The Voice of Women Leaders in Technology December2020

DECEMBER 2020

The Voice of

Women

Leaders in Technology

Leader’s Viewpoint

Leveraging Technology for a Better Tomorrow

Robust Networks

Accelerator for Digital Transformation

ROSE

BENTLEY

An Epitome of Efficient and Compassionate Leadership

EDITOR’S NOTE Crossing Every Barrier

I

t is believed that the tech world remains unfair against women in forms of leadership roles, and in roles throughout the positions. But it doesn’t look completely true as at present time major tech companies are having senior female leadership such as Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube; Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle; Roshni Nadar, chairperson of HCL Technologies; Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, and Amy Hood, executive VP and CFO of Microsoft Corp. These are the leading tech companies in the world which are headed by women and giving another example of women empowerment. But there are few names who are not partnering with tech giants like Google and Apple but still one can’t deny their contribution to the world of technology or undervalue their presence and contribution in the field.

With the vision to celebrate such elite tech women leaders, CIO Look is bringing another edition “The Voice of Women Leaders in Technology”. The edition contains journey of some of the most proficient women in technology who are currently heading or have led some of the major tech companies in recent times.

The cover features Rose Bentley, Chief of Staff and Americas Partner Leader at Teradata Corporation. Her journey began when she was a young girl, who was born and raised in Montana. Her mother was single for most of her childhood, working multiple jobs to provide for Rose & her younger brother. When Rose reflects on the strength and courage that took and recognizes the example her mother has set for her, she is filled with admiration for her.

Rose relates her journey to an old story about a traveller who asked a New Yorker how to get to Carnegie Hall and

was told, “Practice, practice, practice.” Whenever Rose thinks of her journey, she feels it is only beginning. She is yet to arrive at her full potential and so she practices and pushes herself. She practices delaying gratification because all good things take time. She remembers to breath, practice mindfulness, and practice gratitude because it truly is all about the journey.

The other profiles to take a look upon in the edition are Kiva Allgood, Head of IoT & Automotive at Ericsson; Linda Grasso, the Chief Operating Officer at Digital Business Innovation Srl, and Patti Chanthaphone, Co-founder and President of MindPoint Group.

While flipping pages, do not forget to take a good look at the articles and CXOs written by our inhouse editorial team and the industry-experts respectively.

Happy Reading !

Abhishaj Sajeev abhishaj@ciolook.com

COVER STORY

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Rose Bentley An Epitome of EfďŹ cient and Compassionate Leadership

ARTICLE

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Robust Networks Accelerator for Digital Transformation

24 Leader’s Viewpoint

Leveraging Technology for a Better Tomorrow

20 Kiva Allgood When ProďŹ ciency Meets Leadership

28 Linda Grasso A Lifelong Learner MakingExceptional Strides in Industry 4.0

32 Patti Chanthaphone Exemplifying Humble Leadership

C O N T E N T S

Abhishaj Sajeev Editor-in-Chief

CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Executive Editors Rohit Chaturvedi Alex Spellman

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December, 2020

Featuring Person

Company Name

Brief

Kiva Allgood Head of IoT & Automotive

Ericsson ericsson.com

Ericsson is closely monitoring the development around the coronavirus and follows recommendations from relevant national authorities and international bodies.

Linda Grasso Chief Operating Officer

Digital Business Innovation Srl dbi.srl

A digital business transformation consulting firm.

Patti Chanthaphone Co-founder & President

MindPoint Group mindpointgroup.com

MindPoint assesses, then develop, implement, and maintain industry-leading cybersecurity solutions that effectively identify and manage cybersecurity risk.

Rose Bentley, Chief of Staff & Americas Partner Leader

Teradata teradata.com

Teradata delivers real-time, intelligent answers, leveraging 100% of the relevant data, regardless of scale or volume of query.

ROSE

BENTLEY

An Epitome of Efficient and Compassionate Leadership

“In a business world that doesn't often look like you or work like you, you must have courage – courage to be you, courage to speak up, courage to use your voice, courage to lead from the heart,” believes Rose Bentley.

Rose is the Chief of Staff and Americas Partner Leader at Teradata Corporation. Her journey began when she was a young girl, who was born and raised in Montana. Her mother was single for most of her childhood, working multiple jobs to provide for Rose & her younger brother. When Rose reflects on the strength and courage that took and recognizes the example her mother has set for her, she is filled with admiration for her.

