10 trailblazing women in tech 1(2) compressed

in Tech
Trailblazing
Women
2021
Plugging into
Modern World
Tech of
Tomorrow
VOL 03
ISSUE 10

Changing the
Landscape of
the World!
n this era of technological evolution, where the tech
Iworld is still particularly male-dominated: only 5 % of
tech start-ups are owned by women. Despite this fact,
women are as innovative as men, and companies run by
women are just as successful. In businesses, women are
visionary because they set the direction, anticipate the way,
and navigate towards it. They are not afraid of risks,
because they are aware that opportunities come from taking
risks and embracing risks helps to overcome the fear of
failing.
There is no question that technology continues to transform
all industries. As a result, adapting to these advancements
becomes important to bring efficiency to the organization.
Businesswomen are embracing these technological changes
in order to take strategic decisions. It is equally important to
stay updated on current innovations and changes in the
technologies as they occur.
Today, the biggest challenge is not in the corporate career
but as a tech entrepreneur. Businesswomen have the ability
to adapt to this challenge and change to keep the business
successful. They have a sense of self-worth and are
confident to understand their true power in business. They
know the art of selling and negotiating and are bold enough
to take important decisions in the management. The biggest
challenge although remains to feel sufficient in a world that
keeps demanding more.
Businesswomen are involving and discussing with industry
experts which reflects their curious nature. As it is with
constant learning one can achieve success. Moreover, they
ensure that they are providing solutions to the customers
according to the needs of the market. The fact is that
situation is changing in terms of opportunities for women
and this change is good.
Editor’s Desk

Nothing replaces hard-work due to which we see
more women in the leadership and entrepreneurship
roles today. They don’t need to be an expert in
regulating technology but should know how it
impacts the business and its need is a key strength.
At the end, delivering successful results and working
for the beneﬁt of the organization is what matters.
Technology is the door of opportunity and
businesswomen have started to explore it as a career.
Strength and courage even in times of pandemic
keeps them focused. Some of these businesswomen
are well-versed and moved to crucial roles in the IT
industry. While others are quietly driving their
success through their intelligence and expanding the
future of the IT industry.
In its latest edition, Insights Success comes up with
10 Trailblazing Women in Tech, which provides
glimpse of careers, backgrounds, and more
importantly their wonderful leadership qualities.
Thus, we are making noise about these awesome
leaders!
In this edition you will read about, Ángela Álvarez,
Founder & Executive Chairman at Aglaia Capital,
Denise Sangster, President and CEO at Global
Touch, Inc, Flavilla Fongang Serial Entrepreneur,
Author & the Founder - 3 Colours Rule, Linda
Grasso, Chief Operating Oﬃcer of Digital Business
Innovation Srl and others.
Lastly, make sure to go through the in-house
editorials drafted by the industry experts and the
curated articles written by our editorial team.
Let’s Read!
sourabh@insightssuccess.com
Sourabh More

Plugging into
Modern World
Tech of Tomorrow
ARTICLE
20
Wireless Technology
Trends Enabling the Digital Economy
Leader’s Viewpoint
36
A Proliﬁc Leader in FinTech and
Corporate Finance Industry
Ángela Álvarez
10
Unleashing the Power of
Partner Ecosystems
Denise Sangster
14

A Top-performer That
Always Delivers
Flavilla Fongang
24
Harnessing the Power of
Emerging Technologies
Linda Grasso
28
Inspiring & Passionate
Language Leader
Marina Tognetti
32
Thrives in Building the
Big-Picture
Susan Gatehouse
40
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S

