Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2019

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Inspiring

WOMEN

Leaders Making a Difference 2019

Because time matters

Anne Krog Iversen

Being Mindful of the World around Us August 2019

EDITOR’S NOTE

Why, one Must?

‘Must’—this four syllable word holds enough optimism for an individual to be decisive and to develop a strong grit to achieve his or her desired goals. It inspires a person to implicate efforts and commitment for the work that must be done. This generates an ideology to give back to the community; and to ’make a difference’.

There are almost 7.7 billion people in this world, of which only 1 per cent come up with an act that disrupts the customary practices initiating new trails for the upcoming buds. This ’1 per cents’’ understand the significance of ’must’ and commit themselves to provide the best of them for a better personal as well as societal future.

The need of such concept is much required in the current ever-evolving business world. With above ideology or thought, one can easily overcome the obstacles and penetrate the complex walls of a successful business management. Though some are still striving to create a difference, many have prevailed in achieving such stature in their respective sectors. Such avid leaders and entrepreneurs have proved themselves to wear the attire of success in less time period.

In this special issue entitled, “Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference, 2019”, CIO LOOK admire some exceptional women leaders and appreciate their contribution in the evolution of various industries that falls into their specialization. Equipped with unique ideologies and ’must be done’ attitude, these women have

Inspiring

Women Leaders Making a Difference

“Inspiration emerges from an entity that portrays the true meaning of innovations. ” immensely contributed in developing a stable structure in order to roll in the irregular paths of businesses.

Here is the cover featuring Anne Krog Iversen—Chief People, DNA & Culture Officer of TimeXtender. Her unorthodox belief on practicing mindfulness to strengthen one brain fitness, emotional intelligence, and mental and physical well-being, is helping many employees of various businesses. Prior joining TimeXtender, Anne was responsible for Human Resources and Marketing. Over period of her service at TimeXtender, she has played an instrumental role in growing the company globally and helping to attract more than 2600 customers throughout various regions. This edition describes more about her vision and her goals in upcoming future.

Let’s unveil such alike, inspiring interviews and stories of many such significant women business leaders in this special edition and spread a word about their contribution in making this world a better place. Also, flip through the CXO standpoints presented by some of the leading industry experts to taste the glimpse of industrial revolutions.

Enjoy the read.....

Bhushan Ghate

COVER STORY

08 Anne Krog Iversen

Being Mindful of the World around Us

CONTENTS 18

Alejandra Guzman

Globally Acclaimed Leader in Business Management

32

Natalie Catliota

Exemplifying Proficient Leadership

24

Angela Alvarez

A Prolific Leader with an Innovative Vision

36

Sara Brown

Changing the World by Changing People’s Minds

28

Laura Fleet

Leading Expert in Health Care Industry

40

Silvia Veronese

Decisive by Action, Innovator by Heart

I OL

K editor@ciolook.com

Editor in Chief - Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor - Alan Swann

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Anne Krog Iversen Chief People, DNA & Culture Officer TimeXtender

COVER STORY

TimeXtender's purpose is to give businesses instant access to data, enabling them to make quality business decisions with data, mind and heart.

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any of us actually devote more time at work than we do at home.

And even when we leave work for the comforts of home life, we often find ourselves spending time on office work that we brought with us. When we're done with corporate tasks, we carry out household chores or family obligations, leaving little time for ourselves.

All this responsibility can be mentally taxing.

And while we typically look forward to vacation to recharge, we now know that we shouldn't wait for that annual getaway to recover. Rather, we should soothe our minds daily. And many of us are doing just that by practicing mindfulness to strengthen our brain fitness, emotional intelligence, and mental and physical wellbeing.

But the challenge can be dedicating the time to make it a daily occurrence. Despite the fact that we recognize that we need to combat how overwhelmed we are with life's responsibilities, we just keep plugging away, trying to keep up, with no relief in sight.

With that, progressive business leaders in the corporate world are now tackling this epidemic to help their valued employees reduce stress, anxiety and low energy.

They're doing so by carving out time at the corporate workplace to practice mindfulness.

One of those executives who's at the forefront of this movement is Anne Krog Iversen from TimeXtender. We spoke with Anne to get an understanding about her corporate mindfulness program and the impact it has had on her colleagues.

Can you tell us about your background?

I'm the Chief People, DNA & Culture Officer and co-founder of TimeXtender. At TimeXtender, we inspire businesses to make quality business decisions with data, mind and heart. This can be done by using our flagship technology platform Discovery Hub®, a high-performance data management platform. We do this for one simple reason: because time matters.

Before taking on this responsibility, I was head of both Human Resources and Marketing. I'm happy to say that at that time,

I contributed in helping us strategically grow from a startup in Denmark to one of the fastest growing private tech companies in the world. Over the years, we've grown to more than 3,000 customers worldwide and built a comprehensive global network of partners to help service our customer base. Six years ago, we opened a second headquarters for North America in Bellevue, Washington. It's been a tremendous journey, but there's much more to accomplish.

What was one of your biggest challenges in managing this rapid growth?

As TimeXtender began to expand, we experienced trauma by losing a key executive and close colleague. Then, as the company began to experience high-paced, international growth, I determined we needed a people program to cope with our loss and help employees identify with each other by sharing a common purpose greater than work items, our ambitious growth goals and life's demands.

