The 10 young and inspiring businesswomen to watch in 2020 october 2020, CIO Look exibits the stories for exceptional women contributing the world through the organizations.
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The 10 young and inspiring businesswomen
1. OCTOBER 2020
R e d e f i n i n g t h e B e n c h m a r k s
i n H e a l t h c a r e
Robust Networks
Accelerator for Digital
Transformation
+
Breakthrough Technologies
inSupply Chain Management
Tech Tomorrow
Leader’s Viewpoint
Leveraging Technology
for a Better Tomorrow
10Young and
Inspiring
Businesswomen
to Watch
in 2020
The
2.
3.
4. Women in Leadership –
The Future of the Corporate
World
There are times when we come across a person who is
capable of completely overthrowing age-old perspectives,
prejudices, and biases. Personally, I was slightly late to
realize that I had a considerable amount of such people, all
around me – Women!
Now, I am not exaggerating about anything, in any part of my
previous sentences. The conversations I have had with my
female colleagues, friends, and family members, the stories I
have read about revolutionary women and their
contributions to the society, all reassure my understanding
of the limitless capabilities that women possess.
To give you examples that evidently justify my statements, I
shall share a few instances. One of my colleagues never
ceases to amaze and inspire me with her commitment,
persistence, and sheer grit. She is a mother of two wonderful
twin girls, works 40 hours a week, takes care of the girls, and
has a YouTube channel about food and cooking, which has
always been her passion.
Another example is a friend of mine who recently became a
chartered accountant after three years of struggling with
anxiety and clinical depression. The way she turned her
entire life around with the right professional help and with
unwavering confidence in her own strengths, is nothing less
than inspiring.
Then comes my mother who has been a nurse for the last 34
years and does not want to retire. Being a nurse is not simply
a job for her. She considers it as devotion to the discipline of
EDITOR’S NOTE
5. medical sciences and a responsibility towards those who seek care and healing. I saw this same
excitement and drive throughout my childhood, and I have instilled the same within.
These instances may not be revolutionary or may not exhibit profound qualities. But, I believe, I have
only seen the tip of the iceberg and that there is so much more to women which I am yet to learn. I
shall write about that when I am qualified and experienced enough.
However, this edition, The 10 Young and Inspiring Businesswomen to Watch in 2020, exhibits the of
stories for exceptional women contributing to the world through the organizations and businesses
they are associated with.
One the cover we have Yoko Nagai, Co-founder and CTO of Varinos, Inc. – a specialist in next-
generation sequencing (NGS) based genetic testing with the goal of using the genomic information
that shapes life to advance reproductive and perinatal medicine related to the birth of life. Yoko’s
unique ideas and methods have helped her to achieve many milestones in her pathway.
Other prominent names featured in this edition include, Ahlam Bolooki, the Director of the Emirates
Airline Festival of Literature; Alicia Asin, the CEO of LIBELIUM; Celia Pool, the Co-founder of Dame;
Dania Arayssi, Founder of Gleam of Hope; Diya Peter, the Operations Applications Manager at
Rosendin Electric; Leanne Holder, the Owner of BecauseRacecarBox and Vitamin Coffee; Linda
Grasso, the Chief Operations Officer at Digital Business Innovation Srl; Martina Klingvall, the
Founder and CEO of Telness; and Rebecca Burgess, the CEO of City to Sea.
We hope you enjoy reading these inspiring stories as much as we did while curating them for you!
Abhishaj Sajeev
6. COVER STORY
08
Yoko Nagai
Redefining the
Benchmarks in
Healthcare
C O N T E N T S
ARTICLE
Tech Tomorrow
Breakthrough Technologies
in Supply Chain Management
26
Robust Networks
Accelerator for Digital
Transformation
46 Leader’s Viewpoint
Leveraging Technology
for a Better Tomorrow
20
7. Linda Grasso
A Lifelong Learner
Making Exceptional
Strides in Industry 4.0
Martina Klingvall
An Epitome of
Impactful Leadership
Rebecca Burgess
Leading a Change,
Impacting Lives, and
Making the World a
Better Place
Leanne Holder
Converting Experiences
into Unmatched
Entrepreneurial Success
Celia Pool
Taking a significant Steps
Towards a Greener Planet
Diya Peter
Comprehending and Embracing
Innovations for Future Growth
Innovation
Alicia Asin
Making an Impact with
'Never Settle' Approach
Dania Arayssi
An Epitome of
Courage, Commitment
and Compassion
Ahlam Bolooki
An Avid Reader and A
Successful Implementer
16
34
50
22
38
56
28
42
60
11. I want to contribute to the
creation of a future where the
children who will be born are free
from unreasonable pain and
inescapable death.
“ “
12. Yoko Nagai, Co-founder
and CTO of Varinos,
Inc.—a specialist in next-
generation sequencing
(NGS) based genetic
testing with the goal of
using the genomic
information that shapes
life to advance
reproductive and perinatal
medicine related to the
birth of life. Her unique
ideas and methods helped
her to achieve many
milestones in her pathway.
13. T
he current pandemic has hit the businesses in
almost every industry, making it a deep fall of
economy to witness. In such difficult times, we as
in the world are in a great need of some exceptional and
young leaders that can set examples by inspiring buds.
This edition focuses on avid leaders, who possess the
ability to inspire and motivate others thus it's entitled,
“The 10 Young and Inspiring Businesswomen to Watch in
2020.”
A Glimpse into Yoko's Life
She studied embryology, the study of the birth of life,
and used model organisms to research the mechanisms
of hereditary diseases. After her PhD, she moved into
the programming world of bioinformatics so that she
could do genetic research more related to human
diseases.
At that time, human genome research was flourishing
all over the world and she was inundated with new
knowledge every day. She was building a database of
disease-related genes, with the aim of applying this
scientific knowledge to the healthcare for people and
treatment for patients. However, she was struggling to
connect this knowledge to a useful service, and then
she was recruited as a sequencing specialist at Illumina
Inc.
Joining one of the pioneering companies in genome
technology has expanded her horizons. As she learned
that services using genome sequencing technology
were being developed and established as an industry
around the world, her desire to launch a genomic
medicine business in Japan grew stronger and stronger.
