This edition features The Most Visionary Leaders that are at the forefront of leading us into a digital future

1. VOL 04 I ISSUE 02 I 2023
Aspects of Quality
Exemplary A ributes of
Transforma ve Leaders
Phil Bristol
Founder
Projectivity
Solutions
Phil Accelerating
Your
Business
Know your Leader
Exploring Different
Approaches to
Leadership
2023
The Most
LEADERS
To Watch
2023

2. #ciolook magazine

3. When the
Vision
is Clear,
the Results
Will Appear
Vision
is Clear,
Results
Appear
When the

4. Benchmarking
Excellence
and Leading with
Example

5. isionary leadership is a highly sought-after
Vattribute in today's rapidly changing world.
Leaders who are able to envision a better future
and inspire others to work towards that future are
more likely to succeed in achieving their goals.
However, it is important to note that being a visionary
leader is not just about having a grand vision. It also
requires strong leadership skills, such as the ability to
communicate effectively, build relationships, and
manage teams.
Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge that
visionary leadership can also have its drawbacks.
Leaders who are too focused on their vision may
overlook important details or fail to adapt to changing
circumstances. They may also be perceived as overly
idealistic or unrealistic. Leaders must lead by example
and model the behavior they expect from others. They
must be ethical, honest, and transparent in their
dealings with others and be willing to take
responsibility for their actions.
Therefore, it is important for visionary leaders to
balance their vision with practicality and flexibility.
They must be able to adapt to changing circumstances
and take into account the needs and perspectives of
others. Overall, visionary leadership can be a powerful
force for positive change, but it must be accompanied
by strong leadership skills and an ability to balance
vision with practicality.
Leaders are often at the forefront of driving innovation
and change within the organization. They must be able
to identify new opportunities and adapt to changing
market conditions to stay ahead of the competition.
Leaders provide a clear sense of direction and vision for
the organization. They set strategic goals and
objectives and communicate them effectively to the
team. Leaders must be able to manage resources
effectively, including financial resources, human
resources, and technology. They must be able to
allocate resources to maximize their impact and
support the organization's overall goals.
Mapping the journey of these resolute leaders,
CIOLook—through its latest edition, The 10 Most
Visionary Leaders To Watch, 2023—sheds light on the
visionary leaders who are driving betterments and
transformations in the dynamic business arena.
Flip through the pages and indulge in the fundamentals
of progress with elements of innovation.
Have a Delightful Read!

6. Aspects of Quality
Exemplary A ributes of
Transforma ve Leaders
Know your Leader
Exploring Different
Approaches to Leadership
Phil Accelerating
Your
Business
A r t i c l e s
C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
08
18 28

7. Nicole Martin
Upholding Business Vision with Tenacity
Setsoto Hlohlomi
Quali es that Showcase Excellence
Zara Zamani
Creating a Future with a clear Purpose
14
22
32

8. CONTENT
Senior Editor Alan Swann
Executive Editors AbhishekJoshi
Alex Spellman
DESIGN
Visualizer Dave Bates
Art & Design Director Revati Badkas
Associate Designer Ankita Pandharpure
SALES
Senior Sales Manager Sihanee M., Rouniyar A.
Customer Success Manager Ankush Patel
Sales Executives Roopam, Brad
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Prachi Mokashi
Technical Consultant Victor Collins
April, 2023
Copyright © 2023 CIOLOOK, 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 CIOLOOK.
Reprint rights remain solely
with CIOLOOK.
FOLLOW US ON
www.facebook.com/ciolook
www.twitter.com/ciolook
WE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON
Email
info@ciolook.com
For Subscription
www.ciolook.com
CONTACT US ON
Pooja M Bansal
Editor-in-Chief
sales@ciolook.com
SME-SMO
Research Analyst Eric Smith
SEO Executive Sagar Lhigade

9. Brief
Company Name
Simon Mainwaring
Founder & CEO
Zara Zamani
Chief Solutions
Officer
Matt Renner
Global Chief Operating
Officer
Phil Bristol
Founder
Matt Renner has spent over 25 years in the technology space,
exploring ways to match customer needs with world-class
technology solutions.
Simon Mainwaring is a brand futurist, global keynote speaker,
columnist, podcaster, and bestselling author of We First &
Lead.
Throughout her career, Zara has also worked in many different
countries, mostly in very tough and harsh environments, with
almost no other female engineer at work.
Phil works with boards of directors, executives, leaders, high
potentials and teams to increase their effectiveness, influence
and profitability.
KoAnn Vikoren
Skrzyniarz
Founder and
Chief Executive Officer
KoAnn is Founder and CEO of Sustainable Life Media,
producers and conveners of the internationally respected
Sustainable Brands community.
Sustainable Life Media
sustainablebrands.com
Google Cloud
google.com
Projectivity Solutions
projectivity-solutions.com
Deb Nelson
Executive Director
Building on decades of experience working with social
entrepreneurs and financial activists, Deb has spent the past five
years incubating, launching, and leading the Just Economy
Institute.
Just Economy Institute
justeconomyinstitute.org
Scilla Elworthy
Founder
Scilla founded Peace Direct in 2002 to fund, promote and learn
from local peace-builders in conflict areas. Peace Direct was
voted 'Best New Charity' in 2005.
Plan for Peace
planforpeace.org
ChromaWay
chromaway.com
Mindy Lubber
CEO and President
Mindy Lubber is the CEO and President of the sustainability
nonprofit organization Ceres.
Ceres
ceres.org
We First Inc.
wefirstbranding.com
Nicole Martin
Chief Empowerment
Officer
and Founder
Nicole Martin is Chief Empowerment Officer and Founder of
HRBOOST®, LLC a Shared Services Consulting firm based in
the north suburbs of Chicago.
HRBoost
hrboost.com
Setsoto Hlohlomi
President
Women in leadership positions tend to practice the Golden Rule
with great efficiency, Standing out with these significant traits
is Setsoto Hlohlomi, President, BasaliTech
BasaliTech
basalitech.org
Featured Person
2023
The Most
LEADERS
To Watch
2023

