The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business 2021 July2021

2021 | Volume-07 | Issue-04

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TH E

10

MOST

EMPOWERING

WOMEN in Business, 2021

Door to Success Leaders that We Need Today

Key Solutions Think, Plan, and Believe

Editor’s Desk Let’s Get Ready for Dynamic Leadership

I

f you try to do anything at first, there are difficulties, and you learn from those difficulties and find a way to succeed. In the case of business leadership, you start by building the team and engaging them with knowledgeable and reputable business insights, which is the focus of any leader to put everything at the right place at the right time.

Businesswomen in leadership focus on such insights – like people, clients, and helping every team member to reach their potential. They build a strong team around them, offering opportunities for new talent in the organization.

They know that there is a huge talent inside the organization; all it needs to be directed towards the common goal, where everyone contributes towards the team's success.

A challenge that comes in the way of women is maintaining a balance between personal and professional life. But, their belief in hard work with a focus on goals keeps this balance possible. They are well aware that leadership is about challenging the status quo by adding quality to work. And, to thrive in the cutthroat business ecosystem, innovation and technology are the keys.

Today, businesswomen use technological tools to bring the team closer by collaborating and forming strong bonds. The digital presence has been increased in this ongoing pandemic with the importance of communication over social media networks like Zoom meetings.

Moreover, businesswomen build a culture where they listen to the problems of their people guide them in how they can

reach their maximum potential to achieve their personal as well as professional goals. They believe in eradicating problems from the root, and understanding the co-relations by interacting helps them realize the root cause of the issues.

The world around us is evolving, and businesswomen are always trying to be one step ahead of this transformation. The key is to be curious and be challenged all the time, as there is always room for trial and error. We as a society also need to change our way and get ready for engaging, modern, competent, and agile women leadership. It is with our belief that even women have the ability to bring the change to the industry will contribute towards making this world a better place to live. With that note, Insights Success has a compiled a list of such empowering women in its upcoming edition- The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021.

These businesswomen are making glorious contributions to the world. Their empowering stories in this edition can inspire upcoming leaders and entrepreneurs.

Let’s start reading!

Sourabh More

sourabh@insightssuccess.com

CONTENTS ARTICLES

18 34

Door to Success

Leaders that We Need Today

Key Solutions

Think, Plan, and Believe

CxO

26 08 14 20 30

Leader’s Viewpoint

How Carbon O setting Can Help Your Business ?

Joanna James

Empowering People to Rise Above Limitations

Johanna Pystynen

Revolutionizing the HR Structure

Teresa Santana

An Eager Geophysicist Challenging the Status Quo for Innovation

Tina Powell

A Prominent Leader in the Digital Marketing Industry

Editor-in-Chief Hitesh Dhamani Managing Editor Anish Miller

Executive Editor Sourabh More

Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes

Visualizer

Art & Design Director

Associate Designer

Co-designer

David King

Asha Bange

Kartik Balapurkar

Shubham Dali

Senior Sales Manager

Business Development Manager

Kshitij S

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

Sales Executives

John Matthew

David, Martin, Vinod

Technical Head

Business Development Executives

Jacob Smile

Steve, Joe, Dharmendra

Technical Specialist Aditya

Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza

SME-SMO Executive Amol Wadekar

Research Analyst Frank Adams

Database Management Stella Andrew

Circulation Manager Robert Brown

Technology Consultant David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com July, 2021

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Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Joanna James General Manager

Mortgage Ezy mezy.com.au

Mortgage Ezy continues to be one of the most recognisable Non Bank mortgage management brands in Australia. The company was formed through the joint efforts of Peter and Joanna James and was incorporated in 1994.

Johanna Pystynen CEO

LaaS Company laas.fi

LaaS is an HR tech solution that helps organizations update their whole toolkit to meet the needs of modern working life, based on Leadership as a Service philosophy.

Liz Conelly Director of Coaching and Development

MAXWELL ENKI LIMITED maxwellenki.com

In 2015, Maxwell Enki was established by Liz Connelly to share her passion and knowledge of coaching and training, which she has developed over the past 20 years.

Makinley Fletcher Cook Loan Originator

United Community Bank ucbi.com

Since 1950, United Community Bank has been dedicated to providing best in class service to its customers as the foundation of every relationship.

Rachel Ostroff Vice Chair and Co-Owner

The Wonderful Company wonderful.com

The Wonderful Company is a privately held $5 billion company dedicated to harvesting health around the world through its iconic consumer brands.

Sarah Robarts President

Ballantines PR ballantinespr.com

Ballantines PR (BPR) is a global lifestyle PR firm based in West Hollywood. BPR is a luxury and lifestyle PR firm founded on key global media relationships, strategic thinking, and innovative campaigns.

