Top 10 pioneering ce os to follow in 2021(14) compressed

www.insightssuccess.com
Changing the Lives of People Living With HIV/AIDS
VOL 07
ISSUE 10
2021
CEOs
Pioneering
TO FOLLOW IN
2021
TOP
Innovative Approach
Resolving Challenges with
Out-of-The-box Thinking
Founder and CEO | Action Plus Foundation
Changing Leaderships
The Break from the
Orthodox Leadership

Taking
Responsibility
of a Demanding
Role
ndeniably, leading an organization is not a simple
Ufeat. Every leader has to go through a lot of hurdles
to reach the finish line. But one peerless role that is
regarded as the most powerful and sought-after title is that
of a CEO.
A CEO is a person who is involved in solving the majority
of problems for the organization, employees, and clients. It
won’t be surprising to know that a CEO's decisions in their
organization account for 45 percent of a company’s
performance.
This might sound fascinating. But when you see the other
side of the coin, the role of a CEO is stressful, lonely, and
challenging. He or she has to live up to the expectations of
directors, shareholders, customers, and employees. It takes
perseverance, coupled with passion and presence of mind,
to excel in the role of a CEO.
A CEO is involved in providing honest recommendations in
every part of the management process. It follows by
investing time in the industry developments and getting the
best for the company. He or she gets the right solution by
digging deep into the problem. A CEO’s role also involves
several industrial meetings for the company’s growth with
continuous advice and guidance. The bottom-line – he or
she stands through the thick and thin of the company. So, if
any person claims to be the perfect fit for meeting the
company’s needs, it has to be a CEO.
CEOs like Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg,
Tim Cook, Elon Musk, and many others have transformed
Editor’s Desk

the world. Today, these CEOs have made it possible and
exceeded all expectations.
In this edition of “Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in
2021”, we have featured the journey, challenges, and
overall experiences of CEOs who are leading their
organizations splendidly.
On the cover, we have Apostle Fred Annin, the Founder
and CEO of Action Plus Foundation. He opened Actionplus
Foundation Ghana in 2007 with the aim of campaigning
against HIV stigma and discrimination towards people
living with and those affected by the disease in Africa. This
initiative by Actionplus Foundation was the right step to be
taken in making the world better, safer, and a lot more
tolerant and understanding to the needs of individuals
within their communities to enhance the development of
healthy communities where everyone thrives despite
different challenges. Today, Actionplus Foundation is an
international faith-based HIV campaigning and advocacy
organization with it’s headquarters still based in the UK
with branches in Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya.
While you read the influential stories and other CEOs in
this edition, also make sure to read about the CXO
standpoints by the industry experts and the articles written
by the in-house editorial team.
Have a good read!
sourabh@insightssuccess.com
Sourabh More

Apostle FRED ANNIN
Cover Story
08
ARTICLES
Innovative Approach
Resolving Challenges with
Out-of-The-box Thinking
30
The Break from the
Orthodox Leadership
44
Caroline Lafferty
The Entrepreneur at the Intersection of
Cryptocurrency and Animal Advocacy
16

CHRISTOPHER AMOS
A Profound Trailblazer Offering Marketing
Solutions for Micro-Enterprises
20
Jude Gomes
Protecting Lifestyles, Dreams,
and Ambitions of Sri Lankans
32
Mr. Sami Sharif
An Embodiment of a Proven
Leadership
40
Thomas Shivers
A Relentless Leader with a
Progressive Approach
52
Edwin Bessant
Leading With Courage,
Tenacity, and Diligence
24
Mohammed Mubin Mallick
A Doyen in the Field of Robotics
36
Thomas A. Bock
A Recognized Life-Science Leader Developing a
New Class of Oncology Medicines
46
CONTENTS

sales@insightssuccess.com
July, 2021
Editor-in-Chief
Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager
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Technical Head
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Managing Editor
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Executive Editor
Sourabh More
Assistant Editors
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Visualizer
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Associate Designer
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David, Martin, Sanket
Business Development Executives
Steve, Joe, Maneesh
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Brief
Company Name
FourStone Partners
fourstonepartners.com
Thomas P. Shivers
CEO and President
FourStone Partners is an innovative consulting firm
specializing in business development, sales outsourcing, and
operational support services.
Action Plus Foundation
actionplusfoundation.org
Apostle Fred Annin
Founder and CEO
Actionplus Foundation is an international faith based HIV
campaigning and advocacy organisation with it’s headquarters
still based in the UK with branches in Ghana, Uganda and
Kenya.
Mr. Sami Sharif
CEO
Kuwait Insurance
Company
kic-kw.com
KIC maintains a leading position in the local and regional
insurance market by providing reliable and innovative
insurance products and services and professional team of
experts at the level of Kuwait and GCC.
Edwin Bessant
CEO
Ceuta Group
ceutagroup.com
Started in 1994 as an omni-channel sales & marketing
outsourcing partner, Ceuta Healthcare has now transformed into
a Group of twelve companies with access to 114 international
markets.
Blackdragon
blackdragon.expert
Blackdragon is the largest and fastest-growing bid and proposal
(B&P) company throughout the federal industry.
Thomas A. Bock
MD, MBA, CEO
Notable
notablelabs.com
Notable is a clinical-stage precision therapeutics company
developing a new class of oncology medicines:
Predictive Precision Medicines.
Carol Lafferty
Founder and CEO
CaliCoin
calicoin.me
CaliCoin is the first and only cryptocurrency devoted to helping
animals of determination around the world.
Christopher Amos
CEO & Chief
Digital Architect
No Boundaries
Marketing Group
noboundaries.marketing
No Boundaries Marketing Group was founded to simplify the
marketing and advertising game for small to medium-sized
businesses.
Jude Gomes
CEO
Union Assurance PLC
unionassurance.com
Union Assurance has been in the business of protecting lives,
empowering people achieve their dreams, and providing peace
of mind to thousands of Sri Lankans since 1987.
Mohammed Mubin
Mallick
CEO & Founder
Kiran Smart is the first AI humanoid robot company in Kuwait
Dubai and India to offer provide IT services to business and
home users.
Kiran Smart
kiransmart.com
Featured Person
Rob Rosenberger
CEO & Co-Founder

Apostle Fred Osei Annin
Founder and CEO
Ac on Plus Founda on

Apostle
Fred Annin
HIV should be completely
defeated so we can leave a legacy
behind us and one daywhen the
story of HIV is told to our
children and to our children's
children, we will be smiling at
the other side of life knowing
well that we all fought together
to make the history happen.
‘‘
‘‘
COVER story

HIV has always been high in the African
communities because of ignorance and lack of
knowledge about the facts and the mode of
transmission of HIV. With this ignorance, coupled with
stigma and discrimination, people living with HIV are left
in poverty. Majority of people from the African
communities see the disease as a taboo and a curse from
God. Stigma and Prejudice are the barriers to HIV
intervention resulting in the unfortunate behaviors and
attitudes towards people living with HIV in that community.
These unfortunate attitudes have resulted in people living
with HIV in these communities believing in myths and not
the facts related to HIV and AIDS and have therefore put
many lives within the community at risk.
Immediate action was needed to solve this problem and
therefore, Apostle Fred Annin found a way of solving this
unfortunate situation with Action Plus Foundation.
Fred was moved to intervene in this situation when he saw
that these unfortunate behaviors and attitudes were being
practiced even in the church. He took it upon himself to
lead a campaign targeting the black African churches by
interacting with Pastors so that the growing number of HIV
infections in the BAME community will be prevented.
How it All Started?
Apostle Fred Annin was born in Ghana a very religious
country but wasn’t born again until his conversion to the
Christian faith in 1980. He attended the Full Gospel Bible
College and graduated with a diploma in theology and later
at the Fountain Gate Bible Seminary to pursue a Bachelor
of Ministerial Theology degree. He became a fulltime
Pastor at the Full Gospel Church in Ghana and served for
ten years until his missionary tour to the UK in 1991.
During this tour sponsored by the Chalk Farm Baptist
Church in London, Fred was assigned to a national crusade
programme, preaching and teaching about Praise and
Worship to revive the church in the UK. Fred in one of his
interviews said during these meetings many prophetic