In 2015, we rolled out our multi-faceted corporate mindfulness program with The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People created by Dr. Stephen R. Covey as a cornerstone.

Corporate mindfulness is now a chief component of our corporate DNA and who we truly are as 'X-People' (what we call ourselves at TimeXtender), as our leaders and employees daily aim is to create win-winwins.

The results of our mindfulness program have been a game-changing journey for the organization. Our employees have been given a source of energy, focus and creativeness.

Being more mindful helps us become more effective and gives us the life skill tools for better self-management and decision making.

We encourage staff to practice mindfulness daily, with only seven minutes a day needed to keep your brain balanced, but we really enjoy practicing mindfulness at work. We host voluntary weekly recharge sessions for employees that can include meditation, yoga, breathing, mindful walks, or discussion.

Employees enjoy and look forward to weekly recharge, as evidenced by up to 50% turnout.

On Fridays, we have team breakfast to socialize and engage. We call our way of work 'calm effectiveness' as it helps us focus and

calm to achieve our goals and deal with demanding workdays. Offering mindfulness during work is wonderful as it's a welcomed diversion from our daily grind to help us heal, find inner peace and focus.

Because TIME matters.

We also implemented a minute of silence to help attendees regroup, recharge and refocus prior to meeting commencement. The feedback from people who participate in a minute of silence has been overwhelmingly positive. I can't tell you how many people have said 'thank you,' stating that participating in that one minute of silence helped them find inner peace and provided a boost. After witnessing the power of silence, we've become strong advocates for telling others about the health benefits derived from silence.

As part of our reinvigorated DNA campaign in 2015, we spent a lot of time designing the interior of TimeXtender offices to ensure harmony, peace and tranquility. Our office artifacts and symbols foster a more mindful business climate and support effectiveness and innovative energy. I'm proud to say that our interior design was named ‘one of the six coolest offices in Europe’

by Inc.com.

Is TimeXtender's Discovery Hub® and mindfulness congruent in any way?

Interestingly, when people discover that we have a corporate mindfulness program they often ask about our software vis-à-vis our mindfulness culture. The linking factor is that Discovery Hub® and mindfulness both free up your mind and creativity so that you can make superior business decisions closely connected to your data, mind and heart. Even more, both help you become more productive and efficient which is very important because time matters.

TimeXtender's Discovery Hub® reduces the number of tedious, repetitive tasks, freeing up the intellects of IT staff, developers and

BI specialists so that they can shift their attention to game-changing initiatives that add greater value to an organization. With this in mind, TimeXtender has developed into the software, as it’s automating the coding, visible motivational quotes such as ‘Time to breathe,’ or ‘Time to praise a colleague’ and a lotus flower that the user can follow while breathing calmly.

Similarly, mindfulness removes the clutter in your mind so you can be aware of the present moment. It’s a state of mind in which you're paying full attention to whatever is happening in the here and now and it reduces the state-negative effect.

Mindfulness helps you filter out mental chatter to better tune into your intuition to make superior decisions for your team, organization, and yourself. It

enhances creativity by encouraging divergent thinking and clarity.

What do you hope to personally accomplish in the years ahead?

I’ve been fortunate to be able to share my understanding of corporate mindfulness on the global stage. I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to be a corporate blogger, a contributor in various magazines such as Forbes, and an event speaker. I also network with leaders in the mindfulness community and host events for employees. And employees also get paid a ‘Karma Day’ to do charity work.

We enjoy supporting community initiatives and charitable efforts and hope to do more in the future. While there are many instances where

With proper inner work you can be an inspiration for others and a force for change.

It all starts by being aware of your thoughts, words and actions.

time is king, there's no domain more focused on time than motorsports.

It's for this reason that we sponsor the Danish Motorsport driver, Mikkel O. Pedersen, in his Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup journey, as he fights to be a Porsche Factory Driver and to secure a seat at Le Mans.

TimeXtender is delighted to support this young talent in living his heartfelt purpose in life in the motorsport world where time really matters. For TimeXtender, Mikkel is not only a sponsorship, but a symbol of our company's brand and the way we view our partnerships, technology and DNA. In addition, Mikkel designed a 'Super Hero' troll to lend support to

the Danish Cancer Foundation.

These super hero trolls were a childhood favorite of his, and designing a modern troll truly came from his heart. A number of proceeds resulting from the purchase of his troll have been contributed to the Foundation. This is a great cause and serves as a pleasant reminder that we can all be a superhero to someone in need.

We're proud to play a role in this effort.

Every year, we also sponsor the Danish Kids hospital clowns. This is a wonderful program that helps encourage and uplift the spirits of Danish kids who are admitted to hospitals. The power of laughing and having fun can provide a source of encouragement and healing for

those who need medical care.

And finally, we're pleased to contribute Discovery Hub and to provide technical support to the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization Direct Relief. With this donation, we're able to assist Direct Relief in their global efforts to help people affected by poverty and emergency around the world. We take great pride in knowing that our technology is part of a worldwide effort to help others in need. And in the end, isn't that what it's all about ... having a bigger purpose and being mindful of the world around us?

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Alejandra Guzman Globally Acclaimed Leader in Business Management

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n an interview with CIO LOOK, Alejandra Guzman, Vice President, Performance Management and Strategy at New Orleans Business Alliance emphasizes on her impeccable contribution for her organization.

