The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to follow in 2022

Work-life Balance Importance of Balancing All the Aspects of Life

The

Well-Chosen Way Leading With Organized Approach and Wise Choices

Most Inspiring

Siki Giunta

to Follow in

EVP & Head of HCL Technologies CloudSMART Consulting and Offering Strategy

2022

HCL Technologies

SIKI Giunta

Transforming Businesses with Modern Leadership

VOL-05 | ISSUE-12 | 2022

www.insightssuccess.com

Editor’s Desk Leading in Inspirational Ways

T

he women of the 21st century have risen above every stereotypical leadership and proved successful in every field. According to Deloitte Global, on average, 33% of women's representation contributes to the technological workforce. Additionally, the percentage of women in tech is much larger around the globe, and the efforts to empower women are surely showing results. Women in the tech industry have done it all, from building hardware to developing software and discovering apps. This can also be linked to better access to technology and education for women in the last decade.

Businesswomen are always searching for opportunities for others, learning to embrace the transformation in the industry, and have adapted well by taking up the leadership positions today. They feel proud of their work and are always honest with the team and the organization. Because of these qualities, people trust and follow the women leaders.

The best part of women's leadership is that they always look at the bright side of things, and the same approach is seen in their leadership. Some of the other traits their leadership includes are looking for alternatives, helping the team, and being great at handling work-life balance. The role of the organizations is also crucial here for creating an environment that helps the women contribute their best.

Today there isn't a single job where a woman cannot work and lead; they are shooting at the stars and creating a belief to achieve things for others. From creating history to leading the changing world, women have always been a source of inspiration.

They have shown the world what it means to believe in yourself time and again. This inspired us a lot, and that is why we at Insights Success celebrate the achievements of women in their career choices and people to get inspired with “The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022.”

Some things will drop out of the public eye and go away, but there will always be stories and articles to tell, so flip your pages to read about creative articles that will enlighten you about the industry ongoings.

Go On!

Sourabh More sourabh@insightssuccess.com

08

C O V E R S TO RY

A RT I C L E S

32

Work-life Balance Importance of Balancing All the Aspects of Life

Well-Chosen Way Leading With Organized Approach and Wise Choices

46

Delivering a Better Consumer Experience Through Technology

14 Ellen Voie

Karen Viera

34

Giving Voice to Women in the Transportation Sector

Shifting Tides as the Food Waste Warrior

38

Nermine Khouzam Rubin

A Passionate Leader and an Award-Winning Test Architect

Looking After You and Your Security Needs

28

Marina Tognetti:

A Ray of Hope for People with Disabilities

Transforming Africa with Water, Food, and Hope!

Suman Bala

52

Jenniffer Breitenstein, Kellie Harrison and Kim Molkoski

Maintaining a Laser-Focused Concentration on Achieving Commercial Objectives

Miranda McCarthy

42

18

The Dynamic Trio Disrupting the Insuretech Market

22

Alexi Venneri

Susanne Skov Diemer

48

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M Bansal Managing Editor Anish Miller

Executive Editor Sourabh More

Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes

Visualizer

Art & Design Director

Associate Designer

David King

Shyam Sonawane

Sonia Raizada

Senior Sales Manager

Business Development Manager

Kshitij S

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

Sales Executives David, Martin

John Matthew Technical Head

Business Development Executives

Jacob Smile

Steve, Joe, Saurabh

Technical Specialist Aditya

Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza

SME-SMO Executive Atul Dhoran

Research Analyst Frank Adams

Circulation Manager Robert Brown

Database Management Stella Andrew

Technology Consultant David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com May, 2022

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Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Alexi Venneri.

Co-founder and CEO

Digital Air Strike digitalairstrike.com

Digital Air Strike helps businesses engage with consumers online with targeted ads, more 5-star reviews, custom social media marketing, patented lead response, and A.I. powered intelligent messaging.

Ellen Voie CEO and President

Women In Trucking

Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization with the mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry.

Jenniffer Breitenstein CMO Kellie Harrison VP of Client Services Kim Molkoski VP Business Development

OnPoint Warranty onpointwarranty.com

OnPoint helps global brands deliver excellent customer product service experiences.

Karen Viera Global Chief People Officer

Church's Chicken churchs.com

Church's Chicken serves up a rich tradition of gracious Southern hospitality and freshly prepared, high quality, authentic home-style fare, to help people provide affordable, complete meals for their families.

Miranda McCarthy Founder

Adaptive Yoga LIVE adaptiveyogalive.com

Adaptive Yoga is designed to make yoga accessible to more people.

Marina Tognetti Founder and CEO

mYngle myngle.com

mYngle is the pioneer of online language lessons.

Nermine Khouzam Rubin Founder and CEO

Water 4 Mercy water4mercy.org

Water 4 Mercy provides the 'One-Two-Three Solution' to permanently end thirst, hunger and poverty in the world.

Siki Giunta Exec. VP & Head

HCL Technologies hcltech.com

HCL Technologies helps enterprises reimagine their businesses for the digital age.

Susanne Skov Diemer Founder and CEO

Praesidio Group praesidiogroup.com

Praesidio Group delivers global security and intelligence solutions and services to individuals, corporations, institutions, governments, and authorities.

Suman Bala Test Architect

easyJet easyjet.com

easyJet is Europe’s leading airline offering a unique and winning combination of the best route network connecting Europe's primary airports, with great value fares and friendly service.

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Siki Giunta Transforming Businesses with Modern Leadership

Cover Story

Siki Giunta EVP & Head of HCL Technologies CloudSMART Consulting and Offering Strategy

HCL Technologies

W

ith globalization expanding its wings across continents, the world of technology has realized the pivotal role of women in the IT industry.

Today, global businesses are witnessing the potential of female leadership in steering the wheel of social transformation, and HCL Technologies has been spearheading this change by appointing Siki Giunta as its EVP & Head of HCL Technologies CloudSMART Consulting and Offering Strategy.

Siki leads the global team to formulate HCL's vision and to develop CloudSMART Solutions. Believing that the challenges of today, for anyone representing a gender, a generation, or a class, is in mastering skills and making it the focus of working relationships, Siki is innovating, leading, and being a contributing member of the HCL community.

Intending to live a life of purpose – do good work, mentor others, challenge the status quo, and take risks for a better outcome; Siki is pushing the boundaries of the cloud, crushing gender stereotypes, and achieving the unimaginable!

Siki is the perfect example of morden leadership, driving cloud technology into the future and inspiring millions.

Rising Above the Storm Siki is an Italian woman who prides herself on being expressive with the flexibility of four languages. She believes that her investors, teams, and colleagues adapted to the differences because they witnessed the results that she brings to the table.

The saying, 'Challenges are the stepping stone to success', proves to be very true when you look at the early career of Siki Giunta.

Reminiscing about the beginning of her career, Siki shares, "At the beginning of my career, I could often go several days without seeing or talking to another woman in my field. I had to be better than good every day. Besides gender, I had a different temperament – when I was excited, I shared it; when I was frustrated, I shared it."

Adding to her professional challenges, she says, "I speak four languages, and sometimes I think in one language and talk in another, which can be challenging for the listener and me. As I look back over my career, I believe that my investors, teams, and colleagues adapted to the differences because they witnessed the results and came to trust my ability and appreciated the differences."

With an experience of two decades in leadership roles, Siki has served global tech giants with an innovative mindset. "I had my moments, there were disappointments, but it's been more good than bad in general," says Siki.

Evolving with Time In Siki's early days of cloud, all the vendors and analysts could talk about was 'opex replacing capex' and how the cloud would change the cost structure of IT. While this came to be true, Siki was more intrigued by the impact of the cloud on the speed of innovation. Cloud had the facility to enable companies to pivot and adapt. Cloud challenged everything that had governed IT for decades.

Sharing about the transitioning phases of global businesses towards the cloud, Siki remarked, "I am fortunate that I

love what I do, I am passionate about technology and the impact and promise it has for our world. As a student and then as a new technologist, mainframes were a marvel. A decade passed and then client-server architectures were taking the enterprise by a storm. Then one day Amazon accepted the first check for cloud consumption, and it was a new beginning. In my work I have had the advantage of spending time with CIOs in all industries, and I saw then and see clearly now that cloud was the future - the next big thing."

HCL would again push the boundaries of the cloud one more time. No other company has the extensive portfolio of HCL and the human capital and engineering expertise to continue the evolution to the modern cloud.”

Pushing the Boundaries

With a passion for developing and delivering innovative offerings that enable HCL clients’ Cloud-driven business success, Siki ensures a transformative shift in the global business circle.

