The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

The

Unity in Diversity

Most Inspiring

Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

Women

Taking the Forefront

Leaders to Follow in

Evolu on of Women Leadership

2022

Agile Coach Lead, Brand and Outreach Lead

Hargreaves Lansdown

Shalini

Thirunilathil Leading with Emotional

Intelligence and an Agile Mindset VOL-06 | ISSUE-07 | 2022

www.insightssuccess.com

Editor’s Desk

Learn, Lead, and Achieve

Sourabh More

sourabh@insightssuccess.com

I

t is famously said that nothing is impossible because impossible itself says 'I'm possible.' Understanding the possibility of impossibility and surviving and conquering the business world, women leaders are reaching the top with self-belief.

Impossible are merely the things that haven't been learned yet. Women leaders, with their never give up attitude, embracement of failure, and willingness to not let their ego come in the way of their learning, demonstrate every day what impossible success looks like. With persistency and hard work, women leaders take additional steps by bringing their perspective into the mix, which helps them to get closer to their goals.

Businesswomen are a source of inspiration and are difference makers, changing the definition of the impossible by overcoming all personal or professional challenges.

Defying another challenge is the work-life balance, which they handle perfectly by keeping up with various strategies.

They are always keen to explore different challenges across various departments and organizations, providing opportunities for everyone and acting as a mentor for the team members, listening to their issues, respecting them, and working to solve them. Women empower, guide, collaborate, and achieve a common goal, staying on their principles of continuous hard work and commitment.

It is these leadership qualities that make businesswomen who they are today. Taking this as an inspiration, we at Insights Success commemorate thriving women in our latest edition - “The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022.” We bring together the journeys of women

leaders who have changed the business scenario through hard work and perseverance.

Shalini Thirunilathil, the Agile Coach Lead, and the Brand and Outreach Lead at Hargreaves Lansdown, is featured on the cover and constantly tries to improve organizational agility. With her swift mindset and emotional intelligence to coach and understand individuals, their emotions, and their struggles.

Also, please glance through the articles written by our inhouse editorial team.

Read On!

Cover Story

08

ARTICLES

22 Unity in

32 Taking the

Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

Evolution of Women Leadership

Diversity

Forefront

CONTENTS 18 Cloé Caron Guiding Leaders to Develop their True Potential

Carol Stewart A Pioneer in the Research Park World

24 28

Kate Headley Challenging the Conventional

Jillian Weston An Astute Digital Marketer Leading with Relatability and Empathy

36 40

Robyn Bordes Offering Consistent Top-Tier Solution in Public Relations

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

Sonia Raizada

Shyam Sonawane

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, Shrinivas

Technical Specialist Amar Sawant

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 June, 2022

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Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Anna Warren CEO

Acrelec acrelec.com

Acrelec is a global technology company.

Carol A. Stewart Associate Vice President

Tech Parks Arizona, The University of Arizona techparks.arizona.edu

Tech Parks Arizona attracts and retains technology companies and talent in alignment with the research, mission and goals of the University of Arizona.

Cloe Caron President & Founder

o2Coaching o2coaching.ca

o2Coaching strongly believes that any person or organization can acheive its goals by adopting simple fundamental shifts in mindset, attitude and behaviour.

Ellen Ryan Mardiks Chairman

Golin golin.com

Golin is a global public relations agency that helps companies create change that matters.

Jillian Weston Owner & Founder

Jillian's Circus jillianscircus.com

Jillian's Circus help all industries and professionals gain real, organic, leads for their business.

Kate Headley Director

The Clear Company theclearcompany.co.uk

The Clear Company is the UK's leading provider of services to employers to support inclusive recruitment and talent management practice.

Lisa Collum CEO and Author

Top Score Writing Inc. topscorewriting.com

Top Score Writing® prepares students for the state writing assessment providing both interactive online and blending learning resources to schools and districts.

Robyn Bordes CEO

Illuminaon PR illuminationpr.com

Illumination PR is a lifestyle Public Relations firm.

Shalini Thirunilathil Agile Coach Lead, Brand and Outreach Lead

Hargreaves Lansdown hl.co.uk

Hargreaves Lansdown purpose is to empower people to save and invest with confidence.

Shelby CEO & Director of Research

Ocean Rescue Ocean Rescue Alliance is a marine conservation and restoration Alliance non-profit organization. oceanrescuealliance.org

Y R O T S R E V

Shalini Thirunilathil Agile Coach Lead, Brand and Outreach Lead

C

O

Hargreaves Lansdown

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Shalini Thirunilathil Leading with Emotional Intelligence and an Agile Mindset

“

Hargreaves Lansdown

provides a lifelong, secure home for people's savings

and investments that offers

“

great value and an

incredible service making

their financial life easy.

I

t is easy to aspire; however, one must be a difference maker to inspire. When Insights Success embarked on a journey to find difference makers who have inspired people through their work and are paving a path towards a better future, "The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022," we came across Shalini Thirunilathil.

Let us dive in deep about Shalini's professional journey as the Agile Coach Lead and a Brand and Outreach Lead at Hargreaves Lansdown.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief your audience about your career journey as an IT Leader?

I grew up in Kerala, the tropical paradise of India, a land that flourished with waving coconut palm trees, backwaters, hill stations, and sandy beaches. It's a truly beautiful part of the world, and I was fortunate to be born and raised there.

From a very young age, I always dreamt of working in IT. I never even thought about other careers. I completed my schooling in Kerala and then moved to Tamil Nadu for a four-year degree course in Information Technology. These four years are so close to my heart as they broadened my knowledge of the world of IT. My parents also fuelled my enthusiasm with a lot of support and exciting discussions about technology.

