CEOs to Watch: Septimus Blake's Passion and Perseverance

DECEMBER 2020
An Epitome of Perseverance, Passion, and Prociency
SeptimusBlake
Robust Networks
Accelerator for
Digital
Transformation
Encourage
& Empower
Breaking out of the
Proverbial Box
The 10 Most Creative CEO's to Watch in 2020

Apex CEOs Making
the Impact
Chief Operating Officer has its own challenges,
Aeverything is in his hands, all the weight on his
shoulders, and he has to go through all the stuff
alone, that can be overwhelming and terrifying at times.
Being a CEO, people are counting on you. You must be
doggedly persistent in the pursuit of your goals while being
passionately focused on delivering great products and
services to your customers.
The traits of a successful CEO are Fearlessness, Persistence,
Passion and Humility. A great CEO is always humble and
inspires his team to achieve their greatest potential in turn
fostering a committed and engaged team who go above and
beyond for the customers. Without a great team, a CEO is
just a person sitting alone in a board room with his ego for
company.
Integrity, Self-Awareness, and Confident humility are key
aspects in leading a change. However, it is passion and
perseverance to be at the top in the technological business
landscape. Together this is rewarding in so many ways, but
it’s not easy. Markets, products, and sometimes people
disappoint.
An Innovative CEO surrounds himself with great people,
establishes a culture of excellence, and leads from the front.
He has a point-of-view which is driven. Finally, he is agile and
expect change, because, in businesses, it’s the one thing that
you can absolutely count on.
To make the world a better place he believes and maintains a
passion in what he is trying to achieve whether it be a service
or product. He perseveres, expects and accepts setbacks –
sees them as challenges which will improve in redefining
leadership. All too often being a CEO he knows can be an
EDITOR’S NOTE

extremely lonely place, so he is stays kind to himself. And when success finally arrives takes time
to enjoy it!
Managing and Achieving this certainty in sustaining competency of the businesses, through our
edition - The 10 Most Creative CEO’s to Watch in 2020 is Septimus ‘Bob’ Blake, the CEO of
National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited. His key responsibilities currently include the
strategic development of the organization so that the company’s customer experience, employee
experience, financial and risk management goals are appropriately set and achieved.
Septimus cultivated a voracious appetite for reading that has never left him to this day. Two
books that have influenced his professional life are the oft-referred “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu
and “Only the Paranoid Survive” by Andy Grove, co-founder of Intel.
His current favorite is “Hit Refresh”, by Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. “His story is one of being
purpose driven, innovative and empathetic. This is reflected in his leadership of Microsoft and
resonates well with me,” says Septimus.
Three leadership lessons from Andy Grove’s book that have guided Septimus’ decisions
throughout his career, are encapsulated in the following quotes.
“You are always in danger, you are in danger of competitors, you are in danger of new ways of
doing things, but most importantly you have a danger that the way you have conducted your
business is going to lose relevance”
“You can be the subject of a strategic inflection point, but you can also be the cause of one” and
“In technology, whatever can be done will be done”.
Lastly, make sure to go through the in-house editorials drafted by the industry experts and the
curated articles written by our editorial team.
Have an exciting read!
Abhishaj Sajeev
abhishaj@ciolook.com

COVER STORY
08
Septimus
BlakeAn Epitome of Perseverance,
Passion, and Proﬁciency
ARTICLE
24
Robust Networks
Accelerator for Digital
Transformation
Encourage & Empower
Breaking out of the
Proverbial Box
36

C O N T E N T S
Jill Button
A Exemplary Business Leader
Ascending the Peaks of Success
16
Mordecai Rosen
A Data Protection Guru Guiding Organizations
in Safeguarding their Data Effortlessly
28
Rebecca Burgess
Leading a Change, Impacting Lives,
and Making the World a Better Place
40
Shanaz Ramzi
An Epitome of Leadership
and Excellence
48
VANTAGE
Information Services
Integrating Data of Businesses to be
Modeled, Visualized and Monetized
20
NICOLE MARTIN
Redefining the Benchmarks of
Human Resource Management
32
Rob Leslie
Exemplifying Prolific
Leadership
44

CONTENT
Senior Editor Alan Swann
Executive Editors Rohit Chaturvedi
Alex Spellman
DESIGN
Visualizer Dave Bates
Art & Design Director Sanket Zirpe
Associate Designer Kushagra Gupta
SALES
Senior Sales Manager Kshitij S.
Customer Success Manager Jack Ryan
Sales Executives John, Kane, Irfan
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Aditya K.
Technical Consultant Victor Collins
December, 2020
Copyright © 2020 CIOLOOK, All
rights reserved. The content
and images used in this
magazine should not be
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Editor-in-Chief
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abhishaj@ciolook.com

BriefCompany Name
Septimus Blake
CEO
Shanaz Ramzi
CEO
Lyn Ola
Founder & CEO
Rebecca Burgess
CEO
Chimes Consulting's proficiency in both Marketing and
Information Technology aims to support entrepreneurs and
businesses to rise above their respective industries despite the
competitive environment.
National Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited is a strong and
secure organization committed to serving its customers'
financial needs.
StarLinks PR constantly endeavours to assist its clients in
engaging and strengthening their relationships with their
stakeholders and society as a whole.
City to Sea is an environmental organization on a mission to
stop plastic pollution.
John Kogel
CEO & Founder
For nearly 30 years Vantage IT has been providing outsourced
IT support to local businesses, schools and charities.
Vantage Information
Services Ltd
vantageit.co.uk
Chimes Consulting
chimesconsulting.com
City to Sea
citytosea.org.uk
Jill Button
President & CEO
ProcurePro Consulting is a boutique procurement and project
management services firm, helping companies save money.
ThryvX Consulting helps businesses grow and prosper.
ProcurePro Consulting and
ThryvX Consulting
procurepro.ca thryvx.com
Rob Leslie
Founder & CEO
Sedicii's technogy enables to protect digital identity of
customers by ensuring that it is never shared without their
express consent.
Sedicii
sedicii.com
StarLinks PR
starlinks.pk
Mordecai Rosen
CEO
Digital Guardian’s unique approach to DLP allows for quick
deployment and on-demand scalability, while providing full
data visibility and no-compromise protection.
Digital Guardian
digitalguardian.com
NCB Jamaica Limited
jncb.com
NicoleMartin
Founder & CEO
HRBoost is Shared Services HR firm specializing in building
HR from scratch and implementing practices that add value.
HRBoostLLC
hrboost.com
Ruslan Desyatnikov
CEO
QA Mentor is a global leader in Software Quality Assurance
and Testing space.
QA Mentor
qamentor.com
Featuring Person