When Siki stepped into the cloud, she had served as the CEO of several companies with successful exits. She was recruited in 2010 to build a cloud business in a traditional IT services company. At first, they debated public or private, on premise and off-premise, while she said let the workloads be the guide. When everyone was preoccupied with rate cards, Siki joked that companies weren't lining up to 'buy a pound of cloud'. Instead, they were interested in how cloud adoption would change the way they did business and facilitate growth and competition. This position was the defining moment of Siki's career.

To mitigate the fear of on-premises cloud infrastructure, Siki brought in a brilliant team of people and worked with her partners EMC and VMware to build a cloud stack that could live on-premises, delivering the value of opex infrastructure combined with the speed and agility of the off-premises cloud. Siki says, "We called it BizCloud and introduced it to the market with an equally unique pricing model. For a company that specialized in managing onpremises, legacy infrastructure, BizCloud was a gamechanger."

Siki adds, " This private cloud provided a way for companies to learn about and appreciate the agility of cloud while they overcame their fear of off-premises infrastructure."

During this time, Siki met Kaylan Kumar, now Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for HCL Technologies. She shares, "I continued to push the boundaries of cloud at other large consulting companies until KK, as we call him, made me an offer to join HCL and I couldn't refuse. I joined HCL because I believed that KK and the ideapreneurs at

At HCL, Siki is on a mission to enable her clients to envision their future, finding their north star, and bringing that future vision into focus with the modern cloud.

A Promising Future

HCL Technologies CEO, C Vijay Kumar, encourages everyone to work with purpose and has chosen a simple-toremember mantra to guide personal development and keep them focused on their personal growth. The organization has adopted a guru mantra that characterizes HCL ideapreneurs: Do, Learn, and Contribute.

Talking about the mission and vision of HCL Technologies Siki says, "Original thinking is highly valued, which enables HCL to develop so many products that are embedded in the solutions we bring to the client. Always innovative, our solutions focus on automation and risk mitigation. HCL exists to grow and compete aggressively, to challenge the status quo. Every person at HCL derives personal pride from getting it done."

As a visionary leader, Siki intends to be in the moment, innovating, leading, and contributing to the HCL community. She quotes, "Like my friends here, I will DO, LEARN and CONTRIBUTE to benefit our customers and myself."

Driving Sustainability with Positive Work Culture Siki is approaching the HCL workflow with a futuristic vision. "HCL understands the challenges. To meet the challenge the HCL human motor hums with productivity.

Speaking about the positive work culture of HCL, which is known for its' can-do attitude', Siki expresses, "The company is obsessed with immortalizing how much they can

DO and how they will do it! The leadership believes that our work is very relevant, integral to our clients' businesses. Everyone here approaches their work with the right intent and with the intensity it deserves."

the technology, expertise, and experience to enable our clients to reach their north star.

At HCL Technologies, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are the centerpiece of the organization's culture. The tech giant focuses on sustainability and discovers ways to protect resources to benefit the world. It represents 50 countries with many cultures and languages. Siki mentions that HCL CEO, C Vijay Kumar governs programs that develop women leaders, and create a culture that is conducive to women, ethnicities, multiple generations, and people with disabilities.

With modern infrastructure playing a pivotal role in cloud computation, business leaders are leveraging technology to promote health, wellness, and equitable access to education across socio-economic classes.

Advancing with Technology Siki is a resilient leader who is known for her unique approach to the technological transformation of businesses without adding to their technical debt. She notes, "We bring agility and speed to our customers. Our customers expect us to fast-track their cloud journey with innovative tools and capabilities. They want HCL to modernize their applications and how they are leveraging data to innovate without risk and make risk-free decisions. Finally, they expect excellence in digital engineering."

At HCL Technologies, the cloud is the consistent technology in all the business segments: IT Business Services, Engineering & Research Services, and Products & Platforms. It's consulting-led CloudSMART is the HCL strategy to provide customers with continuous cloud modernization. Siki explains, the modern business is a perpetual state of change and #HCLCloudSMART provides

The Next Big Change

Sharing her vision of social development through empowering the Digital age, Siki expresses that technology is everywhere but not equitably accessible. There are rural towns everywhere in the world with limited access to the internet. This is a primary cause of generational poverty, infant mortality, and chronically ill populations.

Today, sustainability is emerging as a major consideration for clients consuming the cloud. Green IT is leading the way making sustainability central to the organization's technology priorities in line with the UN-SDGs. Cloud services consume energy and must be monitored, controlled, and evolve to use better energy sources.

Predicting the future of cloud computing she explains that HCL sees tremendous potential in a data-centric approach to gaining insights and believes in achieving responsible AI. "I am personally monitoring Quantum Computing and see quantum computing and cloud at a crossroads. In the search for a better platform to crunch data for intelligence, enterprise organizations will continue streamlining quantum computing services by leveraging the cloud. Cloud and quantum computing will work together to support the Data-Driven Enterprises. In the not too distant future, cloud may run out of steam, and quantum will enable the outcomes that Cloud will not be able to compute," says Siki.

A Smart Counsel Advising the budding entrepreneurs who are likely to venture into cloud technology, Siki gives a three-fold business mantra. "First – love learning, be inquisitive.

Second – embrace change without fear. Third – be honest with yourself, your customers, and the people you work with. They will trust you and be willing to follow you," concludes Siki.

Alexi Venneri

Co-founder & CEO

Alexi Venneri

Delivering a Better Consumer Experience Through Technology

D

igital Air Strike co-founder and CEO Alexi Venneri started her innovative company after her automotive advertising agency closed amid OEM bankruptcies and dealership shutdowns. During the Great Recession, Alexi knew that even though advertising budgets had been cut dramatically, dealerships and other businesses still needed to reach consumers — much like today.

Twelve years ago, social media was starting to be used in business-to-consumer communication.

This was before business pages even existed on Facebook. Alexi knew social media was where consumers were spending their time and wanted to provide a low-cost way for businesses to attract consumers. Digital Air Strike was founded to help dealers monetize the low-cost reach, engagement, and social media opportunity, even before advertising on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.

“I was always fascinated by entrepreneurs, and

May 2022 | 14 | www.insightssuccess.com

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

when I wrote my first book, I had been a successful executive but had not yet started my own company," Alexi said. "It took the recession to force me to start my venture, and I found I loved creating a fantastic culture where everyone loved seeing their colleagues and enjoyed going to work."

Today, Digital Air Strike has grown to over 150 employees with more than 7,700 businesses and automotive clients nationwide. As the leading customer engagement technology partner, the company has completed six mergers and acquisitions and expanded to provide a suite of consumer engagement technology and services. Business solutions include AI chat messaging, consumer text marketing, digital and streaming advertising, inventory merchandising, online reputation management, and video lead engagement.

Digital Air Strike is honored Alexi was chosen by Insights Success magazine as one of the ten most inspiring women leaders to follow in 2022. Alexi is the backbone of the company and the impetus behind Digital Air Strike's growth to help businesses in 32 countries leverage technology to attract, convert, and retain more customers.

Alexi and the Digital Air Strike team strive to provide the best customer experience for clients. One of the company's values is "Clients Win." In the past year, Alexi has led the team to develop new technology, helped clients leverage it, and acquired two new companies: BestRide.com and LotVantage.

BestRide.com is an innovative automotive marketplace that allows consumers to search for millions of new and used cars online from car dealers across the United States.

LotVantage is a digital inventory marketing software-as-a-

Technology that drives a better consumer experience.

service company that effectively enables auto, RV, marine, and powersports dealerships to merchandise their inventory through advanced targeting and data analytics.

In January, Digital Air Strike launched its LotVantage Partner Program. The expanded program enables dealerships and their marketing partners to merchandise inventory more effectively, deliver targeted messaging to consumers, and drive business results through increased vehicle sales and fixed operations service activities.

"For more than ten years, Digital Air Strike has provided our channel partners with innovative inventory merchandising and customer engagement technology," Alexi said. "Through the launch of Digital Air Strike's LotVantage Partner Program, we are combining the capabilities of Digital Air Strike and the acquisition of LotVantage to deliver a robust suite of solutions."

In October, Digital Air Strike was recognized again for its digital marketing, reputation management, and social media management technology and services, picking up top honors in new customer experience technology categories: new vehicle leads, mobile media, and video messaging.

DAS won a record six 2021 Dealers' Choice Awards from Auto Dealer Today. The awards are incredibly gratifying since auto dealers, Digital Air Strike's primary clientele, decide the winners.

"Think like an owner" is one of the company's mottos.

Alexi appreciates when employees take the initiative and offer suggestions to move the company forward. She started the WIT (Whatever It Takes) awards to encourage employees to nominate other team members who go above and beyond to help clients, co-workers, and the company.

Eight WIT winners are chosen monthly to be recognized at the company meeting, win $250, and receive a trophy for their desk.