10. Phil
Bristol
Bristol
Accelerating
Your
Business
This continuous innovation is
possible due to collaborative
teamwork. At Projectivity
Solutions, Phil and his team
collaboratively integrate
perspectives and methods to
produce fresh ideas that
differentiate the typical from
the exceptional.

11. Cover
Story
Phil Bristol
Founder
Projectivity
Solutions

12. T
o increase business value by identifying and
eliminating the unseen obstacles that adversely
impact employee satisfaction and productivity,
Phil Bristol founded Projectivity Solutions as an
integrated service provider.
Phil's three decades of experience expands from
Executive Coach, C-Suite Consultant, and Strategic
Advisor. He enables business leaders and individuals to
unleash their potential to deliver extraordinary results.
Projectivity Solutions programs help owners and
leaders articulate a company's vision, mission, purpose,
brand, and core values, which provide organizational
direction. Projectivity applies these skills and tools to
help business owners and leadership teams.
Position role sheets define the work expectations for
every role, document business development
operations, support primary service process, and
explain how employees work collaboratively.
We caught up with Phil and talked about his journey
and where his venture heads next.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at Projectivity
Solutions. What challenges have you had to overcome
to reach where you are today?
After leaving the US Army in 1984, I became a strategic
systems consultant for an international pharmaceutical
company and later became the manager of
manufacturing systems until starting Projectivity
Solutions, Inc.
Projectivity Solutions, formed in 1990, served
California Bay Area technology companies providing
project management solutions that evolved into
program management consulting and training. Fortune
500 companies formed the client core until 2004 when
the focus became small companies with less than 500
employees. Today, clients are located in the USA,
Europe, and India. During this timeframe, the service
offering evolved to include strategic planning, business
process improvement, leadership development, and
organizational culture.
The challenges along the way have been creating a
cohesive service offering during COVID. The difficulty
caused by COVID was the closing of all in-person client
engagements; however, advancement within
telecommunications technology allowed client
engagements to continue and opened new
opportunities in Europe and Asia. The Projectivity
Solutions service offerings have been enhanced and
integrated, offering clients multiple points of
engagement depending on their needs and maturity
level.
Tell us something more about your company and its
mission and vision.
Projectivity Solutions increases business value by
identifying and eliminating the unseen obstacles that
adversely impact employee satisfaction and
productivity. We build people; we build relationships;
we build high-performing trust-based culture.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the business
consulting niche through your expertise in the market.
Unlike other organizations, Projectivity Solutions use
over 130 years of science and research to objectively
Phil's three decades of experience
expands from Executive Coach,
C-Suite Consultant, and
Strategic Advisor.

13. gather data by conducting targeted "X-Rays" focused
on
Ÿ Business Operations,
Ÿ Relationships,
Ÿ Financial Performance, and
Ÿ Mindset.
The company has transformed into a company whose
approach is people-centric and driven by objective data
for informed decision-making. Projectivity Solutions is
a leading integrated service provider that increases
business value by identifying and eliminating the
unseen obstacles that adversely impact employee
satisfaction and productivity.
What differentiates you from the competition?
The programs and service offerings are continually
updated depending on consumer requirements. This
continuous innovation is possible due to collaborative
teamwork. At Projectivity Solutions, Phil and his
team collaboratively integrate perspectives and
methods to produce fresh ideas that differentiate the
typical from the exceptional. "Equally important are the
practical implementation actions to create and deliver
value."
Despite being a geographically dispersed team, they
rarely rely on traditional brainstorming approaches.
The group frequently connects via the web and Zoom
to work on new ideas. Its 'go-to' tools are MindManager
and Padlet, which allow multi-user collaboration. Like
other organizations, Projectivity Solutions has an
assortment of personalities and motivators.
There are also regular seminars and conferences for
knowledge sharing and the latest industry and business
updates which enhance team potential. As an employee
at Projectivity Solutions, the typical is about creating
solutions that help direct energy toward crucial
activities, promoting teamwork, and establishing an
environment that produces results. These factors help
the team stay abreast of the trends and give the
organization an edge over the competition.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
Projectivity Solutions, Inc. – Igniting Passion With-in
Leaders So Others Will Flourish
In service to executives and leaders by providing
strategies and skills for clarifying direction, accelerating
productivity, implementing new capabilities, and
inspiring collaborative teamwork.