This led to start up a company with Yoshiyuki
Sakuraba, who shares the same passion. In the first two
years, they both concentrated on research and
development, and in the third year, they focused on
branding the company as a new kind of genome testing
company and expanding overseas and new business.
One-Step ahead of the Competition
In Japan, there are very few biotech ventures that can
develop genetic tests based on genome analysis
technology. Despite the progress of genome research in
Japan, clinical application and practical use of genome
technology has been delayed compared to the rest of
the world. Especially in Japan, the genome industry has
not developed because no one has challenged the
development of a new market, which is small and risky
at the time of its launch. Therefore, the company aimed
to capture a large share of a new market by targeting a
niche area with few competitors.
The Pre-implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy
(PGT-A), which uses genome analysis technology to
detect chromosomal abnormalities that cause
miscarriage and increase the success rate of pregnancy,
was expected to become a very large market if it was
introduced in Japan, a country that is one of the most
infertile countries in the world.
While Japanese societies were researching the clinical
usefulness of PGT-A, Yoko's company developed an
“endometrial microbiome testing” that could lead to an
understanding of the causes of implantation failure and
a strategy to retain customers. By quickly initiating
collaborations with opinion readers who are sensitive
to new technologies, it has increased employees'
We are survival machines – robot vehicles
blindly programmed to preserve the selsh
molecules known as genes.
- Richard Dawkins, The Selsh Gene
“ “
14. technical capabilities and expertise,
and its clients themselves have
become pioneers in the field.
The company's unique strategy of
using the endometrial microbiome
testing to optimize the environment
in the uterus and transfer optimal
embryos with PGT-A to dramatically
increase the success rate of
pregnancy received global
attention.
Eradicating the Challenges
Yoko states that the development of
testing services using genomic
analysis technology has not been
easy. The company's greatest
challenge in the development of
endometrial microbiome testing is
how it can minimize the effect of
environmental bacteria, which could
confuse when reporting the results.
It has been establishing a method to
analyze low-biomass endometrial
microbiota, since the uterine
bacterial load is estimated between
100 and 10,000 times fewer
bacteria than the vaginal one, thus,
has been thought as sterile until
several years ago.
NGS technology is so sensitive and
exhaustive that it can detect
bacteria in uterine, which contains
extremely low biomass. On the
other hand, bacteria exist
everywhere, even in reagents used
for the analysis. “If you don't
eliminate the noise come from
environmental bacteria, it could result
in the false results, not as it really is,”
says Yoko.
With her distinctive inventions on
the protocol and data analysis
method, the company has achieved
to minimize the effect by
15. environmental bacteria and to establish the special
method detecting the uterine-derived bacteria very
sensitively.
As Yoko and her team tried to use the customer
network and genomics knowledge they had built up in
its previous jobs to commercialize preliminarily based
technologies, what helped us the most was an investor
who could assess the value of its services without a
scale. “Without investors who understand science and
reproductive medicine, we wouldn't be in business,” quotes
Yoko.
For Her
Yoko believes that by having young female executives
talk about the diseases and physical characteristics
unique to women, it can help to remove the deep
distrust, anxiety and sexual taboos that women
suffering from female-specific diseases think they
shouldn't talk about. Also, half of her employees are
women.
The company do not give preferential treatment or
restrict voluntary and autonomous behavior because of
gender. If there's one thing its executives do specifically
for female employees, it works with them
sympathetically to come up with solutions when they
are struggling with female-specific health problems or
illnesses. Yoko and her team also consider pregnancy
and childcare to be a top priority, regardless of gender,
as a valuable time and experience that enriches a
person's life outside of work.
When asked about the myth of meritocracy, Yoko
emphasizes that this is a difficult question to answer
and states that she didn't know about the myth of
meritocracy until today. She believes that being justly
rewarded by individual merit and increasing corporate
value through company sales and growth is a way
forward, not a goal to be reached.
Varinos wants to continue to be a company with a sense
of mission that uses the capital it raises to develop even
more breakthrough products and services to innovate
in medicine and industry, so that the development of
human society benefits its descendants.
Embracing Technology
Yoko states that in today's mature society,
technological innovation is happening every day, and it
is difficult to keep track of all the vast amounts of the
latest technology and research results, but she want to
be a "Type T" person who can look into other fields of
technology, not a "Type I" person who delves into one
field only.
There are many researchers and developers who are
working hard to solve the various problems that
surround us in our daily lives, such as environmental
pollution, energy problems, physical disabilities, and
loneliness. She was always impressed by the
breakthrough ideas and solutions they come up with.
Yoko actively collects technological trends in the hopes
that they will one day provide her with hints for the
business.
Peek into Future
The company have established the world's first clinical
laboratory endometrial microbiome analysis test
service and has already analyzed more than 8,000
samples. Using inhouse data, it continuously update its
tests to be more accurate such that it can detect
“species” level microbiome. It is aware that the human
reproductive organs have a unique species of bacteria
that are unique to each person.
By revealing more details about the genital microbiota
of patients who are not improved by uniform
treatments, it hopes to be able to select the most
effective antibiotic treatments, probiotic or prebiotics
that are personalized for that patient. It also want to
remove the seeds of genetic diseases from families
through genome analysis. And, are planning to develop
the following tests: preimplantation genetic testing for
monogenic diseases designed for Asian population, and
preimplantation genetic testing for breast cancer and
other polygenetic diseases.
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17.
18. An Avid Reader and A
Successful Implementer
Look around you and see if there is anyone who is
demonstrating the values you want to stay true to. If
you don’t have someone in your organisation, then look
further afield. Read books by successful women. Watch
TED talks, listen to podcasts and continue feeding your
mind.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
We know our audience, but to make sure we are on the
right track, we ask for their opinion on a continuous
basis. As a Foundation, we balance the desires of the
audience with the needs of our community, which is
how we have arrived where we are today: with the
biggest literature Festival in the Middle East, a plethora
of competitions, a wide-ranging Education Programme,
celebration of and professional development for
librarians, and courses, talks, and special initiatives that
all build the foundations for a reading society.
