CXO Outlook – July 2022 – Global Edition – 10 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs 2022

GLOBAL EDITION

JULY 2022

INSIGHTS. IDEAS. INSPIRATIONS

EUROPE'S MOST INSPIRING BUSINESS

LEADER OF THE YEAR 2022 Dr. Uwe Engelman Founding Managing Partner, NEXUS / CHILI GmbH

Jonathan Tjoa Algreen Founder & CEO, 1 People Dr. Randall Jones CEO & Founder, Bot Image1 Sashi Edupuganti Founder & CEO, ODE Holdings

CEO (FINE HYGIENIC HOLDING) O LY M P I C C O A C H , S P E A K E R A N D C O R P O R AT E T R A I N E R July 2022

HELPING ORGANIZATIONS REACH FULL POTENTIAL

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K12 Digest Sept-Oct 2020

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July 2022

Vol - 3 Issue - 9

Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs 2022 Head of Advisory Board Dr. Manoj Varghese, Ph.D

Managing Editor Sarath Shyam

Consultant Editors

Dr. Johny Andrews Andrew Scott Joseph Alex

Naomi Wilson Stanly Lui Emma James

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Art & Design Charlie Jameson

Sales & Marketing

Jennifer Anderson Rachel Roy

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Monica Davis Anna Elza

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CXO OUTLOOK July 2022 May 2020

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

The Rise of Entrepreneurship

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eaving your comfort zone of a lucrative job to start a business from scratch can be challenging. It takes a lot of determination, hard work, and a good support system to see your vision through. However, entrepreneurship is not just for educated and experienced individuals. In countries where unemployment is high, and the economy is weaker, entrepreneurship becomes a necessity to provide for themselves and their families.

For instance, during the pandemic time, the world saw a surge in entrepreneurship as workers who were laid off started their own businesses.

According to the Census Bureau, applications for starting a business in the US reached all-time highs of 551,657 00 in July 2020, an increase of 95 percent compared to the same period in 2019. In France, 84,000 new businesses were registered in October 2020, an increase of 20% from the previous year. The number of registered companies in the UK increased by 30% year on year in November and December 2020, and Japan had a 14% increase. Whatever may be the reason, entrepreneurs contribute to the upliftment of their societies at many levels. They change the way we live and work. Great entrepreneurs bring innovations that

would improve living standards, besides creating wealth and jobs to help a growing economy.

To inspire the community of entrepreneurs worldwide, we have come up with a special issue featuring the ‘10 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs - 2022,’ who have executed game-changing ideas and innovative concepts to succeed in the crowded marketplace. On the cover, we feature James Michael Lafferty effortlessly manages to strike the right balance between his role as a CEO at Fine Hygienic Holding and his role as a professional athletic coach, which he holds dear to his heart. James is an inspiring leader who decided to seize the day, every day of his career.

Enjoy Reading.

Sarath Shyam

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COVER STORY

JAMES MICHAEL LAFFERTY CEO (FINE HYGIENIC HOLDING), OLYMPIC COACH, SPEAKER AND CORPORATE TRAINER

HELPING ORGANIZATIONS REACH FULL POTENTIAL CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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Jonathan Tjoa Algreen Founder & CEO, 1 People A PHILANTHROPIC ENTREPRENEUR CONNECTING PASSION WITH PURPOSE

Dr. Randall W. Jones Founder & CEO of Bot Image, Inc A TRAILBLAZING ENTREPRENEUR, BRINGING HIGHLY ACCURATE MRI INTERPRETATION SOFTWARE TO PHYSICIANS

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Sashi Edupuganti Founder & CEO, ODE Holdings SHAPING THE FUTURE OF CONSUMER DATA IN AN OPEN DATA ECONOMY

Dr. Uwe Engelmann Founding Managing Partner, NEXUS / CHILI REVOLUTIONIZING THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY FOR DECADES

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IN MY VIEW

My Work and Me: Discovering Self Through Alignment & Balance

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Nikita Panchal, Global Head - Organization Development, Talent Management & Development, D&I, ACG Worldwide

EXPETR OPINION 8

Changing Dynamics in Upcoming Technology

Eric Wei, Senior Sales Director, ViewSonic - Asia Pacific

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Leading The Innovation Game in Sustainable Architecture: Greenwashing Vs Actual Practice

Priya Daniel, Principal Architect, Five Scale Design

CXO IN FOCUS

Transforming the Media and Entertainment Industry in Dubai

Prof. Adil Matin, President & Founder, WeTel Group, Film & Media Studies

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Empowering Women to Lead with Confidence in Business & Life

Ms. Colleen Callander, CEO, Founder of Callander & Co and Mentor Me Women, and Author of 'Leader By Design'

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LEADER'S INSIGHTS

Why The Outsourcing Of IT Hardware Maintenance Makes Sense

Ian Shearer, Managing Director APAC & EMEA, Park Place Technologies

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Switzerland

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July 2022 istockphoto.com/KvdB50

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mustvisitdestinations.com CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

IN MY VIEW

MY WORK AND ME: DISCOVERING SELF THROUGH ALIGNMENT & BALANCE Nikita Panchal, Global Head - Organization Development, Talent Management & Development, D&I, ACG Worldwide

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hat is your relationship with your work? Like the world linearly defines the one of an employer and an employee. Where the currency of exchange is money for effort or skill. Come to think of the multiplicity of life do you think that’s the only linear exchange you had thus far, perhaps No! We bring to work our entire beingness. The exchanges at work are hence higher valued than the figure on the paycheck.

Our relationship with work is symmetric to the relationship we have with ourselves. Alongside coming to work for making a living we often experience people walk into the closed doors of office in search of new hope, meaning, contribution, engagement, expression, letting go, love, forgetting and more. Work is just a medium which makes all the rest happen. Interestingly enough when we talk about work, we often only hint towards performance, potential, excellence, growth and all other parameter that the cognitive mind defines impact. Only to realize that the relationships are much

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deeper than what we often shy away from claiming.

Allow me to ask you this question yet one more time, what is your relationship with your work? Do you see a shift in your response? What shifted the response? The awareness or the energy with which you answered it. When we change the way in which we look at things, things change. One suddenly discovers new potential ways of re-establishing what anchors them at work. An anchor which enables them to discover the person or in corporate parlance the leader within them. There is a leader in each one of us which shows up best when we are in harmony and alignment. Especially in moments when we are in greater balance.

What does balance look like for you? I am alluding to topics beyond the work-life, burn outs, career breaks and more. Inching more towards bringing in higher alignment, harmony, and balance within. How can people create balance not by stepping outside what they do, but by going inwards? Exploring the potential of learning in the flow of

In discovering my own relationship with work, I realized that every organization is a small expression of the world we live in

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Nikita considers herself as an agent of transformation and it thrills her to constantly push the edge of consciousness in herself and in others. She is an Executive Coach and a Global Leader with HR experience of over 18 years. Most of her momentous work is in the space of Organization Development, Talent Management, Diversity & Inclusion and creating futureready organizations. Her work contributes to enabling strategic management, leadership pipeline creation, scaling up & streamlining of business and culture building. She has worked with reputed organizations like TATA AssetManagement, Motilal Oswal Securities and is currently associated with ACG Group.

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work and shifting the way they do things. Wonder if it changes their relationship with work and themselves?

In discovering my own relationship with work, I realized that every organization is a small expression of the world we live in. A world which is constituted of the five elements of nature, the earth, fire, water, air, and sky.

Did you know that each one of us have these same five elements and these elements work as the hidden energy in building our personalities? We have all received feedbacks at several levels to be more of something.

Leaders globally are often asked to be more clam, be assertive, let-go, delegate effectively, be empathetic, think creatively, act with humility and more. While these delf discovery dialogues soon move into building skills for each of these virtues. What is often not worked upon is their own beingness. Hence the skill at times is short lived, not sustained, does not feel natural and on many occasions feels not authentic. The question is how does one make real change happen? The answer for me can be summarised in two words – alignment and balance.

However, the first step towards alignment and balance is discovery. Knowing has always been the first steppingstone to change. How do we know which of these elements are playing a more active role? Is it making me functional or dysfunctional? Let’s see how it often plays out - We see a person aggressive in a meeting and we know that fire element is dominating the individual’s expression. In a moment of ideation, a person’s intuition brings an unimagined thought. The sky elements suddenly showed up without a knock. We see people operate with ease; they are ones most comfortable to get along with.

We often don’t realise the ocean full of the water element they carry within themself. Then there are care givers who offer moments of compassion and empathy with their air element finding its self-expression. While it is liberating to

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play by one’s strength, it is equally limiting to only operate by a single element.

As you look at yourself in the different moments at work, which of this element is present in abundance inside you? I am sure you have more than one and perhaps your mind is already arranging them in sequence of high to low.

The beauty of knowing something as a human being is that we quickly move towards measuring ourselves on it.

Let me give out a secret, that even before you discovered this you already had each of these elements finding their way to express themself. Yes, there are conditions, past experiences, beliefs, and more reason why some elements find their way easier than the other. But the good news is that we have them all.

True alignment and harmony would happen in those moments where one is in complete awareness of which element is dominant with in the person before its expression.

It’s like a micro-second of self-check to quickly align and ask oneself, what does the moment truly require? which element do I need to tap into to fulfil it? Hence having the access, capability, and ease to demonstrate the expression of all elements is the key.

How often do organization spend time in helping people build these aspects of their beingness. Imagine the potential if each employee could be more mindful before they act, pause to harmonise some of their dominant elements or simply build capability to act out of their comfort zone. This would perhaps open doors for lesser conflicts, more innovation, deeper relationships, better team climate, managerial feedback with empathy and more. As an organization we are conditioned to work on the outcomes and for years we have only focused on them. Just ones if we were to work on the aspects which made the outcome happen. Do you think the results could be different?