14. Values:
We lead the way
Ÿ We look for new and better ways of doing things and
seek to excel in everything we do.
Ÿ We take on big challenges and deliver great results
every time.
Ÿ Our passion drives us, and we enjoy the journey.
We do what's right
Ÿ We do what we say we will do.
Ÿ We are open and honest, and fair.
Ÿ Doing what's right is always more important than
doing what's expedient.
We take responsibility
Ÿ We take personal responsibility for creating an
environment where people can flourish.
Ÿ We challenge the status quo and develop innovative
solutions.
Ÿ We always aim to get it right the first time.
We care for each other.
Ÿ We watch out for each other's safety and well-being.
Ÿ We respect and support each other and listen.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Projectivity Solutions uses a mixed-media client
engagement model that integrates video, small and
large collaborative discussions, practical exercises,
whiteboard exercises, customizable graphics, and plan
templates.
What change would you like to bring to your industry
if given a chance?
Dramatically reduce the low high business mortality
rate. Typically, 20% of the small business fail in their
first year, 30% in their second year, and 50% fail after
five years in business. Finally, 70% of small business
owners fail in their 10th year in business.
Where do you envision yourself in the long run, and
what are your future goals for Projectivity Solutions?
Projectivity Solutions 2024 aims to significantly
improve the enterprise's strategic planning process
offered to clients. This year, Projectivity Solutions will
collaborate with European firms to evaluate the
strategic domains of projects, relationships, and
governance. This assessment approach provides facts
and insights into organizational strengths and
challenges, resulting in a realistic strategic plan.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into this sector?
Network with like-minded professionals and
collaborate for the greater good.
The Projectivity Solutions service
offerings have been enhanced and
integrated, offering clients
multiple points of engagement
depending on their needs and
maturity level.

16. Nicole
Martin
Upholding Business Vision with Tenacity
venture without an exceptional leader can’t
Acarve out the path to success for itself. To thrive
in today’s fierce atmosphere of the market with
extensive services, an apt leader is one who fuels not
only the business but also the minds of its team mem-
bers. Supervisors who know their delivery commit-
ments and are fixated on providing exceptional services
in given circumstances are the ones taking the lead in
any industry.
Leaders like Nicole Martin—who project an attitude of
natural ease and effortlessness while having a sharp
vision and objective to provide delegated services to
the industry—demonstrate the aforementioned
influence of such leaders. With extensive industry
experience, Nicole not only empowers her business but
also helps create growth opportunities with unmatched
expertise.
Nicole Martin is the Chief Empowerment Officer and
Founder of HRBoost® LLC. HRBoost transforms
companies into talent magnets and—under Nicole’s
impeccable leadership—creates a Dedicated HR Team
& provides businesses with hands-on support to best
practice solutions and overcome a myriad of workplace
challenges.
An Asset to the Industry
A dynamic and empowering consultative leader, and a
futurist skilled at helping organizations to meet their
strategic objectives, Nicole Martin is an internationally
renowned speaker and an author. Being the Chief
Empowerment Officer and Founder of HRBoost® LLC,
a Shared Services Consulting firm based in the north
suburbs of Chicago, Nicole has been building HR
departments from the ground up ever since she was 18
years old. What makes her approach so unique, she
says, is that she begins with the business’ vision and
creates HR programs that are completely integrated
with that vision.
Nicole states, “We support employers at every stage of the
employee experience, and small businesses deserve to
compete for talent in today’s market. Our Boosters create
programs designed to further the business, boost productiv-
ity, and help employees understand why and how their
contributions are meaningful.”
Nicole credits her team for all the success the business
has accomplished. Today, she is proudly a woman that
has built a seven-figure business from scratch and
knowing only 2% of women-owned businesses do this is
alarming.
Talking about her vision, Nicole says, “It is our Vision at
HRBoost to bring JOY and PURPOSE to PEOPLE through
their Work. It is how we serve our clients and the people
that choose to join up with their visions. We live it at
HRBoost.”
It is her number one responsibility to empower her
team of Boosters and invest in ongoing education, tools,
and resources to optimize her team. She has faith that
they will, in turn, delight their clients. She was truly
humbled when after years of serving on the Advisory
Board and being part of a winning organization in her
prior roles, her own company took the stage of Best &
Brightest ®Companies to Work for in Chicago in 2020.
Nicole’s philosophy is that leadership must live at every
level in a business. She expresses that hierarchy is a
thing of the past; people must be invited to live leader-
ship from wherever they stand, the language of what
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
14

17. Nicole Mar n
Chief Empowerment Officer and Founder
HRBoost® LLC
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
15