Sophie Comas Founder and Freelance Marketing Consultant

Rimu Marketing rimumarketing.co.uk

Rimu Marketing is dedicated to inspiring businesses to trust and believe in the power of marketing.

Susie Mitchell Director

Florence & James Marketing Consultancy florenceandjames.co.uk

Florence & James Marketing Consultancy inspires and helps ambitious businesses achieve their goals.

Teresa Santana Chief Geophysicist Advisor and Diversity Officer

YPF ypf.com

YPF is committed to generating energy that is important to you and your everyday life, energy for cooking and turning on the light.

Tina Powell CEO

C-Suite Social Media csuitesocialmedia.com

C-Suite Social Media is a high-performance marketing company for RIAs & fintech companies in wealth management.

Joanna James General Manager

Mortgage EZY

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The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021

Joanna James Empowering People to Rise Above Limitations

T

o make a glorious contribution to the world, it is important for business leaders to not be confined by any mediocrity and narrow-minded approach. It is important to have a broad-minded approach to be a successful business leader. Joanna James is one such empowering leader in business who is not confined by any limitations in her imagination. Joanna is General Manager at Mortgage Ezy. As a disruptor, Mortgage Ezy has shaken up the mortgage market since its inception in 2001 by using technology to enhance its service offering across a diverse and wide range of loans.

Growing through a Journey Quite Like a Rollercoaster The past 20 years journey of Mortgage Ezy has been quite a ride from inception in 2001 as a team of 2, growing rapidly through the many cycles of business to the team of 200 today. Joanna recalls there were times of rapid growth where they were hiring new team members on a Thursday and building desks over the weekend for a Monday morning start, through to times of consolidation and defensive needs such as the GFC and more recent Covid19.

The journey has had mountains to climb, valleys and rivers to cross, but overall, every day is a different landscape with a variety of issues to address from big picture strategy initiatives to the minutia of finer details. When Joanna looks back, it is the faces of the people in Mortgage Ezy’s team, its brokers, and the tens of thousands of Australians she and her team have helped secure a better home loan that feature most prominently.

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Harnessing Creativity and Vibrant Energy Being a younger female in a very male dominated domain, Joanna was often presumed to be the PA or BDM and spoken too dismissively on more than one occasion, due to her youthful looks. Transitioning from Architecture and building into the Finance arena also brought a need for further training and upskilling and she would often be questioned on her authority and experience. Luckily, she saw this as a benefit as she set out to be anything other than a boring banking profile, and thus, she was able to harness her creativity and vibrant energy into creating a different type of Company. Whilst on the job, she has learnt to overcome discrimination, fear, doubt, procrastination, and many limiting beliefs about who she can be. Perhaps, the biggest challenge for her was juggling a family with business needs.

Challenging the Status Quo Joanna believes that everyone wants to have clarity around what it is they are being asked to do, and why their contribution is important to the bigger picture. She believes in engaging team members, so that there is a pull to do things collaboratively and always showing appreciation, not just for what they do but who they are as people.

As Joanna loves to have fun, she inspires others and creates an atmosphere where people can express their gifts and talents too. She believes impactful leadership is challenging the status quo, and inciting people to ponder the right questions so they can grow, then in turn can be more impactful in the world too.

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Mortgage Ezy is a dynamic, innovative Non-Bank Lender operating throughout Australia.

Today, whether Joanna facilitates finances for homes, demonstrates how to create healthy spaces, or mentors’ groups for successful women, she empowers others to create the life and lifestyle that they truly desire.

Being Flexible and Undergoing a Process of Metamorphosis Talking about the impact of the pandemic, Joanna mentions that Mortgage Ezy is a flexible group already trading internationally. In response to pandemic, her team was set up quickly and adjusted to working remotely easily. It has now extended this offer to permanent work from home arrangements for both new and existing members. It has undergone a process of metamorphosis, reinventing the way that it engages with its team, brokers, and clients.

Joanna opines that the adaption and implementation of new technology, methods of communication as well as training and education, especially in the areas of leadership and mentoring, has made the shift to the new necessity of a selfmotivated paradigm required by all people working remotely. The value add outside of work is really the main area of focus and people around globe expect more freedom and support for their lifestyles while working.

Being Decisive, Resilient And Contributing to Welfare Causes Joanna states that entrepreneurs should have an imagination followed by decisiveness and resilience to thrive in the cutthroat business ecosystem. Mortgage Ezy continues to generate and contribute to market competition with its product offerings as a true counterpoint to the major banks.

This ensures product innovation and price reductions for all Australians.

