Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2021

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Women

INSPIRING

LEADERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

2021

2021 VOLUME-05 ISSUE-04

#EqualEverything Five Ways to Educate Employees about Workplace Discrimination

Catherine Heald CO-FOUNDER & CEO

The Roots Impact of women participating in STEM studies

Catherine Heald

EDITOR’S DESK

F

ormer award-winning broadcast journalist and present entrepreneur helping organisations identify and eliminate gender biases, Michele Ruiz, once said – If people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you cannot hear them anymore.

www.insightssuccess.com

Women

INSPIRING

LEADERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

2021

2021 VOLUME-05 ISSUE-04

#EqualEverything 5 ways to educate employees about workplace discrimination

Catherine Heald CO-FOUNDER & CEO

Indeed, nothing could have been more apt for women business leaders than this iconic statement.

Women business leaders no longer come as a surprise.

They have transcended that phase of being stereotyped. They have been instrumental in the fundamental reform of beliefs, rather myths, across the society. Entrepreneurship is a strong tool of empowerment for women since it provides flexible ways to manage work and family commitments.

Though gender disparity is no longer as strong as it was in the past, women do face challenges.

The Roots The impact of women participating in STEM studies

Catherine Heald They inspire, they lead, they make a di erence.

Sometimes, they have to go that extra mile to assert their contributions, as compared to their male counterparts.

The brighter side is that things have changed, and they continue to change while women keep proving their talent in the business world. Today’s women business leaders are trusted and respected, more because of their own hard work than changed mindsets. In fact, their hard work has changed the perception of the world about businesswomen. They are unstoppable

and have been successful in eliminating the age-told stereotypical tags.

Pressures and expectations have been many like the pressure to be like a man, the pressure to be in charge of their emotions, the pressure to be balanced and the pressure to never be wrong. Paving their way through the treacherous paths to success in a corporate or business world has been anything but smooth. While it may not be exactly easy to set their foot firmly in business, it is not impossible either. And today, the challenges are more or less the same for male and female entrepreneurs.

The world that once mocked upon the feminine qualities and considered these as roadblocks to be leaders or entrepreneurs, is now realising the importance of the emotional quotient for successful leadership, of empathy, compassion and a balanced work and personal life. Women had it in them all the while and these inherent qualities are the secret to the success of women in business. In addition, women are excellent managers and multi-taskers.

Women from different, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, social and geographical areas have made a mark in their respective fields. In general, women entrepreneurs in corporate sectors and businesses worldwide are making tremendous strides and leaving deep impact.

Our latest edition, Inspiring Women Business Leaders Making a Difference 2021, is all about such determined and dynamic women who were unfazed by both the troubles and success that came their way. These women business leaders are not only making a difference in the society and the industry but are also inspiring aspiring businesswomen.

Everyone has a story, a struggle, and challenges. Not every woman had a smooth ride. But they have been the game changers, and this is their story. We celebrate the success of such women who continue to inspire generations across genders.

We hope you find this edition interesting. Have an inspiring read!

Sumita Sarkar

COVER STORY

08

Catherine Heald

Leading Optimistically in Challenging Times

18

Articles

32

The Roots

#EqualEverything

Impact of women participating in STEM studies

Five Ways to Educate Employees about Workplace Discrimination

16 Dr. Celeste Fralick Pursuing her Passion for Data with Perseverance

22 Ellen Voie Pioneering Gender Egalitarianism in Transportation Space

28 Marina Tognetti Empowering Professionals through Digital Language Training

36 Nicole Rodrigues Reimagining PR & Marketing, Driven by Innovation

C O N T E N T S

Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Senior Editor Anish Miller Managing Editor Abhishaj Sajeev Assisting Editors Vrushali, Arran Visualiser David King Art & Design Head Asha Bange Art & Design Assistant Priyanka Rajage Co-designer Paul Belin Art & Picture Editor Shahid Shaikh Business Development Manager Sherin Rodricks Marketing Manager Joseph D'souza Business Development Executives Kelly, Michael Sales Executives Jenny, Mark, Alice Technical Head Jacob Smile Assistant Technical Head Amar Sawant Technical Consultants Pratiksha, Aditya, David Digital Marketing Manager Alina Sege Assistant Digital Marketing Manager Amol Wadekar SME-SMO Executives Gemson, Renuka Research Analyst Eric Smith Circulation Manager Tanaji sales@insightssuccess.com

May, 2021 Corporate Ofce Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-859-2600 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

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Women

INSPIRING

LEADERS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

2021

Management

Company Name

Brief

Anne Glover CEO

Amadeus Capital Partners amadeuscapital.com

Amadeus Capital Partners is a global technology investor and has backed more than 130 companies and raised over $1bn for investment.

Catherine Heald Chairman and CEO

Remote Lands remotelands.com

Remote Lands provides meaningful personalized travel throughout Asia. The company's purpose, through its knowledge and experience in the region, is to help clients connect to the people and places of Asia.

Celeste Fralick Chief Data Scientist and Senior Principal Engineer

mcafee mcafee.com

McAfee is a global organization with a 30-year history and a brand known the world over for innovation, collaboration and trust.

Elaine E. Bedel CEO and Owner

Bedel Financial Consulting bedelfinancial.com

Bedel Financial Consulting, Inc. is a comprehensive, fee-only wealth management firm, dedicated to helping clients achieve financial clarity and security.

Women In Trucking ad3 Association Inc womenintrucking.org

Women In Trucking Association is a non-profit organization with the mission to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the industry.

Ellen Voie President and CEO

Isabelle de Cremoux CEO

Seventure Partner seventure.fr

With over €660m in assets under management as of the end of 2016, Seventure Partners is a leading venture capital firm in Europe.