For the Festival specifically, we have a theme every
year, so we always look at how an author and their
works fit with our theme. But we are also an
organisation full of readers, so we have our own
personal wish lists as well as those our community
sends us.
Every year we aim to have the perfect combination of
well-known and new, best-selling and niche, across
L
iterature has been enhancing our lives since dawn
of time, and so has reading culture. With a view to
promoting the culture of reading and the richness
of stories in all their forms, the Emirates Airline
Festival of Literature was launched in 2009 with 65
authors. It has grown continually, and in 2020 it hosted
205 authors from countries around the world to
entertain and educate tens of thousands of visitors. The
artistic vision and its development are taken care by its
Director, Ahlam Bolooki. With her love for books,
Ahlam has taken this festival to the next level.
In an interview with CIO Look, Ahlam shares a glimpse
of her journey and how this festival is captivating its
visitors from different corners of the world.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Kindly take us through your journey.
Before joining the Festival, I spent many years working
with Dubai Tourism, most recently as Head of Regional
Campaigns. There is a lot of synergy between the two
roles, and I learned a lot that I bring with me to this role.
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of having a
role model. A mentor is even better. Everybody needs
someone to learn from no matter how high up the
ladder we reach.
| October 2020 |
16
20. “Aim high, and
don’t be afraid
of failure. It is
only through
small failures
that you can
refine and
improve your
strategy.”
| October 2020 |
18
21. non-fiction, fiction, adults and children’s books in both
Arabic and English.
How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the
competition in the market?
We are the biggest and best loved celebration of the
written and spoken word in the Middle East. While we
don’t rest on our laurels, we do see our biggest
challenge as pulling in those who don’t see themselves
as readers. Those are the people we need to convert, so
in a sense we are competing with cinemas, restaurants,
and every other activity available at that time.
To address this, we use creative and often surprising
programming and marketing, which has worked well in
the past.
What, according to you, are the vital traits that every
businesswoman should possess?
Our CEO and founder, Isobel Abuhoul OBE, is someone
I look up to in business. She leads by example, treating
each member of staff and the community with the same
level of respect regardless of gender, age, or nationality.
Thirteen years ago, she saw a gap in the market and set
out to create the festival to fill it. She could see the
tremendous impact reading for pleasure has on
individuals, and on society as a whole. She knew that if
she could bring to Dubai a celebration of literature that
was fun and would engage a wider section of the
community than the regular readers, it would take hold
and have a real and lasting impact.
She then did what any entrepreneur does: put in a lot of
incredibly hard work. There are no shortcuts. Success
takes grit and determination.
What roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a
corporate business? And how did you overcome them?
I think in our role, pleasing so many different audiences
in Dubai's remarkably diverse community is always a
challenge, but one that I enjoy very much. Always
keeping on top of the local and global conversation
when it comes to trends, behaviours, interests, politics,
businesses, popular genres etc. becomes necessary.
Work life balance has always been a challenge for me,
but the more I immersed myself in jobs which give me
purpose and become a lifestyle, the more balanced my
life has been feeling.
Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause
of women empowerment?
Championing gender equality is a core value at
Emirates Literature Foundation. This is apparent in our
team culture, as well as our Festival Programme. Each
year, we welcome some of the most powerful female
voices from around the world.
Within our organization, we offer flexibility to all our
employees because we know this allows us access to a
wider candidate pool of talented, experienced people,
including working mothers. We believe in the
importance of healthy family life and appreciate the
vital roles of women within their families. We see work-
life balance as a necessity for a hopeful future for our
society. In our experience, this flexibility and work-life
balance allows women to contribute more effectively
and wholeheartedly to their roles.
How do you cope up with capricious technological
trends to boost your personal growth?
My favourite tools for personal growth are books, audio
books, and podcasts. The most important technological
trends are talked and written about, and the publishing
process has the quality control and review process in
place to ensure that the information you receive is
verified.
What are your future endeavours/objectives and
where do you see yourself in the near future?
My objective and ambition are always to connect as
many people as possible with books and authors. We
know reading creates empathy, and that is what we
need most of all in the world today. Empathy and
empathetic action towards others, towards our planet
and to ourselves.
| October 2020 |
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22. Leveraging
Technology
for a Better
Tomorrow
Jessica L. Ollenburg
CMC & CPCM
B
eyond today’s obviously critical arguments, the
longer-term business leadership opportunities
lie within reshaping how we approach
technology. A bit of a math and science geek myself, my
entrepreneurial know-how most easily rests in realms
of invention, technology, financial strategy, operations
efficiency, and behavioral anthropology.
As we scrutinize today’s technology, this old-time
programmer corroborates that not all self-proclaimed
tech gurus truly grasp how the CPU “thinks.”
Technology is “breaking” frequently, many are
collecting data and misapplying, and much-needed
human judgment is being extracted from critical
problem solving.
Not only can we create a data-driven case to support
any chosen narrative, but the same minds can as quickly
and easily debunk that same “proof.” With every new
tool comes the responsibility to learn safety protocol,
and with data comes the responsibility to teach how
data can be manipulated.
We can create better invention and problem-solving
organization-wide through the teachings of capabilities,
limitations, accuracy, standards, and ability to
manipulate data. The goal for our organizational
improvement is to control, guide and use information to
our advantage. I pay infinite respect to the best of the
best! Information lies in the hands of all, and all need to
recognize their own roles and business-driven
incentives within that framework.
Future technology should reinstate more active human
judgment into the process, and improved problem
solving in business and in life will be the result. Once we
can agree upon the expectations and findings of data
technology, we will be empowered in crisis
management and facilitating change. Failure to agree
upon facts stifles our ability to solve a problem or
capture an opportunity, and while participative
management remains the most commonly deployed
leadership style, managed expectations are essential.
Today’s technology can build software for the purpose
of building other software. This in fact allows many
technology “thinkers” to skip the building blocks of
binary thinking, which is arguably essential to logic as
well as predicting flaw. At the tech development level,
an opportunity exists to better prepare our developers
to better understand user expectations and the need
for human judgment to collaborate with data.