Alexi started the employee-led DASVentures group, which organizes fun, healthy activities every month for employees across the U.S. Recent activities have included a bowling outing, a step challenge (with the winning team logging in over 1 million steps), and the annual holiday party at a casino resort that included a Gin Blossoms concert. Digital Air Strike has an active private Facebook group the team regularly posts photos and updates in, and Alexi is a regular contributor.

Digital Air Strike has an unrivaled company culture that Alexi is behind. Another big perk for employees is the

May 2022 | 15 | www.insightssuccess.com

The Digital Air Strike team and family members visited London and Stonehenge over the New Year’s Eve holiday as part of the annual President’s Club trip. choose the charity's causes meaningful to their backgrounds and families.

Digital Air Strike co-founder and CEO Alexi Venneri has met entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Richard Branson many times at client G-20 Summit trips at Branson’s private islands in the British Virgin Islands. annual President's Club trip, which every employee can either win or earn their way to attend the all-expenses-paid trip. The most recent trip was a 5-day vacation in London over New Year's Eve. The team visited Stonehenge and Windsor Castle, enjoyed a double-decker afternoon tea bus tour through the city, and stayed in a beautiful castle resort in the English countryside.

Alexi has also established a culture of charity through its DASCares initiative organized by DASVentures. Giving back monthly to nonprofits in need are near and dear to what the company is all about. Digital Air Strike has given back to dozens of charities through hundreds of thousands of dollars financially and through in-kind donations, along with countless hours of employee volunteerism. Employees

Alexi is also the mastermind behind Digital Air Strike offering flexible work schedules and monthly half days to provide volunteerism. Alexi is always available to support her team's efforts, open her wallet to help, and ignite the spirit of volunteerism in employees.

“I'm most proud of being able to hire intelligent and driven team members first during the Great Recession and now to continue to hire and grow during a pandemic," Alexi said.

"We have the best people and technology, and everyone cares about our clients getting incredible results."

Digital Air Strike helps businesses improve the consumer experience for customers through a free Mystery Shop and Intel Report. Request the free reports at digitalairstrike.com/mystery-shop and digitalairstrike.com/intel-report.

May 2022 | 16 | www.insightssuccess.com

Giving Voice to Women in the Transportation Sector

A

lmost every industry has had inspiring stories that brought about a much-needed change. One such uplifting story is of Ellen Voie, who convinced an entire industry to focus its attention on women’s careers.

Ellen started her quest to make the transportation industry a positive place for women. Due to her unmatched efforts, her voice has been heard at a larger scale and led to many changes at a national level in the transportation segment.

Currently, Ellen is the CEO and President of the Women In Trucking Association which was established with the sole purpose of helping women with their transportation careers. As the name of the organization suggests, its main goal is to drive passionate women to build a successful career in the trucking industry. She is continuing to inspire women build their careers in trucking while also helping them do so.

We at Insights Success caught up with her to hear her thoughts and vision regarding her personal as well as professional goals.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at the organization.

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

As the founder of the Women In Trucking Association my first challenge was to convince an industry that there was a need to focus on women’s careers in transportation. Fifteen years ago, most carriers just hired the best person, without regard to age, gender or ethnicity. However, there wasn’t a

level playing field and women were expected to fit into a male dominated environment. Now that we have better data on the advantages of hiring women.

Tell us something more about the organization and its mission and vision.

The Women In Trucking Association was formed to encourage the employment of women in transportation careers, to address obstacles that might keep women from succeeding and to celebrate the success of our members. We currently have 6,400 members in ten countries.

Surprisingly, fifteen percent of our members are men who join because they support our mission. As a professional/trade organization we are supported by our members who pay dues in order to access our resources and take advantage of our networking opportunities.

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

My entire career has been in the trucking industry. In 1980 I earned a diploma in Traffic & Transportation Management which has given me the background to better understand the challenges in the supply chain. I went on to earn a bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Communication, and my thesis focused on the “Complex Identities of Women Married to Professional Drivers.” This has provided insight into the family aspects of the job, which is more of a lifestyle than it is a career. Because of my passion for the people side of the industry, I have a different view of how to solve many of our challenges in regard to recruiting, promotion and retention of women in trucking careers.

Through my role at Women In Trucking, I have been able to have a voice at the national level. I currently serve on the

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Ellen Voie

CEO and President Women In Trucking Association

“

We all have a passion for empowering and supporting women in the trucking industry.

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The 10 Most Insprinig Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, and I have served on the Entry Level Driver Training Advisor Committee. I also serve on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association as well as the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s Motor Carrier Advisor Committee. I believe my passion for serving as a resource has allowed me to be a credible source for issues concerning women working in the trucking industry.

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

As an association, we have always had a remote workforce.

Our team is spread across the country, but we stay connected through the use of technology. However, this means our staff must be self-motivated and focused on output, not on time spent working. Our values are truly what has made our progress so dramatic, as we all have a passion for empowering and supporting women in the trucking industry. Without this shared goal, we wouldn’t exist.

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

Technology has truly changed the way we communicate with our members. When the pandemic required us to cancel our conference, we turned to a virtual event which was very successful. Technology has also given us the opportunity to use social media to tell our story. We leverage Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and You Tube. Our drivers can easily add videos and photos to share and to tell their stories.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the industry?

If I could change something in the trucking industry, it would be to create a more female-friendly environment.

Instead of expecting women to fit into an industry that was designed for men, I would welcome simple adaptions such

as women’s uniforms, trucks that are more ergonomically designed for women, rest rooms and showers more accessible for women and even marketing materials more gender-inclusive. The trucking industry has been a very male-dominated industry for nearly a century, so it is slow to change.

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

The next big change in the trucking industry will be the push for more autonomous vehicles. While we embrace the safety technology that is being added to these vehicles, we don’t anticipate a driverless truck will be a common site on our nation’s highways in the short term. However, as anticollision, anti-rollover, anti-theft and so much better technology is added to these trucks it will make the job safer, the highways safer and our drivers safer and we welcome that.

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

A few years ago, I announced my goal to retire in 2023, so we have been working on a succession plan to replace me as the CEO of Women In Trucking. My future goal for the association is to grow and to become a greater influence in the industry. My personal goals are to turn over the lead to a capable and passionate person who will advance our mission.

What would be your advice to budding women entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the industry?

For any female entrepreneur, but especially for women in male populated careers, my advice is to determine where you want to be in the short term as well as long term. Write down your goals and then build the steps it will take to achieve them. Antione de Saint Exupery, a French writer and aviator once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Create a vision board or display your plan where you can see it every day.

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Jenniffer Breitenstein

Chief Marketing and Operations Officer

OnPoint Warranty

Kellie Harrison

VP Client Services

OnPoint Warranty

OnPoint's Insuretech, Mobile and Warranty Services help any organization Increase Revenue and Drive Brand Loyalty, seamlessly.”

Kim Molkoski

VP, Business Development Mobile and Technology Verticals

OnPoint Warranty

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to follow in 2022

Jenniffer Breitenstein, Kellie Harrison and Kim Molkoski

I

The Dynamic Trio Disrupting the Insuretech Market nsuretech means many things to many people. It typically describes a warranty company that provides a software platform that facilitates warranty sales by eCommerce providers. But, it is so much more.

OnPoint Warranty Solutions connects brands and consumers through API Forward Insuretech and dynamic mobile and warranty service solutions designed to reduce risk, increase efficiency, delight customers, and improve bottom lines. This Month, we highlight Jenniffer Breitenstein, Kellie Harrison, and Kim Molkoski, the dynamic women of OnPoint that have helped propel the company as a leader in the insuretech, mobile and warranty verticals, all while keeping an eye on customer experience.

As the Chief Marketing Officer, Jenniffer brings a collaborative, solution-oriented leadership style that's been critical to bringing innovative insuretech and warranty solutions to market. OnPoint offer clients and consumers the ability to seamlessly offer and purchase personalized warranty protection and on-demand service solutions. With an eye on the competitive market, and changing consumer preferences, as well as 30 + years in the warranty and technology verticals, Jenniffer has helped the business become the go-to insuretech provider. OnPoint’s Service Avenger Insuretech solution enables manufacturers, retailers and eCommerce providers, builders, insurers, home warranty companies, MVNOs and carriers, service companies to digitize the warranty process. Through a comprehensive suite of APIs, warranty sellers can sell warranty protection and service plans. Avenger, combined with OnPoint's administrative capabilities support post-sale warranty fulfillment and repair service support, as well as real-time claim reimbursements via common payment platforms such as Paypal. What’s more, Jenniffer maximizes her client’s long-term revenue potential through offering continuously innovative, personalized warranty and

mobile products which offer protection for a lifetime, for the products that matter most to consumers.

Kellie Harrison, Vice President of Client Services, is the glue that makes OnPoint stick! Kellie and her teams work with every client to deploy OnPoint’s insuretech, mobile, and warranty solutions. She ensures that programs launch on time, as promised, and deliver the highest levels of customer warranty service experiences on the market.