Lea Bidder Co-founder and CEO

Ava avawomen.com

Ava is the first and only FDA-cleared wearable device that is clinically proven to identify both the opening and closing of the fertile window.

Marie Weijler Investment Manager

Cottonwood Technology Fund cottonwood.vc

Cottonwood Technology Fund is an early-stage venture capital fund investing in Key Enabling Technologies.

Marina Tognetti Founder and CEO

myngle myngle.com

Nicole Rodrigues Founder and CEO

NRPR Group nrprgroup.com

mYngle offers the possibility of teaching or receiving live one-on-one lessons from the comfort of your home or office.

NRPR Group is a strategic positioning agency located in Beverly Hills, CA that helps businesses, celebrities, entertainment companies, consumer products and more.

Catherine

Heald

Leading Optimistically in Challenging Times

“

I AM SO

LUCKY

CALLING IN LIFE

“

TO HAVE FOUND MY

COVER STORY

Fortunately, Catherine Heald, the Co-founder & CEO of Remote Lands had some excellent years recently, so she was able to save for a rainy day like this pandemic, and that cushion has helped her get through 2020. “When business returns in 2021, we will be stronger than ever and in an even more powerful position to dominate our niche of ultra-luxe Asia travel and private jet expeditions,” says Catherine.

A Distinguished Personality Catherine enjoys her work daily and it is very important for her to dive

“

into the little things and simple pleasures of life. “I have a ‘glass half full’ attitude and I am always striving to find the silver lining in everything, even during this terrible pandemic,” she says. She looks up to the great explorer Sir Ernest Shackelton and reveres him as her hero. What astonishes her the most is how his Antarctica expedition in 1916 was a success and none of his men died, against all odds, due to his superb leadership.

practice right now is rapid, accurate testing to be performed almost everywhere, from airports to restaurants to stadiums to wedding and party entrances. All people permitted inside will have been tested negative for the virus, so everyone will feel safe and comfortable. “After 911 we all got used to new security rules at airports, and this will be yet another new modus operandi that we will all accept,” she conveys.

“Like Shackelton, I hope my genuine eternal optimism, even during a depressing time like this, has a positive effect on the team and the whole office environment,” shares Catherine.

She expects that in the long term, people will need to have a more thoughtful and reflective approach towards life after emerging out of this pandemic. People around the world have had time during quarantine to do some real soul searching and thinking about what and who is really important in their lives. They will seek deeper meaning in everything, and this will be reflected in the types of travel experiences they seek.

Talking about the big changes in the travel and tourism industry due to the pandemic, she portrays her opinion about the world borders to be opened so that the people can travel safely. “Vaccines are coming soon, but it will take some time before they are widespread,” Catherine expresses.

The thing that needs to be put into

“

T

he global travel industry has been challenged in 2020.

Companies who had debt to pay off or negative balance sheets were the hardest hit, and many have a long road to go. With different safety standards in place, a lot of travel itineraries have changed for a lot of people. People, especially those who travel for business and have their livelihood circled around the travel and tourism industry.

Sharing Her Wisdom Guiding aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs, Catherine explains, “Figure out what it is you absolutely love doing, that you are really good at doing, and more than happy to do seven days a week.” She had spent over a decade in the technology industry and started three software companies, but technology was not actually her calling in life. She did not realize what her actual calling was until she stepped into her early 40’s when she combined her lifelong passion for Asia along with her love for planning extraordinary luxury travels.

Catherine used to do the planning for her family. This excited her the most which led to Catherine’s Eureka moment and evidently, the

Women

INSPIRING

LEADERS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

2021

birth of Remote Lands. Since cofounding the company in 2005, she has worked seven days a week and has always remained enthusiastic about her work by starting at her computer at daybreak. “Despite the hard work, I have a well-rounded and balanced life with many interests and friends and an active social life,” describes Catherine proudly.

She doesn't place ‘boundaries’ between her work life and personal life and believes that many of the people who are happiest in life do work that blurs the separation between professional and personal.

Enabling Bespoke Journeys Remote Lands facilitates an experience where the clients find serenity in a journey that fits their pace and follows

“ “

their heart by accommodating any diversion effortlessly.

The team of Remote Lands say, “Seek the remarkable. Seek it in the world you know. But also, in a world that you don’t - Asia.” The company under the guidance of Catherine, provides various services that spell luxury in a different way. The enhanced premium experience makes the customers’ travel plans so fantastic, that they always choose Remote Lands as their trusted travel partner for Asia.

In brief, Remote Lands’ travel itinerary includes more or less a distant, idyllic archipelago, explored by luxury yacht, or unforgettable landscapes viewed from a private chopper in palatial hideaways on secret shores. You might find yourself in the natural habitats of the world’s most famous wildlife parks or in the lap of most welcoming remote mountain ranges among the oldest villages and ancient communities.

Remote Lands provides a journey not only for the body and mind, but also for the soul. It creates an opportunity for deeper, prevailing connection with different places and people for you and the people close to you including the ones you meet along the way. “Seek the soul of Asia with Remote Lands,” invites Catherine, to have an ever-lasting experience in a memorable way.

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UAE's Best

Retail

2021

vol 04 ISSUE 07

Companies

2021 Acknowledging Change Cashier-less stores: the next big step for the retail industry Timeless Tech The impact of modern technology on the retail sector

Toufic Kreidieh | Chief Executive Officer

BFL GROUP

“

Choose E xc e l l e n t, Choose Insights

DR. CELESTE FRALICK PURSUING HER PASSION FOR DATA WITH PERSEVERANCE

L

ong before Data became the gold that it is today, there were people who were trying to mine it, process it and transform it into comprehensible content. It is their intense focus that the omnipresent data today is being utilized to develop solutions in almost every industry.