Leader’s Viewpoint
| October 2020 |
20
23. Analysis should be ideally collaborative between right
and left brain thinking, as evidenced by the best
problem-solving models. Expectations of what
technology can and cannot do should be well-grasped
and communicated throughout an organization.
Technology should not dull the mind but should allow it
to further stretch and advance. Technology should not
make us lazy. The use of graphics should not interfere
with data and independent thought but should rather
engage better use and visual memorization skills.
As we continue to rethink the terms “blue collar,” “gray
collar” and “white collar,” we need to ensure equal
respect for everyone’s genuinely best contribution,
understanding outcomes measure the success. As
today’s organizational roles should capture historic
learning to keep the best, discard the worst and
improve upon the partially successful practices; we
need to constantly re-evaluate who should be designing
our organizational technology.
End users, middle-management and highest-level
executives must all weigh in and form consensus, as
technology delivers both information and operations.
Data collectors, analysts, end-users, and key executives
should each weigh in for best results. No valid
perspective should be irrelevant.
In the schemata of managing crisis or facilitating
change, the fear of the unknown needs to be addressed.
Whereas we cannot create panic which threatens, we
cannot create an opaqueness which threatens either.
As a crisis management “go-to” myself, I can verify that
experience in what works and what does not is critical
to the expedite.
During the expedite, we properly sequence and channel
audience-appropriate information to minimize panic
and minimize fear of unknown. We lawfully architect
the plan for very real and very effective outcomes. We
quickly diminish the threat and build assurance. In
coordinating others as swiftly as needed, data and
human judgment are critical to the success and to the
risk-management defense.
In cases of COVID risk management and response, each
of these protocols are essential. Where there is health
risk, there is health risk of panic… a juggling act
between threats. Where there is business risk, there
may be opportunity for silver lining improvement… an
exploratory exercise of possibilities.
As an inventor, most of my notable inventions have
been related to information and technology, especially
at the integration of the two. My earliest published
project explored sine wave grading perception in
humans, proving the uniqueness of “seeing” from one
human to another. The next collaborative project built
an interface between two leading tech platforms to
avoid re-keying data, to speed operations and to avoid
human error. This interface is universally used today,
yet top executives initially argued “It cannot be done.”
(It can be done, it was done, and it works great.)
Several next endeavors created software utility.
Consecutive missions relabeled everyday business
terminology, and the strategic relabels then
successfully drove behavioral improvements by
safeguarding goal alignment. Through each of these
and many more inventions as an entrepreneur leading
change, I can attest that still too many leaders
underestimate the power of information, good and bad.
Technology, communication and problem-solving are
critical organizational powers, heavily intertwined. Our
best future relies upon both the proper capturing and
the harnessing of those powers.
As we move forward with emerging technologies and as
we continue to endure current and forthcoming battles,
business leaders are called upon to carefully evaluate
how technology and communication are deployed, how
expectations are managed, and to ensure there are no
needless lapses in the development and engagement of
our best strengths in human judgment. Artificial
intelligence is a fabulous resource if well-programmed,
well-understood, risk-managed and aligned with our
true goals.
About The Author
Jessica Ollenburg, CMC, CPCM is
Managing Partner at Ollenburg LLC,
an award-winning executive
consulting firm specializing in
leadership playbooks, employment
law and entrepreneurial ventures.
| October 2020 |
21
28. ver the decades, the supply chain industry is vastly
Oincreasing on a global scale. Businesses are
starting to expand at an exponential rate providing
their products in multiple cities and countries. From the
transport of raw materials to the final product, the supply
chain industry has to take a lot of things into consideration
including safety, tracing, and efficiency. To solve these
issues at hand implying the use of modern technology to
enhance the process of entire supply chain plays a game
changing part.
So, the supply chain industry has started to use
computerized tracking and real-time visibility, which allows
tracking for the entire chain process from transport till
invoice. It’s more reliable and efficient. Digitization in SCM
is a huge step as you can track the supply easily at your
fingertips using smartphones and GPS installed devices.
This revolution in technology is much more flexible
offering to make adjustments to the supply chain on the go,
enhancing the experience of the services overall giving a
cost reduction, improved efficiency and customer
satisfaction.
Adopting the new technology and implying them in supply
chain will always give you a transparent process. Here are
some technologies that can help to make supply chain
experience more significant and capable.
Automation Process
Inclusion of robot in manufacturing have eliminated the
possibility of errors and speeding up the process
unimaginably. There has been a rapid increase in the
number of robotic automation in companies as robots carry
out jobs seamlessly and in coordinated manner. Drones are
being used to to reduce the time of inventory check and
monitor overall process.
Artificial Intelligence
Recently use of AI have been up surging and people use it
on daily basis without even knowing it. AI tends to provide
beneficial in all industries, including supply chains. With
the amount data in supply chains growing every day, the
need processing solutions has become more crucial. Many
companies are utilizing AI for language processing,
production planning, maintenance, algorithmic
advancements and many more. AI can also be used in visual
inspection to identify damage and take appropriate action
based on it.
Advanced Analytics
Advanced analysis gives you more insight providing you
more accurate data that supports your decision making. It
can be further used in areas like pricing, product quality
Breakthrough
Technologies in
Supply Chain
Management
| October 2020 |
26
Tech Tomorrow
29. testing and optimizing inventory space and value. Through
the good use of analytics, we can analyze your previous
sales and identify patterns that were made based
seasonality, transport activities, market activeness.
Examining these patterns can help in predicting the sales.
Captivating Experience
Amalgamation of technologies like augmented reality (AR)
and virtual reality (VR) with smartphones, wearable
devices, and sensor-implied environments captivates
applications of AR and VR beyond segregation. Many
leading supply chain companies use these platforms to
make crucial tasks easier. Using VR’s capability to create a
specific environments to test their product and ensure its
safety and make changes accordingly. Enhanced virtual and
augmented collaborations in real-time across multiples
users helps is contributing drive down costs and also give
the parties involved a further insight of product in
development process.