Learning by Doing and Embodying Lessons Joanna is a big believer of self-development work and prior to Covid, she regularly took time out to attend all types of group workshops. This covered everything from professional technical workshops to motivational gurus such as Tony Robbins. She loves learning through mostly audio books, currently she is listening to Indestructible by Nir Eyal which is helping her to take her focus to the next level. She works with a series of mentors to help herself progress by learning from others who have already mastered their crafts. However, her most poignant learning has been life experiential, as she tends to learn by doing and embodying the lessons. The impact of this has been both positive and also incredibly challenging especially when they were difficult lessons to learn. Being said that it has in return given Joanna great depth as she has overcome the challenges that were presented.

Concise Note to Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Finance According to Joanna, working in finance requires a discipline and self-mastery around money psychology, especially understanding how this influences the behavior of others. In her advice to emerging women entrepreneurs she says, “Remember Finance is a language just like any other that can be learnt so approach it in manageable pieces and seek great teachers to show you what you need to learn. Take time out of the day to day to work on yourself, your success will only ever be as large as you can see it in your mind’s eye. Whether that be meditation in the morning, workshops and extra webinars, or seeking mentors it will serve you well.”

“Be brave, dream big and love what you do, a zest for life is the key to everything,” she concludes.

On a global scale, the company supports the THRIVE initiative which supports children in Africa by way of an educational scholarship to ensure all funds go directly where they are needed most. It supports them through their entire educational journey through school and into university to give them the opportunity to better both their personal and family’s lives.

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& & 20 The

Most

SUCCESSFUL

BUSINESSWOMEN to Watch, 2020

kimberly Khoury

Paving her Way in Sustainability Development

Johanna Pystynen CEO

LaaS Company

Johanna Pystynen Revolutionizing the HR Structure

14 | July 2021

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The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021

Dared to Innovate The story of LaaS begins in Finland in 2012 when Johanna Pystynen joined IT company Vincit as HR Director. The team created a modern and agile leadership model and wanted to find a tool that would support this new mindset.

However, all the HR tools available on the market were company-focused, and not developed to help employees. As an IT company, they decided to create a platform of its own.

This platform led Vincit to be a three-time winner of the Best Workplace in Finland Award, awarded as the Best Workplace in Europe in 2016, and rated among Fast Company’s global Best Workplaces for Innovators 2020 list. Soon, several organizations wanted to adopt the same agile leadership models that Vincit had been awarded for.

To help others make self-organization as easy as possible, the company wanted to share their digital platform with the world. This is how LaaS Company was born.

In December 2020, Johanna left her place at the Vincit executive team to drive LaaS to its full potential. At the moment, a team of 10 professionals from the fields of software development, organizational psychology, management, and educational studies, and service design are striving to meet the growing demand.

LaaS is a digital HR platform that helps organizations update their whole toolkit to meet the needs of modern working life, based on the Leadership as a Service philosophy. This agile, co-organized, and data-driven platform helps companies lead employees’ well-being, competencies, and employee experience, offering tailored support and services to meet individual needs. It has been awarded as HR Tech 2021 Winner by Talent Culture and Top 10 Employee Wellness Solution.

Building Employee Trust Johanna is of the opinion that companies won’t succeed in the revolution of work if they don’t focus on employee wellbeing and employee engagement. This is often built-in in start-up cultures, but it gets more difficult when the company grows. Companies really have to start putting

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effort into developing a positive culture and creating structures that enable and maintain this.

In Johanna’s words, “It is a prerequisite for success. To tackle the constant changes in the operating environment, small and big, we need to have a platform to try new things and learn fast, to collect data on what works and what doesn’t, and to focus resources on the right things. In HR, too much is done based on guessing and this needs to change. We need to learn to lead with data.”

She adds by saying, “At the same time, employees can’t thrive in the demands of self-organization unless workplaces start to focus more on providing possibilities to actually lead themselves. With digital tools, we can provide information, data, and understanding for the employee on the other hand about their wellbeing and competence and on the other hand on the company needs and vision.”

Taking above situation into consideration, the company has built a LaaS model to help its employees to lead their wellbeing, network, and share their expertise over team borders. This Leadership as a Service model allows everyone to choose from its “internal marketplace” the support that best meets their individual needs. Employees are treated as "internal customers" and active consumers, enabling them to solve their problems instead of passively waiting for help. The key is to encourage employees to take ownership of their wellbeing and employee experience and learn self-leadership skills.

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Vincit is a three-time winner of the Best Workplace in Finland Award, awarded as the Best Workplace in Europe in 2016 and rated among Fast Company’s global Best Workplaces for Innovators 2020 -list.

