The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch July 2020, Insights Success brings Journeys of their successful business ideas,leadership and entrepreneurship
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The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch July2020
1. VOL. 07 | ISSUE 05 | 2020
EXPERT’S ADVICE
THE GLASS CEILING
EFFECT: ANOTHER
PERSPECTIVE ON
WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP
WOMEN IMPOWER
DYNAMICS OF WOMEN
PARTICIPATION IN THE
EVER-CHANGING
MODERN WORKFORCE
2.
3.
4. Frontrunners
of New Age
n last few months a novel virus known as the
Icoronavirus has transformed into a pandemic and
spread infecting hundreds of thousands of people
around the world and impacting humankind societally.
And while we have yet to see the incalculable impact
that will follow the pandemic—due to state and
nationwide lockdowns, the closure of countless
businesses, social distancing, and/or transition to remote
work for millions across the world—every one of us has
begun to witness its severe impact on the global
economy.
Businesspersons, in specific, are one of the people that
have been greatly affected economically by the COVID-
19 pandemic. From marketing and branding to
technology, healthcare to food industry and in between,
businesses has been forced to continuously adapt to the
changing tides. In this edition, 10 businesswomen share
their inspiring stories of how they are leading business in
this era of crisis and navigating the effects of COVID-19.
In its upcoming edition “The 20 Most Successful
Businesswoman to Watch”, Insights Success is bringing
the journeys of some of these dynamic who are
recognized for successful business ideas, leadership and
entrepreneurship across the world.
The cover features Lori Cornmesser, a visionary
businesswoman who has a proven track record in all
aspects of building and driving field/channel sales with a
strong focus on strategic marketing and business
Editor’s Desk
Leading others also
consists: making others
resilient, visionary and
capable
5. planning combined with skilled sales and contract
negotiation abilities. Since joining Infoblox in May
2018, Lori has advocated for channel culture,
prioritized the importance of building channel
relationships and hosted Infoblox’s inaugural
Americas Partners Summit.
In her role as Vice President of Worldwide Channel
and Alliance Sales at Infoblox, Lori is responsible
for advancing the agenda of partners and ensuring
they are seen as a revenue engine that can help the
company scale and be successful. She has built out a
highly skilled team across the Americas, EMEA and
APJ partner teams. She has set the foundation and
strategy to become the vendor of choice with
partners and continues to work with her team to
deliver program assets and tools in the way partners
go to market.
Let’s unveil such alike, inspiring stories and
interviews of many such passionate leaders in this
special edition and spread a word about their
contribution in making this world a better place.
Also, while flipping the pages, don’t forget to go
through the articles and CXOs written by our in-
house editorial team and industry experts
respectively.
Rohit Chaturvedi
6. Cont
ent
Lori Cornmesser
A Strategic Thinker
and Tactical Executor
Articles
Expert’s Advice
The Glass Ceiling Effect:
Another Perspective on
Women and Leadership
Women Impower
Dynamics of Women
participation in the
ever-changing
modern workforce
10
34
68
Cover Story
7. ts
Anaida Deti
An Inspirational
Health Entrepreneur
Barbara Ann Bernard
A Successful Entrepreneur
in a Competitive Industry
Carolyn Hogg
An Entrepreneurial
Leader covering all
the Tasks
Chaitra Vedullapalli
Helping to Achieve
Economic Prosperity
Cydni Tetro
Redefining the Customary
Way of Doing Business
Fia Johansson
Being an Aid to the
Law Enforcement
18
22
26
30
38
44
8. Fiona Bruder
Making Disruptive
Changes through
Experiential Marketing
Jennifer Breen
Making Home Happen
Through Temporary
Housing Services
Jennifer Ladouceur
A Role Model Inspiring
Passion & Innovation in Others
Karin Lohitnavy
A Passion Driven
Leader
Laura Brando
An Influencer and Powerful
Mortgage Professional
Manuela Beil-Peter
A Well Organized and
Pro-active Individual
48
52
56
60
64
72
9. Margaret Graziano
Creating High- Performance
Organizational Culture to
Boost Businesses
Nicole Enders
The Next Generation
Superintendent
Nicole Iseppi
Advocating Greater Industry
Collaboration & Increase Efficiency
in the Global Energy Sector
Sarah Peiker
Renowned RPO
Leader for Recruiting
A Talented Workforce
Tamma Carel
Driving Sustainability
through Passion
and Professionalism
76
80
84
88
92
14. good leader need not only be an expert in their
Aindustry, but must see the bigger picture, and
understand their roles in the wider world. They
need to believe that change is possible and worthwhile and
be able to convey that message to others in a way that has
meaning. This quality is best summed up in one word —
vision. A leader with vision is a leader who can see the path
ahead and inspires others to help them turn a dream into a
reality. Lori Cornmesser is one such visionary
businesswoman who has a proven track record in all aspects
of building and driving field/channel sales with a strong
focus on strategic marketing and business planning
combined with skilled sales and contract negotiation
abilities.
Since joining Infoblox in May 2018, Lori has advocated for
channel culture, prioritized the importance of building
channel relationships and hosted Infoblox's inaugural
Americas Partners Summit. In her role as Vice President of
Worldwide Channel and Alliance Sales at Infoblox, Lori
is responsible for advancing the agenda of partners and
ensuring they are seen as a revenue engine that can help the
company scale and be successful. She has built out a highly
skilled team across the Americas, EMEA and APJ partner
“Do what you say
you're going to do.
Keep it simple and
surround yourself with
great people that have
skills and talent that
you do not.
15. teams. She has set the foundation and strategy to become
the vendor of choice with partners and continues to work
with her team to deliver program assets and tools in the way
partners go to market.