Kellie and the client and customer service teams at OnPoint care about consumers. Kellie has empowered the team with technology, knowledge, and the autonomy to solve product problems every day. She taps into decades of experience in the medical industry to craft and fine-tune the processes and curriculum OnPoint's team relies on to deliver great service and keep customers coming back for more warranty protection plans every day.

Kim Molkoski, Vice President Business Development has been instrumental in OnPoint’s success in the Mobile and Technology Verticals. With decades of experience in the technology and mobility industry, Kim is leading the creation of innovative, B2B and consumer-centric mobile warranty solutions for OnPoint. Kim’s key focus in the mobile space is evaluating the competitive landscape and finding solutions and products which offer clients a way to differentiate themselves in the market. Acquisition, churn and attach are critical to mobile and technology clients.

She’s been able to construct comprehensive, end-to-end mobile solutions which drive sales for our clients, thereby creating a new niche for OnPoint, which offers solutions direct to the consumer, to commercial, government and education sectors, and to carriers and MVNOs. Bounce Mobile Solutions offers Total Device Protection including repair and damage protection for new, refurbished and BYOD devices; Screen Replacement Plans for any mobile device; Bundled Reseller Solutions which combine device procurement, financing, airtime, warranty protection (repair

May 2022 | 23 | www.insightssuccess.com

+ ADH) and trade-in administration for new and refurbished devices; and lastly, Whole Home Electronics Protection which offers resellers and consumers personalized warranty repair protection for all of the new and existing electronics, computing, mobile and smart products in their homes.

Separate Journeys, Converged Paths Jenniffer began her career in marketing at a third-party warranty administrator in Louisville, KY, which was started by a team from GE Appliances. She made a conscious decision to work in a smaller business to gain experience outside of her college major. She was able to work across marketing, operations, IT, and even service, earning an immeasurable amount of knowledge and experience.

Jenniffer was then able to catapult from there to GE Warranty Management. She was able to gain 'big business' experience, again, gaining an immense amount of knowledge and experience working across several groups within the business. She took a direct sales role for a short period to get experience from the other side of the lens, if you will, and left to work with a former GE colleague in a US-based startup of a British company, ServicePower.

There she served many roles but continued to work with manufacturers, retailers, service providers, and third-party administrators while in this technology business. She gained much insight into what it takes to build a technology platform, drive its adoption, and also what it took to deliver great customer service experiences in a product service business.

Jenniffer stayed there until 2018 when she joined two former colleagues, Chris Smith, and Rob Christian, in a new startup, OnPoint Warranty Solutions, an insuretech, warranty, and now mobile services business. At OnPoint Warranty, she's been able to apply her experience across business verticals to launch the business and drive its growth. Jenniffer has a BSBA from the University of Louisville and is a 6 Sigma certified green belt.

Kellie's path was through the medical industry. Kellie is a senior entrepreneurial executive with over 25+ years of experience in strategic business development, account management, and team development. As VP of Client Services at Stone Clinical Labs and Gulfstream Diagnostics, she optimized operational efficiencies, increased productivity, and exceeded target sales goals. She worked directly with patient service providers and understands what it takes to deliver great patient care.

Though that sounds very different from product service, what's needed to exceed in medical care is similar to that of a product and warranty service.

At OnPoint, Kellie uses her experiences working with patients and caregivers to care for its consumers. It delivers product service on behalf of its clients and through its direct-to-consumer brands, Fixhomz and Bounce. She combines a lead-by-example management style with intuitive sales strategies to maximize operational efforts, focusing on CX while driving the business towards profitability and value to clients. Kellie is a certified MT ASCP and a 6 Sigma white belt, with a MA from Webster University.

Kim took a different path. Focusing exclusively within the mobile and technology verticals, Kim held various leadership roles, including Sales Management, Account Executive, for a number of mobile and technology distributors, Business Development manufacturers, resellers, and MVNOs, including Bell ExpressVu, Bell Distribution, Mobilicity, Ingram Micro Mobility, and Zoompass. Kim has been instrumental in various startup's and taken the skills she gained in those businesses, from setting new standards in policy & procedures, developing new verticals and channels to compete in, to maximizing overall sales performance by focusing on innovation and customer care. Her drive to see her customers succeed helped develop new mobile solutions, which opened new channels for OnPoint's insuretech and mobile warranty products. Kim holds a BA, Arts, and Psychology from the University of Guelph, Ontario.

The Impact Experts OnPoint and its insuretech, mobile, and warranty service solutions have made a huge impact on the industry. As the female leaders in the business, Jenniffer, Kellie, and Kim have used their business experience to drive innovation and customer experience for consumers and staff. Many hourly workers tend to be very transient in other businesses, especially after COVID. However, OnPoint has driven a culture of inclusion focused on empowering its teams to deliver great CX. It has team members that have been with the company since day one.

OnPoint has been instrumental in positioning its business as an industry innovator, focusing on consumer experience from a corporate perspective. It dictates that every product service interaction deliver the highest levels of quality possible for consumers. OnPoint calls its staff 'Service

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Avengers' and has empowered them to be problem solvers and customer superstars. This focus on consumer experience has been critical in landing fortune 100 companies as a startup.

OnPoint's Service Avenger Insuretech platform facilitates seamless warranty offers via retail, e-commerce platforms, or aftermarket efforts. It has integrated SKU management, contract onboarding, terms delivery, intelligent service dispatching, and claims adjudication. The platform is APIforward in design and incorporates the latest omnichannel consumer communications and real-time claim payments.

Many of the company's home warranty and e-commerce competitors have come to OnPoint for assistance. It has assisted global competitors and clients in streamlining the warranty offer and sales process through Avenger. It does so through either a software deployment or a mobile or warranty services engagement. Its solutions and administrative capabilities create more brand loyalty and increase repeat sales for its clients. It has been instrumental in driving innovation in an industry fraught with old tech and bad consumer experiences. This platform has increased its addressable market 10-fold by creating cooperative, competitive offerings. Co-opetition is this team's favorite word.

Importance of Technology The warranty business has been decisively changed by insuretech solutions, led in large part by OnPoint. Warranty sellers need warranty technology that takes the burden from their IT organization to become warranty experts. Avenger does that. Its API-forward design includes integrations for every point in the process, from the offer to transacting a sale, to repair and replacement reimbursements when combined with OnPoint's administrative capabilities and portfolio of underwritten protection products.

Insurance technology is so powerful, that OnPoint has become the Insuretech to the Insuretechs and theWarranty Administrator to OEMs, Retailers, and Third Party Administrators alike.

Service Avenger offers 360° functionality to support warranty products. Its key differentiators are: • API-forward design • eCommerce clients can quickly facilitate online warranty offers and contract fulfillment through Avenger.

• OEMs, retailers, and home warranty sellers can

quickly provide warranty service fulfillment to consumers through Avenger.

•

•

POS Support Clients can utilize OnPoint's Insuretech platform as a service, as their front end, to facilitate sales, service, or aftermarket campaigns.

•

Warranty Service Fulfillment.

• Clients, including TPA and home warranty competitors, can sell a product or extended warranties and rely on OnPoint as their backend, to deliver great customer service experiences postsale.

•

Logistics solutions • Integrated logistics capabilities improve product service satisfaction through reduced delivery time, depot, advanced exchange, and refurbishment services.

•

Underwriting Brokerage services • Its extensive network of global underwriting partners enables OnPoint to constructure the best insurance solutions for clients.

The platform was designed technically to support any sales channel with offer logic and eCommerce, SKU and contract management, and post-sale, with administration and entitlement, service fulfillment, and claims adjudication and payments.

Above and Beyond The OnPoint team is invested in the success of the business.

Jenniffer, Kellie, and Kim agree that “It's a family here. We want to continue to grow the business and our teams and become the benchmark that our competitors are held up to."

Passing the Torch The OnPoint team advise budding female entrepreneurs to use what is innately female to drive success for themselves.

Women are capable of big things and have to support each other to do so.

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Karen Viera

Global Chief People Ofcer

Church's Chicken

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to follow in 2022

KAREN Viera

Maintaining a Laser-Focused Concentration on Achieving Commercial Obje ives

I think it is important to gain experience across your discipline and in different areas of a company as that adds to your skillset and broadens your business per

e ive.

O

ne often reaches a point where one feels stagnant with their choices, pondering questions like, are you doing something you love? Are you getting closer to your objective, or are you getting further away, eventually becoming a watershed moment in your life.

Karen Viera experienced the same thing when she started her professional career with a summer architecture internship. However, she quickly discovered that her passion for business and people was better aligned with human resources. And as time went on, she continued to branch out into new fields of work to widen her commercial horizons. Currently, Karen is a Global Chief People Officer at Church's Chicken, a 70-year brand and private equity owned quick-service restaurant chain.