Her unique ideologies and methods took her as well as the organization in achieving many milestones in the pathway.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.

The nature of the roles I´ve had in all of my professional positions required mastering the balance of blending technical and relationship skills. For example, working at the New Orleans Business Alliance requires an understanding of a complex web of internal and external relationships in which I have to act simultaneously as a diplomat, influencer, team player, leader and listener. Economic

development does not occur in a vacuum, so it is critical that we work well with others to accomplish our goals. In my position at Capital Natural, a leading management and administration firm for private equity funds and real estate investment projects operating in Mexico, I had to lead a multi-sector group of senior consultants to design and execute an urban development proposal that required me to understand when to switch from a leader to a follower. Although I was ultimately responsible for leading our project, it was critical that I had the capability to step aside and follow the lead of technical experts to deliver a successful project.

How do you diversify your organization's offerings to appeal the target audience?

At the Business Alliance, we are focused on enhancing the economic security of all New Orleanians by accelerating the diversification of the local economy, developing local talent and expanding entrepreneurial opportunity. We

attract new business and retain talent in New Orleans, by aligning our brand with the international business community's increased focus on diversity and inclusion to drive innovation and enhanced profitability. Our brand tag line: Culture. Equity. Prosperity.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every business personnel should possess.

I would consider the ability of balancing and blending technical and relationship skills to be one of most importance. To achieve this one must be collaborative, empathic and supportive which allows a person to be team oriented and socially aware. I think that the success of most projects is multidimensional and that relationship skills influence execution.

As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges are faced by women in a corporate business?

And what is your advice in overcoming them?

It is an unfortunate reality that women still face challenges in the

When it comes to success, there is no such thing as good luck, only hard work and preparation to seize the opportunity when it comes knocking on your door.

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work environment including obtaining equal pay, harassment, and career opportunities. Although to tackle these issues we must advocate for societal and policy change, I believe there are personal tactics that we can take to navigate through this harsh environment.

The first advice I would give is to invest in your professional development. It is important that as professionals we have a clear understanding of what are the skills that we need for our next career move. Finding an executive coach can be a great tool to help identify skill gaps and ways to address them.

A coach can also help with preparations for salary negotiations and to address issues at work that have to do more with politics rather than technical skills. Most importantly, beyond being prepared, it is key for women to find a sponsor.

A sponsor is that influential leader that will advocate on your behalf to open the door to new career opportunities, promotions and great assignments. To find your sponsor go above and beyond at your job and make yourself visible by taking on projects that provide exposure.

Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause of women empowerment.

One of the favorite projects I have worked on focused on helping women to improve their quality of life and promote economic activity in their communities. We did this by providing training opportunities so they can acquire the skills to find a job or set their own business. Also, we supported them with loans so they can buy building materials to improve their homes and local communities.

What are your insights on developing a better environment for women to evolve? And how it

could be helpful in growing businesses?

It is a top priority for organizations to make intentional efforts to bring women to decision-making roles.

We can´t expect to create a better environment for women without us being involved in the decisionmaking process. Also, it is wide documented that diversity in perspectives can only lead organizations to better decisionmaking dynamics that increases profitability. Some strategies to achieve this may include specifying a target number of female candidates for each leadership position or having programs that encourage women to express interest in applying for leadership roles. These practices can be applied in any type of organization, public or private.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in the market?

At the Business Alliance, we make sure that all of our programs include data driven solutions. In the case of business recruitment, particularly retail, we use the best consumer analytics tools in the market to prepare pursuit packages. We make sure that when we recruit a business, we deliver the reliable data that will prove the probability of success in our market.

How do you upgrade yourself with volatile technological or business trends to boost your personal growth?

A big focus of my current work is

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real estate development. One of the reasons I love this industry is for its versatility and how it integrates a wide variety of disciplines architecture, finance, community development, landscaping, engineering and many others. To be up to date on trends in the industry I have joined organizations such as the Urban Land Institute and also the U.S. Green Building Council.

These organizations are the perfect platform to learn and stay up to date on trends. Another great way to stay up to date with industry trends is attending key conferences.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future?

Through the New Orleans Businesses Alliance, I´m working to develop a strategy that includes real estate to promote development in disinvested communities. One particular program that we are looking to leverage is Opportunity Zones. This is a federal program designed to drive investment to communities that have lacked critical investment. It provides an incentive for investors to re-invest their capital gains into financial vehicles. I see a lot of potential in New Orleans and my objective is to have investors also see this and help them find success in our community.

With the right projects in place our local community will be able to enjoy better services and a great quality of life.

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Angela Alvarez CEO & Founder Aglaia Capital

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Aglaia Capital

Angela Alvarez

A Prolific Leader with an Innovative Vision

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or continuous career growth, everyone needs to be passionate, curious and desire to do better every day. In different stages of professional or personal journey, people need inspiration and an expert’s advice that could help them to make things happen, and succeed in their goals. Angela Alvarez, the Founder and Executive Chairman of Aglaia Capital, involved in a crypto marketplace Blockchain project and a Venture Fund for investing in Distributed Ledger Technologies companies in seed stage, Vice Chairman and at the Advisory Board at Fair Value Capital (UK) Ltd., Advisory Board at Scheme Investments Aleph Sicav plc in Malta and Israel, speaker at economic forums and mastermind groups, occasionally jury at industry competitions and awards, featured as Top Fintech influencer, is a deal maker which provides strategic and financial advice in any corporate transactions and corporate governance, keen in cooperating business models with investing partners, and helping organizations in creating value at the path of their success. She is proud of being Tech oriented, but believes that technology can go together with human sciences which may help people to grow in this world of new technology without losing humanity.

ambitions and beliefs, and have the courage to continue when things seem not going so well, or others do not share their vision.