Embracing Diversity
Lori is of German and African American descent. She
relates to issues of diversity and understands the importance
of not only celebrating diversity, but also in spreading an
understanding of diverse backgrounds and cultivating
diverse work environments. Lori was born into this world
biracial. Diversity chose her. Her mother refers to this as
her honor and obligation. She was chosen to see the world
through a different glass. Growing up in Silicon Valley –
she stood alone in many conference rooms being the solo
female and minority. As a result, today she served as the
President of the Silicon Valley branch of the California
Diversity Council and she is active in the community on
these topics.
In-depth Experience
Lori is an accomplished Global Channel and Commercial
Management Executive with 25+ years of in- depth
experience in managed services, computer networking,
network management/security, and the hardware industry.
She has spent a career, developing deep relationships with
field team leadership, supplying revenue, and protecting
long-term marketplace viability and growth.
Lori believes that organizations should be customer centric
and her own leadership style incorporate that philosophy of
maintaining strong rapport with existing and prospective
clients. Lori is known for her ability to balance strategic
thinking, tactical execution and developing C-suite
partnerships while amplifying company loyalty and
promoting innovation in the marketplace.
Among her many accolades, she has been named to the
CRN Channel Chiefs list for 2016-2020 and recognized by
CRN as one of the Top Women of the Channel in 2009-
2020. She also made the coveted Power 100 list in 2014-
2020. Lori was also named by the Diversity Journal as the
Woman to Watch of 2011 and recently received Most
Powerful Women in Technology Award in August 2019.
While she is dedicated to her career and works extremely
hard in order to contribute greatly to the growth and success
of her company, as well as the growth and success of
herself within her field, Lori has also served as the
President of the Silicon Valley branch of the larger umbrella
organization, the California Diversity Council.
Endless Flexibility
Infoblox solutions offer endless flexibility to meet the
requirements of its customers across a broad range of
verticals including but not limited to financial services,
healthcare, government, retail, higher education and service
providers. The solutions can be deployed on-premises, fully
in the cloud (SaaS), as cloud managed and/or as a hybrid
16. solution, offering choice and seamless integration into their
existing architectures.
Balance is the Key
Lori considers it is important that businesswoman put their
heart into the business by being kind to people. She asks to
work hard, smart, and with a sense of urgency. She advises
businesswomen to work with a sense of purpose, meaning,
mission, urgency, and grabbing what one want. She says
that hustle means working harder, smarter, and faster than
other people. She considers it is vital to our survival to have
balance in our lives and taking care of ourselves.
According to Lori, to have balance in work and life, these
are the steps every businesswoman must take:
Ÿ Me’ Time
Lori says, ‘Me’ time is the most important of all the tips out
there. Nothing can beat ‘Me’ time. Having even an hour
during the day can help unwind and feel energized. It will
recharge one to go out in the world and get stuff done like a
boss.
Ÿ Learn to prioritize & stay organized
When it comes to work-life balance, there is no standard
template. The idea is to set priorities right as per her needs
and situation and allocate enough time to each of the
important activities. However, accept that there is no perfect
equilibrium. Stay organized when it comes to the daily
routine activities and allocate a certain amount of time to
each task.
Ÿ Healthy Eating Habits + Workout + Meditation
For Lori, healthy food, workout and meditation also play
crucial part in achieving balance between life and work.
She asserts “Our eating habits suffer the most when we
have a hectic schedule. It is very important to eat healthy
food. Most of us spend all day sitting and working on our
machines. When you work 10 hours a day, working out may
seem impossible. On days when you do not have time, take
small steps with mini-workout routine. Ditch the elevators
and take stairs instead. Take 5 minutes of stretching in
between meetings.” Further she says use meditation apps
like calm to take a 5 mins break from the stressful packed
day.
Ÿ Learn to say ‘No’
Say ‘No’ to things that do not align with personal goals. She
thinks “Often, we spend too much engaging in activities or
17. taking up tasks that do not contribute to our goals. It is
okay to say no sometimes. And it certainly does not mean
that you are lazy or running away from responsibilities. It
simply means that your time is valuable and should not be
spent on non-value adding activities.”
Huge Contribution
Infoblox is a very exciting company at a pivotal point for
many organizations as they embark on their digital
transformation journey. The innovation and next level
approach to business allows Infoblox to remain a leader in
the market. Lori serves as the global leader of Infoblox's
Worldwide Partner Sales organization and is responsible for
indirect sales, partner performance, channel reach, revenue
attainment and partner profitability. She helps lead the
Partner program, and oversees strategy, operations,
marketing and enablement. All of this allows scale and
reach resulting in increased revenue and fast time to market.
Technology and Business
Although aligning the IT and business strategy takes time
and cooperation, it is an exercise worth completing. When
IT is working to support business goals it leads to happier,
more productive teams, smarter investments and greater
return. It’s important to remember that alignment is not a
one-off, box ticking activity. Alignment is something which
requires regular reviews, assessments and adjustments.
From Lori’s point of view, IT and technology are helping to
solve problems where human power alone is not enough.
But technology alone cannot create a company culture,
where human interactions are valued. Because it is people
who are assigned to work on this technology and to
encourage them the entrepreneurs keeps their spirit alive.
Infoblox has mastered a way of creating an interesting work
environment, interactive dialogues among employees,
support and motivation to the employees, reward system,
etc. reflects the culture of the company. Hence,
entrepreneurial spirit and technology should go hand in
hand. Therefore, we need evolving technology as well as
intelligent humans.
A Mother Behind A Leader
Sharing on life changing incident, Lori says, “Being a
mother is not another role I embody; it is THE role of my
life. Motherhood did not change me, it made me. It has
fueled my career choices, my determination and my passion
for life. My children have become an extension of my well-
lived life. They become a new perspective, a different
motivator, and a joyous way to see life from another angle.”
Being a Seeker and Learner
Lori considers that asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness,
it’s a sign of strength. No one got to where they are today
without help along the way. She encourages
businesswomen to ask for help and then remember to return
the favor. Lori’s father always said to her, “if you think you
are the smartest person in the room you are in the wrong
room.” Lori gives advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs
to never stop learning.