messages came from men of God to him saying “when I
return to Ghana, God will bring me back again to the UK
for a specific ministerial assignment.” In 1992 when he
returned back to the UK, he was engaged in many
ministerial assignments as a freelance minister of the
gospel.
In 1997, Fred opened the Pneuma Outreach Ministries and
the Pneuma Community Link and registered the two
institutions with the Charity Commission. Pneuma
Outreach Ministry was set up as a place of worship and
Pneuma Community Link was also to offer practical
charitable support such as organizing health awareness and
wellbeing activities to educate the Black minority and
ethnic communities in Southwark. Some of the projects
they were organizing were, about healthy eating, drug and
substance abuse, HIV awareness and prevention, teenage
pregnancy, training young people to use music and drama to
educate their peers to refrain from violence and crime.
It was through this initiative that Fred discovered that
Lambeth was the highest HIV prevalent community in the
whole of the UK seconded by its next door neighbour
Southwark where the headquarters of the Charity is based.
He also discovered that the black African community was
also one of the communities at risk of having the HIV
infection and Southwark also being the second community
with the highest HIV prevalence in the whole of UK after
the MSM group.
It was through this discovery that gave Fred more
understanding about why God brought him back to the UK
and led him to set up the charity right in the heart of
Southwark and no other place. He, therefore, decided that
his charity was going to spend more time to concentrate on
HIV prevention and creating the awareness of the infection
in the community to reduce the spread of the infection.
A Passionate Servant of God
At that time, Fred didn’t know much about the battle he
intended to fight and so he decided to do more research
work on HIV. Later, he also decided to consult the experts
about how they could support this great vision. He travelled
across London and the USA to meet with some of the
known "experts" but unfortunately, they all gave him all
sorts of negative comments contrary to his expectation. To
them the vision was good, but they saw more than a
hundred and one barriers, which suggested that Fred’s
dream was going to be a mission impossible.
After spending some days with God in prayer, Fred heard
God saying, "Fred I am the one who has called you to
intervene in this situation and I am going to use you to
release my people from the bondage which HIV has brought
upon them especially those in the church. I will prove
myself that I am a good God who can never put a curse on
my people." The Lord also said to him that although the
journey will be long and tough but if he look to him, he will
provide for him and will never fail him.
Fred worked tirelessly over the years with their limited
resources to keep the infection rate of HIV lower in both the
UK and Ghana because the vision to establish the NGO was
not born from him but God. He is grateful to God for using
him to do what others could not do and will continue to
fight to save more lives.
A Central Role in Improving Lives
Fred changed the name of his charity to Actionplus
Foundation to reflect to the kind of change he wanted to see
in his organisation. After his hard work and faith in God,
these are the remarkable miracles his NGO has achieved. It
has trained over 6,000 pastors and church leaders both in
Ghana and the UK for them to know more about HIV and
they have embraced the facts about HIV but not the myths.
Ignorance is removed and stigma is broken in the church. It
has become the first organization in the UK and in Ghana to
successfully launch the most effective module for HIV
prevention today called “Take Action Now”. It has become
the cutting edge for HIV testing in churches worldwide and
many organizations are using this module. Others have
adopted the module but have only changed the name. One
of the organisations using this model have changed the
name of Take Action Now to “Testing Faith”. These
organisations are using the Tane Action Now module to
This is our world
let’s all do
something to
make it a better
place to live.
‘‘
‘‘

reach out to the faith communities to get many pastors and
faith leaders trained so that people in churches and mosques
can be tested for HIV to save lives and reduce the
prevalence of the infection.
Challenged Stigma and Discrimination
Apostle Fred Osei Annin opened Actionplus Foundation
Ghana in 2007 with the aim of campaigning against HIV
stigma and discrimination towards people living with and
those affected by the disease in Africa. This initiative by
Actionplus Foundation was the right step to be taken in
making the world better, safer, and a lot more tolerant and
understanding to the needs of individuals within their
communities to enhance the development of healthy
communities where everyone thrives despite different
challenges.
Today, Actionplus Foundation is an international faith based
HIV campaigning and advocacy organisation with its
headquarters still based in the UK with branches in Ghana,
Uganda and Kenya
Supporting the Vulnerable and Disadvantaged
In 2010, Action Plus Foundation became the first HIV
charity in Ghana to open the first HIV testing center in a
church in Ghana. Fred has managed to break stigma in the
church. The church has accepted the responsibility and has
now become a sanctuary again for the vulnerable especially
people living with HIV and their families.
To achieve all these remarkable results globally with the
limited resources, the organization is a big success to HIV
prevention and a great module to be used in fighting the
menace till it is finally eradicated from the communities and
the world at large. Action Plus Foundation has four key
objectives to address HIV in the UK and the rest of the
world:
1. To prevent HIV infection from occurring.
2. To promote early diagnosis and access to treatment.
3. To challenge prejudice and reduce stigma.
4. To reduce poverty experienced by people living with
HIV.
The Message of Salvation
Even though Fred has gone through millions of uncountable
challenges and oppositions throughout the 24-year journey,
the organization is still growing stronger and stronger every
year sending the message of HIV to both the young and old.
This is a great breakthrough because the place where
innocent people were discriminated because of their HIV
status has now become a sanctuary again. Glory to God.
Fred has won many national and international awards for
his great achievements by championing the HIV campaign
both in the UK and in Africa. After 10 years of intensive
campaigning only about the dangers of HIV and its
devastating effect on the Ghanaian community, God at his
own time opened the door on Sunday the 25th of May 2017
for Actionplus Foundation to open the headquarters of its
church, Joy City Chapel International (JCCI) in Accra with
150 members during the initial dedication service.

Organized HIV training and Women Empowerment
Program
Currently, Actionplus Foundation aims at training women
living with HIV through capacity building to empower
them with requisite skills to enable them to acquire useful
experience to help sustain their lives. To help these women,
a microﬁnance scheme to support the trained women with
ﬁnancing will enable them to become independent and
work on their own after acquiring the necessary training
from the center.
As part of the ‘Take Action Now’ campaign by the Action
Plus Foundation, it is trying to get churches more involved
with this issue. It is also hoping to build a modern
Empowerment Centre in Accra to serve as a place to
organise training programs for church leaders to emulate a
similar campaign in Ghana and the rest of Africa.
Actionplus within 14 years of its establishment in Ghana,
has managed to launch four major projects to reduce the
spread of HIV infection in the country, including; the
National CHEP Program “Campus HIV Educational
Program.”
COVID-19 Pandemic
During the Covid -19 pandemic, Fred again took the lead in
organizing online training programmes and conferences to
create the awareness of the infection here in the UK and in
Africa. He also led Actionplus Foundation to distribute free
PPE’S to schools, institutions, traders and the general
public
Passionately Embracing NGOs
Many people in the developing countries expect people
from Europe or the developed countries to come to their
countries to open NGOs therefore depending on the AID
which they donate to them. Fred however has managed to
do the opposite by leaving Africa to open his charity in the
heart of Europe. He has managed to establish the charity all
by himself for 24 years and has returned back to Africa to
do the same, single handedly running it for 14 years.
London is one of the most expensive cities in the world but
here Actionplus has grown to become one of the leading
HIV organisations supporting the BAME Communities in
the UK. In the UK. Actionplus Foundation, has branches
not only in London but Luton and Colchester. In Africa too
it has branches in Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya. Truly this is
a miracle by the hand of God and we give him all the glory.
Since 2015, Fred has won many Local, National and
International Awards which includes: Southwark Major’s
Civic Award, The Diversity Champion Award For Charities
(UK). The Heroes Award, The African Prestigious Award
and the latest being the 2020 Best HIV Prevention Service
Award (UK).
Awards

Caroline Laﬀerty
Founder & Chief
Execu ve Oﬃcer
CaliCoin
16 | July 2021 www.insightssuccess.com