Sept
BlakAn Epitome of Perse
and Proﬁciency
Septimus Blake, CEO of NCB Jamaica Limited

timus
keeverance, Passion,
“Be bold
and
decisive.”
“
COVERSTORY

he definition of leadership in a corporate setting,
Tis not one of titles and hierarchies anymore. It
has become a lifestyle, ingrained into the
consciousness of every aspiring entrepreneur or
professional.
A present-day business leader has to ascertain the
growth of the organization as well as his team members
– especially in times like these, where a global
pandemic has drastically changed the way the world
functions.
Leaders who have managed to achieve this certainty
and sustain the competency of their businesses, are
definitely made of a different mettle. Through our
edition, The 10 Most Creative CEO's to Watch in 2020,
we set out to seek such significant and inspiring
business leaders, and one prominent name among them
is Septimus 'Bob' Blake, the CEO of National
Commercial Bank Jamaica Limited.
Let us delve into Septimus' story – one of inspiration,
passion, and commitment to success.
Strong foundations
Septimus started out with humble origins on a small
farm in rural Jamaica. Despite not having all the
material comforts of life, his parents invested early in
ensuring that he had the right mindset.
“Though intangible, this mindset is the foundation of my
life's progress, and I will always be grateful to my
parents for that,” says Septimus.
His parents urged him to focus on beating the odds and
excelling, in spite of the circumstances. They also
instilled in him an appreciation for speed and
understanding the value of being a decent and
respectful human being.
“They taught me to look at every job as an opportunity
to learn, earn and to grow. To this day, these principles
have remained the soundtrack of my personal and
professional experiences,” he adds.
Septimus joined National Commercial Bank Jamaica
Limited in March 2002 as a fixed income trader - a role
which involved identifying investment opportunities to
increase fees, spread income, pricing, purchase and sale
of financial instruments, and to analyze and forecast
market conditions and trends in order to manage
trading relationships.
A year later, he was promoted to bank treasurer with
increased responsibility. This included the management
and direction of the bank's asset and liability, liquidity
management, investment portfolio management and
foreign exchange trading functions. Along with that
portfolio, he assumed responsibility for the
management of local financial institutions and
correspondent banking relationships.
“You are always in danger, you are in danger of
competitors, you are in danger of new ways of
doing things, but most importantly you have a
danger that the way you have conducted your
business is going to lose relevance.” – Only the
Paranoid Survive, Andy Grove
“

His role expanded again in 2013, as he was asked to
manage the bank's card issuing and acquiring business,
along with the digital channels. He was recognized for
doing transformative work in all those areas, leading to
which in 2016, he was promoted to Chief Operating
Officer of the bank.
This meant that he was now responsible for providing
strategic oversight to the Treasury and Correspondent
Banking; Payment Services – (card issuing and
acquiring division); Corporate banking; Retail banking
and all digital channels. Three years later, he was
promoted to the Chief Executive Officer of the bank,
responsible for providing strategic leadership to all
divisions.
His key responsibilities currently include the strategic
development of the organization so that our customer
experience, employee experience, financial and risk
management goals are appropriately set and achieved.
Drawing inspiration
Septimus believes that throughout his life, he has been
lucky to have had parents and mentors who constantly
challenged him to be great by exposing his gaps and
pushing him to close them. “They not only give answers,
but also encouraged me to seek them out myself, which
allowed me to learn, improve and grow,” he adds.
Septimus cultivated a voracious appetite for reading
that has never left him to this day. Two books that have
influenced his professional life are the oft-referred
“The Art of War” by Sun Tzu and “Only the Paranoid
Survive” by Andy Grove, co-founder of Intel.
His current favorite is “Hit Refresh”, by Satya Nadella,
CEO of Microsoft. “His story is one of being purpose

driven, innovative and empathetic. This is reflected in
his leadership of Microsoft and resonates well with me,”
says Septimus.
Three leadership lessons from Andy Grove's book that
have guided Septimus' decisions throughout his career,
are encapsulated in the following quotes.
“You are always in danger, you are in danger of
competitors, you are in danger of new ways of doing
things, but most importantly you have a danger that the
way you have conducted your business is going to lose
relevance”
“You can be the subject of a strategic inflection point,
but you can also be the cause of one” and
“In technology, whatever can be done will be done”.
Redefining Excellence
Sharing his opinions on what traits an ideal business
leader must possess, Septimus says, “Leaders should be
audacious. They are called to invent the future.
However, the vision that guides them must be bold,
solution-oriented and based on a deep obsession with
consumer needs. Despite their grand aspirations
though, today's great leaders have to make decisions
underpinned by data and execute with accuracy and
speed.”
When asked on how he sustains his leadership acumen
in this changing technological era, Septimus says that
the rapid pace of technological change is a reward for
the curious and restless mind. “Remaining in a state of
continuous learning allows you to connect more dots
that can lead you to your goal. However, no matter the
level of one's intellect, a strong team is critical to
success,” he explains.
“Not only do you need people who are willing to learn
from you, you also need people who are also focused on
excellence in areas in which you may be deficient from
whom you can learn. Once you have built that dream
team you have to invest in creating an environment that
allows them to flourish. Without that you'll have a great
team that won't be able to achieve great results,” he
adds.
Towards new horizons
In his advice to aspiring entrepreneurs and business
leaders, Septimus says, “Know your customers. The
customer is the businesses. Be bold and decisive. Don't
be afraid to be the first mover. As the maxim says, 'if
you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far,
go together.' In other words, don't be afraid of
collaborating.”
Talking about his foresight for NCB, Septimus says,
“The great thing about the future is that it's ours to
invent, so there are no boundaries.”
“On the horizon though is a world class, digital bank
with exceptional customer experience, and delivering
value in exciting new ways. We are doubling down on
our efforts to develop a culture of speed, innovation,
execution, and resilience that is built around our
customers' needs. This will be done with a focus on
embracing emerging technologies that give us the
flexibility to adapt, evolve and empower our people,” he
adds.
As for his own future endeavors, Septimus says he will
be focused on learning, growing, and improving his
effectiveness as a leader, and providing strategic clarity
to the business.
“The great thing about the future is that it's
ours to invent, so there are no boundaries.”
“

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JillButton| December 2020 |
16

“To pave a path for oneself is certainly rewarding, but to
pave a path for others and guiding them through it is
nothinglessthandivine.”
This adage evidently implies on one of the many vital
traits of a profound leader. Corporate leadership is no
more just a designation received through appraisal or
consensus.Ithasbecomeawayofthinking,aperspective
tobeprecise.
The present corporate world demands all of its
residents—irrespective of a hierarchical system—to
possesstheattitude,mindset,andgritofaleader.Afancy
collegedegreemightgetyouthejobwithoutadoubt.But
to survive in a cutthroat competitive setting, you need to
be,act,andstayaleader.
This edition titled, The 10 Most Innovative CEOs
Revamping the Future, seeks such individuals who
possess the aforementioned qualities and drive their
associated organizations to zeniths of success. And one
such epitome of proficient leadership is Jill Button, the
President and CEO of ProcurePro Consulting and
ThryvXConsulting.
In the following interview with CIO Look, Jill takes us
throughherprofessionaljourneyspanningmorethan32
years, the hurdles she crossed, the lessons she learned,
her current role at ProcurePro, and her vision for the
futureahead.
Let us delve into this inspiring story of an equally
inspiringleader.
Kindly take us through your journey of becoming a
proficientbusinessleader.
Ihavealwayshadapassiontolead.Ibecameamanagerat
the young age of 22 and thought I knew everything. I
made terrible mistakes and had to overcome significant
challenges to be taken seriously. I am a voracious reader
of leadership and entrepreneur books and have worked
for some great leaders throughout my career who I
admiredandlearnedfrom.
I talk to my team openly and honestly and ultimately
focus on helping propel them to success and reach their
greatest potential. I have always felt the greatest sense
of professional pride and sincere joy watching my team
members learn, step out of their comfort zone, become
leaders themselves and reach new and amazing career
heights.Itrulyfeelinvestedintheirsuccess.
How do you diversify your organization’s services to
enticethetargetaudience?
Ilistentomycustomers’challengesthencreatesolutions
to help solve them. Early on, ProcurePro was focused
solelyonprovidingprocurementrelatedservicessuchas
running RFP’s and contract negotiations. A new client
was looking for help not just selecting a new Finance
System, they also needed help with managing the entire
projectendtoendincludingimplementingthesoftware.
Since then, we have managed several ERP projects from
helping the client define their requirements, managing
theRFPandcontractingprocesstoProjectManagingthe
implementationtofinalGoLive.
This year, like many businesses, we were significantly
impacted by Covid-19 and all our ERP projects were
cancelled or put on hold. We focused on offering online
training and interestingly most of our business this year
has been helping sales organizations not procurement.
We have developed a new training series focused
specifically on helping sales teams; Demystifying
Procurement, Understanding The Competitive Bid
Process and Negotiate Like a Pro. I am really excited
about working with the Sales teams representing an
entirelynewgroupofclients.
Whatroadblocksorchallengesdidyoufacethroughout
yourcareer?Andhowdidyouovercomethem?
With a career spanning over thirty years, there have
been many. I have been down-sized, right-sized, north-
Americanized, outsourced and even divested. The
biggest challenge of my entire career, however, has been
overcomingmyownfearsandself-doubt.
My father passed away not long ago. My sisters and I
werecleaningouthisthingsandIfoundaletterIwroteto
himin1987whenIwasjust20yearsold.Iwasshockedhe
hadkeptthatletteralltheseyears.
In it I described an idea I had about putting movies, tv
shows and music on the internet, enabling people to
download and enjoy content from their home computer.
It included handwritten diagrams of the user interface
and everything. Keep in mind, this was 1987, when
peoplerentedmoviesfromBlockBuster.Thiswasbefore
the internet and the technology powering iTunes and
Netflixdidnotevenexistatthattime.AsIreadthatletter,
I started laughing and realized I had conceived of Netflix
adecadebeforeitwaslaunched.
It was at that moment I realized how smart that 20-year-
old was and what might have been had I just believed in
A Exemplary Business Leader
Ascending the Peaks of
| December 2020 |
17