Dr. Celeste Fralick, Chief Data Scientist and Senior Principal Engineer, McAfee, is surely one of them. Her 40 years of professional journey began as a Quality & Reliability (Q&R) Engineer at Texas Instruments. Her first assignment was to develop statistical process control (SPC) where she became enamored with statistics and data.

Additional Q&R positions at Fairchild Semiconductor and Medtronic continued to fuel her data-science on-the-job training. She then joined Intel, and stayed with the spin-out, McAfee, where she works today as Chief Data Scientist and Senior Principal Engineer.

McAfee LLC is a device-to-cloud security company that provides many state-of-the-art solutions in both enterprise and consumer segments. Our products can be mixed-andmatched to provide the right solution to any customer. With over a billion sensors across multiple threat vectors around the world there’s a LOT of data to move and analyze in milliseconds.

Read on as Dr. Celeste Fralick speaks her mind and heart out on matters that are close to her.

• How do you keep yourself motivated? Please tell us about what inspires you and who do you look up to.

I am most impressed with our leadership team, including our CTO (Steve Grobman), and VP of Enterprise Engineering (Lynda Grindstaff) who were long-time Intel employees – it is not trite to say I followed them to McAfee! I was able to hire a wicked smart team that

inspires me daily, and I am surrounded by techies who want to catch the bad guy and seamlessly protect us. It is a very mission-oriented market – like medical, where people feel driven to help and serve, and the air is electric with their passion. I keep myself motivated by learning daily from each of them.

• Share with us the most memorable and remarkable moment of your life, in a professional scenario. Also share with us the lowest phase of your life or the toughest deal to crack.

There have been many! Being selected by Forbes in 2018 as one of the America’s Top 50 Women in Tech, presenting the keynote with McAfee CTO Steve Grobman at the 2019 RSA conference, creating a medical product group at Intel, leading a 150-member company technical engineering committee, and changing the culture for data and women at each company – well, every instance was incredibly memorable. As a lower-middle class kid from small-town Alaska, I consider myself quite lucky, but I have worked very hard to earn my stripes.

My toughest challenge was realizing I was blind to a particular leadership pillar (“enabling others to act” per the book “The Leadership Challenge” by Kouzes and Posner) that was limiting my success. You can’t fix what you don’t know is wrong. It was very difficult but, following my projects and “awakening”, I was not only awarded the “most improved” trophy but my projects were so successful, I was promoted shortly thereafter.

• State us your major achievements and your company’s achievements under your leadership.

Data is the lifeblood of our company and we are embracing its leading-edge science and positive impact to our customers’ experience. We lead our industry in the

16 | May 2021 | www.insightssuccess.com

Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2021

study of Adversarial Machine Learning (“Model Hacking”), Deep Fakes, and Explainable Artificial Intelligence, to name just a few. Our translational research in security analytics as well as the creation of an Analytic Center of Excellence enable our products to be innovative with a minimum of false positives and false negatives. I’d like to think we have enabled McAfee to be a data-driven company with industry-best security analytics, and it is reflected in our industry recognized high ratings.

• How do you ensure that there’s a healthy culture at the work space?

• What would you advise to the budding and aspiring entrepreneurs?

Dr. Celeste Fralick Chief Data Scientist & Senior Principal Engineer

“

Never, EVER, believe anyone when they tell you that you can’t do something. Stay tenacious and focused, go after what you want. If you’ve failed, pull up your big-girl pants and go after it again.

• What are the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout your career and would like to share?

Build your career on your strengths, not weaknesses.

Lead - don’t manage: inspire, challenge, listen, encourage, and model the behaviour you expect. Don’t stop thinking your crazy ideas – just implement them. Be a duck – let the rain roll off your back, stay calm, but paddle like crazy to get to where you need to go. Don’t get your knickers twisted – there are more important things in life. Keep your body and mind healthy. And, for goodness sakes, enjoy the journey.

The Journey in a Nutshell Dr. Fralick found herself engrossed with all things statistical as soon as she began her career. She considers herself fortunate to learn from the best (like the late Dr. Joseph Juran); however, in 1992 she became restless to

“

As a Stage 4 breast cancer patient, I emphasize to anyone who will listen to get a mammogram. It saved my life, as does the every-three-week chemo that I endure to stay alive. While I am in remission (beyond five years), the constant chemo does wear me out and I have unique side effects that are often debilitating. So, health comes first.

No stress, no negativity – stay happy, stay healthy. Enjoy your work, live every day like it’s your last. I try to ensure that everyone I connect with – even though I work virtual – feels the same way.

formally learn. She began an MS in Biomedical Engineering, focused on statistics, Design of Experiments, and bioelectricity while still working full-time and raising two young boys.

She recalls her Intel interview as a ‘why-not?’, winging-it, unplanned interview. She was able to influence a much larger company while she finished her Biomedical Engineering Ph.D. focused on neuroscience, statistics, and neural networks (NN), a technology which had suffered a bad reputation for years but has become incredibly fashionable. Dr. Fralick was fortunate to be on the leading edge of their comeback and transfer her academic learning to her daily work. At McAfee, her role is to provide company-wide data strategy as well as lead the McAfee Advanced Analytics Team to translate research of state-of-the-art security analytics into products.

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Impact of

Women

participating in

studies

W

omen have had huge contributions in the society since the beginning of time, but historically they’ve been kept away from the noble domain of STEM studies. This is the direct negative impact of the social bias that exists in the society which views STEM fileds as masculine till today.

Although there have been several restrictions on women in the society, they have still managed to get past the obstacles and make significant addition to the STEM field. Women have fought through the discriminative culture and emerged as effective leaders to literally change the face of the world and we have many examples to prove the same.