Caroline Lafferty
The Entrepreneur at the Intersection of Cryptocurrency
and Animal Advocacy
The foundation of humanity has always been helping
each other. There are people, and certainly animals,
who are less fortunate than us. Animal-based
charities are in perpetual need of financial support—only an
estimated 10% of all charitable giving is directed towards
animal -based charities; but unfortunately, these charities
also suffer from the same issues of funding and governance
many charities face.
Now, imagine a charity token existing to address such
animal welfare needs with transparent, seamless, and
documented donation.
Meet Caroline Lafferty, who leveraged this relatively new
world of cryptocurrency to open new avenues of donation
for needy animal charities by founding CaliCoin.
CaliCoin is the first and only cryptocurrency devoted to
helping, what Caroline terms, Animals of Determination
(animals that suffer from a disability and/or are homeless)
around the world. It provides a 100% flow-through of funds
(0% commissions, overhead fees, or other charges) directly
to pre-qualified animal-based charities serving AODs
around the world. It ensures CaliCoin donors that their
donations are helping animals of determination, and their
funds are going directly to helping the animals without any
of the issues which can plague existing charitable giving
options. Caroline wears the hat of the CEO in the company.
A Blend of Passions
CaliCoin is a wonderful blend of passions.
Caroline has always been an avid animal lover. She along
with her husband James Michael Lafferty moved to Dubai
with their wonderful Yorkie dog, “Cali”. Shortly thereafter,
they discovered that she has a genetic disorder of her bones.
So, they, unfortunately, had to amputate one of her legs.
Cali however never let this situation bring her down; she
continued to romp and play and enjoy life, inspiring them
all. Shortly after, they both found an abandoned kitten on
the street in a pile of rubble, who followed them home. She
is a lovable Arabian Mau named “Karma”. Both are best
friends and integral parts of the company’s family. The
three-legged dog and the orphan cat!
Besides her love for animals, Caroline also had a special
affinity with the emerging world of cryptocurrency. She has
been deeply involved as an investor for the past 5 years.
She saw a unique blend of the two, an idea in which it could
leverage cryptocurrency and the universe of crypto users, to
open entirely new pathways to support Animals of
Determination. And that is how CaliCoin was born!
CaliCoin marries Caroline’s love of the cryptocurrency
world with her love for animals.
Making the World a Better Place for Animals of
Determination
In essence, CaliCoin was created out of the pandemic to
bring urgent help to animal charities around the world that
saw their donations and financial support dry up. Caroline
hears from many charities about how CaliCoin has helped
keep them operating and serving Animals of Determination.
“I get a huge sense of pride and joy in being able to help
these noble causes. I firmly believe it represents the best of
humanity when we can help those on our planet truly less
fortunate than ourselves. It’s hard to imagine a population
more in need than animals who suffer from disabilities or
This is all about helping the
world be a better place,
one needy animal at a
time.
Top 10 Pioneering CEOs to Follow in 2021
17
|
July 2021

are homeless and roaming the streets,” expresses Caroline.
CaliCoin’s mission is very noble: It helps perhaps the most
disadvantaged subset on this planet—Animals of
Determination. The team at CaliCoin has financed 100% of
the start-up of CaliCoin and it takes no fees or commissions
on donations.
Built from the Scratch
The biggest challenge for Caroline by far was doing what
any entrepreneur knows well—doing things prudently and
on your own! Most ICOs are executed via large teams and
the engagement of many consultants and advisors, whereas
Caroline and her husband launched CaliCoin entirely with
an internal team of just a handful of people. The team
created this entire project from scratch with limited budgets
and lots of sweat equity, all driven by a combined passion
for giving back and helping animals in need. And so far, she
is proud of the early results: CaliCoin has gained global
traction and has appreciated over 300% since its launch.
Sources of Inspiration
Caroline was greatly influenced by her parents. She learned
from them, the courage and will to succeed. They emigrated
from Hong Kong to Canada with nothing and built a life so
that Caroline and her brother could have opportunities they
never had. She watched them sacrifice and work endless
hours, just to give their kids a chance. She wasn’t going to
let them down and squander the sacrifices they made.
Caroline was a top student and thus, she worked to get into
the best schools such as the University of Toronto and
studied the most demanding fields. CaliCoin is only the
latest of several successful start-ups she has launched over
the past decade.
The second great influencer was her husband James, who
co-founded CaliCoin along with her.
The Pinnacle of Professionalism
Caroline has always believed that success starts and finishes
with people. Her small team is like a family to her, and she
takes care of her family! She tries to breed a culture of
ownership, where every employee “owns” a piece of
CaliCoin. She further believes in developing talent, as
people are most inspired when they see themselves grow.
She says, “We are fair and principled, and we do the right
thing. It’s a passionate and caring team and I think this
directly reflects on the culture we put people in at
CaliCoin.”
A Profound Note to the Emerging Ones
In her advice to emerging CEOs, Caroline says “This
industry, cryptocurrency, is rife with questionable ethics
and people out to make a quick buck. And it is undermining
the entire space and the adoption of what is an amazing and
forward-thinking concept. Be able to look in the mirror at
yourself and be proud. Look at any industry and eventually,
ethics wins out. If you want to be both proud and
sustainable, embrace strong ethics as a core of your
business. It will be harder and take more time. But choosing
the “harder right” over the “easier wrong” is always the
winning way.”

Christopher Amos
CEO and Chief Digital Architect
No Boundaries Marketing Group

CHRISTOPHER
CHRISTOPHER
AMOS
AMOS A Profound Trailblazer Offering Marketing
Solutions for Micro-Enterprises
ave you ever wondered while enjoying a scoop of
Hthe dessert that you wanted to try while relaxing
on your couch what made you choose the specific
brand to satisfy your hunger? Was it the brand jingle, or the
tagline, or was it the mind-boggling post that you saw on
social media? Whichever reason it might be, one of the
essential factors that make any product popular among the
masses is the magic of marketing.
Often, it is quite a misconception that only large
organizations invest in marketing their products to create a
buzz when it comes to marketing. However, it is not the
case anymore with simplified marketing and advertising
services provided by No Boundaries Marketing Group.
Christopher Amos, the CEO and Chief Digital Architect
has cultivated unique marketing strategies and solutions
that assist micro and medium-sized enterprises in
promoting their products and achieving success.
The Synopsis Behind the Venture
Christopher has had quite a journey over the last few years
to design an agency that can consistently exceed the
expectations of small businesses both locally and nationally.
With over a decade of experience in the industry, he knows
business owners need more as a team. They need additional
transparency, leads, and extra efforts out of their marketing
team!
No Boundaries Marketing Group was founded to simplify
the marketing and advertising game for small to medium-
sized businesses. Its goal is to produce transparent,
measurable results for clients to focus on growing their
business.
As a full-service marketing and advertising agency, No
Boundaries Marketing Group uses various software
platforms, applications, tools, and resources to ensure its
clients get the best value out of their marketing dollar.
Cultivating a Value-Driven Work Culture
Christopher has learned that the key to an awesome team is
to foster a positive work culture. A work environment
where people are encouraged to share their thoughts, grow
the business, and collaborate across products and platforms
eliminates service barriers and ultimately helps produce an
amazing result for clients.
The truth is, Christopher has an amazing team with skill
sets that range from former business owners, customer
service professionals, web developers, SEO strategists, and
more! Each person provides valuable insight and problem-
solving skills that help the company produce a better
experience and outcome for its clients!
The Adaptation through the Pandemic
Christoper mentions that the post-pandemic world has
changed considerably, from the ways consumers search and
find local businesses to the way one shops for goods and
services. The need for a strong, consistent digital presence
21
|
July 2021

has never been greater than it is today. Even post-pandemic
as consumers venture back out to restaurants and local
shops, the means to which they find these businesses almost
always originates on a digital platform.
For many businesses, this means that having a website or
social media page just isn't enough. Businesses owners have
to focus on providing consumers access to high-quality
content and dynamic images across numerous platforms.
This is where access to an experienced marketing team
comes into play. Business owners are already stretched thin,
so the need for a reliable and experienced marketer can not
only drive leads but can save time, create efficiencies, and
so much more.
Upscaling Technological Advancements
The post-pandemic business environment has really forced
businesses to become more digital or technology savvy to
meet the demands of consumers. This digital transformation
has taken owners and marketers alike out of their comfort
zones and thrust them into diversifying their online
presence. Now, things like reputation management, social
media, email marketing, and more are no longer optional.
Creating a synergy between platforms and brand messaging
has never been more critical. Christopher puts this with a
saying, "You get one shot to make a great first impression!”
Strategizing Products and Services
Christopher expresses that for a business owner to meet the
challenges of the future is to communicate with their
marketing team. Sadly, because business owners wear
multiple hats, it can be difficult to stay up on the data and
trending. This can lead to missed opportunities, diminished
results, and poor decisions in the long run. The best way to
avoid fire drills and get the most out of the marketing
strategy is to stay consistent, understand the data, and
communicate!
Weaving Up with the Community
When it comes to giving back to the community, No
Boundaries Marketing Group prides itself in being a part of
the very fabric that makes up this community! It invests in
several local chambers of commerce, volunteers at
“Your Business,
Our Forte.”