18. makes a leader is a creative space where teams can
create their reality for shared leadership in their space.
An exemplar of Resilience
“We have always trended with growth year after year;
however, amidst the pandemic, we were hard hit like many.
Thankfully, we have successfully returned to pre-Covid-19
revenue levels, and this is something we are pleased with,
given the level of uncertainty in the market,” says Nicole
while revealing how new innovative ways help her
reach clients in today’s volatile market. In 2023, she will
be launching new opportunities for seasoned HR
practitioners across the nation. Proudly, with Nicole’s
leadership, HRBoost’s talent currently spreads across
five states, and the boundaries no longer apply.
Nicole acknowledges that, ironically, the biggest threat
to the marketplace is talent, even now. According to
her, only truly forward-thinking companies will make
winning moves even in the downturn of the economy.
Nicole loves what she does, and she does it remarkably
well. Nicole didn’t set out to create HRBoost. She
simply followed her passion for helping clients under-
stand the importance human resources can play in
developing a strong business. Today, Nicole is a success-
ful entrepreneur and an HR industry innovator who is
dedicated to helping small to mid-size businesses
realize their potential through their employees.
Because she believes HR expertise is essential to any
business as they grow its enterprise.
HRBoost’s Shared Services approach allows businesses
to access strategic HR at their pace and budget, all
while taking a holistic approach to integrating a culture
plan that enables their strategic and/or operational
plans as a business. It delivers skilled talent to its
clients. Nicole believes HRBoost’s shared services
approach to the middle market is the PEO Alternative.
Today it serves businesses spanning multiple sectors;
these include Professional Services, Non-Profit
Organizations, High Tech, Manufacturing, Staffing
firms, Hospitality, and Healthcare. Its clients are
typically high-growth businesses with 50-250 employ-
ees. The company’s model is to meet the clients
wherever they are. Thus, it provides full-service
embedded HR support, project-to-project support,
culture design and management training, employee
programs and assessments, virtual support, and phone
support. HRBoost has experienced tremendous growth,
and proudly nearly every client has been sourced
through word of mouth.
Head of Industry Advancements
HRBoost’s Unique Selling Proposition (USP) is that it
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
16

19. meets the clients at their pace and budget and brings a
team with 40 years of aggregate experience from day
one. It offers small and mid-size businesses HR services
on an ala carte, project, or retainer basis.
“We meet our clients wherever they are on their journey to
be an employer of choice, and we also meet them at their
pace and budget. Our Shared Services approach allows us
to build HR departments from scratch and align them to
business strategy,” Nicole states.
With a team of truly conscientious and driven people
on our team, Nicole feels blessed to have them by her
side. Because they live HRBoost’s core values, and
instead of Nicole recognizing every time a core value is
witnessed, they have taken peer reward recognition to
be a strong reinforcement.
Nicole feels it is imperative to get hands-on experience
doing what you seek to learn. She asks others to make
sure it brings them joy before investing time and energy
and dedicating their life to it.
“Enjoy the journey, and be prepared to learn, unlearn, and
relearn. Surround yourself with people who inspire and
support you but also don’t patronize you. Remember, even if
it gets harder or takes longer, stay diligent,” she says while
also emphasizing that everyone deserves a coach, as
accountability to self is paramount in achieving goals.
Nicole believes women remain an opportunity and can
develop teams that foster collaboration, and creating a
culture of conversation takes rigor, where a two-way
exchange is fostered and upheld.
“Investment in women. The fact that less than 2% of the
money is invested in the United States in women-owned
businesses is disturbing," suggests Nicole.
Nicole advocates the importance of being vulnerable
and authentic. She exclaims that knowing oneself is
important because if you don’t know you need others to
be successful, then it will be hard to build a business.
Currently, Nicole serves on the Chicago NAWBO
Membership Committee and is a Star Conference
Global Speaker, citing all the women’s conferences and
came home as Best Speaker from Paris 2021. She also
mentors some newer female entrepreneurs who reach
out to her.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
17

20. Exemplary Attributes
of Transformative
Leaders
ransformative leaders are individuals who are
Tcapable of driving significant and lasting change
within their organizations. These leaders possess
a unique set of attributes that allow them to inspire,
motivate and empower their teams, to develop and
execute innovative strategies, and to navigate complex
challenges with confidence and grace. They possess a
unique set of attributes that enable them to inspire and
motivate others towards a common goal.
In this article, we will explore some of the exemplary
attributes of transformative leaders.
Visionary
Transformative leaders are visionaries who possess a
clear understanding of where they want to take their
organization. They are able to articulate their vision in a
compelling manner that inspires and motivates their
team to work towards a common goal.
They possess a long-term perspective and are capable
of anticipating future trends and challenges. Visionary
leaders have a clear and compelling vision for the
future. They are able to communicate this vision to
others in a way that inspires and motivates them.
Visionary leaders are often creative thinkers who are
able to come up with innovative solutions to complex
problems. They are not afraid to take risks and try new
things.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
18