If the world is moving towards hyper-personalised experiences, shouldn’t we create one in the way we develop and grow people

● Helping the person get in touch with their passion when you don’t promote the person for lack of drive – a moment to nurture the fire element in the person. ● An aggressive leader with high team attrition and low engagement scores – a moment to build more empathy and compassion. Fostering the air element in the person ● Indecisiveness, tentativeness in decision making.

While it’s an opportunity to help the person have more

clarity, it is also an opportunity to build more grounding and deepen the anchors. ● Enabling a veteran leader to dial down the boundaries of holding on to knowledge and share it unconditionally.

Supporting the letting-go process by building the abundance of the sky element. ● Enabling a tough leader to facilitate a performance improvement dialogue with compassion and empathy.

Helping the leader to manifest the air element within.

In a parallel world alignment often feels like all employees moving ahead in a conveyor belt, one direction, one approach, one size fits all mindset. But in a realworld alignment is an expression of our uniqueness. It is about working with what makes each person come alive.

It is about working with the aspect which is waiting to blossom and grow. If the world is moving towards hyperpersonalised experiences, shouldn’t we create one in the way we develop and grow people.

Research indicates that in 2020, there were about 900 million people (67% of total population) in the working age group of 15-64 in India, which is expected to expand by another 100 million by 2030, despite a declining trend in fertility rate. Imagine the potential if each of these individuals were to work with complete alignment and balance. We can make it happen, only if we deepen the intent with which we develop people.

Discover, Develop, Distribute (3Ds) are the foundational elements to go deeper in this journey. If this discovery has excited your curious self, do tune into this space to know more on the other two Ds, Develop and Distribute. Eager to write and share more in the time to come. Until then stay tuned to the emergence inside you and discover the play of the 5 elements in your life.

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COVER STOR COVER STOR JAMES MICHAEL LAFFERTY CEO (FINE HYGIENIC HOLDING), OLYMPIC COACH, SPEAKER AND CORPORATE TRAINER

HELPING ORGANIZATIONS REACH FULL POTENTIAL

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R STORY R STORY

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e often look for inspiration to transform the way we perceive our abilities.

James Michael Lafferty, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors at Fine Hygienic Holding, is one such inspiring leader who decided to seize the day, every day of his career.

As a father in his senior year, James started his business in the budding corporate wellness industry. Climbing up the corporate ladder,

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he began his career as a fitness instructor at Procter and Gamble in his hometown in the mid-1980's. His role was to teach executives how to become fitter, where he met a Brand Manager who encouraged him to pursue Brand Management within the company. This step taken at the end of 1985 paved a 25-year-long fruitful career path at P&G. Over the years, he expanded his knowledge, skills, and reach in the industry while assuming several CEO roles at P&G in the Philippines, Poland/Baltic States, The Near East, and Western Europe Paper. In his quest to create

a paradigm shift in how business is conducted and the workforce productivity is enhanced, James proceeded to shoulder company growth through his CEO roles in CocaCola, British American Tobacco, and now Fine Hygienic Holding. “My story is simple—from the Weight Room to the Board Room! It shows that where you come from, what you studied, or how you start doesn’t matter. It’s all about the person. I am a huge believer in serendipity. You never know how life will turn out,” proclaims James Michael Lafferty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding.

Striking a Balance James effortlessly manages to strike the right balance between his role as a CEO at FHH and his role as a professional athletic coach, which he holds dear to his heart. James believes, “Everyone in business has multiple roles and outside interests to manage. This gives us meaning in life and adds to one’s perspective and what they bring to the business. Some people have hobbies, others have volunteer work, and others dedicate themselves fully to raising a family. These activities help develop an individual to be more effective in the workplace. I am no different. I choose to help others and use sports as a teaching tool to drive improvement. We find the time for what is important to us.”

JAMES EFFORTLESSLY MANAGES TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN HIS ROLE AS A CEO AT FHH AND HIS ROLE AS A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETIC COACH, WHICH HE HOLDS DEAR TO HIS HEART. JAMES BELIEVES EVERYONE IN BUSINESS HAS MULTIPLE ROLES AND OUTSIDE INTERESTS TO MANAGE

Motivating Employees to Bring their A-Game He firmly believes that to attain the title of a global company, reshaping the office to infuse a global work ethic is essential. As he took on the role of CEO at Fine Hygienic Holding in 2018, he strongly advocated gender equality and encouraged living a healthy lifestyle through a fully equipped gym and open-space culture within the office. James introduced a meditation room, themed meeting rooms, unconventional desk spaces, inspirational quotes, round-the-clock gym availability, a fun skateboard ramp, suspended hammocks, and even a fireman’s poles between floors to boost creativity. These small, simple steps, James tells us, improve productivity, promote advancements within the workforce and increase the organization’s profits. In addition to these efforts, James and his wife Carol Lafferty personally lead fitness classes within the premises and encourage employees to focus on their health just as much as on work. Ultimately, a healthy and happy employee strives to attain set business goals while also bringing about personal growth and improvement, thus creating a win-win situation.

Leading in the FMCG Space And FINE HYGIENIC has become quite the market leader, carving a niche in the FMCG domain. Recognized

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HEADQUARTERED IN JORDAN, FHH OFFERS A WIDE RANGE OF SUPERIOR-QUALITY PRODUCTS DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED TO SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE HEALTH, WHETHER THROUGH THE COMPANY’S STERILIZED FINE TISSUE PRODUCTS, THE LONG-LASTING FINE GUARD DISINFECTION PRODUCTS, OR THE CLINICALLY PROVEN MOTIVA SUPPLEMENTS

as one of the leading FCMG companies in the Middle East and North Africa, FHH, a tenured 65-year-old family company, is involved in making high-quality wellness products. The company’s product portfolio encompasses a wide range of offerings from consumer tissues to adult and baby diapers and a full line of disinfection products and nutritional supplements.

The company manufactures many hygienic paper products, including facial tissues, kitchen towels, napkins, toilet paper, adult briefs, baby diapers, and jumbo rolls. “Our core brand is the “Fine” brand name, which is synonymous with tissues in this region. I am hugely honored to be asked to lead this great company with a rich history,” says James.

Headquartered in Jordan, FHH offers a wide range of superior-quality products designed and developed to substantially improve health, whether through the company’s sterilized Fine tissue products, the long-lasting Fine Guard disinfection products, or the clinically proven Motiva supplements. “Every day, I receive letters of thanks from consumers worldwide who felt our products improved their lives. It really doesn’t get any better than this,” proudly adds James.

FHH continually innovates and stays ahead of market trends to maintain industry relevancy. When the world was ambushed by the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic,

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FHH came to the aid. Having already begun steering the organization toward revolutionizing the wellness industry, when Covid struck, FHH swiftly shifted its focus on safeguarding the health of its consumers by developing the protective line, Fine Guard.

Shaping the Future Having achieved a positive growth trajectory over the years, FHH aims to go public in the next five years. “I would like to see our company as a public company in 5 years and a shining example of the talent, innovation, and potential of our region. We are proud of our heritage,

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roots, and humble beginnings in Jordan. We honor our past,” explains James. With a long road ahead, the team of professionals at FHH has geared themselves to achieve their set goals and maintain their leadership position in this domain. As he signed off, James revealed to us what he believes to be a simple mantra for living the life that even he follows even today, “100 years from now, it won’t matter what kind of car I owned, how large my house was, or how much money I earned. But the world may be a different place because I was important in a child's life. It’s all about serving humanity and giving back, especially to our children.”

SlimYoo

slimyoo.com

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CXO IN FOCUS

Transforming the Media and Entertainment Industry in Dubai Prof. Adil Matin, President & Founder, WeTel Group, Film & Media Studies

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Prof. Adil Matin is the President and Founder of WeTel Group UAE, which he started in 2016. Prof Adil has done his graduation in economics, and masters and doctorate in mass communication. He is the Chairman of Britts Imperial University College, Board of Blockchain Council.

In a quick chat with the team of CXO Outlook, Prof. Adil shares his thoughts on the emerging trends in and future scope of the media and entertainment industry, challenges faced by him as a leader, personal source of inspiration, and a lot more.

Following are the excerpts from the interview.

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According to you, what are the 3 emerging trends and challenges shaping the media and entertainment industry?

The rise of social media, democratic internet access, and the proliferation of smartphones and tablets have changed the demands and expectations of media consumers. The result is an astounding variety of new digital products and services. Through video on demand and live streaming, consumers have developed selective blindness to traditional ad delivery strategies.

In the age of diminishing attention span, the widespread use of ad blockers, and a multitude of content channels, media companies such as WeTel TV needs to get creative to engage with our user base. For a consumer to engage with an ad, it must be relevant to them and presented in a novel, creative format.

As the President & Founder of WeTel Group, what type of challenges do you face? And how do you overcome them?

Targeting users with contextual media is more of a trial and error approach, made difficult by having to stitch together a viewer persona from various sources. This has, however, not deterred us from investing in contextual media in a big way, and AI makes this task easier. AI will also help advertisers such as myself in narrowing down on ads that will capture the viewer’s attention and won’t interfere with the visual experience. Competition in media is intensifying. Where once Netflix cornered a significant market share in the OTT space and still does, production studios are brainstorming why they should not venture into this space themselves, especially since they own vast IPs. OTT players, on the other hand, are pouring money into developing their own content in fear of these new players catching up to them.

Technology enhances our life experiences as humans—whether it be work, play, learning, or connecting

What is the right balance between humans and technology across the full media and advertising ecosystem?

Technology enhances our life experiences as humans— whether it be work, play, learning, or connecting. The possibilities available through artificial intelligence, augmented reality or cloud computing creates a wide range of options for businesses to leverage. In the realm of customer experience, technology allows customers to engage and interact with businesses in new ways. While e-commerce and online retail stores are on the rise, technology is also providing new ways for brick-and-mortar stores to connect with customers. As businesses engage in personalization at

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scale through new technology, consumers are able to enjoy unique and satisfying customer experiences that speak to them, which I believe is a good balance between the two.

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What kind of business opportunities does Dubai offer the aspiring entrepreneurs?