community events, and its team members volunteer their
time to help educate startups and new businesses so they
can hit the ground running!
Christopher says, "If given a chance, I would absolutely
love to get additional resources into the hands of aspiring
entrepreneurs. A common issue that we hear after meeting
with a new client is "I wish I found you guys sooner" or "I
wish I knew about that before I wasted my money.”
"Sadly, many new business owners just don't know the ins-
and-outs of the marketing game, and so they are susceptible
to being taken advantage of. So, if I could change
something, I would love to see more transparent
information about marketing and advertising provided to
new business owners to help them better navigate the
marketplace," Christopher asserts.
Guiding Up-and-Coming Generation
In his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs into the marketing
space, Christopher says, "Be transparent and
communicate.”
“Most marketing professionals are great at the sale and the
creative. Sadly, what most marketing professionals lack is
the transparency and communication skills necessary to
truly wow a client. As an entrepreneur myself, we made
significant investments into our reporting platform to make
sure clients have access to data in real-time, and we made
significant investments in our CRM platform to ensure we
can effectively communicate with our clients," concludes
Christopher.
23
|
July 2021

Edwin Bessant
CEO
Ceuta Group

Edwin Bessant
Leading With Courage, Tenacity, and Diligence
etting up and starting a business sounds like an easy
Stask, but even after having a highly successful and
lucrative corporate job, it is not a simple feat. It
requires one to have a lot of guts and courage to give up on
such a job and enter the world of business with a leap of
faith. A courageous leader, Edwin Bessant, spotted a gap in
the healthcare arena 27 years ago, gave up his high-flying
career in consumer healthcare at Pfizer Consumer
[Formerly Wyeth], and set up Ceuta Healthcare with his
founding partner Annette D’Abreo. Edwin is now serving
as the CEO of Ceuta Group. Tenaciously and diligently,
Edwin continued to retain a vision on the future, ensuring
that Ceuta was always fit for the future and delivering a
market need for his client base. Ceuta Group has a strong
and trusted global Manufacturing & Private Equity [
consumer brand acquirers] client base and is a global leader
with first market move advantage.
Pioneering a Unique Vision and Expanding Business
Model
Started in 1994 as an omni-channel sales & marketing
outsourcing partner, Ceuta Healthcare has now transformed
into a Group of twelve companies with access to 114
international markets. Together, Ceuta Group’s businesses
deliver the next generation of an industry-unique
‘Integrated Consumer Brand Outsourcing Services’
business – Global services include: Advisory, Digital,
Shopper & Category Insights, Creative Design, Data
Analytics, Field Marketing Sales & Marketing Execution
and Logistics [https://www.ceutagroup.com/.]
Edwin and Annette launched brand management specialist
Ceuta Healthcare alone, with no clients, from a three-desk
office in Bournemouth in 1994. Today Ceuta Group,
through Edwin’s pioneering and unique vision, has several
offices around the world [ including: New York, Dublin,
Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok, and Sydney]. Ceuta
Group employs more than 400 people, turns over around
$140m, and after a whirlwind of acquisitions, comprises
twelve distinct companies. Several of these businesses were
bought after meticulous planning to logically expand the
business model. Edwin predicts that their net income,
currently around $13m (EBITDA), will double over the
next two – three years.
Leading a Pioneering Initiative
Edwin was working for Pfizer Consumer when he spotted a
gap in the market. He’d been with the pharma giant for 18
years, which led to a Director’s role on a European fast
track programme. There, he saw a growing demand for
“Outsourcing” and “Brand Fostering” – where an
organization gives total responsibility for one or more of its
brands to a third party. Certainly, he could build a company
to meet this untapped market demand, and using all his
blue-chip experience, Edwin crafted out a visionary and
pioneering business plan, left his highly successful job, and
set to work, encouraging Annette D’Abreo to join him as
equally, she had a successful role at Pfizer. Annette
immediately understood the opportunity and trusted Edwin
to lead the pioneering initiative.
“By the end of Year One, Ceuta Healthcare had 30
employees,” Edwin says, to give the impression of how he
has never once doubted Ceuta’s ability to become a global
powerhouse. He adds, “We made a loss of around £300,000
[ $414,000] in the first two years [in line with the bank’s
support]. And in year three we made a profit of £50,000 [
$69,000].” Since then, the growth and investment have
been explosive, leading Ceuta to be the ONLY company
that can deliver a single point of contact for a company that
needs international reach and complete management for
their brands.
25
|
July 2021

engagement and technological enhancement i.e.: Jeff Bezos
– Amazon, Elon Musk – Pay Pal, Tesla, Space-X, Steve
Jobs – Apple, Travis Kalanick & Garrett Camp – Uber, Will
Shu & Greg Orlowski – Deliveroo & Jack Ma – Alibaba,
Larry Page & Sergey Brin – Google, Larry Ellison, Ed
Oates, Bob Miner – Oracle.
Edwin expresses that he does not like to plagiarise when
reading business books, but of course, he considers it is
important to never stop learning, and there is no harm in
having a good mentor. He does like reading books that have
actually been written or co-written by successful
entrepreneurs i.e.: ‘The Alchemist’ by Jim Ratcliffe [ The
Ineo Story] and the series of the Blue Ocean Strategy &
Blue Ocean Shift by W.Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne.
Accelerating Brand Marketing Development
During the covid period, Ceuta Group has thankfully had a
record-breaking year, working within the Health & Personal
Care and Food & Drink industries, and having part of its
workforce working from the offices and the majority of
personnel successfully working from home. Ceuta
experienced more challenges with Brexit affecting its
Being Inspired by Pioneering Innovators and
Entrepreneurs
Edwin admires the pioneering innovators and entrepreneurs
who have truly taken up the opportunity of spotting a gap in
the market, defining and shaping the new way we live and
shop with phenomenal success, changing consumer
Ceuta Group provides
a unique collective of
services to enhance,
grow and support the
brands it represents;
delivering everything a
brand owner would
ever want or need from
one outsourced
partner.
‘‘
‘‘
‘‘

Marketing Agencies, as corporations were holding back
because of the uncertainty of elections and getting the
Brexit bill passed. In the short term, there was a temporary
hold on Marketing budgets within some sectors, but overall,
it saw a rapid change to brand marketing development
which continues to accelerate.
Ensuring Inclusive Work Culture
Further, Edwin opines that culture creation within any
organization is key, and this has always been an important
mantra for Ceuta. Ceuta Group has four different
generations of employees, and they all have different levels
of expectations from an employer. Ceuta must deliver to
ALL, and the right culture glues its workforce together. In
addition to culture creation, it has also engaged with further
intent, monitoring, support, and executing for the right
reasons such as ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Gender balance [
Ceuta Group is approx. 48% female / 52% male]’. Also,
sustainability and environmental protection are key
imperative for Ceuta Group.
Supporting Local Community
Ceuta is emersed and engaged through its CSR team and
supports a different number of initiatives:
Ÿ Support local charities with financial contributions
Ÿ Organize clean-up events
Ÿ Volunteer in local schools or community projects
Ÿ Local fund-raising events
Edwin is a ‘Fellow of the Prince’s Enterprise Trust’ which
helps vulnerable young people get their lives back on track.
It supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and
those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Edwin
periodically goes into classrooms to talk to students [from
all ethnicities] on business building and the watchouts etc.
which he really enjoys.
Expansionary Approach
In a conclusion, Edwin mentions that for the next five years,
Ceuta Group’s vision is to continue to build out its Global
Digital services. It wants to continue to build out its
‘Marketplace Support Platform’ – USA, Europe, and China.
It wants to selectively acquire other Ceuta type
organizations worldwide and to acquire Consumer Health &
Wellness brands’.
Edwin is also a ‘Life Fellow of The Royal Society of
Medicine’.
27
|
July 2021