Florence Nightingale, a visionary designer who served in the Crimean war as a nurse, designed hospital systems in a way that brought down the death rate from 42% to 2%.

Another such example is Grace Hopper, an American

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#EqualEverything

19 | May 2021 | www.insightssuccess.com

computer scientist who was a key inventor of COBOL (COmmon Business Oriented Language), a widely used computer language.

We can find many such examples in the field, let's look at the wider impact that women participating in STEM studies have made.

Breaking the stereotype The larger impact that women have made by participating in STEM studies is that it has helped break the myth that women lack a scientific and mathematical aptitude and are limited to Arts and other fields. The unique caliber that women possess has proved it time and again that they’re here to conquer.

The gender disparity in STEM studies is slowly being curbed with women coming in into leadership roles that are highly demanding and proving their worth by successfully delivering to the challenges that come along with the responsibility. Women also prove to be better in leadership roles as they lead by example which stimulates productivity.

Inclusive product designs Women are known to have higher emotional intelligence which enables them to be sensitive to others’ needs. This also reflects in the process of designing inclusive products.

When women participate in the designing of products, they are aware of the needs of the minority genders. Gender inclusive designs are curated when women are engaged in the designing of products. The observations that women make in the society mirrors in the way they design a product or service which makes the world a more empathetic and functional place.

Having a higher emotional intelligence translates into women being more sensitive product designers which also further increases the demand of the product or service.

Facilitates innovation and global progress Representation of women in STEM studies brings a lot of

exceptional innovation to the table. Women inherit unique perspective of looking at the world and hence promote innovation in the work place. The skill set and talent of women have the potential to speed up the process of global advancement in technology and innovation.

The participation of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics also has the potential to address the world’s pressing issues like environmental damage, poverty, food security, clean water, renewable energy and more. This is because women understand sustainability which stems from their inherent feminine traits.

A global transformation is not very far away with more inclusion of women in the STEM field.

Role of empathy in the field Women have inborn empathy in them which makes them highly capable in the roles of providing care. In times like the ongoing pandemic, women have tirelessly served in the medical sciences field to deliver medical assistance to the population. In addition to their active participation in the research of the COVID vaccine, women have also effectively helped to curb the spreading virus.

Even after all these years it's still not a cake walk for women working in the field. Their exceptional achievements have definitely made a statement in such a short span of time but they still struggle with the biases that exist in the STEM domain.

Evils like gender disparity still linger over the field after all these years as STEM still has the reputation of being a male dominated domain of studies.

The structure of society stereotypes women to be inclined more towards the Arts but it is slowly changing with more emerging female role models in the field. This accounts for a promising future for women in STEM.

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Ellen Voie Pioneering Gender Egalitarianism in Transportation Space

D

uring the '80s, when boys could take shop class while girls were only allowed to learn home economics, Ellen Voiebelieved herself to be lucky to be encouraged by her mother to do what she liked. Her mother encouraged her when Ellen took shop class and learned woodworking, welding, drafting, and auto mechanics.

Brief our audience about your journey as the President and CEO at Women in Trucking Association.

I started my career by working in the drafting department of a steel fabricating plant designing material handling equipment. Year after when I was ready to move on my manager encouraged me to pursue 'Traffic and Transportation Management' program and was later promoted as Traffic After completing her studies, Ellen was Manager. hired in a steel fabrication plant in 1978.From there, her manager I was responsible for bringing the raw encouraged her to complete the Traffic materials into the plants and for and Transportation Management shipping the completed products out to Program and later promoted her as a our customers. I also oversaw hiring, Traffic Manager. firing, and managing thedrivers for the trucks owned by the company.

With her years of working in the transportation business, Ellen realized After over twenty years of working in that there was no strong association for the trucking sector, I was hired for the position of Executive Director of women in this industry and founded Trucker Buddy International where I Women In Trucking Association ins led the program for six years. Then, I 2007. was recruited by Schneider National to Since then, as the President and CEO, lead their retention efforts.My job was Ellen has been leading the organization to initiate corporate-level programs to encourage and support women in the designed to attract and retain nontransportation space helping resolve traditional groups, such as women. their issues and building a genderequal environment.

At the time, I was completing my pilot's license, and I belonged to an Read the following interview where organization for female pilots. It struck Ellen shares how she was inspired to me that there wasn't a similar group for found Women In Trucking women in the trucking industry; so, I Organization and has been driving started one. gender egalitarianism in the transportation industry.

That was in 2007 when the Women In

Trucking Association was formed. I took a lot of inspiration from the female pilot's organization, also tapped into the people who supported this mission. I had a great team who shared my passion, and we put together a fantastic staff, board, and support group.Here we are, nearly twelve years later, with a success story I could never have imagined.

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the transportation industry through your stronghold in the industry.

At the Women In Trucking Association, our mission is to encourage more women to enter and succeed in careers in the supply chain.We believe our high renewal rate reflects the importance of what we offer to anyone who joins.

To promote gender diversity in the trucking industry, we had to find a way to measure desired outcomes and provide best practices for companies looking for greater diversity. We partnered with Carriers Edge to create a Diversity and Inclusion Index to measure and set benchmarks for all areas of inclusion. This is an ongoing project to recognize those companies who are achieving more balance in their hiring and promoting practices.

To continue the networking and educational opportunities, we are creating WIT Chapters so you can meet in your local or regional area.

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Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2021 Another way one can stay involved right now is to participate in the online Engage Platform on our website.It's a way to learn, connect, and find others who share similar experiences.We are spending a great deal of time and resources to make this program more user-friendly and interactive.

