Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021

Volume-07 Issue-02 2021

1 Top

Pioneering to Follow in 2021

Optimistic Mindset The Wealth of Leadership

CEO

Kivu Consul ng

Chad Holmes Fusing Expertise and Advanced Technology to Deliver Excellent Cyber Security Solutions Worldwide

Editor’s Desk I

Evolving With the Times

mpactful leadership means leading and serving with passion, delivering the best, and exceeding everyone’s expectation in the organization at all levels. On the level of CEO, the definition of the leadership keeps on changing. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic put CEOs of every organization to the test. With their resilience and ability to sustain any of such conditions, they stood tall and led in ingenious ways.

CEOs have always proved their potential beyond crisis.

There are multiple traits such as their courage, their passion, their intensity that differentiates them from others.

The other traits that counts are empathy and the ability to see the world through the eyes of others. With their generosity and humble behavior by sharing experience and knowledge, they enable their team to learn the right lessons, which is also equally important part of leadership.

Undoubtedly, CEOs have the strong communication skills, listening skills, along with the ability to read the people and adapting different management styles according to the situation. They don’t just lead by themselves; they lead with people. The most important job of any CEO is building a team by putting the right people at the right place.

Moreover, in any transformation or growth, culture is the critical element to the overall success of that growth transformation. Culture is the key strategy and hence, getting the right culture has become so critical. It has become critical for CEOs to be the people first and lead from the front. And, in order to do so, CEOs will have to work harder with the focus on servant leadership model, with no titles.

For a CEO, there will be much more challenges that will be difficult to overcome but having the right team, approach and focus will drive any company’s success. Thus, spending time on building such a culture of people development with

the right process and technology will make a huge impact.

Afterall, achieving excellence is good but achieving perfection always is not possible. As the trends in different industries keep on evolving rapidly, CEOs also will need to change their approach. Ultimately, focus should always be on the team and the clients, as this can head them towards achieving huge success.

With such unparalleled expertise – Insights Success presents its new edition - Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021. Featuring at its cover is Chad Holmes – CEO of Kivu Consulting. Chad states that as the CEO, it is critical to develop a people first culture by developing high performing teams. He adds that for any organization to grow it requires there to be unity, trust and everyone going in the same direction after the same target.

Delve into more such insightful stories of pioneering CEOs. While flipping through the pages, make sure to gain insights from the CXO standpoints and articles drafted by our in-house editorial team.

Read on!

COVER STORY

08 Chad Holmes Fusing Expertise and Advanced Technology to Deliver Excellent Cyber Security Solutions Worldwide

ARTICLE

20

32

Optimistic Mindset

Leader’s Viewpoint

The Wealth of Leadership

A Profound Take on Beauty Industry

16

Dev Garg Inspiring the Greatness in Others

24

Jeff LoCastro An Epitome of Innovative Leadership

28

Ran Rachlin Leading by Empowering Employees

36

Rob Rosenberger Transforming Federal Contracting Community with a Novel Approach

40

Ronald Hajj Innovating Things Beyond Imagination

C O N T E N T S

Editor-in-Chief Hitesh Dhamani Managing Editor Anish Miller

Executive Editor

Assistant Editors

Sourabh More

Jenny Fernandes Sharad Chitalkar

Visualizer

Art & Design Director

Associate Designer

David King

Asha Bange

Kartik Balapurkar

Co-designer Shubham Dali

Senior Sales Manager

Business Development Manager

Kshitij S

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

Sales Executives

John Matthew

David, Martin, Arthur

Technical Head

Business Development Executives

Jacob Smile

Steve, Joe, Akash

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

Follow us on :

www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/

www.twitter.com/insightssuccess

We are also available on : Copyright © 2021 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success.

Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Andy Nemeth CEO

Patrick Industries patrickind.com

Patrick Industries, Inc. was founded in 1959 and is a major manufacturer and distributor of component and building products for the Recreational Vehicle, Marine, and Manufactured Housing industries.

Chad Holmes CEO

Kivu Consulting kivuconsulting.com

Kivu is well known in the cyber security industry for our high level of technical expertise and legally sound, practical business solutions.

Dev Garg Chief Strategist Officer

Easyanalytic Inc easyanalytic.com

Easyanalytic provides unmatchable cutting edge technological solutions to industries and small businesses, whilst creating inventive software programs and algorithms that are advantageous to individuals as well as corporations.

Gary Beasley CEO

Roofstock roofstock.com

Roofstock is building the world's leading real estate investment marketplace.

Jeff LoCastro CEO

Neener Analytics NeenerAnalytics.com

NeenerAnalytics is the leader in computational social science and the only social media analytics that delivers specific, individual, risk outcomes in a 100% friction-less environment.

Mark Casale CEO

Essent Guaranty essent.us

Founded in 2008, Essent Guaranty is a private mortgage insurer, approved by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and licensed nationwide.

Ran Rachlin CEO

Ubertesters ubertesters.com

Ubertesters is a crowd-based, complete mobile apps/web testing solution provider.

Rob Rosenberger CEO

Blackdragon blackdragon.io

BlackDragon is a decentralized blockchain-native fundraising group with dedicated in-house marketing, development, and research teams.

Ronald Hajj CEO

SilexPro SilexPro.com

SilexPro is a technology innovator in the field of visual communication and group collaboration.

Sumedh Thakar CEO

Qualys qualys.com

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS) is a pioneer and leading provider of cloud-based security and compliance solutions with over 10,300 customers in more than 130 countries, including a majority of each of the Forbes Global 100 and Fortune 100.

Chad Holmes CEO

Kivu Consul ng

Cover Story

Chad Holmes Fusing Expertise and Advanced Technology to Deliver Excellent Cyber Security Solutions Worldwide

‘‘

Kivu Consulting is a global provider of full lifecycle beach response services including digital forensics, incident response, recovery, risk and manage detection services.

‘‘

ransomware and other malware attacks. The focus of Chad Holmes as Kivu’s CEO is to drive innovation and strategic business development to ensure the business capitalizes on the dynamic shifts in the cyber security industry.