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W

hen passion meets purpose, it altogether becomes a fuel that drives people towards their specific goals. Johanna Pystynen’s passion to help organizations increase their agility and make working life more meaningful, sensible, and productive for everyone, led her to become a CEO at LaaS Company, a digital product family for all workplaces

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Importance of HR-tech According to Johanna, technology should not only help the management but also to employees. Tech should offer data and support to both individuals and teams to help them to understand what is important, what challenges they might have, how they can reach their goals, and who could help them with that. It should also support a holistic view. It is important to look at well-being, competencies and employee engagement as a system, where all the areas interact with each other. Understanding the correlations between these themes helps companies to realize the root causes and focus on solving the right things.

Understanding the Requirements of People Johanna believes that there is a huge untapped talent potential inside organizations. The first step is to make this expertise visible by conceptualizing it and making it available for everyone. Companies need to help people understand what are the strategically relevant competencies in their organization. The second step is to enable them to direct their own expertise towards this common goal.

This should be done individually, as different people have different needs when it comes to competence development and organizations should be able to support everyone in a way that suits them.

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LaaS company does this in an agile, cost-effective way. Its service catalogue helps its employees to understand what support they have available and who could provide them help: it might be their colleague, sales team, HR team or sometimes even CEO! A Future Life As the world around us is developing all the time, the team at LaaS is constantly researching the future world of work and always trying to be one step ahead. The key is to be curious and challenge thinking. There is always room for trial and error. In five years, the company wishes to help thousands of companies globally to change their way of leading wellbeing, competencies, and employee engagement into a modern, agile leadership model.

An Enlightening Advice In her advice to emerging entrepreneurs, Johanna says, “Trust yourself and your intuition. Don’t try to adapt to a role that doesn’t fit what and who you really are. If there is something you don’t manage yet, get support around you. In my experience, people are more than happy to help. Be curious and dare to grab opportunities.”

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Door to Success

Leaders that We Need

Today

18 | July 2021

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L

ife is a struggle that revolves around personal and professional challenges. And, when you are struggling, seeking advice from genuine friends always helps you. But instead of following people and their advice, create your own opportunities that help you find your own path. Because fate is by far the greatest mystery of all, and you can never know where it will take you. But the real question is there an alternative to all of this? While everyone speaks about these complicated things, let’s discuss the solution through this article.

Our lives are connected to technology and social media, as they play a key role in today’s modern world. As business leaders, we have to accept the fact that the vision to bring change in the lives of the people and transform the world is possible with technology. But, promoting compassion and wellbeing among the people is also equally important.

Understandably, everyone wants to create their identity and influence the world. But developing leaders just for the sake of business output and profits will degrade the quality of the leadership. And, we don’t want such leaders, especially in tough times like today.

We want leaders who can get the best out of their team, which is possible only without the fear of judgment. It is a great way to lead, discuss, guide, and help each other in crucial times. A ray of hope is all people need, and leaders can bring that hope through these sources. For example, if any employee knows that he/she does not have to face the issues alone and there is someone to talk about it, it gives hope to that person.

Yes, that’s the alternative for a leader – to connect - to help those who feel down and try to bring the best out of them. That’s what the leader should be recognized for, and this is the shift leaders need to bring currently.

As an organization and as people, we should develop compassion and ethics that reflect our outlook on the world.

and well-being among the people. Now that we have got the alternative solution for the leaders. The next question is, how do you recognize that you need help?

Most of us today are too busy making a living. We exist only within our daily routine, as we are preoccupied with massive responsibilities in many aspects of our lives, like academic, financial, career, household chores, etc. And due to this, it becomes too late to realize that you are already struggling – emotionally and mentally. We no longer listen to our body & mind, and finally, we do not appreciate our actual/real life.

There appears an absence of self-care. Taking care of yourself can be overlooked against all the professional pressures of our life. But it is important to take time to care about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental health.

Before you extend your compassion and authentic care for people, you must first practice self-care.

Why? Because you can never give what you do not have.

Below are things that can help you in practicing selfcare: Ÿ Start your day doing things you love the most and boost your mood. Ÿ Be grateful for things you have, no matter how small or big it might be. Ÿ Have sufficient sleep, healthy food, and exercise regularly Ÿ Do activities and interactions add value to your life There are much more things that you can discover yourself to practice self-care. After following all the things, you will appreciate your life, even more, resulting in a healthy work-life balance. With peace of mind, you will achieve your life goals. You will know yourself better – see a better version of yourself and attract positivity in your life.

It is only with this approach we can make it possible to sustain and impact lives for longer, creating a better world for all. This is a much-needed alternative in today’s pandemic situation – promoting compassion

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Teresa Santana

Chief Geophysicist, Advisor and Diversity Officer

YPF 20 | July 2021

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The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021

Teresa Santana An Eager Geophysicist Challenging the Status Quo for Innovation

T

After ten years working in Argentina engaged in diverse projects, from seismic acquisition design and interpretation searching for hydrocarbon accumulations, to leading integrated multi-disciplinary studies for new opportunities, Teresa commenced her international career to master in state-of-the-art leading-edge technologies in quantitative seismic interpretation to predict reservoir properties from the subsurface. As a result, she was immersed in huge global discoveries such as fields in offshore Guyana and offshore North West Australia. Then, she decided to return to Argentina, her home country, to give back her expertise to the local community.

