The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022

VOL 04 I ISSUE 01 I 2022

The 10 Most

Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022

Leader's Tech For a better future

Beginning of Greatness Going Beyond Normal

Rebecca Corbin

Cutting Through the Noise to Create Shareholder Value

EDITOR’S NOTE Incredible Balance of Talent and Temperament

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ducated and talented women leaders are powerful assets to any family, organization, and society, holding the capacity to them to the peak of success with their brilliant skills and application of their knowledge. Successful women leaders have pure positivity, exhibiting great energy; they encourage, inspire, and push everyone to give their best for a great cause. Their approach is systematic, calculated, organized, and entirely in their integrity to make the best decisions that will propel the organization to the next level.

It is the mark of business leaders to overcome obstacles with resilience, courage, grit, and determination. With their inner strength and incredible abilities, women leader’s crossover challenges and emerge victoriously. They work on the conclusion of systematic, cognitive intensive, and rational thought processes.

A positive self-image helps leaders lead with confidence and lead the team to attain the worthiest goals. The incredible combination of soft-hearted and strong-minded help women leaders in leading exceptionally well.

Integrity is the hallmark of successful business leaders and helps them communicate their truth with boldness. Such leaders are very professional in their approach to business, keeping themselves highly aware and constantly enhancing their skills and abilities to be more utilitarian. They also make deliberate efforts to improve the skillsets of their team members to increase the organizational output, leading with conviction to deliver exceptionally superior business results.

We are inherently capable of doing incredible things, but we need to believe in ourselves. Excellent business leaders believe in their ability to achieve remarkable results with their brilliant skills and

The 10 Most

Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022

deliver more than expected. A healthy balance of talents and temperament helps business leaders lead exceptionally well and accomplish their cherished goals by ensuring productivity and growth. Successful business leaders thrive profoundly in their businesses because of their approach of leveraging all the resources most efficiently for their businesses' overall growth and development.

In this edition of " The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022," we celebrate the most efficient and productive women leaders who are leveraging all resources efficiently and are the inspiration for others. Featuring on the cover is Rebecaa Corbin, who earned the trust of global C-suite executives for her integrity, candor, and proven methodology of creating sustained shareholder value.

While flipping through pages, have a quick rundown at the articles written by our in-house editorial team.

Happy Reading!

Sharad Chitalkar

Cover Story

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Rebecca Corbin

Cutting Through the Noise to Create Shareholder Value

Articles

28

Leader's Tech

For a better future

46

Beginning of Greatness Going Beyond Normal

Boosting Growth through Smart Staffing Solutions

Barbara Bruno

20

Training Your Dog to be PAW-SOME

30

Making Shopping for Social Good a Lot More Exciting and Easier

Jodi Harris

38

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Jeannie Barsam

34

An Energetic DJ in the Town

An Epitome of Strong Leadership

PaigeArnof-Fenn

48

Ellie Long

Encouraging Young Girls to Nurture their Leadership Capabili

Isha Uppalapati

Marina Tognetti

42

Making Impact in the Lives of People in Most Graceful Ways

An Avid Marketer Leading by Example

Stephanie Hannah

16

Sara Brown

A Detailed-Oriented Businesswoman

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Pooja M Bansal Editor-in-Chief CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Executive Editors Sharad Chitalkar Alex Spellman

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Featuring Person

Company Name

Brief

Barbara Bruno Global Temporary & Permanent Staffing Senior Director

GI Group gigroup.com

Gi Group Holding is a global ecosystem of integrated HR Services.

Ellie Long Business Partner

Rolls-Royce rolls-royce.com

Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver clean, safe and competitive solutions.

Isha Uppalapati CEO

Agirlsfrontier.org agirlsfrontier.org

A Girl’s Frontier was started to provide opportunities for young girls.

Jeannie Barsam CEO & Founder

Gifting Brands giftingbrands.com

Gifting Brands use fashion as a force for good and team up with nonprofits to make the world better.

Jodi Harris CEO

Sight & Sound Events sightnsound.com

Sight & Sound Events is a professional multi-award winning event production and entertainment company.

Marina Tognetti President & CEO

mYngle myngle.com

mYngle is the pioneer of online language lessons.

