Cécile Douillard is a senior leader with over 25 years of experience across technology, data, and content, having held C-level roles in market-leading technology companies and agencies. Her career is marked by a strategic mindset and a passion for innovation. With a strong track record of driving transformation in fast-paced environments.
Alongside her career, Cécile has spent the last 15 years supporting nonprofit organisations through consulting, fundraising, and volunteering. During this time, she has actively supported a range of social causes including health equity, education access, mentoring, and homelessness.
Most recently, she contributed to the Women’s Health Taskforce at a global advertising agency. Helping shape workplace policies that better support women’s health and equity.
Cécile’s advocacy is shaped by her own health journey. Diagnosed with endometriosis after 18 years of chronic pain that began at age 12, she channelled her personal experience into founding endOF, a charity supporting women living with chronic pain. Under her leadership, endOF launched a series of impactful initiatives. Including a London-based running club, a two-season podcast, PR and awareness campaigns, and clinical research into the impact of cardiovascular exercise on hormones in women living with endometriosis. Published by the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine (BASEM).
Cécile continues to advocate for better understanding and support for women’s health, both in the workplace and beyond.
She is fluent in English and French. She also holds a Level 3 Diploma in British Sign Language.
What led you to become a passionate advocate for women’s health and how has that advocacy influenced the way you lead and connect with others?
My own experience! I spent 18 years living with chronic illness before finally being diagnosed with endometriosis in 2006. That journey – years of being ignored, dismissed and misdiagnosed – led me to figure things out on my own. It made me realise how many women go through similar struggles without the support, information, or care they need.
It’s shaped who I am and the way I lead in every way. I’ve learned to be emotionally aware and more attentive to signs, from myself and from others in the workplace.
I now make wellbeing part of how I define success.
I try to keep empathy and inclusion at the forefront. No one should have to fight so hard just to be heard or supported.
I’m also more mindful about where I invest my time and energy, I’ve learned to value myself more.
How has your experience of navigating life after a brain injury shaped your outlook on leadership, resilience and personal purpose?
The brain injury was a completely different experience from what I had faced with endometriosis. Endometriosis is a long-term condition, managing it requires constant attention and daily effort to stay well. But the brain injury was sudden, disorienting, and, honestly, terrifying. For a time, I was in a complete blur. I struggled to walk, struggled to spell and I felt isolated and deeply unsure about the future.
There are some similarities but the brain injury was a dramatic rupture. It forced me to confront the risk of not being able to function at all. Recovering from that trauma, and managing the fear that it might happen again, changed how I see things.
I live more in the moment now, and I’m more intentional.
As a leader, it’s made me even more careful about how I design systems, structures and how I make decisions. I always considered the short, medium, and long-term impacts of executive choices but that perspective has deepened. I think more about sustainability, not just for the business, but for the people in it.
Over the years, I’ve come across many different leadership styles (good and bad), and I’ve come to realise that I can shape my own. It’s a blend of my lived experiences, my values, and a holistic approach to people and organisations.
I try to lead with consistency, care, and a long view, avoiding reactive decisions and instead creating environments where people feel acknowledged, valued, and able to thrive.
What does meaningful support for mental health in the workplace look like to you and how can leaders play a more active role?
Mental health in the workplace is an important topic for me, and I’m glad to see it becoming more central in corporate conversations.
As a leader, I’ve seen how much of a difference meaningful support can make in someone’s work life but I also recognise that support can mean very different things for different people.
While managing a large, cross-functional team recently, I had many open conversations about this. People had different needs, different ways of working, and different expectations around what mental health support should look like. So rather than making assumptions, I focused on gathering feedback, inviting input, and using that to help shape systems and values that could support the team in a pragmatic and inclusive way.
It’s absolutely a work-in-progress. I don’t believe there’s a perfect blueprint.
Personally, I’ve invested in my own learning through courses, programmes, and working with therapists to better understand emotional awareness in the workplace and how I can show up as a more supportive leader. It’s not a finished product by any means…
What changes would you like to see in how organisations support people living with long-term health conditions or invisible illnesses?
I believe it’s crucial for organisations to enable individuals to pursue their career aspirations, regardless of health conditions, illnesses or disabilities. That means creating an environment where people don’t have to choose between their wellbeing and their career.
Long-term illnesses or disabilities certainly present challenges, but I’d love to see more flexibility in how we support people facing these realities.
While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, I’ve seen how careers can be interrupted or even halted by health limitations.
Early in my career, I found it difficult to speak up about my own needs, particularly when strict office hours and a lack of flexibility were the norm. There were no policies in place to allow for flexible working, and that could have made a huge difference for me especially in managing the challenges of commuting and being in a public / shared space that many hours a day.
Over the years, I’ve worked to raise awareness in the workplace, specifically around endometriosis but also broader issues affecting women’s health, like perimenopause and menopause that affect 100% of women at some point in their lives.