sales@insightssuccess.com
March, 2021
Editor-in-Chief
Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager
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Technical Head
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Research Analyst
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Sumita Sarkar
Managing Editor
Anish Miller
Executive Editor
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Visualizer
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Brief
Company Name
mYngle
myngle.com
Marina Tognetti
CEO
mYngle is the pioneer of online language lessons. Native
teachers offer classes through a live virtual classroom to
professionals all around the globe.
Aglaia Capital
aglaiacapital.com
Ángela Álvarez
Founder
Aglaia Capital is an independent Corporate Finance advisory
firm matching asset-backed, transactions with investors and
financing providers.
Linda Grasso
COO
DBI
dbi.srl
A digital business transformation consulting firm.
Flavilla Fongang
Founder
TLA
theblackwomen
intech.com
TLA Black Women in Tech is a not-for-profit company.
Founded in September 2019, it is already the 2nd largest
working group of the Tech London Advocates Group.
Axea Solutions
axeasolutions.com
Susan Gatehouse
CEO
Axea Solutions partners with health systems, hospitals, clinics,
and physician practices to streamline processes and amplify
performance in the heart of the revenue.
Natasha Saxberg
CEO
DIGITALEUROPE
digitaleurope.org
DIGITALEUROPE is the leading trade association representing
digitally transforming industries in Europe.
Anna Borgström
CEO
NetClean Technologies
netclean.com
NetClean develops world-leading technology solutions that
protect businesses IT environments against child sexual abuse
material, safeguarding against crime in the workplace.
Denise Sangster
CEO
Global Touch, Inc
globaltouch.com
Global Touch is a partner-focused strategy and go-to market
transformation consulting firm focused on accelerating
revenues through world class, profitable partners.
Tebogo Mokwena
Co-founder
Akiba Digital
akibadigital.com
Akiba Digital is a financial data aggregation company, that
houses an agnostic data consolidation and enrichment engine
that clusters, visualises and predicts consumer behaviour.
Jennifer Kalnitsky
Palerino
Head of Marketing
Kroger strives to reflect the communities it serves and
fostering a culture that empowers everyone to be their true self,
inspires collaboration, and feeds the human spirit.
Kroger
kroger.com
Featured Person

10 Trailblazing Women in Tech
Ángela Álvarez
A Prolific Leader in FinTech and Corporate Finance Industry
hether you are looking for financing, invest-
Wment opportunities, a joint venture partner, or
selling non-core assets. Aglaia Capital is an
easy way for making that happen through its network of
investors, funds, family offices, UHNWI, institutions,
financing providers, and trusted partners. Featured as Top
Fintech Influencer, Top Women Leaders, and Elite league of
innovative entrepreneurs - Ángela Álvarez is the Founder
& Executive Chairman at Aglaia Capital. An interview
conducted between Insights Success and Ángela speaks
about Corporate Finance, Fintech, Blockchain, and
decentralized technologies.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a
proficient tech business leader.
Some traits are shown since childhood but stay latent until
something triggers them, and they appear stronger again,
enriched by all the discoveries learned along the path. The
challenges that I had to face in my life, having my vision
and opinions, people that have influenced me, and people
that I have influenced, have shaped my vital growth without
losing my essence.
A good dose of authenticity, passion, ambition, honesty,
courage, generosity, resilience, curiosity, appetite for
knowledge, vision, and purpose have been good
companions on my personal and professional journey,
together with that inner impulse of doing better every day,
and of making an impact to make a better world.
Emerging technologies are having a key role for the
evolution of core industries where I have developed my
professional career, such as Corporate finance, M&A,
Investment banking, and Financial Services. They attracted
my interest some years ago as a way to solve most of the
issues that I have found in the industry along my
professional career, so I started to go deeper in the
possibilities that they can provide to our industry.
How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to
entice the target audience?
Aglaia Capital surge as an expression of my vision on my
industry combined with new technologies businesses,
anticipating the needs of the clients and the industry itself.
It lies in two main areas. One, focus on advisory Corporate
Finance, M&A, focused on off-market deals, mainly in
Spain and Europe, and selectively in other geographies,
specialized in Financing structures, Hotels and Real Estate.
Having born with the mission of mixing traditional
corporate finance and the financial industry with the new
digital world, it has a second line of business focused on
Blockchain projects for Financial Services, Fintech, and
Digital Assets. Besides, we offer Aglaia Capital Club, an
Investment Club with services for Investors.
How do you cope up with capricious technological
trends to boost your personal growth?
I am usually very keen on following Emerging
technologies. I am particularly more focused on technology
for the transactional financial services industries, where
DLT/Blockchain are considered an essential catalyst for the
evolution of the world’s financial infrastructure, making it
more efficient, resilient and reliable, particularly in the big
areas of payments, and asset management. It facilitates
access to new markets by automating low value-added
tasks, and provide a standardized and immutable method to
10 | March 2021 www.insightssuccess.com

www.insightssuccess.com 11
|
March 2021
Ángela Álvarez
Founder &
Executive Chairman
Aglaia Capital