A long-term goal has been to have a Driver Ambassador Program.We hired Kellylynn McLaughlin, a training engineer at Schneider, Inc.Her company agreed to brand her tractor and to allow her to work for WIT one week each month.Walmart donated a trailer which is currently being retrofitted into a mobile display for educational and professional visits to schools and events.

Walmart also approached us about recognizing top female drivers, so in 2020 we created a female driver of the year program.Our first recipient was Susie DeRidder who has four decades of experience as a professional driver and is based in Canada. We are currently looking for the next Female Driver of the Year, so visit our website to submit a nomination.

“

Being an experienced leader, share with us your opinion on how the adaptation of novel technologies in your niche market has transformed the industry and what more could be expected in the near future?

The interior cab of today's truck resembles your car more than you realize.First, the truck has been designed to be more ergonomically correct for all body sizes, which means women are now more comfortable in the driving seat than in the past.

Today's trucks are also safer. The opportunities are endless to provide technology to reduce driver error by relying on these devices.From personal safety to safety on the road, there are more opportunities to make our roads

safer for all of us.

Personal safety is also a concern.

Instead of experiencing worker's comp claims from cranking dollies or pulling the hood open to inspect the engine, we now have devices that raise and lower the landing gear with the push of a button. There is hydraulics that opens the massive hood and even cameras the show whether your kingpin has been secured or not.

The technology removes much of the physical strength needed to operate a tractor-trailer in the past.This allows us to attract and keep more women as well as men who prefer a less physically demanding job.Even the burden of loading and unloading the cargo has been automated, and the responsibility has typically been transferred to the shipper and receiver instead of the driver.

The trucking industry has adopted advanced technology; not only to comply with government regulations but to reduce its footprint on our ecological resources as well as make the job much safer.

Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time?

Last January, before we knew that a pandemic would forever change our industry (and the world!) we initiated some programs to advance our mission in the coming years.

We intend to make the trucking industry a more diverse and inclusive environment

“ 24 | May 2021 | www.insightssuccess.com

Because of the pandemic, our drivers were experiencing both physical and emotional challenges on the roazd. We partnered with ESPYR to offer our drivers free 24/7 access to mental health counselors and health coaches to keep them safe and healthy while alleviating some of the stresses they were experiencing. Amazon and Total Transportation of Mississippi graciously funded these services.

As the pandemic progressed into the summer and fall, we decided to accelerate towards our mission by transforming the conference and Expo into a virtual event.This was not an easy task, but with hundreds of participants,we received a positive response. However, if the circumstances allow,we plan to see these and many more participants in person this year in Dallas, Texas in November.

Currently, we are working with the CDC to provide information to our members on everything from COVID19 and what to expect, how to protect yourself and your family.We are also giving our members information about vaccination. Additionally, we help shippers better understand how to accommodate professional drivers who enter their facilities.

For those who responded to the NTI survey, the average percentage of overthe-road drivers who are female was 7.13% in 2017 and increased to 7.89% in 2018.

In 2019, we partnered with Freightwaves to conduct a survey to determine the industry's participation of women as technicians, safety directors, managers, and professional drivers.

Overall, the respondents reported that women make up 10% of all over the road drivers. We also learned that only 4% of diesel technicians are women and that about 38% of fleet safety professionals are women.

In the United States, women currently comprise 7.4% of all CEOs in Fortune 500 companies and about 26% of all board seats, despite recent legislation to establish diversity quotas.

The Freightwaves survey found that female executives in trucking make up 36% of the leadership in transportation and just over 45% of non-executive employees.

What is your opinion on adopting gender egalitarianism from a leadership perspective?

We are currently creating a Diversity and Inclusion Index so our members can learn best practices and use the data for benchmarking. Ultimately, we want to use the annual index to honor the industry organizations that promote diversity and inclusion.

Each year we also examine the publicly traded trucking companies by partnering with Memphis University to conduct the research. In 2020, of the fourteen publiclytraded carriers' women comprised 22% of the board director seats, but only 9% of the leading executives.

For that reason, the board of directors at the Women In Trucking Association determined that we need to know if we are making a difference in this industry.

So, we decided to create our own WIT Index.

First, we paired with the National Transportation Institute (NTI) which

graciously added a question to their quarterly wage surveys. They asked carriers for the percentage of female over-the-road drivers.

Wehave reinforced what we learned to encourage the employment of women in the transportation industry, to address obstacles, and to celebrate the successes of the women who have become visible and influential.

Now that we can monitor the data, our goal is to see the numbers increase in all areas.We intend to make the

trucking industry a more diverse and inclusive environment.

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

Our goal is to have one year's operations budget in reserve. A third party maintains all our accounts payable and receivable activity, and an annual audit ensures third party reviews all figures.

We had a third party conduct a market assessment, and more recently, we completed a member communication survey. We interviewed current, potential, and lapsed members to understand better how we can both attract and retain both corporate and individual members.

The goal is to communicate and then listen.We want to hear from our members, and we want to make the association better based on that feedback.

Another area of focus is member value.The number one reason people join is for the opportunity to network and to meet other women (and men) who have similar roles in other companies. One interesting fact is 6% of our members said they joined because 'Ellen motivated them' to become a member.

The final concern of the board is the WIT brand. We've always heard the comment that people assume the organization is for female drivers. We represent all women who work in the trucking industry. In fact, drivers are a very small part of our organization in numbers, despite being a significant focus in creating change in the industry.

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Marina Tognetti Founder and CEO

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Marina Tognetti Empowering Professionals through Digital Language Training

A

decade ago, no one would have thought that the whole world will have to adopt everything-digital over traditional – from grocery shopping to banking to education. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has certainly accelerated the impending digital transformation, compelling both consumers and businesses to accept the online brand presence.