The challenges and situations that I’ve had to face in my life, having my own vision and opinions, and fighting for things that I believe in, people that had helped me, and people that I’ve helped, have helped me in my vital growth as a person without losing my essence. I’ve enjoyed diversity, challenges, new situations and problem solving, and going out the comfort zone which makes my journey richest.

I think that a good dose of authenticity, passion, ambition, honesty, courage, generosity, resilience, curiosity, appetite for knowledge, and vision have been good companions on my personal and professional journey, together with that inner impulse to start again in the fails, being calm in the celebration of success, and a desire of doing better every day, and making an impact to make a better world.

I am currently involved in developing a new company with the same activity I have been having along my professional career to further apply my vision on it. My business is about advisory Corporate Finance, M&A, Investors and Family office services, and Private Equity, focus on selected niche funds and investors, and off market deals, oriented to be a trusted partner for investing in Europe and in the Philippines mainly, and, selectively, in Latin America, specialized in Financing structures, and in Hotels, Real Estate, Financial Services, Fintech and Blockchain.

Following is Angela’s story in her own words, which exemplifies her legit, potent and ambitious behaviour towards success.

In the life of any person there are always people that influence and mentor you, close people that you trust and that usually know most about you, and also those people you influence and mentor.

I think that keeping the equilibrium between these three flows, makes a good combination for anyone’s personal growth. Any leader should have dreams,

I adapt myself to the trends and demands of the moment, and am innovative and personalized in the approach to the Transactions. Usually the clients or investing partners are approaching me, or are a part of my ecosystem, or I approach the ones that identify as

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“

Everything seems impossible until it is accomplished.

I think that one of the main challenges for women in the corporate is not being considered as a minority and statistics but just professionals and at the same conditions than professionals with the same attributes that can be at the first line. Any organization needs capable people in any of the positions, and diversity provides richness to those, and to the community.

Also we need to be aware of our role in the society, and in the corporates, and make elections accordingly.

Following the interests and the path that consider appropriated without thinking in gender would be a sensible advice.

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suitable to join this trusted network.

I have a continuous dialogue with them, and discuss the opportunities that come to me and find those which are appealing. The world and industries are experimenting fascinating changes, and I am fortunate to be in a business like this that can be a part of those. I usually participate in economic forums, and mastermind groups, which nourish my global vision and creativity for problem solving in the corporate and business world.

I think that passion, ambition, honesty, resilience, courage, empathy, and vision are good companions in business. These vital attributes together with knowledge, common sense and intelligence make a great complement to these vital qualities that I appreciate in anyone.

Probably having leading positions can be my biggest contribution to women empowerment. I have also been supporting female entrepreneurship ecosystems and mentorship initiatives in several countries when I have been requested in doing so.

It makes sense that top levels and governance of the organizations and companies have representation on the people that they serve and represent. More representation of women in top positions and Board of directors would reflect better of what the society is currently made of. Diversity in gender, ages, background and nationalities provide richness to companies, and can be a valuable contribution to understand better, and face the challenges of a world in continuing change, and with global organizations.

I am usually where the business is, and where the interests of the clients are. I have the focus on niche deals and clients, and in maintaining long clients’ relationships based on trust and mutual interest. That trusted network of investors, partners and companies is increased with new lines of business, and adapting to the newest trends and interests. The own network and ecosystem of deals, clients, and industry nourishes my businesses.

where I am creative in the approaches to any Transaction. On specific technological fields, I am active in Fintech, fund raising in Tech startups, and I am currently involved in a blockchain crypto P2P project, and in a Venture Fund for investing in Distributed Ledger Technologies companies in seed stage. I think that Technology and Human Sciences can go together so we can face this new technological world without losing humanity, and those can be used as a tool also to analyze some of the ethical issues that technology can bring nowadays in many fields.

I see myself in the near future, thriving, continuing to face new challenges with my new projects, and contributing in sustainability, and in transforming my industry.

I believe in doing business based on balance and win-win situations, and I would like to keep doing the same to be making an impact and doing sustainable businesses and Transactions, where there will be companies or groups of interests exchanging or cooperating to achieve the best alternative for their mutual success.

Technological changes that are happening nowadays are fascinating, and I usually am keen to go with them, and applying them also when is possible in my activity,

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LAURA FLEET LEADING EXPERT IN HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

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very successful healthcare leader needs a highly developed understanding of the industry, business competency and interpersonal skills in order to guide their businesses to success. A great leader knows how to build teams of talented employees with decision-making capabilities and how to further develop employee skills and confidence. One such leader is Laura Fleet the CEO and Co-founder of SendaRide. Laura leads by example, contributing to the success of the team of dedicated staff, providing a solution for many individuals that cannot find transportation to medical appointments, a solution for clients needing a safe alternative to transport their patients, financial freedom for the company's contracted drivers and inspiring an altruistic mindset both for employees and drivers.