For more than 40 years we’ve helped investors save time, tax, and money on their investments, and today we’re trusted by over 1.7 million clients.

My very first job in the UK was with Cancer Research UK as a volunteer Assistant Manager.

In September 2007, I got my first technical job as a Graduate Software Developer at Civica in Leeds. While there, I had the chance to try software testing, which was a bit of a diversion, but I still decided to try it. It was something I really enjoyed, so I continued to work as a software tester in organisations including Proactis, Springer Nature, IBM, SAP Concur, and O2. I worked my way up through roles like Senior Tester, Automation Tester, Test Lead, and Test Manager.

Along the way, I realised my true strength is working with people - whether it's supporting, coaching, mentoring, communication, or collaboration. Working with senior stakeholders and leadership teams gave me great insight into leadership and led me to roles like Scrum Master, Delivery Manager, and Agile Coach at LexisNexis and IRIS Software Group. In 2022 I took on a challenging dual role as Lead Agile Coach and a Brand & Outreach Lead working for Hargreaves Lansdown, an incredible organisation and FTSE-100 company.

Of course, I ended up taking a lot of risks along the way.

But I never gave up on my dreams. I have always been keen to explore different technologies, domains, and companies.

This excitement, enthusiasm, and passion for knowing the unknowns in the technology industry gave me fantastic opportunities to work in various departments, organisations and provided me with some great opportunities.

In 2019, I was one of the finalists for 'Role Model of the Year' by Computing Women in Tech Excellence awards, and in 2020 I was honoured as an 'Inspirational Leader' by RISE Synapse QA community. In 2021 I won 'Team Leader of the Year' award in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards.

Generally, when we start a journey, we have a plan, and we think if we deviate from the plan, it may not work.

Deviations feel risky; indeed, it is a gamble, and not many of us choose to go through them. But what doesn't have a risk in life? I have been here in the UK for 14 years now, with lots of twists and turns in my career. I am always grateful for all those complicated, challenging, and tough experiences because the myriad of positive ways those experiences contributed to my career growth is inconceivable. Each deviation and challenge has led to positive growth in some way, which I am really grateful for.

What is the BIGGEST LESSON you learned in your life?

It's simple: 'Courage is doing what you are afraid to do.'

Often, we don't try something challenging because we're afraid of failing or we're worried others will judge us.

At the start of my career, I was nervous about trying new things, and I didn't believe in myself. I was hesitant to talk about how I felt, which made me miserable. I wound up simply performing the mundane tasks given to me.

All that changed when I started to try new things. I also received an incredible amount of support from my managers and mentors when I gathered the courage to speak out and collaborate with them.

Many of us in today's competitive world are so afraid or scared of failure. Failure is not a crime, and everyone occasionally fails in life. Failure is normal. The most important thing is to learn from those mistakes and develop yourself. My experiences taught me a great lesson: that the only way I could gain courage was to get involved in the tasks that I was not familiar with.

I learned it's fine to make mistakes and to be more vocal and visible in an organisation. Remember, no one fails in life continuously. For some, results are seen quickly; for some others, it takes time; either way, you will succeed if you work hard persistently and be determined. Being courageous and trying new things made me realise that it's okay not to know everything.

In today's society, you're likely to be judged for who you are: your colour, your ethnicity, and your background. But try not to worry about how others see you or how society judges you. The most important aspect is how you feel about yourself. I have made an effort to cultivate a positive inner voice, and I make a point of listening to that instead.

What challenges did you face along the way in your career?

There are quite a lot of challenges I faced in my career journey, especially as a woman in a leadership position, but these are the top three: 1. Different mindsets We often expect people to behave like us. But not everyone is alike. Try to understand others, help, and coach them. If you've made a mistake, accept it graciously - and most importantly, learn from it.

2. Building trust This is a challenge when you move to a new organisation.

We're all keen to earn the trust of others. But you have to give trust first before you attempt to earn it back from others.

Building trust takes time in any relationship. Be patient.

Over the years, I learned that it doesn't matter how long you work for an organisation - what matters is how you work in an organisation. Your work will speak for you.

3. Difficult conversations None of us like tough or difficult conversations. While I climbed the ladder to leadership, I was also the same. But my experiences taught me to deal with it. Never try to escape from difficult people or difficult conversations. Be bold! Face up to the difficulties, but do so with empathy.

I have always been determined to listen, respect, and appreciate others. I know now that these are essential capabilities of leadership. Working like this has given me the courage, confidence, passion, and positivity that transformed me from a shy, quiet girl to a woman with the confidence to write articles, give presentations, coach teams, and organise and lead events.

What does leadership mean to you? Take us through your experience of winning the Team Leader of the Year award 'Women in Tech Excellence awards 2021.'

Leadership means different things to different people. Some see it as commanding and controlling, being at the top of a hierarchy, and demanding that teams are focused on targets and delivery.

I work differently. My leadership style is pure coaching. I encourage people to bring the best version of themselves and help them flourish in their careers. Seeing others succeed and truly achieve their potential motivates me to better myself and create opportunities for others to improve.

HL’s purpose is to empower people to save and invest with confidence and its vision is to be the UK’s most client-obsessed company.

This has been particularly true during the pandemic, which caused understandable depression and anxiety in many employees. I think today's leaders and coaches can play a crucial role in supporting the team emotionally with hardships and challenges.

I also look at leadership through an artistic lens. Leadership resounds with art. Good leaders develop the practice by influencing, enabling, empowering, guiding, collaborating, and achieving a shared goal. Good leaders act as compassionate friends to the team and the organisation.