While learning and adopting this new normal was a tougher task for many, gradually people started to realize the advantages of digital platforms to meet their needs and enhance their skills during the pandemic. Considering that the sudden digital transformation was tougherfor many brands, few were already a step ahead by adopting a technological approach at the right time. mYngleis one such company that has been by par with its customized language training programs through video conferencing in 45 different languages anytime, anywhere. The company's virtual classrooms enable learners to take classes 24/7. The oneon-one lessons with highly qualified native coaches and related to the learner's job position have been another key factor in the company's growth in a short period.

Marina Tognetti, theFounder, and CEO of mYngle, explains how the platform has helped learners climb up the career ladder by honing their skills. “mYngle is the solution for busy professionals who need language training to be successful in their international business and for Companies that want great learning results and a transparent and controllable learning process to make their investment a success,” says Marina.

Read the following interview where Marina shares her journey of being an entrepreneur, how the company has survived through the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, also her views on gender equality in the tech-entrepreneurial world.

Brief our audience about your journey as the founder and CEO of mYngle.

I am a tech entrepreneur, founder of myngle.com, but the passion for entrepreneurship came later on in my career.

When I graduated from University it was an era when entrepreneurship was not very common for academics. I built first a successful career by large multinationals, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Sara Lee, The Boston Consulting Group, and eBay; living

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and working in different Countries and got an MBA from INSEAD. It was when working as a consultant on a project on internet strategy that I first saw the potential of the internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever the way we buy/sell/interact. I had to be part of that!

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the eLearning space through your expertise in online language learning?

When we started, we were pioneering, amongst the first to provide one-to-one teaching of all languages over the internet. Now COVID-19 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, mYngle was already in the 'right place'.

We built on years of experience and know that migrating existing classroom training programs to digital is not just the mere application of existing technology solutions. Rather, it requires a more fundamental rethinking of the total learning experience, from trainers to content, to the blended form.

That 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

Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2021

the market on the difference between improvised solutions and years of expertise.

Being an experienced leader, share with us your opinion on how the adoption of novel technologies in your niche market has transformed the eLearning industry and what more could be expected in the future?

Even before COVID, the (language) training market was already in the transition from offline to online, the shift accelerating in the past years. This age of quarantines, social distancing, and remote working fast-tracked the trend, online education became in many cases the only possible way of learning.

Now customers are discovering the advantages of virtual education compared to the traditional ones in a physical classroom. It offers the same results, but significantly more convenient in terms of flexibility- with lessons available 24/7 and flexible scheduling - as well as the possibility of benefitting of 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.

I believe that the adoption of online solutions will continue post-pandemic and that online learning will accelerate over the next months or years. L&D budgets will shift from offline to online, and learners who embrace online learning during these difficult circumstances may stick to it after the pandemic has passed. Online learning will be an intrinsic part of the new normal.

Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you

driving your organization to sustain operations and ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time?

Overall, for our staff, work did not change much while moving to remote working. Many of our key processes were already done at distance so, as a company, we are used to managing remote teams.

CRM and programming have always been offshore, and our sales staff has always covered different geographical markets from one central location. I used to say when building our organization: “If our customers can learn a language at distance, we should be able to also run a company at distance.” So, in that respect, we were at an advantage compared to many other companies operating more traditionally.

What got amplified now with the lockdowns, is that employees' wellbeing is even more vital, and encouraging and supporting employees through this time is almost more important than productivity. It's about support, empowerment, empathy to keep a sense of belonging, let our people know that we are in this together.

This means having a steady stream of communication, from the managers and between team members,to keep people updated on a current situation and further strengthen virtual connectivity and culture.

What is your opinion on adopting gender egalitarianism from a leadership perspective?

It is well known that women have a great capacity for leadership and gender-diverse boards have a positive impact on different measures of firm performance. Yet, men still occupy adisproportionate number of leadership positions.

The same can be seen in tech entrepreneurship. Women are as innovative and companies run by women are as successful, yet only 5% of tech start-ups are owned by women.This leaves wondering what is keeping women from these roles.

In both tech entrepreneurship as well climbing the corporate ladder, one of the main issues is that women often do not take the first step. I believe that the main reason is lack of confidence, which translates into unconscious 'fear of failure'. By showing examples of true stories and the 'how', we can make it more accessible.

That is why I aim to be a role model for other women in tech, but an accessible one, trying to give a genuine picture of what it takes to be a leader and an entrepreneur, the ups and downs that we all have but few want to share.

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

In this era of rapid technological evolution and, more recently, COVID19 pandemic challenging all the status quo, entrepreneurs in the eLearning space must redefine their roles and draw on different sets of skills to be able to face the challenges ahead.

This means having a strong vision to set the direction but at the same time be able to adapt and change to keep the business successful, anticipating and navigating challenges of a rapidly evolving segment.

It also means being able to understand what is needed to provide a good user experience, the way the training is delivered, the teaching, content, as well as interaction. In response to the increase in demand for online training, many traditional players have been rushing to find a quick fix, moving their existing solutions online.

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Good remote training, however, is not just a matter of adding a tech solution for the virtual classroom and moving a teacher from a physical classroom to a computer, but it requires a whole new set of expertise and capabilities different from those of offline education.

How do you envision scaling your company's operations and offerings in 2021?

I believe that the integration of information technology in education will be further accelerated and online education will eventually become an integral component of education.

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

We built on years of experience and know that migrating existing classroom training programs to digital is not just the mere application of existing technology solutions. Rather, it requires a more fundamental rethinking of the total learning experience, from trainers to content, to the blended form.

We will keep on improving this while aligning with this growing market trend.