myself. My dad always believed in me and I needed to
start believing in myself more and not let fear keep me
from realizing my dreams of building a successful
company.Ihavenotletdoubtstopordetermesince.Yes,
occasionally,especiallythisyear,fearcreepsin,butIhave
learned to push right through it and just keep moving
forward.
How do you sustain business operations in the current
unpredictablemarketsandcutthroatcompetition?
Again,youmustlistentoyourcustomersandbewillingto
thinkoutsidetheboxandpivotwhennecessary.Withthe
pandemic, most of our projects were put on hold or
cancelled so we doubled down on our marketing efforts
and implemented a new ERP solution for our company
andtheThryvXGroup.
We have also started offering online training, something
I love and never had time to do before. Last, an
unexpected benefit is, business is now done virtually so
geography is no longer a barrier. Where before we were
focused on Canada, we can now deliver our services
virtuallyanywhereacrosstheglobe.
How do you keep up with current technological trends
toboostgrowth?
Tech selection and digital transformation is what we do.
We are methodical in our approach beginning first with
understanding the true need and how technology can
enable, streamline, and automate. Our motto is
“Practical,ApplicableandSustainable”.Ifitcannotsatisfy
those three areas, it is just a shiny new object and not
worth the time and investment. We do not get caught up
inthehype.
According to you, what are the vital traits that every
CEOshouldpossess?
Fearlessness, Persistence, Passion and Humility. Being a
CEO,peoplearecountingonyou. Youcannotleadfroma
position of fear. You must be doggedly persistent in the
pursuitofyourgoalswhilebeingpassionatelyfocusedon
delivering great products and services to your
customers.
A great CEO must be humble and inspire their team to
achieve their greatest potential in turn fostering a
committed and engaged team who go above and beyond
foryourcustomers. Withoutagreatteam,aCEOisjusta
person sitting alone in a board room with his ego for
company.
How do you sustain your creative leadership spirit in
thiscrucialtime?
My team! I am most happy when I am working with my
team, brainstorming new ideas and developing new
solutions. My team is my greatest source of energy,
creativity,andjoy.Icouldnotdothiswithoutthem.
What would be your future endeavours and where do
youseeyourselfinthenearfuture?
I am really excited about my newest venture; ThryvX.
Complimenting my ProcurePro services, my ThryvX
partners are experts in Marketing and HR. Leveraging
ourcollectiveexpertise,weofferabreadthofback-office
services normally reserved for large enterprise that are
challenging for small and medium businesses to find and
afford.
While many consulting companies help companies
create business strategies we help with the execution
including, marketing, social media, application
development, health and safety training, human
resourcescompliance,recruitingandofcourse,sourcing,
contracting and implementing the right technology
solutionstomanageandgrowtheirbusiness.
We will be adding more complementary services with
plans for national and global expansion coming soon.
Eighty percent of small businesses have been hugely
impacted by COVID-19, so it is really timely and critical
thatwehelpSME’snotjustsurvivebutTHRYV.
| December 2020 |
18

“You must be doggedly
persistent in the pursuit of
your goals while being
passionately focused on
delivering great products
and services to
your customers.”
Self-described #GenXFempreneur Jill was
named one of the “100 Inuential WomenTM
in Canadian Supply Chain ” by Supply
Chain Canada, nominated for the “RBC
Canadian Women Entrepreneur Award”
and featured in “Top 100 Canadian
Professionals magazine.” I am so humbled
and honoured to be recognized. I am
especially grateful for the amazing
relationships I have been able to build
across Canada, the US and around the
world.
Jill is a passionate supporter of girls and
women, doing her part to support, inspire
and promote future female leaders. As a
former Board President of her local chapter
of Girls Inc. Durham, the organization is
near and dear to her heart. “Girls and
women really need encouragement and
support so they can achieve their greatest
potential.”
Jill is a published author and just released
her newest book “How Not To Get Screwed
By Your Suppliers And Save Millions!”
available through Amazon.
About Jill Button
ProcurePro Consulting is a boutique
Procurement and Project Management
services rm that specializes in helping small
and mid size companies; competitively
source, contract and implement IT software,
hardware, and services
We offer Virtual Procurement, Project
Management and exible online and
instructor led Training. From 1-hour
workshops to 3-day intensive instructor led
programs.
To learn more about ProcurePro Consulting
visit
w w w . p r o c u r e p r o . c a o r e m a i l
info@procurepro.ca.
AboutProcurePro
| December 2020 |
19

VANTAGE
Information Services
ost analytics companies start with
Mtechnology, whereas Vantage Information
Services Limited starts with the business,
specifically what creates ROI, and works back to the
technology. Vantage was founded to bring best in class
analytics to the business user. It was set up with a
mission to build best in class technology that
operationalizes data driven decisions and deliver value
to organizations through data analytics. It leverages its
business experience and uses proven approaches to
create value from data and enhance client profitability.
Using proprietary processes for prediction and
analytics, the company turns its clientele's raw data into
actionable insights on demand.
Enabling Businesses to Make Data-driven Decisions
Vantage believes that technology companies have done
a great job at building amazing technology for the
power user. At this stage, the messaging of these
companies to the market is “become a citizen data
scientist”. What these technologies are missing, and
what Vantage Point solves for, is the fact that these
companies have teams of people which are hired to
perform very important functions, and not to learn how
to code or data model or to become a data scientist.
They don't have time to spend hours searching through
dashboards to explore the data. They need answers and
recommendations on what to do next, so they can
combine these recommendations with their expertise
in a seamless manner, and then understand the ROI
impact of their decisions. This is how analytics can be
driven to every person in every organization and this is
where Vantage comes into the picture. It envisions
creating technology that bridges the substantial gap in
the market today that every company struggles with i.e.
how to enable teams to make data driven decisions as
part of their everyday workflow.
Flagship Technology
At the heart of Vantage is its flagship technology,
Vantage Point that operationalizes data driven
decisions and connects business users with other
business users across their company's network of
clients and suppliers. The technology enables the
communication of value via KPIs that can be set at any
level of the organization, autogenerates tasks with ML
models at a user level, allows users to understand why
that task was generated for them by diving into the
data, and measures ROI from completing that task.
Vantage Point modules are plug and play deployments
– no code, no long implementation times, and include
subject matter such as Sales Analysis, Inventory
Analysis, Customer Analytics, HR Analytics, and
Financial Analysis.
An Inventive Mind
The person behind the inception of Vantage Data is its
CEO, John Kogel. John has accumulated an enriching
experience of 1o years, which was focused on
leveraging data analytics to enhance portfolio returns
while minimizing risk. In 2014, he began developing his
own suite of analytics, generating outsized returns for
his investment strategy. On the back of this, he saw an
Integrating Data of Businesses to be Modeled,
Visualized and Monetized
| December 2020 |
20