They need to have emotional intelligence, compassion, empathy, and patience. For some people, these qualities come naturally; for others, they need some proactive development. Either way, I believe good leaders should strive to cultivate and strengthen these qualities in their career pathway.

To me, good leadership comes from home. My understanding of leadership in my professional life is grounded in my personal life. My father is a business leader, and my mother led our household – both are respected and empathetic leaders in their own ways, who, along with my lovely sister, taught me humility and integrity. My fantastic husband, lovely daughter, and I have always been for each other at all times, which is a great team working experience.

The leadership principles I have always followed in my career are Teamwork, Trust, Respect, Humility, Agility, and Inclusivity.

These principles made me who I am today. Winning the WIT award was a great moment that brought tears to my eyes after years of hard work and commitment. To me, success means being happy, not just about your own success but about the success of the people you care for, your team, and your colleagues.

Tell us about Hargreaves Lansdown and your role at HL? Started in a spare bedroom, Hargreaves Lansdown has grown to become an FSTE 100 company and the UK's number one platform for private investors, looking after £132.3 billion of savings and investments on behalf of over 1.7 million clients (as of 30 April 2022). With over 40 years of experience in empowering people to save and invest with confidence and helping them build their financial resilience

over the long-term, we provide a lifelong, secure home for people's savings and investments that offers great value and an incredible service making their financial life easy.

Through our website and app, our clients have access to almost 15,000 investment options. HL's purpose is to empower people to save and invest with confidence, and our vision is to be the UK's most client-obsessed company.

At HL, I have two challenging roles; I am an Agile Coach Lead and a Brand and Outreach Lead.

I use the word 'agile' to describe a mindset. It's about understanding others, being willing to work with others, being nimble, adapting to frequent change, and sticking to the Agile Manifesto's 12 principles and four core values.

Agile software development helps teams deliver value faster. It requires constant collaboration with customers and key stakeholders and between the team themselves, whether for gathering requirements or designing solutions.

As a Lead Agile Coach, I constantly try to improve organisational agility. Getting everyone on board with the agile ways of working is not easy. This role requires significant coaching, collaboration, and leadership skills. I use my agile mindset and emotional intelligence to coach and understand individuals, their emotions, and their struggles. These skillsets have helped me bring the best version of my team, bringing people together to encourage collaboration through various discussions and events, be they internal meetings, workshops, or external meet-up events. I also remove impediments for the agile coach team, ensuring they have a psychologically safe environment to work in and flourish in their career.

As a Brand and Outreach Lead, I'm here to strengthen the reputation of HL Digital in the technology industry. My job is to make sure the outside world knows all about the great job our team is doing and that colleagues in HL get great opportunities to learn from the industry.

What top tips would you give to aspiring technology and business leaders?

Team leadership is a challenging role at times. Back-toback meetings, busy schedules, tight delivery plans, and lack of resources can drain our energy. I always suggest reaching out to other senior leaders and asking them for their advice on how to deal with these situations – remember, you are not alone.

My top tip is: 'Don't give up on your dreams and goals.

Believe in yourself and your inner strength.' Be persistent in your goals, work hard, and make them a reality in the future.

Success and failure are two sides of a coin that you'll encounter along the way - accept both of them gracefully.

Embrace failure and understand that it is a steppingstone to success. Humility is an essential trait required for a leader from my perspective. Never forget your roots and where you come from. Your role, designation, and position should not change the underlying person you are. Trust and respect yourself; that will automatically lead to understanding and respecting others. Always have a passion for continuous improvement. Having an inspirational role model will also help you. Find a great leader and ask them about their career journey; everyone who is in a senior leadership role now has been through all the difficulties you're facing now.

Seek motivation in their shared experiences and wisdom.

Today's society needs great leaders, most importantly,

wonderful human beings. Each one of us can make a small difference in society in our own ways. The only person who can stop you from achieving your dreams is you yourself.

What are your goals in the upcoming future?

There is a myth in this industry that most people start in a particular role, then stay in it as they progress up the career ladder. Having an experienced role gives you knowledge of an area or subject in-depth, but I would recommend trying out and experiencing other roles, too; you may succeed and enjoy the different roles even better. But to experience that, you need to take a chance and be open to risk. An open and agile mindset along with emotional intelligence made me who I am today as a successful leader and, most importantly, a successful human being. My career story has already inspired and motivated many individuals across the industry. Over the next few years, I hope you can see me on some great platforms where I am keen to share my story, the importance of an agile mindset, and emotional intelligence. These traits are not just for leaders for any employee who would like to be successful in their careers.

I am also working towards inspiring and bringing many women's talents to the tech industry. A survey by Tech Nation showed that 78% of tech director roles are filled by men. And the tech workforce, more broadly, is made up of 81% men. Only 19% of the people working in tech in the UK are women.

Even though the tech industry is becoming more diverse, it is clear to see that women are underrepresented in STEM roles, and the gender gap is still an issue. So, we want more women to come into the varied roles in the tech industry.

So, though all organisations are trying to improve, I think we could do more. The technology industry is amazing, but we need talented individuals working in it, and it will be great to see both women and men having an equal contribution to all the great technology solutions in the future. There are a lot of amazing men and women helping me out in this journey, giving me some great platforms to inspire and motivate women to get into and flourish in the tech industry.

Enlighten us on how you made the change and impacted the tech industry through your expertise and Leadership?

I firmly believe the tech industry is awe-inspiring, and I

have always felt a significant responsibility to support, help and expose others' true talents to the outside world. Today, we live in a very competitive, unpredictable, and dynamic world. That's why agility is not a choice.