Blockchain
Blockchain has decentralized information that means you
have transparency, immutability, and complete access to
your ledger anytime. Blockchain can also provide supply
chains database, verification, security, analytics and identity
managements. Also it offers services to supply chains that
closely look after automation, traceability, and security.
The whole concept of introducing the new technologies in
supply chain management is to make the process more
effortless. By allowing an easy to follow and seamless
process, use of latest technology not only helps reducing
costs but also minimize the risks in SCM.
| October 2020 |
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37. D“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become
more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
The aforementioned quote stands true to this exemplary personality that we take
pride in introducing to our readers. This young lady has gone bounds and leaps
towards all her social causes and her own personal ambitions.
This young woman named , strives towards remolding our societyDania Arayssi
into an all-inclusive, unbiased, and empowering one. We at CIO Look, take pride in
bringing you her story, her journey, and her aspirations.
Dania is a Lebanese activist, currently living in Denver, Colorado, where she is
pursuing her second master's at the University of Denver, majoring in Public
Policy. Dania says she chose this career because believes that government policies
and principles play a significant role in building safe, inclusive, prosperous, and
equal communities for everyone to live and contribute. She is also a researcher on
women, gender, and sexual rights.
Dania is the of , a campaign that she established in thefounder Gleam of Hope
Summer of August 2018. Dania and her team of volunteers incepted this
campaign to support women who needed mental health support, access to
essential services such as food and medical care treatment.
Dania and her team also helped them build their resume and connected them with
possible recruiters for possible job opportunities to empower women to be in
charge of themselves and contribute to the community where they are.
In the following conversation with Dania, we receive more insights into her
professional journey, her perspectives about equality, inclusivity, and public
policies.
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a young and proficient leader:
I was raised in a beautiful family, from a strong, independent, and educated
mother, and a dad who is willing to sacrifice everything he had, to make his
daughters successful and happy.
Being an activist and a leader in Lebanon started when I was eighteen years old,
when I became fully aware of my community challenges, difficulties, and the many
stories of many women silenced by our community norms, traditions, and values.
They are silenced to express the kinds of abuses and violations they are
experiencing, and they are the victims for their sexual and reproductive rights,
their dignity, and their principles through domestic violence, sexual harassment,
early child marriage, poverty, and unable to access and complete their education
and be financially independent and active in their community. Especially, that I am
from a society where the masculinity culture dominates the aura of the social
system.
I started to listen to many stories of women in my neighborhood and then in my
community, but I had no power or enough knowledge and the know-how to offer
any kind of help; I was the listener for the pains.
However, those stories were the power that mobilized me to advocate for a
Student Leaders Program funded by the U.S. Department of State and organized
by them to receive a fully-funded scholarship to explore the full meaning,
| October 2020 |
35
38. strategies, and approach related to being a true leader
in your community. The program was life-changing for
me because I got to learn skills related to negotiation,
proposal writing, advocacy, diplomacy, communication
skills, and much more.
Through this program, I met peers and learned more
about organization promoting change and advocating
for a better system for everyone at Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C. During this trip, I
identified girls and women as my primary focal point,
which I want to help them speak louder for their rights
and face their fears.
Therefore, when I graduated from Georgetown
University on Summer 2018, I came back to Lebanon,
and I established the Gleam of Hope group where we
were working with youth, women, and girls from
different backgrounds, nationalities to build the needed
skills, receive the necessary treatment and care, and
make sure no one needs food in their community in
parallel with the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals (SDG).
Then, I decided to leave Lebanon and settle in the U.S.
Denver, Colorado, to prepare for my second master's in
Public Policy at Josef Korbel School of International
Relations, University of Denver.
As a social activist, a public speaker, and a positive
impact influencer, what is your opinion on the
necessity of increasing the inclusion women in
leadership positions?
The process of increasing the inclusivity of women in a
leadership position is necessary to build a socially
balance community relationship with less segregation
and hierarchical gender uneven approach between men
and women. However, the process requires a
progressive and incremental change in the mindset of
the community members and the local regulations and
rules to create opportunities and spaces for women to
participate in decision-making and being protected
from violence, threats, and discriminations. It is also
imperative to highlight the role of adopting a feminist
methodology in structuring the social relationship in
the community.
Unfortunately, in different global economies, especially
third-world countries, and due to the lack of feminist
education and persistence of traditional culture and
mindset, we lack understanding of what a feminist
theory implies when increasing women's inclusivity in a
leadership position.
In the end, we, as community members and policy
advisors, are looking to build long-term stable, inclusive
relationships between community members through
drafting, and issuing laws and regulation that allows for
every community member to participate in decision-
making without any discrimination based on gender,
sex, or skin color.
Do you think that the current quality of education
being provided on gender quality and inclusivity is
enough? What needs to be improved or scraped?
The US' education public policy is missing some vital
consideration when providing an inclusive, safe,
comprehensive understanding and application for
gender equality, gender justice, linking them with the
feminist theory lens.
The missing areas in the education policy start from the
early stages of education, mainly in the elementary,
high school, and then in college. We need to provide
students with spaces to discuss, share their stories,
their personal experience, gender identities, and
understanding of gender justice, feminism, and
inclusivity while highlighting their knowledge to the
other gender identity in a safe environment, including
LGBTQ+.
Here, I want to ensure the critical role of building a safe
learning environment free from school-related
violence. Violence can be physical, psychological, or
sexual; it can occur on school grounds, in transit, or
cyberspace; and it may include bullying, corporal
punishment, verbal and emotional abuse, intimidation,
sexual harassment and assault, gang activity, and the
presence of weapons among students.
It is often perpetrated as a result of gender norms and
stereotypes and enforced by unequal power dynamics.
We need to draft laws and regulations that criminalize
and prohibit those kinds of violence while encouraging
local public and private schools to promote activities
and spaces for students to share and increase their
participation and understanding of those concepts.
“We need government
policies and regulations that
strengthen the individual
responsibility to contribute
and protect the community.”
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39. If given a chance, what is the one
thing that you would change
about the society or the world in
general?