“Asking for help isn't a
sign of weakness, it's a
sign of strength. No one
got to where they are
today without help along
the way.
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
18.
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VOL 07 | ISSUE 05 | 2020
EXPERT’S ADVICE
THE GLASS CEILING
EFFECT: ANOTHER
PERSPECTIVE ON
WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP
WOMEN IMPOWER
DYNAMICS OF WOMEN
PARTICIPATION IN THE
EVER-CHANGING
MODERN WORKFORCE
20. 18 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
33. haitra Vedullapalli the Co- founder and CMO of
CMeylah is recognized as an Influential Business
Leader with a passion to enable digital equity and
access to achieve economic prosperity in our communities.
Vedullapalli is also the Co-Founder & President of Women
in Cloud , sits on many boards and drives global
conversations with the United Nations and top corporations
throughout the U.S.
In an interview with Insights Success, the spokesperson of
Meylah shares the journey of Chaitra and the company.
Below are the highlights of the interview;
Give a brief overview of your background and Chaitra’s
role in Meylah.
Chaitra Vedullapalli is originally from India and moved to
the United States 25 years ago with her husband Ram
Vedullapalli. She did electrical engineering from RVCE in
India and has worked with tech giants like Oracle and
Microsoft before starting her own business, Meylah
Corporation, partnering with her husband.
Chaitra is the Co- founder and Chief Marketing Officer of
Meylah. As the CMO she is often responsible for business
development, client management as well as the marketing
and PR coordination. She is regularly keeping track of
social media handles and other PR activities. She also
ideates several products for Meylah. Speaker Engage is one
of her brainchild to transform the events industry to adopt
cloud technologies
How do you diversify your solutions that appeal to your
target audience?
Meylah's mission is to help companies access the digital
economy. A lot of our efforts are focused on working with
corporations and their channels to ignite local economic
development leveraging technologies, communities and
programs. We work with customers to drive digital
transformation with cloud & AI technologies. We leverage
blue ocean business model thinking to design and develop
solutions that create access to digital economy and reduce
cost of doing business. During this progress, we spend a lot
of time accessing what solutions actually will become
sticky and develop diverse solutions to address market
needs.
Describe some of the vital attributes that every
businesswoman should possess.
Helping to Achieve Economic Prosperity
JULY 2020 | 31www.insightssuccess.com
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
34. “I was at Oracle when my mentor, Bronwyn Hasting, now
EVP at SAP said a person who leads from the back and
ensures everyone is taken care of is a True Leader. She also
said you can say you are a leader when you have created
leaders who have created leaders. That resonated with my
philosophy of serving, influencing and partnering with
people to lead change. I believe every leader comes with
their own set of traits and brings in their perspective
through their experiences. Hence a “great leader” is
subjective. However, I believe there are certain leadership
traits that make a leader stand out in the crowd:
1. Coachability: Being coachable empowers the people
around you to learn and grow. Being coachable allows you
to be vulnerable with people and resolve obstacles easily.
2. Feedback Resilience: Being able to take all kinds of
feedback without getting triggered is crucial in leading
change. I believe when you receive feedback you are
getting a gift from others and they are helping to see your
own blind spots that you can see.
3. Ego Management: As you rise to the top, your ego
becomes bigger and bigger. Ability for you to manage your
ego and your emotions will serve you well. Kindness is the
antidote for ego slaying.
4. Access Enabler: I believe that every leader priority must
be to enable access for their employees, customers and
partners to realize their potential. I believe in creating
economic access and have dedicated my life to this cause.”
Chaitra Vedullapalli
What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons
that shaped Chaitra’s journey? What were some of the
primal challenges and roadblocks that you guys faced
during the initial phase of Chaitra Vedullapalli’s
journey?
Although, in current times, women are given opportunities
to rise, the power of influence is not showered upon
women. This makes it extremely difficult for women
leaders to gain economic access and power to make an
32 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
35. impact in society. When women do not have economic
power or the ability to influence decisions they cannot truly
lead their organization and create impact.
Chaitra has been very vocal about roadblocks she faced as a
female tech entrepreneur during the early days of Meylah.
She says, “I constantly noticed in the tech industry but I
was surrounded by men in channel related initiatives, in
customer and investor meetings and industry events.
Women were not well represented to make decisions or
provide inputs to shape the narrative around equity and
access. I struggled to figure out how to drive consistent
growth for our business. I noticed that I was silently
becoming a part of the system that did not embrace
inclusion. Gender bias was real and was affecting many
women business owners in the tech industry.”
But Chaitra is a problem solver, and her solution to the
obstacles she faced was to build Women in Cloud, a
community-led, economic development initiative to
accelerating societal impact through female tech
entrepreneurs with the colossal goal of generating over $1B
in global economic access by 2030.
She has also been a huge believer that contributing to the
community will create a larger than life impact. Chaitra
brings her beliefs into the company and personally
propagates it to her employees. This helps them grow
personally and professionally. Collective action and
collective growth is her mantra and she practices what she
preaches.
Where does Chaitra Vedullapalli sees herself in the near
future and how will you catalyze the change?
Creating an inclusive economy through the technology
sector is one of the core missions. Chaitra’s passion lies
around building technology solutions that create equal
access for economic opportunities. When you look at her
portfolio of bold ideas, it focuses on 4 core areas
1. Developing economic development solutions using
modern technologies
2. Removing language bias from public and private
contracting practices
3. Public policy and advocacy to create equal access to
entrepreneurial opportunities
4. Closely work with United Nations and Corporations to
launch campaigns and solutions to solve global goals.
“Invest in
creating
access to
economic
opportunities
using digital
technologies.”