Chad joined the Kivu’s team in 2020 with more than 22 years of experience in the cyber security field across multiple industries. During this time, he developed and led large cyber programs, transformation efforts, international teams, and service lines. His prior roles include EVP, Chief Services and Operations Officer at Optiv, Managing Partner for the cyber practice at EY and Chief Technology and Intelligence Officer at FireEye.

A

s organizations were forced to modernize and transform their IT environments at a rapid pace due to the pandemic, it gave their employees remote access to critical infrastructure from possible unsecure environments. It has increased the overall threat landscape quickly, which has opened up their environments for more threats, and ransomware attacks. Ransomware is a malicious software (malware) which threatens to block access to the most important information. The most vital information of organization can be in threat due to such attacks. In future there can be more compromised environments and data-stealing.

This is where an effective on-site remediation assistance becomes a critical necessity of every organization. This cyber incident can be prevented from becoming a business disaster by having the right team of professionals. By combining highest technical expertise with legally sound, practical business solutions it is possible to protect the vital information of organizations.

Chad Holmes and Kivu Consulting’s team has unparalleled expertise in cyber compliance issues, organizational management, legal regulations, and incident response.

Kivu’s post-breach remediation service seamlessly integrates with its incident response operations, or those provided by a third party. The team at Kivu consists of technical experts and experienced project managers, who ensure efficient collaboration with client staff and thirdparty resources. The company has over a decade of experience dealing with thousands of incident response engagements. It works with organizations around the world to mitigate the business interruption arising from

Laying Strong and Mature Foundation Chad considers it is a huge blessing for him for having the great opportunity to take the helm of a fast-growing innovative cybersecurity firm in one of the hottest markets in Cybersecurity. As all cybersecurity startups are put in a hard position, Chad states that these cybersecurity startups have to mature quickly to keep up with the needs of a very fast-moving industry. The less matured cybersecurity startups directly cause them to struggle to keep up with the growth demand of the industry.

Chad’s journey has been an amazing one so far at Kivu. In the first six months of taking the role as CEO, he and his team have been able to lay down a strong and mature foundation for the organization that will help them to be able to respond faster to any market conditions that are thrown on their way. According to Chad, in cybersecurity, it is all about the value and brand, and thus, relaunch of Kivu Consulting to the market has been a huge focus for the company. The company also has been focused on driving operational excellence and hiring highly talented people.

Chad states that as the CEO of Kivu, it is critical to develop a people first culture by developing high performing teams.

He adds that for any organization to grow it requires there to be unity, trust and everyone going in the same direction after the same target.

Providing an End-to-End Solution Kivu Consulting is a global cybersecurity organization that is the premier provider of Ransomware incident response services with a focus on providing an end-to-end solution around a breach from identification, negotiation, post breach remediation and continuous protection and response monitoring services. The company leverages its custom developed technology with a unique deployment model to drive speed and quality in its services. Kivu’s incident response service helps organizations respond to and

eradicate attacks fast and effectively. Kivu is focused on providing speed and high-quality services across the entire lifecycle of a breach. It provides “Pre-breach” services focused on improving a company overall cybersecurity maturity posture. These services include threat assessments, tabletop exercises, vulnerabilities identification, remediation services and many more. If an organization is ever compromised, it provides “In-breach” services to help organizations navigate the complexity of a breach, identify, and remediate a threat actor, if required negotiate with said actor. These services include forensics services, incident response services, intelligence services and many others.

Kivu also provides “Post-breach” services, these services will help an organization quickly recover, rebuild, and build resilience in their organization. These services include rebuilding infrastructure, servers, cloud, and overall organizational environments. Lately, it provides continuous threat monitoring and intelligence services to help organization identify faster and prevent any future compromises.

These threat identification and protection monitoring services are 24/7 services that are provided to organizations around dark web monitoring, advanced detection and hunting, threat, and vulnerability identification. Any of these services can be obtained in retainers, consulting engagements or as-a-service service offerings. Kivu is focused on helping organizations prevent compromise, assist them through a compromise, and prevent any future compromises.

‘‘

Our technical and delivery innovation allows us to respond immediately to an incident anywhere in the world, without requiring to be onsite.

This capability saves time, increases quality and reduces costs.

Providing Unique Value to Customers What makes Kivu different is that it provides unique value for its customers with an end-to-end solution from prebreach, in-breach to post breach services, along with its combination of great talent and global footprint. It can help an organization through the entire lifecycle of a breach by leveraging its flexible global 24/7 delivery model and unique technology.

With over ten years of incident response experience, cyber security excellence and customer service go hand in hand at Kivu. Kivu’s responders have investigated incidents at hospitals, universities, financial institutions, and publicly traded companies globally, and are not only highly certified consultants but also effective communicators. Kivu also has implemented streamlined processes, unique delivery team methodology and automated technology to drive a highquality services and customer experience. The combination of dedicated delivery teams, unique approaches and focused technology makes Kivu the top end to end breach response company in the world.

Delivering Practical Business Solutions Kivu Consulting is well known in the cyber security industry for its high level of technical expertise and legally sound, practical business solutions. It fuses expertise and advanced technology to deliver cyber security solutions worldwide. Since 2009, Kivu has provided incident response, risk management, and forensics investigation services to clients around the globe. With 24x7x365 SOC operations in the U.S. and Europe, it offers round-the-clock monitoring and response services to support prevention efforts of organizations. Kivu Consulting’s goal is to provide experienced, unbiased advice so that organizations can more effectively prevent and mitigate cyber incidents.

Quick Analysis, Response and Recovery Kivu Consulting’s unique methodology employs patented technology that rapidly collects data remotely, analyzes it at a centrally secure location, and allows Kivu analysts to quickly move from analysis to response and recovery.

Preserving Digital Information for Successful Legal Outcome Kivu Consulting’s digital forensics professionals are experts in imaging and ensuring the proper preservation of digital evidence in all of its formats. Digital evidence is often critical in proving employee misconduct, intellectual property theft, or the whereabouts of a suspect at a certain

‘‘

‘‘

Kivu’s dynamic team is composed of experts in the areas of cyber security technology, law and business management.