Paige Arnof-Fenn Founder and CEO

Mavens & Moguls mavensandmoguls.com

Mavens & Moguls is a network of seasoned marketing professionals with experience at the highest levels in small, medium and large companies.

Rebecca Corbin Founder & CEO

Corbin corbinadvisors.com

Corbin was founded on the idea that insights-driven advice is a powerful catalyst for unlocking value.

Stephanie Hannah CEO

Trace3 trace3.com

Trace3 is an elite technology consultancy.

Sara Brown CEO

Multi-Tech Systems multitech.com

MultiTech makes work and life better by leveraging sensor and connectivity technology.

Cover Story

Rebecca Corbin

Founder and CEO Corbin Advisors

Rebecca Corbin

Cutting Through the Noise to Create Shareholder Value

Leveraging proprietary research and analytics, a best-practice mindset, executional excellence, and a deep understanding of what influences sentiment, we deploy a proven model to realize value.

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renowned capital markets expert, Rebecca Corbin has earned the trust of global C-suite executives for her integrity, candor, and proven methodology of creating sustained shareholder value.

Under her leadership, Corbin Advisors has become the capital market industry’s gold standard, driving outsized value creation through its research-based insights.

As Founder & CEO, Rebecca’s drive for real-world impact resulted in the firm winning the 2021 Bronze Stevie Award as Employer of the Year in the Financial Services industry, an honor that recognizes Corbin Advisors among the world’s best employers and teams that drive great places to work. The firm grew rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic as clients turned to Corbin for research-based and experiential advice on positioning and communicating effectively during a crisis. Corbin has compounded that momentum and is seeing hyper growth across every business practice today, including Investor Relations Advisory, ESG Advisory, and Investor Days. Through Voice of Investor® Perception Studies, Corbin simplifies complexity, enables action, and informs sound decisionmaking to help deliver positive outcomes.

As a highly accomplished leader, Rebecca demonstrates for her team how to run a successful organization while also being a dedicated wife and hands-on mom to four daughters, including three under the age of 10. The firm has received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), a reflection of Rebecca’s commitment to work with clients to achieve diversity goals and empower women.

Inspired by her expertise, we at CIO Look interviewed Rebecca to learn more about her journey and how Corbin is adding value in everything it does, while driving positive change.

Brief our audience about your journey as a capital markets pioneer. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?

I’ll start by saying it’s been a fun and fulfilling journey that continues to challenge and stretch me, which I love. I’ve spent my entire life’s work conducting Voice of Investor research and, through that primary research of a large and diverse ecosystem – global institutional investors of pre-IPO and public companies – I’ve

developed a proven methodology to unlock embedded value, with the ultimate outcome of sustainably rerating and compounding a company’s valuation.

I’ve been an entrepreneur from the age of 15 when I started a small but profitable business selling handmade wearables. I can only imagine what I could have done if Etsy had been around then! In my early 20s, I developed and launched a research and advisory product for Thomson Reuters, which became one of the top-performing organic growth businesses at the time.

Then, 14 years ago, I took a leap and started Corbin Advisors as a one-woman, one-solution shop on the floor of my newly rented but yet-to-be-furnished New York City apartment.

Starting a company just ahead of the Great Financial Crisis was tough sledding but allowed me the opportunity to gain a unique perspective and the time to innovate. It was during that time that I created Inside The Buy-side®, our flagship research product. Through interviews with investors and analysts on the macro environment and investment considerations, I was able to glean deep insights and advise public companies on how to successfully navigate that challenging period riddled with shoals. I laid the groundwork for our evergrowing, one-of-a-kind research database, Corbin Analytics. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we leveraged that foundational research to advise our clients and companies in general. We leaned in because we cared, and our firm thrived. During the first year of the pandemic, revenues grew nearly 70% year-overyear. Today, we have more than 65 employees at our Farmington, CT, headquarters and at strategic locations in Chicago, Boston, Raleigh, Houston, New York, New Jersey, Florida and Pittsburgh.

Tell us more about Corbin and its purpose.

We’re a strategic investor relations research and advisory firm. Our purpose is to add value in everything we do. I’m fortunate to work with inspired and driven colleagues at the forefront of innovation and impact.

Together, we work with publicly traded companies ranging from $250 million to $350 billion in market cap, as well as pre-public companies and nonprofit organizations.