I have experienced many roles, organisations, domains, tools, and technologies thanks to an agile mindset. The direct impact I made on the tech industry is proving that there are diverse roles in this industry, and this industry welcomes people from any background.

All we need to do is identify those opportunities and work towards achieving our goals. I never waited too long for any chance in my career. I love helping people, so I found every single opportunity where I can guide, support, and inspire them. I played a crucial role in the success of many of my mentees and teams. My primary focus in my career is to impact the career lives of many individuals, motivate them, and guide and inspire them. I do that by publishing articles, giving talks, and attending events and panel discussions.

It was incredible to understand how even small actions can make an impact on many people. I always try my best to retain experienced individuals by giving them good pathways for career progression and introducing new individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures by providing them with the right platform and opportunities. I feel truly blessed to make an impact in my small ways on the tech industry and society.

Carol A. Stewart

Associate Vice President

Tech Parks Arizona, The University of Arizona

Carol Stewart

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

A Pioneer in the Research Park World

W

ith an enriching experience of working with research parks, technology commercialization, business incubation, governmental relations, and business development, proactive leader Carol Stewart leads by example. Currently, Carol is steering the ship of Tech Parks Arizona as Associate Vice President at the University of Arizona, bringing her knowledge and experience after serving as a champion of Canadian innovation and entrepreneurship.

Carol is at the leading edge of innovation, willing to jump in and bring others along for the ride. Her diplomacy, political acuity, and steadfast leadership provide focus, stewardship, and vision to the networks she leads and which she is part of. She not only serves as a role model, but is a friend to this community, eager to collaborate and serve the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the international community.

Supporting and Mentoring the Community Building on decades of experience in the research park world, Carol landed in Tucson, Arizona to elevate the success of the University of Arizona (UA) Tech Park and to build a second park – The UA Tech Park at The Bridges which is located closer to the main UA Campus. It was also Carol’s vision to transform the UA Center for Innovation into a business incubator network that not only serves as a vital part of the Southern Arizona entrepreneurial ecosystem but also as a key soft landings location for international businesses. Her commitment to the region is to advance the community and make a real impact through university-based economic development.

Leading-edge Innovation Tech Parks Arizona creates the place, environment, and interactive ground that generates, attracts, and retains technology companies and talent in alignment with the research, mission, and goals of the University of Arizona. It directs the UA Tech Park at The Bridges, and the University of Arizona Center for Innovation with the highest priority of recruiting companies seeking connections to the UA to locate at these facilities.

For over 25 years, Tech Parks Arizona has significantly contributed to regional economic development by advancing the University of Arizona’s impact in many ways: Ÿ Supporting technology innovation and commercialization Ÿ Generating economic impact through the UA Tech Park Ÿ Advancing new technology Ÿ Enhancing R&D efforts of industry Leads by Example In the opinion of Carol, the pandemic has motivated educational institutions and businesses to push beyond traditional activities and take new creative approaches.

Carol and her team have seen the University of Arizona mobilize as an agent of change to support COVID-19 research, testing, and vacation site. The University of Arizona mobilized quickly and has continued to inform the public through weekly briefings and lead the region as a Point of Distribution (POD).

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tech giants work side by side. The company has reimagined what the new workplace looks like postpandemic.

‘‘

Find your tribe and use your network.

Business is about relationships. Each relationship you build is foundational to success.

It is building flexible environments and developing programming that is highly adaptative to meet the growth trajectory of each business, including the nearly 60 startups that are currently in its UA Center for the Innovation incubator program.

Looking Forward Prosperous businesses equal a prospering community.

Carol listens to the needs of companies and connects them with the resources necessary. The business that connects with the collective expertise of the University can solve grand challenges to the problems society faces.

She has never settled for mediocre and believes this has served her well. Carol sees many opportunities for collaboration and growth in Southern. Arizona, and works tenaciously toward those goals.

‘‘

The institution also took the opportunity to be proactive and review all of its assets and opportunities. The acquisition of the Ashford University, now UA Global Campus, is an example of being disruptive in these business unusual times.

Much More than Buildings and Conference Rooms When asked, what is the one thing you would change in advancing knowledge worldwide, Carol highlights what has been achieved by scientists all over the world by collaborating on a vaccine solution and stresses that what can be learned and achieved with such concentrated endeavors. Carol states that we can collectively streamline the process to support businesses to not duplicate efforts.

Ideally, there would be a worldwide database for businesses around the world to plug into. By showcasing organizations and their unique offerings, she believes startups would have more valuable resources which would supercharge their path to market.

The Best Workplace Carol notes that culture is king. Employees and employers thrive in environments where networking and spontaneous discussions unfold. UA Tech Parks serves as the campus where community thrives, where emerging businesses and

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Unity in Diversity

Building a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

June 2022 | 22 | www.insightssuccess.com

A

variety of opinions and ideas lead to better innovations and more increased creativity. The power of unity is always very strong. Redwood trees are a great example of how all the trees together can face all the storms because their roots are intertwined with each other. Similarly, all the people working together can face anything together with more confidence and more potential. Diversity should always be celebrated as it is very significant in promoting a variety of new thoughts and inventions. There should not be any discrimination against anyone in the workplace, and everyone should be respected and cherished for a higher purpose of achieving organizational goals.

Organizations with a culture of celebrating diversity and promoting overall inclusiveness flourish in their businesses with more creativity and innovative ideas coming from everyone. The culture of celebrating diversity is paramount to the success of all organizations. There is no better sight than seeing everyone united together for the purpose of achieving the goals of organizations. Therefore, building a diverse and inclusive workplace is vital for the success of all organizations. When everyone feels included and is cherished in the organization, they feel like contributing better for the cause of the organization. The approach of inclusiveness and diversity is important for avoiding any form of unnecessary discrimination against anyone.