Currently, she is the Chief Geophysicist, Diversity Officer, and Advisor in Geophysics at YPF, a company that is committed to generate the energy that is important for people and their daily lives. Her role at YPF is to ensure technical excellence in geophysics within projects.

Additionally, in her function as Advisor, she is responsible for the technical assurance within YPF´s Expertise program that certifies seniorities for the geoscience community.

Furthermore, her aspiration for equal business opportunities leads her to volunteer as Diversity Officer to ease the connection between the Upstream business demands and the Diversity and Inclusion committee that implements the Company D&I mission and strategy.

With very sound judgment, an interview was held between Teresa Santana and Insights Success that follows her career

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“With technology, constant challenges, innovation and equity, we seek to provide the energy solutions that Argentina needs.

“

eresa Santana is among pioneers in the energy industry in applied geoscience for quantitative and volume interpretation. She is an eager geophysicist who challenges the status quo for technical excellence within projects looking for innovation. Her curiosity in science, passion for physics, and mathematics enabled her decision to start her career in geophysics with the dream to predict earthquakes, and shortly decided to explore for hydrocarbons within the energy business.

path, delivering fit-for purpose technical solutions to support business decisions globally.

Below are the highlights of the interview: As a geophysicist, what is your opinion on the impact of the current pandemic on the Energy market?

The pandemic forced us to work collaboratively in a virtual way, maximizing the use of technology. YPF was well prepared to face the COVID challenge. All working data was already transferred to the cloud, servers and hardware were prepared for employees to work from their home when their roles allowed. For those who must be in the operations every day, there are strict protocols to protect their health.

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In my experience, working remotely benefits both the worklife balance and the business efficiency. Employees earned more flexibility, accountability and responsibility, and leaders had to include soft skills to ensure empathy, quality and productivity. For the Diversity and Inclusion committee, it was an opportunity to talk about coresponsibility in domestic and care tasks.

developments, especially when it comes to digital transformation?

“In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”, A. Einstein stated. I am a strong advocate of the huge opportunity the pandemic is giving us to optimize our leadership styles and our ways of working to confront established paradigms.

In geophysics, machine learning tools have been utilized for several years. Advanced algorithms, such as artificial intelligence and deep learning, are being implemented.

What is your thought on the necessity for businesses to align their offerings with newer technological

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It is imperative for companies to adapt to technological developments and revitalize their methods for success.

From the ways of communication, data storage, leadership to business.

Digital transformation revolutionizes the subsurface data archives as well. A searchable, simple digital version of all data types, from seismic, well data to interpretation projects, needs to be in place to capture the value of

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historical and current data. During the past few years, YPF embarked in an intensive evaluation to select a unique seismic interpretation platform that enables project integration, collaboration and easy access to the corporate database. My role to ensure that the chosen platform satisfies geophysicists needs, was crucial to this transformation.

In what ways have you contributed to the community?

YPF promotes an environment of volunteering for career development that I spread out to the international community.

Within the Company, being a Diversity Officer allows me to recommend actions for empowerment of women and minorities in geoscience and the business. Furthermore, my passion for transmitting my experience, encouraged me to mentor interns, students, young and experienced professionals to provide them with professional growth tools to accelerate their career path.

Externally, I volunteer as a reviewer of technical papers for conferences and cv/resumes for recent graduates, as a mentor of students and professionals, and as a member of various committees for international associations, such as SEG, EAGE, AAPG. In Diversity and Inclusion, I am an executive member of the SEG Women committee and a global ambassador for the WomenTech network, to promote and inspire other women in STEM globally for career progression and business development.

At the end of 2020, I was honored to receiving the “Technology Executive” international award in Argentina, a global technology and innovation recognition that distinguishes women leaders in technology who are an inspiration for other women and the industry at large.

In your opinion, what could be the future of Energy companies?

Energy companies need to integrate their business, adopt an equal opportunity career path, embrace digital transformation and be sustainable.

therefore more critical thinking and decision-making skilled geoscientists are required. A clear upgrade and evolution towards digital transformation, with training across the industry, is mandatory.

One of the large challenges facing the energy industry is decarbonizing energy production, either by introducing more renewables into the total energy combination, producing hydrocarbons in a more environmentally efficient way, or reducing the amount of carbon in the air.