21. Aspects of Quality
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
19

22. Authenticity
Transformative leaders are authentic individuals who
are true to themselves and their values. They have a
strong sense of self-awareness and are able to
communicate openly and honestly with their team.
They are not afraid to admit their mistakes and learn
from them. Their authenticity fosters a culture of trust
and transparency within the organization.
Empathy
Transformative leaders possess a high degree of
empathy, which allows them to understand and connect
with their team on a deep level. They are able to
recognize the unique strengths and weaknesses of each
individual and tailor their leadership approach
accordingly. They are supportive and approachable, and
their empathy creates a positive and inclusive work
environment.
Courage
Transformative leaders possess a great deal of courage,
which allows them to take calculated risks and make
difficult decisions. They are not afraid to challenge the
status quo and are willing to try new approaches. Their
courage inspires their team to push beyond their
comfort zones and to embrace change.
Visionary leaders are courageous and are willing to
take bold action in pursuit of their vision. They are not
afraid to challenge the status quo or make difficult
decisions.
Passion: Visionary leaders have a deep passion for their
vision and are committed to seeing it through. They are
able to inspire others with their enthusiasm and energy.
Resilience
Transformative leaders possess a high degree of
resilience, which allows them to navigate challenges
and setbacks with grace and determination. They are
able to bounce back from adversity and to maintain
their focus on their vision. Their resilience inspires their
team to persevere through difficult times and to
maintain a positive attitude.
Creativity
Transformative leaders possess a high degree of
creativity, which allows them to develop innovative
solutions to complex challenges. They are able to think
outside the box and to approach problems from a new
perspective. Their creativity fosters a culture of
innovation within the organization.
Collaborative
Transformative leaders are collaborative individuals
who understand the value of teamwork. They build
diverse teams with a range of skills and perspectives
and create an environment where everyone feels
valued and heard. They encourage open
communication, constructive feedback, and
constructive conflict resolution. Their collaborative
approach fosters a culture of inclusivity and innovation.
In conclusion, transformative leaders possess a unique
set of attributes that allow them to inspire, motivate
and empower their teams, to develop and execute
innovative strategies, and to navigate complex
challenges with confidence and grace. They are
visionary, authentic, empathetic, courageous, resilient,
creative, and collaborative. These attributes enable
them to drive significant and lasting change within their
organizations and to create a positive and inclusive
work environment that fosters innovation
and success.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
20

24. www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
22

25. Setsoto Hlohlomi
Quali es that Showcase
Excellence
R
egardless of the type of business you're running,
or even the industry that you're operating in, to
say that strong female leaders are important is
something of an understatement. In truth, they're
essential - not only for providing a much-needed
perspective on the direction that a business is taking
but also in terms of the types of qualities that they
bring to the table that you're unlikely to find anywhere
else.
One of the most invaluable traits that female leaders
bring to the table is their sense of awareness. They
typically try to look at the bigger picture first, but then
break a situation down into the finer details to see what
is really going on underneath.
Women in leadership positions tend to practice the
Golden Rule with great efficiency. Standing out with
these significant traits is Setsoto Hlohlomi, President,
BasaliTech.
Under her guidance, BasaliTech has held various
initiatives since its inception. These include a
mentorship program where women in tech were
assigned a mentee in technology education to provide
insight into opportunities and challenges the women
face and how these young girls can successfully
navigate them.
In an interview with CIOLook, Setsoto shares valuable
facts highlighting her leadership qualities and her
professional tenure in the niche.
Below are the excerpts from the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at BasaliTech. What
challenges have you had to overcome to reach where
you are today?
This all began with a career in technology, where I was
one of the very few women in the department. While
our societal norms are evolving to accept women into
such roles, the gender gap in itself was and to some
extent still is intimidating. Through a passion for
learning and a love for technology, I quickly climbed
from junior to more senior technical roles in technology
and eventually leadership positions.
Being a leader is both challenging and fulfilling. Leaders
are constantly faced with pressures that come from
decision-making, which can give people the
misconception that we have to be perfect and should
know it all. And yet, it is basically the capacity to
cement efforts from multiple divisions and people to
achieve that vision we have.
The most recent highlight of my career was obtaining
my master’s degree in management from the University
BasaliTech is an
organiza on that values
posi ve societal impact
and driving change.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
23

26. of Illinois, Urbana Champaign, in 2022. This has
significantly shaped me as a leader, and I have
grown so much – from working with people to
strategy and it has renewed my passion for
knowledge sharing and mentorship. This led to me
facilitating a leadership program recently held by
BasaliTech.
I believe having a mentor, is one of the ways we
can pave our way to being successful as people.
Mentors, whether formal or informal, offer
guidance, perspective and opportunities. With
women significantly outnumbered in the
technology industry and worse in leadership
positions, it has been harder finding women
mentors.
Balancing work and life can also be a challenge,
especially with a growing family. And there still
exist some stereotypical expectations of being a
woman leader that can make it a bit harder. The
skills I have acquired, have played a great role in
my leadership position at BasaliTech, as well as in
acquiring a Cloud Support Engineer Role at AWS.
Tell us something more about your company and
its mission and vision.
BasaliTech is a non-profit organization that I
founded and registered in Lesotho. With
technology being one of the most rapidly growing
and evolving industries, we aim to democratize
technology education and impart the African
youth with technology skills through various
means, to equip them with the right skills to thrive
in this era.
The gender gap in the technology sector remains
a concern, with women significantly
underrepresented in technical roles as well as
leadership positions. It is also our mission to
tackle this by driving initiatives that encourage
young girls and women to pursue technology
education and careers.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted the IT
niche through your expertise in the market.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
24