In an interview between Laura Fleet and CIO LOOK we focus on her success, barriers, and experiences along her journey. Her sole focus is on ensuring SendaRide's success as a transportation service that eliminates barriers to, and lack of access to, medical care for everyone.

Below are highlights of the interview conducted between Laura Fleet and CIO LOOK: Kindly take us through your journey to becoming a proficient leader.

Early in my career, I started a government relations consulting firm. It was through this experience that I learned to be very resourceful, focused, and to trust my intuition.

When reflecting on the last twenty years of my career as legal counsel, lobbyist and Executive Director for several nonprofit trade associations I find that I have continually been refining what it takes to be successful, self-reliant and to problem-solve quickly.

Equally as important, I've also learned what makes people both effective and ineffective as leaders.

It is often said that employees don't leave their job, they leave their manager. I believe this statement to be true, so I do my best to lead by example, empowering individuals, recognizing and rewarding their personal growth and talents.

These experiences and the insight I gained early in my career prepared me to have the self-confidence to design, dream, and launch SendaRide. I am now in a position to share my challenges and experiences with my staff, enabling each of them to learn, grow, and share this wisdom with the next generation.

How do you diversify your organization's offerings to appeal to the target audience?

We've diversified our services after learning from our customers what they needed, rather than trying to tell them what they needed. I started SendaRide providing one basic service: non-emergency transportation to and from the hospital. Very soon I returned to my customers to learn what was working, what wasn't and what else they needed.

It was through these one-on-one meetings with SendaRide's clients that I began offering a more diverse and personalized set of services. I've learned that if you don't overwhelm your clients with features and let them describe their pain point to you, a very successful product will emerge.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every business personnel should possess.

Each of us have access to the fundamental attributes to be successful – it's how we understand and develop these attributes that determine our level of success.

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Through your actions you are teaching people how to treat you.

Those key attributes include being on time, prepared, respectful, dependable, organized, and positive.

Regardless of your level of education or experience, each of us have the ability to capitalize on and excel in each of these fundamental attributes to success.

As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges are faced by women in a corporate business? And what is your advice in overcoming them?

I believe society is making huge strides in leveling the playing field for women. We now recognize that men and women often have very different innate methods of dealing with conflict, victory and defeat. The challenge for both genders lies in understanding these differences and approaching our different styles with grace, professionalism, humility, and respect for everyone.

My advice to my younger self would be "through your actions you are teaching people how to treat you". You have the ability to set the standard because people learn how to treat you based on what you accept from them.

Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause of women empowerment?

I was fortunate enough to participate in two accelerator programs that have the mutual goals of inspiring women and giving them access to the tools they need to succeed.

These two accelerator programs were the Women's Startup Lab and SpringBoard Enterprises.

These two experiences have been lifechanging for me. Often, I felt isolated as a female founder of a tech company in the Midwest. These programs have allowed me to develop a vast network of fellow successful female entrepreneurs.

Each program – although very different – has empowered me, given me self-confidence and allowed me to learn from other very successful women.

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SendaRide

I left these two programs with the commitment to maintain the network and connections with the community of women I met and to help other entrepreneurs navigate the tumultuous startup world, whether male or female, every opportunity I could.

superior service in the market and always being the chosen provider of non-emergency medical transportation for the healthcare industry.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future?

My sole focus is on SendaRide's success as a transportation service that eliminates barriers to, and lack of access to, medical care for everyone. One's social status or geographic location should not limit their access to high-quality medical care. SendaRide's success will provide an alternative solution for access to medical care and contribute to the overall health of our population.

What are your insights on developing a better environment for women to evolve? And how it could be help grow businesses?

I believe that developing a better environment for women to evolve necessarily includes a better environment for everyone to evolve. Setting a level playing ďŹ eld for everyone, irrespective of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation demonstrates by example that, we are all equal, and deserving of the same opportunities.

My goal is that SendaRide's accomplishments will lead by example, contributing to the success of our team of dedicated staff, providing ďŹ nancial freedom for our contracted drivers and inspiring an altruistic mindset among both our employees and our drivers.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in the market?

I continue to learn from my competitors. Each of them wouldn't be successful if they weren't doing at least one thing well. I believe there is room for success among competitors because society wants to have more than one choice for any service, product, or technology.

Choices allow diversity and compel us to constantly review and improve our products and services to remain relevant.

Provide a one-line quote that best describes your approach to business and vision.

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt

However, the competitive side of me that propels SendaRide forward is always committed to offering the

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Natalie Catliota

Exemplifying Proficient Leadership

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ecent years have marked a tremendous p a ra d i g m s h i f t i n t h e e n t r e p r e n e u r i a l ecosystem. The winds of change seem to have arrived as women are finally making remarkable progress heading companies. Women entrepreneurs are making their mark with their exemplary leadership skills, and CIOLook appreciates such leaders. Amongst those, Natalie Catliota, the Chief Operating Officer of NetCentrics, is one such proficient leader.

human and market trends, and evolve their services to meet growing demands or changes. As an IT service provider, this means it is critical that we stay on top of trends in technology. She has a fundamental belief that businesses must remain fixated on providing more value to their customers than their competitors, constantly evaluating the services they provide, looking for ways to improve the user experience.