Our focus is on helping executives and boards understand what makes their stock tick – or not tick.

Said plainly, we have a track record of fixing broken

As I tell my team, we’re climbing Mount Everest – we want to be the best at what we do and aspire to achieve great heights.

stocks and launching strong stocks into orbit. We do this through our proprietary and proven 4A methodology - Assess, Architect, Activate, Accelerate.

We’re very passionate about what we do because it results in better outcomes all around. Through our research and experience, we have developed the bestin-class company archetype through the eyes of the shareholder, and I want to highlight that many employees are also shareholders. We change the way executives think about being a public company, which often results in stronger performance and decisionmaking for long-term impact.

Our work also drives positive change through our Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) practice and Corbin for Nonprofits, where we leverage our team’s real-world expertise to empower nonprofit organizations to fulfill their missions more effectively.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Capital Market niche through your expertise in the market.

We’ve built our practice on ground truth and trust. Our clients have confidence in us to deal with complex and sophisticated matters. They tend to come to us wanting to better understand why their company is not being appropriately valued by the Street and we consistently unlock embedded value through our data-driven, insights-based approach and bold, innovative strategies. They desire to be best-in-class, and they want the candid, actionable advice that is the hallmark of working with Corbin.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

Our core values are summed up in one word – TAPE. Now, our tape happens to be double-sided. Trust, Accountability, Pride and Excellence on one side and Truth, Appreciation, Passion and Engagement on the other. TAPE is our North Star and what we stand for at Corbin.

On the value of appreciation, our culture embraces giving back. We attract, hire and retain employees who are philanthropically driven with their time and their resources. In 2019, we formally launched our employee-driven community impact initiative, ‘Love, Corbin’, which provides a myriad of opportunities to get involved and do something for others – whether that be

for people or our beloved planet. This has been a commitment of mine since I was a young girl, volunteering at a local nursing home. I was a letter writer, wheelchair walker, hand holder – whatever was needed, I was happy to do.

Two of our practices – ESG Advisory and Corbin for Nonprofits - are driving a direct positive impact in our world today, and our employees are truly inspired by our work. Specifically, we help public companies establish ESG strategies, including increased organizational diversity and more inclusive cultures, environmental goals that support net-zero carbon emissions, and greater accountability around governance. We help nonprofit organizations run more effectively and efficiently, enabling a higher ROI on donor dollars, and, as part of our commitment to giving back, we donate 20% of our operating profits annually through grants to nonprofit organizations.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Operational excellence is at the heart of what we do, and technology is making us more efficient, precise and able to derive even greater insights from our data going back 14 years. Technology also helped us continue operations seamlessly during the height of the pandemic – an early adopter to the hybrid working model, Corbin Advisors worked remotely on Fridays before the pandemic. Our team was accustomed to communicating via video conferencing and other technology platforms and it helped us continue to grow our close-knit culture from anywhere.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring to the Capital Markets ecosystem?

It would be for publicly traded companies to integrate ESG more fully into their business strategies, rather than treating it as a check-the-box obligation. It’s already started at the top. Boards and executive leadership teams get it, but the challenge is going to be driving that down to the entire organization, and that’s where we can have a significant impact.

This is a workforce that really wants to have an impact.

Companies that embrace a sustainability mindset – both in terms of their own organization’s footprint and

We have developed a reputation as thought leaders, strategic partners, thoughtful change agents and value creators.

culture but also when it comes to the products they’re producing, packaging and shipping – are going to attract the strongest talent. Employees are saying they want to work for a company that is a steward of sustainability.

As a leader in this area, we’re thrilled to be part of that today. Our ESG practice helps companies catapult their ESG strategy, including hiring Chief Sustainability Officers and fostering a more diverse and inclusive culture. It’s good for business, it’s good for employees, and it’s good for our world.

What, according to you, could be the next big change in the Capital Market industry? How is Corbin preparing to be a part of that change?

While occurring now, the rapid pace of adoption of ESG is going to create winners and losers from the investor perspective. Individual companies and entire industries will be eviscerated and, from the ashes, will either reinvent themselves or cease altogether. Change is happening at an accelerated pace and companies must embrace the New Economy.

