, boldness, and a deep belief in people. Over four years, we not only stabilized and rebuilt—we redefined what was possible.

Through Courage, I embraced the risk of leading when others hesitated. Through Curiosity, I aimed to deeply understand people, problems, and possibilities. Through Purpose, I anchored our work to something bigger than any one. And through People, I built trust, culture, and a team that thrives on collaboration and innovation.

What we created together is more than just a high-performing team; we became a recognized force for innovation in synthetic data, computer vision, and audio signal processing across the company. We’ve published papers, filed patents, inspired interns, and earned the trust of our stakeholders. Most importantly, we’ve proven that with the right leadership and the right mindset, even the most broken teams can become engines of progress.

But this journey isn’t just mine, it belongs to every team member who believed, challenged, grew, and contributed. And it’s far from over.

I’m excited about what lies ahead for the next generation of leaders who dare to ask not just “What is?” but “What if?”

Our Scientific Contributions

1. (Best Paper Award) J. Reszka, P. Janbakhshi, T. Purohit, and S. Mohammadi. ”Investigating the Effects of Diffusion-

   based Conditional Generative Speech Models Used for Speech Enhancement on Dysarthric Speech”,International Conference on Acoustic, Speech, and Signal Processing-Workshop (ICASSPw)-2025

2. G. Jimenez-Perez, P. Osorio, J. Cersovsky, J. Montalt-Tordera, J.Hooge, S.Vogler, and S. Mohammadi. ”DiNO-Diffusion: Scaling Medical Diffusion via Self-Supervised Pre-Training” Medical Image Understanding and Analysis (MUIA)-2025

3. P. Osorio, G. Jimenez-Perez, J. Montalt-Tordera, J. Hooge, G. Duran-Ballester, S. Singh, M. Radbruch, U. Bach, S. Schroeder ,K. Siudak, J. Vienenkoetter, B.Lawrenz, and S. Mohammadi. ”Latent Diffusion Models with Image-Derived Annotations for Enhanced AI-Assisted Cancer Diagnosis in Histopathology.” Published in Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)-2024

4. K. Zhao, J. Prokop, J. Montalt Tordera, and S. Mohammadi. ”Panoptic Segmentation of Mammograms with Text-To-Image Diffusion Model”, Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention-Workshop (MICCAIw)-2024

5. T. Truong, M. Lenga, A. Serrurier, and S. Mohammadi. ”Fused Audio Instance and Representation for Respiratory Disease Detection”, MDPI-2024

6. O. Khan, J. Montalt Tordera, , J. Riskas, V. Sivan, O. Samorodova, J. Hennessy, A. Mitchelland, S. Mohammadi, E. di Tomaso, T. Banerji, F. Baldauf-Lenschen, C. Glaus. ”Artificial Intelligence-Based Prognostication from Baseline Computed Tomography (CT) Scans in a Phase 3 Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (aNSCLC) Trial”

   European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)- 2024

7. J. Cersovsky, S. Mohammadi, D. Kainmueller, and J. Hoehne. ”Towards Hierar-

   chical Regional Transformer-based Multiple Instance Learning” International Conference in Computer Vision Workshop (ICCVw)-2023

8. J. Prokop, J.Montalt Tordera, J. Jaworek-Korjakowska, and S. Mohammadi. ”Deep metric learning for few-shot Xray image classification”, ArXiv-2023

   
   

Patents and Inventions

1. J. Prokop, J. Montalt, S. Mohammadi, ”MammoVision” Filed Patent 2024

2. J. Hooge, S. Mohammadi,” Synthetic image optimization based on transformed image

   data” Filed Patent 2024

3. J. Hooge, S. Mohammadi, ”Indirect training of contrast enhancement” Filed Patent 2024

4. J. Hooge, S. Mohammadi,”Prediction of disease progression” Submitted Patent 2024

5. P. Osorio,  S. Singh, G. Jimenez Perez, S. Mohammadi, J. Montalt ,J. Hooge,

   G. Ballaster Duran ”Generating synthetic medical representaions” Filed Patent 2023

6. P. Osorio, S. Singh, G. Jimenez Perez, S. Mohammadi, J. Montalt ,J. Hooge,

   G. Ballaster Duran ”Generating synthetic training data (images)” Filed Patent 2023

7. P. Janbakhshi, S. Mohammadi, D.Rechsteiner, ”Classifying individuals suffering

   from chronic cough” Filed Patent 2023

8. M. Lenga, S. Mohammadi, T. Truong, ”Disease detection, identification and/or char-

   actrization using multiple representations of audio data” Published patent 2023 WO2023143995A1

9. S. Mohammadi, M. Alge, S. Vogler, D. Rechsteiner, A. Duschau-Wicke ”Body

   action detection, identification and/or charactrization using a machine learning model” Pub-

   lished patent 2023 WO2023041406A1

10. M. Lenga, J. Prox, S. Mohammadi, J. Hooge, A. Krupp, K. Johnson

    ”Prediction of a change related to a macular fluid” Published patent 2023 EP4145456A1