interconnect financial institutions, as well as considerable
cost savings.
As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges
were faced by you in a corporate business? And how did
you overcome them?
I have faced many challenges that are part of my growth
process. An inner impulse, vision, and purpose have been
the main tools to overcome them. Keep the passion,
resilience, flexibility, and being surrounded by allied with
the same mission, values, and objectives than me, have
made this entrepreneurship trip easier to travel.
Have you in any way contributed towards the cause of
women empowerment?
I have grown in a professional career that is typically
dominated by men, and have done so without thinking
about gender. The achievements and the influence that I
may have had in others may have also been one
contribution to Women's empowerment. I usually focus the
energy not on fighting the old but on building the new.
Diversity and sustainability are at our ethos at Aglaia
Capital. Diversity is needed for a better understanding of
this complex world and will be a competitive advantage and
a selective evolutive differentiation in the corporate world.
Where are you focusing your energy now, and where do
you hope to make an impact next?
Aglaia Capital was born with a strong focus on traditional
corporate finance, and on transactional technology for the
Financial industry with emerging technologies, blockchain,
and both will be developing.
Current goals are the consolidation of Aglaia Capital,
continuing to grow our core Corporate Finance business,
aiming to be a reference for off-market deals, and on the
technological side, developing a platform for digitalization
to provide liquidity for some of our clients.
We will aim to develop also a Private Equity Strategy to
make easier making investments, leveraging our knowledge
of the markets and deal flow, to digitalize those vehicles to
make them more efficient, profitable, liquid, and transparent
for our investors.
What would be the biggest challenge for the next
generation of women and how can one be a strong role
model for them?
I think that the biggest challenge for the next generation of
women is just “be”, without looking back to past
stereotypes. Preserving anyone’s uniqueness can make a
difference also for others, and I think it is more valuable
than following models or any stereotype.
What are the vital traits that every business women
should possess?
Ambition, determination, resilience, vision, courage, and
creativity.
“IMPOSSIBLE IS JUST AN OPINION.”
|
March 2021

DENISE SANGSTER
Unleashing the Power of Partner Ecosystems
ne of the biggest gaps in women’s careers is the
Olack of in-field global experience. Working globally
is not for the faint of heart as it is hard on your
body with continual time zone changes and jet lag, missing
family time, and long work days managing three
geographic time zones,” believes Denise Sangster. With
that said, Denise has been a road warrior for 30 years and
enjoyed nearly all of it, and is looking forward to getting
back on the trail post-pandemic.
How it all started?
A firm believer of change, Denise wanted to be a lawyer
and follow in her father’s footsteps. However, before
attending law school, she decided to take a few years off to
work. During this time, she worked for a large law firm and
realized that she likes a thoughtful, well informed, data
driven approach to representing clients, and did not want to
be a lawyer. She wanted to be out in the field creating and
building business opportunities with clients and not only
working with them when there was a problem.
The husband of one of the top female attorneys in this law
firm had started a Silicon Valley database start-up. He
recruited Denise to head the international business even
though she knew nothing about their business. It was a
massive learning curve about the technology, international
business, localization of product and documentation,
marketing and sales activities, and developing partner
ecosystems. What she found easy was the ability to build
business and personal relationships. When the company
was acquired by Microsoft, she was not interested in the job
she was offered and three customers from her prior
technology company retained her to work with them on
strategy, IT partnerships, and other tasks. All were located
outside the US market.
Then she needed to build her reputation outside of the
database world, so she started writing for a number of IT
publications in Europe (UK, France, and Germany),
Australia, and the US. She was then approached by a group
of IT executives to create the first IT pan-European event
for the IT industry that focused on a go-to-market with
partners. The event, called “EuroChannels,” was a big
success, but it was met with initial resistance from some
European IT leaders who did not want an “American girl”
to help grow the European IT market. Denise eventually
won over most, and some even became clients. Many
became very good, life-long friends, as did their spouses
and children. In fact, she has had four children of European
technology executives work for her company over the
years.
In a way, Denise grew up with the PC business. There is no
doubt taking this first technology job was the greatest career
step for her, and one that changed her life. Since then, she
has never looked back. Today, Denise is the President and
CEO at Global Touch, Inc., a digital transformation
consulting firm that helps IT organizations to build partner-
leveraged strategies for the hybrid and digital computing
world.
A Take on Impactful Leadership
In Denise’s opinion, women should be held to the same
standard as men. She believes the key traits of all leaders
should be action-mindedness, calculated risk-taker,
problem-solver and culturally direct when needed. She
generalizes her experience of watching the best of class
male and female leaders around the world by saying that
men are typically more often top-down, “command-and-
control” leaders, while women tend to have a more
participative leadership style. Denise believes that given the
need for collaboration and innovation to drive competitive
differentiation, women have a natural advantage if they can
break through the glass ceiling.
According to Denise, ten traits female leaders should
possess are as follows:
1. Honesty and integrity at all times with quick admission
when something did not go well.
“