Unity in Variety Having ‘Unity in Variety’ is the best approach workplaces should have to ensure cooperatively working together even if there is a lot of variety. There can be variations in the organization based on gender, caste, creed, religion, or race. Still, all these apparent differences are of less importance, but ensuring unity in the organization despite all variety is the right approach for the good cause of the organization.

Celebrating, Respecting, and Appreciating Everyone Promoting the culture in the organization to celebrate, respect, and appreciate everyone can lead to a more harmonious workplace. Besides, promoting values such as equality, unity, fraternity helps in building a diverse and inclusive workplace. Taking disciplinary actions against those who create a threat to the culture of diversity and inclusiveness can also be beneficial

for fostering a diversified and inclusive culture in the workplace.

Celebrating differences of opinions and coming to the right conclusion that is in the best interest of the organization and all its stakeholders with an inclusive approach increases the cultural value of the organization in the industry. Leaders should promote the culture of celebrating achievements of each other and should inspire, encourage, empower all the people in the organization for doing their best.

Inclusive Approach Leads to Better Decision-Making The inclusive and broad-minded approach in the leaders leads to diverse and inclusive workplaces. Leaders should see the bigger picture. They should make sure that the teams are united with keeping the organizational goals in the center. Healthy contribution of the goals of organizations is possible in organizations with an inclusive culture. Diversity leads to better decision-making because of the good opinions that come from everyone. More informed decision-making is possible with a diverse and inclusive culture. Listening to all employees can help leaders to make decisions.

The culture of diversity and inclusiveness leads to a stronger workforce, and this increases organizational outputs. Leaders should take into account the thoughts, feedback, and opinions into consideration and make the best decisions that will drive successful organizational results. Building a diverse and inclusive work culture using various ways is a win-win situation for all the stakeholders related to the organization. This culture in the workplaces can lead to heightened organizational success and broader growth. Using inclusive ‘we and our’ language in the organization instead of ‘I and mine’ language can also lead to more inclusive workplaces.

Concluding Words Supporting a diverse workforce leads to better inclusiveness and better organizational achievements. Building diverse and inclusive workplaces by putting aside all the differences like race, gender, religious background, age, nationality, and such apparent differences is highly beneficial for all organizations from all angles. Integrating inclusivity and diversity into the core values of organizations can lead to building diverse and inclusive workplaces. The business leaders who are accountable to practice inclusive leadership will lead to more diverse and inclusive workplaces and better organizational results overall.

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The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Cloé Caron

Guiding Leaders to Develop their True Potential

After a transitional career change from manager to coaching leaders on the impact they wish to have on their team and organization, Cloe is now the head of a coaching company named o2Coaching, which counts five employees. From being a coach to an entrepreneur, her role has evolved, and she feels that it is now her responsibility to share and implement an inspiring vision to her team for them to achieve the goals that she had in mind when she started the company. Besides, she is also an Author of Empower Your Team and the Founder of the Empower Your Team Movement.

We, at Insights Success, interviewed Cloe to unveil her inspiring entrepreneurial journey and her contribution to the coaching industry through o2Coaching.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Take our readers through your journey of being at the helm of o2Coaching.

I have been challenged every day since day 1. I was always a high performer, but as an entrepreneur, I had to let go of my ego and my desire to be perfect. If I wanted my business to be successful, I had to shift from me performing to helping others to perform. A shift I had started as a leader in the pharmaceutical industry but that was completed by me having to be and act as the CEO of my company.

To reach the goals I have set and to have an impact on organizations, team dynamics is so important, especially in a small company. I am proud that my company now employs 5 great women who work with me in the realization of my vision. I call them the Exceptional Contributors.

When was the company established, and what was the idea behind starting it?

Younger, I studied law, hoping that my contribution would be grand. I realized that it was not my path, that it didn’t

suit my empathetic nature. I wanted to make a difference, to have an impact in people's lives, to be the change as they say.

I managed to land a position in the pharmaceutical industry at GSK, a place where communication and leadership were valued. There, I had the chance to develop my leadership abilities, and I discovered coaching. It led me to launch my coaching and leadership company o2Coaching, six years ago. It’s been a great journey ever since.

What is your idea of impactful leadership? What style of leadership do you personally prefer and have implemented at your company?

I believe that an optimal leader knows how to juggle numerous leadership styles depending on the situation, people, and context. It requires empathy and perspective.

The more we use the leader-coach style, the more we develop people and create engagement, autonomy, and accountability. This leadership style is the one I use as often as I can. It allows my team to be innovative and to fully contribute to achieving the goals of the organization.

What were the challenges you came across in becoming what you are today?

Before becoming an entrepreneur, I had a great job, prestige, security, and notable growth opportunities.

Somehow, I was willing to give it all up to focus on what mattered most to me: people. Am I going to be successful?

Will I make the difference that I want to make? I realized that I had a great network, experience, and skills to make it happen. Therefore, I took the plunge and created my business o2Coaching.

‘‘

Our mission is to create a new generation of professionals and inspiring (and inspired) leaders.

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‘‘

D

riven by the passion to help, inspire, and develop individuals, Cloé Caron has transformed the lives of many leaders and organizations through her human approach to entrepreneurship.

Cloe Caron

President and Founder

o2Coaching

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This biggest challenge I’ve had to face since was the pandemic. Would my business survive or disappear? Have I done all of this for nothing? I had big ambitions. I choose to maintain my company and support the leaders of tomorrow.