Insights Success caught up with Karen in our endeavor to find "The10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022" to know more about her journey.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at the Company.

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

I began my professional career with a summer architectural internship but quickly realized that field wasn't the right fit.

Instead, my calling was to pursue a career in human resources where I could change how people react to

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Church's Mission is to provide great value and the bold taste of Texas to our guests, growth to our franchisees, opportunities to our team members, and support to the communities we serve.

Church's Vision is to become the global franchisor of choice.

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

In the midst of an unprecedented era of urgency, human resource professionals have found themselves front and center in a push to launch new initiatives.

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Church's leadership teams launched an engagement campaign to recognize its essential workers in the restaurants, implementing enhanced bonus programs to ensure our employees know they are appreciated.

Our human resources team is also focused on integrating equality, inclusion, and diversity into the Company's global initiatives, taking deliberate measures to expand cultural perspectives, strengthen and build cultural security, and instill global equality of opportunities.

Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization. different or new situations, especially in the workplace and make a business impact. I haven't always worked in human resources, including venturing into project management, and I lead an organizational effectiveness division for a Fortune 500 Insurance Company under their Operations Division for several years. I think it is important to gain experience across your discipline and in different areas of a company as that adds to your skillset and broadens your business perspective. Contributing to the advancement of business objectives through human capital initiatives requires a solid understanding of people and the impact of those initiatives to the revenue stream of a company.

Tell us something more about the Company and its Mission and Vision.

Founded in 1952 in San Antonio, Church's Chicken is one of the world's largest quick-service restaurant chicken chains, with more than 1,500 locations in 25 countries and international territories.

Our employees are the heart of the organization and the strength of the brand. The brand is the image and personality – and our people are the spirit that brings it to life for our guests. The "Our Texas Way" people brand integrates the Company's values, employee appreciation, and guest experiences. The program is designed to increase employee engagement and build the kind of team-member pride that is the basis of memorable brands. In addition, Church's Chicken won the Top Workplace recognition by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2021.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring to the industry?

The Great Resignation wave hit retail and restaurant jobs particularly hard. Recruiting and retention will continue to be a strong focus, as will effective recruiting methods, onboarding, and training technology over the next few years. Today's technology is changing rapidly in every industry, including the restaurant space. Training current

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employees and new hires on new technologies along with ensuring a strong people culture are critical to our success.

The "Our Texas Way' people brand began by creating an employee value proposition based on an internal survey and focus groups. We included domestic and international employees, along with franchisees, to ensure that the outcome would resonate with everyone. The resulting value proposition based on this feedback is "Building Friendships and a Future with our Down Home pride." Building a future says a lot. Our employees want a career; they want growth.

Through the focus groups to create Our Texas Way, we uncovered what was most valuable to employees and how they take action every day in the restaurants.

As we continue with our people-first strategy, we are also focused on leveraging technology for enhancing communications and training to have a more consistent and broader reach to all employees. We will continue to focus on these key areas as we ensure our employees feel appreciated and are engaged, learning, and continue to grow.

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

Our focus on our 'People First" strategy will continue to be our top priority, and that includes training and developing staff as well as driving the "Our Texas Way" people brand with our restaurant teams.

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

Church's is expanding internationally, and we are going into new countries for the next few years beyond the 25 countries where we currently reside. In addition, we are rebranding our restaurants and looking to grow our franchisee base domestically.

operations, marketing to supply chain to the more traditional finance, legal and human resources areas. This is the closest I have worked with the supply chain teams, and I am fascinated and have great respect for their work. I am deeply impressed with the skills of our restaurant managers and the heart and work ethic of our restaurant employees.

The greatest percentage of our restaurant leadership are women, and working in this industry provides a path to management and can be a great step to becoming a franchise owner.

What would be your advice to budding women entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the industry?

Church's Chicken was my first venture into Private Equity and the Food Industry, as most of my experience comes from Fortune 500 Insurance and Medical companies. I found the QSR Industry to be fast-paced and a fascinating place to work. There is a broad range of jobs to consider, from restaurant employment and management and

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Importance of Balancing All the Aspects of Life L

ife is not black and white. There are many shades of grey. We are not islands or saints or renunciants or frustrated monks or fanatic or dogmatic people to be perfectly detached from everything and focus on only one aspect of life. There are many aspects to the lives of every individual. Doing justice to all responsibilities means work-life balance. Jobs or businesses fill our pockets; adventures fill our souls. Therefore, having a healthy balance of entrepreneurship and personal life is of great importance in the lives of almost everyone. Although attaining perfect work-life balance in the ultra-modern world is nearly impossible, but reasonable amount of worklife balance in the lives of professionals and entrepreneurs is essential for functioning efficiently in the long run.

Although a healthy work-life balance is different for everyone, the essential aspects of doing justice to the role, routines, relationships, responsibilities, and results are the vital aspects of a healthy work-life balance almost for everyone. Focusing too much on business results and ignoring important relationships will not be sustainable; we need to diligently balance the different aspects of life. We May 2022 | 32 | www.insightssuccess.com

Work-life Balance should have the capabilities of delivering great business results and the ability to do justice to our relationships in our personal lives. We should not be too busy making a living by being engaged in our jobs or businesses that we may forget to make a life. Business leaders need to be smart enough to be able to balance the professional and personal aspects of their lives.

Planning work activities in such a way that it will not hamper fitness and family goals should be the priority of business leaders. They should set an example of leading balanced personal and professional lives. They should use productivity tools for managing their work and life. They should ensure that they are not neglecting the other aspect by focusing only on one aspect too much. And they should also ensure that they are not becoming complacent in their professional responsibilities in the name of attaining worklife balance. Making efficient use of available time will help business leaders attain a healthy work-life balance. They should practice some meditation techniques that will enhance their thought process, calmness, and ability to do things balanced without being overreactive.

Responding to situations calmly, wisely, and intelligently is a sign of a healthy work-life balance. As they say, life is 10% what happens to us and 90% the way we react to it.

Business leaders should have the right disposition and positive mental attitude to respond to the eventual challenges and different situations.

A healthy work-life balance gives business leaders the edge to make profitable business decisions and enhances productivity at workplaces. Taking some time off from work helps business leaders to function more effectively and creatively when they are back to work. Besides, innovativeness gets enhanced with a healthy work-life balance. In fact, business leaders should promote the culture of healthy work-life balance in the employees to bring out the best in them for organizational growth.

Learning to say no to unnecessary things, events, people also plays a significant role in balancing work and life. It is equally important for business leaders to know what to do and what not to do. Taking scheduled breaks at regular intervals is the most important work-life balance element.

To conclude, physical fitness, mental toughness, intellectual sharpness, spiritual calmness, and business acumen are the most important qualities to be a successful business leader, balance all the aspects of life very judiciously, and ensure a healthy work-life balance.

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The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

T

aking live lessons from the comfort of one's home or office is no longer a difficult task. Leveraging the opportunity to offer classes through a live virtual classroom to professionals all around the globe is Marina Tognetti, whose company delivers live tutoring of 45 languages over the net. She is the Founder and CEO of mYngle, a global quality language learning platform, one of the pioneers in the field. Lessons at mYngle are delivered using a virtual classroom, a tool consisting of VoIP combined with an integrated whiteboard.

Before founding mYngle, Marina had more than 20 years of experience as an international manager, had lived in different countries and learned six languages, she therefore knows very well the benefits of communicating in a native language. She was prompted to start mYngle after the difficulties she faced while trying to learn Chinese in a way that could be combined with her busy job.

possibility of making a real difference with it.

When the company started, it was among the first to provide one-to-one teaching in all languages over the internet. Now COVID has completely changed the world as we know it, causing major disruption to many businesses.

While many of the traditional offline players have been challenged by this sudden shift caused, mYngle was already in the 'right place.' It was built on many years of experience and knows that migrating existing classroom training programs to digital is not just the application of existing technology solutions. It requires a more fundamental rethinking of the total learning experience, from trainers to content to the blended form. This is where mYngle is making an impact, keeping ahead in this digital transformation by constantly innovating and pursuing the best possible quality and results, educating the market on the difference between improvised solutions and years of expertise.

Pioneers in the Field

Obsession with Customer Satisfaction

After graduation Marina found herself thriving in an era where entrepreneurship was not very common for academics, she decided therefore to first build a successful career with large multinationals. She worked at Procter & Gamble, Philips, Sara Lee, The Boston Consulting Group, and eBay in different Countries while also pursuing her MBA from INSEAD.