I’ve organised and participated in events aimed at educating colleagues and leaders on how to support women through these life stages, both practically and empathetically. It’s important that women and their managers have the tools and understanding to navigate these moments together and ensure women can continue to succeed in their careers, rather than feeling forced to leave the workforce, something that remains a significant risk.
I also believe organisations need to prioritise support. This includes access to healthcare where possible, mental health professionals, and a culture that encourages open dialogue. Still now, I see many leaders who are not fully aware of the impacts women’s health issues can have at work. Which highlights the need for better education and understanding so leadership can be more effective.
You’ve spoken about the role of sport in your recovery, what have running and cycling taught you about strength, healing and mindset?
I talk about this a lot because running has truly transformed my life. You can hear the full story through the podcast or interviews I’ve done, but for me, sports – particularly running – have been about so much more than building resilience and confidence. They’ve been central to my physical and mental healing from the conditions I’ve faced, including the brain injury.
When I regained the ability to walk more steadily, I started running, and that really accelerated my recovery.
There’s something incredibly powerful about running! It’s hard to describe just how much it’s helped me physically and mentally. Running has been key in maintaining my health and alleviating some of the pain I’ve dealt with, and the research published by BASEM (British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine) shows just how beneficial cardiovascular exercise can be for conditions like mine.
Running – and now cycling – are disciplines I love but I don’t want to limit the benefits of managing and healing from health conditions to just that. It’s about finding what you love and what works for you. I encourage people to explore different forms of exercise and find what makes them feel good.
It’s about embracing movement in whatever form that takes and incorporating it into your health routine.
The key is finding something that brings joy and positively impacts your life.
What gives you hope when it comes to the future of women’s health, especially in corporate environments where awareness is still growing?
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak at an event about my journey with endometriosis and running. I started by asking the audience if they had heard of endometriosis. To my surprise, the majority of the people raised their hands. That was such an amazing moment for me.
When I started raising awareness and working in women’s health, 15 years ago, nobody knew what endometriosis was, even though it affects one in ten women. It’s so encouraging to see awareness growing, especially in environments where it was once almost unheard of.
In my professional life, I’m very open about my own health journey. After 25 years in the workplace, I’ve built the confidence, expertise and experience to discuss these topics. But even so, I’m still mindful of how leadership around me perceives these discussion. How they approach managing their teams and leading organisations. I always try to gauge how open a leader is to these conversations and how much they prioritise staff well-being within the company culture. That being said, the awareness around women’s health is definitely growing. There’s more conversations happening outside the workplace, and it’s starting to impact how organisations operate. Whether it’s through media, books, or the conversations women are leading.
As more women rise into senior leadership roles and remain in those positions, we’ll be in a stronger position to create policies and values that truly support health in the workplace long-term, benefiting both men and women.
What message would you share with someone who is trying to align their personal story with their professional purpose?
I often reflect on whether I would have done things differently when I first started my career. Should I have spoken up earlier to help others and drive progress?
We often hear about the importance of authenticity in the workplace, being ourselves, sharing what makes us happy, and discussing what impacts our day-to-day lives. This is essential for driving positive change, fostering innovation, encouraging participation, and creating a strong culture.
That said, when you’re facing a physical or mental health challenge, it can be so difficult to articulate your experience, let alone use your story to drive change for others in similar situations.
My advice would be that there is a time and place for these conversations. We should never pressure people to speak about things they’re not ready to share. At the same time, it’s important to create the right environment and framework for these discussions so that they can lead to practical, positive outcomes.
Whether it’s a disability that impacts your work and can be supported or a health condition that requires flexible working conditions, it’s essential that business leaders acknowledge these challenges.
The key is finding the right moment to have these discussions, building understanding, and ensuring that we’re making meaningful progress that benefits both employees and organisations.
Looking back, what has surprised you the most about your own journey? What would you say to the version of yourself at the start of it?
When I first started my career, I was incredibly driven, focused, and career-minded, almost feeling invincible. My career progressed very quickly. However, looking back, I realise I lacked emotional awareness for myself and the people around me.
Endometriosis, and more recently, a brain injury, have really humbled me and kept me grounded. They’ve reminded me not to take anything for granted and to appreciate success while also taking life one day at a time. I thought I had everything figured out, but obviously, I didn’t. It took a lot of work to process what I was going through, let alone start raising awareness and pushing for change.
The journey itself – having to stop working, restart my career, and rethink how I approach my work and where I invest my time – has shaped me into a better person and leader. I started managing people at a young age, but I don’t think I had the maturity or experience to be truly effective.
Now, it’s important to me to question myself and educate myself in order to be the best leader I can be. As a result, I also hold very high expectations of the leadership around me.
Leadership, in general, is evolving, with empathy and understanding becoming key. For me, it’s vital to shape what leadership means not just for organisations, but for the people within them.
Another realisation I’ve had is recognising the transferable skills I’ve gained from my work in nonprofit, advocacy, and women’s health. How they’ve enriched my career and my personal growth.
I’ve had really hard times and major setbacks. But I can honestly say I’m a better person now for having gone through it all.