Corbin is uniquely positioned to help both public companies and nonprofits navigate the tectonic shifts we’re experiencing today and the aftershocks that will continue well into the future, as we sit at the epicenter of investors, donors and executive leaders. For more than a decade, our firm has been researching and advising on the trends that are manifesting themselves today and is at the cutting edge of ESG discovery and innovation. Part of the value of our nonprofit work is to help nonprofit organizations connect their missions with the strategic business imperatives of corporations, which can bring outsized value to both. By taking a more integrated approach to ESG, philanthropy and corporate giving, organizations can create value at both the community level and in their share price.

talent to support our ascent. It’s not easy going up - the air is thin and working at a hyper-growth company takes a special sort.

Corbin’s ultimate long-term goal? Ensure we inspire our employees, who will in turn inspire our clients. The rest will take care of itself.

What would be your advice to aspiring entrepreneurs as they build their businesses?

Find your passion and build a culture that reflects it.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the future and what are your long-term goals for Corbin?

We’ve been on a remarkable growth trajectory over the past 14 years and yet there is so much more value and opportunity to realize. As I tell my team, we’re climbing Mount Everest – we want to be the best at what we do and aspire to achieve great heights. We’ve assembled a smart, collaborative, hard-charging and skilled team of experts and specialists and continue to add excellent

Invest in the right talent at the right time to elevate the business.

Listen, learn and reflect to ensure you disrupt yourself before someone else does.

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Barbara Bruno Global Temporary & Permanent Staffing Senior Director

Gi Global

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Barbara Bruno Boosting Growth through Smart Staffing Solutions

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chieving holistic growth in any organization requires sound planning, good quality production, timely service, and smartly executed staffing solutions.

The right staffing solutions are necessary to ensure maximum productivity and higher performance. Leaders today need to focus and administer the right and timely staffing solutions to meet the organization's goals and objectives.

solution design. From 2012 to 2017, I traveled worldwide, working on dedicated solutions for international corporate customers.

In 2013, I also took on the role of Head of Operations in Germany, and I was assigned the challenge of recovering the staffing business line. It was a great challenge, but eventually, I was successful, bringing the view and experience of many other countries as a benchmark but mixing this with the local market peculiarities. In 2018, I became Talent & Candidate Director, and since January 2019, I have been Head of Temp & Perm Staffing practice at the global level. This 20-year-long journey was not easy. The company has undergone a terrific change, from a small local staffing company in Northern Italy to a Multinational HR service with nearly 7000 employees in 28 countries. A very significant and quick growth means a lot of effort and pressure, on the one hand, a strong focus on purpose on the other hand, and the ability to fast recover from mistakes, taking all the lessons learned along with you. Furthermore, from a personal point of view, I am a woman and a mother with two little children, and combining family and professional life is a non-stop challenge.

Barbara Bruno, the Global Temporary & Permanent Staffing Senior Director of Gi Global, is one such leader who has guided the company to exponential growth.

She implied her versatile analysis, customized design solutions, building skills with a high level of commitment.

CIO Look caught up with Barbara and talked about how Gi Global aims to support people at each professional career stage.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Gi Group. What challenges do you have to overcome to reach where you are today?

Tell us something more about Gi Group, its mission and vision.

I started my work in Gi Group as a recruitment consultant in a local branch in Northern Italy in 2002.

Then, I moved on to positions managing staffing services, monitoring branch operations, and creating corporate customer solutions. First at a regional level in Lombardy, then at a national level in Italy, and eventually at a worldwide level, contributing immediately to the GI Group's internationalization effort. The launch of the international department provided me with the opportunity of becoming Gi Group's global point of contact for operations and

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Gi Group is one of the world's leading companies providing services for developing the labor market, supplying over 20,000 Client Companies Globally, with 2021 revenues of 3,3 Billion Euros. The group is active in temporary and permanent staffing, advanced outsourcing, search and selection, training, outplacement, HR consulting, and a variety of complementary activities. Thanks to its direct presence and strategic partnership, it operates in more than 57 countries across Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.

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candidates. This approach requires building skills within the organization, keeping a high level of focus and professionalism in the resources, and commitment.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

Technology applied to HR services has changed the dynamics of our sector dramatically. If we look at the specific perimeter of staffing, technology plays a significant role in all perspectives. Just to mention some of the most relevant: digitalization of processes means being able to reduce time and cost of operations; digital sourcing has extended and deepened at the same time the ability to identify, attract, engage with candidates; workforce management systems are becoming more and more effective and user friendly and sustain the ability to manage most of the workforce-related tasks and relationship management remotely.