Vantage's core technology,
Vantage Point, operationalizes
data driven decisions and
drives interactivity across an
organization's network.
“John Kogel
CEO & Founder
Vantage Information
Services Limited
| December 2020 |
21

opportunity to expand these analytics beyond the
scope of finance to industries including retail and
manufacturing, and started Vantage.
As CEO and Founder, John drives the strategy and
technology vision of the company. He plays an in-depth
role in the product development of Vantage's flagship
product, Vantage Point, actively works on continually
building and developing great customer relationships
and a great team. He is focused on making and shaping
a culture of efficient, data driven investment decisions
based on ROI across his business and clients'
companies. Besides, he holds a Bachelors and Masters
degree in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
from MIT.
Core Values
Vantage has experienced significant growth and
evolution over the last 5+ years by shaping a fast
moving, high performance culture, all of which is
underpinned and measured through its values of
Collaboration, Agility, Catalyst, Diversity and
Innovation. These values all relate to each other to
drive success. Diversity is the underlying difference
matter though. The company is of the belief that with
collaboration and agility, one can drive innovation and
change. Diversity however is the fuel that makes the
engine run. Without differences in background,
thinking, and approach, any company will struggle, and
ultimately fail, to create a product that differentiates
against today's market.
Giving Back to the Community
Speaking about CSR, John asserts, “Corporate Social
responsibility is a key focus of our business as the principle
of “enabling” is core to who we are at Vantage. We recognise
that not everyone has access to the tools, knowledge and
technology that will allow them the best foundation for the
current market opportunities, and it is part of our mission to
ensure that we continue to drive avenues where we share
our platforms and skills, particularly with previously
disadvantaged individuals and communities.”
Changing the Way Companies Operate &
Communicate
Vantage aspires to change the way companies
fundamentally operate internally, and how they
communicate with each other externally. There is a
massive gap and therefore universal inefficiency in how
companies operationalize data driven decisions.
Vantage builds technology to bridge and eliminate that
gap. Ultimately, it does not only want companies to do
this with their own data, but to incorporate their
customers and suppliers into their Vantage Point
network, thereby driving more seamless cooperation,
enhanced ROI for all parties, and data monetization.
Focused on the business user,
Vantage Point starts with ROI, and
works back into the technology, to
achieve an efficient and data
driven approach for each business
user.
“
| December 2020 |
22

AcceleratorAccelerator
for Digitalfor Digital
TransformationTransformation
Accelerator
for Digital
Transformation
| December 2020 |
24

I
t’s not anymore a mystery how
the evolution of technological
era has taken place. Technology
has revolutionized the perspective
of the global population. The
imprints of technological
advancements can be seen in almost
every sector. For example,
blockchain technology is creating a
digital record that verifies any
transaction at a certain time and
sequence, and AI is enabling new
ways to interact with consumers via
chatbots and artificial personal
assistants.
The use of internet has brought
people from the different corners of
the world closer than before, and
computers have simplified data-
processing, analyzing the
organization, and communication
for individuals as well as businesses.
The one thing that keeps everything
connected is Network.
Be it accessing the internet,
downloading a file, printing
documents or emailing an urgent
presentation, a sound network
infrastructure is required.
Networking Solutions have become
a requirement of almost every
individual and more importantly,
businesses.
In today’s business world,
companies are adopting e-
commerce module to reach out to
the customers globally and making
their shopping experiences simpler.
In order to ensure the smooth
running of such business modules, a
suitable networking infrastructure
is vital as it provides speed,
connectivity, and ultimately value to
the users as well as businesses,
making it a win-win situation for
both the parties. We can safely put
that comprehensive networked
systems are at the very heart of e-
commerce.
It has become crucial for businesses,
irrespective of sizes, to have a
robust network infrastructure as it
is also counted as an essential
component to enhance the agility
and productivity of organizations.
Network Infrastructure, if
developed effectively, enables
businesses to maximize
productivity, reduce operational
costs, and manage complex
consolidations. Moreover, managed
network services help businesses
run the applications that fuel their
day-to-day business, enhance their
communication and sharing tools,
and improves business flexibility
and agility.
Addressing Current Crisis
If we consider the current pandemic
situation, it has changed the way
businesses operate and
communicate. COVID-19 has
enforced businesses to operate
remotely. Employees working from
multiple locations resulted in a need
to inculcate integrated network
monitoring solutions, as staying
securely connected became a
challenge. The chances of security
risks and inherent physical limits like
latency and bandwidth, which would
hamper speed, seemed to occur for
businesses.
Companies with sound network
monitoring solutions were
successfully able to fight against the
business effects of COVID-19.
Adopting a network monitoring
solution can assist companies in
ensuring the smooth running of
business networks and processes.It
became evident that how secured
network solutions can be
resourceful in a crisis like situations.
In fact, the research suggests that
industrial networking solutions
market size is expected to grow to
Robust Networks
| December 2020 |
25