COVER STORY

While talking about her journey she recalls a verse by Edgar Guest titled, “Good Enough” that her mother would often read to her. It reads as: My daughter, beware of "good enough," It isn't made of sterling stuff; Because at "good enough" women stayed.

Who stops at "good enough" shall find Success has left her far behind.

There is no "good enough" that's short For this is true of women and stuff— Only the best is "good enough."

Rose Bentley Chief of Staff Teradata

At a young age her mother brought focus to the power of will, which set the tone for Rose's life.

Once Rose left home and finished University, her journey focused on gaining new experiences and following leaders that gave her opportunities she never knew would have become possible. Once, one of her professors teed up an interview at a start-up right out of school. There, she fell in love with software and subscription-based businesses. This led her to move to Silicon Valley.

She took her first director role at a company that sent her to live in Australia and turn around an underperforming division. She returned to the states to take that company public and then later sell a company to Cisco. Through her experience she has truly learned what it meant to lead teams and grow companies at scale with an expected outcome. Now at Teradata, she can carry forward a legacy and transform how people live through the power of data and partnership.

Practice, Practice and Practice Rose relates her journey to an old story about a traveler who asked a New Yorker how to get to Carnegie Hall and was told, “Practice, practice, practice.” Whenever Rose thinks of her journey, she feels it is only beginning.

She is yet to arrive at her full potential and so she practices and pushes herself. She practices delaying gratification because all good things take time. She remembers to breath, practice mindfulness, and practice gratitude because it truly is all about the journey.

A Chess Match About Teradata, Rose mentions that the company is in a chess match with some of best and brightest companies in the world: Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Dell to name a few. In order to compete, businesses need to put the customer first, find alliances, and look for partnerships that have joint meaning and value to each other's success.

Teradata wants to see its software taken to market together with its partners. That will be the only way it will be able to compete going forward. Rose mentions that competition today, in a cloud market, looks different than it did before. At times companies find themselves competing with the same company they call a partner. Only when they put the customer first, they will find a winning strategy that will allow them to partner together and compete to win.

Going Forth and Conquering Rose is of the opinion that overcoming adversity is part of the path to success. One should focus on what he or she can control and look for ways to pay it forward to those less fortunate than them. She is grateful for the opportunities she has had because she believes that the challenges, she faced were nothing compared to what others have faced or face today.

“Look at what we are going through as a country, the hate we are experiencing, the hurt we are causing. If you look at the challenges, we are facing today as a country and what we must do to overcome them, I would say it all starts with

“Everyone gets tired, afraid, and scared.

Don't avoid it, merely put it somewhere and push forward.”

listening, having empathy, and truly wanting to understand how we make it better,” she says.

With the passing of the beloved Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she recognizes the privilege she has been given and the adversity others have gone through and sacrifices others have made to ensure those that come after them have a better path. She asserts, “It is crazy to think that only as far back as 1970, employers could legally fire a woman for being pregnant. We have come far, but we still have a long way to go. Roadblocks and challenges will always be there. Progress. It is all about how you approach them, because at the end of the day to move forward and to overcome adversity it is much easier to do it together than to try and go it alone.”

Giving Back to the Community There isn't a morning Rose doesn't wake up thinking about how she could provide more opportunities for the next generation of women. There were many courageous women and men who fought for her to have the opportunities she has today, and she will be eternally grateful to them. She owes it to them and to the next generation to keep pushing the boundaries and fighting for equality and diversity.

When Rose & her partner were thinking about what business to open, they thought long and hard about how they wanted to serve the community and what they wanted to give to their team. They ended up deciding on opening a Spa, Peak Day Spa in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Spa fits their wellness and mindfulness lifestyle, but most importantly it gave Rose & her partner the opportunity to empower women. Their Spa Manager, a young woman deciding where she wanted her life to go, now has a career path. Women who choose bodywork or skincare don't always have a safe and healthy working environment to own their craft or a place that gives them flexibility to have a family life and a career.

They wanted to give women this.

Rose also serves in leadership positions on two Boards of Directors - Utah Animal Adoption Center out of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Huckleberry Youth out of San Francisco, CA. The missions of both organizations give her the opportunity to empower, protect, and promote women.