Able to serve all kinds of clients, the group has developed strong knowledge and expertise in global multinational staffing needs, for which it has implemented dedicated solutions and divisions. The mission of GI Group is to contribute to the evolution of the labor market and emphasize the personal and social value of work. We want to expand our presence, even more, covering a leading position in all the markets where we operate with the core business.

Gi Group is currently ranking globally as one of the largest staffing firms by Staffing Industry Analysts. It is also a global corporate member of the World Employment Confederation (formerly CIETT).

Suppose we overcome the incremental innovation and look at an exponential use of technology. In that case, there is much more that we should expect with the clever use of AI applied to our processes. In GI Group, we have strongly invested in this direction last year, first with the acquisition of Jobtome, a job aggregator and programmatic sourcing, then setting up a fully Digital & Innovation department to digitalize our company our solutions for candidates and customers.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Staffing niche through your expertise in the market.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run and what are your future goals for Gi Group?

Temporary Staffing is mainly a commodity market, made of high volumes at a low price. In many countries, staffing companies are providers more than partners, and deals can move from one to another following pricing convenience. But our mission in GI Group is to contribute to the evolution of the labor market, and in this perspective, staffing can play an important role. We can change the value provided from staffing to clients and candidates only acting like a real HR business partner.

I want to keep influencing the position of our core business in the market and support the ambitious plans for expansion of Gi Group in the next couple of years when we will be able to double our size. After that, it might be time for me for a new challenge, like opening a new market or a new business.

On the one hand, it is being able to analyze the customers' needs and design solutions that answer the needs—on the other hand simplifying the job search and easing access to jobs as much as possible for

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Ellie Long Developing a Diverse Talent Pipeline

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assionately committed to giving young people from any background opportunities to reach their potential, Ellie Long is actively supporting the next generation - particularly those who've faced significant challenges in their life.

I am driven by my passion for creating opportunities for people regardless of their education, upbringing, and social standing. In my view, social mobility is one of the biggest challenges we face in British society today. The polarity between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ has become more acute - evidenced through the impact of inequalities across education, health, income, and career progression.

As the Early Careers Business Partner at Rolls-Royce and recent winner of the Rising Star Award at the Great British Business Women Awards, Ellie is determined to achieve great outcomes for Rolls-Royce and its people.

As Rolls-Royce drives the transition to net-zero carbon to design a better future for the planet through electrification and digitalization, Ellie is driving talent attraction programs to design a better future for people who could be part of the Rolls-Royce journey, but may not know how.

I’m determined to tackle the challenge of social mobility by truly supporting all young people to reach their potential. In my role as the Early Careers Business Partner at Rolls-Royce, the last year has introduced phrases such as the ‘lost generation’ and ‘digital divide.’

The pandemic has brought these long-standing issues to the public consciousness, therefore putting this at the forefront of a business talent agenda is fundamental.

Below are the highlights of the interview:

My efforts to support young people continue through my voluntary role with Derby Toc H Children’s Camp, a charity to offer young people from care or lower socioeconomic backgrounds a holiday each year. I know more needs to be done to raise young people’s aspirations and confidence, so I founded and hosted the HY-Up podcast to do just that. Over the lockdown period I created 21 podcasts featuring over 30 young role models - all with a story of overcoming barriers to tell. I want to use the platform I have through my job and work to create longer-term, systemic change across education and work to make sure more and more disadvantaged young people have the opportunity to shine. I take every opportunity to appear on business webinars and talent panels I’m invited to speak at and will keep doing that. There’s so much more to do.

Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Rolls-Royce.

What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?

I have been working in early careers and talent management for nearly five years following the completion of my Business Management degree. My interest in HR was sparked by recognizing a lack of female talent within senior management. Following my graduate program, I was keen to continue my professional development and completed my CIPD level 7 whilst working full time. My dissertation focused on the challenges females face when looking to progress in the workplace. I’d already faced comments, assumptions and been stereotyped at work because of my gender, age, and how I look. I knew I wanted to work in a role that would have an impact, and I see young people as the future of a business. There is a real opportunity to bring in a diversity of thought and bridge the skills gaps many organizations have.