“

In this era of rapid technological evolution and, more recently, COVID-19 pandemic challenging all the status quo, entrepreneurs in the eLearning space must redefine their roles and draw on different sets of skills to be able to face the challenges ahead

“

The key to our success is aligning with what customers want. Constant focus on customers and their needs are one of our key strengths and what will allow us to differentiate from the new players that still have to prove their value.

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Five Ways to

Educate Employees about Workplace Discrimination

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The Roots

D

iscrimination is an unethical practice of prejudicing others based on gender, race, religion, color, or age. It's considered harmful for the society. Once someone has undergone discrimination or harassment, it generates feelings of humiliation, distrust, mortification, embarrassment, shame, indignity, disgrace.

People often get isolated and start to live in solitude.

Awareness is rightly complying with education. We obtain education to work in good companies, and crave for upright reputation, standard of living and income. Employees are as important as a product of a company. Many people are discriminated way too before they join their first job.

The decrease in employment rate has increased the discrimination rate into the workplaces in organizations. As people are getting less job opportunities, and once they get a job then they judge them according to their skills or experience. Because of ‘competitive diversity’ in every aspect people witness workplace discrimination. It has become a sensitive topic to discuss. One should make people aware about this growing dilemma.

Following is a list of aspects on which the discrimination is carried out.

Based on Retaliation – When an employee protests for employers' wrongdoing. They are discriminated because they have raised voice against the higher authority. This factor ranks at the top in terms of workplace employee discrimination. When an employee opens up about what he has been facing, the stereotypical image is formed for that particular person.

Based on Sex - Gender discrimination can be seen in workplaces where males are still in dominant position than females. There is competition in the workplace, when a

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woman or a man competes well enough, others start holding him/her over. Gender discrimination is widely witnessed all over the globe.

Race – People belonging to diverse cultures, come to work at a same place. People reflect attitudes, behavior and morals based on where they belong. Employees are still judged based on their race. When a native of eastern country works in western countries, then the people around that area typecast them, just because they belong from east.

Color – There has inevitably been a constant scrimmage when considering blacks and whites. Discrimination based on color is experienced by the employees.

Age – The middle-aged, experienced employees think that they know more about the work than the less experienced or freshers. On this basis they try harassing the new employees.

National Origin – On the basis of national origin people frequently make assumptions and judgements depending upon the country’s reputation worldwide.

Religion – It is one of the controversial factors. The employees generally face discrimination depending on their religion, caste, creed, sect, or group they belong to.

The above factors are the main reasons for discrimination across the institutions worldwide. Here is the antidiscrimination law.

'The Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, ethnic origin, age and disabilities'. But still, they are victims of discrimination.

There is a strong need for employees to get aware about the workplace bias. It is necessary that they should know what to do when such things are happening around them. How to raise voice when they are harassed. Everyone is born equal.

Here are five ways to educate employees about workplace discrimination: 1) Making them aware about the consequences, harms when one undergoes discrimination by others. Everyone possesses feelings, when being harassed the employees feel humiliated. Subsequently the next time they do not interact

as they used to, because they have the feeling of embarrassment. They should be informed about the effects of harassment, then the further step should be training.

Gather qualified trainers and appoint them to instruct about all the things an employee must do or know about workplace.

2) The employees should receive weekly newsletters informing about the rules and regulations, and to abide them thoroughly. Those updates should be discussed concisely in the workplace. Conducting interactive discussions about human suffering.

3) Television programs, documentaries or short films should be shown, describing the above discussed aspects in a structured storyline video. Humans are able to connect emotionally when they see visuals along with sound. There is a more realistic chance of learning and understanding the issues on deeper level.

4) Real-life example stories should be discussed in the workplace. When employees get aware about the real-life examples of the people who suffered with discrimination, then they get to know it better. Also, they can share the outcomes or experiences of people who were once a victim of discrimination.

5) HR plays an important role in identifying the difficulties faced by the employees, they should educate them with the help of soft skills training. Soft Skills are the attributes which help a person to develop skills on how to interact effectively. Having this skill taught, many get the idea about how to duly regard their colleagues. Asking them to report any kind of mis-treatment that they experience in the workplace, and complaining it to the organization’s complain section.

Discrimination and harassment can be done by the employees working together or the higher authorities associated with the profiles. It can be seen not only in the workplaces but in public places, events, meetings, etc.

Discrimination is deeply rooted into the human society. The diversity is such that large groups of societies have different perceptions over others, hence creating scope and chances for discrimination. If the employees as well as the people in that environment are well acquainted with proper education and training, then we can definitely see better treatment and equality among them all. The world could be a better place leaving no place for grating.

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Nicole

Founder and CEO

Rodrigues Reimagining PR & Marketing, Driven by Innovation 36 | May 2021 | www.insightssuccess.com

A

mbition—the essential catalyst that enables an alignment between passion and expertise—is what drives any individual towards accomplishing whatever they aspire for.

We’ve always read, heard, and watched stories of people and companies who’ve accomplished great things. But have you ever been curious to know about those storytellers who’ve been striving to make these stories reach the right people?

Well, this story here is about one such teller of tales – Nicole Rodrigues, the Founder and CEO of NRPR Group.

Since the start of her career, Nicole has been passionate about reimagining and redefining how the art of public relations is done in the modern era, which led her to launch her very own strategic positioning firm out of Beverly Hills in 2014.

Fast forward to June of 2021, NRPR Group is celebrating its seventh anniversary, a true milestone, considering the number of businesses (especially self-funded, femaleowned startups) that fail in their early years and/or during challenging times like the pandemic.

She works closely with them, day in and day out, to help enhance their critical-thinking, solution-minded strategies and help cultivate an expert-level understanding of the industry, clients, media members, and the target audiences they are supporting.

