Celebrating International Women’s Day – Dani Langson

To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, RAD Magazine asked just a few of the women who are having an impact in the medical imaging industry to give an insight into their working lives and what led them to a career in the imaging sector.

When I was at school, I remember my teacher telling my mum that I would either be a lawyer, because of my ability to compose an argument, or a brain surgeon, because of my meticulous attention to detail (aka OCD). For many years I actually wanted to be a hairdresser so how I ended up in sales in the medical services industry is something I still wonder…

At 18, I completed my A-levels at sixth form and applied for business courses at various universities. I wasn’t sure exactly I what I wanted to do, but thought this would give me the foundation I needed for a professional career. I ended up not going to university at all, and instead applied for a telecoms apprenticeship at BT. I was always fairly techy, but I primarily saw this as an entry into the world of work while gaining further qualifications.

I spent three years training as a networking engineer (avoiding large spiders as much as possible) before taking a secondment into a regional sales manager role in the fibre network sales and planning team. I had a great manager, a gent called Gary, and he knew that I was not destined for a life ‘on the tools’. Gary linked me with a director in the company’s private networks and defense division, who ended up being a mentor to me.

My secondment was extended to cover a long-term sickness absence and I continued to learn about the world of sales, budgets, targets, revenue and profit. Looking back, I was out of my depth at the beginning, but the opportunity threw me in at the deep end and I rapidly learnt skills and gained experience that many take years to see. I was quoting and negotiating with high end commercial organisations to secure business and was even involved in network planning meetings with the MoD.

Among this, I had my first child, took maternity leave supported by a great company and then navigated continuing work and training, alongside being a fairly young mum.

After having my second child and returning to work in 2015, unfortunately my temporary position became unavailable and I made the tough decision to seek employment elsewhere.

I began my journey in the medical sales industry at Devon Medical Equipment where I spent nearly four years working in the sales and procurement of used imaging equipment. I remember taking a call on my first day from a customer seeking a ‘Performix Pro for a VCT 64’ and me responding saying that we could certainly assist with this while quickly Googling what it was.

The company was taken over by an American entity in 2019 and in 2020 I was promoted to UK sales and procurement manager at Future Medical. I was responsible for a team of account managers and steering growth during a challenging and unprecedented time for the medical industry.

We were acquired by private equity-backed Probo Medical in January 2021, which has since acquired and merged several other successful UK and European businesses, expanding our offering to encompass sales, service, rental, buyback and repair of imaging equipment.

The company grew, my responsibilities grew and my team grew. In December 2022 I accepted the position of European commercial director at Probo Medical. My role is now to lead and expand the company’s market presence and deliver against budgets. I oversee six different business units, more than 12 different revenue streams and various partnerships and distribution relationships, delivering products and services across the UK and Europe.

While I am proud of what I have achieved in my career to date, I regularly suffer imposter syndrome. Anyone who listens to Diary of a CEO [podcast by Steven Bartlett] will be familiar with this. Being a manager is challenging. Being a leader is even more challenging. The higher you go, the more responsibility you have. The more responsibility you have, the more pressure you carry. Pressure naturally comes with stress. Navigating that while juggling family life and remaining a happy healthy human is tough. I don’t think I am alone in this, and I don’t think it is any different because I am a female – but I do know that my other half doesn’t need to arrange the fancy dress for school tomorrow too.

Dani Langson, European commercial director, Probo Medical.

Read this report on page 11 of the February 2025 issue of RAD Magazine.

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