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Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the talent development niche through your expertise in the market.

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Ellie Long

Early Careers Business Partner Rolls-Royce

“Pioneering the power that matters.

“

As the lead for EMEA & APAC regions for early careers recruitment, I’ve refreshed the attraction approach for our new graduate program seeking candidates diverse in characteristics, social background, and thought.

We’ve recently launched a new graduate program, and I am proud to have been an active part of its development to make sure we can take it to the market to attract students from all degree backgrounds. I’ve removed barriers to entry - moving away from degree classifications as entry criteria and assessing students for potential based on their motivation, behaviors, and values rather than technical knowledge. It’s a first in our industry and a great achievement in a consultative, complex, and large organization where only a few years ago, it was the norm to recruit Masters level engineering degrees as the minimum criteria.

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I have moved our talent attraction strategy away from traditional red brick campus and advertising to focus on reaching a diverse mix of university talent and creating deeper, broader diverse talent pools. Covid-19 has given us the perfect platform to shift efforts to digital, and by doing this, I’ve been able to create a successful engagement strategy to reach more diverse students from a breadth of backgrounds across digital platforms and partnerships with enterprises such as Code First Girls, Care Leavers Covenant, Everything D&I and the Female, Neurodiversity, and Excellence through Adversity Undergraduate of the Year Awards.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Rolls-Royce?

I want to leave a lasting legacy. I have a seat at the table, and I want to use that to bring others with me, 22

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challenge the status quo - and in my current role - make Rolls-Royce, a leading employer for early careers opportunities. We have a generation who have finished school and university during a global pandemic, and I am confident this will impact their short-term and longterm priorities and ambitions. They are a generation who want and expect more from employers, and it is my role to hear their voice and represent this, challenging each of us to create an inclusive environment.

talent who show skills such as creativity, innovation, agility, and strategic thinking. This will give Rolls-Royce the skills they need to become the world’s leading industrial technology company.

What would be your advice to budding women entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the talent development sector?

Somebody once said to me, “Be opinionated; it is an experience for others to watch, engage with and learn from.” And so, don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo. Disrupt whilst bringing others on the journey with you. Be credible through how you engage, consult and influence change. Rise to the many challenges of change in a complex, global business. The results I’ve achieved are because of my purpose, experiences, and values. As a neurodiverse female leader under 30, it is what makes me ‘me’ that differentiates my leadership style. This is my advice; have opinions, share them, be purposefully disruptive, be authentic, and have your own purpose.

My ambitions of Rolls-Royce are to continue to drive forward inclusive hiring, removing the barriers for individuals who feel they do not have the opportunity to apply or be successful. I fundamentally believe if we crack the challenge of social mobility, we’ll create diverse workplaces that can solve the social and environmental challenges we’ll face in the future. A lot of our world will become automated, but the skills businesses will always require are linked to the strengths of diverse and neurodiverse individuals.

Therefore, as business leaders we need to bring in

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Jeannie Barsam Founder and CEO

Jeannie Making Shopping for Social Good a Lot More Exciting and Easier

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Barsam

he social impact sector is filled with many passionate people with innovative outlooks on the world’s greatest problems. Amongst those people, one such passionate leader is Jeannie Barsam.

made mistakes along the way but also learned a lot that I can now pass along to the next generation of women leaders . I reflect today and realize I did not do a great job of balancing work, family, and volunteering in my community very well. As a woman in a leadership role, I believed that I had to work twice as hard to get ahead. I sacrificed vacations and family time because I thought I had to be available at all times to ensure the company ran smoothly. I also did not have time to volunteer in my community. In hindsight, I would do things differently. Taking a vacation

After leading Inventory Management in Fortune 500 retailers, including Gap Inc, Michaels, Talbot's, and Signet Jewelers, Jeannie left the corporate world to create a business that was more than just another fashion company. Today, she is the Founder and CEO of Gifting Brands, a nonprofit e-commerce company with a unique sustainable solution for excess inventory.

Jeannie started Gifting Brands with a mission to create one of the largest marketplaces where brands can donate inventory and help make the world a better place.

Let’s shed some more light on her journey as a social impact leader.