Elaborate about o2Coaching’s Professional Training & Coaching and its importance.

Our main feature at o2Coaching is that we are flexible, and we adapt to the needs of our customers. All our coaching and programs are delivered by ICF certified coaches available 100% online through virtual meetings, microlearning tools, blogs, podcasts, and my book, Empower your Team, in which you find my 5C Model to help any leader and team to perform.

The needs change from one client to another. In the past years, we have developed multiple programs to support those needs such as individual and group coaching, leadership development program, and one-team support approach.

As coaches, we bring a different perspective from a consultant when working with teams and organizations. We start from the premise that our clients have their answers, their solutions, and that we are there to help them access it,

achieve it and ignite the best way to work with their team.

One of the keys that I have developed to do this is the very powerful concept of the Unique Strategic Contribution (USC). By identifying their USC, leaders become aware of the impact they can AND must have on their team to ensure that everyone develop to their full potential and achieve desired results.

Every year, we accompany hundreds of leaders in the development of their leadership through our programs and curated coaching methods.

What are your plans for the company’s future?

My mission is to create a new generation of inspiring and inspired leaders by making a positive impact in the lives of a million leaders through my book and the Empower your Team Movement. To succeed in our mission, we want to reach leaders around the world.

The Covid-19 pandemic has put additional responsibility on educators and institutions in terms of hygiene and safety precautions. How do you intend to prepare the people for the same?

The pandemic has been unexpected and very challenging.

Its effects are felt worldwide in every field. Everybody has been impacted by it.

At the beginning, I was very nervous about how we would position ourselves. I reflected seriously and realized that we would rise above. I wanted to be there to accompany leaders during the pandemic and seize that opportunity to make a difference in the worldwide culture shift I want to create. Moreover, I acknowledge that our biggest strength came from our business model; my team was working remotely since the start, six years ago.

I want to make changes, to evolve and adapt our methods as humans and coaches. I aspire to contribute to developing caring and inspiring leaders, the leaders that will rise above, the leaders of tomorrow.

As an established business leader, what would be your advice to the budding leaders aspiring to venture into the Professional Training & Coaching industry?

You can start by being very clear as to what I call your USC – Unique Strategic Contribution. It’s what you, in your current role, are the only one that can and should make as a contribution at the highest level. And if you were to focus most of your time on your USC, you would not only maximize your contribution but the one of your team. You would elevate everybody’s game.

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The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

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“Jillian’s Circus is a

full-service online marketing agency that regularly makes magic happen for clients.”

Celebrating Success of Each Other When it comes to driving an organization’s success, maintaining a positive work culture is essential. Jillian’s Circus strives for a positive work environment. Its training manual goes beyond basic skills/rules. It stresses interoffice relationships and collaborative strategies by encouraging a non-competitive environment, offering ongoing training/team meetings, and hosting several parties every year for all employees and clients. Jillian’s Circus celebrates one another’s successes and provides incentives to reward excellence.

Besides, Jillian expresses, “If there is even one negative Ned/Nancy in your office- get them out!!! Like right nowstop reading and fire them. If you’re the person who is negative, then you need to stop because it’s killing your business.”

One Desired Change If given a chance, one change that Jillian would bring in the way brands and people connect is to remove people's skepticism when it comes to sales. She states, “Every business is in business because it fills a need. If there is something you need or want, and you hear about someone

who has or can do it, then book a meeting with them to see if what they offer makes sense. If it does, move forward. If it doesn’t, let them know and thank them for their time.”

Creating Strong Base and Building on that Jillian advises aspiring businesswomen to start by creating a strong base. She instructs, “Think about your client’s journey from hearing about your business to working with you for 10 years. Think about what they will see, what they will hear, what they will receive, etc. when they interact with your business and employees. Will they see a professional website? When they call how does someone answer? What does follow-up look like? If they walk into your office, is it comfortable? Then create a consistent, professional, branded flow every customer will experience.”

Creating Authority in Digital Marketing Space and Growing Like a Wildfire Over the next 5 years, Jillian’s vision is to establish Jillian’s Circus as an authority in the digital marketing space, work on digital advocacy, and grow like wildfire.

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Evolution of Wom

Taking the Forefront

men Leadership L

ong ago, there was a huge skepticism towards women’s ability to lead businesses. But today, we can see that they have gone beyond all prejudices and are playing a pivotal role in every field. They have crossed over all the barriers, and today they are the drivers of most successful businesses and are the most resourceful asset to many businesses worldwide. The leadership of women is evolved over the years and is continuing to evolve. They might have faced challenges in their evolution but they have been determined to thrive in the world of business. They have proved their value to the world.

Understanding how female leadership has evolved over time can help us tap the potential for their advancement in the future. The evolution of women's leadership is not an abrupt thing. It has been happening for long years, and this evolution will continue to happen in the future. Since the event of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008, progress for women leadership has proven quite more substantial. Women leaders have proved that they are capable of taking the right decisions. They have proved that they understand the strategy and are rational in their approach. They have a vision, mission, and guts to play the role of leadership without being afraid and drive the businesses in the appropriate direction of growth and development.

Today, women realize their potential and act on their greatest strengths to address the challenges that minimize their efforts to build successful, rewarding, and sustainable careers. Women’s perception of themselves as potential leaders today has undergone a remarkable shift. They address the needs that are to be addressed much diligently and calculatedly. They don’t take irrational decisions but are capable of taking high-value decisions that drive the profitability of the businesses.