Business in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been growing to make many ex-pats into business entrepreneurs.

The investor-friendly regime has ensured that Dubai, Abu Dubai, and other emirates in the country are fertile for the growth and development of businesses.

Consequently, the UAE witnesses one of the pinnacle enterprise locations around the world and lots of foreigners are beginning groups in Dubai. A few opportunities include Construction Business, E-Commerce Solutions, Tourism and Travel Agency, Real Estate, Health and Hospitality, IT Agency and so much more. Not to mention, it is the cheapest free zone.

both the creators and the audience, at the expense of current gatekeepers: distributors and exhibitors.

Who inspires or mentors you?

Albert Einstein has inspired me in my career. His theories and vision enabled some of the technology we take for granted today, like GPS, lasers, atomic clocks, and much more.

He also struggled with and had to overcome self-doubt, like so many people do. The fact that even he faced self-doubt is inspiring and reminds me to be persistent and believe in myself.

Admit to the possibility of being wrong, then you will more often than not come up with the best answer

According to you, what is the future scope of media and entertainment industry in the next 5 years?

Streaming will become the norm, leading to continuous shrinking release windows, particularly for non-blockbusters.

With streaming increasingly becoming the preferred method of accessing content, we are likely to see further development in ‘home cinema’ technology. While opinions among filmmakers are split on the proliferation of streaming services, the growing popularity and geographical expansions of services such as Netflix or Apple TV shows a clear preference of the audience, as it allows for them to adapt the experience to their needs and create their own habits. When it comes to new content, through streaming the creators have the opportunity to bypass traditional distribution patterns and virtually eliminate release windows. This will benefit

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How do you maintain your leadership development and growth?

Leadership skills can play a large role in a person's career development. Technical skills and a college degree may only take you so far. To be an effective leader and help move your career forward, you'll also need soft skills, such as the ability to be a good listener and communicator. There are several core leadership skills that are considered important traits to help one become a more effective leader. Whether it's taking the initiative, developing critical thinking skills, or learning how to motivate and empower those around you, I must constantly be challenging myself to enhance my leadership capabilities.

What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time?

Share relentlessly with your team. Let them know everything you know unless it is absolutely confidential. Admit to the possibility of being wrong, then you will more often than not come up with the best answer. Last but not the least, manage with courage. Keep calm and don't take things personally— you need emotional stability and clear thinking.

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BUSINESS LEADER

DR. UWE ENGELMANN FOUNDING MANAGING PARTNER, NEXUS / CHILI

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Revolutionizing the Healthcare Industry for Decades

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nnovation can be described as the unrelenting drive and purpose within you to go a step further where few may have dared to go. Innovation combined with necessity is what drove Dr. Uwe Engelmann to help develop a teleradiology network of thirteen hospitals at the German Cancer Center. Funded by the prestigious German Telecom, MEDICUS was a threeyear project. By the end of the project, MEDICUS was so well accepted that the hospitals wanted to keep and buy the software as it was very well integrated into their daily work. And so, begin Dr. Engelmann’s journey and inception of the CHILI software.

Nostalgic as he recounts the company’s inception, Dr. Engelmann tells us how the decision to develop CHILI was taken at a party. “We celebrated the end of the successful MEDICUS project with drinking and cooking

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when we started to think about the perfect name for our new enterprise. We permutated ‘med,’ ‘rad,’ and ‘net’ in many ways, which were not satisfactory enough. Then one of our co-founders presented a glass of chili spice. We all found it terrible and decided to keep that working name for the next two weeks while we searched for the perfect name,” narrates Dr. Engelmann, Founding Managing Partner, NEXUS/CHILI. After those two weeks, a meeting was held, and a colleague who was the UI expert said: “Well, did you ever think about keeping chili? – It works already with an apple.” That was first second were we really considered to keep that name, because this was something unique.

And so, CHILI was born! Over the next two decades, CHILI would be seen as a reputed brand and expert in innovative software and multimedia image management

Openness and interoperability were important keys to success, especially when you want to connect to all information systems in a medical enterprise and exchange data ‘with the world

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Dr. Uwe Engelmann Founding Managing Partner, NEXUS / CHILI

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ABOUT

DR. UWE ENGELMANN,

FOUNDING MANAGING PARTNER, NEXUS / CHILI Dr. Uwe Engelmann has dedicated over 25 years as a Founder and CEO of NEXUS/CHILI and a teleradiology pioneer. He has spent a better part of his life in the healthcare industry, bringing about some radical changes within the domain.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

CHILI PACS was already making giant strides in the German PACS market, but what really put it on the top was when a massive German hospital chain (Rhoen Kliniken AG) decided in 2005 that all their existing and all future hospitals should receive a CHILI PACS and web image distribution

in the medicine space. “Some minutes later, we found the first chili logo on the internet and ‘borrowed’ it until we hired a professional photographer and his studio for one day to take a photo of our new logo. I bought hundreds of chilies at that time to find the perfect one. At the age of five to six at that time, our children suffered spicy food in those days,” discloses Dr. Engelmann.

The Company Journey When the team decided to develop the CHILI software, the code of the predecessor of the MEDICUS project could not be utilized as it became the intellectual property of the financer, German Telecom.

So, understanding the market trends and demands, designing and developing the software, and having rich experience due to the evaluation of the usage of the former application, the company was able to leverage these elements to architect its offerings.

MEDICUS had been designed for teleradiology only. But it was revealed that the users were mainly using the software to view images and report from the screen instead of from film. While this may have been between 1994 and 1997, there were opportunities for advancements to be made.

At that time, PACS (Picture archiving and communication system) workstations were not a standard yet in the radiology departments. The team of dedicated experts made a complete redesign for a PACS workstation with integrated teleradiology functions and started again.

During this phase, the company received two massive

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orders; one from the University Clinic in Giessen and one from the University Clinic in Bonn. “They put in a lot of trust in us and needed just teleradiology. But we managed to deliver the first early versions in time. These two first customers were the cornerstones of the commercial market,” reveals Dr. Engelmann.

Ensuring Tailor-made Solutions The PACS functionality has been designed together with the radiology department of the German Cancer Research Center. Even the research center ordered a PACS, knowing that it was not yet ready. The company had in place a designated team that took the input the radiologists and technicians had to offer regarding what they needed for their work and ensured it was reflected in the offering.

Weekly meetings were conducted, and prototypes were

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Today at 66, while Dr. Engelmann has prepared the company and team to manage without him over the last few years, he feels as energetic as ever and does not plan on handing in the reigns completely any time soon 33 also presented, making it easier for the customer to use it and providing valuable feedback that could be incorporated accordingly. This was the basis of the modular and open PACS architecture. “The next milestone was our web viewer CHILI/Web in 2001, which could run in the browser. This was a great success, and we even sold that to PACS competitors, and it brought us a stable income for several years,” adds Dr. Engelmann.

CHILI PACS was already making giant strides in the German PACS market, but what really put it on the top was when a massive German hospital chain (Rhoen Kliniken AG) decided in 2005 that all their existing and all future hospitals should receive a CHILI PACS and web image distribution.

The following decade was an exciting one for CHILI PACS. The first PACS on Cloud in the US with its partner OmniPACS was witnessed. Furthermore, in South America, the company established countrywide telemedicine networks with other partners in Chile, Brazil, and Columbia. At the same time, CHILI systems were gradually being installed in Asia.

In 2013, the company cooperated with the German Association of Trauma Surgeons (AUC) to establish a

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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German-wide trauma network. They transmit medical images between hospitals of different competence levels to improve the quality of treatment of trauma patients. More than a thousand institutions exchange images today just during their daily routine. Moreover, since 2015, the company’s US partner UMG/DEL medical installed more than 900 CHILI PACS all over the US. “These are just some highlights of our international activities,” adds Dr. Engelmann.

Maintaining a Local Reach As the company gained momentum, Dr. Engelmann established specific guidelines for international activities for himself and CHILI. Perfectly aware that a local presence ensures that every customer’s needs are fulfilled in quality, seamless installation, value for money, and after-sales service/support, partnerships with local companies were forged instead of establishing subsidiary companies. “We do not establish subsidiary companies in other countries but work with local companies in the country who know that market’s cultural and commercial conditions. We train and support them so that they can act as independently from us as possible regarding sales, installation, and 1st and 2nd level support. This is a high hurdle for potential partners as they must bring sales and technical competence to act in their market,” informs Dr. Engelmann.

He firmly believes that the team’s scientific background played a pivotal role in the success the company enjoys today. Dr. Engelmann explains, “We always worked at the front line of innovation. Our vision from the first day was not to develop something in a bureaucratic ivory tower. We decided to listen very carefully to our customers, collect the requirements and select what would be useful for many users. Openness and interoperability were important keys to success, especially when you want to connect to all

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

information systems in a medical enterprise and exchange data ‘with the world.’” We have always offered solutions that were technologically superior to the competition. This is also reflected in the more than 10 awards CHILI has received in recent years.

CHILI and NEXUS: A Stronger Force Over the years, Dr. Engelmann envisioned the future of CHILI and how the company would expand its reach and go about making an even bigger difference in this industry. The team met investors and experts for mergers and acquisitions. As a result, Dr. Engelmann and the key stakeholders sold the first 51 percent of CHILI to NEXUS AG in 2017. NEXUS is one of Europe’s leading software providers in the healthcare sector. “With around 1,600 employees, we supply hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and retirement homes with modern IT applications. They offered us to become the competence center for imaging solutions in the group. As a result of our development, we doubled the number of the employees in the last 5 years, and our turnaround and profit even grew more than that,” proclaims Dr. Engelmann.

The Journey is Not Over Yet! Today at 66, while Dr. Engelmann has prepared the company and team to manage without him over the last few years, he feels as energetic as ever and does not plan on handing in the reigns completely any time soon. He concludes, “My young Co-CEO and other good people in the management have already taken over many of my former tasks, and I know that the company will be in good hands if I retire. But it’s not there yet. As long as I continue to enjoy my work, she satisfies me, and they let me, I will not sit on the park bench yet.”