‘‘

point in time. Kivu is committed to following industry best practice and using the most effective forensics tools to secure data with minimal interruption to business operations of clients. It also provides forensics research and expertise during the litigation process.

Leading from Front Chad has always said that in any transformation or growth, culture is critical element to the overall success of that growth transformation. He states that culture will kill any strategy no matter how good it is, and thus, getting the culture right is so critical. He says that during this process, organizations have to simplify their operations, focus their people on where their passions lie, and it will drive successful growth. Chad says that with all leadership it is critical for leaders to be people first, engaged and lead from the front. He believes that leaders will have to work harder than any employee they have. Therefore, Chad focuses on a servant leadership model, where one has no titles, and one will do any job in the company if required.

Chad says that as the leader of the organization, one has to remain focused and what he has learned is it is easy to get lost in the daily noise and lose focus on that north star.

Therefore, Chad advises to make sure to manage one’s time wisely and remove any slack from one’s day where one can maintain that dedicated focus. Chad also advises to always continue to learn and adjust one’s business model as people and industry change daily and it will require for leaders also to change.

Talking about the importance of culture and people development, Chad says, “As a business leader, you will be faced with challenges that seem too be too difficult to overcome but by having the right team, approach and focus you will be able to win. The main thing, that I have learned

is focusing on your people’s success will drive your company’s success. So, spend time on your culture and people development up front, helping them reduce their daily slack through people, process and technology will make a huge impact.”

Having Determination and Innovative Mindset Chad states that entrepreneurs have to have determination, patience, and an innovative mindset to see around the corners as they are building their organizational strategy and culture. He adds that having experience from many different roles during their career will help any entrepreneur to be success in any industry. He mentions that entrepreneurs should not focus on their competition but focus on the trust of their people and the trust of their clients by driving the highest quality outcome and they will win in any business. So, he says that entrepreneurs are required to have humility and a love for people as success is defined by the success of one’s people and clients and if one focuses on that one’s company will be successful.

Being Patient and Flexible In his advice to emerging leaders aspiring to venture into cybersecurity industry, Chad says, “Be focused on the value that you are providing not your competition. Always try to provide excellence in everything you do but know perfection is not allows possible. Just be patient, and flexible, as the cybersecurity industry changes fast so you will need to be able to change as fast. Make sure to focus on your people and your client success and maintain the laser focused on your mission. This will help any entrepreneur to have huge success.”

Driving Operational Excellence for Clients As Kivu Consulting is hyper focused on driving excellence for its clients around the world, it plans to continue to grow rapidly into more countries, innovate its service offerings, move into new industries, build unique intake and delivery models that will continue to drive speed and partnership with its customers. Kivu will continue to be flexible as its industry moves fast so it has to also move fast. Staying focused on its core values and strengths will serve its clients and its people the best. It wants to continue to serve clients wherever they are. Kivu Consulting will continue to drive deeper more complex offerings that helps its clients stay ahead of the threat factors and provide services throughout the entire breach lifecycle.

& & 20 The

Most

SUCCESSFUL

BUSINESSWOMEN to Watch, 2020

kimberly Khoury

Paving her Way in Sustainability Development

Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021

Dev Garg Inspiring the Greatness in Others

O

ne can never really make someone do something great by force. Leaders need to be genuinely exemplary to inspire the greatness in others.

Greatness comes from within, and it is the leader’s role to insight that greatness in their employees, partners, associates, and everyone around them. Dev Garg lives by this philosophy. His role is to help those working with him find that greatness within them. His expertise is in product and growth strategy, execution and leadership working with cross functional teams spread globally.

Dev is the CEO of Easyanalytic. Easyanalytic provides unmatchable cutting edge technological solutions to industries and small businesses, whilst creating inventive software programs and algorithms that are advantageous to individuals as well as corporations.

In an interview with Insights Success, Dev Garg shares his journey and about his contribution through the Easyanalytic Inc. Below are the highlights of the interview between Dev Garg and Insights Success: Take our readers through your journey of being at the helm of Easyanalytic.

My journey at Easyanalytic started in 2014 when I was still a senior at the University of Minnesota. I took few university tech projects which although didn’t pay enough, gave me a direction to who we are today. Right after graduation in late 2014, I moved full-time into EA with a vision of a unique ecosystem where start-ups can come to

16 | July 2021

build, fund, launch, and grow their ideas. Over the years, we relentlessly worked with startups ranging from bootstrapped to companies with 100M+ in valuation where we bring a tailored solution and hands-on expertise to fill their specific gaps in their journey.

What were the challenges you came across in your career as a CEO at Easyanalytic and prior working at other companies?

The journey of starting a company is never easy. From day 0, when you are getting ready to change the world with your brilliant idea to the day your idea gets acquired or gets folded (which happens more often than we think), you face numerous challenges as a leader. The ones who tackle these challenges strategically and persistently are the ones who have a higher chance of survival. Most of the noticeable challenges I faced over the years are no different from what many other startup leaders face.

One of the challenges we faced early during the growth phase was managing cash flow to feed the growing machine. My vision for Easyanalytic was not to build just a tech product firm but a complete solution for startups. This vision required bringing on talent across technology, business, finance, legal, product, marketing, PR, and much more. My job here was to be good at basic math, revenue in vs expenses out while staying true to the vision.

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

www.insightssuccess.com

Dev Garg,

CEO, Easyanalytic Inc.

www.insightssuccess.com

July 2021

| 17

18 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Well before the pandemic, our teams were already working virtually and so although the pandemic did affect us in more than one way, our working style wasn't too affected.

According to you, what essential traits should a CEO possess to thrive in the present-day cutthroat business ecosystem?

From the growth perspective, we did experience a slowdown in 2020 where many of our major client contracts went on hold due to the uncertainty in the market.

However, with a quick analysis of the changing market needs, we started supplying much-needed healthcare supplies to governments, hospitals, schools, and families through our network of startups and clients. This allowed us to not only give back to the community but also helped us sustain the downfall in the market by adding a new revenue stream to the business.

Build Relationships. Be Persistent. Be Good in Sales.

What makes your organization’s effective Consultation and Advices a preferred choice for your clients over the competition?