Utah Animal Adoption Center rescues animals from the kill lists around the Salt Lake Valley. Their mission draws in many women looking to protect the innocent.

Huckleberry Youth provides young people with services that promote safety in times of crisis, social justice in communities facing inequality, and educational success for under privileged youth.

Rose only wishes she could do more on this front, but she is grateful for the opportunity to serve such impactful and noble causes.

Listening is the key According to Rose, to cope up with capricious technological trends one must listen to their customers, partners, industry leaders, mentors. She suggests upcoming leaders to listen to anyone and everyone that may have a fresh or different perspective. In her experience the number one threat to any business or person is when someone overestimates past success.

Also, specifically, in business one must never underestimate the incumbent, customer loyalty, and distribution.

“Personal growth and business growth will come from disrupting yourself, because if you aren't disrupting yourself – someone else will. Listen to your customers and partners, and then disrupt yourself,” she adds.

Continuing to Empower In a world full of ambiguity, Rose plans to continue to be mindful, focus on her health, give to noble causes, love her family and friends while building her career. The near future means something different during a pandemic. She thinks that everyone is struggling to understand what the near future looks like but hopeful we will all come out on the other side of this stronger than we were going in.

In the near future, Rose wants to ensure that she can keep her spa open, her team employed, funding for the non-profit sector, and Teradata on a path to keep doing the amazing work it does. Her long-term goal is to run a company, empower women to be champions for each other, protect the innocent, and inspire those she leads to make the world better than we found it.

Photo Credit- John Meyer

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Accelerator for Digital Transformation 16

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Robust Networks

I

t’s not anymore a mystery how the evolution of technological era has taken place. Technology has revolutionized the perspective of the global population. The imprints of technological advancements can be seen in almost every sector. For example, blockchain technology is creating a digital record that verifies any transaction at a certain time and sequence, and AI is enabling new ways to interact with consumers via chatbots and artificial personal assistants.

The use of internet has brought people from the different corners of the world closer than before, and computers have simplified dataprocessing, analyzing the organization, and communication for individuals as well as businesses.

The one thing that keeps everything connected is Network.

Be it accessing the internet, downloading a file, printing documents or emailing an urgent presentation, a sound network infrastructure is required.

Networking Solutions have become a requirement of almost every individual and more importantly, businesses.

In today’s business world, companies are adopting ecommerce module to reach out to the customers globally and making their shopping experiences simpler.

In order to ensure the smooth running of such business modules, a suitable networking infrastructure is vital as it provides speed, connectivity, and ultimately value to the users as well as businesses, making it a win-win situation for both the parties. We can safely put that comprehensive networked systems are at the very heart of ecommerce.

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It has become crucial for businesses, irrespective of sizes, to have a robust network infrastructure as it is also counted as an essential component to enhance the agility and productivity of organizations.

Network Infrastructure, if developed effectively, enables businesses to maximize productivity, reduce operational costs, and manage complex consolidations. Moreover, managed network services help businesses run the applications that fuel their day-to-day business, enhance their communication and sharing tools, and improves business flexibility and agility.

Addressing Current Crisis If we consider the current pandemic situation, it has changed the way businesses operate and communicate. COVID-19 has enforced businesses to operate remotely. Employees working from multiple locations resulted in a need to inculcate integrated network monitoring solutions, as staying securely connected became a challenge. The chances of security risks and inherent physical limits like latency and bandwidth, which would hamper speed, seemed to occur for businesses.

Companies with sound network monitoring solutions were successfully able to fight against the business effects of COVID-19.

Adopting a network monitoring solution can assist companies in ensuring the smooth running of business networks and processes.It became evident that how secured network solutions can be resourceful in a crisis like situations.

In fact, the research suggests that industrial networking solutions market size is expected to grow to

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USD 23.84 Billion by 2022, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 21.0% during the forecast period (2017–2022).

Security is Still a Concern Networking along with value-added features also increases the chances of cyber threats, which can make the company’s private data and emails vulnerable. Data being the core aspect of business requires high security. Businesses have immensely become dependent on computers and cloud technology to control large money transfers, store data, or communicate with the communities.

They cannot afford any kind of security breach. Thus, network security is a vital aspect of businesses nowadays.