USD 23.84 Billion by 2022, at a
Compound Annual Growth Rate
(CAGR) of 21.0% during the forecast
period (2017–2022).
Security is Still a Concern
Networking along with value-added
features also increases the chances
of cyber threats, which can make the
company’s private data and emails
vulnerable. Data being the core
aspect of business requires high
security. Businesses have immensely
become dependent on computers
and cloud technology to control
large money transfers, store data, or
communicate with the communities.
They cannot afford any kind of
security breach. Thus, network
security is a vital aspect of
businesses nowadays.
Regardless of size, industry or
nature of businesses, every
organization can be a victim of
cybercrime and thus, require a
degree of network security
solutions. Past instances of large-
scale businesses, who admitted a
loss of their sensitive data due to an
internal or external security threat,
exemplify why network security is of
utmost importance. They had to pay
a huge amount to recover from a
security breach.
Digitization has brought a drastic
transformation in human lives as
well as in the corporate world. Every
business that aims at delivering
products or services as per
consumers’ demand must keep their
network infrastructure secured, to
earn the trust of their customers.
Network Security not only protects
them from cyberattacks or threats,
but it also protects the reputation of
businesses.
Some common security threats
active on the Internet are: Viruses,
worms, and Trojan horses, Spyware
and adware, Hacker attacks, Zero-
day attacks, also called zero-hour
attacks, denial of service attacks,
data interception, and theft, and
identity theft. Network security is
available in the form of firewall
protection, email security, anti-virus
and anti-malware software, network
segmentation, access control,
application security, behavioural
analytics, data loss prevention,
mobile device security, security
information and event management,
VPN, Web Security, Wireless
Security, etc.
Upcoming Trends Shaping the
Future of Networking
• Wi-Fi 6
The upcoming development in the
field of wireless connectivity is Wi-
Fi 6. It is anticipated to change the
face of networking solutions in the
coming years by increasing the
device density that can
independently coexist in a single
space without impacting the speed
on a single device.
• 5G
It is the most awaited high-speed
networking technology that would
be providing blazing fast internet
speed. 5G will be competitive in
terms of performance, speed and
latency with wired connections
currently.
• Digitized Spaces
An intersection of IoT, sensors,
mobile networks, and digitized
spaces will make companies data-
smart and derive deep customer and
business insights by strengthening
the networking solutions ecosystem
for enterprise uses.
• SD-WAN
SD-WAN is a framework that will be
agiler, more robust and enable
organizations to route a huge
amount of network traffic based on
centralized roles and rules,
promoting high-end data security.
These trends are truly shaping the
future of networking technology
and are optimizing network
performance for modern
businesses. Harnessing the latest in
the field of networking solutions,
many network solution providers
are developing integrated solutions
to deal with the challenges
businesses are facing.
Future is Promising
With the above mentioned
upcoming trends, one can safely
assert that the future of networking
solution is set to be revolutionized.
It doesn’t come as a surprise how
new and emerging technologies
have always driven networking best
practices and will continue to do so.
For example, it is believed by many
tech experts that a combination of
machine learning and artificial
intelligence will aid network
managers to create next-generation
networking solutions to achieve
high-end security and optimize
network performance.
To wrap it up, every size of business
would require robust and secured
network infrastructure to boost the
performance of employees,
productivity, and scalability. The
current pandemic crisis has
highlighted the need for integrated
network solutions and how it can
ensure the smooth running of
businesses. Many network solution
providers are walking an extra mile
to come up with topnotch network
security solutions to address the
need of the small, medium as well as
large scale enterprises. The pace at
which the advancement in
networking technology is growing
with other evolving technologies
and the future of networking
solutions from here looks promising.
| December 2020 |
26

Mordecai Rosen
A Data Protection Guru Guiding Organizations in
Safeguarding their Data Effortlessly
Cybersecurity has been a major problem for businesses
around the globe. In the 2019 Microsoft Global Threat
Perception Survey, 57 percent of businesses listed
cybersecurity as a greater danger than economic
instability, brand identity, and disruption. For World Health
Organization in April 2020, cyber-attacks against staff and
affiliated organizations increased fivefold. It can thus be
assumed that Cybersecurity threats continue to be an
increasingly pressing concern since the onset of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
| December 2020 |
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Looking into the future, such circumstances raise
a question; what does all this mean for the
leading roles in the security realm? It is
important to note that the role has changed since the start
of the pandemic pertaining to nationwide lockdowns
with people practicing social distancing and working
remotely. A business leader who serves this industry
must tackle a specific range of security problems by
exploring remotely, through threats and improving client
technologies to stay competitive.
And to give you an example, we would like to introduce
Mordecai Rosen, the CEO of Digital Guardian, a data
protection platform.
A Legacy of Excellence
Mr. Rosen studied Mathematics at University and like
most, to pay bills, had to work as an IBM mainframe
system programmer. He was great at his job, detecting
bugs, and writing operating system code. And he
continued on that path while contributing to companies
such as Bell Labs and Sun Microsystems and was also
involved in the initial commercial development of UNIX
and Networking.
Somewhere along the journey, forming a mind map of
the industry, Mr. Rosen got enamored with building great
product organizations and businesses rather than writing
software. He still counts it as the motivation factor in
leading an organization that builds and brings innovative
products to market.
Mr. Rosen cites his parents as a profound influence on
him. He asserts, “My father was a concentration camp
survivor and worked a blue-collar job for most of his
life. My mother was a seamstress. Both believed in
education and a better life for their children. They did
their darndest to make that a reality.” It was this
upbringing, learning from these hardworking people to
live their day-to-day lives that taught Mr. Rosen the traits
of integrity, arduousness, and perseverance.
Setting Solid Benchmarks
Digital Guardian is the first data security tool in the
market equipped to deter both internal and external data
security threats. The framework works across the
business network and conventional endpoints. This
underpins the DG Cloud, a large-scale monitoring
network that detects and prevents all risks to classified
information. It allows data-rich organizations, via their
preferred premises, SaaS, or managed service delivery,
to secure their most precious resource and has been
doing so for over 15 years. Combined with the detection
and response to risks, the unique awareness helps
organizations to secure data without slowing down the
operations.
Redefining Leadership
When asked about the attributes that an ideal leader
should possess, Mr. Rosen believes that integrity, self-
awareness, and confident humility are key aspects.
However, he lists passion and perseverance to be at the
top in the technological business landscape. “Together,
these form a type of resilience or grit, which is that
special armor that sees us all through the trials and
tribulations of building a company. This business is
“Assemble a great team,
establish a culture of
excellence, set your
sights on solving a big
problem, and execute,
execute, and execute.
That's the ticket!”
The 30 Most Creative CEO's to Watch 2020
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29

rewarding in so many ways, but it's not easy. Markets, products, and
sometimes people will disappoint. Grit and a genuine love of the work are
awfully important to see you through,” says Mr. Rosen.
Bequeathing the Keys to Success
In the ever-growing cut-throat competition, Mr. Rosen's advantage comes
from him being on the technological side from the early days, and the latest
innovation and change that drives his creative spirit. He adds, “That's what
the technology business is all about. My creative leadership spirit doesn't
need much more than that to sustain.”
Guiding aspiring leaders on how to ride the entrepreneurial path, Mr. Rosen
asserts, “Surround yourself with great people, establish a culture of
excellence, and lead from the front. Have a point-of-view but be data driven.
It's OK to adjust or evolve in real-time. Finally, be agile and
expect change, because, in our business, it's the one
thing that you can absolutely count on.”
Foreseeing a Secure Future
Talking about the future endeavors of
Digital Guardian, the CEO highlights the
signiﬁcance of Data as the most
valuable asset in the digital world. His
mission is to protect data from theft at
any costs and believes that with
everyday evolution, this mission
becomes more relevant.
For Mr. Rosen and Digital Guardian,
the vision for the future is quite
simple; to deliver a platform to
protect the world's most valuable
digital assets. “Digital Guardian is my
future endeavor. We're on a mission to
secure the world's most critical data, and I
don't see that changing anytime soon,”
concluded Mr. Rosen.
| December 2020 |
30