We are a startup, built for startups. We don’t just build a tech product but see our clients through the entire journey of product development, validation, investment, launch, pivot, growth, and profitability. In us, startups don’t see a consultant but a partner who is invested to get them to the finish line.

In what ways have you or the company contributed to the community? If given a chance, what change would you bring in Soft-Tech industry with innovative growth strategies delivering real-world results?

During the pandemic, we as a company have donated masks, face shields, and other PPE items to keep our communities safe. We also have organized online training for underprivileged kids to get their hands-on software coding essentials which is one of the fastest growing and one of the highest paying jobs in the market. I believe education not only improves the life of the student but elevates the entire community in a ripple effect. Over the next few years, I plan to bring more high-tech education to kids and have plans for social projects in India.

What would be your advice to the upcoming startup Industry?

When I started my first product, I had no idea what I was getting into. I just had an idea and had a lot of passion to build it. With very little knowledge of product development, intricacies of validation, pivoting, legal, marketing, pricing, funding, etc. I made numerous mistakes and wasted countless hours. At EA, we strive hard to make sure none of our startups have to go through the same troubles.

For start-ups – Solve a major pain problem extremely well, watch your cash flow like a hawk and know your customers like the back of your hand.

For start-up Industry – Promote more social start-ups by injecting more funding into them. The world needs social entrepreneurs more than ever before, let’s find innovative ways to build sustainable social enterprises globally instead of another video app.

“

Easyanalytic is a market leading software product solution and development company on a global platform.

“

www.insightssuccess.com

July 2021

| 19

Optimistic Mindset

20 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

The WEALTH of LEADERSHIP H

ave you ever wondered what feeling it must be of achieving your dream? You have worked day in and day out for it, all the early mornings and late nights, and all the sacrifices come to a destination called dreams. Sometimes doing right things requires being steady and giving up the things we want the most, even our dreams.

Yes, that’s right, if only we wonder and look back to the journey of our life it should be much more satisfying rather than the achievements and rewards, that’s the mindset business leaders need to follow. There are very few leaders out there with this wise mindset. Because there is a difference between aim and desire. The aim is the difference you want to see in your life, a purpose. But desire, it is like a poison which can take you over and will change you into a person something you were not when you started.

The power of leadership feels like something you have never experienced before, as there is much more difference between authority and leadership. All of this wouldn’t have been possible without the leader’s positive mindset, because deep down we know ourselves than anyone else. Whatever the things are that leaders are part of such as business meetings, conferences, agreements, or deals, they have to keep their mindset independent from any barriers.

making and overall leadership in the organization.

Well, it is always better to improve ourselves and review the things that remain left out. But this should not be seen as a failure, as this creates an additional burden for the leader. Looking at the current situation, we see the problems going out due to the global pandemic. If leaders keep the perspective of hope, belief, and positivity, it will reflect into their leadership. That’s the mindset one needs to carry specially in these turbulent times.

Hope The most beautiful and positive word. As they say hope for the best – this quote fits so much in today’s havoc of pandemic. If the best is yet to come, the present will blend in it, and the present times demand positivity from the leaders. That’s exactly the mindset needed to be encouraged as we all are dealing with tough times here. It becomes the responsibility of a leader to maintain a positive and healthy environment by staying positive.

Collaboration

The Feeling of Dissatisfaction

Appreciating and recognizing the qualities of others is a sign of a healthy mind. Business leaders need to collab with fresh and advanced ideas and business. Growth is only possible if any leader leads along with others. The journey becomes much more fruitful if leaders keep this mindset. It is the team, the people, because of which he/she has become what he/she is today. So, merging and collaborating with bright minds is the future.

This is the prime reason why business leaders are not steady in their leadership. Leaders who have a satisfying life, especially in regards with their professional life, tend to be relaxed and calm in their decisions. Rather than a dissatisfied leader who will always have something going at the back of his mind. This mindset affects their decision-

All in all, the word mindset comes again and again – that's the importance it carries when you are a leader. If only leaders care about their successful professional life, they would need to care about their mindset. The aim should always be better and improving ourself, but it shouldn’t come at the harm of all the above points mentioned.

So, what do we mean by keeping the right mindset? Let’s deep dive!

www.insightssuccess.com

July 2021

| 21

Jeff LoCastro, Founder and CEO

Neener Analy cs

24 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021

Jeff LoCastro An Epitome of Innovative Leadership

A

s the CEO of Neener Analytics, it’s a race every day for Jeff LoCastro. Jeff believes that great CEO’s have the ability to constantly switch gears and move seamlessly from one discipline to the other. And in his career, based on his ability to extract unique insights from social media, Jeff pioneered the first ever effective CPA (cost-per-action) model which became the basis of all future social analytics models, as well as the foundation for all social media monetization.

In an interview with Insights Success, Jeff sheds some light on how Neener Analytics is fundamentally altering the analytics paradigm forever.

big data are aggregations or bins of motivations, behaviors, or affinities. And everyone you think that exhibits those motivations, behaviors, or affinities get tossed into that bin.

But what does it mean? Well, you’re not really sure so you need more aggregations and bins to toss people into.

Basically, big data is the practice of, “I don’t know you, but I know people like you.” What a horrible way to make a decision or form an opinion about someone!

In fairness, big data is a perfectly acceptable way to make, for example, marketing decisions. But it is a terrible way to understand authentic outcomes, especially financial risk outcomes. Big data by its very nature creates disparate impact. There had to be a better way.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Describe your company and its products which address all the needs of your customers.

We’ve come up with a solution for 1-click AI-based financial risk decisioning technology using Human Data; a regulatory compliant AI-based financial risk decisioning technology using social media or any media used socially to help lenders, insurance companies, and all risk-based businesses better decision and understand specific, individual, risk outcomes for thin-file, no-file and creditchallenged consumers.

Before big data models, how did people make (accurate) decisions about other individual human beings? How did my grandfather get his first home loan back in 1940? He just walked into the bank, said he wanted a home loan, and the banker said, “Yes. I know you.” The keywords are: I. Know. You. But how did he know? The banker didn’t have a lifetime record of all my grandfather’s transactions. And he didn’t have a collection of his complete payment history.