JULY 2020 | 33www.insightssuccess.com
36. The Glass Ceiling Effect:
Another Perspective on
Women and Leadership
34 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
37. he glass ceiling is a barrier so subtle that it is
Ttransparent; yet so strong that it prevents women
from moving up the corporate hierarchy”
---Ann
Morrison, American Author
The term “Glass ceiling” can be defined as an
unacknowledged upper limit in corporations and other
organizations, above which it is difficult or even
impossible for women to reach out to the highest
ranks.“Glass ceiling” is a popular metaphor widely used
for the hard-to-see informal barriers that prevents women
from getting promoted or achieving further opportunities
in leadership positions. The metaphor of “glass ceiling”
has also been used to describe the limits and obstacles
faced by racial minority groups.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s 1991 definition of glass
ceiling is “those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or
organizational bias that prevents qualified individuals
from advancing upward in their organization into
management-level positions.” (Report on the Glass
Ceiling Initiative.)
Famous American actress cum author Ann Morrison
defines the concept of the Glass Ceiling as:
“The glass ceiling is not simply a barrier for an
individual, based on the person’s inability to handle a
higher-level job. Rather, the glass ceiling applies to
women as a group who are kept from advancing higher
because they are women.”
The Elements behind the Glass Ceiling:
It is pretty obvious that women are facing a lot of hurdles
to break through the glass ceiling and reach to the
highest leadership position throughout the ages.
Preventing both women and organizations from reaching
their full potential, the invisible “Glass Ceiling” denies
us all of the maximal benefits of gender diversity in
leadership. Some of the most common barriers are
highlighted below:
Job isolation:
Women are offered the same kinds of job roles like staff,
public relations or occasionally finance specialties that
rarely lead to the more powerful management positions.
Over time, women are eventually excluded from jobs in
the mainstream of business, the route taken by CEOs and
presidents.
Expert’s Advice
JULY 2020 | 35www.insightssuccess.com
38. Old-boy Network:
There are many instances when men gets the managerial
powers in an organization who manages greater numbers
of people, enjoys more freedom of hiring and firing, and
controls the company’s assets directly while women are
deprived of such authorities and powers. It is the “Old-
boys” of the organization that makes all the policy;
where the women are kept virtually absent.
Sex Discrimination:
In a recent survey, working women were asked about the
greatest obstacle they had to overcome to achieve
success; “simply being a woman” was the most frequent
response. In another survey by the Wall Street Journal,
women leaders quoted their most serious obstacle in
their business careers to be “male chauvinism, attitudes
toward a female boss, slow advancement for women, and
the simple fact of being a woman.” These instances are
enough to prove the prevalence of sex discrimination in
the workplace.
Sexual Harassment:
Sexual harassment remains one of the biggest barriers
for women in managerial roles. A corporate environment
that tolerates sexual harassment intimidates and
demoralizes women executives. Even after the adoption
and enforcement of numerous laws against sexual
harassment, women do not feel sufficiently encouraged
and empowered to speak out for fear of compromising
their work.
Benefits of Women in Leadership:
Studies found that inclusion of women in business
leadership has significantly improved such factors as
firm value, financial performance, economic growth,
innovation and social responsiveness and philanthropy.
The additional benefits of women in corporate leadership
include stricter monitoring and supervision and fewer
legal infractions such as fraud and embezzlement. A
better balance among women in leadership positions can
create a more diverse team of leaders with different
perspectives and a greater ability to contribute new ideas
and thus enhancing the profitability. The
transformational leadership style often used by women
tends to be a good option for contemporary
organizations, as it encourages employee morale,
motivation and performance.
Overcoming the Barriers: Strategies
Women’s progress up the corporate ladder is still limited
by the “glass ceiling” despite the myriad of Government
policies and programs which have been introduced to
ensure that their talents and skills are recognized and
accepted.
Women can help themselves to overcome this career
hurdle by:
Acquiring appropriate business skills and know how;
Taking up line‐management positions rather than
management service roles;
Gaining the necessary experience through
“apprenticeship” and “acting positions”;
Seeking career counseling;
Volunteering for leadership and executive positions;
And lastly, acquiring the ability to measure their
operating effectiveness in the workplace.
An awareness of the emergence of new barriers to their
progress is also worth considering. The current
socio‐economic situation is creating different “glass
ceilings” in the form of the downsizing of organizations,
new differentiated and self‐directed career paths, the
advent of the contractual worker, and the care of aged
parents.
Conclusion:
th
Since the latter half of the 20 century, women have
made great paces in increasing their representation in the
work force. However, a considerable gap remains in
achievement of leadership positions across different
fields. Renowned feminist Gloria Steinem stated it best:
“Clearly no one knows what leadership has gone
undiscovered in women.” It is far past time we strive to
find out and finally shatter the glass ceiling.
36 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
39.
40. Cy
ith every passing second, a substantial growth as well as disruption can be
Wwitnessed in technology sector. Though implementation of new advancements
has become quite a need yet merely few leaders have able to do it. One of such
impeccable leader is Cydni Tetro.
The Face of FORGEDX.
Cydni Tetro is leader in innovation, digital transformation and customer experience, and is
recognized as a technology leader, STEM advocate and speaker. Today as CEO of
ForgeDX she is a thought-leader on technology storytelling and works with the Fortune
100 who use their platform for customer experience and transformation. She also runs the
Women Tech Council a non-profit focused on the technology talent pipeline and diversity
& inclusion. She is faculty for the Goldman Sachs 10k Program and Babson Executive
Education.
She was previously CEO and founder of venture-backed 3DplusMe, a 3D printing
experience platform that partnered with Marvel, Star Wars, NFL, MLB, Hasbro, Walmart
and Target to created transformative personalized customer experiences, it was acquired in
2016. Prior to that she led innovation and technology commercialization at Disney in
Imagineering across Theme Parks, ESPN, ABC and Interactive. She was COO and CMO
and lead innovation, product and customer experience at technology companies that were
acquired by Ancestry, Proofpoint & FAST. She has been recognized Women of the Year
and as top 10 Coolest Entrepreneurs. She received a Stevie Award for Entrepreneur of the
Year and Innovator of the Year. Cydni sits on the board of Intermountain Healthcare,
Ticket, Tribe and the Governor's Economic Forum. Cydni holds a master's degree in
business administration and a bachelor's in computer science and is always looking for
more ways to build relationships with people doing incredible things in technology.