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CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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James Michael Lafferty

Jason Olsen

CEO, Fine Hygienic Holding

President and Co-Founder, IMAGE Studio

Website: https://www.finehh.com/

Website: https://imagestudios360.com/

Headquarters: Amman, Jordan

Headquarters: Utah, USA

About the Company:

As the first and largest hygienic tissue producer in the MENA region – amongst the largest in the world – Fine Hygienic Holding is currently present in more than 75 countries across five continents.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

About the Company:

IMAGE Studios is an exclusive salon suite that provides modern, high-end salon studios at affordable rates to salon professionals.

Jonathan Tjoa Algreen

Lauren Parrella

Founder & CEO, 1 People

Owner, Realty Executives First Class

Website: https://1people.com/en/

Website: https://www.realtyexecutives.com/

Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark

Headquarters: Arizona, USA

About the Company:

1 People is a sustainable luxury fashion brand that creates timeless pieces for conscious women who seek luxurious, stylish, and sustainable wardrobe that benefits both people and the planet.

About the Company:

Realty Executives is one of the largest and most established real estate systems, with over 8,000 agents working across the globe.

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Dr. Randall Jones

Robert R. Wilson

CEO and Founder, Bot Image

Founder, CEO and President, R2C Inc

Website: https://www.botimageai.com/

Website: https://r2c-inc.com/

Headquarters: Nebraska, USA

Headquarters: Alabama, USA

About the Company:

BotImage’s software interprets multi-parametric and bi-parametric MRI using random forest with instance weight and MR segmentation by deep learning with holistically-nested networks.

About the Company:

R2C Inc provides the highest quality of products and services to its clients to ensure the Warfighter receive the most advanced, technologically superior tools to perform their mission by which they can defend the country’s freedom and save lives.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Sashi Edupuganti

Stefan Ott

Founder & CEO, ODE Holdings

CEO and Founder, Confinity Solutions

Website: https://www.odeinfinity.com/

Website: https://www.confinity-solutions.com/

Headquarters: Arizona, USA

Headquarters: Eschborn, Germany

About the Company:

ODE creates a balanced data ecosystem where consumers, entrepreneurs, and enterprises can create, protect and access consumer data based on a core set of ethical and technical principles.

About the Company:

Established in 2016, Confinity Solutions is a fintech startup with mature products and has an established customer base worldwide.

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Susan Semmelmann

Dr. Uwe Engelman

Owner, Susan Semmelmann Interiors

Founding Managing Partner, NEXUS / CHILI GmbH

Website: https://www.semmelmanninteriors.com/

Website: https://nexus-chili.com/

Headquarters: Texas, USA

Headquarters: Dossenheim, Germany

About the Company:

By combining innovative creativity with classic design traditions, Susan Semmelmann Interiors creates spaces that are as beautiful as they are livable.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

About the Company:

CHILI GmbH develops software for PACS and teleradiology and supplies them to their customers, including small, medium-sized and big hospitals, and university clinics..

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CXO OUTLOOK Higher Education Digest November July 2020 2022

INSPIRING

ENTREPRENEURS E 2022 2

JONATHAN TJOA ALGREEN FOUNDER & CEO, 1 PEOPLE

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A Philanthropic Entrepreneur Connecting Passion with Purpose

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rom overcoming a personal loss at a young age to becoming a thought leader of today, Jonathan Tjoa Algreen (Founder & CEO, 1 People) is an inspiration to many. Jonathan is a serial entrepreneur and a naturally gifted leader with extensive experience in founding and building businesses across many industries with global ambitions.

Since his childhood, Jonathan had been driven by the urge to positively impact society. But, at the mere age of 13, he lost his mother and had to come to terms with it.

Being the braveheart he is, Jonathan came out stronger and learned a lot about himself and life from his past experiences. Looking back from where he was to what he is today, Jonathan says that he is proud of his journey and what it has made him.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Major Influences in Life Jonathan is one of those natural-born leaders who understood and answered his calling right from the beginning – that is - to do service for others. "Even as a kid, the leadership role came naturally to me," shares Jonathan. So, if you ask Jonathan about his personal role model who motivated him in life, his answer is Nelson Mandela, the former South African President & civil rights advocate who dedicated his life to fighting for equality. The way Nelson Mandela became a torchbearer of bringing justice to his people, how he treated others, and united them together to drive his mission amazes and mesmerizes Jonathan. He further explains that even though Nelson Mandela was not a business leader, he possessed some of the similar crucial skills, values, and mindset that one needs to become a good entrepreneur and a leader.

Our mission is to change the way business is done and make the world a better place for all

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Jonathan Tjoa Algreen Founder & CEO, 1 People

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

But for 1 People's Founder & CEO, Jonathan, his personal inspiration is his people, mainly his team and his partner, who stood by his side and supported him throughout his entrepreneurial journey and still continue to do so. Working with Jonathan enabled his team members to realize their own dreams and strive hard to achieve them. Therefore, Jonathan considers his team's success as his personal achievement.

Next comes Jonathan's wife and business partner, Rea Tjoa Algreen (Founder & Chief Sustainability Officer, 1 People), whom he refers to as his guiding star. "My wife inspires me a lot as she is a strong pillar in my life and family, and I'm very grateful for her," lovingly adds Jonathan.

Last but not least are the books that are a reservoir of ideas for Jonathan. He is an avid reader who loves to read on diverse topics, including ancient philosophers.

Besides, he likes to watch videos on human behaviour, psychology, and truth.

Failures and Mistakes are a Part of Life "If you try to avoid mistakes and failures, you stop living," wisely remarks Jonathan. He comes from a school of thought that says one must keep trying irrespective of the hurdles. He, therefore, considers meeting challenges as a key driver for him to learn and grow. To sum up, Jonathan's never-give-up mindset, knowledge acumen, skillsets, and valuable experience building companies and leading them have brought him to this stage.

Likewise, Jonathan implements a similar philosophy at 1 People, where team members are given the freedom to think and make mistakes. Once they derive lessons from their mistakes, team members automatically overcome the fear of failing and put 100% of their efforts into driving the company towards success.

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CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

1 People is guided by the "together, we can change the world" mission Established in Copenhagen, 1 People is a sustainable luxury fashion brand that creates timeless pieces for conscious women who seek luxurious, stylish, and sustainable wardrobe that benefits both people and the planet. Jonathan defines the 1 People team, including himself, as a group of individuals who have dedicated themselves, their hearts, and mind to building and succeeding in this fantastic project.

Established in Copenhagen, 1 People is a sustainable luxury fashion brand that creates timeless pieces for conscious women who seek luxurious, stylish, and sustainable wardrobe that benefits both people and the planet

Undoubtedly, the team's collective research and work are reflected in the brand's high-quality pieces with innovative designs from ethically sourced products.

Stating 1 People's mission statement, Jonathan says, "Our mission is to change the way business is done and make the world a better place for all." 1 People makes this happen by selling its premium quality products, thereby creating a continuous stream of resources to support the lives of hundreds of people it has partnered with and their families.

A Close to Heart, Socially Responsible Initiative Even today, poverty continues to be the most significant global challenge. Jonathan opines that none of us should relax until we solve this major crisis. "We, at 1 People, want to inspire other entrepreneurs and businesses both within our own industry and in general to show them how we can use our own business to contribute towards a better tomorrow," mentions Jonathan.

Backed by the 1 People's initiative, its team works closely with artisans and forms a circle of mutually beneficial partnerships. What's more impressive is that a large part of 1 People's profit is donated towards 'Business For Planet' and other important projects. For instance, the 1 People's educational programme launched in 2022 provides the tools for future entrepreneurs worldwide to create socially responsible businesses. In this way, they, too, can establish companies that will positively impact the world and alleviate poverty. "We believe that businesses nowadays should be transparent about how they operate, which is why social responsibility is at the forefront of our mind and strategy," adds Jonathan. In the future, 1 People will continue to operate sustainable, ethical, and transparent business practices using eco-friendly products that do not harm the environment.

Words of Wisdom Jonathan has been an active part of building companies for more than 20 years and possesses experience in developing businesses from the ground up. Any advice coming from him is treasured, especially for entrepreneurs who are just trying their hand at entrepreneurship for the first time. Jonathan mentions that entrepreneurship is about navigating through challenging waters, and therefore budding entrepreneurs must regard challenges as an opportunity to grow. If they choose to build their companies, lead teams, and make a difference, they must invest themselves entirely and work consistently.

Next, Jonathan recommends aspirants work on their overall personality development as employees, partners, and clients look up to leaders for motivation and reassurance.

Another valuable thought from Jonathan is about how to treat your team members. Jonathan says that team members are not there to service the leaders; instead, it is the exact opposite. Leaders who treat their team members with respect and dignity can succeed long. Lastly, Jonathan suggests finding one's true passion because when the going gets tough, the tough get going. He concludes, “You need to have a mission, bigger than just growth and profit, one your team can relate to and want to be a part of, to create massive impact and success. This is what fosters togetherness around a common purpose and the feeling of meaningfulness in your organization.”

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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CXO IN FOCUS

Driving Digital Transformation in the field of Service Robots Mohammed Mubin Mallick, CEO & Founder, Kiran Smart

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Mohammed Mubin Mallick is the CEO and Founder of Kiran Smart company in Kuwait, Dubai and India. He is an innovator of Humanoid Robot Services and Founder of Mi-Robots Company registered in India. He holds a Master’s Degree in MBA from Cardiff University, UK. He also has several professional certificates under his name.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

M

ohammed Mubin Mallick has delivered many public presentations and live demo on Robots in Smart City, Robots in Real Life, Robots in our future life, Robots in Education and Robots in Health Care. He has continuously live demonstrated for two years (2019 & 2020) on Hospitality Robotic Solution at Stakeholder Conference organized by T-H-N in Dubai (UAE) under Mi-Robots banner.