RESOLVING Cha
OUT-OF-TH
THINKI
Innovative Approach

allenges with
HE-BOX
ING
he challenges in life or business, or any field are
Tinevitable. Challenges make the journey more
interesting, and overcoming them makes life
meaningful. Without challenges journey of life becomes
dull. An easy life doesn’t allow us to come out of our
comfort zone and do something extraordinary. Challenges
add a good flavor to life and are blessings in disguise as
challenges bring out our real leader.
Crisis forces a person to be a leader, and challenges are the
wake-up call to think innovative and intangible to break the
shackles. If we see with the right perspective, obstacles are
opportunities. Pioneering leaders believe in transforming
challenges into opportunities. They believe that tough
challenges are the opportunities to come up with more
innovative solutions.
Unprecedented challenges call for distinctive and out-of-
the-box solutions. Pioneering leaders in any field choose
this approach to deal with unprecedented challenges and
understand that no problem can be solved with the same
level of thinking when it arrives.
The time of pandemic is unprecedented gives rise to new
challenges. The greatness of a person or leader has to be
estimated by their ability to deal with tough times. Their
ability to be most pragmatic and clever in the approach and
play the role of situational leadership to resolve the
challenges in unprecedented times make them admirable.
Leadership is not a post to enjoy, but it is a serious
responsibility. Great leaders think in this way. They are the
personification of exemplary and ingenious leadership.
They also hold the ability to come up with solutions to the
challenges even at the spur of the moment. They can take
high-value decisions even in unprecedented times. They
don’t believe in giving up and keep fighting courageously
with passion and perseverance. They know that with the
fighting spirit, anything complex can be overcome. They
adopt a new approach to dealing with situations that are
never experienced before.
The world is a battlefield. Business leaders believe in
having a fighter spirit for sustaining their competency and
value in the world. They understand that new situations will
require new solutions, and old ways need to be given up.
They prioritize clearing out the old to make way for the
new.
Not being stuck and always having the attitude to deliver
what the situation demands should be the attitude to be the
most outstanding leader in modern times for delivering
evolving solutions to sustain the competency in the market.
Innovative and out-of-the-box thinking is the hallmark of
pioneering business leaders. They are always open to
accepting the new way of working and expanding the
business. They ensure that they can continue their
dominance in the market by serving their clients even if
there are challenging times. They are clever at adapting new
ways to serve the clients, but they will never give up their
spirit of servitude, and in this way, they keep expanding
their services to the greater number of clients and can
ensure the success of their businesses.
Times like pandemics may be unprecedented and
challenging. However, pioneering leaders can deal with
such situations also immaculately with their clever,
innovative, rational, and pragmatic approach. They can
deliver value to the clients no matter what the odds or
challenges are. That’s what the glorious leaders do, and that
is what they will keep on doing. In this way, they inspire the
next generation of entrepreneurs to thrive even in
challenging situations with a spirit of fighting, grit,
perseverance, and resilience. Such leadership goes a long
way in making a sustainable impact in the lives of everyone
they come across.
31
|
July 2021

n a pandemic-ridden environment that was uncertain,
Icomplex, and fast-evolving, a handful of organizations
have shown true resilience and business success under
the guidance and navigation of leaders who have broken
away from the archetypal 'command and control' mould of
traditional leadership.
Jude Gomes, the Chief Executive Officer of Union
Assurance PLC, is among those leaders. He draws from a
highly accomplished career in financial services spread over
three decades with experience accrued across key Asian
markets and key global financial institutions. With over
three decades of industry-leading success, Union Assurance
(UAL) is the country's oldest private Life Insurer
empowering the Sri Lankan dream, offering a range of
insurance solutions covering education, health, protection,
retirement, and investment needs of Sri Lankans. Powered
by a network of 76 branches and a 3,000-strong team that
shares a customer-centric approach to business, the
company continued to invest in people, digital
infrastructure, products and processes to remain agile and
responsive to emerging and unprecedented changes under
Jude's guidance and visionary leadership.
Under the banner 'Your life, Our strength,' the company has
nurtured the Sri Lankan dream in unique and personal ways
to support its policyholders and the people they love.
Excellence, ethics, integrity, innovation, and a customer-
centric mentality are the heart behind day-to-day operations
at Union Assurance.
Acting as a Catalyst
The coronavirus pandemic broke out just a few months
after Jude took the reins as the CEO of Union Assurance.
However, he guided his team on a journey of
transformation, positioning the Company as a modern,
customer-centric, digital life insurer to address the lag in
technology adoption within the industry.
With the mission of simplifying insurance and empowering
customers, the Company shifted its focus towards
digitisation during this time. The transformation was
initiated by simplifying, innovating, and digitising complex
processes, culminating in an overhaul of its operating
system to a digital model. To provide uninterrupted service
to its policyholders, the Company established a trilingual
call centre that operated 24/7, an online chatbot and enabled
digital platforms and gateways to meet the growing demand
in customer queries. Furthermore, Union Assurance
disrupted the future of Life Insurance by adding a dynamic
facet to its customer experience with a 100% digital
platform - Clicklife, which offers customers to purchase
products instantly without any paperwork and physical
interaction as well as a platform with real time self-
servicing capability as part of its end-to-end online
insurance solution. The app features World Health
Organization approved challenges, rewards, and other
exciting in-app features to engage and motivate users to
stay fit and healthy.
Navigating through Challenges
Speaking about challenges, Jude mentioned that aspects of
economic growth, socio-cultural factors and financial
literacy have been barriers to industry expansion. In his
view, financial literacy is low compared to developed
markets in which insurance penetration is high. This is an
important factor for improving insurance consciousness and
awareness across society.
Jude Gomes
Protecting Lifestyles, Dreams, and Ambitions of Sri Lankans
33
|
July 2021

Jude Gomes
Chief Executive Ofﬁcer
Union Assurance PLC

Understanding that
you don’t know
everything is a very
valuable lesson to
learn early on.
Admi ng o
failures, taking
accountability, and
making necessary
changes fast is what
is important for
success.
“
“
Gomes articulated three key strategies he believes will drive
the insurance sector: first, cohesive strategies should be in
place to attract and retain the right talent, especially given
that the industry is manpower-dominant; second, there
should be a focus on an omnichannel distribution model to
provide greater accessibility to customers; third, is in
creating efficiencies in operations and delivery platforms
making the buying cycle easy, convenient, fast, and
transparent.
People Empowerment
Jude is an ardent believer that leaders should constantly
challenge themselves and their teams to exceed
expectations and embrace new opportunities.
Empowerment is an important criterion for leading people
and organisations to success. To this end, Jude nurtures a
workplace environment in which safety and trust are
prerequisites for people’s empowerment. When people feel
empowered and safe in the workplace, it paves the way for
more innovation and advancements to take place. He
believes in cultivating a culture where employees learn
from mistakes and strive towards excellence.
Accelerating Growth
Insurance has trailed other industries and in particular
financial services when it comes to transformation – digital
or otherwise. In an increasingly data-driven environment,
poor public perception of insurers came down to a
combination of factors. The lack of transparency augmented
by archaic processes; low understanding and
misinformation of investment vs. protection, lack of
confidence in insurance agents, inadequate focus on training
and skill development, restricted channels and limited
product suites skewed towards investment rather than
protection, are some of the industry challenges.
Gomes believes a defining feature for growth acceleration is
in the depth of customer-centricity adopted. Protection
should centre around the people it protects.
By rolling out a simplified customer-focused digital agenda
in 2019, Union Assurance mapped out a comprehensive
customer journey, addressing pain points, eliminating
complexities, and customizing solutions through the
application of technology, setting the benchmark for a
future-ready operating model.
A Note to Emerging Leaders
“When you’re in a leadership role, developing your
intuition plays a big part as your employees rely on you to
make trustworthy decisions meeting needs of all
stakeholders.
“It is important to note that staying true to your values and
morals is key in your journey. Understanding that you don’t
know everything is a very valuable lesson to learn early on.
Admitting to failures, taking accountability, and making
necessary changes fast is important for success.”
35
|
July 2021