She states that the company's mission at ForgeDX is to inspire the world through
technology storytelling. As technology continues to impact and change every industry
from retail and healthcare to manufacturing, ForgeDX has the opportunity to help tell the
stories and shape the impact this has on customers, employees and businesses. In
healthcare, she states, this means working with technology providers to help move dialysis
to the home by showcasing how healthcare workers are trained and the ways patients get
information. While in fan experience, it means helping amplify the fan experience and
increase safety through facial recognition software that recognizes irregular routes or
activities and notifies security. Whatever the industry, innovation or story, ForgeDX's
platform and technology align to the different audiences involved to help to illustrate their
technology stories and make the world better.
Traits one must Posses
“The value of a creative problem solver cannot be overstated,” says Cydni. She states
whether you’re in leadership or an entrepreneur, every day involves mini-crises with
complex tradeoffs and real time implications. It’s essential to be able to take in lots of
often complex information, make tradeoffs, determine routes that are not always
anticipated, and lead a team through ever changing environments.
Activators are also invaluable - people who can turn ideas into action and create a balance
between strategy and execution. Many people have great ideas but can never push them
through, and others can drive massive projects but do not appreciate the nuance of strategy
enough to make the tradeoffs necessary to stay aligned with objectives. The ability to
balance customer needs, product delivery, and client relationships in a way that brings
strategy and execution into harmony, while simultaneously activating teams can make a
leader extremely successful in whatever venture they are a part of.
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
38 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
41. ydni
TetroRedefining the Customary Way of
Doing Business
“Know what
you want
and ask for
it fearlessly.”
JULY 2020 | 39www.insightssuccess.com
42. Meet Cydni Tetro—Chief
Executive Officer of ForgeDX,
whose unique ideas and
methodologies helped her in taking
her company to successful stature.
She also assisted in development
and successful implementation of
measures that create gender-
inclusive cultures where women
can contribute and succeed.
Lessons worth Admiring
She states that early in her career right after
completing my MBA, she was working for a
VP of product management in a technology
company and thought she had all the answers.
Once after a meeting, the VP sat her down and
said, “You don't have to talk all the time.” She
realized immediately that she could either
ignore him, or she could take his feedback and
adjust her style and interactions with people.
After that interaction, she decided that she
would always approach feedback openly with a
desire to learn and improve. She would never
have all the answers (she still knows she
doesn't), but she believes that she could grow
by being willing to take feedback and
constantly improve.
Later in her career, she had the opportunity to
go to Disney and work in Imagineering on
research and development. During this time,
she was completely focused on how to create
immersive experiences for guests that moved
40 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
43. beyond transferring a message to creating a story that built to an
outcome—making memories with family and friends. Instead of
helping people watch a story, it was all about experience . This
mindset of the power of transformative storytelling has shaped
her career ever since, from founding a 3D printingentertainment
line that turned people into characters in their favorite stories to
her current work storytelling the future of innovation across
industries and audiences.
While running 3DplusMe, she was involved in raising venture
capital. Most VC firms receive 1,000 or more pitches a year, and
of those they usually fund around 1% or less. That means
rejection is an inherent and frequent part of the process. “As you
repeatedly refine your pitch to align with execution and
objectives, you learn endless lessons on the combination of
optimism, courage and grit. Those lessons still guide my outlook
on many situations today,” says Cydni.
Future through her Eyes
Technology, innovation and storytelling have always been a part
of her career. Her role at ForgeDX is extremely rewarding in the
way it blends these passions with the opportunity to work with
some of the biggest brands in retail, manufacturing, hospitality,
entertainment and financial services. She is also extremely
passionate about her work at the Women Tech Council helping
expand the economic pipeline for women in tech by creating
opportunities and visibility from high school to the boardroom.
As, she lead this software company and work to unite the
technology community for women, she will continue pushing
forward these core parts of her DNA.
Advice to Rely On
Cydni states that there are two gaps in leadership that can be
death sentences. First, many leaders are not teachable instead,
they think they know everything, and in doing so close
themselves off to important feedback and learning opportunities.
The best leaders always have a mindset of learning and growth.
“Adopt that from day 1 and never lose it,” suggests Cydni.
Second, many leaders cannot take feedback. They assume they
have everything under control and can do everything, to the
point that feedback to the contrary is crippling and stunting. No
one improves without support, retrospection and introspection.
Make sure you always remain in a place to both receive and
internalize feedback. Improvement is impossible otherwise.
Beyond those two essentials, the most successful entrepreneurs
are fearless. They learn to become activators, to set ideas in
motion and drive bottom-line delivery. Learn to understand,
monitor, mitigate and appreciate risk while fearlessly pursuing
your passion.
“Ask fearlessly to break
barriers and accelerate
opportunities.”
“
JULY 2020 | 41www.insightssuccess.com
44.
45.
46. JOHANSSO
Having the ability to
utilizing one's brain to its
full capacity and the
psychic gift, is more often
an art. Meet Fia
Johansson, also known as
the Persian Medium,
who—with the help of her
psychic gifts—aids law
enforcement, private
investigators and the DA in
solving cold cases. She
herself is a licensed private
investigator, psychic
detective, producer, and
best-selling author.
Being an Aid to the Law
Enforcement
44 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
47. ON
In an interview with Insights Success, Fia emphasizes on her impeccable journey
and how she became a sensation in decoding the unsolved cases. She explains
her first realization of her power/gift though quoting, “The first time I realized I
had this gift was when it was validated by the people around me. While receiving
messages or seeing images in my mind wasn’t something new to me, it wasn’t
something I really understood.