Regardless of size, industry or nature of businesses, every organization can be a victim of cybercrime and thus, require a degree of network security solutions. Past instances of largescale businesses, who admitted a loss of their sensitive data due to an internal or external security threat, exemplify why network security is of utmost importance. They had to pay a huge amount to recover from a security breach.

Digitization has brought a drastic transformation in human lives as well as in the corporate world. Every business that aims at delivering products or services as per consumers’ demand must keep their network infrastructure secured, to earn the trust of their customers.

Network Security not only protects them from cyberattacks or threats, but it also protects the reputation of businesses.

Some common security threats active on the Internet are: Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, Spyware

and adware, Hacker attacks, Zeroday attacks, also called zero-hour attacks, denial of service attacks, data interception, and theft, and identity theft. Network security is available in the form of firewall protection, email security, anti-virus and anti-malware software, network segmentation, access control, application security, behavioural analytics, data loss prevention, mobile device security, security information and event management, VPN, Web Security, Wireless Security, etc.

Upcoming Trends Shaping the Future of Networking • Wi-Fi 6 The upcoming development in the field of wireless connectivity is WiFi 6. It is anticipated to change the face of networking solutions in the coming years by increasing the device density that can independently coexist in a single space without impacting the speed on a single device.

• 5G It is the most awaited high-speed networking technology that would be providing blazing fast internet speed. 5G will be competitive in terms of performance, speed and latency with wired connections currently.

• Digitized Spaces An intersection of IoT, sensors, mobile networks, and digitized spaces will make companies datasmart and derive deep customer and business insights by strengthening the networking solutions ecosystem for enterprise uses.

• SD-WAN SD-WAN is a framework that will be agiler, more robust and enable organizations to route a huge amount of network traffic based on

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centralized roles and rules, promoting high-end data security.

These trends are truly shaping the future of networking technology and are optimizing network performance for modern businesses. Harnessing the latest in the field of networking solutions, many network solution providers are developing integrated solutions to deal with the challenges businesses are facing.

Future is Promising With the above mentioned upcoming trends, one can safely assert that the future of networking solution is set to be revolutionized.

It doesn’t come as a surprise how new and emerging technologies have always driven networking best practices and will continue to do so.

For example, it is believed by many tech experts that a combination of machine learning and artificial intelligence will aid network managers to create next-generation networking solutions to achieve high-end security and optimize network performance.

To wrap it up, every size of business would require robust and secured network infrastructure to boost the performance of employees, productivity, and scalability. The current pandemic crisis has highlighted the need for integrated network solutions and how it can ensure the smooth running of businesses. Many network solution providers are walking an extra mile to come up with topnotch network security solutions to address the need of the small, medium as well as large scale enterprises. The pace at which the advancement in networking technology is growing with other evolving technologies and the future of networking solutions from here looks promising.

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Leader’s Viewpoint

Leveraging Technology for a Better Tomorrow Jessica L. Ollenburg CMC & CPCM

limitations, accuracy, standards, and ability to manipulate data. The goal for our organizational improvement is to control, guide and use information to our advantage. I pay infinite respect to the best of the best! Information lies in the hands of all, and all need to recognize their own roles and business-driven incentives within that framework.

B

eyond today’s obviously critical arguments, the longer-term business leadership opportunities lie within reshaping how we approach technology. A bit of a math and science geek myself, my entrepreneurial know-how most easily rests in realms of invention, technology, financial strategy, operations efficiency, and behavioral anthropology.

Future technology should reinstate more active human judgment into the process, and improved problem solving in business and in life will be the result. Once we can agree upon the expectations and findings of data technology, we will be empowered in crisis management and facilitating change. Failure to agree upon facts stifles our ability to solve a problem or capture an opportunity, and while participative management remains the most commonly deployed leadership style, managed expectations are essential.

Today’s technology can build software for the purpose of building other software. This in fact allows many technology “thinkers” to skip the building blocks of binary thinking, which is arguably essential to logic as well as predicting flaw. At the tech development level, an opportunity exists to better prepare our developers to better understand user expectations and the need for human judgment to collaborate with data.

As we scrutinize today’s technology, this old-time programmer corroborates that not all self-proclaimed tech gurus truly grasp how the CPU “thinks.”