Mohammed
Mubin Mallick
A Doyen in the Field of Robotics
traveling, or living alone away from home. He has never
broken down and has always stood up to fight the situation.
As time passed, things became easier for him to handle due
to the experience he gained.
Mubin founded Kiran Smart with lots of love from people
who really wanted to have these services and solutions. He
did market research in GCC on robots. He developed every
single robotics solution for every industry and as well for
home too. He did not find suitable CEO who would
understand his vision and that is the reason, he decided to
wear the hat of CEO as well.
Well versed with different robotics manufacturer around the
world, Mubin is working on his Visionary Prime Project
which could make him the pioneer in the world on robotics
services that human has never imagined or expected on the
idea.
Getting the Best out of Everything
Mubin mentions that every journey is not pleasant and thus,
running a company successfully is also not as pleasant as
we think. There are always ups and downs, because as a
holistic view it is a company and not a business.
S
ince decades, technological advancements have been
assisting humans in almost every sphere of their
lives. Even in this pandemic situation, technology
didn’t fail to offer assistance to us. The use of robots was
explored extensively by most of the researchers and
businesses, especially healthcare organizations, considering
the facts that they don’t need mask, they can easily get
disinfected, and they don’t fall sick. With this idea,
Mohammed Mubin Mallick’s Kiran Smart has
significantly contributed to the development of advanced
robotics in this ongoing pandemic through its state-of-the-
art robotics solutions.
Towards Visionary Project
In the year 2017, Mubin predicted the future as it is going
to take a turn towards some advanced technology. The
thought came into his mind was robots as it was his
childhood dream to have robots. But he was demotivated
and discouraged after being rejected on his robotics idea or
topic by many. These negative factors made him stronger to
face and challenge the market.
Since his childhood, Mubin has seen many difficulties and
has tackled them successfully, be it studies, sports,

Mohammed
Mubin Mallick
CEO / FOUNDER
Kiran Smart
37
|
July 2021

For Mubin, building a company was like being on the
battleground. As a challenge he saw financial crisis, getting
the right people for right place and right job, finding expert
people with innovative ideas, and getting the investor.
Mubin kept on going and today, Kiran Smart is a first
Humanoid Robot Solutions and Services company in
Kuwait having existence in multiple location, providing IT
services to business and home users.
Devoted to Serve Humanity
Mubin’s father late haji Noor taught him to live for others
and serve humanity. One of the incidents that impacted his
life was the case where he found a lady who was crying for
the money to do the treatment of her daughter. He was just
a child and only could understand that she is asking for
money. He had 50 paisa in his pocket to buy a chocolate for
her younger sister. He could not say no to the lady because
her tears brought him down so emotional that he started
weeping and gave her 50 paisa. The lady just saw the coin
and said, “My son GOD will give you enough so that you
can help others and GOD will make your heart big enough
to help others.” He can never forget this incident.
Innovation in Robotics
Kiran Smart is into Information Technology, Digital
Transformation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and
Fintech. Mubin is of the belief that these technologies will
play a major role post-pandemic. Thus, if businesses in any
industry have to survive, they will need to implement
Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence to make
advanced hybrid solutions to survive in the future.
At present Kiran Smart’s Robot Services are inclusive of
Humanoid Robots, Services Robots, Delivery Robots,
Educational Robots, Logistics Robots, Pet Robots,
Disinfection Robots, Cleaning Robots. Other than this it has
smart digital screens which the company sell as solutions
and also rents them out. Even for Robots, it provides the
solutions and also rents out the robots in multi-purpose use,
providing services globally as well.
At the same time, Mubin is also working on the “Rise of
Robotics Generation” where he is training children about
robots, teaching about robots but with live demo on the
company’s different models of robots. His vision is simple
for the next 5 years – to be recognized as one of the best
brand service providers globally especially in terms of
Robotics Services.
Good Network for Business Opportunities
Mubin and his team generate jobs for every category so that
people could survive and feed their families. He and his
team create jobs for drivers, engineers, managers,
supervisors, developers, skilled and unskilled labor, waiters
and waitress, and cleaners. Also, he shares the company
profit on a certain percentage as charity across the world
where the community is helping to survive their life.
He is looking for a great opportunity to change the world
into a smart village but of course there must be a good team
to execute it like investors, businessmen, entrepreneurs,
partners, engineers, and a lot more, because he is working
on one of his project called ROBO2050 where every house
will have Kiran Smart’s robots.
“Information
Technology will be so
advanced and if we
don’t adopt ourselves
in terms of business
and personal life then
we will be left alone to
suffer.”

Mr. Sami Sharif
CEO
Kuwait Insurance Company

Mr. Sami Sharif
An Embodiment of a Proven Leadership
The pioneering leadership is a combination of
exemplary skills, abilities and talents. To lead
organization successfully, it is essential for leaders
to have good amount of competence, as it plays a
significant role in the success of the organization and its
clients. When the same competence is paired with strong
managerial and technical skills, the results attained are
excellent. An embodiment of such a leadership is Mr. Sami
Sharif. He is the CEO of Kuwait Insurance Company
(KIC) since 2016.
Prior to KIC, Mr. Sharif has held various leadership roles in
different renowned companies. He earned his Bachelor’s
Degree in Mathematics and Space Physics and a Master’s
Degree in Mathematics both from the University of
Houston – USA. He worked for several years as a lecturer
in mathematics and statistics at the same university. He is a
Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) in the USA since
1996 and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries
(MAAA) since 1993. Besides, he also has an in-depth
experience in life, health, and general insurance, and
takaful. He carries an immense knowledge of strategic
management consulting combined with sound actuarial
background. He also has in-depth experience in launching
and leading new insurance operations in different countries.
KIC has a full line of conventional and takaful insurance
products for corporate and individuals covering general
insurance, life insurance and money accumulation. It has
more than 200 employees and 10 branches in Kuwait.
Being Driven by Achievement, Innovation and People
Development
Mr. Sharif is driven by KIC’s shared values i.e.
Achievement, Innovation and People Development. He
mentions that the company cares for its staff, shareholders,
and clients. It adheres to a set of values.
KIC’s vision is to be the fastest growing company in
Kuwait and to expand geographically. It aspires to be the
company of choice for personal and commercial insurance
products and services. It aims to be the fastest and the
simplest in delivering its services and the most advanced in
using technology. It envisions to be the company of choice
for employment. All the efforts of Mr. Sami are in the
direction towards achieving this goal.
KIC’s mission is to provide its clients with the most
competitive products in terms of benefits, values and
services, to provide its distribution channels with state-of-
the-art services, to invest on developing its staff, and to be a
school of insurance and management. Besides, the company
also believes in being sales-driven and in achieving its sales
target. It believes in differentiating itself with innovative
Products & Services, Distribution Channels, and
Technology. It believes in its people to exhibit Knowledge,
Leadership, and Communication & Interpersonal Skills.
Having Advantage of Experienced Staff
Talking about the challenges, Mr. Sharif shares that KIC
had to deal with a challenge of political risk since the area
is inflamed with many political problems that lead to some
business instability in the region. Maintaining the size of
the portfolio was a major challenge for KIC.
KIC is the first insurance company in Kuwait and the GCC.
It has the advantage of keeping experienced staff who have
been with the company for decades. Taking some of the key
staff to the most advanced ways to run a business, in
particular the reliance on technology, was a challenge that
they enjoyed the stages to overcome it.
Being Influenced by Working with Great People
Mr. Sharif is an ex-consultant with McKinsey& Co. that he
considers his best school. He still cherishes the days he
worked for Mckinsey, the people he worked with, and the
leaders that he worked under such as Mr. Dominic Barton.
In addition, he has worked with people who had a great
influence on him, like:
41
|
July 2021