If I had the chance to promote one
change in the world community, I
would draft laws for youth
representation in the economy's
political life. By youth, I mean
women, and men between the age
of 25 to 40, should be represented
in the political parliament or the
government by a minimum of 30%
from the total political
representation, regardless of their
sexuality, gender, or skin color.
In this 30%, 15% are men, and 15%
are women to ensure equal
political representation beyond
any gender discrimination. The
reason I insist on youth because
they have the fresh ideas,
strategies, power, and knowledge
that can promote the
sustainability and development of
the entire socio-economic system
in a secular approach, where I
insist on building a secular political
government where religion
doesn't interfere in political
representation or decision.
What according to you are the
essential traits that an aspiring
leader should possess?
A leader who is looking to promote
a profound or a long-term change
in the community should be a
patient, resistant, listener,
educative, subversive, social,
communicative, and curious to
explore and dive in the community
issues and people stories to find
the root causes of the problems
and promote a solution that lasts
in the long-term.
He/she is a leader who doesn't
have a geographical or mental
limitation and a person who can
continue working outside of the
comfort zone. When I started my
journey, many individuals criticized me, and attacked me, and refused to
listen to me, and they were saying, you are not going to succeed, and you
will fail, and your ideas don't fit the narrative, but I continued because you
need to resist the outside negativities and stick with your goal.
What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see
yourself in the near future?
I see myself as a professional researcher, senior professor, and policy
advisor in the field of public policy for several local and international
organizations and governments in helping them designing policies and
regulations that can help their communities face the current millennium
challenges while increasing their human development and prosperity for
the best for the societies while mitigating the possible externalities or
trade-off.
We need government policies and regulations that strengthen the
individual responsibility to contribute and protect the community where
he/she is located. The result of bolstering the individual responsibility will
lead to establishing the collective responsibility of the entire community
members to protect and contribute to the social system where he/she is
located.
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44. E
stablishing a business always
starts with a small idea: an
adamant decision or a
decision taken due to the
circumstances. And the latter
happened with this inspiring woman
leader, Leanne Holder, the owner of
BecauseRacecarBox and Vitamin
Coffee.
The following conversation with
Leanne highlights the circumstances
that pushed her to pursue
entrepreneurship, taking on the
male-dominant industry, and the
secret to retaining customers.
Here are the excerpts of the
interview:
Please share your journey on
becoming a young and proficient
leader
It all started when I was made
redundant from my job as a strength
and conditioning coach. I was
suddenly unemployed overnight at
the same time as my partner! We
needed income quickly and despite
having two degrees (BA hons Dance
and MSc Strength and Conditioning)
there was just no luck when
applying!
This is how the first business was
formed – in a bid to make some cash
and quick! BecauseRacecarBox was
built from zero and when we
eventually found full time jobs, it
was ran on the weekends and
evenings and in any spare time
possible until it grew to the point
that I could quit my job and run it
full time!
How do you diversify your
organization's offerings to entice
the target audience?
Diversifying to suit the customers'
needs is most important. Your
products are not always going to
suit everyone, and it makes total
sense to offer something for all
budgets and for all types of
customers. We have lots of different
options on the websites for both
businesses.
For example, BecauseRacecarBox
offers a subscription service, but
you can also buy a one-off box or
Leanne
Holder
Converting Experiences into
Unmatched Entrepreneurial Success
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42
46. alternatively individual products from the website to
suit all needs and budgets. I have just launched in the
last few months the first ever Pink Detailing Collection
to target females within the automotive detailing
industry and to shift away from the more masculine
labels and scents that currently take up the market.
Vitamin Coffee also diversifies by having different
blends and roasts of both coffee bean and vitamins to
suit the individuals tastes and their lifestyles as well!
How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the
competition in the market?
This is always tricky as you never know what any
competition will do next. Luckily as both businesses are
in niche areas there is very limited competition and
often this is not direct but only similar which helps. I
have always felt that competition is totally healthy, and
it does not phase me, it is just making sure that we are
always one step ahead as a business.
Keeping things fresh and interesting for the customer
so that customer retention is high is probably the best
game plan ever; simply never give them a reason to
leave. Listening to the customer is also imperative to
tackling competition as you need to be wary that
competition will be waiting to pounce upon your
mistakes!
What are the vital traits that every businesswoman
should possess?
I believe that mental strength and an underlying
confidence are very important. We are often
patronised, looked down upon or not taken seriously
and so being confident in your ability whilst also being
able to shrug off any negativity is vital! It can be so easy
to fold and to feel like you are less worthy of your
position than your male business partner simply based
on the way others treat you in comparison but with a
strong determination to prove people wrong and a
thick skin, you will start to totally ignore the comments
and equally have a fantastic, well-rehearsed response
for them!
What roadblocks or challenges did you face in a
corporate setting? And how did you overcome them?
Being taken seriously as a woman in comparison to my
male business partner has been really difficult,
especially when trying to establish the business within
the automotive industry as the 'go-to' brand.
There have been times when a supplier has come over
to chat business; seen me, walked past me, and shaken
the hand of my colleague, not even considering that the
business could have a female owner in a male-
‘‘I aim to encourage, inspire and
motivate anyone in business or
looking to approach business
through honesty and sheer
determination.
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44
47. dominated industry. Even customers often start an
email with 'sir, Mr, lad, fella, gents, guys, chaps etc'
perhaps assuming that the company is run by men. This
can be extremely frustrating, especially in person!
To overcome this, I have put people in their place by
politely introducing myself as an owner of the business
but at the same time I have also learnt to not get upset
by this. I have tried my hardest through social media to
make a stand for females in business and to ensure that
people are educated that just because something is in a
'male dominated' space it does not mean it is not
created by and run by a female!
Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause
of women empowerment?
I would like to think so! I actively try to encourage other
females to not be frightened to work in a heavily male
environment and to push themselves into industries
they are interested in regardless of how they may be
perceived.
With the launch of the first ever pink detailing
collection I hope to have empowered women to feel
confident while cleaning their car and to find the
process fun and enjoyable without any judgement. I
want to motivate, encourage, and inspire other women
in business and to ensure that they have the confidence
to carry out their days knowing that they are worthy of
their position!