Growing through Challenges Jeannie’s journey as a leader in retail spans over 25 years working for many amazing companies like Gap Inc, Target Corp, Talbots, and Signet Jewelers. Just recently, she left Michaels Craft Stores to focus on Gifting Brands. She has had the honor of working with retail legends like Mickey Drexler, Theo Killion, and Jenny Ming from whom she has learned so much over the years.

Although Jeannie is grateful for her mentors, she struggled to find women executives to follow early in her career as a young professional. She expresses, “Those of us who aspired to be in the C-suite had to pave our own way to get there. Working in uncharted territory, I www.ciolook.com

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and spending time with your family actually helps you work more affectively. You are able to come back renewed with great ideas, a fresh perspective, and joy from spending time with the ones you love.

As a result of these learned lessons, Jeannie now spends her time giving back in different areas of her life by volunteering her time, mentoring young professional women, and creating innovative sustainable solutions such as Gifting Brands in an effort to give back. She also spends more time with her family which brings her much joy.

“Gifting Brands serves as a catalyst for charities that improve the lives of women, children, and families through a unique consumer shopping experience.”

Solving the Issues of Excess or Unsold Inventory As a leader in merchandising and inventory management, Jeannie witnessed the life cycle of clothing often resulting in waste. This led to the inception of Gifting Brands. She knew there had to be a better way for fashion companies to solve the issue of excess or unsold inventory.

It is estimated that there are 13 million tons of excess apparel and manufacturing products that get thrown into landfills. This inventory often gets burned, which causes pollution. Knowing the industry, Jeannie wanted to give luxury brands a new solution for their unsold inventory. She came up with the idea that solves this

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problem in a sustainable and socially responsible way – she calls it Inventory Philanthropy™.

How it works: 1. Luxury and upscale brands donate their excess apparel and accessories to nonprofit Gifting Brands 2. Gifting Brands put the items on its upscale shopping website www.giftingbrands.com 3. When consumers purchase the items, Gifting Brands gives back 100% of the profits to charity

to the fashion industry, if given a chance, to which she said, “By utilizing my previous experience in the retail industry, my goal is to offer an innovative and sustainable solution in managing inventory for the fashion industry that will positively impact our environment and our world. In the current sustainability life cycle, donating to charities is not always included. I would like to change that.”

Maintaining Elevated Image of Fashion Brands Further, Jeannie mentions that Gifting Brands is a nonprofit that gives the fashion and luxury industry a new solution to sustainability by giving retailers an option to avoid putting their inventory in landfills while still maintaining their elevated brand image. While this offers environmental sustainability, it also offers social responsibility with its profits being donated to charity.

In the long run, she envisions Gifting Brands being a viable option for luxury and upscale brands to utilize in their sustainable mission.

It is a win-win-win scenario. Brands get a tax write-off for their inventory and get to add to their corporate social responsibility goals, consumers get to choose the charity and feel great shopping while giving back to causes they care about, and charities are able to further their missions with the money Gifting Brands raises.

Gifting Brand’s vision is to stop the mounting inventory that goes into landfills and instead use the inventory to help women, children, and families in need.

Reducing Waste and Pollution of Earth Jeannie is grateful to have garnered expertise in merchandising and inventory management. By applying her knowledge about the retail industry to Gifting Brands, she is able to partner with brands and offer a new sustainable solution to their products, ultimately making less waste that is currently polluting our earth.

Gifting Brands also gives luxury brands a new way to manage their excess inventory that consumers will applaud. Consumers want to shop with brands that are socially responsible. Gifting Brands calls what it does Inventory Philanthropy™, because not only does the brand become a philanthropist, so does the consumer who purchases the items.

A Piece of Advice In her advice to emerging leaders in the fashion industry, she says. “There is so much opportunity in today’s world to make a difference. The fashion industry needs new ideas from budding entrepreneurs, so don’t be afraid to take a risk and let your voice be heard.”

Leveraging Information to Solve Issues Consumers Care about In Jeannie’s prior positions as SVP of Inventory Management, she worked tirelessly on finding the best and most efficient inventory management systems that combined easy usability for merchants and planners and provides impactful data that serves the consumer while reducing waste. Currently, Jeannie utilizes online e-commerce software such as Shopify. These platforms have made it easier for business owners to leverage information and data to help solve issues for their consumers, and in Jeannie’s case, making it easier for a larger impact to support nonprofits.