Technology is “breaking” frequently, many are collecting data and misapplying, and much-needed human judgment is being extracted from critical problem solving.

Not only can we create a data-driven case to support any chosen narrative, but the same minds can as quickly and easily debunk that same “proof.” With every new tool comes the responsibility to learn safety protocol, and with data comes the responsibility to teach how data can be manipulated.

We can create better invention and problem-solving organization-wide through the teachings of capabilities,

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About The Author Jessica Ollenburg, CMC, CPCM is Managing Partner at Ollenburg LLC, an award-winning executive consulting firm specializing in leadership playbooks, employment law and entrepreneurial ventures.

Analysis should be ideally collaborative between right and left brain thinking, as evidenced by the best problem-solving models. Expectations of what technology can and cannot do should be well-grasped and communicated throughout an organization.

Technology should not dull the mind but should allow it to further stretch and advance. Technology should not make us lazy. The use of graphics should not interfere with data and independent thought but should rather engage better use and visual memorization skills.

between threats. Where there is business risk, there may be opportunity for silver lining improvement… an exploratory exercise of possibilities.

As we continue to rethink the terms “blue collar,” “gray collar” and “white collar,” we need to ensure equal respect for everyone’s genuinely best contribution, understanding outcomes measure the success. As today’s organizational roles should capture historic learning to keep the best, discard the worst and improve upon the partially successful practices; we need to constantly re-evaluate who should be designing our organizational technology.

As an inventor, most of my notable inventions have been related to information and technology, especially at the integration of the two. My earliest published project explored sine wave grading perception in humans, proving the uniqueness of “seeing” from one human to another. The next collaborative project built an interface between two leading tech platforms to avoid re-keying data, to speed operations and to avoid human error. This interface is universally used today, yet top executives initially argued “It cannot be done.”

End users, middle-management and highest-level executives must all weigh in and form consensus, as technology delivers both information and operations.

Data collectors, analysts, end-users, and key executives should each weigh in for best results. No valid perspective should be irrelevant.

(It can be done, it was done, and it works great.)

Several next endeavors created software utility.

Consecutive missions relabeled everyday business terminology, and the strategic relabels then successfully drove behavioral improvements by safeguarding goal alignment. Through each of these and many more inventions as an entrepreneur leading change, I can attest that still too many leaders underestimate the power of information, good and bad.

Technology, communication and problem-solving are critical organizational powers, heavily intertwined. Our best future relies upon both the proper capturing and the harnessing of those powers.

In the schemata of managing crisis or facilitating change, the fear of the unknown needs to be addressed.

Whereas we cannot create panic which threatens, we cannot create an opaqueness which threatens either.

As a crisis management “go-to” myself, I can verify that experience in what works and what does not is critical to the expedite.

During the expedite, we properly sequence and channel audience-appropriate information to minimize panic and minimize fear of unknown. We lawfully architect the plan for very real and very effective outcomes. We quickly diminish the threat and build assurance. In coordinating others as swiftly as needed, data and human judgment are critical to the success and to the risk-management defense.

As we move forward with emerging technologies and as we continue to endure current and forthcoming battles, business leaders are called upon to carefully evaluate how technology and communication are deployed, how expectations are managed, and to ensure there are no needless lapses in the development and engagement of our best strengths in human judgment. Artificial intelligence is a fabulous resource if well-programmed, well-understood, risk-managed and aligned with our true goals.

In cases of COVID risk management and response, each of these protocols are essential. Where there is health risk, there is health risk of panic… a juggling act

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C

hinese Philosopher Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and Cyou will never have to work a day in your life.” This adagetruly resembles the journey of our next inspiring businesswoman, Linda Grasso, the Chief Operating Officer at Digital Business Innovation Srl.Linda loves her job and finds it very inspiring. Whenever she achieves the desired results, she feels highly satisfied. According to her, the secret tosuccess is the pinch of ambition that carries her to the end goals. She seeks motivation to be always better and never stops learning.

At Digital Business Innovation Srl, Linda works through Industry 4.0 to successfully surf the waves of paradigm shifts to thrive in a revolutionary future. Let us see how she accomplishes it.