She has a working experience with the state, local, as well as the federal law
enforcement in order to decode and solve the unsolved mysteries and disappearances,
crimes and other cases. Moreover, beyond her psychic work, Fia has also co-written a
book with Jack Canfield the hugely successful author, entrepreneur, motivational
speaker, and corporate trainer who is behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul
enterprises, which has over 500 million copies in circulation. Her greatest passion in
life remains the ability to help others achieve their ultimate dreams and desires,
teaching people to believe that truly, anything in this life is possible.
“The most energizing part of everything I do is being able to make someone overcome
trauma and pain and realize their personal power. I tell everyone, no matter who they
are, that their potential is infinite - and I fully believe this with every bit of my heart
and soul. I always tailor my work to be able to help someone understand that they
can let go of hurt, of fear, of doubt, and to take claim to a life that they have written
off as impossible which I hope to bring in my new book with Jack Canfield,” says Fia.
Moreover she is a businesswoman, master entrepreneur coach, keynote speaker, and
author that works with celebrities, high-ranking executives and CEOs of Fortune 500
companies, doctors, lawyers, foreign dignitaries, and even US government officials.
As a producer of film with her company Lone Road Productions, Johansson is
currently focused on “The Game Masters,” a major feature that revolves around the
world of human trafficking. Fia Johansson also has two television shows in
development which are being shopped to networks.
Some of Fia Johansson’s accomplishments include speaking at the United Nations as
well as being featured in Forbes, the WallStreet Journal, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox
News channels. She’sreceived several Quilly Awards, including Top Female
Entrepreneur, Best Writer and Thought Leader.
Below are highlights of the interview conducted between Insights Success and Fia
Johansson:
Fia Johansson is a businesswoman, film producer, master entrepreneur coach, keynote
speaker, and author that works with celebrities, high-ranking executives and CEOs of
Fortune 500 companies, doctors, lawyers, foreign dignitaries, and even US
government officials. She’s also spoken at the United Nations, and been featured in
Forbes, the WallStreet Journal, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox News channels. She’s
received several Quilly Awards, including Top Female Entrepreneur, Best Writer and
Thought Leader. Fia Johansson is the co-author of “Success Strategies” with Jack
Canfield, the hugely successful author, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and
corporate trainer who is behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul enterprises, which has
over 500 million copies in circulation. She’s also co-author of “Think Big” Brian
Tracy, an international motivational public speaker and author of over 70 books. Both
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
JULY 2020 | 45www.insightssuccess.com
48. books have rendered Fia Johansson a part of the NY Times
Best-Selling Authors list.
Fia, tell us, how do you diversify your solutions that
appeal to your target audience?
Being able to have a thorough, deep understanding of many
industries allows me to be able to provide creative and
tailored packages for every client that comes my way. It is
not a one size fits all, which you find many in PR or
marketing tend to offer.
Can you describe for us some of the vital attributes that
every businesswoman should possess?
To be a good leader. You always have to lead yourself first.
This means, learn how to manage your emotional muscles.
Managing your emotional muscles will help you tune into
your intuition and identify your own weaknesses and
roadblocks. Also, always listen! Listen to what is happening
with people, with teams, listen to questions and listen to
ANYTHING IS
POSSIBLE.
“ Just believe
in yourself and
go for it! This is
my belief in
building success!
46 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
49. guidance. When it comes to making changes and big
decisions, try to always find the option or solution that will
make the most number of people happy, not just yourself.
Self-leadership is a powerful skill.
What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons
that shaped your journey?
No matter what your title, no matter your life circumstance,
your finances, I remember to stay humble and believe this has
shaped much of my approach to work and helping the success
of others. Always be the last person in the room that talks.
Always give others credit and respect and allow them to bring
their ideas and opinions to the table. Never show off to people
who really work for you and want to see the greatest success
in you. Always make others feel that your success is because
of them, not just because of you. Your humility will allow you
to better embrace others, and celebrate the successes of others.
What were some of the primal challenges and roadblocks
that you faced during the initial phase of her journey?
I had no roadblocks. I’ve always seen my path as something I
have the determination to walk. Nothing is a roadblock if you
put your mind to it and tell yourself you can achieve what you
want.
Where do you see yourself in the near future and how will
you catalyze the change?
For me the sky is the limit. There is no height which I believe
I can’t surpass. Success and building success for others is
always the path.
Can you share some sage advice for emerging women
entrepreneurs?
Ego will never help you grow. Get rid of it as soon as you can.
If you need help, the greatest service you can do for yourself
is to ask. To seek guidance and learn from others is a strength,
not a weakness. Speaking of weaknesses, don’t focus on them
-- in yourself or others. Identify strengths in everyone and find
creative and strategic ways to fuel them! Don’t assume you
know everything. If you need help: ASK. Oh, and advice for
everyone everywhere to be a leader in their career or life:
NEVER GIVE UP.
Fia can be reached directly on www.AvidAdvice.com and you
can learn more about her on her website
www.persianmedium.com and her social media, including
Instagram @persianmedium where she has over 1.5 million
followers and over 2 million followers online.
JULY 2020 | 47www.insightssuccess.com
54. Making Home Happen
Through Temporary Housing Services
JENNIFER
Breen
“Do not overthink it. Gather the facts and put together a
business plan, and when ready, go for it,” says Jennifer
Breen on advising emerging women entrepreneurs. She
states “I was nervous to sign that first lease, but the
moment it was done, my anxiety over starting Suite
Home was over, and my excitement over establishing my
brand began. Jennifer started Suite Home with an exit
strategy in place, which she did not do with her first firm.
She opines “If you have that exit strategy in place, it
gives you a goal to work towards, even though you may
divert from that original plan. Women are planners, and
looking ahead is in our bones. Do not think of it as
negative, and embrace having an exit strategy as a
positive approach to your future.”