In mYngle, the team nurtures an obsession for customer satisfaction, which is also one of the company's key

Marina was working as a consultant on a project on internet strategy when she first saw the potential of the internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever the way they buy/sell/interact. This experience was the driver to start an innovative company like mYngle, as Marina saw the

Myngle is just what you’ve been waiting for, language lessons that come to you.

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strengths. Three of its key core values are in fact around customers: Customer-centric, Commitment, and Excellence.

The purpose is to continuously improve the service. The team does it by constantly listening to users' feedback and improving accordingly, as well as leveraging new technologies to their advantage.

Innovation is achieved by stimulating a culture of experimentation and allowing mistakes. Innovation cannot exist in a culture of fear of consequences. Myngle tries to develop people that think and not only do "jobs." Marina looks for entrepreneurs in the staff that joins mYngle, people who do not keep the status quo but push themselves beyond their comfort zone. She is not afraid of failure and constantly urges the team to innovate.

The company's vision is to disrupt the traditional world of education by providing high-quality, virtual language education at any time and place. With COVID, all has changed, and the world is embracing online education.

Soon it will become the norm, setting the standards in terms of quality and flexibility. The company is trying to leverage this opportunity as it forecasted the future much before others did.

Interactive and Immersive Classrooms Customers are now discovering all the advantages of virtual education compared to the traditional ones in a physical classroom. It offers the same results, but with significantly more convenience, with lessons 24/7 and flexible scheduling, and the possibility of benefitting from the skills of teachers that are not located in geographical proximity.

These benefits go beyond the short-term limitations of the lockdown, modernizing the world of education.

The education industry is now going through significant changes. More changes are to be expected shortly, like an increase in the use of big data, such as students' achievements and attention rates to predict their performance or customize their learning experience.

Augmented reality and virtual reality can help the classroom become more interactive and immersive, and the use of AI can tailor learning for every student. This is something that could change the future of education.

Marina shares, "For mYngle, this means that we need to keep innovating and pursuing the best possible quality and results, educating the market on the difference between improvised solutions and years of expertise to keep on being ahead in this digital transformation."

The Future is Bright for the Education Sector Marina believes that the education industry was operating in the old traditional way, offering learners what is available, not what the industry needs. But "One size does not fit all. I would like to change that," Marina says.

"Something we are doing at mYngle, one of our focus areas and key strengths. Online, of course, makes it easier to offer a much more personalized training and experience. By understanding the customer and diversifying our offer regarding teacher- content- frequency- technology solution, we can match each specific need."

Marina believes that the integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated, and online education will eventually become an integral component of education. This shift to online also opened the company's eyes to the potential of the broader training market, which is less mature than language learning in terms of online solutions. This means that there is a window of opportunity here, similar to that of language learning years ago.

The most important advice Marina would like to give to an aspiring entrepreneur is to stop comparing. The stories they read about the few that ''got it all'' are rare exceptions and often not the full truth. They need to let go of that. "Let go of trying to imitate the types of leadership you see around but are not you and be true to yourself." She adds, "Don't look around for answers; look inside.”

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Miranda McCarthy Founder

10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Miranda

W

McCarthy A Ray of Hope for People with Disabilities

ith a thought to address the long-overdue change in the fitness space, Miranda McCarthy founded Adaptive Yoga LIVE to include people with disabilities. Adaptive Yoga is designed to make yoga accessible to more people; a free online seated yoga class was created for the Disabled community in response to COVID-19.

and with the same drive and determination it takes to wake up every day and overcome the barriers of living in a world that discriminates against you.

Tell us something more about the Company and its mission and vision.

Miranda identified the roots of the problem as two-fold: most people with disabilities are uncomfortable in fitness spaces, and there is a severe lack of Disabled trainers and coaches.

As a result of the stigma associated with disability, people with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life which deprives us of opportunities essential to our social development, health, and wellbeing.

Inspired by the work of Miranda, Insights Success reached out to her and talked about how she is addressing the critical issues and removing obstacles for Disabled people who are all on the same journey of self-discovery and selfimprovement.

Disabled people face barriers, both internal and external, constantly telling us we are less than everyone else. In a world where discrimination against disability is institutionalised in the very fabric of our society - can yoga really help people with disabilities feel empowered?

Below are the highlights of the interview:

At Adaptive Yoga LIVE, we say - YES, it can!

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

We remove the biggest obstacles to wellbeing within the Disabled community: inactivity, stress, and loneliness, promoting disability awareness and education. No one should suffer needlessly, and nothing should stand in the way of the right to be well; physically, mentally, and socially.

My journey as a business leader has always been a solo one.

I have been Disabled since I was two years old, which meant I took the road less traveled and, as the poem goes, 'that has made all the difference.'

My challenge of living with chronic illness meant I had to be homeschooled for long periods. I couldn't get my university degree because I had to undergo surgeries, it meant that job opportunities were scarce as reasonable adjustments, such as remote working, we're not made available until only recently.

I knew if I wanted to make my way in the world, I would have to create my opportunities. From designing jewellery, to designing virtual reality, to launching a yoga company, my challenges were all met in the same way: without fear

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the industry through your expertise in the market?

There are 1.5 billion Disabled people on the planet - that's the population of the EU and China combined. One in five people are Disabled, and yet, the inequality in sport and physical activity is still an everyday reality for most Disabled people.

Yoga's global popularity, as well as its proven benefits in terms of physical, mental, and social development, makes it a perfect tool for promoting the inclusion and wellbeing of

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Adaptive yoga from the comfort of your home.

people with disabilities. Virtually any yoga pose can be made accessible whether it's done seated, lying down, or assisted.

In my own personal experience, adaptive yoga is the only thing I have found that works to reduce my chronic pain because, unlike physiotherapy (which just uses movement) yoga incorporates evidence-based interventions such as mindfulness, meditation, and diaphragmatic breathing.

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

We've taken a meritocratic approach to foster a positive culture. We encourage open and frequent sharing of opinions and ideas without fear of negative consequences.

There is a sense of kindness and acceptance, and diversity is embraced and respected. Based on empathy, it is a culture that you can not only see but one you can feel.

Supportive: We exist to support our customers and each other.

Individual: We value each other's differences.

Love: We love the people we serve.

Integrity: We do the right thing even when no one is watching.

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

Technology continues to play a major role for us all at Adaptive Yoga LIVE. Having adaptive yoga classes online makes our service more accessible for Disabled people by removing the barriers to participation, including time commitment, transport, help from others, high cost of gym or studio membership, feelings of social judgement, and lack of accessible facilities and equipment. You are no longer dependent on geographical location, and you can join an adaptive yoga class on the other side of the world, as long as you have an internet connection.

Teleworking technology has allowed me, and the other Disabled people I work with, to create our tailor-made workspace at home, taking into consideration our individual needs, which is not always possible in a physical office. We no longer have to navigate the physical commute on inaccessible transport to buildings without lifts, toilets, or step-free access to do business.

Assistive technologies such as speech-to-text and screenreader software also make communicating for work much smoother; for example, Zoom's automated closed captioning helps those with hearing disabilities.

As a founder with a background in tech, I am very interested in emerging technologies such as virtual reality (VR), Internet of Things (IoT) solutions, and artificial intelligence (AI) to help create an even more flexible and inclusive work environment.

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

One of the biggest shifts we're seeing is that fitness is going beyond achieving the perfect bikini body. The mindset of 'movement is medicine' is growing with a big focus on holistic fitness programs and mind-body practices.

Following multiple lockdowns, financial pressures, and general stress from living through a pandemic, mental health is a key focus in health.

The effects of long covid mean there will be millions of survivors left Disabled by the disease. Adaptive yoga has been proven to be a safe, feasible, and acceptable activity for people with a broad range of comorbidities.

We are currently working with delivery partners such as the UK's National Health Service to provide yoga and yoga therapy for people with chronic illness and disabilities within a primary care setting.

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

Health inequalities are getting worse. The pandemic has laid bare the extent of the global social care crisis. Our aim is to help boost the social, physical & emotional wellbeing of those who are being denied the support they need. We aim to bring Adaptive Yoga LIVE to the most marginalised communities, continue to lobby for equal rights for Disabled people and provide disability education to help eradicate the stigma of disability in society.

What would be your advice to budding women entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the industry?

There's a great saying in yoga "it's not about touching your toes - it's about what you learn on the way down," and the same is true in business because, every time you fail, you learn, so don't be afraid, be fearless!

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Nermine Khouzam Rubin Transforming Africa with Water, Food, and Hope!

May 2022 | 42 | www.insightssuccess.com

10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

W

omen have always been at the helm of social transition. From uprising an international agitation for climate change to engineering the software algorithm, women leadership has a significant share in social transformation.

Meet Nermine Khouzam Rubin, who turned the wheel of human barbarism to rejuvenate the life of African people with water, food, and hope with her 501(c)3 non- profit venture Water 4 Mercy.