How do you cope up with capricious technological
trends to boost your personal growth?
I try to keep up with current trends especially with
social media and always try to establish myself on each
platform as much as possible. I think finding a platform
that suits you as your main way of communicating is
smart and I have chosen Instagram as my go-to
platform; however with new apps being created all the
time I am finding myself sharing posts on multiple
platforms at a time.
Getting a scheduling app that posts to multiple
platforms has really helped save me time; and equally
looking for the 'new thing' in tech trends has been
important. Ultimately, the key is to be one of the first on
the app creating content to establish an audience early
on! I am very keen on personal branding and know that
it is imperative to keep up with all social media and any
online platform possible in order to grow this!
What are your future endeavours/objectives and
where do you see yourself in the near future?
Scaling the business is the immediate objective at the
moment. Hiring staff, creating larger moves within the
industries that we sit and increasing our turnover and
profit month on month. In the future I want Vitamin
Coffee to be a household name and to have been the
catalyst that gets people consuming vitamins daily
without fail.
I want all detailing enthusiasts to know about
BecauseRacecarBox and that we are the brand to trust
and to purchase from. I would also personally love to be
able to help other women coming into the business
world in mentoring and education based on my
experience of doing this myself.
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49. 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
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47
50. 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.
| October 2020 |
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51.
52. “The secret to
success is a pinch
of ambition, which
leads you to
achieve goals”
Linda Grasso
Chief Operating Officer
Digital Business
Innovation Srl.
| October 2020 |
50
53. LINDA
GRASSOA Lifelong Learner Making
Exceptional Strides in Industry 4.0
hinese Philosopher Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and
Cyou will never have to work a day in your life.” This adage truly
resembles the journey of our next inspiring businesswoman, Linda
Grasso, the Chief Operating Officer at Digital Business Innovation Srl.
Linda loves her job and finds it very inspiring. Whenever she achieves the
desired results, she feels highly satisfied. According to her, the secret to
success is the pinch of ambition that carries her to the end goals. She seeks
motivation to be always better and never stops learning.
At Digital Business Innovation Srl, Linda works through Industry 4.0 to
successfully surf the waves of paradigm shifts to thrive in a revolutionary
future. Let us see how she accomplishes it.
The Rise of an Intriguing Mind
Since childhood, Linda engaged in activities that ignited ingenuity,
challenges, and involved discovering new things. When the time came to
select a profession, Linda knew in her heart that it was going to be
engineering. Obtaining a master's degree with honors and practicing as an
| October 2020 |
51
54. industrial engineer, she pursued a business career
where she could do something, she was passionate
about.
Hence, she embarked on a path at an Italian innovative
startup, Digital Business Innovation, as the Chief
Operating Officer. Her mission in the company is the
project management in the field of Industry 4.0,
harnessing the power of the emerging technologies
such as AI, IoT, Blockchain, Cyber Security, Smart
Buildings, Fintech, Cloud SaaS, and 5G, through both
operational and strategic approach.
Linda strongly believes that the current technology is
highly proficient in several industry verticals and can
bring a lot of benefits to business processes. She says,
“We help companies, both SMEs and Global Brands,
demystifying the paradigm shift of digital transformation to
thrive in a revolutionary future.”
Revealing her experience and responsibilities, she
asserts, “Working as an executive certainly involves lots of
responsibilities. You need to manage different aspects and
do your best to reach high performances, optimize time and
cost, and coordinate the pieces of the puzzle so that they
can fit together.”
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52
55. Linda, therefore, employs the lifelong learner attitude
and never stops learning. With an open and learning
mind, she pulls the levers and moves the business arena
to survive in an ever-evolving world.
Staying Relevant to the Industry
Linda stays regularly active on social media channels
such as Twitter and LinkedIn professionally. She
consistently posts and shares insightful content about
technology, digital transformation, innovation, business
strategy, sustainability, and women leadership. Hence,
she never misses out on any opportunity that can
deepen and enrich her knowledge.
Understanding today's interconnected world, tools, and
staying relevant to the industry and clients, she says, “In
today's interconnected world we have powerful tools not
only to acquire knowledge but also to spread it with other
people. And that is what I try to do with my audience.
Followers notice the quality of your content and, if you
want to keep them engaged, you need to reach their interest
by conveying useful notions and giving a unique value.”
When asked what it feels like to be recognized as a
business influencer, she quotes, “I enjoy being recognized
as an influencer in my business field and I am glad when
people appreciate my commitment. Being an influencer is
the new paradigm in the enterprise communication
strategy and raising awareness on thought leadership is
thus particularly important.”
Women Empowerment through STEM
Citing the empowerment of women in STEM as a
favorite commitment, Linda believes that sustainability
and gender equality are the keys to the world's
economic development. Reflecting her opinions on the
same, she says, “Despite the progress made over the years,
gender equality is sadly far away in the workplace and we
must advocate for change. Women are at the heart of
development, and it is a matter of fact they would bring
greater advantages within companies if given more
representation.”
“The fourth industrial revolution is driving the workforce
transformation and it is important to analyze how women
are involved in building the future of work; companies must
build future strategies that work for women.”
Giving a solution, Linda asks us to seek the trends
changing the nature of work. She wants us to have a
look at how the trends such as automation, demands
for digital skills, the emergence of new work models,
may impact working women and intersect with existing
barriers to women's economic empowerment.
She asserts, “In my opinion, the answer to the real progress
lies in our ability to apply humanity to the new changes that
arise and humanity cannot absolutely ignore the
achievement of gender equality in order to create a more
sustainable world where we can combine skills to thrive
together.”
Furthermore, Linda guides aspiring women citing, “My
tip for the up-and-coming girls' generation is following what
really fascinates them. And if it is STEM, welcome. It is an
interesting field and there are excellent job prospects. There
are so many things to learn in science, technology,
engineering, and math, and, more, I read that 80% of future
jobs will require STEM education, so why not? Plus, we
really need more inspiring women in this field. In my small
way, I try to do my best to encourage businesswomen to be
brave and never stop in front of bias. We need to make a
difference, building a better future, and leaving no one
behind.”