But he KNEW my grandfather would pay him back. That banker knew this based on the conversations and communications he had with him over time. He knew this by having listened to how my grandfather talked about the things in his life: his words and his communications.

Exactly what human beings do with other human beings.

In addition, we are building a Delivery Platform around our Decisioning Platform core. The Platform will engage the potential borrower at multiple points of contact including POS using Web, Postal, Email, Chat, QR, Mobile, App, or Text/SMS and include all the KYC including facial recognition, income verification, and employment validation.

This is the innovation, except not using big data. This is not sentiment analysis or Likes & Friends or Key words or phrases. We have cracked the code on Small Data. And Small Data = I know you.

What makes your organization a preferred choice of your clients over the competition?

There was always a lot of talk about “Big Data.” And everybody cheered it. But big data is not a new concept. It’s been around for a hundred years and it’s pretty basic stuff.

But most people don’t really know what it is. Essentially,

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

Leaders don’t lead by themselves. Leaders lead people. So, I think the most important job of any leader, any CEO, is building that team to lead; the #1 priority is putting great

www.insightssuccess.com

July 2021

| 25

people in the right place to succeed. Great leaders attract talented people and put them in a position to win.

I don’t like to put too many boundaries on people and what we do. People should not be afraid to make mistakes.

Hire only people that have shared values. I’d rather have the second-best player who shares our values than the best player who doesn’t.

Give people freedom to make mistakes. Encourage failure (so-to-speak). When people aren’t afraid to fail, they try all kinds of crazy things.

Do-er Just as a successful entrepreneur is a Dreamer, a dreamer is a Do-er. Successful entrepreneurs are relentless Do-ers. And they will do anything for the dream because the dream and its manifestation is one-and-the-same.

Worker Ok, so now you’ve founded a company. Are you willing to do all the little things regardless of job description? My people have heard me say for years: If the floor is dirty (literally and figuratively) and everyone is busy, grab a broom and start sweeping.

According to you, what essential traits should an entrepreneur possess to thrive in the present-day cutthroat business ecosystem?

See-er A successful entrepreneur must be a visionary and a visionary is someone who see’s what no one else seems to see. Sometimes a bit of a soothsayer, really.

Dreamer Successful entrepreneurs sometimes have their head in the clouds. At least that’s the way it looks to those on the outside looking in as the dreamer is easily misunderstood as someone not connected to “reality.” But they are. Just not the same reality as non-entrepreneurs; the entrepreneur is a professional Dreamer.

Believer It’s one thing to think your idea is really cool. It’s another to be passionate. It’s also another thing altogether to be a Believer. Let me tell you: Passion is not enough. A successful entrepreneur has what I call ‘Atomic Passion’; they are a believer who feels their idea, their company, their personal mission on almost a cellular level.

26 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Builder Successful entrepreneur’s love building things. In fact, they get a rush from it. The See-er needs to experience their vision in reality. It’s this builder quality that I have come to call a “driver” quality as it is this appetite for building that propels the entrepreneur.

“Neener Analytics gives you the power to fundamentally “know” your applicant, registrant, or customer . . . in just 1-click.”

www.insightssuccess.com

Solver If not the Dream and the need to Build, then what is the central element that lies that the core of every successful entrepreneur? It’s what I call a “core driver”: the incessant preoccupation with trying to solve problems.

What have you envisioned for your company’s future, in terms of expansion, introduction of new services, and talent acquisition?

We are really pioneering the idea that the consumer is their own data. And the consumer as their own source of data is the future of all consumer engagement. We are currently in 11 countries and I see us owning specific market regions in the next 10 years. We’ve already built out 2 product lines, each delivering 5 decisioning products. We have another line slated for 2021 and are on track for a new line each of the next couple years while continuing to expand our decisioning capabilities.

We’ve budgeted for global offices to connect banks, lenders, insurance companies, real estate companies and others with 4-billion currently invisible consumers globally.

July 2021

| 27

Ran Rachlin, Co-Founder and CEO, Ubertesters

28 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021

Ran Rachlin C

EOs of the organizations should have the competence that drives efficiency and should have soft skills that leads to building sustainable connections with people. Competence has more to do with assessing opportunities, taking calculated risks with full confidence and courage. Great leaders should also take care of their all resources especially employees with their soft skills. Ran Rachlin is one such CEO who considers it is essential for a CEOs of the organizations to have the balance of both competence and soft skills. He is the CoFounder and CEO of Ubertesters. Ubertesters is a crowdbased, complete mobile apps/web testing solution provider.

In an interview with Insights Success, Ran Rachlin shares his journey and about his contribution through Ubertesters.

Below are the highlights of the interview between Ran Rachlin and Insights Success: Take our readers through your journey of being at the helm of Ubertesters Inc. From a very young age, I trained myself to become an effective leader with a global view. My first job was sales position in a Hi-Tech Israeli company that sold products globally. My goal was to gain cross- cultural experience.

Then, I moved to the USA so I can live and study (I did my MBA in the USA) in the 'center' of where things actually happen. I advanced in roles, holding several high-profile management positions, doing business in all 6 continents and different industries, and with several large companies. I bring to Ubertesters this massive global experience, managing, and leading companies from inception to www.insightssuccess.com

significant sales, as well as leading during times of prosperity or global crisis.

What were the challenges you came across in your career as a CEO at Ubertesters and prior working at other companies?

In general, as CEO of several organizations, I can say that there are three major challenges. The challenges are: People, communications, and alignment. People are the most important part of any organization; thus, the challenge is to hire and maintain great employees that are committed, engaged, and accountable. Communicating the right message internally to encourage collaboration (especially during the COVID-19 remote work culture). Lastly, it is about aligning business units and people to make sure they are all on the same page (and remain there).

"Ubertesters help its clients sleep better knowing they can launch their digital product with confidence, convinced it was well tested by real users, in their actual target market and it's bug-free."

July 2021

| 29

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

Many call my leadership style the "transformational style" spiced with the Coaching leadership style. I wish to transform (improve) the company and I do so by empowering the team members in order to upgrade the company conventions. This allows me to focus on the "big picture" while empowering the employees to take full responsibility and accountability for their work. This style keeps me personally connected with the team members, it increases morale and employee retention.