Women leaders have become more confident that they can contribute significantly to any field. They are not limiting

themselves to any area, and are thriving even in the maledominated industries. Besides, they are setting an exemplary example for many women to come ahead and be a part of the workforce. They have learned the value of female solidarity and supporting each other. They are open to learning from each other. They are comfortable working with men allies and prove themselves as capable and resourceful assets to the organizations with their leadership abilities and soft skills. The women-led movements and government support have also contributed significantly to the rise of women's leadership.

Today no one can dare to underestimate the value women leaders bring to the table. Many women today are in leadership positions of global institutions and influential companies. More women leaders have also been elected to represent the high office in the world. Today in 2021, almost 24 countries are being led by women leaders.

The pandemic has also contributed to the evolution of women's leadership. As there is an increasing shift towards remote work culture, there is an opportunity for the inclusion of the number of women into the workforce.

Today women leaders are creating many opportunities for themselves and are seizing the opportunities when they are available. They are not casual and are ready to play a key role by being in leadership positions. They are demonstrating their excellence by leading effectively and producing successful results. They are strengthening their capabilities and resolve to push through all the barriers and come out victorious.

Today women leaders are defeating all prejudices and biases, setting the standard of exemplary leadership, profoundly contributing to the businesses, and proving their excellence. Over the years, the leadership of women has evolved incredibly and will continue to evolve more in the future.

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Kate Headley Director

The Clear Company

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The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Kate Headley Challenging the Conventional

R

ecognized as one of the leading experts of inclusive recruitment and talent management best practice, Kate Headley is changing the face of employment. Kate co-founded The Clear Company in 2003 and as a company Director remains actively involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Positive, disruptive, and unafraid to ask the difficult questions, Kate is known for making change happen.

A qualified HR leader whose career began at Marks and Spencer, followed by senior roles at Manchester City Council and Capita, Kate has created impact and change through her ability to reach senior decision-makers and influencers in government and businesses. She has successfully created and bought several digital products to market.

Moreover, Kate is a published author, prolific speaker, and facilitator, regularly speaking at prominent conferences and events. She has led a proactive, practical response to the challenge of Covid-19, enabling employers to embed an inclusive approach to the pandemic through best practice and thought leadership. In addition to her role at the Clear Company, she is also a founder member of the UK Governments Disability Confident scheme and founded and chairs the UK’s ‘Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative’, a national program to remove barriers for disabled job seekers.

Kate has Lupus, an autoimmune condition that has caused significant sight loss during the last five years but has not brought a stop to her level of professional influence and activity.

In our endeavor to find “The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch 2021”, we caught up with Kate to learn about her journey. It feels great to interview someone who is filled with passion and persistence and driven by values. There is a lot to know about her and Diversity and Inclusion at work.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Please list your strategies and services that make you and your company standout from the competition.

Our teams are passionate about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), and our mission is to disrupt and innovate to create an inclusive world of work. Our clients make DE&I business as usual by understanding the barriers to inclusion in their workplace and achieve positive, sustainable change rooted in practical plans that treat the causes, not the symptoms.

Inclusion Maturity Assessment of an organisation’s inclusion maturity status based on robust diversity monitoring data, document and process reviews, stakeholder interviews and focus groups.

Regular reviews track change as organizations work towards agreed goals and outcomes, it is applicable to the complete employee lifecycle or specific processes.

Change Management and Continuous Improvement Our global DE&I experts work alongside clients to implement focused action plans, training and access to ongoing expertise via our scalable digital solutions all designed to improve internal skills and enable teams to successfully move from policy to best practice.

Inclusive Leadership Programmes When leaders embody inclusive leadership behaviors and act as champions for diversity across their organizations, there is a noticeable culture shift to the diversity of thought, customers, markets, and talent. Our high-impact and transformational coaching programs focus on the personal DE&I journey of leaders, enabling them to shape their learning and move forwards.

What were the challenges and experiences overseeing human resources across different industries and at The Clear Company?

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The central challenge has always been to attract and retain top talent and improve productivity against changing economic and social influences. Currently, we are seeing a much more holistic approach to investing in people and systems, and HR teams have the opportunity to measure the impact of their activity with meaningful data analytics.

Being an experienced HR leader, what is your opinion regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Human Resources industry? And how has The Clear Company managed to overcome this significant challenge?

Covid-19 has created many unforeseen challenges for HR leaders and teams in managing the early impact of redundancies, furlough, and home working, and now by navigating what a return to the office will look like in the new working world.

As businesses compete to attract and retain top talent, those that prioritize DE&I and can demonstrate their ability to do so will be the ones to grow

‘‘

This also demands a change in approach by business leaders too. At the Clear Company, we have more than ever taken a holistic approach, as the leadership team balances the challenges of virtual leadership with empathetic skills that support the wellbeing and mental health of employees.

The Clear Company provides businesses with the ability for change at all levels building the condence, knowledge and skills to challenge conventional thinking and behaviors, aligns local and global strategies, inuences change in supply chains, communities and inclusive customer solutions.

What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses to align their offerings with newer technological developments, especially when it comes to Digital Transformation?

Digital interaction has become the primary contact with employees and customers during the last 18 months, and we have an unprecedented opportunity to change how time at work and working processes are managed. Internally, it’s important to balance the technology-driven opportunities for flexibility against the wellbeing and specific needs of each workforce. For the majority of people, it’s still hugely beneficial to have regular face-to-face contact in some form.

The Clear Company has long recognized the potential of Digital Transformation to enable our clients to achieve their goals. Our digital solutions range from inclusivity

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‘‘

diagnostics, virtual audit and stakeholder engagement platforms, online learning and inclusion standards, and accreditation, all applicable globally.