he term human resource management was first
Tcoined in the 1960s when the value of labor
relations began to garner attention. Notions such
as motivation, organizational behavior, and selection
assessments began to take shape. In today’s scenario,
organizations are often in a need of a Human Resources
Management System in order to systematically
organize the workforce. In this competitive world there
are a few organizations which provide the best Human
Resources Management System in the marketplace,
and HRBoost LLC is one of them.
Emphasizing on the courage to pursue passion, the
ability to bring out a change and redefining
entrepreneurship, CIO Look brings to you the journey
of an avid leader, Nicole Martin, the Founder and CEO
of HRBoost LLC.
Following is Nicole’s story, possessing the potential of
inspiring and motivating everyone.
I am Nicole Martin. My vision, and the reason that I left
the corporate world to launch HRBoost, was to help
businesses to create winning workplaces through our
people. We desire to bring joy and purpose to people
through their work. HRBoost provides solutions with
passion to individuals, groups and businesses alike. We
do not operate under the philosophy that one size fits
all. Every leader must align their personal values to the
organizational values and define success clearly so that
every person can connect their role to a transcendent
organization purpose. Our mission is to provide value
added Human Resource Services that allows each
business to do what it does best. When HR is aligned,
HR is no longer just a partner; it is a fundamental part
of the business helping to drive the human side of
profitability.
We have specialized experience in providing values to
small and middle sized companies, who, unlike their
large-company counterparts, can often lack the time
and resources to build infrastructure and processes
that are beyond core business objectives. But, every
business needs to have a competitive edge in today’s
economy. Both small and large companies need to
attract, develop and retain the best talent for their
organizations while complying with the ever changing
maze of state and the federal regulations. All
companies need to be concerned with issues related to
compensation, benefits, training, employee retention,
talent attraction and generational agility. HRBoost has
built its reputation on partnering with business leaders
to achieve corporate goals while maintaining integrity
and delivering outstanding results.
We serve businesses spanning over multiple sectors;
these include Professional Services, Non-Profit
Organizations, High Tech, Manufacturing, Staffing
firms, Hospitality, and Healthcare. Our clients are
typically from high growth business with 50-250
employees. Our model is to meet the clients wherever
they are, thus we provide full-service embedded HR
support, project to project support, culture design and
management training, employee programs and
assessments, virtual support, and phone support.
I am honored to lead a high performance team of HR
leaders who partners with our business clients to meet
them wherever they are on their journey to being a best
We at HRBoost LLC
desire to andbring joy
purpose to people
through our work.
‘‘
‘‘
| December 2020 |
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NICOLE
MARTIN
Redeﬁning the
Benchmarks of Human
Resource Management
| December 2020 |
33

place to work. We have experienced tremendous
growth and proudly nearly every client has been
sourced through word of mouth. Our appeal and
success is due to our personal dedication for each and
every client.
The greatest concern I see for today is the Talent
Emergency, which I address in detail in my book, “The
Talent Emergency”. Generational Agility is utmost
important to businesses who want to succeed and
grow. It is imperative that companies look within their
organizations to ensure that they have a culture which
embraces diversity, not only we are speaking to gender,
culture, and ethnicity, but also generational diversity.
Creating a team that brings multiple views and
experience to a business provides a unique perspective
that will elevate the business and ensure continuing
success, which in turn will lead them to be a best place
to work. Retaining and attracting top talent is a sure
way to maximize the human side of proﬁtability and
become THE place to work.
A Multifaceted Leader
Nicole is an internationally renowned speaker and an
author. She is a dynamic and empowering consultative
leader, and a futurist skilled in helping organizations to
meet their strategic objectives.
In recognition of her complete commitment to
professional excellence as well as her community,
Nicole has been honored by multiple organizations and
most recently as a 2016 Enterprising Women of the
Year Champion, by Enterprising Women Magazine, a
2017 Excellence in Business Award winner, and a
Mirror Review enlistee of, 20 Impeccable Women in
Business recognition in 2017.
As a highly regarded and sought after expert, her
knowledge and advice have been featured in
newspapers and magazines throughout the country.
Recent publications, in which she has been seen,
include Forbes.com, the Daily Herald Business Ledger,
and Fast Company.
She is the author of the books, The Talent Emergency,
The Human Side of Proﬁtability, and The Power of Joy
and Purpose. She is also the author of the chapter
“Emotionally Speaking” in the book titled Leading from
the Heart. In addition, Nicole is the host of the internet
show, HR in the Fast Lane.
John Tinghitella (CEO of RV Designer)
and I with our book. My latest,
NO FEAR Negotiation for Women
| December 2020 |
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Breaking out of the
Proverbial Box
- by Lyn Ola, Founder and CEO,
Chimes Consulting
G
IRL
There can be a little cloud of bias hanging over the
word girl. Whenever used, the term often comes
with a connotation that may make the subject
inferior. But I'm here to reclaim the word and tell
you what being a girl can mean.
A Gritty, Independent, Radical Leader. A GIRL.
GRITTY
Being new in the corporate world is quite tricky for
most people, much more for women.
When I started with my corporate job, I did the usual
nine-to-ﬁve. I set my roots and learned whatever I
could about the industry, the work, and myself. I got
the opportunity to work with top multinational
companies. I was ecstatic to achieve my dreams
earlier than planned. However, it didn't take very
long to realize that this set-up is not the right ﬁt for
me in the long run. The dream of being on the top of
the corporate ladder wasn't that too appealing to me
as time passes by. I was not impacting anyone, and I
was not helping others as I wish I could have. I got a
glimpse, and I understood why it was called the
corporate jungle.
Most entrepreneurs who started as an employee
would understand and maybe have the same
reasons they opted to create their businesses. I
wanted many things to change, and so I decided to
take the other road.
"If you can't change how it is run, change who runs
it"- Lyn Ola
| December 2020 |
36

Lyn Ola
Founder & CEO
Chimes Consulting
Encourage & Empower
| December 2020 |
37

Once you've set your eyes on the prize and realized
how you want your time spent (building on your
dreams and passions), all the risks and obstacles
seem worth facing head-on.
I'm not saying that it will be easy as many of the best
things in life aren't. But that's where grit comes in.
Grit isn't about blind positivity. Not everything you
do will be great, and not everything you plan will
happen in a snap. Grit is about doing whatever you
can, whenever you can, and however you can to
make your dreams and goals happen despite all
challenges. You push through because you know it's
worth it.
For me, I've set my eyes on collaboration with
businesses and the education of those who share my
passion for learning to provide more job
opportunities for people. I decided to integrate my
love and expertise in Information Technology and
Marketing and built
Chimes Consulting.
INDEPENDENT
Being an entrepreneur has its challenges; sometimes,
everything is in your hands, all the weight on your
shoulders, and you have to go through stuff alone,
that can be overwhelming and terrifying at times.
Luckily, being an only child, being independent is not
a new concept. Fostering a strong sense of being
independent and responsible is a significant value in
business and life.
I built my business from the ground up. It was a slow,
step by step process with more hardships than I can
count. It was not an easy feat, mostly when I was
more or less on my own starting it. I needed to learn,
grow, and work on my business (and myself) to keep
it thriving. Chimes didn't pop up out of nowhere; it
came from countless hours of planning, learning,
falling, replanning, and adapting.
Now, this isn't to say you should never ask for help,
collaborate with others, or learn from far more
knowledgeable people, but what I'm saying is that
you need to keep developing yourself to avoid
relying on others. Having others around could drive
you forward faster, but you need to ensure that you
can still make it yourself. Developing high-quality
skills is essential. With that, no matter whoever
comes or goes out of your life, you have two steady
and rooted feet as support.
RADICAL
Breaking out of the proverbial box is vital in making a
difference. Being atypical is not bad at all. There are
more risks involved for the unprepared, especially if
the road less taken, but there are also great rewards
to reap.
Changes in the trend and the industry can force us to
become radical. A few decades ago, the only
distribution channels for most businesses were
physical ones and, now, technology and social
behavior are continuously pushing companies to go
online and reach their customers through digital
means.
In being radical, entrepreneurs and businesses need
to start by being present, significant, and distinct.
LEADER.
Nearly anyone can be a boss and tell people what,
when, or even how to do things, and this can be
exhausting. Your people will be robots and end up
not respecting you for not trusting them. Choosing
the right team is a challenge, but once you find your
core, they can help you achieve greatness.
Businesses cannot thrive if the people in it do not
succeed with it. I love education, so I choose to be a
mentor more than a boss. I get to share my
knowledge and my passion with my team. We get to
learn from the work that we do, and in return, we can
provide our clients the best. We continue to keep
getting better. My team and I fit together like IT &
Marketing; we're each powerful on our own, but
together we're an unstoppable force.
So, do you think you have what it takes to be a
G.I.R.L.?
| December 2020 |
39