Denise Sangster,
President & CEO,
Global Touch, Inc.
|
March 2021

2. Confidence in yourself, which can be hard if your inner
voice is your harshest critic.
3. Resilience and persistence even in the face of uncertainty
such as the pandemic the world is currently experiencing.
4. Strength and courage to learn from failure as you learn
more in “rough seas” …
5. Think strategically, prioritize goals and keep the business
focused.
6. Commitment to disruptive innovation.
7. The ability to align the business with customers and
partners to achieve predictable results.
8. Communication skills that are grounded in both listening
and talking.
9. Hard work and a sense of purpose.
10. Commitment to mentor the next generation of leaders
who will stand on our shoulders.
Key Areas
At present Global Touch is focused in three areas in the IT
industry. First is aligning IT companies’ predictability
(revenue, growth, profit, etc.) with their partners’
profitability and readiness, customer success and business
outcome gains. This triangular alignment is what’s missing
for most companies in the IT industry. Second is defining a
partner profit journey to complement and energize the
customer lifecycle journey that most IT companies have
prioritized as a key strategy in the next few years. Lastly, it
is focusing on helping IT companies create partner
investments, programs, and incentives that shorten the sales
cycle, improve the time to achieve return on investment,
and increase the margin through next generational partner
programs and readiness strategies.
An Initiative Towards Women Empowerment
Global Touch, Inc is spotlighting women around the world
in its new blog series called, “IT Wondrous WomenÔ.”
Launched in mid-October 2020 it showcases top and
emerging technology industry leaders from around the
world. Some of these women are well known in the IT
industry, others are quietly driving success, and some have
moved to corporate customer or non-profit roles. Each are
driving game changing success and deserving of
recognition as they are expanding the future of the IT
industry through their prowess, intelligence, and impact.
They are also inspiring those who will stand on their
shoulders.
All participants in this blog series answer the same set of
questions, which provides a glimpse into their careers and
backgrounds and, more importantly, what makes them such
wondrous and inspirational leaders! As Denise says, “they
can't be us if they can't see us, so we are making noise
about these awesome leaders!”
Embrace New Technology Trends
According to Denise, the IT industry is consistently
changing through disruptive innovation. The race to build a
“better mousetrap” is what fuels the IT industry. “If you
don’t like roller coasters, stay away from the technology
industry, but this is really not realistic as technology is
bringing competitive advantages to everything from
consumer products, automobiles, and business technology,”
says Denise.
Work every day
like you’ve never
won a client
engagement and
treat every client
like they are your
only one.
“
“

kimberly Khoury
Paving her Way in Sustainability Development
&
&
The
20
BUSINESSWOMEN
to Watch, 2020
SUCCESSFUL
Most

Plugging into
MODERN
WORLD
With constant developments all around us, it is
necessary to stay updated on innovation in the
industry as they occur. Today, the companies
are based on the emerging requirements of the consumer,
that is being fulfilled by technological tools. For leaders, it
is crucial that they are aware of these technological
changes, as it provides answers to the most critical issues
and builds solutions for future opportunities. It is the only
way to provide the highest level of service to the clients
with the increasing demand of the market.
Alliance of Tech
Women are seen to be actively participating in tech
organizations. Most of them are at the leadership positions
of those organizations and are changing the landscape of the
world.
For women leaders, it is about proving themselves and
rising as successful leaders in tech by taking calculated
risks. They are not afraid of taking risks as it is all about a
challenge and taking timely decisions about it. They are
well aware of the fact, that fear of failure will only work in
hampering the progress and creativity of theirs as well as
the company. And only trust and knowledge will help to
take the correct decision. Recognizing and learning from
mistakes is the step they follow in this process of change.
It is through constant learning and engagement with the
industry experts and a curious mind that will sail through
the difficult tech concepts. Even if women are not experts in
the respective fields, but the credibility for success is
achieved through these above-mentioned traits. Having the
vision, direction and the ability to navigate through all these
challenges keeps the businesswoman and the business
successful.
The Answer for Tomorrow
The real challenge is not being a leader but being a tech
leader, that is when businesswomen have to adopt a
different approach in their leadership career. There are a lot
of merits once adapted to these changes in the professional
career of the businesswomen. It is a paradigm shift from
traditional leadership to the revolutionary digital future
because, it solves a lot of modern problems with optimized
time, cost and helps the businesswomen in delivering best
performances.
This open-minded strategy to always do better and never
stop learning is crucial in an ever-evolving world.
Therefore, everything that innovates must be adopted by the
businesswomen. Nowadays, the nature of the work has
changed due to the pandemic situation, the emergence of
new remote working models encourages the demand for