Rather than focusing on their competition, NetCentrics prefers to focus on continuously reviewing its business practices looking for ways to improve relationships and seek opportunities to add value in every interaction it has.

Natalie joined NetCentrics in April 2010. At the time, NetCentrics was generating less than $15M/year. She started at the front desk with no real title or responsibilities, but took the opportunity to learn by getting involved in everything she could – marketing, HR, compliance, finance, business development – whatever she could get here hands on, and took a specific interest in business process development and improvement.

To stay updated with technology and business trends, Natalie reads anything and everything that challenges her thought process and loves to ask lots of questions.

She has a genuine interest in the industry and the solutions NetCentrics provides and says working with an incredible team who is just as passionate, inspires her to stay involved and updated with industry trends.

Between 2010 and now, Natalie has held almost every position in the company. As she built the Operations and grew into her role as COO, she came to develop her own leadership approach. She learned the valuable lesson that being everyone’s friend is not nearly as valuable as earning their trust. She also learned that what makes a great leader is the ability to share one’s vision with the team and gain their buy in. She believes the key to successful operations is balance: the balance between structure and agility, balance between investing without over-spending; and balance between setting boundaries while still fostering creativity.

According to Natalie, leadership is not the same as management; it is about getting people excited to follow you, and sometimes being the follower yourself.

Self- awareness, decisiveness, enthusiasm, and integrity are some of the vital attributes every leader must possess. Business leaders must be able to leverage their strengths and build teams that fill in their weaknesses, striving and build teams that compliment their weaknesses, striving to create a culture that is comfortable collaboratively discussing the good and the bad early and often.

Natalie believes every organization must tailor their service offerings to what they are best at, monitor

Natalie also believes that an effective leader must be

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NetCentrics

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Transforming ideas, forward thinking concepts, and company visions into results.

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—Natalie Catliota COO NetCentrics

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able to synthesize available information to make sound business decisions quickly and confidently. She subscribes strongly to Jeff Bezos’ “Two Way Doors” concept, believing most decisions are “Two-Way Doors” and often times there is no one right decision.

She asserts, “As a leader, once you have set the path, unless of course new facts arise that significantly alter the path, stick with it and see where it takes you.”

‘‘

Integrity is not just about doing the right thing, it is about standing for something bigger and setting the precedent that others must do the same.

Talking about enthusiasm, she says, “If you want people to enthusiastically follow you, you have to lead by example.

If you are excited about your vision, show it in everything you do. Passion is infectious – this trait, above anything else, is what motivates teams to perform greater than the sum of their parts.”

And about integrity Natalie opines that leading a business is hard work. “Too often we see others cut corners and even earn short term rewards as a result. Integrity is not just about doing the right thing, it is about standing for something bigger and setting the precedent that others must do the same. Peers and employees see how you treat others and respond in kind. It is critically important that you earn their respect through your own actions”.

When asked about the roadblocks faced by women in a corporate business, Natalie says, “First impressions are generally made on physical characteristics. Being young and female, I recognize that I carry certain physical traits that may lead to an initial bias. My advice is to never walk into a situation assuming what the other person thinks of you. Look at every interaction not as a challenge that needs to be overcome, but rather a new opportunity to show what value you can bring. You are in your role for a reason. You have the combination of capabilities, knowledge, and experience needed, so leave history’s baggage at the door.”

In her opinion, women’s empowerment must start with h u m a n e m p o w e r m e n t . N a t a l i e b e l i eve s t h a t empowering women and creating an environment that encourages women is not about setting specific programs or policies that separate women, but rather by encouraging all employees to be the best version of themselves. She finds the best way to do this is by focusing on traits that are not gender-specific; work ethic, knowledge, teamwork and accountability.

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Sara Brown Vice President of Marketing MultiTech

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Sara Brown Changing the World by Changing People's Minds

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he Internet of Things (IoT) is creating new customer experiences and unparalleled economic value, while improving quality of life for countless people around the globe. By providing products and services to connect “things” to the Internet, MultiTech delivers deeper understanding to businesses, governments, organizations and individuals.

MultiTech products have the power to transform the way we live and work. That's the message Sara Brown, Vice President of Marketing is priviledged to share with the MultiTech team, its customers and partners, and the world at large.

CIO Look admires work of such leaders and believes in featuring them in Making a Difference issue in order to spread-a-word about their journey on achieving their real-time stature.

Below are some of the highlights of the interview conducted between Sara and CIO Look:

Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.

I started my career as a reporter on Capitol Hill and later in the trade press covering mergers and acquisitions in the broadcast industry during deregulation in the 1990s. After moving "home" to North Carolina, I switched to what my editor liked to call the "dark side"– namely public relations and marketing. I started at the bottom of the electronics food chain, pitching resisters and capacitors and gradually making my way up to computers, servers and software, before scaling back to critical components and communication systems. I have been marketing technology for more than twenty years, fifteen of which have been focused exclusively on the Internet of Things – having provided either in-house or consulting support for hardware, software and services across the entire value chain and a wide swath of supported industries.

As for leadership, I've been told by doting parents that I was born a

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leader – but I'm not so sure how reliable their accounts really are. In my experience leadership comes from three things: A willingness to ask questions and simply listen to the answers.