The professional journey of Linda Grasso depicts the
importance of having ambition and pursuing the things
you are passionate about with utmost dedication. It is a
journey that teaches us to stay true to the objectives,
make the best of our circumstances, take on
responsibilities that matters the most.
She closes on a positive note, “Where do I see myself in
the future? Well, I live my life day by day and set no limits. I
do not know what the future holds for me, I hope something
surprising. Meanwhile, I enjoy the journey!”
| October 2020 |
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56.
57.
58. Martina
Klingvall
An Epitome of Impactful Leadership
isruption is a necessity quite like tilling the
Dland. It brings fresh perspective to ideas
that lose relevance with time!”
Everyone has heard of mobile telephony which in
most cases remain the preserve of individual
service providers covering, in most cases, entire
countries or parts thereof. Very few cover the
entire globe. The service in most cases are a mix of
analogue and digital transmission with a steady
push towards digitalization owning to better
quality of service at reduced costs. This has been
the scenario in the mobile-phone industry in most
countries from the time the service came about.
In the late 90s came the first wave of disrupters,
the Mobile virtual network operator or MVNOs
who in most cases were extensions to existing
mobile operators having bought the latter’s
services in bulk at competitive rates. These they
sold ahead to consumers with or without their
own customer-support systems.
With most networks going digital in the mid to late
2000s, a new form of disruption has come about.
MVNOs working with multiple mobile operators
providing services over digitized networks and in
some cases like Telness, even with their own
digital exchanges. It is in these times that Martina
Klingvall Holmstrom, an engineer by profession
found employment and a calling.
Spending quality time with Sweden’s largest
mobile phone operators, she did what most
disrupters do in their initial years: Learn the
‘HOW’ of building customer centric telecom
operations using digitization and the latest in
technology that identify gaps to provide newer
services to discerning clients looking for varied
service offerings.
The Foundations
The year was 2016 when Martina took a clean
break from employment to start Telness which
today, with an experience of half-a-decade, has its
fair share of clients.
While Telness’ core business is that of selling
mobile subscriptions like any other MVNO, it has
added to its services with a cloud-based PBX
Switchboard. But the service that brought Telness
right under the arc-lights with all the attendant
accolades is the development of a unique cloud-
based telecom platform that has enabled the
automation and digitalization of customer-
“
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60. experience journeys, both internal and end-
customer, right from purchasing its service to
support tickets.
Within the platform what remains outstanding is
the 100% self-service and online sales to both
consumer and B2B brands. In all, these have
created benchmarks on how to succeed in a
competitive market. Going beyond pricing, where
Telness really scores over competition is its 100%
digital service offerings that remains ultra-fast to
accesses, and which additionally has its own
dedicated customer-support team known to
respond to customer enquiries in less than a
minute.
According to Martina, people perceive the
telecom sector as having loads of monotonous,
repetitive and trivial tasks which call for constant
monitoring taking away valuable time and
resources from client needs and attention.
Such a situation made it the perfect ground for the
introduction of newer disruptive technologies that
help automate core tasks to reduce time and pain
points. In return, what one gets is the time and
energy to concentrate on things that make a
business customer-centric including gauging client
needs accurately, be it in terms of services or
pricing. In fact, it is precisely this strategy of
Telness right from the time of its inception that
gives it its decisive strategic edge over
competition, be it from MNOs or other MVNOs.
So effective has been this strategy of ‘controlled
disruption’ that since its launch in 2017, Telness
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61. has onboarded thousands of customers making it
a leader in the field with the highest number of
happy customers in Sweden on Trustpilot. In doing
so, Telness has proven to the world that its tech
platform while making organizations lean in terms
of costs, enables better business operations in a
scalable and efficient manner that constantly
takes care of the customers’ needs. It has made
the field of telecom simple, hassle free and digital.
Exhibiting Distinction
In these years, Telness has succeeded in going
from an interesting idea to be an appreciated
mobile operator that has set new standards in the
market. Going forward Telness is now utilizing its
unique platform to drive global telecom
innovations by offering it as a SaaS to
international operators that enables them to
digitalize their services for the future.
The field of telecom is one that is characterized by
the presence of challenges at every step. So how
did Telness, a relative newbie take care of these
and remain ahead of the curve? Simply by utilizing
the uniqueness of its existing platform while
remaining focussed to customer experiences and
needs! In this it is helped immensely by its SaaS
solution that has the potential to help
international operators transform and accelerate
their business, instead of witnessing their legacy
slowly but surely decelerating their capability to
innovate.
Redefining Empowerment
Martina and Telness are young in every sense. Add
to that her being a woman. How did she manage to
be where she is? She credits that to her ability to
network with inspiring people who show others
the range of possibilities. Being with them rubs off
she says. It leaves one feeling inspirational,
genuine and curious with the understanding that
one’s vulnerabilities are not necessarily
weaknesses but essentially strengths.
Being an entrepreneur of a sizable and
respectable organization, she is quite correctly
placed to bring positive change for other aspiring
female entrepreneurs. At Telness, this translates
into a number of steps including their admitted
stand towards maintaining gender equality.
Be it of employees across departments, members
of the Board or Management, a 50:50 parity must
be maintained wherever possible. “We have had an
active principle that we want an equal company. This
means that we sometimes must have a man or a
woman as the next recruitment for certain positions.
At times it has been challenging to find female
developers, they are fewer, but they are out there! You
have to find ways to attract them and then an equal
corporate culture is important,” says Martina.
A true newbie with the experience of a lifetime
that has come about rather early in her life,
Martina realizes the worth of remaining agile. In
the field of telecom, that translates into the ability
to embrace the latest in technology at the speed of
light- precisely what she plans to do in the future.
On the ground what it means is that her unique
platform shall find increasing acceptance among
international telecom operators which shall
enable them to digitalize into the future and stay
ahead of competition!
By embracing opportunities
using modern technologies
we are setting new
standards in terms of
innovation, and customer
experience.
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62. RebeccaBurgess
Leading a Change, Impacting Lives, and
Making the World a Better Place
B
y working together, we can shape a future where
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 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
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64. 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.
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