In addition, hydrocarbons exploration will focus on even deeper targets than those currently reached. Innovation is thus vital, and geophysics is playing an increasing and significant role in these global energy challenges.

As an established women leader in business, what would be your advice to the women in STEM aspiring to venture into the Energy sector?

Traditionally, the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have been shaped by gender biases, and so has the energy business. In Latin-America and the Caribbean, only 3 out of 10 roles in STEM are occupied by women, and only 5% of them are in leadership positions. YPF is working since 2017 to ensure equal opportunities for everyone. Several initiatives were in place before the pandemic such as the D&I policy, the behavior manual, intern job posting, leadership and mentoring programs.

The Energy sector urges a substantial transformation for equity. These efforts require overcoming stereotypes, that starts at home with family education and follow with a precise action plan including awareness and training for women in leadership.

My advice to women in STEM is to follow their passion and dreams, be proactive, educate themselves, ask plenty of questions, take risks, learn quickly from mistakes, and surround themselves with smarter peers. With effort, dedication, passion, curiosity and hard work, the path to success is easier. My contribution to achieve this aspiration for equity is huge, and I will do what I have in my power to fulfill that necessity for future generations.

The increase in computing power in the cloud is positively affecting our working style with the ability to analyze larger quantities of data more quickly and effectively, and

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Eliana

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Leader’s Viewpoint

How Offse ng Can Help Your Business ? ‘

N

et Zero’ is officially here. Over half of global GDP is now generated in countries that have net-zero mandates and almost half of all assets under management - US$50tn - is held by investors that have pledged to drive decarbonisation. Household-name brands have suddenly scrambled to announce net-zero targets. The change is also seen across SMEs with venture capital investment in climate tech growing 4200% between 2013 to 2018 to reach $16.3bn.

Are investors, governments, and businesses acting out of the goodness of their hearts? Unlikely.

Climate change and net zero targets are transforming the business landscape in terms of both risk management and opportunity. Consumer behaviour has experienced a seismic shift and governments are bringing in tight restrictions on pollution at unprecedented pace. It is no longer a question of if, but when. We have already seen sweeping measures for the car industry with 25 major countries already banning the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles - with some bans enforced as soon as 2025 - which industry is next?

In all this there is one inescapable fact that most business people miss - Net Zero makes sound business sense. I am going to show you why making your business Net Zero is a good investment now and how you can capitalise on the climate opportunity.

Let’s start with the basics: What does ‘Net Zero’ mean?

Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas emissions (pollution) produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.

You can think of it like a seesaw - on one side you have how much pollution is produced, on the other you have how

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much pollution is removed. Net Zero is when the seesaw is balanced - you remove at least as much pollution as you produce.

Generally, there are two ways of achieving Net Zero reducing the amount of pollution you emit in the first place, and removing pollution from the atmosphere via carbon offsetting.

What is carbon offsetting?

Carbon offsetting is a climate solution activity that reduces or removes pollution to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Common forms include tree planting and renewable energy projects.

For example; Metaphor Ltd is responsible for 670 tonnes of CO2 per year. Metaphor Ltd could plant 339,000 trees per year to remove their 670 tonnes. Alternatively, they could fund scientific climate projects, such as renewable energy wind farms, that help reduce global emissions by 670 tonnes. In either case, 670 tonnes of CO2 are reduced and/or removed from the atmosphere. Those tree planting activities or renewable energy wind farms are carbon offsetting.

Carbon offsetting is usually the cheapest and simplest method for achieving your business’s Net Zero target.

Where does my business pollution come from?

For the vast majority of businesses your business pollution comes from what is called ‘Scope 3’ emissions. Scope 3 are indirect emissions from activities outside an organisation’s own operations. These types of emissions often account for the most significant proportion of a company’s carbon footprint – sometimes up to 90%.

Examples of Scope 3 include business travel, employee commuting practices, the use of sold products, and

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upstream activities including raw material and agricultural production.

strongly. A comprehensive sustainability strategy is critically important to attracting top talent.

There are some relatively simple changes you can implement that reduce your emissions significantly across scopes 1-3. The most impactful easy changes include: Ÿ Switching to a green energy provider Ÿ Switching to an ethical bank Ÿ Dropping beef from staff canteen/entertainment menus Ÿ Prioritising sourcing from sustainable suppliers Ÿ Reducing the need for business travel and commuting (such as via remote working policies).

Sustainability is not just a millennial concern, 83% of employees report that they would be more loyal to a company that helps them contribute to social and environmental issues. The performance of your current and future workforce will improve due to your sustainability strategy.

How does being sustainable impact sales?

This is where it starts to get really interesting.

Consumers and businesses prioritise eco-friendly, sustainable goods and services (and are often willing to pay more).