27. Since our inception in 2018, we have held various
initiatives that I have led. These include a mentorship
program where women in tech were assigned a mentee
in technology education to provide insight into
opportunities and challenges the women face and how
these young girls can successfully navigate them.
We have also held website development boot-camps to
provide introductory knowledge in building websites as
insight into one of the growing careers in technology.
As a technical trainer and mentor, I have been at the
forefront of these.
As the diversity in technology careers increases, we
released a series of videos describing the various
careers in technology to guide the youth and to inform
them about the opportunities available.
This was done with the support of our volunteers, that
are experts in the technology field. Finally, we have
hosted the nation’s first technology conference,
TechCon Lesotho, for two years.
It gathered experts to discuss technology trends,
opportunities, and how these can be utilized for a
better Africa. We have engaged 500+ through our in-
person initiatives and over 5000+ remotely through
our media platforms.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
BasaliTech is currently a small organization that values
positive societal impact and driving change. We
understand that partnerships will help us achieve our
goals and that our team is at the core of delivering
value to our customers.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Technology has assisted in our mission to reach more
people. We have constantly used the internet and social
media platforms to deliver our message as well as
training content. Using video editing tools has aided us
to digitize career guidance videos and our training
content, allowing us to have them accessible online
when we would have otherwise held them in person.
This way, we continue to reach more people.
What change would you like to bring to the IT industry
if given a chance?
Aligning myself closely with our organization’s mission,
the change I would love to effect is to drive and
encourage the inclusion of women in the technology
industry. To see more women taking up technical roles,
they are passionate about and eventually leadership
positions through our skills-sharing initiatives and
networks. This directly contributes to the United
Nations sustainable development goal 5 of empowering
women and girls.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run,
and what are your future goals for BasaliTech?
My dream is to be a senior leader in a multinational
organization through continuous personal
development. For BasaliTech, the primary goal is to
grow it and expand its reach. The current impact from
the organization can be seen in Lesotho and
neighboring South Africa. We aim to reach the rest of
Africa through our initiatives, combatting these
challenges on a continental scale.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the IT sector?
I have often seen people trying to lead teams and
organizations they do not understand, which has
always been detrimental. For example, to lead an IT
team, you need to have some expertise in the field; this
way, you will understand their pain and processes
amongst other things. Having this basic knowledge of
the territory will lead to better decision-making.
The IT sector is large, continues to grow, and is
becoming very competitive. Find your niche, focus on
that and never be afraid of change when it becomes
necessary. Lastly, never stop learning. This is the
quickest way to become irrelevant.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
25

30. Exploring
Different
Approaches to
Leadership
eadership is an essential function of every
Lorganization. Effective administration depends to
a great extent on leadership as it holds the ability
to influence the employees of the organization with the
sheer confidence to work exceptionally hard with a
vision to achieve success and complete their designated
objectives.
Leadership is about innovation and initiative to achieve
success by the quality of the leader to guide the
employees for organized efforts that lead them to work
in a professional environment.
Learning in leadership is a constant process; the ability
to learn with dedication and overcome difficulties, and,
most importantly, never giving up are the qualities that
create an exceptional leader.
Throughout history, great leaders have emerged with
their leadership values in providing directions,
implementation of their plans, and motivating people
through their actions and their approaches to relative
situations.
Let us explore the different leadership approaches that
carved great leaders:
Appreciative Approach
The premise of this approach is simple. Instead of
focusing on the problems or something which is going
wrong, the focus is learning about the problems and
implementing vital solutions in problem-solving.
Appreciative leadership is all about turning human
potential into positive power and using it for a
relational and positive process.
Appreciative leadership has its roots in appreciative
conversation. The mindset plays a significant role in
highlighting what is right and could be better with
constructive conversation. Within this approach, an
individual can feel encouraged and can work better
while maintaining a cheerful outlook towards
appropriately executing that task. The mindset of the
leaders with this approach focusses more towards,
Ÿ The things that are essential to execute tasks
properly.
Ÿ Focus on what is next, rather than thinking about
what is left behind.
Ÿ Positive actions towards problem-solving.
Ÿ Manage the operations with efficient decision-
making skills with the vision, mission, and
organizational goals to execute the assigned task
properly.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
28