y working together, we can shape a future
Bwhere profit is balanced alongside people and
planet, so all life can thrive.
These simple yet powerful words sum up her
identity, her work, what it means to her, and to the
world as we know it.
Rebecca Burgess. A person with a purpose. A
purpose so profound, it is almost like it is etched
into her subconscious, making it a second nature
for her. With a strong sense of ethics, and
experiences in a vast genre of fields that affect
lives in its most holistic sense, bettering lives and
the environment come naturally to her.
For Rebecca, the journey has been of many hats,
including being a journalist, a customer service
rep, a PR executive, event organizer, partnerships
consultant, and the likes. Two things remained
central though: People and purpose.
With age and experience, came clarity. Working in
areas as diverse as cancer-care, care for homeless
people, caring for the environment by reducing
plastics or even helping ailing children, she holds
on to her original ideas while being as committed
and passionate today, as she was in her first job.
Today, Rebecca is the CEO of City to Sea, a not-
for-profit organization and one of the world's
pioneers in saving the planet from single-use
plastic waste. Her work, quite literally, is out there
RebeccaBurgess
Leading a Change, Impacting Lives, and
Making the World a Better Place
| December 2020 |
40

Rebecca Burgess
CEO
City to Sea
| December 2020 |
41

for everyone to see with single-use plastic littered
everywhere.
The organization's most awarded campaigns have seen
them tackling single-use plastics with a mix of practical,
solutions-focused initiatives and championing for reuse
over single-use. In these, they have involved diverse
stakeholders like individuals, communities, employers,
and retailers while inspiring and empowering everyone
and being their critic and trusted peer.
Behind every great cause lie great pains. For Rebecca's
City to Sea, that pain is funding – a constant concern.
Like a committed strategist with limited resources, she
has sharpened City to Sea's presence and USPs to focus
on their impacts. These include innovations like the
“Refill Campaign,” the world's first drinking water app,
connecting the thirsty to a network of places ready to
give them water for free. At present, besides the app
going global, it has over 300K downloads and 30K
businesses joining them.
Shortly, the app will be relaunched (with funding from
the Volvo Visionaries Award) to guide people to places
for shopping, eating, and drinking – while using much
fewer plastics.
The mark of a leder
Rebecca's traits of awareness, trust, and determination
are exemplified in collaborations with noteworthy
causes like the Break Free from Plastic movement and
REPEAT, a reuse task-force of industry experts,
scientists, NGOs, Government officials, and retailers to
reintroduce reusables back safely into business
operations.
Experience has taught Rebecca that trust is a factor of
time and honesty where time and being open, help
repose people's faith. “The helm can be a lonely place
despite all the successes,” Rebecca expresses. “It is in
these times that I draw strength from Natalie Fee, their
founder, who continues to represent City to Sea on
various platforms about the devastating effect that
plastics have on our oceans,” she adds.
City to Sea's senior leadership help create an open,
caring, and supportive environment at work, made up
predominately by women. It makes City to Sea
accessible to people at large, quite unlike most
businesses and corporate bodies.
Incidentally, the presence of these women and their
experiences lead to a campaign for 'plastic-free periods'
where the ills of using plastic-backed menstrual
products on human health as also on the environment
were highlighted quite prominently.
Swimming against the tide
Rebecca states that a leadership position or the helm
remains the one place which gives her an unrestrained
view of what lies ahead and considers it as the best
place to be in, in times of crisis. She believes that being
the holder of the helm, one can plan course changes to
set the business safely out of choppy waters.
With plastics being used by the tons especially by the
medical fraternity, not out of choice but of necessity,
and the pandemic playing havoc with social distancing,
City to Sea's hands may be full with concerns of single-
use plastics, but its feet remain tied down due to
frequent lockdowns and much-needed social
distancing.
However, Rebecca, with assuring confidence, states
that no sooner do matters improve, she will be back
with a bang to try and eliminate common single-use
plastics found polluting our rivers and oceans. To this
end, she plans to shine the light and lead the way from
single-use to reusables. And in that, all of the world
ought to rally behind City to Sea.
I think passion is
vital in leadership.
| December 2020 |
42

Rob Leslie
Exemplifying Proliﬁc Leadership
| December 2020 |
44

F
rom having graduated as an electronic
engineer from Dublin City University, Ireland
(DCU) in the early 1980's to being an avid
entrepreneur, Rob Leslie is leading by example. Rob
is the Founder & CEO of Sedicii, a leading identity
platform which has developed technology that
verifies data between two organisations without
exposing the underlying data.
A Serial Entrepreneur
Rob's journey of becoming an entrepreneur has
really been exciting. After completing his graduation,
Rob moved to Japan and worked initially for a
number of Japanese companies and then for Dell
Japan. He was part of the management team that
grew the business to almost 300 employees with a
turnover of $300m in its first four years. He then left,
continuing his journey as an entrepreneur. PTS Japan
was his first start up which was sold after five years
having achieved a valuation at exit of $33m.
Shortly after that he returned to Ireland where his
entrepreneurial spirit continued. In 2007, he co-
founded Kyckr (ASX:KYK) which is now listed on the
Australian Stock Exchange. In 2013, while still at
Kyckr, he founded Sedicii after realizing the growing
challenges of cybercrime-related misrepresentation.
With Sedicii being named a World Economic Forum
(WEF) Technology Pioneer, it gave him the
opportunity to speak at Davos to the world's leaders
on digital identity, cybersecurity and other
technology issues affecting the world's economies.
Preserving Privacy at its Core
Sedicii has a mission to create a global federated
identity network which has a very strong focus on
privacy, enabling real-time identity verification while
also complying fully with GDPR and other privacy
laws. The network is made up of trusted providers –
including governments, financial institutions,
utilities, telco's and many other organisations that
need to verify who their customers are.
Everyone has an identity that needs to be actively
managed and looked after. Sedicii is currently
working with governments, tier-one financial
institutions and public services organisations in its
quest to build a global federated identity network
that preserves privacy at its core.
Rob believes that once the company has the
foundations fully embedded, more and more
industry sectors will see the benefits of having
privacy preserving technologies incorporated into
their workflows that manage customer identity.
A quote from the Spanish Bank BBVA when Sedicii
was awarded the Fintech for the Future award
“Sedicii is the start up with the greatest potential to
transform the financial sector in the next 10 years”.
Other organisations such as BT, Citi, EIC Digital, EY,
PWC and Red Herring Europe have also recognised
Sedicii for its innovative work in the digital identity,
KYC, KYB and AML sectors.
Source of Inspiration
Talking about people and books that inspire him, Rob
says that he greatly admires former US President
Barack Obama. One of his “bucket list” items would
be to sit down to dinner with him. According to Rob,
he is a charismatic leader, and it would be a great
pleasure to understand his ideas on how to lead, how
to build trust and to understand his decision-making
process.
During his years in Japan, Rob was hugely impressed
by Sony Corporation and how it was run. The book,
Made in Japan, by its founder Akio Morita, gave him
many of the things he draws on now as he charts a
course for his own business.
Staying Ahead of the Curve
In order to stay ahead of the curve, it is very essential
for today's leaders to sustain their creative
leadership spirit in this changing technological era.
| December 2020 |
45

