Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer, Merit Medical
Search every verified Raul Parra interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Raul Parra, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer at Merit Medical, discussed his views on executive leadership and the medical device industry in a September 2023 appearance. He stated that he believes pursuing an executive title directly is difficult, and that such roles tend to come naturally through hard work, listening, building relationships, and a willingness to fail. Parra described failure as more common than success for executives, and emphasized the importance of being comfortable with discomfort. Parra also highlighted the purpose he finds in his work at Merit Medical, noting that the company’s products are often used in life-or-death situations and that contributing to patients’ quality and extension of life is rewarding. He added that the relationships formed with the executive team while addressing challenges together create lasting memories and stories.
“I think it's hard to chase the executive title. I think it kind of comes to you to be honest with you. I've found that just working hard, listening to people, befriending individuals, and not being afraid to fail is a big one.”
“As an executive, I feel like you fail more than you succeed, so just being able to be comfortable being uncomfortable is a good skill to have.”
“We're a medical device company at Merit Medical and we get to help people every single day. If you're using our product, it's usually a life or death situation, and to know that we have an impact on people's quality of life and extending their life is a huge win.”
“Personally, the relationships you build as an executive, the fights and the fires that you put out together with the rest of the executive team, build a lot of good memories and a lot of good stories.”
What is the most rewarding thing about your industry? Working in the medical device industry gives you a strong sense of purpose ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Raul Parra.