LINDA GRASSO A Lifelong Learner Making Exceptional Strides in Industry 4.0 29

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The Rise of an Intriguing Mind Since childhood, Linda engaged in activities that ignited ingenuity, challenges, and in volved disco vering new things. When the time came to select a profession, Linda knew in her heart that it was going to be engineering. Obtaining a master's degree with honors and practicing as an industrial engineer, she pursued a business career where she could do something, she was passionate about.

being recognized as an influencer in my business field and I am glad when people appreciate my commitment.

Being an influencer is the new paradigm in the enterprise communication strategy and raising awareness on thought leadership is thus particularly important.”

Women Empowerment through STEM Citing the empowerment of women in STEM as a favorite commitment, Linda believes that sustainability and gender equality are the keys to the world's economic development. Reflecting her opinions on the same, she says, “Despite the progress made over the years, gender equality is sadly far away in the workplace and we must advocate for change. Women are at the heart of development, and it is a matter of fact they would bring greater advantages within companies if given more representation.”

Hence, she embarked on a path at an Italian innovative startup, Digital Business Innovation, as the Chief Operating Officer. Her mission in the company is the project management in the field of Industry 4.0, harnessing the power of the emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, Blockchain, Cyber Security, Smart Buildings, Fintech, Cloud SaaS, and 5G, through both operational and strategic approach.

“The fourth industrial revolution is driving the workforce transformation and it is important to analyze how women are involved in building the future of work; companies must build future strategies that work for women.”

Linda strongly believes that the current technology is highly proficient in several industry verticals and can bring a lot of benefits to business processes. She says, “We help companies, both SMEs and Global Brands, demystifying the paradigm shift of digital transformation to thrive in a revolutionary future.”

Giving a solution, Linda asks us to seek the trends changing the nature of work. She wants us to have a look at how the trends such as automation, demands for digital skills, the emergence of new work models, may impact working women and intersect with existing barriers to women's economic empowerment.

Revealing her experience and responsibilities, she asserts, “Working as an executive certainly involves lots of responsibilities. You need to manage different aspects and do your best to reach high performances, optimize time and cost, and coordinate the pieces of the puzzle so that they can fit together.” Linda, therefore, employs the lifelong learner attitude and never stops learning. With an open and learning mind, she pulls the levers and moves the business arena to survive in an ever-evolving world.

She asserts, “In my opinion, the answer to the real progress lies in our ability to apply humanity to the new changes that arise and humanity cannot absolutely ignore the achievement of gender equality in order to create a more sustainable world where we can combine skills to thrive together.”

Staying Relevant to the Industry Linda stays regularly active on social media channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn professionally. She consistently posts and shares insightful content about technology, digital transformation, innovation, business strategy, sustainability, and women leadership. Hence, she never misses out on any opportunity that can deepen and enrich her knowledge.

Furthermore, Linda guides aspiring women citing, “My tip for the up-and-coming girls' generation is following what really fascinates them. And if it is STEM, welcome.

It is an interesting field and there are excellent job prospects. There are so many things to learn in science, technology, engineering, and math, and, more, I read that 80% of future jobs will require STEM education, so why not? Plus, we really need more inspiring women in this field. In my small way, I try to do my best to encourage businesswomen to be brave and never stop in front of bias. We need to make a difference, building a better future, and leaving no one behind.”

Understanding today's interconnected world, tools, and staying relevant to the industry and clients, she says, “In today's interconnected world we have powerful tools not only to acquire knowledge but also to spread it with other people. And that is what I try to do with my audience.

The professional journey of Linda Grasso depicts the importance of having ambition and pursuing the things you are passionate about with utmost dedication. It is a journey that teaches us to stay true to the objectives, make the best of our circumstances, take on responsibilities that matters the most.

Followers notice the quality of your content and, if you want to keep them engaged, you need to reach their interest by conveying useful notions and giving a unique value.” When asked what it feels like to be recognized as a business influencer, she quotes, “I enjoy

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She closes on a positive note, “Where do I see myself in the future? Well, I live my life day by day and set no limits. I do not know what the future holds for me, I hope something surprising. Meanwhile, I enjoy the journey!”

“The secret to success is a pinch of ambition, which leads you to achieve goals.”