For Rob, creativity is about learning, challenging the
norm and surrounding one's self with a team of
people who share a common vision. Sedicii currently
employs 16 people who are multi-locational in
Ireland, Canary Islands, the UK and Belgium, all
passionately believing in its vision.
Rob and his team regularly attend webinars and
other (pre-Covid 19) Fintech events. He has been
lucky enough to speak at seminars and conferences
such as EU Parliament (ESPAS) Conference, the
International Economic Forum of the Americas
Conference, Montreal, Canada, the Horasis Global
Summits and many more besides which helps him
learn from the experiences of others and keeps him
up-to-date with the latest technologies and trends
and allows him to meet with other like-minded
creative professionals.
Focused on Making it the Best
Rob's short-term and most important objective is to
grow the business to scale and making Sedicii a
successful, proﬁtable business for its shareholders,
employees, and customers. Like any business
professional, he is focused on building the company
and making it the best it can be for all its
stakeholders.
Some Valuable Insights for Aspirers
High standards and personal ethics are very
essential for Rob and he believes leaders should lead
by example. According to him, being honest and
truthful, even when it is hard to do, build trust.
Everyone on the Sedicii team knows that there is no
work task that he won't take on and roll up his own
sleeves in order to get things done. He believes
working smart is important. Great communication at
every turn in our evolution is paramount. Thus, he
shares the highs and the lows, sets expectations,
encourages feedback, and gives recognition. Rob
also passionately believes in perseverance and
persistence in getting one's product or service to
market.
In his advice to upcoming business leaders, Rob says,
“Have belief, maintain a passion in what you are trying to
achieve whether it be a service or product. Persevere,
expect and accept setbacks – see them as challenges
which will improve what you do. All too often being a
leader – especially in a start-up – can be an extremely
lonely place, so be kind to yourself. And when success
ﬁnally arrives take the time to enjoy it!”
| December 2020 |
46

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the
vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive
it to completion”
- Jack Welch former CEO of General Electric
| December 2020 |
47

Shanaz Ramzi
An Epitome of Leadership and Excellence
Y
ou couldn't find a better way to define Shanaz's
persona than SH Simmons' famed quote “If a
young man tells his date how handsome, smart
and successful he is – that's advertising. If the young
man tells his date she's intelligent, looks lovely, and is a
great conversationalist, he's saying the right things to
the right person and that's marketing. If someone else
tells the young woman how handsome, smart and
successful her date is – that's PR.”
She has been there, done it, relished every moment, and
does so even now. Be it working as a journalist, heading
her own PR firm, or delving in CSR initiatives, her
career graph isn't the usual narrow one that people get
to see of those starting off as journalists. Her career
started off in 1994 as a freelance journalist. HUM, an
entertainment television channel came next in 2004
where she joined as the Head of PR. With them for
more than a decade, she saw the channel's fast ascent
to become the largest entertainment network in the
country. Leaving them as GM Public Relations and
Publications in October 2015, she started her
entrepreneurial journey.
StarLinks PR and Events, came about in the November
of 2015 with a clear line of vision. That of doing things
with a difference. With this thought in mind, they took
to building a CSR angle in all their activities by
supporting causes by offering services pro bono
besides building elements of CSR even in their PR
strategy offering to their clients. These besides, they
were also instrumental in introducing creative posters
and 2-D animations for their client's social media
promotions, a trend that has caught on locally.
Their quest to remain distinct today sees their portfolio
in PR services resembling a wide canvas which among
others includes celebs, corporate sector, educational
institutions, hospitals, government organizations, and
fashion fraternity to television networks, film
production houses, individual clients looking for party
or wedding organization to mention some. To this end,
they never say no to a client despite the challenging
nature of the work which has bestowed upon them a
reputation of being the go-to organization for out-of-
the-box projects. Not surprising then, that they have
already won five international awards during their brief
existence, beginning with the “Startup of the Year”.
For Shanaz, the present is nothing but a reflection of
the past, a past which saw her in the company of a
surprisingly large number of strong women like her
mother who she says she never saw sitting idle ever!
The same she says of her late high-school teacher Miss
| December 2020 |
48

Shanaz Ramzi
CEO
StarLinks PR
| December 2020 |
49

Fikree of St Joseph's Covent School, her alma matter
who taught Shanaz the value of being meticulous to a
fault. Of the men in her life, she credits her father for
having nurtured the love for writing and a consequent
career in journalism. The latter introduced her to her
mentor Asif Noorani, an editor at the publication house
she regularly wrote for. Meeting him opened avenues in
her career right down to the present one. She also
mentions her husband, who has been a pillar of support
throughout and was instrumental in encouraging her to
pursue her career both in journalism and later in the
corporate world.
CSR came into her body of work in the year 2000 while
interviewing Yasmeen Lari, celebrated architect, and
conservationist for a newspaper. Her initiative, the
Heritage Foundation resonated with Shanaz.
Irrevocably drawn to it, she has even since been
involved with all the CSR projects of the Foundation
which in her own words “exposed her to places and
opportunities she couldn't have dreamt of, besides a
vision of how to lead her life”. Incidentally, her stint with
HUM Network too had journalism to thank for when
she went to interview the president of the upcoming
channel. Destiny intervened and it laid the foundation
for her own company!
Managing an overflowing platter of responsibilities,
Shanaz nevertheless finds space to do all the right
things. She would shortly be setting up an arm of
StarLinks PR in the UAE and initiate much-needed
diversifications in her portfolio to include talent
management among other activities. With her aim to do
something concrete for the industry, she is in the
process of registering a body that would comprise
entities in the field of PR, event management, digital
and activation. PREDA would be the collective voice of
the industry she hopes to spearhead.
With a decade and half of experience behind her,
Shanaz knows what it means to be a leader, as also the
traits of a good one. In addition to being creative,
according to her, the leader should be able to take
suggestions and complaints with an open mind. These
besides, the person ought to remain hands-on who
won't flinch at the thought of getting dirty to get the job
done. It's these qualities that inspire confidence not just
in the team, but also in the clients and other
stakeholders, she says. Another important trait she
adds, is to be organized, prepared and meticulous, and
demanding the same from the team.
She attributes success in her career thus far to
diligence, consistency, and time management. Of these,
she attributes time-management as an essential to
maintaining the balance between personal and
professional life. Always there for friends and family,
she goes on vacations with them, never though at the
cost of her professional commitments. The Covid-19
pandemic has been a surprising paradox then, she says
which has made it that much easier to take out time for
one's personal life, and the books she has been writing,
given that a lot of activities and meetings are now
virtual.
Technology she sees as the new paradigm which
according to her shall make or break an enterprise,
despite its size, heft, and age. What can keep things in
place besides bringing much needed growth could be
one's knowledge and experience in handling the latest
in technology. She credits her zest to learn, even from
those much younger as the key to keeping pace with
technology.
For emerging business leaders and entrepreneurs, her
advice as a seasoned veteran is to move with the times,
adapt, and forge alliances and partnerships. When you
help others to grow, you will grow as well, says the
veteran entrepreneur in her.
Her approach to business and indeed, to life in general,
is that life is too short to be ordinary – so put in your
creative best at all times! Success is then a matter of
time!
Life is too short
to be ordinary –
so put in your
creative best at all
times! Success is
then a matter of
time!
| December 2020 |
51

CEOs to Watch: Septimus Blake's Passion and Perseverance

CEOs to Watch: Septimus Blake's Passion and Perseverance

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