Mubin is also a renowned speaker on Robotics and AI. He was also a mentor in one of the GLOBAL VIRTUAL HACKATHON called ‘ROBOCON 2020’, the event which took place in Canada. Recently, he was interviewed by Michael Overstreet from USA on Robot News as Mubin continues to influence the market of robots globally.

He has also been a recipient of numerous international awards and recognition.

In a recent interview with the team of CXO Outlook, Mr. Mallick discussed the current trends in service robots, challenges faced as a CEO of the company, personal inspiration, future goals, and a lot more. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

According to you, what are the main technological trends in the area of service robots? Which top industries are leveraging the use of these robots?

I feel the main technological trend in the field of services robots is Artificial Intelligence because if it is combined with robots then a robot can achieve many objectives that we humans are looking for. If we talk about industries which are using these service robots, then those would be hospitality industry and food & beverages industry.

You have created a mark for yourself in this industry and are navigating Kiran Smart to great heights. But what made you take the first step to venture in this industry? Were there any instances or personal experiences that led you towards the field of robotics?

One of the main reasons is my childhood dream to work with robots. Secondly, it is the future because I did a lot of research and future forecasts on advanced technologies and found that robotics will be one of the top contenders in the advanced future technologies that will play a role in the smart world. So, when I saw the humanoid robot for the first time in GITEX 2017, it triggered my mind that this was what I was looking for since so many years. From that time, I started my research and studies on robots, contacted many robotics companies

Robots should not take away the jobs nor should they hurt any sentiments of people who do not accept advanced technology, and nor should it go against the humanity

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CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

around the world and met & discussed with them about the future of robots. What I see are the massive opportunities that will arise from different industries.

Kiran Smart is the first humanoid robot solutions and services company in Kuwait. You must be encountering a lot of challenges on the way. Can you please tell us about them and also how do you overcome them?

We are facing multiple challenges every day. But, there are two types of challenges that we have faced so far: Challenges as a Company (Internal Part) - Financial Investment - Getting right robotics engineers - Training the employees on robots - Getting the robots on time from manufacturer - Logistics issues during COVID-19 - Storage - R&D on different models of robots and then failed few where investments are wasted -Getting investors on board Challenges in the market (Customers) - Lack of awareness - Did not accept the robots technology - High prices so no budget to purchase - Threat to jobs - Scared of robots So, we continue to have tough times to overcome these challenges because most of the time, I have to involve myself to train my team and share the knowledge on robotics and make them ready as per the latest trend in the market.

For customers, we arrange seminars, webinars, physical exhibition to educate, create awareness and explain the benefits of robots in business; robots are not a threat but a helping hand.

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What are your feelings on the ethical issues that arise with the use of robotics?

You see when we talk about ethics then robots are not human; they are just machines which we need to understand clearly. But we also need to be careful in using them. Robots should not take away the jobs nor should they hurt any sentiments of people who do not accept advanced technology, and nor should it go against the humanity.

Tell us about your proudest professional accomplishment.

There are many proudest moments for me that I have come across in my professional journey but I just want to mention two of them that happened recently. One

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

When we are having fun, our mind is free from tensions and work pressure, then the ideas just shoot out from our minds which we write them immediately and make a list to improve and implement them

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is receiving the award as ‘Best Leader’ in the field of innovative technology by Internet 2.0 which was held in Dubai on February 2022. And the second one is being recognized as the ‘Business Innovator of the Year 2022’ in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Can you please tell us about your strategy for building relationships with your team members and peers at Kiran Smart?

It is very simple for me. I just love them as my family.

What do you do to encourage creativity and innovation in your organization?

First, we create the environment to have fun where we involve our robots and then start playing with them.

So, while we are playing and exploring robots, we come up with many ideas and innovations which we can implement in them. When we are having fun, our

mind is free from tensions and work pressure, then the ideas just shoot out from our minds which we write them immediately and make a list to improve and implement them.

How do you stay up to date on industry advancements?

I do a lot of research, read news on advanced technologies, attend and participate various events worldwide.

Whom do you look up to for inspiration or mentorship?

My father is my biggest source of inspiration. It is because of him that I am here today.

What are your current goals?

My current goal is to be a billionaire so that I can help the humanity who need support and help in their lives.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

INSPIRING

ENTREPRENEURS E 2022 2

DR. RANDALL W. JONES FOUNDER & CEO OF BOT IMAGE, INC

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A Trailblazing Entrepreneur, Bringing Highly Accurate MRI Interpretation Software to Physicians

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rom joining the military at a young age to excelling at civilian jobs to establishing not one but 4 companies, Dr. Randall W. Jones’ (Founder & CEO of Bot Image, Inc), the entrepreneurial voyage is nothing short of revolutionary.

A Glimpse into a Successful Career Soon after graduating from high school, Dr. Jones enlisted in the military. At this point, he became aware of his leadership skills. His peers respected his judgment and followed his directions. He always had a laser-sharp focus and a disciplined persona; he was and continues to be extremely hard-working and outcome-oriented. Dr. Jones was readily promoted in his first civilian job due to his professional traits.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Later on, Dr. Jones pursued his Ph.D./MBA (Dr.Eng.) from Texas A&M in the field of EE (electromagnetics) with emphasis on MRI antennae and a master’s thesis in RF hyperthermia leading to employment in the MRI industry and rise to Director of Operations of a company now publicly traded. In 1993, Dr. Jones decided to walk on the entrepreneurial pathway just like his father, who was also a serial entrepreneur. Establishing -Resonance Innovations LLC was just the beginning for Dr. Jones. He then established ScanMed LLC, FirstSCan LLC, and now leading Bot Image, Inc. How did Bot Image, Inc Come into Existence?

“One of my key inventions through ScanMed was and is a dedicated wearable pelvic-prostate MRI antenna whose

One of my key inventions through ScanMed was and is a dedicated wearable pelvic-prostate MRI antenna whose specific aim is to improve prostate and uterine cancer detection

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Dr. Randall W. Jones Founder & CEO of Bot Image, Inc

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

specific aim is to improve prostate and uterine cancer,” shares Dr. Jones. As he began traveling about North America and Europe assisting in the installation and sales of this device, he became very familiar with the state of radiology interpretation of prostate MRI as measured by the radiologist’s ability to detect clinically significant cancers and distinguish them from other abnormal anomalies such as BPH and prostatitis.

However, the downside of this experience was getting a closer look at the radiology community’s poor accuracy record and the inferior methods used by them to detect prostate cancer. It made Dr. Jones determined more than

ever to find a better solution. “I met the head of abdominal MRI of the National Institutes of Health during a Prostate Cancer MRI meeting and found out that his team had just completed a prototype software to interpret prostate MRI. Long story short, Bot Image, Inc. ended up with me, and my team commercialized it over the next couple of years,” reveals Dr. Jones.

Revolutionizing Prostate Cancer Detection with AI Incepted in late 2018, Bot Image™, Inc is a medical imaging software company with a mission to blend artificial

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Bot Image’s first product, ProstatID, used for detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer using MRI. The gray-scale images represent inputs from the MRI study while the fourth image represents the colorized output of the software with the probability map of cancer overlayed on a copy of the original image (T2W axial) of the top left. Red indicates “highly suspicious” of prostate cancer with cooler colors less suspicious and blue as normal.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

intelligence (AI) with other diagnostic mediums and bring about substantial improvements in clinical outcomes where it matters the most: improved cancer screening, detection, classification and grading using non-invasive imaging technologies such as MRI and CT. Commenting on what makes Bot Image unique in the diagnostic industry, Dr. Jones states, “We are the first in North America to create and successfully complete clinical studies proving the company’s first software product’s (ProstatIDTM) ability to both diagnose and detect prostate cancer in MRI using mpMRI or bi-parametric MRI.” In the coming years, Bot Image’s vision is to refine its technology and utilize the same baseline AI algorithms to address the early diagnosis of other cancers and COPD.

Incepted in 2019, Bot Image™, Inc is a medical imaging software company with a mission to blend artificial intelligence (AI) with other diagnostic mediums and bring about substantial improvements in a clinical outcomes where it matters the most: improved cancer screening, detection, classification and grading using non-invasive imaging technologies such as MRI and CT.

Numerous Accomplishments Depicting Significant Growth As the Founder & CEO of a start-up company, Dr. Jones benchmarks the performance of Bot Image based on its numerous accomplishments achieved in a short period. He further shares that Bot Image has created an MRI system-agnostic AI software product, developed as a Software as a Service (SaaS), installed it at numerous test sites with great reviews, conducted two clinical studies involving 25 radiologists from around the USA, and is on the final administrative review of its FDA submission. Moreover, it has many customers waiting on the announcement of FDA approval expected by mid-August this year.

A Results-Oriented Work Culture At Bot Image, Dr. Jones created a working environment based on his leadership experiences. This is where employees are motivated to work hard and deliver outstanding performance to meet the company’s goals and vision. When it comes to Bot Image, Dr. Jones runs a very ‘tight ship,’ and his management team understands and follows his philosophy of spending with a firm purpose. “We have achieved significant milestones for a fraction of the monies that I see published in various sources that focus on investing in such companies,” mentions Dr. Jones.

Major Current Projects Revealing Bot Image’s ongoing projects, Dr. Jones mentions, “We are currently working on an improved version of our existing software that has the challenging goal of discriminating between less aggressive and more aggressive cancers. Besides this, we are also working with the marketing/PR team on preparing a major announcement of FDA approval as well as announcing a Series A round investment offering.”

Client Testimonials As a practice, the team of Bot Image routinely interacts with and gains feedback from its users. On the other hand, their clients have praised Dr. Jones’ efforts towards simplifying prostate MRI interpretation.

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ProstatID software showing three cases with the required input MRI series in the first three columns (T2-weighted axial slice, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), and diffusion weighted image (DWI)) and colorized cancer probability overlayed output on the right. The standalone performance of ProstatID was 90% area under the curve (AUC) as compared to expert radiologists AUCs ranging from 62 – 71% in the clinical studies.