British consumers would each be willing to pay £3,654 more a year for eco-friendly household goods and services. - Independent Ÿ Since the pandemic, 60% of people report making more environmentally-friendly purchases. Accenture added that nine out of 10 of that percentage said they were likely to continue doing so - Accenture Ÿ UK vegan sales tripled since lockdown, showing a rapidly growing trend of conscious eating habits that are strongly correlated with sustainable lifestyle changes BBC Ÿ B2B pay up to 20% higher prices for sustainable suppliers - Harvard Business Review Ÿ

With more businesses committing to Net Zero targets we are starting to see compound and network effects affecting purchasing decisions across both B2B and B2C. Demand is up. Being sustainable is a competitive advantage.

In my own experience running ZeroSmart, a UK social enterprise that helps businesses achieve their Net Zero goals via carbon offsetting, we have seen our partner businesses achieve both higher prices and increased demand after working with us.

How much does it cost?

Offsetting your workforce - typically the largest source of pollution - can cost as little as £8 per employee per month with services like ZeroSmart. This is an effective solution open to businesses of all sizes, with no minimum or maximum headcount necessary to benefit.

And the best bit? These kinds of investments are usually tax deductible. While you should consult your accountant first, it is likely that any business undertaking this expenditure will obtain a business benefit in the promotion of the business, and therefore it is likely to be a tax deductible expense for most trading businesses.

Conclusion Carbon offsetting should be a part of your sustainability strategy if you wish to achieve your Net Zero goals in the most efficient way and to remain competitive. Doing good is good for business - by being sustainable you can attract better talent, improve customer perception, and significantly increase your profits.

Organisations like ZeroSmart help you to reduce your business’s carbon footprint in a simple, cost-efficient manner through carbon offsetting. Finalists for ‘Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year’ at this year’s Great British Entrepreneur Awards, ZeroSmart is a subscription service for your business that finds and funds tree planting and scientific climate solutions for you.

Find out more at www.zerosmart.co.uk/business

Talent acquisition and retention People like to work with good people doing good things.

Three-quarters of the millennial workforce prioritizes sustainability over other factors when choosing a job. By 2025, Millennials (those born between ~1980 and 2000) are forecast to comprise 75 percent of the global workforce.

Gen Z, the generation after millennials, feels even more

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Tina Powell CEO

C-Suite Social Media

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The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021

Tina Powell

A Prominent Leader in the Digital Marketing Industry

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eing at the forefront of marketing and social media, Tina Powell is a prominent leader in the digital marketing industry for financial services. Tina brings 20 years of experience in hands-on digital marketing campaign and strategy to the table. Her commitment to service excellence is known throughout her team and impressive client roster. What sets her apart is her intense desire to support the growth and evolution of her team and the brands they represent.

engaged with a knowledgeable and reputable CPA firm so I could build the business and focus on sales. I paid close attention to my financials and put everything back into the business to build a strong enough cash position for reserves and new talent.

Currently, Tina is steering the ship of C-Suite Social Media, a digital marketing and social media agency for privately held companies in financial services, as a CEO.

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

In an interview conducted between Tina and Insights Success, Tina sheds light on her entrepreneurial journey and how C-Suite is empowering its clients to build strong brands and achieve their most important business goals by leveraging the power of digital marketing and social media.

Below are the highlights of the interview: What were the challenges and experiences you came across prior and after becoming Chief Executive Officer at C-Suite Social Media?

When I first became CEO of C-Suite Social Media, it was just me. Naturally, I was doing everything myself in all departments and doing you-name-it while running all aspects of day-to-day operations. So, the challenge initially was taking on too many roles and responsibilities myself. If you try to do everything and spread yourself too thin, you’ll soon discover it is a recipe for failure and not for success.

Shortly after getting our first few clients, I started adding to the team. I hired a part-time marketing assistant and

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Today, my primary focus is on our people and our clients, in that order. One of my many gifts is developing other people and helping every team member reach their potential.

I have been influenced by so many people throughout my career, but it was the example of my mother, who raised two children as a single parent that is the most profound.

She would go on to put herself through college to earn a bachelor’s degree and later become an entrepreneur herself by starting a bookkeeping business and then working at an International cosmetics company where she traveled to Vietnam.

To this day, books continue to consume my time and attention, both audio and hardcover. Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” shaped my belief that anything is possible when you apply hard work, action, and a singularity of focus on your goals. On the personal side, American neurosurgeon Paul Kalanathi and his memoir, “When Breath Becomes Air” remind me that life is finite, fragile, and can be taken away at any time. It also helps me to appreciate how blessed I am to be alive and do work I love each day.

Being a recognized digital leader, what is your opinion regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on

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Grow your networks before you need them and be genuinely curious to meet new people and learn about their backstories.