As the Founder and CEO of Water 4 Mercy, Nermine envisions redefining African villages by facilitating access to water, sustainable farming practices, and quality agricultural education, all based on a solid and firm foundation. She envisions expanding Water 4 Mercy to all of Africa and bringing dignity, purpose, and economic empowerment to its people.

Prior to Water 4 Mercy, Nermine has held various leadership positions in the healthcare and IT industry. She has an enriched corporate experience of Bayfront Medical Center, Gresham Smith & Partners Architects, Hospital Cost Consultants, and The Thomson Corporation.

Let us discover her social entrepreneurial journey!

Walking the Road Less Travelled!

Nermine refers to herself as a businesswoman with a significant soft side. She holds an MBA and MHS and has also held executive positions in healthcare over the years.

She expresses, "I'm grateful for these experiences as they enabled me to become Founder and CEO of Water 4 Mercy in 2018, the project that comes from my heart."

At Water 4 Mercy, Nermine is focused on facilitating human dignity while turning roadblocks into opportunities.

Talking about challenges, she mentions, "Being from Egypt, I have seen deep poverty. I have seen how the cycles of poverty perpetuate and when people aren't empowered, they cannot break free of it. That is one of the reasons at the core of what Water 4 Mercy does."

Water 4 Mercy helps restore dignity in the villages by providing economic success, entrepreneurship, and education opportunities in the fields of solar, water and agriculture. Nermine's experiences and background have also helped prepare her for the organizations' challenges in raising funds, finding partners, promoting awareness within a multitude of channels, and getting donations.

Nermine states that after many months of extensive research and prayers, she was inspired to get to the root of the problem and permanently end thirst, hunger, and poverty. Water 4 Mercy now provides clean water, agricultural technologies, and modernized educational solutions to remote African villages with a team of implementing partners that include Israeli NGO's Innovation Africa, CultivAid, along with a coalition that share the same HEART comprised of Don Bosco Technical Institutes of Africa, The Israeli Foreign Ministry, Start-Up Nation Central, The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, Embu County.

Making an Impact Nermine is keen on utilizing technology to enable easy access to water, food, and quality education. She notes, "Water 4 Mercy was voted as one of the 'Most Disruptive Companies To Watch' by Technical Era, a magazine for tech executives that focuses on success stories. An honor? Yes, but it came through hard work, learning by doing, and surrounding myself with knowledgeable people. My ability to connect with organizations worldwide has led to the overwhelming success of Water 4 Mercy. Working with the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Israeli NGO's, Don Bosco Technical Institute and others, we bring water to villages formerly stricken by drought. Water is the necessary first step which then enables us to provide 'miracle seeds' from Israel to create sustainable farming."

Water 4 Mercy is enabling the poorest villages that have no means to water to have access to clean water and grow food so that they can thrive independently. It's not just a band-aid solution of throwing money at the situation, because the money will dry up along with the next drought. Nermine asserts, "Remember the adage of giving a man a fish vs. teaching him to fish? Our approach is a permanent solution to end poverty, thirst, and hunger."

Get as much education as possible, then follow your heart.

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Nermine Khouzam Rubin Founder & CEO Water 4 Mercy, INC. Advancing with Technology With the socio-economic empowerment of African remote villages, Nermine team of contractors utilize technological advancement to propel sustainable farming and facilitate educational training.

Nermine states that the technology has contributed to Water 4 Mercy's success. It relies on its partners creating the most advanced techniques in finding water and sustainable solar energy and farming. Working with Hebrew University in Israel and developing 'miracle seeds' that produce more output with less water our team is originating custom systems to educate and spread Israeli knowledge.

Changing with Time At Water 4 Mercy, Nermine is focused on analyzing changes in agricultural innovation and discovering new ways of aligning her organizations with future developments.

Talking about the next big change in the industry, she notes, "We are strategically poised for major growth this year and next. Our successes in Africa are snowballing and will continue as long as donations, grants, etc., can keep up with it. Recently, we have developed Student Service Chapters of our organization where high school students can 'adopt a village' and raise funds. Educators love this program as it spreads empathy for all humans in their classrooms. Moreover, by planting the seeds in our youth, they may be inspired to work within the fields of solar, water and agriculture for the purpose of making a

difference in our world. That is what we see as the next big change - the next generations."

Water 4 Mercy plans its projects to be self-sustainable for generations to come. One of its missions with its Agricultural Innovation and Technology Centers (AITeCs) is to "teach the teachers to teach." It educates and empowers the villagers to then educate and empower the next generation. Nermine believes this model will help grow the village inside out and create ownership over the opportunities.

Nermine is making efforts with many industries, from improving agriculture to training, education, and commerce. She says, "It's a long road, but I would like to change the perception of philanthropy. It's not enough to give them the 'tools', it is imperative to teach them to be autonomously using them."

A Walk into the future Speaking about the company's future goals, she says, "In four short years, Water 4 Mercy, along with our collaborators, has successfully relieved drought, hunger, and poverty in villages in Tanzania, Kenya, and Ethiopia.

Our mission is to continue our process and turn Africa' green.'

She concludes, "In the next four years, and years to come, I see all of our water and agriculture projects being selfsustaining, villages flourishing with drip irrigation, and technical schools training up the brightest and best talent all across the continent.”

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LEADING with ORGANIZED APPROACH and WISE CHOICES

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Well-chosen Way

W

e live in a world filled with tremendous distractions at every moment. There are distractions in the form of diversions from our most cherished goals. These diversions or distractions can be due to distracting people or distracting information. We should make sure that we are always choosing positive and uplifting associations around us. It is very important, especially for business leaders, to maintain a safe distance from envious and insecure people who do not support their goals.

Science is organized knowledge, and wisdom is organized life. Organized life and having an organized approach in business is praiseworthy, and it helps you in making wise choices. Having well-organized systems that deliver consistent results is also essential for the sustainable growth of the business. Those leaders who create organized systems in their businesses are able to ensure sustainable success in their businesses. An organized approach is many times pleasing to the clients, and it becomes an important factor in the growth of the business.

There is also a huge overload of information in the world.

Having access to only the necessary information is an important part that helps in making clever business decisions. It is essential to filter out all the available information and make sure that we refer to the most authorized and essential information.

The most important attribute of organized business leaders is their ability to take the right decisions based on the authorized information and inputs from intelligent advisors in the business. The organized business leaders are never haphazard or irrational in their approach. They know that an instinctive or irrational approach is detrimental. They believe in taking logical, analytical, rational, and calculative decisions. Such decisions lead to the most constructive actions and constructive results. They take decisions based on the cognitive-intensive thought process. They prefer thinking deliberately and acting on the conclusion of most logical thought. That is the most precise, clever, and pragmatic approach to decision-making.

The world is filled with a massive amount of data; therefore, it is absolutely important to know what to read and what not to read. The information does not have to be always new to be helpful but what matters is having timely access to the most important information.

It matters that we are selective in choosing everything carefully in this world. There is absolutely no point in wasting time with people who deplete our precious energy and willpower. We should not waste our time fighting wrong battles. If we waste time in fighting the wrong battles, we will be left with very little energy for our most important battles or goals. We need to utilize our time and fighting spirit for our most important goals or battles. To accomplish anything substantial in this world, we need to pay the price of our sincere efforts and commitment.

Nothing is more dangerous in this world than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Sincere ignorance of not knowing what is right and what is wrong is not at all helpful in making informed and clever decisions.

Conscientious stupidity based on emotional or instinctive, or irrational approach towards decision making is fatal. The weight of regret is heavier than paying the price of sincere efforts. Right association and access to the right information help us to take brilliant decisions. We should not make any room for regrets by being haphazard or inconsistent approach. Minding our own resolutions to be successful in this world is more important than anything else.

An organized approach and wise choices help leaders to be able to run their business in the right direction and with the right approach. This way, they are able to take the business to great heights..

The organized business leaders are not complacent in their approach. They lead with calmness and alertness of mind.

They try their level best to lead with discipline, consistency, and with the right mindset. They make sure that they are not giving in to negative distractions. They never get bewildered by the illusory or destructive opinions of others or wrong information. These leaders plan their actions well and execute with utmost perfection. They promote the right culture in their team members and build the team with adequate talents, skills, abilities, and resourcefulness. They have the courage to lead by taking calculative risks and execute grace even under pressure situations or tough times.

The organized business leaders are decisive and lead with pragmatism and presence of mind. This approach helps them to drive the sustainable growth of their businesses.

May 2022 | 47 | www.insightssuccess.com

Suman Bala A

testers.