31. Know your Leader
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
29

32. Situational Approach
The situational leadership approach is centred on the
proper guidance and direction provided by the leader in
a necessary situation. The interaction of these two
factors is related to the team members, their level of
competence, confidence, and commitment towards an
assigned task.
The role of the leader is to develop individuals,
encourage them towards achieving excellent
performance and with the situational approach, the
extent to which leader engages in defining roles in
setting goals, organizing the workflow, directing, and
controlling the efforts, for the essential management.
A leader also executes two-way communication and
provides encouraging support in positive
communication, active listening, and providing
feedback while pointing out the areas of improvement
with necessary interactions.
Transformational Approach
The transformational leadership approach can
transform and improve the potentials of individuals,
teams, and organizations. They specifically identify
their own values, and encourage their employees, to
boost up teamwork.
Transformational leaders motivate and teach with a
shared view about the future. Their communication
skills are exceptionally good, and they can inspire their
group or an organization as they believe in every
person is capable and competent while working
together and expect the best from everyone. They hold
themselves accountable as well.
Transformational leaders are always honest, self-aware,
authentic, and they have an innovative mindset.
Charismatic Approach
Charismatic leaders never doubt their own decisions.
They move forward un-waveringly and believe that the
decisions they make are the correct ones. They move
through a crowd of their followers, shaking hands and
lending an encouraging word. They are undeniably clear
on their expectations and where they see the company
going.
The relationship between a charismatic leader and
followers is an emotional one. People with this
leadership skill are experts in the art of developing
images for themselves that others want to emulate.
Charismatic leaders have four common personality
characteristics:
Ÿ A high degree of confidence and lack of internal
conflict
Ÿ High energy and enthusiasm
Ÿ Exceptionally good and effective communication
skills
Ÿ Influencing factors like a role model
Autocratic Approach
A person who adopts the authoritarian leadership
approach dictates policy and procedure and directs the
work done by the group without looking for any
meaningful input from them. The group led by an
authoritarian executes its task under close supervision.
This leadership approach plays a vital role in situations
like:
Ÿ When employees are not able to execute their tasks
properly, either because of incompetence or lack of
experience, they need someone to guide them. An
autocratic leader helps these employees to sharpen
their skillset and provides them valuable feedback
by closely monitoring them.
Ÿ An autocratic leadership approach helps the
employees to take initiative and motivates them
towards their work. When employees need an extra
push, an authoritarian leadership style works out
better.
A Journey to Become a Proficient Leader
These leadership approaches will help individual
leaders to rectify situations and implement their skills
to improvise and motivate their employees.
Additionally, leaders can enhance the productivity of
their employees by providing expert guidance with
these diverse leadership approaches.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
30

34. Zara
Zamani
Creating a Future
with a Clear Purpose
oving with a clear vision and strong principles
Mthroughout her career, Zara Zamani, Chief
Solutions Officer at ChromaWay, has set her
sights on entrepreneurship and is now also the Co-
founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Neoki.
ChromaWay is an early pioneer of ‘blockchain 2.0’
technology and provides a platform for smart contracts
and issuing and transferring assets through a
blockchain. Meanwhile, Neoki is a virtual reality
platform for the world of calculated expressions such as
design, music, and the gaming industry.
On the path to building and growing her business, Zara
has faced many challenges, such as People
management, relationship building, networking, and
being super multifunctional yet keeping that strategic
and holistic view to ensure her team is walking in the
right direction.
Throughout her career, she has also worked in many
different countries, mostly in very tough and harsh
environments, with almost no other female engineer at
work. Alongside the brilliant technical skills she gained,
Zara also learned how to communicate with different
cultures, how to be patient, how to manage people,
along with lots of delivery management skills.
CIOLook, in an exclusive interview with technologist
and futurist Zara Zamani, gains insights about rapidly
gaining popularity technologies like blockchain and
metaverse.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Zara, please brief our audience about your journey as
a business leader until your current positions at
ChromaWay and Neoki. What challenges have you
had to overcome to reach where you are today?
I studied Electrical and Electronics and Petroleum
Engineering at the University of Technology Petronas,
where I was under full scholarship by Petronas as a top
student. Like every student, I was worried about finding
a job. However, I never wanted A job; I always wanted
THE job. The job, for me, was something that would
enable me to travel the world and gain career
experiences besides highly skilled professionals as
much as possible. So, I started writing what I would
expect from companies and sending emails to the ones
at the time I thought would be the right fit for me.
I guess I always knew what exactly I wanted. Out of that
effort, I had eight job offers from top global companies
by the time I graduated, and I started my career at
Schlumberger, the number one oil and gas service
company in the world, as a wireline field engineer.
At some point in my career, I thought I needed more to
be happy. I needed to be part of the change-making
wave. I wanted to be able to leave a legacy behind, and
that was not very much possible where I was.
So, I decided to step into the path of entrepreneurship
in what I thought I was good at and felt comfortable
with, Technology. I became an entrepreneur in
TravelTech and FinTech industries and eventually
started working with blockchain in 2015 and found
blockchain to be THE technology that enables me to
make the change I wanted which was to make the world
a fairer place for all.
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
32

35. Zara Zamani
Chief Solutions Officer at ChromaWay,
Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Neoki
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
33