NRPR fosters a work culture that is challenging, empowering, and enjoyable while delivering powerful results and exceeding client expectations through its highest standards of excellence. “We’ve always operated within our core values of transparency, integrity, and tenacity which has consequently elevated our agency’s reputation to that of an innovative industry leader (as evidenced by the multitude of awards the team has received from prestigious

“

I consider my role to more closely mirror

that of a game-winning

coach and mentor, who pushes my A-team to

“

“We’ve accomplished this benchmark success by continually rooting ourselves into the most disruptive approaches, emerging technologies, resilient thinking and industry-first service offerings that grant our clients best-inclass support, strategy and results,” says Nicole.

As CEO, Nicole considers her role to more closely mirror that of a game-winning coach and mentor, who pushes her A-team to be the best of the best and win top-tier coverage trophies on behalf of the clients.

be the best of the best and win top-tier

coverage trophies on behalf of our clients.

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Inspiring Women Leaders Making a Difference 2021 organizations such as Hermes Creative Awards, the Stevie Awards and the Ragan and PR Daily Award programs),” adds Nicole.

Redefining Benchmarks Having served marquee leaders across industries from startups to Fortune 500 companies, NRPR offers industry disruptive, end-to-end marketing and public relations services, including strategic messaging development, integrated marketing communications and campaigns, digital/social media marketing activities, influencer relations, executive thought leadership development and video creation/distribution services for its entire client roster.

The company’s most recent branded business venture, NRPR Business Productions (Biz Pro™), is the first offering of its kind within the public relations space to provide clients with comprehensive business development services, including full concept-to-close launch support, legal entity creation, brand identity, design and investor/partner matchmaking and management (among many other services outlined within its portfolio).

NRPR has scaled to where it is today through its readiness to evolve, adapt and elevate alongside changing industry, consumer, and media trends – and has actively expanded its services portfolio/offerings to meet client needs, increase their visibility, impact the industry, and positively disrupt how the art of public relations is done in the modern era.

Overcoming Adversities When asked about the challenges that NRPR faced due to the pandemic, and how they managed to triumph these challenges, Nicole says, “The pandemic brought challenges and opportunities, in equal measure, to NRPR and our clients.”

“When COVID-19 first hit us like it hit the world, we were able to get gritty and creative in the face of the unknown, rather than allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the collective stress and uncertainty we were facing.”

“We helped our clients adapt powerful brand messaging and pivot their offerings to reflect the ‘new normal’, rather than advising them to stand still until the crisis passed. Since NRPR has also been an early adopter of work-from-home policies and solutions that enable seamless collaboration from anywhere, the mid-pandemic transition to 100% remote work across dispersed locations was as effortless as possible.”

“Even though every single team member had to simultaneously muscle through the pandemic’s impact on his/her personal life, they each led by example and helped make 2020 one of NRPR’s most standout, successful and scaled years to date (and against all odds), including several clients, service, staff, and award wins.”

“Whenever we do return to our Beverly Hills office for inperson operations, the team will remain committed to the safety of themselves and of others by practicing all possible precautions and protocols while working to help our clients meet/exceed their outlined business goals,” adds Nicole.

Opinions that Matter When asked for her opinion on how the adoption of novel technologies has transformed the PR and Marketing industry, and what could be expected in the future, Nicole explains, “NRPR represents and supports several cutting-edge organizations that are propelling innovation across the industries of technology, medicine, finance, NFTs and digital entertainment, amongst others. As such, our team works tirelessly to stay on top of emerging technologies, platforms and resources that enable us to match pace with our clients’ innovation and reflect it as powerfully as possible to the market. We’ve been early adopters of integrated tech tools (such as Onclusive, Cision, Meltwater, Slack, Zoom, Monday.com and others) that enable us to communicate, identify, track and analyze industry data and results garnered for clients, which many other agencies of our size do not yet leverage.”

When it comes to advocating gender egalitarianism from a leadership perspective, as a self-funded, solo female business owner of Latin American and Middle Eastern descent, Nicole has always held inclusion, representation, and diversity as core values, both personally and professionally.

“I also believe that gender-role stereotypes can hold people back from achieving their true, inherent potential – and thus, I have proudly built a diverse, multidimensional team of top-tier talent that spans the cultural, religious and gender gamut. We recognize and value the unique strengths, skills, backgrounds and experiences each person brings to the NRPR table, knowing we can all learn from every single differentiator,” she adds.

Bequeathing Keys to Success In her advice to budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the PR and Communications niche, Nicole says, “Aspiring entrepreneurs within the PR & Communications

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sector must realize a few key things before embarking on the journey: First, realize that nothing truly valuable ever comes easy. Your success will match the amount of effort, energy, hard work and sacrifice you are willing to put into your work. Second, educate yourself on every single task and/or role of the company you are building, so you can more meaningfully train and empower those who will take on those roles after you. Third, even business owners need mentors and trusted advisors. Fourth, leverage your ‘free time’ to dig deep into research and self-education about your industry, competitors, value proposition and differentiators to strategically position yourself in the market and develop meaningful messaging to tell your story well.”

“Truly, one of the most important qualities of successful entrepreneurs in any industry is the enthusiastic willingness to forever continue learning and improving, understanding that you do not know everything but can learn anything,” Nicole expresses.

On a Constant Journey Forward Talking about her vision for scaling NRPR Group’s operations and offerings in 2021, Nicole states, “NRPR will continue to evaluate markets/trends and look for software tools that will help us to serve clients.

We will add services as needed to help clients to fulfill their public relations, social media, digital marketing, and brand development requirements and meet business goals.”

“In 2021, we have already added seven new clients and five new team members. I envision NRPR as continuing our commitment to clients, media professionals, and our team members to create a mutually beneficial scenario, where all parties are satisfied with the interaction and results,” concludes Nicole.

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