When Covid-19 pandemic arrived, it had its pros and cons
on the insurance industry as a whole. However, Mr. Sharif
sees more pros than cons. The way of doing business
became more technology-driven, as technology is a key
success factor for all industries including insurance.
AKIC puts a balance between people safety and business
safety. As such, it was present and functional in its market.
Contributing to Community with Welfare Services
When it comes to giving back to the community, KIC
always stands tall. On almost monthly basis, it runs
different campaigns Examples:
Ÿ Cleaning the beach in Kuwait
Ÿ Blood Donation campaign
Ÿ Brest cancer awareness campaign
Ÿ Diabetes awareness campaign
Being People Person and Expanding Robustly
Mr. Sharif advises aspiring and emerging CEOs in the
insurance industry to work on their technical and
managerial skills. He tells them to learn the essence of
leadership and cultivate a healthy lifestyle. He asks them to
be rough, tough, but reasonable.
Besides, he also advises them to be people person, have a
large connection in industry, and to avoid arrogance and
give smile to everyone.
Ÿ His mathematics professor Dr. Klaus Kaiser at University
of Houston.
Ÿ His space physics professor Dr. Bering at University of
Houston.
Ÿ His first actuarial manager Mr. Marc Pitoniac who taught
him how to survive under any work challenges.
Ÿ Mr. Abbas Khalaf, Regional president of ALICO,
MEASA Region who taught him leadership.
Ÿ Mr. Barry Jacobson, President of ACE Life (now Chubb)
a great leader.
Ÿ Mr. Ghazi Abu Nahl, President of Nest Investments hard
work and perseverance.
Evaluating Employees Objectively and Compensating
them Fairly
Mr. Sharif has created a positive environment at KIC where
everyone thrives. The company strongly believes in the
well-being of its employees. It strongly encourages
education and pays all education expenses to its employees.
Moreover, it created the first company kitchen run by a
professional chef to provide daily healthy meals to its staff
at minimum charges. It created a nursery at work to help
mothers with baby kids, age 0-5 at no charge. It has a
thorough 360 system to evaluate its employees objectively
and to compensate them fairly. It established KIC academy
to offer professional courses and training to its staff.
Striking a Balance between People Safety and Business
Safety
‘‘ ‘‘
Kuwait Insurance Company enjoys a stable and strong financial foundation and
maintains a leading position in the local and regional insurance market by
providing reliable and innovative insurance products and services and professional
team of experts at the level of Kuwait and GCC.

here is a saying, "become the best version of
Tourselves." Well, what does it take to become one?
It is the break from the ordinary, challenging
orthodox thinking, and coming out as the best version of
ourselves. It applies the same in leadership; today, it is the
break from orthodox leadership, which we need with
innovative ideas. What else follows in the journey of a
leader? Let's have a look through this article.
Long-lasting Leadership
The will to learn new things by collaborating with the
experts of that particular field expands the knowledge of the
business leaders. While we may agree that everyone's
journey in life is different, it follows you till the end once
you choose. But the end goal is to make an impact in the
life of others, be it in the form of business, sports, politics,
entertainment, or any other niche. And, when it comes to
business, there is a position where assisting, motivating,
and impacting the lives of others is the responsibility of the
business leader - CEO. The decisions taken by a CEO can
have a huge impact on the organization's life and the
people.
The CEO Ingredients
When we speak about the CEO, what are the must-have
qualities to watch out for? The primary aspect comes from
knowing to solve the problems of the employees and the
company. The team's support helps the CEO in critical
times and without a team player, one cannot succeed in
business or any other field. The rest of the qualities comes
from maintaining a culture that is worth inspiring and
following.
The CEO is the most appropriate and responsible person for
meeting the needs of the employees and the company. The
ideas, decisions, and culture set by the CEO make the
company shine in every situation. He/she is involved in
every management decision and is the person who
understands the clients and the employee's needs. He/she
also acts as a mediator who digs deep into every problem of
all the company levels, as the CEO is involved in several
meetings right from the employee to the company growth.
There is no single decision taken without a CEO; as a
matter of fact, he/she is the face of the management.
There is a lot of value for integrity in the life of a CEO
because you have to provide honest recommendations and
instruction in every part of the organization. Additionally,
being aware of the market updates and know-how comes
naturally, as you got to be the best in business for the team
and the company. Lastly, promoting inclusivity and
diversity in the organization makes the organization a place
to thrive.
Where are we Now and the Future
Today, we see more intelligent CEOs with a positive and
fresh approach entering the business arena, breaking the
trend of orthodox leadership. With their innovative
thinking, companies are resulting in more innovative
practices. The CEO is bringing the transformation and
successfully meeting all the expectations from the clients to
the employees. Ultimately, only living up to these values
can bring the overall transformation in the industry.
The journey of the CEO is no doubt challenging but looking
at the results, it is all worthy in the end. In a world full of
transformation, it is best to balance both technology and
compassion. It will lead us all to a better future, where we
as humans can nurture and progress even more, making the
world a better place to live for us all.
Lastly, with this, let's all hope that we live a life full of
compassion and kindness whatever time we have on earth.
After all, it should not always be about the business and
profit but also about creating a world of opportunities,
where all the people feel included. And, being a CEO, it
becomes his/her role to lead all such people with the best
skillset.
The Break from the
ORTHODOX
LEADERSHIP

45
|
July 2021

Thomas A. Bock
MD, MBA, CEO
Notable

Thomas A. Bock
A Recognized Life-Science Leader Developing a
New Class of Oncology Medicines
ecent advances in science and technology have
Rresulted in a new era of more targeted therapies for
many diseases. These advances have materialized
for patients, resulting is some truly transformative
treatments, thanks to the talent and dedication of the life
sciences community.
Meet one such life-science leader who has developed and
commercialized six lifesaving paradigm-changing
blockbuster medicines in cancer, ultra-rare disorders, and
inflammation, and who has built four entrepreneurial
organizations that created a major impact for both patients
and investors. - Thomas A. Bock, MD, MBA, and CEO at
Notable.
Inspired by his work, we at Insights Success had a
conversation with Thomas to know more about his journey
and how Notable is transforming the way cancer is treated.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Give us a brief overview of your position at the
company, and your journey since inception.
I joined Notable as an Independent Board Director in 2020
and then started serving as the CEO in February 2021. At
that time our company was known for our predictive
technology platform developed to help physicians
determine which cancer treatments are most effective for
their individual patients.
Today, we are beginning to leverage Notable's leadership in
predictive technology to develop cancer treatments focused
on individual patients who we know will respond to a
specific treatment. My role is to drive our organization to a
leading precision therapeutics company by creating a new
class of precision medicines – predictive precision
medicines.
Please describe the technology that makes your
company standout from the competition.
Notable's predictive technology combines machine
learning, laboratory automation, and high throughput
screening directly on patient blood samples to predict
responses to therapies with a 92% accuracy. Over the past
years, we created a unique and continuously growing
library of optimized (out of millions of options) platform
conditions and predictive data across approved and
investigational cancer treatments. This enables us to focus
on the most promising candidate medicines and develop
them as predictive precision medicines solely in clinically
responding patients. Patient by patient. Cancer by cancer.
What is your opinion on the advancements of businesses
to improve their offerings with newer technological
developments?
Notable represents the next generation of predictive
precision medicines for patients with cancer, based on the
emergence of new technology. Our platform can predict an
individual's clinical response to cancer treatment from a
blood sample taken before beginning treatment with a 92%
accuracy. I am proud of how our proprietary technology
addresses the question that matters most to patients, yet
previously could not be answered: "Doctor, will this
treatment work for me?"
What is your thought on the necessity of a positive work
culture? In what ways do you implement it at your
organization?
Notable's culture extends from its core mission of
redefining treatment for people with cancer. For us, the
patient matters most. This means that we not only pursue
transformative medical impact but also, proceed
responsibly and with the sense of urgency that patients
deserve. Our team is spearheading therapeutic solutions at
the interface of therapeutics, diagnostics, and engineering.
47
|
July 2021