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Dr. Benjamin B. McDaniel—an early user of ProstatID, states, “The problem with most translational science is that you seldom get good feedback between the scientist and the end-user. He has achieved what no one else can by being relentless, actively working on both ends of the process without the middlemen, and learning from failures.

Physicians are trained to understand a complex system and work within it. Randy [Dr. Jones] reimagines the system itself. The Elon Musk of modern MRI development.”

Similarly, another early user of ProstatID and also the CMO of Bot Image, Inc.—Dr. Patrick D. Browning calls Dr. Jones a driven and talented inventor and entrepreneur who can balance the competing demands of scientific development and running a successful business.

Tackling Challenges in the Medical Device Industry Being a part of the radiological space for more than two decades, Dr. Jones comprehends the challenges that come with the territory. He states that to succeed in medical devices, one must have the knowledge, technology, fortitude, and creativity to create a better product and get that product through regulatory processes such as the FDA. On top of it, competition is always present and threatening; hence, time is never on your side.

“Fortunately, I could turn to my colleagues and contacts for advice, clinical data, clinical partnering in studies and academic papers, and occasionally investments,” asserts Dr. Jones. “One must have the quality of perseverance in all cases because overcoming obstacles is never quickly accomplished.”

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

A Sneak Peek into the Life of a Serial Entrepreneur While building his business from the ground up, Dr. Jones used to put around 60 -70 hours of weekly work.

However, soon after turning 60, he adopted a healthy work pace to stay fit. Dr. Jones also shares that pressure and stress can be controlled by working out and eating healthy. Off work, his favorite things to do are dining and traveling (pre-covid) with his wife and partner, and fishing trips during the summer or hunting in the fall. These interactions with nature give him a clean disconnect from work.

Beating the Pandemic Times In the wake of the pandemic, Founder & CEO Dr. Jones instituted a mandatory mask and vaccination policy at Bot Image until the first waves had passed and then eliminated masking after everyone had been vaccinated and boosted. Even if employees were suspicious of COVID-19 infection, they continued to work from home.

Similarly, in the post-pandemic times, there will not be any necessary operational changes made at the workplace. Being a software company, Bot Image’s SaaS works automatically without human supervision on cloud-based computers. The sales and marketing staff conduct most of their activities via Zoom or email because it is far more efficient and less costly. “We will attend important trade and scientific conventions in person, but that is just back to normal business for this team,” shares Dr. Jones.

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Higher Education Digest July 2020

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

EXPERT OPINION

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Changing Dynamics in Upcoming Technology Eric Wei, Senior Sales Director, ViewSonic - Asia Pacific

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

A Eric Wei is the Sr. Sales Director of ViewSonic Asia Pacific. He has been a part of the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) industry for over 18 years.

Prior to accepting the role as Sr. Sales Director of ViewSonic he was associated with BenQ for more than eight years as their Senior Manager for Market Development. Eric graduated from National Taiwan University in 1997 with a Bachelor’s Degree in International business. For over a decade he has utilised his experience in developing business in the Asian countries with outstanding accomplishments in SAARC and ASEAN nations.

dvancements and evolutions are key aspects that periodically revolutionise technology. Owing to various factors, technology has been at the crux of streamlining various challenges caused in the past years.

Be it connecting to our loved ones, synchronizing hybrid models in the corporate and education sector or improvising various sectors with hi-tech tools, technology has evolved in almost all sectors.

Technology will play a critical role in creating efficiencies and opportunities to transform our work and lives as reality continues to take shape. New-age technology predominantly enters the space with more profitable and more efficient products, solutions, and services. In addition, a considerable shift toward hybrid models being convenient, comfortable and safe for both education and corporates.

Here is a glance at expectations that will take a new leap in the technology: Changing work dynamics The hybrid model is becoming more prevalent across sectors, and hence various innovations have taken a leap over technology. IT / technology players have come together to build products and solutions catering to industry requirements, from efficient software to user-friendly hardware. Even industry experts have developed a collaborative technology to streamline the hybrid model, with all essential elements sustaining the model for a longer duration.

For instance, many corporates are adapting to a hybrid model. Hence, they are moving to incorporate new and innovative tools, boost efficiency, and retain a sense of connection among a more diverse workforce in its demands and tastes.

Artificial intelligence is already making significant strides in the workplace, opening new opportunities for smarter and more convenient professional engagement.

Furthermore, to curb the problem caused by work from home culture, the industry players are scrutinizing and developing user-friendly products. With various software and hardware products, the new and innovative tech solutions are enhanced with a wide range of functionalities. These services meet the basic recommendations, extensive monitoring of an individual's daily work in progress and further assist them in maintaining a healthy work/life balance.

Augmented Reality (AR) The application of augmented reality has proven to be one of the most effective ways for organizations to find new ways to expand globally. AR can instantly connect individuals worldwide, give tools for various industries, and revolutionize the way we interact with both the virtual and physical worlds. Many experts believe that the augmented

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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reality market will be worth $198 billion by 2025. As a result, the adoption of AR will become an integral part across sectors. Furthermore, AR will become highly prevalent in the corporate and education sectors.

Future of the internet – Metaverse In 2021, the future of the internet was redefined with Metaverse technology. Equipped with augmented reality, virtual reality, machine learning, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence, Metaverse has redefined the viewing experience.

It is a VR social platform that gives the experience of virtually entering the digital world. The platform has anticipated magnificent transformation, and several brands have plunged into the Metaverse with unique initiatives. Additionally, the platform has been beneficial in bringing people together by giving them the experience of hanging out, shopping, and meeting friends.

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A convergence of increased time spent at home, higher-quality content, a diminishing theatrical-to-home release window, cutting-edge AV technologies, theatre projection format, and more provide a compelling opportunity

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Cinematic Experience at Home According to projections, the home theatre industry would expand by $5.87 billion between 2021 and 2027, at a CAGR of 7%. A convergence of increased time spent at home, higherquality content, a diminishing theatrical-to-home release window, cutting-edge AV technologies, theatre projection format, and more provide a compelling opportunity.

Customer behaviour is shifting away from smallscreen to larger screens. Additionally, new versions of projectors and monitors are becoming prevalent in the market and expanding the path for new and inventive solutions. With people spending maximum time at home, most miss the big-screen experience. Today various OTT platforms and innovative gadgets embedded with best-inclass technology are witnessing massive demand.

Hyper automation With the evolution in technology, hyper-automation is a disciplined, business-driven approach to rapidly identify, vet, and automate many businesses and IT processes.

For businesses, hyper-automation offers the chance for even more efficiency, faster time to plug, lower costs and better margins. While standard automation may have already liberated employees from many time-consuming tasks, hyper-automation is the industry's future. The new generation of IT experts is already trained in hyper automation and component technologies. Such tech adoption will have a positive impact on both individuals and corporates.

Various technology innovations already exist in the industry, whereas, to capture the audience at large, the new technology trends will be adopted widely.

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CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

INSPIRING

ENTREPRENEURS E 2022 2

SASHI EDUPUGANTI FOUNDER & CEO, ODE HOLDINGS

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Shaping the Future of Consumer Data in an Open Data Economy

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magine a bright sunny day; you ask Alexa about the weather and set out for the beach. En route, you enter your destination into your vehicle or phone, stop at a gas station to fuel your vehicle, purchase a coffee using an online payment system, and upload and tag pictures of yourself and the destination on social media platforms. You may think you are going about your normal day, but your day has already been meticulously documented, sometimes without your knowledge or consent! Now imagine this happening throughout the day and with not just you. There would be copious amounts of data that can be sold to data brokers. And largely, we have been convincing ourselves that the convenience outweighs the cost to our privacy. But now, the ubiquitousness of digital surveillance is causing an uproar amongst citizens who are demanding answers as to how companies treat their data.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Moreover, government bodies are accelerating the ratification of regulations in response to data breaches and abuses that are occurring at an ever increasing rate.

Regulatory backlash is just one cost of abusing customer data. Even more significant costs are the resulting reputational damage, direct costs to the business to clean up the data breaches, and executive job losses all the way up to the CEO. Bringing about a consumer-centric paradigm shift in information sharing and data privacy is ODE Holdings, established in 2019. The company was built from the ground up to create a more balanced consumer data economy where consumers, entrepreneurs, and enterprises possess the ability to create, protect and liberate consumer data based on a core set of ethical and technical principles.

This inception journey began for Sashi Edupuganti, Founder & CEO at ODE Holdings, when his youngest

With the advent of Web 3.0 and distributed ledger technologies, ODE is well-positioned to become the premier vendor in data privacy protection

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Sashi Edupuganti Founder & CEO, ODE Holdings

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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ABOUT

SASHI EDUPUGANTI, FOUNDER & CEO, ODE HOLDINGS

Sashi Edupuganti is a Conscious Capitalist, Serial Entrepreneur, Fortune 100 Technology Executive, and investor. He is a creator and shaper, widely recognized for his innovation, next-generation capabilities, and building teams. As the CEO of ODE Holdings, a pioneering startup changing the world of consumer data, he is leading the movement toward decentralization and getting consumers their data back while enabling the enterprises to run their analytics without the need to store or own consumer data. He previously co-founded Coegil Holdings. He was a part of two startups with successful exits at Entcomm and Newsbreaker. In his corporate leadership positions, he has held senior positions at Bridgewater Associates, HBO, Comcast, and General Electric.

Mr. Edupuganti has an MBA (Entrepreneurship) from Pepperdine University, MCA (Master of Computer Applications), and BS (Physics) from the University of Madras. Since its founding, ODE and Mr. Edupuganti have been recognized by CIO Bulletin as the 30 Most Innovative companies in 2020 and by Intercon as a top 100 Innovators in 2021.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

child, then 8 years old, in 2019, wanted to become a social media influencer and star. As a parent, he felt a sense of duty to support his children’s dreams while simultaneously protecting them from the perils of social media. As he was exploring the risk and dangers of the digital landscape, he started to develop a hypothesis about how to create a world where we all could trust our digital footprints on the web.