36. At different levels of maturity and growth in my career,
I have faced different challenges. From being a girl and
having limited access to opportunities in Iran to leaving
my whole family to live abroad alone for education and
to starting a career in a super male-dominant industry,
moving to tech entrepreneurship, which was not less
male-dominant and working in top-class international
emerging technologies companies like ChromaWay.
Tell us something more about your company and its
mission and vision.
ChromaWay was founded in 2014 with our relational
blockchain model, called Postchain, which proved itself
to be an excellent platform for private enterprise
blockchain applications.
Since then, the team and vision surrounding the
company have grown exponentially. In addition to our
private enterprise work through ChromaWay, we have
also launched a public platform called Chromia, which
boasts a rapidly expanding ecosystem.
We strive to provide blockchain applications that are
easy to use and create real value in society by providing
transparent systems that enhance efficiency and
reduce exploitation. ChromaWay was named among
the 50 fastest-growing tech companies in 2021 by
Deloitte.
Additionally, Neoki, founded in 2021, is a decentralized
multi-Metaverse, virtual reality platform powered by
blockchain for the world of design and creativity. Our
vision is to offer a profoundly immersive design-based
Metaverse to democratize the design industry by
introducing concepts such as:
Ÿ Design to Earn allows every user to create an
economy around their obvious or hidden talents.
Ÿ DAO is to be utilized as an infrastructure that allows
every member of the community to be seen and
have a say in decision-making and therefore bring
out the real meaning of democratization.
Ÿ Collaborate to Earn provides an incentivizing model
for users and community members to interact and
collaborate with each other.
Ÿ Multi-Metaverse as a means to enable community
members to build their own verse in our Metaverse.
Anyone or entity who is either an end customer of a
piece, a talent, a designer, a collector, a brand, a design
house, a design school, a manufacturer, or is in any
other way connected to a design piece of interior,
fashion- accessory, jewelry, art, automotive,
architecture, industrial piece, etc. can create,
commercialize design, purchase design piece,
collaborate, educate, and monetize their content. The
Community of Neoki permanently owns the land
parcels in which they fully control and decide on what
content is published, which can vary from art,
democratized, fast, and direct communication and
connection to its users without any intermediary. Neoki
was nominated as one of the top 5 blockchain
companies in Europe in 2022.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted your niche
through your expertise in the market.
I believe what people like me bring to the table is
breaking the chain of tech-bro communities. We bring a
difference in mindset, worldview, and in consumer
behavior analysis. We know the reality of the world,
and we try to connect that to the power of technology. I
have impacted my niche in many ways, such as
supporting building REAL use cases and products for
REAL people with REAL values. Besides that, I always
inspire young girls and women not to be afraid of
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
34

37. stepping higher in the technology career world.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
We embrace the working culture of distributed,
decentralized and remote-first companies both at
ChromaWay and Neoki. I believe that is how every
crypto company needs to work to live up to the core
values of the technology we are evangelists of.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
We at ChromaWay are at the bleeding edge of
technology by creating Chromia, a permissionless
blockchain protocol that enables everyone to build the
Dapp of their dream and transfers power back to the
public while being a pioneer in building blockchain
games, fashion Dapps, DeFi, and tokenization Dapps.
At Neoki, we are building a multi-metaverse virtual
world based on blockchain and leveraging NFTs, DAOs,
and crypto aspects.
What change would you like to bring to your industry
if given a chance?
Bring more business-oriented people into the space in
order to be able to build more valuable and user-
friendly Dapps. If we can merge the mature user
experience of Web 2.0 with the technology provided by
web 3.0, that will be great.
What, according to you, could be the next significant
change in your sector? How is your company
preparing to be a part of that change?
From my perspective, the next big thing in the world of
blockchain is IP holders stepping in. AT ChromaWay, we
are preparing by creating Chromia to enable them to
build their dream much easier, faster, and cost-
effectively.
At Neoki, we are making the transition of IP holders
from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 much easier by offering
plenty of what we call Web 2.5 solutions.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run,
and what are your future goals for ChromaWay and
Neoki?
I envision myself building, building, and building for the
next decades. I have no other path to encourage more
people to join us in this movement of making the work a
fairer place and giving freedom back to the public.
I see ChromaWay definitely being a pioneer and an
example not only in the world of tech but also in the
world of crypto and blockchain as a company that lives
truly to the meaning of decentralization.
And I see Neoki as that one Metaverse world that,
instead of competing, is connected to multiple other
metaverses and living up to the name of multi
metaverse besides closing the loop of the life transition
from physical to virtual and back from virtual to the
physical world, meaning allowing people to expand
their experiences as much as they wish both physically
and virtually.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into your sector?
Be patient. Constantly learn. Your team is your
everything. Stay focused and surround yourself with
the right people.
I believe what people like me
bring to the table is a
difference in mindset,
worldview, and in consumer
behavior analysis. I also
inspire young girls and
women not to be afraid of
stepping higher in the tech
world.
“
“
“
“
www.ciolook.com | April 2023 |
35

40. www.ciolook.com