What makes your organization's effective Consultation and Advices a preferred choice for your clients over the competition?

Ubertesters is the only company to offer a complete, holistic QA solution to customers. While the competition either offers Crowd testing only, or SaaS product, or offshore QA resources, we, at Ubertesters, offer the entire package of all services under "one-roof" and with a single account manager that is familiar with the customer's needs.

The second, and most important factor, is our DNA of superior customer service and support. We realized in the early stages that the most important part of the service is the project manager that is assigned to manage the customer's testing cycles. Thus, our project manager's goal is to exceed customer's expectations. They get to know the client, help the client with the test documentation, and respond as quickly as possible.

Lastly, while the competition only sticks to high-cost retainer business models, we have a more flexible business model and more affordable to allow medium companies and startup to find their best testing package.

According to you, what essential traits should a CEO possess to thrive in the present-day cutthroat business ecosystem?

30 | July 2021

There are two main levels for the CEO to handle. Internal and external. Externally, the CEO must have the ability to take calculated risks. To see an opportunity, analyze the risk/reward, and have full confidence in taking the risk. This is the only way to grow. Internally, the CEO must take care of the employees. So, the CEO should have strong communication skills, be able to build a good relationship, have good listening skills, and have the ability to read people and adapt management styles accordingly.

In what ways have you or the company contributed to the community? If given a chance, what change would you bring in Technology industry with innovative growth strategies delivering real-world results?

I strongly believe in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and through that we contribute to the community. Our CSR activities are divided between several aspects such as Community-related activities (we support and sponsor local community QA events or mobile events, and we try to choose suppliers that are socially responsible), or environmental related practices (following friendly environmental practices such as recycling, "green thinking" printing and reduce paper waste, allow employee telecommuting, use LED Lightbulbs, etc.). Lastly, we support and sponsor the local IT Soccer League in our Ukraine offices.

What would be your advice to the upcoming startup Industry?

My advice is for the aspiring entrepreneur. The most important piece of advice is 'Take Care of Your Team'. Trust your team and let them shine but also be prepared to accept responsibility when things don't go as planned. Help your employees advance their careers and always respect them.

Maintain the 'personal touch' and communicate clearly and often to your team. Second – I strongly believe that we must create "good" for others. This is the only way for success – creating a product/service that can truly benefit others. This is the only way to improve your community and to make a profit as a result.

www.insightssuccess.com

Gina Rivera

32 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Leader’s Viewpoint

A Profound Take on

Beauty Industry y family has been in the beauty industry since 1929. I grew up sweeping hair off of the floors of my parent's salon. I always loved the artistry of the business as well as the process involved with making people feel and look better. Move forward 40 years and I am the founder of one of the most successful suite concepts in the industry, Phenix Salon Suites.

M

their space to their liking with their own décor. They may set their own hours, establish their own prices, and use products of their choice. Each location offers on-site laundry and restroom facilities and, at the Phenix locations, a receptionist is available to greet and direct clients when they enter the store. And, all of this is affordable at the fraction of the cost of building out a full scale salon.

The beauty business is a fast paced and rapidly moving industry. There is always something new coming down the pipeline and if you are not in front of it, you're behind it.

When I started Phenix Salon Suites I was looking to serve Lifestyle Professionals in their pursuit to become sole beauty proprietors. I realized that most beauty and wellness professionals partially entered the business because they wanted to work for themselves. I also understood that undertaking opening a multi-chair or multi-station salon required financial resources that many people simply didn't have.

We are also witnessing trends with investors that are seeking out a franchise investment. The salon suite concept is a much more hands off model compared to many other franchise opportunities such as fast food. Once a location is built out and suites are leased, a franchisee is actually encouraged to step back and allow the professionals to operate their own businesses. Unlike many models, the requirement of being on location daily is far reduced.

Along with this benefit, the model doesn't require the franchisee to purchase an abundance of products that they are continuously required to use in order to operate. The

This was an insight that I was lucky enough to understand because I had worked behind the chair for many years and I had spent my life growing up in the industry. I believe this is still a trend that we are seeing. I recall when the suite concept was the elephant in the room. Meaning, we were beginning to have an impact on the traditional salon model but we had not yet emerged as a player in the industry.

Today, in the United States, the suite concept has taken off like wild-fire with multiple salon suite concepts spanning across the country. I am certain this is a trend that we will continue to see. With the emergence of the Corona-19 pandemic, the need for social distancing and additional hygiene practices has become very important. The suite concept is a perfect solution to this dilemma for the beauty and lifestyle professional.

As a suite owner, a professional services one client at a time in their suite. Items such as common waiting areas, shared wash bowls and equipment that is used by multiple parties are eliminated. In addition, the professional may customize www.insightssuccess.com

July 2021

| 33

individual salon professionals purchase their own products and equipment for daily use which far reduces the investment required to maintain the suite model on an ongoing basis. As the suite concept continues to be investigated by interested parties, it's certain that it will be a popular option for many.

I also believe we can anticipate seeing the suite concept experience international expansion in the next 12-24 months. Phenix Salon Suites has just extended our footprint to include the United Kingdom (UK), with our first store currently under construction in Manchester and several others in the planning stages. As of now we understand that there will be a period of educating professionals on the concept, however, I believe with certainty that the suite concept will be equally embraced in the UK. We also have a variety of other international markets underway which we expect to be very successful.

As we progress, technology has also become more and more significant in the industry. The cell phone has brought beauty into a world where salon and lifestyle professionals can now manage their businesses from the ease of their phone. And, it's clearly notable that hardback appointment books of the past are headed for the shelf. Professionals are seeking interactive solutions which allow them to communicate easily with their clients. They are seeking simple touch booking and scheduling features that allow consumers to schedule their own appointments. They want to be able to order products with a push of a button and email receipts out without being burdened with paper.

34 | July 2021

To meet this need, last year my company developed a business app for the beauty and lifestyle professional called Gina's Platform. The platform is 100% free to any beauty or lifestyle professional in the industry and it has a comprehensive booking and scheduling system as well as a POS (point of sale) system with some of the lowest rates in the industry. In addition, it has options for following trending beauty news, accessing online education and purchasing product as well as extensive client communication features. The app even has financial reporting features for end of the year tax time.