ODE has forged deep relationships with prominent, well-known brands worldwide, making moves in the Telecomm, Financial, and Healthcare industries in a short period

The Commencement of the Startup In his first step in developing his hypothesis on how to solve for data privacy, Sashi interviewed key stakeholders across various industry verticals like financial services, healthcare, and smartphone manufacturers around the world. This helped him understand the data market opportunities, develop a hypothesis for solving data violations and connected the instability that breaches and abuses create which make it hard to attract and retain talented employees and cause customers to lose trust in the organizations who hold their data.

“So from the idea of protecting my child while online, I discovered global feedback from CEOs across several industries that protecting consumer data is no longer a nice-to-have option but a critical success factor for company growth and success,” reveals Sashi. His findings demonstrated that trusted companies are more likely to amalgamate more personal data that can be leveraged to enhance their services, thus surpassing their competitors. Additionally, trusted companies are more readily forgiven when things go wrong.

It was then that ODE Holdings was born. The company was founded with the vision to create a new ‘Future of Consumer Data,’ creating a balanced and ethical data ecosystem. ODE uses state-ofthe-art and emerging technologies to solve problems that widely impact consumers and corporations. While developed nations will benefit tremendously, the company expects that developing nations will reap the rewards of being able to monetize their data and create economic balance as they have not yet experienced the impact of the potential threat. “Not only are we helping enterprises grow, we are creating a micro-economy for a large portion of the world; the ability to get meaningful dollars into their pockets makes a big difference in their lives. This, in addition to addressing the fundamental data privacy and compliance exposure for the stakeholders,” elucidates Sashi.

Harnessing the Power of Technology Sashi tells us how ODE has surpassed most of the existing and new market players with its blockchain and AI-powered integrated platform, Web 3.0. ODE is one of the only players in the market with the mission to disrupt the world of data and to create a twosided marketplace where enterprises and consumers mutually benefit from data protection, organic compliance, and a shared monetization strategy. “With the advent of Web 3.0 and distributed ledger technologies, ODE is well-positioned to become the premier vendor in data privacy protection,” opines Sashi.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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Essential Focus on Maintaining Data Privacy The platform was designed and developed with the intention of exceeding the standards of security, governance, adaptability, and agility for clients worldwide.

“We do this by building a balanced data ecosystem where consumers, entrepreneurs, and enterprises can create, protect, and access consumer data based on a core set of ethical and technical principles. We enable enterprises to build trust with their digital consumers by providing organic privacy capabilities, usage by consent and context, organic regulatory compliance, and shared monetization,” explains Sashi.

All in all, the end-to-end solution caters to three primary stakeholders: consumers, enterprises, and governments.

Consumers face mounting privacy concerns and, despite being the actual owners of the data, cannot monetize the consumption of that data by organizations. In conjunction with this, enterprises encounter increasing regulatory and compliance challenges due to the mammoth-sized and often unused data in their system. Much of the data is underutilized and resides in stagnant reservoirs, which present significant exposure risks to the enterprise in the event of data compromise. Furthermore, government bodies are met with rising pressure to ensure that policies are enacted promoting ethical data responsibility and fostering an environment conducive to commerce. ODE solves these problems by individually catering to the needs of each stakeholder through its trusted data platform.

Building Strong Partnerships for a Better Tomorrow ODE has forged deep relationships with prominent, wellknown brands worldwide, making moves in the Telecomm,

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Financial, and Healthcare industries in a short period.

Sashi proclaims, “To accelerate our journey, we have made acquisitions, including the IP and clients of Datacoup, a data marketplace pioneer with great brand value and affinity. We have filed global patents to protect our intellectual property.

We have signed multiple partnership deals with leading value-added resellers in South Africa, Italy and France, North America, and other countries in Europe.”

To further strengthen its market positioning and foster a better audience reach, ODE is in partnership with Macrocomm. This partnership allows ODE to leverage the sales and implementation resources while providing Macrocomm with a robust solution to critical data privacy issues. “With privacy protection being crucial in our developing economy, South African citizens stand to benefit tremendously from the ODE solution. Deployment of the ODE solution will assist with the adoption of digital and IoT solutions. This in turn will help deal with the new normal brought about by the Covid19 pandemic, by providing confidence to consumers that their personal data is protected. We intend to empower consumers by giving them control of what information they share and then get paid for sharing it. ODE makes good sense to us,” said Sivi Moodley, Group CEO, Macrocomm.

Macrocomm is an established South African empowered technology company that has built and implemented credible solutions to help organizations navigate the changing business environment. Macrocomm, with its partner ecosystem, offers cutting-edge digital technology solutions concentrated around IoT, Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning.

They deploy innovative solutions to large corporations and public sector organizations within South Africa and the rest

of the African continent. “The ability to place control of data back into the rightful owners’ hands is the main reason that Macrocomm has selected ODE and will bundle the app into their offering to their large enterprise customers,” informs Sashi.

Another exciting venture by ODE is the seamless collaboration of its Consumer Data Ecosystem with ThreeFold’s ultra-secure, sovereign, scalable, and decentralized infrastructure platform. ThreeFold.io brings a genuinely decentralized compute and storage network that ensures the privacy and sovereignty of customer data, a quantum-safe file system, scalability, cost efficiency, and ultimately a digital infrastructure that is far more sustainable for our planet. “The collaboration between ODE and ThreeFold is a tremendous win for enterprises and consumers that are wrestling to find a balance between data privacy, compliance, and business growth to build trust.

Our joint offering creates a decentralized data ecosystem that enables enterprises to become trusted partners to their digital consumers. The new world where privacy is by design, usage is by consent, and value realization is unlimited and mutual is closer than you think,” says Sashi. To this collaboration, Chris Hutton, Co-Founder of ThreeFold Tech NV adds, “The ODE Consumer Data ecosystem partnering with ThreeFold’s ultrasecure, sovereign, scalable, and decentralized infrastructure platform is like a complementary pairing. We are truly inspired by our shared mission of creating greater wealth distribution and equal opportunity for all of humanity to partake in this data economy.”

It is the People that Make the Company 2021 brought the release of the first version of the product with mobile functionality, further maintaining market relevancy. From the end of 2021 into 2022, the company has continued its expansion into India and anticipates building a new facility which will be completed in 2023.

The company is also witnessing a team expansion to meet the growing product demands.

Sashi sought out top-quality leaders who share his values and drive for transforming the world of consumer data. And that is what he believes is a necessary ingredient for the company’s success that it commands today. Sashi himself has shown his mettle, having been brought up by his family coming from massive wealth to losing it all.

Over the next decade, he learned the power of persistence, believed in his abilities, and gained the strength of working in unity with people on the same journey who shared common goals and values.

Sashi sought to bring people together who complemented and augmented his own capabilities. He turned to people he had worked closely with at places like Bridgwater Associates, HBO, and NBC-Universal for strong operational and execution focused people such as Nic Boaknin the COO, Brij Mathur, the Chief product officer, Peter Rodseth, head of sales, Gina Lepore, head of strategy and corporate development and Divya Bahl Director of Asia operations. Sashi brings a combination of entrepreneurship, engineering, SME domain knowledge and market understanding. The team was highly functional and productive out of the gate as they had shared decade long experiences and had built tremendous team trust and cohesion. Gina Lepore, Head of Corporate Strategy and Development at ODE Holdings stated, "It is unimaginable to live in a world where ODE does not exist. We see a solution to the broken consumer data supply chain that creates a new future of consumer data that is ethical, consensual, contextual, and compliant. And because so many early members of the team have worked together in the past to achieve great things, we are determined to do it again. We've burned all the boats so there is nothing left to do except win this battle."

Taking Advantage of the Significant Potential the Market has to Offer While ODE has made its mark in the market, Sashi believes there is a long way to go and exciting opportunities that lie ahead. While the company set out with its focus on products initially, the team is rapidly pivoting its focus now to service delivery and partnerships. This move will help better implement the company’s products and become a reliable and trusted service provider within the privacy and compliance practice.

When quizzed about what else the future holds for ODE Holdings, Sashi says, “Later in 2022, we will onboard our first million users. And we will launch a new product offering based on Threefold that combines our application and data layer with their Web 3.0 infrastructure.” Further on the horizon, the company plans to create and onboard an entrepreneur ecosystem for the next generation of social, financial, and digital media applications to be built on the platform. Sashi concludes, “This is exciting for our community and us as it unleashes the power of our platform across a multitude of great ideas.”

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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EXPERT OPINION

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Leading The Innovation Game in Sustainable Architecture: Greenwashing Vs Actual Practice Priya Daniel, Principal Architect, Five Scale Design

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Priya Daniel is an awardwinning architect, artist, urbanist and green building professional. She is the founding principal of Five Scale Design, an architectural practice based in Singapore that designs and delivers projects at various scales and sectors, across Asia and beyond. Driven by design excellence and the betterment of communities, a LEED Accredited Professional with a passion for environmentally conscious architecture, she leads her practice with a focus on sustainability. Since buildings consume a full half of all the energy we generate and also cause half of the world’s carbon emissions, she feels that architects have a responsibility to help change these numbers. According to Priya, buildings don’t have to sport a certain look or meet very specific standards to be considered green. Instead, it’s good to look more at a building’s long-term environmental performance when deciding whether it’s sustainable or not.

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always thought that in my profession as an architect, sustainability was an opportunity for creativity. It involves a unique response to a site context, studying it in-depth and finding the best solution to the issues it faces and finding its true potential - all this to the benefit of the environment that it sits in.

Today, the word sustainability gets tossed around quite generously. Products, processes and business practices are being labelled ‘Green’ whereas beneath the surface it's anything but. Take, for example, a new product that is labelled as Sustainably harvested wood but is flown in from thousands of miles away. Superficially, it checks the green boxes, but the supply chain is a big issue.

Let’s contrast this to demolishing existing unwanted/ unused materials and repurposing them to make furniture.

The harvesting and recycling of them become the act of sustainability. The sustainability practice is important in the sense of how one frames it given it gets pretty amorphous very quickly.