This skill is essential to the discipline of journalism. Ÿ Knowing what you don't know and comfort seeking out and building relationships with the people who do and can fill in the gaps for you. I learned this throughout the years of executive communications and public relations work during which the worst bumbles (in my experience) happen when an executive tries to come off as knowledgeable on a subject matter he or she knows nothing about. Ÿ Empathy and its partner respect – You cannot lead people effectively without a) genuinely caring about them and b) respecting what they bring to the table and, perhaps more importantly, how dependent your success is upon that. Ÿ

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How do you diversify your organization's offerings to appeal the target audience?

We spend a lot of time researching the marketplace and, more importantly, working directly with customers to understand both their unique needs and the commonalities across businesses and vertical industries. This tailors our offerings to the best fit, regardless of communications protocol, form factor, or carrier or cloud platform preference.

Describe some of the vital attributes that every business person should possess.

Curiosity: I think a natural curiosity is critical to succeed, particularly in tech. Curiosity about the technology itself. Curiosity as to what's happening in the market. And most importantly, curiosity about how to overcome the 'big picture' problems of our world.

Creative problem-solving: It begins with the belief that even the most challenging problems can and will be solved. From there, the ideal tech individual can draw the "stick-to-itiveness" to try and try again until a solution is found. As Edison said, "I haven't failed. I just found 10,000 ways that won't work."

three can be neatly rolled up in this statement that anyone on my team will recognize: "We think for a living." Without the brain work, no amount of tactical activity, whether in engineering, marketing, production or finance will be anything more than keeping busy.

As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges are faced by women in a corporate business?

And what is your advice to overcome them?

First of all, everyone faces roadblocks and challenges in their career, and not just women.

That said, working 20+ years in engineering and technology-focused industries, I think the combination of frequently being the only female in the room with my focus on marketing, which is often considered a frivolous discipline, didn't do me any favors in terms of gaining respect and advancement.

Nevertheless, performance and professionalism always breed respect.

If I were to give advice to my younger self, or to any women (or man) of any age in any industry, I'd strongly recommend focusing first on relationships, particularly with people who "get" and understand what you bring to the table. For me, the time invested in that effort alone has been my most valuable investment in my career.

Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause of women empowerment.

This is a big topic. Obvious contributions include multiple women I've mentored over the years and women's educational and professional development programs I have supported personally and through companies I've worked for.

Still, I think the most compelling contribution lies in the nature of my business itself. The impact of computing and the Internet on global wellbeing (not just for women, but for all), has accelerated the advancement of the human race faster than at any time in human history. The Internet of Things, on which I've focused for the past fifteen years, holds even more

Business acumen: Technology cannot succeed in a vacuum. It needs to address real, quantifiable needs, deliver true, fit-to-purpose performance and accomplish real results. However, true success comes from tailoring your offering to address the pain points of your target customers and (as a marketer, I have to say) getting the word out that their problem has finally been solved.

Thoughtfulness: All of the previous

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Performance and professionalism breed respect.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in the market?

Competitive differentiation requires constant vigilance.

It helps a lot to be the first, which we have been able to do more frequently in the past few years. It also requires an intimate knowledge of your customer set – which is really my role – to be the voice of the customer in everything we do.

promise, for women and for all, to improve sanitation and healthcare, feed the hungry, reduce pollution, and safeguard our children. The list goes on and on.

I'm very lucky. There was a time in my life when I didn't understand the importance of my work to the global economy. Today, I can see that, while I cherish the women whose names I know and whose lives I've touched personally– the opportunity to impact the lives of women around the world on a macro scale is its own reward.

Finally, it is important to acknowledge what your differentiators are, as well as those of the competition.

I've been known to redirect prospects to competitors who I knew were a better fit for their application. Doing so promotes trust and pays off in the end as both those prospects and competitors come to acknowledge what you're best at and return the favor.

What are your insights on the necessity of 'Women in position of power'? And, how could it bring out a change in traditional male dominated industries?

I'd reframe this question to one of leadership and not power. Leadership can come from any level of the organization and, as I said before, performance and professionalism breed respect.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future?

Right now my focus is on MultiTech and our customers' success. Beyond that, I intend to promote the success of my team and the broader network of industry folks who have become not just colleagues but friends over the years. Finally, I intend to continue contributing to a better future, wherever that future finds me

That said, when anybody, in any position irrespective of its gender, race or sexual orientation, demonstrates leadership, there need to be both the right people and the right processes in place to elevate that person into a position where he or she can achieve their potential and bring up others with them. In fact, that to me it is the ultimate power for good: the ability to develop job skills, creative skills and leadership skills for whatever comes next.

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Silvia Veronese SVP of Global Customer Success Guavus

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There is no growth, no achievement, no success if there is no affinity in a team.

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Silvia Veronese Decisive by Action, Innovator by Heart

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omprehending technological advancements and having the know-how to successfully implement them is the most crucial responsibility of a leader. Today, many leaders strive to offer services based on market demands, while only a few focus on facilitating customer-centric, game-changing products. This leadership style and focus sets an example for others and, in turn, inspires other leaders to follow suit. One such leader is Silvia Veronese, SVP Global Customer Success at Guavus, a Thales company.

know that they are valued by their leader, they become more confident in their individual capacity. Being a leader means making decisions in real-time -- often with incomplete information. Under stressful circumstances, the worst thing for a leader is inaction. You must keep moving forward with confidence, knowing you have a supportive team backing you up and the expertise to make prudent choices.