|
March 2021
Tech of Tomorrow

digital skills. So, looking at the trend the answer lies in
applying to the new changes, where women can contribute
to the world.
Walking the Trends
The topics like tech, digital transformation, innovation, and
sustainability enrich women’s empowerment. Because an
interconnected world of such powerful tools creates job
opportunities. Women have already started to make a
difference as they have not limited themselves, ultimately
building a better future. It is the journey of women’s
technological empowerment and the journey is full of
surprises.
Businesswomen have realized its importance and started to
expand their potential with their significant roles. Women
are also empowering other women by taking the
responsibility to support each other by mentoring,
ultimately making an impact in the world as well. With this,
they have started to open doors of opportunities for
themselves and all the women. Every businesswoman holds
the art of mastering these technological tools and deserves a
worthy position in the so-called ‘male-dominated' world.
A Sublime Future
Businesswomen have become strong role models and are
not afraid to show their flaws or feel less pressured. They
are striving to be perfect. Today, more women are choosing
this career path and spending more time exploring the real
business needs. Women will soon be considered the same as
men, as they are having more participation in the tech
leadership roles. This is going to be a real thing and women
are here for competition in business technologies in all the
industries.
Now that these emerging technologies are having a key role
in businesswomen career, it is helping to solve the most
complicated issues. The focus now should not only be on
fighting on the old and traditional women issues but also on
building the new culture of women in technology.

Flavilla Fongang
Serial Entrepreneur,
Author & the Founder

Flavilla
Fongang
A Top-performer That Always Delivers
Are you struggling to express your tech brand internationally?
Do you feel like your tech brand needs a brand uplift/ a brand
campaign to improve engagement? Are you looking for
innovative ways to show the relevance of your brand? An award-
winning creative branding & marketing agency helping tech businesses
- 3 Colours Rule is what you need. Flavilla Fongang and her team
will help you improve the value of your business to project the optimal
brand credibility, improve your brand value, engage prospects, team
members & consequently grow your brand more effectively.
Woman-of-Influence in Tech
Flavilla Fongang’s journey in the tech industry started a few years ago
when she took the drastic decision for her agency to work
predominantly with tech companies. Flavilla always advises
entrepreneurs and businesses to pick a niche, so she had to apply what
she preaches. So, she chose technology.
Flavilla quickly realised the importance of technology as it enables
humans to expand their potential at a significant scale. However, a
larger proportion of great tech companies fail compared to other
industries because of the lack of ability in articulating their value and
offerings. She was keen to support them and help them succeed so they
could make an impact on the world.
Flavilla Fongang has raised her power of influence in the tech industry
through raising her personal brand and positioned herself as a thought
|
March 2021