Jennifer Breen opened Suite Home Chicago in 2005 after
years of being a vendor for the temporary housing
industry. She set up a company bank account and her
first apartment in the popular River North neighborhood
of downtown Chicago, and the company was born.
Having an operations background, the set up and design
of the apartments was incredibly important. She asserts
“we have always strived to provide a more homelike,
rather than corporate, feeling when you stay with Suite
Home.” The customer response to the company’s initial
apartments was phenomenal and within the first year, it
was operating about 50 apartments. In the past 15 years,
the company has continued to grow into the Chicago
suburbs and into Wisconsin, operating up to 700+
apartments during its peak seasons. Suite Home Chicago
also expanded and began to assist its Chicago-based
clients with their domestic and global needs, and began
the rebrand to “Suite Home” this past year to widen its
reach.
Services as per Requirement
Suite Home’s clients’ needs drive its decisions on where
the company establishes apartment inventory or maybe
secure exclusive relationships with apartment
communities. The company maintains close relationships
with property management companies and prides itself in
its close partnerships which allow securing inventory
when needed for the clientele.
Suite Home offers temporary housing in high-rises
downtown, and apartment complexes throughout the
suburbs and Wisconsin, and it has even been known to
rent private homes or AirBnBs to accommodate its
guests, and ensures a positive service. The company
believes “It is that concierge, solve-it-all relationships
that our clients want, and we strive to meet.” Suite
Home also has strong partner relationships with vetted
corporate housing companies throughout the world that
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55. Suite Home wants to be your most
trusted resource for temporary
housing, with solutions for our
clientele throughout the world.
““
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70. Participation in the Ever-changing
Modern Workforce
Dynamics of
68 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
71. G
one are the days when women were stereotyped to
a certain set of skills and professions, restricting
them from exploring the world of endless
opportunities. Today, women have announced their arrival
in many fields of the business world. Therefore, it seems
more important than ever before to recognize female
contributions in every profession.
Fighting through biased work culture in favour of male
dominance, women have conquered the unconquered on the
account of their distinct calibre and predilections. In the
times when the world female participation rate is to the
dispiriting levels of around 67% and pay-off rate of about
63%, achievements by women go-getters are praiseworthy.
Listening capabilities is one of the
distinguishing aspects of feminine species as compared to
their male counterparts. Instilling and pursuing ones
thoughts is undoubtedly important for effective working.
But being a better listener is something that can make a
difference as studies show that the customer values and
trusts the firms if they perceive that they are being listened
to by the firms. With inherent caring and affectionate traits,
women outclass men when it comes to understanding
critical demands of the customers.
Emotional Intelligence (EI) - the ability to identify and
manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of
others - is an essential skill when it comes to dealing with a
diverse class of consumers. Women are naturally gifted
with higher EI making them better suited for pressure
situations and avoiding counter-productive decisions while
keeping emotions in check.
Emotional Intelligence encompasses two major dimensions
– awareness of one’s self and awareness of others. Both the
attributes are very much significant for the survival and
success of any organisation. Self-awareness involves being
familiar with trigger points and behavioural traits when put
to the test. This, in turn, helps to modulate impulses
avoiding conclusions which are harmful for the welfare of
business. In addition to self-awareness, an awareness of
others is equally critical in business. Analysing and
decoding non-verbal communication – that amounts to 93%
of the message – eventually benefits in convincing and
converting a lead into a client.
Collaboration, and not the cutthroat competition, is the
modern era’s principle virtue to achieve success. Many
endeavours which seem to be beyond the bounds of
possibility can be attained by combining efforts from
different resources, channels and departments. Further,
collaborating products with consumer experience are
enormously important. It leads to crafting the best solutions
for customer’s pain points and compelling value
propositions that reflect their overall business objectives.
Multiple studies have found that women prefer to work in
teams, while men prefer to work alone. An unfaltering
affinity towards collaboration primes women to garner
success in different fields of business which gives them an
edge over others.
Increased profitability can be a motivating factor for many
firms to hire more pool of female talents as many studies
support the fact. Statistical research shows that Fortune 500
companies with the highest representation of women on
boards financially outperform companies with the lowest
representation of women on boards. Moreover, gender-
diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to
male-dominated teams, and a recent Gallup study found
that gender-diverse business units have higher average
revenue than less diverse business units.
Trust over female leaders is an attribute which needs to be
reciprocated while making the choice. More American
workers perceive female executives as honest and ethical
than male executives. Pew’s “Women and Leadership”
surveyed Americans in 2015 and found that 34% say
women are better at this, while only 3% say men are better
at it (64% say there’s no difference).
While it’s unclear whether this means women are actually
more honest, it’s a subtle reminder of how tangled some
business decisions can be. Leaders are often tasked with
choosing between options that aren’t black and white,
ethically speaking, and the capacity to lead honestly is
important to the entire company’s success and job
satisfaction.
Not to mention, increased job satisfaction and
organizational dedication to cite positive and meaningful
business culture are the added advantages feminine
employees carry to the organisation.
However, the journey is not all merry go round every time.
Hindrances – seen, unseen – are there to check the
unrelenting zeal of women aspirants to thrive in the
industry. These obstructions need to be pointed out and
rectified to create an environment that fuels women
empowerment.
Women Impower
JULY 2020 | 69www.insightssuccess.com
72. Lack of confidence, according to many experts, is one
prime reason women tend to question themselves and doubt
their worthiness. In order to advance, they must coach their
inner critics.
Out-speak and define what women want professionally if
they want to get succeeded. Too often they don’t know or
rely upon others to define it for them.
“Building relationships with those in positions of
leadership is critical,” Susan Brady, executive vice
president of Linkage Inc. says. “Put down the to-do list long
enough to connect with decision makers across the
organization, and help them understand who you are and
what you bring to the table.”
Women are generally uneasy about asking for what they
want. They must stop thinking about what they need as a
self-serving request. They must develop the courage and
fortitude to stand up and ask for what they want.