A Passionate Leader and an Award-Winning Test Architect

software tester by choice, Suman Bala has proved the value of a testing career and has brought substantial value to the profession of software

When Suman started her career in 2006 after completing a degree in computer science, she was told by the Engineering Manager that she should be a developer just because she could write code. "Software Testing wasn't seen as a skilled job, and I wanted to change that mindset," she notes. She decided to carve a career path in the field of testing to show the value of it and how it brings quality to the entire team.

She has now been coaching teams on technical testing, automation best practices, and strategies for over a decade.

She expresses: "It makes me happy to see how people's perspectives have changed throughout my career and now teams' value that 'quality' is everyone's responsibility.”

Currently, Suman is serving as the Lead Test Architect at easyJet, one of Europe's leading airlines, with its DataDriven approach to Technology.

Being the Change She Wishes to See Suman moved from India to the UK in 2014. Despite her vast experience in software testing, she didn't feel comfortable sharing her knowledge outside the teams because she has a strong Indian-speaking accent. Soon, she realized that she was not the only one facing these barriers,

and she wanted to play her part to improve the diversity and influence other under-represented groups. She wanted to take this forward and feels strongly about the need to share her skills particularly with woman, who are underrepresented in the industry. Suman then took the step to immerse herself within the testing community. Today, she is a mentor to various testers within easyJet and worldwide testing communities.

Suman has been nominated for multiple award categories; Women in Tech Excellence Awards, FDM Women Awards, Women in IT, UK Awards, Woman@Sky, mentor of the year, testing manager of the year, a role model of the year, tech for everyone – champion, making the difference, behind the scenes wonders, changing the game just to name a few. The barriers only existed in her head; it was easy to keep going.

Taking about the lessons learned Suman marks, "We all are superheroes with different powers. Don't let your imposter syndrome push you down; instead, use this as a driving force to move it forward. Be the change you want to see in the world." No matter how busy Suman is, she always finds time to help testers across the world and share her knowledge.

Mentoring Diverse Group of People Alongside her day-to-day job, Suman is co-delivering a software testing Bootcamp in partnership with West Yorkshire Combined Authority. The project aims to make

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Suman Bala Test Architect EasyJet

“

Building Culture of Learning

operates over

300

aircraft

on nearly

1000 routes

to more than

airports 150 across

“

35

countries.

tech education more accessible, create career opportunities for people in under-represented groups, and close the digital skills gap for local businesses. Over 50% of those learners are female, and a large contingent comes from the BAME community, with an emphasis on using this project to promote greater diversity and equality within the local tech industry. She is honored to coach and mentor such a diverse group of people. Some of the learners from the Bootcamp have already started their careers in testing and Suman is proud to be part of their journey. She is excited to see where the learner's career progression in the coming future.

Giving back to the community and making an impact on people's careers is what keeps Suman going. She hopes to inspire more women of color to join a career in tech.

Putting Customer at the Heart Talking about the values at easyJet, Suman mentions that its purpose is to seamlessly connect Europe with the warmest welcome in the sky. The company puts the customer at the heart of everything it does to ensure this.

We asked Suman, if given a chance, what change she would like to bring to the industry, to which she said, "Our customers are diverse, so our products and teams should be diverse too. I would like to bring more people with diverse backgrounds and experiment with new ideas and technologies. I would also like to build a culture of "Embrace Learnings" because I truly believe we never fail; we learn instead!”

Opening the Door of Tech to Diverse Group of People Taking about the future Suman states that she would like to be the core part of building the Centre of quality excellence at easyJet. She absolutely loves coaching about testing and quality to anyone who wants to get into tech.

Moreover, she would like to start the software testing academy at EasyJet so it can open the door to tech to a diverse group of people and ensure it is building the products for the future.

Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs with Succinct Advice Suman advises aspiring women entrepreneurs in the tech sector to prioritise the right things, including themselves.

She expresses that it is never too late to start a career in tech. She says, "You can be anything you set your mind to.”

Suman firmly believes in the power of mentors to make a positive difference. She advises them, "Firstly, find yourself a mentor! Having a mentor is the best thing you will do to your career. Make a 5-year plan with multiple milestones.”

"Secondly, get involved in the wider tech community. I have friends I have made, both in real life and online, from all around the world through my time in software testing, and that has been so helpful in building my reputation in the testing community especially, during the difficulties of lockdown. You can learn so much from the community and lean on them to help you achieve your goals — and once you have, don't forget to give back," Suman concludes.

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Susanne Skov Diemer Founder & CEO Praesidio Group

Looking After You and Your Security Needs

M

itigating risks to solve the security and preparedness needs of individuals, corporations, institutions, governments, and authorities, Susanne Skov Diemer founded Praesidio Group to allow her clients to focus on what they do the best with peace of mind.

As the CEO, Susanne Skov Diemer implements her expertise to democratize her three decades of experience at the highest level of the consulting, security, crisis and May 2022 | 52 | www.insightssuccess.com

10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

intelligence sector. She has gathered crucial knowledge, know-how, experience, expertise as well as personal anecdotes and recommendations, which she exhibits in the crisis planner "Your Urban Crisis Survival Planner" to contribute, guide, and serve people globally. Readers are guided step-by-step to greater awareness, knowledge and preparation with a sense of responsibility and togetherness.

Astonished by the feats achieved by Susanne Skov Diemer, Insights Success reached out to her and talked about her journey and how Praesidio Group is sourcing the optimal team to meet the world´s and clients' needs.

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

With a long journey within consulting, security, risk management and intelligence around the globe, it has been an exciting, daring, and organic process. It is a life path, as working in my field is more of a duty and a call rather than a career choice. This special sense of duty is always with me, and there is nothing in this world that I would rather do.

I seek impact, as I face challenges. I am on a mission to democratize my knowledge and expertise to help and guide more people to be better prepared and hereby minimize crises' domino effects.

Tell us something more about the Praesidio Group and its mission and vision.

It is all about preparedness. Mitigation. Trust. Vigilance. It is about having the courage to be the voice of the inconvenient truth. We are here to serve and protect. My purpose is to guide and raise the bar for security and crisis preparedness. I work under the radar in order for others to live on the radar.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the industry through your expertise in the market?

More awareness - more impact. I serve with the highest degree of respect, integrity and discretion. It is never about me. It is about the people, the purpose, and the mission.

The nature of the industry is to work closely and diligently with a diverse variety of players and factors that are borderless and constantly changing. Currently, there is

much talk about the world being more polarized. When we work on a crisis matter, we work closely in unity and cross border, sector, belief, and status. We work for a higher purpose together. And it is this togetherness that makes it special - the act of joining and coming together.

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

Respect. A genuine respect as a foundation without judgment. An openness and close collaboration with people from all fields, nationalities, and segments.

Discretion, confidentiality, and trust are the pillars and nature of our field and a constant companion in the form of a strong sense of duty. Always on call. Always on a mission. Always prepared. We work with a sense of privilege, duty, and responsibility. We serve. That is our foundation.

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

With technology comes new advantages – and new risks that need to be addressed. There are humans behind the technology and the interaction with the technology. So technology has a very human aspect.

We analyze at the entire supply chain – not just the technology. With every technological advancement, criminals make advancements too. The core remains the same; to predict, to protect, to prepare with new and old tools - technological and nontechnological.

Delivering optimal security, intelligence & cyber solutions to corporations, NGO's, governments and public & private sectors around the world.

best time to prepare for a crisis is when you have just been through one. So now is the time to prepare. We need to take responsibility at all levels and in all aspects now.

Individually and collectively. Locally and globally. My industry can lead the way and guide people to better preparedness, to mitigate and raise above the current crisis, and thrive together for a better-prepared world and people.

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

Being a security specialist is a duty for life. I will always serve. Today and tomorrow.

My company is the essence of me, and we will continue to prepare and protect people, assets and information to the very best of our knowledge with the biggest impact for the long and short term. It is always about prevention and preparedness on a practical and mental level. We will continue to broaden our expertise as new risks arise and work globally with many partners, projects, and purposes while raising awareness.

What would be your advice to budding women entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the industry?

New threats evolve with technology, and we see technology bringing our critical infrastructure in critical danger. For example, a cashless society can be attacked in new ways.

Criminals have new entrances, new markets and new opportunities. Awareness surrounding this and preparedness and resources are necessary.

If given a chance, what change would you like to bring in the industry?

More courage to be the voice of the inconvenient truth and more openness towards security and intelligence experts' voices and knowledge. We are here to serve the people, governments, and companies. We are an insurance - an essential tool to avoid and mitigate small and large crises, globally as well as locally.

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

'Never let a good crisis go to waste,' Winston Churchill famously said, a phrase that has gained new relevance with the global pandemic. People have a new awareness of crises and their domino effects. We know from experience that the

"Never sell yourself short." Respect yourself as well as others. Be yourself at all times with everybody and in all situations and locations. One step at a time, one assignment and client at a time - with the highest expertise, purpose, and integrity.