leader. She developed business approaches that help companies
scale. Flavilla is also a BBC brand strategist, keynote speaker,
and a woman of influence in technology.
Truly Engaging Entrepreneur
Flavilla Fongang interviews tech Extraordinaires who fit 3
Colours Rule’s target profile (Tech Brains Talk). Tech Brains
Talk is a magazine which allows the company to maximise its
brand reach through various formats. Flavilla arrived in
England without speaking a word of English. She was not born
in a well-connected environment that would know to support
her entrepreneurial aspirations, so she had to build her network
for herself. She networks continuously to build her net worth.
Flavilla also takes the initiative to look and ask for successful
individuals in business to mentor her which opened up doors to
more opportunities.
Inspire Girls to Dream-Big
Growing up, the only woman who inspired her to become the
person she is today was her mother. Flavilla Fongang realised
the importance of representation when she moved to London
and her aspirations grew further. She saw more
representation of successful black people in the UK
compare to what she saw in France. With the lack of
represented black women in technology, Flavilla
decided to make her mission to support, elevate, and
showcase black women in technology, to inspire more
young black girls to dream big. “We humans, are
mirrors of our aspirations and that’s why representation
matters,” quotes Flavilla.
Dynamic and Enthusiastic Lecturer
“The most vital traits a businesswoman must possess is
self-worth and confidence to understand her true power.
Every businesswoman should master the art of selling
and negotiating to get what she deserves in a man’s
world. Every businesswoman should be bold and never
be afraid to take the leap of faith. The biggest challenge
for the next generation of women would be to feel
sufficient in a world that keeps demanding more. A
strong role model should not be afraid to show her
flaws. Less women should feel the pressure to always be
perfect.” advises Flavilla Fongang.
Award-winning for a Reason
Flavilla Fongang is a Serial Entrepreneur, Author,
and the Founder of 3 Colours Rule, an award-winning
branding and neuromarketing agency. Computer
Weekly named her among the top 5 most influential
women in tech in the UK, and she was also awarded the
“She’s Mercedes” businesswoman award by Mercedes
Benz. Through her agency, she has helped her clients
scale their brands nationally and internationally.
Flavilla Fongang is a respected brand strategist with
neuromarketing expertise and the creator of the D.A.C.
system and the “Beyond marketing” strategy. Flavilla is
the brand advisor for the BBC and provides regular
actionable brand strategy advice on live radio and TV.
She is also the founder of Tech London Advocates for
Black Women in Tech. She hosts the Tech Brains Talk
podcast, providing insights and advice to tech
entrepreneurs and companies. She is also the author of
“99 strategies to get customers”.
A Creative Genius
“When it comes to technology, it can have positive or
negative effects on our mental health. I choose to not
follow all trends and only stick to the ones that provide
the convenience that I seek, and the least distraction.

We should encourage more work experience early on as it
helps women build confidence and find fulfilment in the right
career. We expect young people to choose their future career
too soon. They should spend more time exploring the real
world before committing to one career for the rest of their
life. That is why we have so many people doing a job that
they do not love. They should be allowed to explore the real
business world through various experiences,” states Flavilla
Fongang.
Business success
is about the
relationships
we forge through
time. I always
act to provide value
first, and then the
business will
come naturally
“
“
|
March 2021

Linda Grasso,
Chief Opera ng Oﬃcer
Digital Business Innova on srl

Despite the progress made over the years, gender
equality is sadly far away in the workplace and it is
essential to 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. One of Linda Grasso’s main commitments
is empowering Women in Tech, since she strongly believes
sustainability and gender equality are the key to world’s
economic development. The fourth industrial revolution is
driving the workforce transformation and she believes it is
important to analyze how women are involved in building
the future of work; she states that companies must build
future strategies that also work for women. Linda is the
Chief Operating Officer of Digital Business Innovation
srl. Digital Business Innovation srl is a digital business
transformation consulting firm. Strategy, Technology and
Influence are its three important pillars.
Operational and Strategic Approach
Since Linda was a child, she has always enjoyed doing
activities that required ingenuity, challenging herself and
discovering new things. When it came to choose which
university path she should take, she had no doubts:
engineering was the right one. After getting a master’s
degree with honors and practicing as industrial engineer,
she started pursuing a business career she was passionate
about.“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to
work a day in your life” is an inspiring quote by
Confucius, and Linda strongly believes in it. So, she
embarked on a path as Chief Operating Officer at Digital
Business Innovation, an Italian innovative startup active in
the world of consulting. Her mission in the company is the
project management in the field of the so-called Industry
4.0, harnessing the power of the emerging technologies
such as AI, IoT, Blockchain, Cyber Security, 5G, and more,
through both operational and strategic approach.
Innovative and Open-Minded Spirit
Technology is highly disruptive in several industry verticals
and can bring lots of benefits in business processes. Digital
Business Innovation helps companies, both SMEs and
Global Brands, demystifying the paradigm shift of digital
transformation to thrive in a revolutionary future. Working
as an executive certainly involves lots of responsibilities:
manage different aspects and reach high performances,
optimize time, and cost, and coordinate the pieces of the
puzzle so they can fit together. But Linda really likes her
job, she considers it as very inspiring; and whenever desired
results are achieved, she feels highly satisfied. Her life
motivation to do always better and never stop learning –
indeed, she believes that adopting an open mind strategy is
crucial to survive in an evolving world. Everything that
deals with innovation fascinates her!
Adapting New Skills to Thrive Together
Nowadays, there are several forces that are changing the
nature of work, such as the transformation of sectors and
roles due to automation, the demand for digital skills, and
the emergence of new work models, and Linda encourages
to look at how these trends may impact working women
and intersect with existing barriers to women’s economic
empowerment. In her humble 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 to create a more
inclusive world where we can combine skills to thrive
together.”
Thought Leadership
Furthermore, Linda is highly active on social media
professionally and particularly she likes to share insightful
Linda
Grasso
|
March 2021