Bringing a Change We asked Jeannie what change she would like to bring www.ciolook.com

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Marina Tognetti

An Epitome of Strong Leadership

Marina Togne

Founder and CEO

mYngle

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A

strong leader is not the one with no faults, as we all have faults, but the one who is so selfconfident to be able to show her vulnerabilities without being scared that it would impact on her strength, so believes a fearless entrepreneur, Marina Tognetti. Marina has been an accessible role model for other women in tech, she is trying to give a genuine picture of what it takes to be an entrepreneur, the ups and downs that everyone has but few want to share.

Marina is the Founder and CEO of mYngle, a global language learning training platform where learners can take live online lessons from trainers located in any part of the world.

mentions that, even before COVID, the training market was already in the transition from offline to online, the shift accelerating in the recent years. This age of quarantine, social distancing and remote working fasttracked the trend, and online education in many cases has become the only possible way of learning.

In response to this increase in demand for online training, many traditional offline players have been rushing to find a quick-fix, moving their existing solutions online. Good remote training, however, is not just a matter of adding a tech solution for the virtual classroom and moving a teacher from a physical classroom to a computer, but it requires a whole new set of expertise and capabilities different from those of offline education. The way the training is delivered, the teaching, content, interaction etc., all need to change in order to provide a good user experience.

Besides, Marina regularly, at international conferences, gives lectures on the topics of female leadership and entrepreneurship, and won numerous awards for her role of a woman in technology, such as 50 Most Inspiring Women Tech Leaders in Europe, 50 Most Inspiring Women in the Dutch Technology Sector, Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All, and many others.

mYngle, being one of the pioneers in live online (language) training, is at the cross-road and can benefit from many years of experience and proven capabilities to deliver successful online training.

Personalized Language Learning Training Platform mYngle offers customized language training programs through video conferencing in 45 different languages anytime, anywhere. Its lessons are one-on-one, with highly qualified native coaches and related to the learner’s job position. Its virtual classrooms enable learners to take classes 24/7.

mYngle is the solution for busy professionals who need language training to be successful in their international business, and for companies that want great learning results and a transparent and controllable learning process to make their investment a success.

A Pioneer in Live Online Training When the company started, it was pioneering, amongst the first to provide one-to-one teaching of all languages over the internet. That meant that it had to bypass all sorts of resistances - those of a still immature marketespecially the stereotypes that consumers had in their minds about education.

Now, with COVID, all changed, and the world is embracing online education. Soon it will become the custom, setting the standards in terms of quality and flexibility. Marina saw that before many others did. She www.ciolook.com

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Embracing Risks

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The one factor that impacted Marina most is the way she overall led her life, as she has never been afraid of taking (calculated) risks. There was the move from Italy to Holland when she was just 23 years old, the sabbatical year to travel the world. All those things built her foundation to be able to start her own company.

Great things never come from comfort zones.

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In Marina’s opinion an entrepreneur must not be afraid of taking (calculated) risks, as great, and sometimes unforeseen opportunities come from taking risks.

Accepting a risk also helps overcome the fear of failing.

It is a great motivation to know that, no matter what challenges we meet along the way, we can always find a solution. If we are willing to take risks and make the hard choices and changes needed, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

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Stimulating a Culture of Experimentation

Imparting Wisdom

At mYngle, Marina stimulates a culture of experimentation and allowing mistakes. She believes that innovation cannot exist in a culture of fear of consequences, and thus, she tries to develop people who think and not only do ‘jobs’. “ In our staff we look for entrepreneurs, people who do not keep the status quo, but push themselves beyond their comfort zone. If you try ten new things, some will fail, some will be OK, and one will make a difference. We are looking for that ‘special one’,” she asserts.

Marina advises aspiring entrepreneurs to stop comparing. She states, “The stories you read about the few who ‘’got it all’’ are rare exceptions and often not the full truth. Let that go off that. Try to imitate types of leadership you see around but which are not you and be really true to yourself. Don’t look around for answers, look inside.”

Making a Difference One of Marina’s aspirations for the coming future is to give more space to the idealistic inner voice, the voice that believes in giving something back for a better world. She says “I walked this path and learned a lot. That brought me to a privileged position, where I can act and implement new ideas that can make a difference. I can now use my skills to make the world just a little bit better”

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