As mentioned previously, the beauty industry is a welloiled, fast moving, machine. It's always important to be looking ahead and leading the pack if possible.

About the Author Gina Rivera is a well-known icon in the world of beauty.

Rivera skyrocketed to success when the company she founded, Phenix Salon Suites, became the fastest growing salon suite company in the beauty industry and the only one to ever be named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 500 Franchise List. The company, who has now been named five times to the list recently was ranked in the Top 25.

Rivera is the only female that serves as a company President in this elite group. Her company continues to flourish with over 300 locations nationwide and plans for international expansion.

www.insightssuccess.com

Rob

Rob Rosenberger

CEO/Co-Founder

Blackdragon

Rosenberger

Transforming Federal Contracting Community with a Novel Approach 36 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021

I

t is rare these days to come across an individual with rock-solid work ethics and core values. With the unique ability to focus on the trees without losing sight of the forest, Rob Rosenberger is one such forwardthinking leader. Rob is the CEO and Co-Founder of Blackdragon - a model that is changing the face of the way in which businesses go after and win large public sector contracts.

Rob has been an entrepreneur since his childhood. He started his first business at age of 9 and managed 42 employees by age 16. It is his entrepreneurial spirit that keeps him going. When navigating a complex business, Rob surveys the business conditions and develops a plan to achieve the goal. He brings the right people in at the right time to provide exceptional solutions to the customers. He is self-motivated and can work through any dire situation.

Most Accomplished Business As a Visionary, Founder, and CEO, Rob’s journey since launching in 2015 has been both rewarding and challenging. Blackdragon is the only bona fide platform business throughout the US federal contracting industry that serves as a matchmaking marketplace for freelance experts worldwide combining powerful aspects of the rising Gig Economy that completely rethinks the value chain.

Blackdragon is the only-of-its-kind full outsource solution throughout the federal industry that wins entire contracts on behalf of bidder clients whereby the freelance experts (aka, “Dragons”) self-form into ‘dream teams’ who choose which client they want to win for and are heavily incented to win.

Often, Dragon opportunists self-form before they know which client will sponsor a project for them. So, Blackdragon is unique in that it does not passively wait for the phone to ring when a prospect client needs help. Rather, the company frequently initiates outreach to select bidder firms exploring if it can win an upcoming target contract on their behalf. The firm is the first to apply this inverse ‘take charge’ business approach.

It’s Better to Pursue Fewer Bids Talking about the challenges Rob mentions that most bidder firms are operated more for efficiency than effect. Many organizations prioritize enforcement of regimented internal processes to go about preparing responses to government solicitations more than they allow each bid team the liberty to be resourceful and creative necessary to win the contract.

This cookie-cutter approach to all bids is not highly effective although it helps manage efficiency. They try submitting the maximum possible number of proposals

www.insightssuccess.com

each year using the least amount of people with the lowest costs—this creates resource bandwidth challenges and can also lead to employee burnout.

Rob believes trying to be a competitive bidder while staying under an aggressive budget for each bid is a fool’s errand. It would be better to pursue fewer (and better fitting) bids with greater freedom, resourcefulness, and intensity than to dilute the competitiveness of each bid for the sake of submitting more proposals.

Another challenge he mentions is that talent mismatching is a common occurrence among bidder companies. Too often, bidders attempt to pursue winning all new contracts with the same core personnel and static resources. Sometimes the combination of skillsets, experiences, and resources are better fitted to the task of winning than others.

Unfortunately, this constricted concept limited by conventional employment rarely yields consistent positive results and it doesn’t scale. A better way is to dynamically assemble dream teams of talent, experiences and resources tailored for each pursuit. That is what Blackdragon provides—on demand dream teams of experts united for the purpose of wining each contract for the client.

Leading an Advanced Technical Team Rob and his team have forged many groundbreaking ways to combine the power of technology, predictive analytics, social connectivity, and crowdsourcing. The team has invented numerous innovative methodologies for boosting clients’ potential to win the right contracts they pursue.

Blackdragon continues revolutionizing the science and art of winning contracts for its bidder clients. Below are some initiatives currently underway: • Pushing the proprietary technology to the edge for users worldwide • Improving algorithms for more robust matchmaking and forecasting • Enhancing functionality and user interface throughout the platform • Increasing scale and leveraging the power of network effect across our expanding platform A Straight Shooter Rob’s idea of impactful leadership is twofold. It moves an organization towards achieving goals while also tending to individual growth, as he believes that successful leaders must do more than just ensuring the work gets done.

Focusing on the bigger picture while cultivating a culture of personal development to build new leaders is also critical.

July 2021

| 37

Always leading by example, Rob has a blended style of leadership centered around agility with a focus on maximizing an organization’s collective strengths. He shares information with employees about things affecting their work responsibilities. He often seeks the opinions of others before approving major final decisions.

Factors that had Great Impact Below are some of the life factors that have shaped Rob’s journey: • Being a member of Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University • Being a flyer in Navy reconnaissance squadron (during Gulf War, early 1990’s) • Being a member of CIA who ended up working in and/or supporting multiple agencies throughout the US Intelligence Community • Being a special Advisor to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Pentagon • Corporate leader for federal contractor firms rising to the rank of C-level • Congressional Fellow at the US House of Representatives Bringing People Together Rob views people as a pool of talent to be developed and apply a coaching style that helps unlock each person’s potential. His preference is to minimize direction to help people tap into their own ability to achieve what they are capable of. Opposite of ruling with an iron fist, he leans towards trusting highly skilled, experienced employees to be self-starters, motivated and determined problem solvers.

Ultimately, Rob is a collaborator who believes people come first so he likes to get up close and personal paying

‘‘

Business as usual is not acceptable—lead change or change will lead you.

attention to and supporting the needs of team members. He encourages harmony and cooperative relationships within teams while smoothing conflicts among team members, keeping them focused on the tasks at hand while reassuring them during times of stress.