Marketing & Advertising Industry? And how has CSuite Social Media managed to overcome this significant challenge?

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Marketing & Advertising was felt immediately. Companies that were once bearish about their marketing became bullish about building a brand and a strong, visible digital presence. The importance of social media and communications on social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, was all of a sudden, now a priority for c-suite leaders. As a result, C-Suite Social Media first doubled, then tripled the business so we could serve more clients and handle all of their marketing.

What is your thought on the necessity of a positive work culture? In what ways do you implement it at your organization?

Positive work culture is a non-negotiable aspect of leadership. At C-Suite Social Media, we use technology and collaboration tools to bring us closer together and form strong bonds. For example, Basecamp provides our team

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with the ability to high-five, praise, and leave comments for each other while Zoom allows us to play games, celebrate team birthdays and virtually meet with open office hours as much as possible. We also have certain rituals like custom Zoom backgrounds and sending giant birthday cakes and candles from Insomnia Cookies to show how much we care.

In what ways have you or C-Suite Social Media contributed to the community? If given a chance, what change would you bring in Marketing services with Digital innovation & Technologies?

C-Suite Social Media has contributed to the community in a number of ways. During the pandemic, we hired the nextgen talent who had been laid off of work and had no jobs.

Our company is still providing economic stability, professional development, and a positive work environment that has improved their lives, professionally and personally.

We also started a podcast “In The Suite” a year ago, aimed at raising the profiles of mid-level and senior women in financial services and wealth management. In The Suite Podcast is listened in 35 countries and 576 cities and growing!!! We are empowering women with insights, knowledge, tools, and tips to help them reach that next level of leadership.

What is your vision for C-Suite Social Media for the next five years?

My vision for C-Suite Social Media is to be the top marketing and social media agency in financial services so that we may develop the next-gen talent and help them to reach their fullest potential.

At the heart of C-Suite Social Media is a professional development company that offers its employees and clients, the opportunity to learn, grow and expand personally and professionally. Marketing and social media are constantly changing and because of that, innovation, digital tools, and bold new ways of thinking are emerging.

All of this change provides a gateway to experiment, as well as the ability to develop new, core-competencies based on passion and interest—while collaborating and learning from others. We give people the chance to try while acknowledging that not everything works out as planned…and that’s ok too.

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Key Solutions

Think, Plan, and Believe

he pioneering innovators have taken the world to a place where life can be defined in a new way. These innovators and entrepreneurs define success with technological enhancements and innovations. Elon Musk, Jack Ma, Susan Wojcicki, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sheryl Sandberg, Ginni Rometty, and many more are few names who have brought a drastic transformation in today’s technology-driven world. They all have one thing in common that is the willingness to succeed.

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just dream of, but transformative leaders make things happen by working on it.

Some leaders are just gifted to bring transformation to the world, but they never consider themselves being gifted; that’s the best part about them. There are things that people

But exactly how? If that’s the question, let’s discuss it through this article

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It is no wonder that they are supported by many in their journey, so taking the inspiration from such leaders, today's business entrepreneurs need to learn from them.

Considering all of this, changing the world and making a better place to live should be the ultimate goal for all the upcoming leaders.

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The Calling...

All it takes is the calling, listening to the inner self, and knowing your strengths and weaknesses; anyone can achieve the greater heights of success. Of course, there is no chance to build it overnight, but there is a systematic way to go all the way on the path of success. Technology is the key to it; with its appropriate use, we can reach every corner of the world and bring a change for a better tomorrow.

Innovate Something Different The best gift you can give to yourself is comfort in the life of others and doing your best to serve others. Because it is not just about the money sometimes, but to follow the passion and heart and touch the people's lives by setting foot in the world of innovation and disruption.

The Futuristic Leaders Leaders like Jeff Bezos have created so many job opportunities with the founding of Amazon. All of this put together, we have got a lot ahead of us, and with the innovative mindset, we can definitely make this world a lot better place together.

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There are many innovators, trailblazers, and entrepreneurs who have achieved greater heights. Some entrepreneurs own a billion-dollar business but aspire to achieve beyond the earth’s horizon that is space tourism. And, this is what the leader’s perception should be – to see the future and bring the transformation in the ways of doing business.

Of course, there will be challenges, hurdles, and failures at all times, but the zeal to try and make a way out of those challenges is a sign of a true successful leader. And, such successful leaders are not born but made solely with their passion for thinking differently and creating something out of nothing.

What do we Risk?

With innovation and disruption all around us, we need to ask ourselves how do we want our future to be? As everything comes with a cost, leaders need to plan their technological resources accordingly to deal with the big challenge of the environment ahead of us.

It is the people's responsibility to preserve and care about the environment by using the resources efficiently. It is only with strategic planning and decisions that will shape our future forever.

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