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Patti Chanthaphone Exemplifying Humble Leadership “

S

uccess is not about status or wealth; instead, it is about being yourself, being honest, making good decisions, being compassionate, and staying humble. If you can master these qualities, all else will naturally fall into place. Nothing comes easy, you will make mistakes, but you must learn from them and continue to work hard, as the possibilities are endless.”

This advice was given to Patti Chanthaphone by her mother and has inspired her throughout her career. A profound and humble leader, Patti is the Co-founder and President of MindPoint Group, a cybersecurity firm dedicated to innovation and excellence.

knew that to effectively lead the company to success, she needed to instill strong values in e very aspect of the business. These values enabled a company culture with strong integrity, where current and potential employees can feel like part of the MindPoint Group family.

The cybersecurity industry is a fast-paced environment with new and emerging threats that challenge existing security protocols each day. MindPoint Group's core focus has always been in cybersecurity. In order to diversify its service offerings, the company stays agile and works as a unit to package its services to benefit the mission and business needs of its clients.

Excellence in Leadership

It's all about Listening, Accepting & Entrusting

Patti provides leadership over MindPoint Group's operating divisions and manages various IS&P solutions support to commercial and federal government clients.

She presides over all programs, plans, and strategies that ensure the company meets its operational goals, delivers leading-edge services, drives high client satisfaction, and maintains employee welfare.

Patti mentions that the most important thing she has learned about leadership is being a good listener and accepting feedback. These skills have also helped her be a better decision-maker, especially knowing that every decision she makes impacts the company. Her mentoring style is less about “how to do a job” and more focused on helping others fine-tune their own leadership skills and knowledge to continue to grow in their careers. Making the time to talk one-on-one with MPG employees is an essential part of Patti's leadership style because she believes it is the best way to get firsthand knowledge of what is working and what needs to change.

Patti has been providing IT security program and project management, executive leadership, and business development since 1999. She has a successful track record in facilitating business growth and delivering quality information security services.

Patti is a Certified Information Security System Professional (CISSP) with a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management (Information Security Management concentration) from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice with a Minor in Legal Studies from George Mason University.

In the early years of starting MindPoint Group, worklife balance was incredibly challenging for Patti. While

“Success is achieved by breaking barriers, embracing change, continuous learning, and staying true to your morals. Wonder Woman is REAL!”

Building a Company of Merit Along with three other Co-founders and Partners, MindPoint Group was established in April 2009 with one main goal — to be the best cybersecurity service provider in the industry. With this goal in mind, Patti

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her experiences, she has seen women's ability to foster a comfortable workplace where employees feel like their work is not just a job but rather a hobby that they enjoy doing.

According to Patti, women should work in an industry that they enjoy. If they find that niche, they will feel accomplished e very day and be able to provide a valuable impact on the industry. In her advice to emerging women leaders, she says, “It's important to remember that sometimes you will feel beaten down, and you will inevitably make mistakes. However, if you can learn and grow from those mistakes, it will make you a much stronger person, and you can help pave the way for other women.”

Aspiring to Give Back to the Industry Patti is proud of MPG's successes so far, and she can't wait to see what the future holds. One upcoming milestone that she is especially proud of is that MPG will soon be graduating from the SBA 8(a) Certified Small Business program.

She started MindPoint Group with her three partners when she was in her mid-thirties, and thus, believes that she has a lot more to give not only to MindPoint Group but also to the cybersecurity industry as a whole.

With two young daughters, her ultimate goal is to be someone who they can look up to and strive to be like in the future.

she has worked in executive leadership positions prior to MindPoint Group, it was nothing like being the partial owner of a company. She has achieved a better work-life balance by entrusting in her partners, directors, and managers to lead. As such, it has eliminated the need for her to be directly engaged with every project or risk. Patti asserts that she is grateful to have such a great support group at MPG and at home to help make this possible.

A Passion for Learning Patti has a great passion for continuous learning and adapting to change. She has taken this passion and intertwined it with MindPoint Group's company culture. As a result, employees are encouraged to take time for continued education, and she firmly believes it has contributed to MindPoint Group's success. She also remains very connected with all the services, ensuring that clients recognize and benefit from the value MPG provides. Patti is motivated by knowing that MindPoint has contributed to its customers' success and secure environments while remaining a trusted advisor.

Empowering Women Leaders In Patti's humble opinion, women are natural leaders in communication and building high-energy teams. From

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| December 2020 |