What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you?

Books, I was a Charles Handy fan in my early years and by far one of the most impactful reads for me recently - Why I no longer talk to white people about race by Reni EddoLodge - should be mandated for all CEO’s in my opinion.

Life factors of influence include growing up in South Manchester, having amazing parents, my 30 year marriage, our daughter and more recently my sight loss What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs in the HR Industry?

Do it, be bold, hold true to your values, and have the confidence to create a team that will increasingly overtake you in their thinking. Do not let your own lack of selfesteem hold you back, my generation did enough of that, you don’t need to anymore!

What is your vision for the company for the next five years?

The Clear Company’s vision is to expand our reach to businesses of all types and sizes, making our expertise available to organizations with global locations and SMEs alike. To enable this reach, we are bringing a series of innovative online solutions to market to make best practice available to everyone. Watch this space, The Clear Company is about to go truly global.

June 2022 | 39 | www.insightssuccess.com

Robyn Bordes CEO

Illumina on PR

The 10 Most Inspiring Women Leaders to Follow in 2022

Robyn Bordes

Offering Consistent Top-tier Solution in Public Relations

W

ith digitalization came a massive wave of transformation that changed the face of the Public Relations industry to a scale that it had to expand its channels to engage with audiences through various social platforms. Various types of content are created strategically and implied effectively to ensure the brand's success to differentiate from its peers. Propelling a dedicated team to fulfill the needs and surpass clients' expectations is Robyn Bordes.

As the CEO of Illumination PR, Robyn implies a modern approach to public relations by implementing innovative methods to produce real results that contribute to the overall growth and success of the clients' brands.

Illumination PR is a lifestyle, boutique PR firm that values and drives a work culture with ethics, dedication, honesty, and perseverance of its entire team.

The Journey Robyn's journey began when she was 13 years old; her first job was at a local restaurant in her hometown in NJ as a busgirl. From an early age, she always wished to open a restaurant called Robyn's Nest. She was sure to be in the restaurant industry until she realized that she could do more things in her career. Later, Robyn got into various business sectors from development, web design, and event planning, which led to public relations.

Public Relations got Robyn excited as she witnessed the growth in the business through the eye of the media. She knew she was bringing her skills to the table that moved the needle for the business. She says, "It was tremendously rewarding for me to see others excited watching their business take off. My business grew very quickly, and the challenges for me were just that my business grew very quickly. I was a one-woman show and had some big names to start my business. I was learning and growing at the same time.”

Mission and Vision Robyn's vision for Illumination PR is to build a younger generation of publicists and managers to work with me and ultimately grow into bigger opportunities while advancing and managing deals, press, and social media content for everyone on its roster. When she started her journey at the firm, she focused on public relations; however, as she grew and got connected to more celebrities, she realized that management is what she thrives.

Robyn always wanted to give more to her clients, which drove her to be successful in negotiating deals and being creative about deliverables and brand deals. She doesn't like to say no to the clients and always finds a way to continue their success and creatively bring in opportunities to build

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their brand and exceed expectations without becoming stagnant.

Robyn wants PR & brand development to have criteria of education or a specific length of internship that people must have before getting into PR or management.

Impactful Pioneering Expertise In the pursuit of being the best, Illumination PR always strives to be cost-effective for everyone, even if it means customizing a package for a new business to enable them the opportunity to have PR, even as a start-up business.

Robyn always puts herself in the position of a new business owner, knowing the importance of PR; her team and she build packages for all brands and people to ensure that everyone can have PR, even for a shorter term or at a budget-friendly rate. She believes that everyone deserves the chance to see their dreams come true.

Technological Implementation Robyn expresses that Illumination PR has a diverse age range and demographic on its team. Anytime something new comes out technology-wise, at least one, if not all, on its team starts to research to see if it has the potential to become a source of revenue. If the technology has the potential, the team over familiarizes themselves with the platform to continue innovating their entire roster. Once they know that new technology can be monetized, they start suggesting it to brands when they are doing their outreach.

Only If Robyn wants brand development to have criteria of education or a specific length of internship that people must have before getting into PR or management. She has experienced a certain client issue that frequently occurs; clients come to Illumination PR after spending thousands

‘‘

‘‘

At Illumination PR, we are constantly looking for what's new, now and next; to ensure that your brand will have success and nothing less.

on other publicists who couldn't deliver or garner any press.

It frustrates Robyn because this issue makes it harder for companies to be trustworthy. She says, "It's even more frustrating in the industry she works, but more importantly for the businesses that believe in the people they hire until they have exhausted their savings trying to make it. That's the change I would like to bring to this industry to protect business owners that are just starting or businesses/brands that are trying to grow to the next level.”

Setting Up Goals Looking ahead, Illumination PR plans to expand more into the travel industry, electric car market, and additional innovative products. The firm has had great press and awards generated for international properties that it has worked with. It is already seeing Amazon start to broaden its influencer database. Robyn is excited to be a part of the initiative from the start, as it intends to give brands a new platform to advertise and influencers an existing platform to monetize.

Guiding the Next Generation In her advice to budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the PR sector, Robyn says, "Intern. Intern, Intern. This is a market that you want to make sure is right for you. It's a lot of hours. It's constant availability. Make sure you are going into the field you are interested in for the right reasons.

"An internship will properly prepare you for the field and for the type of clientele you want to work with. In speaking at colleges nationally, I saw a void in what they teach you for PR, as opposed to what you learn from working in PR. There needs to be that level of experience and understanding that you can truly only get from an internship," Robyn concludes.

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