Social Connectivity The most significant and unique way Rob and his team have contributed to the federal contractor community is they are the first to have pioneered a way for individual freelance experts to wield more influence over the federal contracting market that has historically been governed by bidder companies more than the people. It is a seismic power shift from buyer power to seller power. Imagine the analogy of professional athletes getting to pick the teams they want come together to win for instead of the other way around.

Result-Oriented Employee When asked about necessity for businesses to align their offerings with newer technological developments Rob mentions that tomorrow’s successful businesses must strengthen their alignment with advancing technology, device connectivity, and a virtual workforce. Pipeline businesses are not only being replaced by platforms, but platforms are transforming industries altogether. Legacy industries populated by pipeline businesses are fading away while new ones are taking their place. The on-demand ‘asa-service’ model combined with increasing trends for subscription-based offerings are redefining traditional consulting landscapes.

‘‘

38 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Ronald Hajj, CEO,

SilexPro

L

eading with passion and serving with passion is key attribute of good leaders. They stretch their imagination and creativity beyond conventional norms. Ronald Hajj is one such exemplary leader who believes that one should dream and stretch one's imagination and creativity beyond traditional boundaries to create the required positive force that drives innovation. He is CEO at SilexPro. He says that their moto at SilexPro is: 'Innovation, beyond imagination'. Ronald founded SilexPro with the objective to enhance the way people communicate and collaborate over video, and to make group video meetings more natural, more enjoyable and certainly more productive. This precisely is the culture at SilexPro

40 | July 2021

www.insightssuccess.com

Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021

Ronald Hajj Innovating Things Beyond Imagination

Making Virtual Communication Easier Ronald believes there are always better and more natural ways to communicate and collaborate over video. SilexPro's focus is to enhance and change the way people meet and collaborate to the better, by exploring and spreading new behavioral concepts like the 'Center of Table' collaboration concept. SilexPro does believe that visual communication tools should be easy to operate and intuitive. With every product it introduces to its portfolio, its goal is to provide a high-quality product that makes virtual communication easier, more practical, and more natural for all, but specially in the education sector.

surprises SilexPro's customers the most is the addiction!

When they start using its nature-inspired technologies and concepts, they get addicted to the new natural experience.

Defying Traditional Ways SilexPro is the first company in the market who dared to defy the traditional ways of conducting video meetings by introducing its disruptive true all-in-one 'Center of Table' concept. SilexPro believes that meetings can be conducted more naturally, and people can be much more engaged during video meetings when the remote participant appear in the center of gravity of the meeting (which is the center of the table). It is a complete mindset shift.

Customized Collaboration Solutions Innovative Collaboration Products SilexPro's experience gives it an edge to create advanced solutions combining the technologies already available in the market and its own. Thus, it invested its ability to integrate advanced personalized features into large complex environments to create customized collaboration solutions.

SilexPro attracts with its innovative solutions, and its unique designs with the advantages they offer. Its products offer solutions to traditional problems encountered in regular meeting room setups such as the eye contact, the 'tiny head' problem.

SilexPro is a leading company involved in the design and creation of innovative collaboration products and solutions, driving and shaping new "nature inspired" concepts and trends in the Unified Communications marketplace.

SilexPro quickly accumulated key experience in designing and integrating customized complex full-fledged smart conference rooms. Then with the change and evolution of the market trends towards smaller and more flexible huddle rooms, it saw the need to create a new generation of visual collaboration endpoints: Silex PTE.

Creating a Great Passionate Team Ronald formed a great passionate team at SilexPro, and SilexPro strongly believes in its ability to positively disrupt the market with its innovative ideas. Customers who do business with SilexPro like the innovation they are getting and the cutting-edge advantages it can offer. But what www.insightssuccess.com

With covid-19 and the global measures applied, group meetings in small spaces are being avoided. Video meetings where participants join from home or office using their personal devices are heavily used for group communication.

In response to the new way of conducting business and elearning, SilexPro has introduced a series of new July 2021

| 41

“SilexPro is a leading company involved in the design and creation of innovative collaboration products and solutions."

communication and collaboration solutions for individuals working from their desks, from home or visiting customers premises. These products can be used with any laptop to enhance the remote video experience, such as: USB/Bluetooth/wireless conferencing cameras and portable touch screens, wireless headsets and speakerphones, all-inone smart projectors, Silex All-Wireless (SAW) touchless AV solution, etc.

Nevertheless, once businesses go back to a normal activity, SilexPro's existing PTE solutions is a perfect choice for group meetings as it allows social distancing within the meeting room with one participant sitting on each side of the table with the device in the center. And since it is made of glass, it is easy to regularly wipe it with disinfectant.

Being an Exemplary Leader For Ronald Hajj, impactful leadership is the magical mix of the following ingredients: leading with passion, serving with passion, delivering the best and exceeding one's expectations at all levels. He believes that creativity, innovation, and stretched imagination are important traits of a good leader. He considers it is essential to have flexibility and adaptability to adjust to the ever-changing conditions of the marketplace. He mentions that leaders should have resilience and ability to sustain unforeseen events and conditions that might radically affect the business environment.

42 | July 2021

Ronald says that empathy and the ability to see the world through the eyes of others, is also a very important aspect of positive and impactful leadership. He says making impact involves being a role model and reflecting one's positive values to inspire and influence people around. He says that leaders should inspire, motivate, delegate tasks, and support the team and the circle of influence around them. He states that Generosity and humble behavior and sharing experience and knowledge (positive and negative ones), allowing others to learn the right lessons from one's failures and successes, is an important part of impactful leadership.

Continuing Innovation to Grow When Ronald sees how customers are using and benefiting from SilexPro's technologies, and when it develops and introduces new concepts to the market, he just feels proud!

This pride gives Ronald and his team all the needed energy to overcome all the challenges, including the current pandemic, and to keep on innovating to grow.

Ronald believes that doubt and fear are one's worst enemies. Therefore, he warns to not let doubts and fears influence one's decisions, because they can block one's dreams. He advises to use one's passion to overcome this feeling by injecting some perseverance dose. He states that blind self-confidence can also be a worse enemy. Therefore, he suggests learning how to humbly listen, filter, and adapt.

www.insightssuccess.com