People often consider a paper bag more sustainable than plastic. But is using twenty paper bags once better than using one plastic bag twenty times? Priya applies this line of thought to the built environment through the following points 1. Green awareness and education Can a green building be built affordably?

Any new thing that is introduced in the market initially costs more. But as volume builds in the market, it becomes more economical. Take the case of LED bulbs. We have gone from buying them based on the rationale of the lifetime usage cost to actually buying them since they have become inexpensive. Similarly, in this case too, as and when demand increase, once you and I start asking for more efficient material in the market, it will certainly bring down the prices.

When LEED and other rating systems came along, green design become a more mainstream topic. While we began to see more green buildings, I was restless and anxious that the progress wasn’t fast enough; that sustainability wasn’t deep and authentic enough. That we were minimising damage but we were falling behind in all the real indicators and issues.

Anyone who constructs a house should keep in mind that the house is going to be there for say 60 years or so.

And even if for a moment we agree that the cost of the house has increased a little bit, it doesn’t matter if you invest a little additional amount because year on year, you will keep enjoying benefits such as reduced electricity bills, better comfort, and better health. And the payback period is hardly a couple of years.

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

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In the case of commercial buildings, air-conditioning and lighting are a major cost. A lot of money also goes towards setting up the large air-conditioning units and power backup systems, which also consume real estate.

But if we design the building envelope (basic structure) in a way that reduces dependence on air-conditioning and artificial lighting, then it will bring down the initial construction cost of the building as well as its operating costs.

2. Keeping abreast and updated As Architects, we need to science up, and have a knowledge of technology and processes that can be used to create a real impact and cost savings with data. Based on actual performance with onsite audits, significant

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

energy use reduction can be achieved, the usage of red list chemicals minimised and take us closer towards netzero energy.

We first analyse and simulate a project with energy modelling software and show clients figures and numbers of how a particular solution can cost them a lot less. This helps us pre value engineer the project right from the design phase which crucially improves efficiency and cost control during the construction phase. At the end of the day, it's also more about value than simply the price. We attempt to achieve this by advising our clients to write a wish list and then start making comparisons.

Post occupancy data is also very important. Making an office building green is no longer a good to have anymore, it's a necessity for the benefit of all the stakeholders.

People often consider a paper bag more sustainable than plastic.

But is using twenty paper bags once better than using one plastic bag twenty times?

3. Green building construction practices How can we determine whether a material is green or not?

Broadly, materials that are locally available and sourced, or recyclable, and/or have recycled content. We also look into their durability, their manufacturing process and the supply chain.

Crucially when it comes to designing buildings, we apply the circular building philosophy which lays emphasis on improving the lifetime of the structure. Each stage of the lifecycle is considered to create a continuous, closed-loop of resources where each resource is not lost or wasted.

4. Learning From nature Flowers are literally and figuratively rooted to place. In comparison, home or office buildings are also rooted to place.

But unfortunately, that's where the comparison stops. A flower has to get all of its energy from the sun, and all water from the root system below it. It has to be adapted very specifically to a place depending on the soil and earth.

And when it dies, it becomes nutrients for the next cycle.

And while it is alive, it responds actively to humidity and temperature, it opens and closes, and attracts the sun while also being a habitat for lots of critters. And they are just so beautiful. Why cant this be a criterion for our buildings? the guiding principle for the way we design.

As Architects, we are taught to appreciate large buildings of glass and steel but as my career advanced I looked to nature for inspiration.

Biophilic and biomimetic architecture have shown various facets of Nature that have stimulated the creative process in architectural design in functional as well as stylistic ways. Our innate sense of Nature is termed biophilia.

Bioimicry architecture is a discipline that studies nature's best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems in the built environment.

Integration and optimisation in Nature appear as completely natural processes and we can learn from them.

5. Human-centric and community-driven designs The design focus is to allow people to come together, spend time with their families and have a conversation.

Integrating these social places with greenery has the wonderful benefit of improving morale, health, productivity and efficiency while reducing temperatures and absorbing excess rainwater. Preserving the environment and culture while still creating iconic architecture - that is a true metric of value.

The built environment is a huge contributor to our carbon footprint thus important for us to take action. As an architect, I really want to make an impact. It isn’t only about the pretty pictures and iconic structures but also the process of design that we can go through to ensure that the essence of the city, the building and the landscape is truly green.

6. The future of green building I do believe that being a code minimum or more is already a step in the right direction. Rating systems provide a good guide and checklist for energy and environmental requirements. However we cannot just be adding elements and the green bling- for e.g. simply more solar panels, more green roofs etc. We need to design to see the actual positive change those elements create in their environment while considering factors like regeneration, recovery, resilience etc. It's a move from only thinking about energy-efficient buildings to designing buildings that generate more energy than they consume.

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LEADER’S INSIGHTS

WHY THE OUTSOURCING OF IT HARDWARE MAINTENANCE MAKES SENSE Ian Shearer, Managing Director APAC & EMEA, Park Place Technologies As Managing Director, EMEA and APAC, Ian has overall responsibility for the growth

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and development of Park Place across EMEA and Asia. Ian brings a wealth of Third Party Maintenance experience, having joined Park Place Technologies following the acquisition of Computer Computer (Com-Com) Limited in September 2016, which he had owned and operated for 24 years. During a successful stint as General Manager of Europe for Park Place, he was heavily involved in the acquisition and integration of his own former business as well as the two subsequent UK acquisitions of Prestige Data Centre Solutions and NCE computer Group into the Park Place family. Ian is a business graduate of the University of Sunderland.

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n an age of rapid digitalization, businesses are increasingly struggling, with the challenge of meeting high technology demands for data centres, while simultaneously optimizing costs. These IT demands can be broadly listed under four main categories: ● Storage maintenance & support ● Server hardware support ● Network maintenance ● Hardware sales Ensuring that these sectors run smoothly and with the most efficacy might be too intricate and complex for a company to handle, from both their staffing and cost

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

optimisation perspectives. In order to bring order to the hardware and technology chaos, companies are becoming more aware of the benefits that are introduced when they partner with a knowledgeable and experienced data centre networking and optimisation provider to handle part of the load or oversee all of the company’s IT hardware maintenance needs.

3 common scenarios in hardware maintenance While preparing an enterprise hardware maintenance roadmap there are three key scenarios that the IT team need to be cognisant of.

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To bring order to the hardware and technology chaos, companies are becoming more aware of the benefits that are introduced when they partner with a knowledgeable and experienced data centre networking and optimisation provider to handle part of the load or oversee all of the company’s it hardware maintenance needs

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

1.Public and Private Cloud: When outsourcing elements of a company’s IT operations, the team needs to be aware of the potential challenges that can arise. The strategy should be to balance cost effectiveness provided by the Cloud with the control of the internal IT team.

In the Cloud, vendors own and maintain the hardware – unless it’s a private Cloud where the ownership of the hardware lies with the company. However, the company’s IT team is responsible for the maintenance operations on their internal hardware. A well-staffed IT team is still required for an efficient IT setup.

2.Data centre colocation: In this setting, the company has control and ownership of its own hardware, even if it has a private Cloud hosted in the facility. So even while outsourcing IT, businesses need to keep in mind hardware maintenance and system support that will be required.

3.Ownership of IT services: Most companies give complete control of IT hardware maintenance to a third party when outsourcing. What is important and a requisite though is that IT managers carefully study the SLAs to know exactly where and with whom each responsibility lies.

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Cost optimization with outsourcing Keeping costs minimum while achieving business goals is the balancing act confronting the majority of IT teams today. One way to navigate that successfully is to outsource hardware maintenance to a specialized service provider. There are 3 distinct areas where significant improvements can be gained in service delivery at lower price points: 1.Reducing warranty costs: An extended warranty from an OEM usually costs more than getting a solution from a third-party provider – in some cases costs can amount to approximately half of what it could have costed. The reason for this is that while maintenance is a secondary service for OEMs, for the third-party provider it is a core competency. It ensures that service quality is not compromised on. A thirdparty service provider can offer competitive and attractive price points because their competency is more refined and focused operations management.

2.Eliminating unnecessary capital expenses: Disposing of IT components can be an incredibly expensive and sensitive process. Hard disks, for example, contain specialized elements that must be disposed of following proper protocols. They also need to be erased and then completely destroyed to ensure data is entirely inaccessible. Performing this task for hundreds of hard disks can be incredibly expensive. Throw in the expense for servers, storage arrays

CXO OUTLOOK July 2022

Keeping costs minimum while achieving business goals is the balancing act confronting the majority of it teams today. One way to navigate that successfully is to outsource hardware maintenance to a specialized service provider

and network systems, all of which have precious metals and hazardous materials that require special disposal processes, and IT managers can be left spending heavily in terms of time and even consulting help just to cast aside old hardware.

A third-party hardware maintenance plan delays the waste problem by extending hardware life cycles. At the same time, many vendors also offer specialized disposal services in which the service provider takes care of the IT waste. This holistic approach to IT infrastructure lifecycle management can prove integral to keeping costs under control.

3.Specialized waste disposal strategy: Disposal of the huge quantities of IT waste typically generated by a company can be an extremely expensive and complex process. The hard disks, servers, network systems, storage arrays, etc. contain harmful materials that need to be destroyed under very specific conditions. Then there is also the sensitive data residing on hard disks, etc. that needs to be erased and made inaccessible to anyone. This is a huge time and cost burden for the IT team. A third-party vendor not only delays the whole waste generation and disposal process by extending the hardware lifecycle but ideally, also offer specialized disposal services that keep costs under control for the company.

With increasing demands and complexity of the IT hardware infrastructure and pressure on keeping costs low, outsourcing part or complete hardware maintenance makes a lot of sense for businesses. Issues of ownership and the delegation of responsibility for different hardware systems and data will continue to remain with the company’s IT leaders, while a minimal internal IT team is required to oversee function and operations.

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CXO OUTLOOK July 2022