Scientists, engineers, and experts from many fields work
together closely and also build off of the insights and ideas
from each other. They work hand in hand, peer to peer in a
unique and collaborative approach. Leading this patient-
focused and integrative culture is key to an innovative
environment, and I believe it is because of this that we have
been able to recruit and retain top talent across industries.
In what ways have you or your company contributed to
the community? If given a chance, what change would
you bring in creating a "community of healthy
business"?
Today, most cancer treatments deliver only modest clinical
response rates and fail for the majority of patients, exposing
them to ineffective therapies and unnecessary side effects
and toxicities. Notable's mission of delivering predictive
precision medicine that works for each cancer patient, and
reducing unnecessary side effects, makes an important
impact for the community. These types of advances will
revolutionize treatment for people with cancer.
What is the best way to meet today's/tomorrow's
challenges with your company's exceptional products
and services for urgent needs coming our way?
In order to create the stream of predictive medicines that
patients can rely on with the urgency they deserve, it is
critical that we continue to collaborate with industry
partners and academia. Having developed and
commercialized medicines for cancer and rare diseases for
more than twenty years, I know that many medicines can
deliver a huge medical impact but unfortunately only for a
small subpopulation of the patients who receive them.
We have created a platform that reproduces the human
cancer cell microenvironment that can be used to test
cancer therapies, patient by patient, with a 92% accuracy,
before they receive treatment. Thanks to our platform and
its prediction accuracy (as reported by Stanford
University*), we can now engage with prospective partners
to co-develop and license such transformative medicines
solely focused on responding patients. Patients can be
confident that their treatment will work for them, and our
life sciences partners benefit from a faster development
speed and a higher likelihood of success.
*Source: Michael A. Spinner, …, Peter L. Greenberg; Ex
vivo drug screening defines novel drug sensitivity patterns
for informing personalized therapy in myeloid neoplasms.
Blood Adv 2020; 4 (12): 2768–2778.
As an established CEO, what would be your advice to
the budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the
industry?
Be able to pivot quickly to take advantage of emerging
opportunities, expect bumps and detours along the way, and
most importantly, stay true to your core values. When you
develop products for patients, proceed with extra urgency
and care.
How do you envision sustaining your company's
competency in a cutthroat and volatile world of
Security? Where do you see yourself and the company
in the next five years?
Part of our integrative culture is to be externally focused
and equally seize opportunities and address challenges with
the best possible approaches. Challenges make us stronger
and will expedite our vision of delivering a stream of
predictive precision medicine and redefining the standard of
care, always ensuring the best possible outcomes for
patients. Patient by patient. Disease by disease.
Each patient is notable and can benefit
from a predictive precision medicine
that works for them.
“
“

49
|
July 2021

Thomas P. Shivers
CEO and President
FourStone Partners

Thomas
Shivers
A Relentless Leader with a Progressive Approach
Relentless leaders set directions to make ideas into
reality. They focus on producing ideas that have
practical implications for them. What makes them
stand out from the rest is their ability to listen to their team
and recognize the effectiveness of their offerings. One such
pioneer of relentless leadership is Thomas P. Shivers, who
has been consistently recognized as an industry leader for
his constant focus on results, accountability, and practical
application.
With over 25 years of executive and entrepreneurial
experience in the workers’ compensation managed care
marketplace, Tom has been instrumental in shaping the
industry. As the CEO and President at FourStone
Partners, he has created a unique consulting firm that has
been widely praised for its innovation, effectiveness, and
efficiency.
We, at Insights Success, caught up with Tom to unveil his
entrepreneurial journey and how FourStone Partners is
optimizing the performance of businesses.
An Entrepreneurial Journey
Tom founded FourStone as a startup that has now grown
into a national organization. The firm started without any
private equity money; FourStone has been self-funded since
its inception.
Along the way, Tom has met great people and great clients
who, in one way or another, have contributed a tremendous
amount of learning experience for him. It has been an
incredible journey for Tom, and there is yet more to come.
The Values that Optimize Performance
FourStone has continued its expertise in the workers’
compensation industry and commercializing healthcare
products with a unique approach. Tom has centered
FourStone around practical application and collaboration.
He focuses his time and attention on practical application
that helps clients maximize their opportunities based on
what truly works and develops implementable and
actionable strategies.
Tom believes in less theory and more practical actions. In
his opinion, what differentiates FourStone from its
competitors is that it provides its clients with impactful
strategies and then executes them on their behalf.
Sculpting Strong Leadership
From the perspective of Tom, impactful leadership is
collaborative in nature, and it is also never asking anyone to
do anything that you won't do yourself. A leader needs to be
accountable for the decisions of his or her team.
The personal philosophy of Tom is 'everybody in the room
is the smartest person in the room based on the subject.' He
implements the same at FourStone. This way, the best idea
wins, no matter who creates that idea. This allows people to
be at their best selves without any fear and express their
53
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July 2021

point of view, thoughts, and ideas on the subject. At some
point, these ideas and can be embraced and moved forward.
Overall, this empowers people to feel free and not be afraid
to make mistakes. This approach will unlock their
maximum potential in the long term.
In addition, Tom also believes that humility is an essential
trait for a leader. A CEO should be open to new ideas and
understand that every colleague brings their knowledge to
the business. It is crucial to be able to listen. On the flip side
of being a humble leader is being relentless in pursuing
goals and success.
Tom says, "I've got a team of employees that count on me to
be very good at my job. So, I have to be really good at my
job for them. And I feel like one of the traits that I have that
has allowed me to succeed is that sort of relentlessness and
tenacity. If you combine that with humility and behaving
honorably, I think it creates a nice culture. And I think the
culture at our firm is something we're very proud of.”
A Healthy Work Culture
When asked about maintaining positive work culture at
FourStone, Tom says, "I don't think you can overvalue a
positive work environment and a positive work culture. I
think it's incredibly paramount to the success of a firm long
term. We take an immense amount of pride in the culture
that we have.”
The culture at FourStone is collaborative, competitive, and
family-oriented that prioritizes performance and taking care
of each other. The culture is also based upon practical
application; the team at the firm treats themselves like they
treat its clients. There isn't any theory, esoteric,
unquantifiable sort of mission or goal. When people bring
ideas to the table for the firm or the clients, they have to be
based on practical application, focusing on real world
solutions that can be tracked and managed.
Tom and his team are fearless and tenacious when
implementing new things. They aren't afraid to quickly
make educated decisions to roll out new products and
enhance existing products. They work collaboratively, both
internally and with their clients and other constituents. The
team takes much pride in how they present themselves to
one another and their clients and industry.
The Highs and Lows of Pandemic
FourStone managed to survive and experience a slight
growth during the pandemic because of its diversified
portfolio. Some of its products and services did suffer, but
some of them could maintain and grow.
Culturally, the pandemic affected FourStone the most as
everyone had to undergo a remote work culture. The
company implemented some virtual models for some of its
products and services in a brief timeframe. It also meant to
We are a high energy, high intensity,
results driven organization that fully
engages with our clients to optimize
performance.
‘‘
‘‘

trust the team to do the right thing and work the right way.
Fortunately, Tom has spent much time on hiring based upon
character. This helped the firm when it went remote and had
to do things differently overnight; the hiring philosophy
proved successful as the entire team adjusted remarkably
well.
Tom opines that it was crucial to adapt to the circumstances.
The performance of the company in many ways has
exceeded expectations. In fact, some of the FourStone Team
will continue to work from home post-pandemic.
Technological Aspects to Move Ahead
Technology has played such an incredible role in the
evolution of how companies function during this pandemic,
and Tom doesn't think that's ever going to roll itself back. It
will get more important moving forward.
Heading Into New Horizon
Tom has an absolute vision of organic growth, which is a
challenging road, and he thinks in the future FourStone will
also grow through acquisition. The company is actively
looking at some potential acquisition targets. The firm
would also like to diversify and expand the services that it
offers to its clients.
Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
In his advice to upcoming entrepreneurs, Tom says, "Be
absolutely relentless in your pursuit of success. Listen to
people who know more than you, surround yourself with the
best team that you can find that has complementary skills to
yours, and allow them full opportunity to help grow the
company with their own expertise and spirit”.
55
|
July 2021

Top 10 pioneering ce os to follow in 2021(14) compressed

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