CIO LOOK admires such leaders and appreciates their contribution in evolving the business as well as the technology sector. We are proud to feature inspiring leaders like her in this issue.

It's not about trying to sell customers what they don't want or what they should want. It isn't about marketing your own brand, rather it's about producing a product we know is excellent for our targeted customers. The foundation for any business is the commitment to making great products that fulfill a known or unknown need. Obviously, to accomplish this, it's imperative to understand the market in which we participate by researching its needs and creating products to fill those voids. Like that great quote of Henry Ford, right? “If I'd have asked my customers what they wanted, they would have told me a faster horse.”

Below are the highlights from an interview we conducted with Silvia: Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.

I believe that becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming your true self. It's a journey that's modified each day by every decision I make. From the drawing room to the board room it's an ongoing process that can be derailed at any moment. It's easy to order people to do a project or task, but that's not leadership. Being a leader means guiding people, fostering their strengths, and helping them reach their full potential. One of the most important lessons I've learned is to recognize the strengths of each member of my team. When people

How do you diversify your organization's offerings to appeal to your target audience?

Describe some of the vital attributes you believe every business person should possess.

Among others, some of the most important attributes every business person should embody are resilience, curiosity, understanding, and sharp instincts. Perhaps the most fundamental attribute is the

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patience to ask a lot of questions and truly listen to the answers.

When you're working within a small team this is easier to accomplish; however, when you move into a higher level position, and your team grows larger, this process can become arduous. Still, one must always remember that the most important task is listening to team members, peers, and customers because this will provide a clear picture of where your business stands and the issues that need to be mitigated in order to make your company flourish.

In your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges are faced by women in business? What's your advice for overcoming them?

I can't stress enough that complex challenges in business are commonplace and encountered daily. At any given time, there are problems both big and small that, if left unattended, can pile up and become insurmountable.

Occasionally there's ample time to address an issue, but more often than not there isn't. Still, a decision must be made to rectify whatever the issue may be. In this scenario, fear of making the wrong decision and failing is one's worst enemy. As women in corporate business we are asked to prove ourselves and our value beyond any reasonable doubt.

We can complain about this or we can confidently take advantage of it, using innovation and expertise to create solutions that successfully take a business to the next level.

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We are the ďŹ rst customers of our company, the ďŹ rst one to fall in love with it and believe in it. The market today is changing fast and competition is challenging, but I truly believe that the foundation of success is hard work, an open mind, and the ability to adapt. Besides that, one must choose a vision, be faithful to it, know when to pivot, and always be ready to modify a project or product if it doesn't entirely satisfy one's standards. You have to learn how to react under pressure and to challenge your limits because the biggest enemy in business is complacency.

Have you in any way contributed towards the cause of women empowerment?

I believe that women empowerment is a cause to which we can all contribute daily. Women today are paving the way for women of tomorrow, the same way our mothers and grandmothers did for us. With this in mind, every time I look at a young female colleague just entering the business world it reminds me of my own daughters and the future they will inherit. I think that having more strong, intelligent women in business and the political arena will improve our society overall. Each woman and man should be committed to an equal society because tomorrow's world will have challenges that can only be overcome if we actively support everyone's strengths and gifts.

What are your insights on developing a better environment for women to evolve in the workplace? And how could it be helpful in growing businesses?

I feel strongly that respect is the key to making an environment fertile for everybody's growth -- not just women. There is no preferred gender when it comes to evolving as

a human-being. We all must do our part in this world in order to become the best version of ourselves. I believe that people can achieve this by respecting each other and understanding that despite apparent differences; we are in reality very similar to one another.

We have the same fears and dreams; we all experience sadness and joy. I would stress that with regard to business, one thing is clear: cooperation is the foundation of a healthy company. There is no growth, no achievement, no success if there is no afďŹ nity as a team. I believe that today's society is much more open-minded with regard to business than it was in the past. I also feel optimistically that though there is much more that needs to be done, we are on the right path.

Currently the technology and science sectors are paving the road with a multitude of highly talented and capable women who are integral to its future success.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in your market?

I believe in what I do, the company I work for, and my projects. I would like to stress that this is the best way to tackle any kind of competition.

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With all the new technologies and changing business trends, how do you upgrade your skills to address these and advance your personal growth?

I think that growing as an individual is a matter of choice. We can all upgrade our skills and our knowledge on a daily basis. From the moment we wake up, we make a decision about what our day will look like. We can choose to sleep late, or be more productive by setting the alarm one hour earlier to make a to-do list, check the news, and go for a run. The best way to keep growing as an individual is to view each day with an open mind and can-do spirit, seeing every task as an opportunity to learn or a skill to improve.

What are your future endeavors and where do you see yourself in the near future?

Society is changing very quickly -within a few decades the way we live could be quite different. I believe that progress in technology and science are opening the way for discoveries that will not only result in innovative products, but also in new ways of learning, living and growing. That said, I'm prepared to face any challenge the future throws at me with a positive attitude and unlimited passion.

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