While proving value, women tend to overcompensate in
order to demonstrate that they are adding value. Instead
of doing it all alone, change the paradigm and track to
encourage others to take on more responsibility, thus
enabling them to scale and multiply their own impact.
Not to forget, biased work culture and regional
barriers are the crucial obstacles in the road of women
work participation. But, today women are breaking these
shackles and coming out boldly to be a part of economic
processes shouldering their male counterparts.
There has been obvious progress in achieving gender
equality around the world over the past two decades:
more girls are attending school, more women are
working and are being elected to public offices, more
women hold management positions, and the situation
involving women’s legal as well as social rights have
also improved.
However, a great deal still remains to be done to achieve
equal outcomes for women and men. Recognizing
women’s abilities, the values they bring to the
organisation, the transformation they achieve as far as
work environment is concerned, and considering
monetary benefits associated with the female work
participation, corporate sector need to welcome their
emergence with open arms. No future is far where male-
dominated workplaces will be a tale of extinct,
we believe.
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73.
74. 72 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
90. Sarah Peiker
Renowned RPO Leader for Recruiting A Talented Workforces
The world of work is always changing and that
has never been more true than today. The global
events are creating a new landscape that is often
stretching resources and leading businesses to exercise
unexpected measures. Having qualified leaders ready to
take charge has never been more important. Sarah
Peiker, Senior Vice President of Recruitment Process
Outsourcing NA, and Global Practice Leader at Talent
Solutions, has been on the front lines for the past 20
years advising clients on their workforce strategies. She
notes the ability to ask thoughtful questions and offer
new and even unproven solutions is essential when it
comes to leading teams through times of transition..
“Often, the most rewarding outcome is a result of
venturing down unknown paths. New ideas come from
asking if there is a better way to do something – not just
waiting for something to break to fix it.” Sarah’s
expertise and knowledge of the recruiting industry
enable her to listen to her clients so together they can
develop comprehensive workforce strategies to achieve
their business goals.
From Beginner to Proficient Leader
Sarah began her career in the HR industry in operations,
delivery, solutions and sales. In 2000, she joined
ManpowerGroup Solutions (now Talent Solutions)
where she has held many roles with increasing
responsibility. Six years ago, she relocated from the
United States to Europe, where she led the European
team, and was later promoted to Global Practice Leader,
Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO). During her
five-year tenure there she established a strong and
consistently growing RPO business and built a high-
quality operating team that led to the expansion of the
organization’s global footprint. Sarah notes that one of
her proudest accomplishments was the 200% growth rate
of the European/Africa RPO practice over the five years.
Throughout her career, Sarah has honed her leadership
skills in talent solution design, HR technology, market
intelligence and workforce consulting for clients in a
range of industries from manufacturing to retail to
technology. She is also proud that the teams she has led
have enabled Talent Solutions to be named the global
leader in RPO for eight consecutive years.
Listening to Clients to Serve Them Better
Many clients are struggling with similar workforce
challenges such as finding the qualified talent they need
in competitive markets. Talent Solutions recognizes that
each client has specific business goals and a unique
culture that can impact the types of candidates or
solutions they are looking for. Companies increasingly
need not just new hires but a strategy to achieve better
outcomes through their workforce. As a leader, Sarah
stresses the importance of listening and asking questions
to uncover the root cause of the problem others are
trying to solve so you can figure out how to be most
The 20 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch
88 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
91. SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
SARAH PEIKER
JULY 2020 | 89www.insightssuccess.com
Senior Vice President of Recruitment Process Outsourcing
North America and Global Practice Leader
Sarah Peiker
92. helpful to them. “It is not always about giving
someone the answer but also helping them to
discover the solutions on their own so they
can replicate this thought process in the
future.” ManpowerGroup, Talent Solutions’
parent company, has multiple connected
brands that enable Sarah’s team to develop
workforce strategies that may include a
combination of full-time, contingent and even
gig workers across all industries. Sarah also
shares with clients Talent Solutions’
capabilities to assess their company’s current
workforce, provide upskilling and career
development services, in addition to sourcing
and hiring exceptional talent. Talent Solutions
strives to be a true partner with its clients.
Sarah notes that “while we do want to fulfill
their immediate needs – we also want to help
them better plan for growth in the future and
provide the market and business intelligence
they need to make more informed workforce
decisions.”
Overcoming Roadblocks
Early in Sarah’s career she was focused on
learning all aspects of the recruiting business
and the challenge was to keep pushing herself
to explore new opportunities while not taking
the safest or easiest route. Her willingness to
try new things is what ultimately led her to
find her right path. Another challenge Sarah
faced as she started growing into leadership
positions was learning to delegate and lean on
others for support. “As women we often feel
we need to do everything ourselves to prove
our worth. While that also allows us to
acquire more experience, it is only when we
learn to delegate and trust in the teams we
built that we can then take on new challenges
and solve larger organizational issues. I had to
stop always working in the business to be
able to work on the business.”
Focus on the Future
According to Sarah, the speed at which technology is advancing
will continue to have a major impact on every business – not only
are new jobs being created every day that never existed – but all
workers will need to keep upskilling to advance with their current
jobs. Sarah notes that she sees buyers’ appetites only increasing for
new and creative workforce solutions. She believes her role is to
continue to listen to what clients are asking for and to translate what
she is seeing in the market for them. “I want to remain focused on
being agile and proactive in order to lead my clients and teams in
new directions to stay ahead of the curve.”
Advice for the Next Generation of Women Leaders
Sarah’s message for up-and-coming businesswomen is “Stay
curious and be prepared to constantly change. Know that probably
only 20% of any strategy will go according to plan. Keep looking
up on your journey – don’t just look down, and do not be afraid to
ask for help and advice along the way. And as you blaze your own
trail – make sure you are leading others along with you.”
“
Recognize your
own strengths and
build the right
team around you
to capture
the market.
90 | JULY 2020 www.insightssuccess.com