content on Twitter and LinkedIn. When she finds something
juicy about her key topics, such as technology, digital
transformation, innovation, business strategy, sustainability,
and women empowerment, she tries to deepen and enrich
her knowledge. She is aware that 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 she tries to do - her audience notices the quality of
content and, to keep them engaged, she reaches their
interest by conveying useful notions and giving a unique
value. She is glad when people appreciate her commitment,
and she enjoys being recognized an influencer in her
business field. Influencer marketing is the new paradigm in
the enterprise communication strategy and raising
awareness on thought leadership is she considers
particularly important.
Enjoying the Journey While Learning
Linda’s tip for the young women is following what really
fascinates them. And if it is STEM, they are most welcome:
it is an interesting field and there are excellent job
perspectives. There are so many things to learn in science,
technology, engineering, and math, so why not? Plus, she
believes that we really need more inspiring women in this
field. In her small way, she does her best to encourage
women to be brave and never stop in front of bias. She
believes that women need to make a difference, building a
better future and leaving no one behind. When asked about
where do Linda sees herself in the future? She answers that
she likes to live her life day by day and set no limits. She
says that she does not know what the future holds for her,
but she hopes it to be something surprising. Meanwhile, she
would like to enjoy the journey!
Choose a job you
love, and you will
never have to
work a day in
your life.

Marina Tognetti,
Founder & Chief
Executive Ofﬁcer

Inspiring & Passionate Language Leader
In current international economy, communicating with
clients, customers, and international partners in their
native language gives you a competitive edge. With
business clients, it is all about building lasting relationships,
while with consumers it is all about making the right
impression. Having lived in numerous countries and
speaking six languages, Marina Tognetti knows first-hand
the difficulties learners face when learning a new language
and culture. Which is why she came up with the idea of
starting mYngle.
From Open Marketplace to Global Online School
Marina Tognetti had launched mYngle as a marketplace,
something she knew very well from her previous eBay
experience. The company thought it got it all: funding, lots
of Awards and PR, a very motivated team. But something in
the business model was not working as it had been
expected. The key was accepting that change was needed
and not being afraid to question its assumptions, and truly
listening to its customers, as they gave them the new
direction, from an open marketplace to a quality global
online school, from B2C to B2B.
To Create a Better World for All
Marina Tognetti is a tech entrepreneur, Founder, and CEO
of mYngle.com, but the passion for entrepreneurship came
later on in her career. When Marina graduated from
University, it was an era when entrepreneurship was not
very common for academics. She built a successful career
at large multinationals, Procter & Gamble, Philips, Sara
Lee, The Boston Consulting Group, and eBay; living and
working in different countries, she got an MBA from
INSEAD. It was while working as a consultant on a project
on internet strategy that she first saw the potential of the
internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever the
way mYngle buy/sell/interact. She had to be a part of that!
That was the drive to start an innovative company -
mYngle, as Marina knew she could make a real difference.
Marina Tognetti regularly presents topics at international
conferences on female leadership and entrepreneurship and
won numerous awards for her role of women in technology
such as, 50 Most Inspiring Women Tech Leaders in Europe,
50 Most Inspiring Women in Dutch Technology Sector,
Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All and many
others.
Nurturing Customer Obsession
Marina Tognetti is a businessperson, so she does not need to
be an expert in tech implementation, but she understands its
implication for a business: how it impacts a company, the
customers, and the value chain. mYngle nurtures an
obsession for customers’ satisfaction, and this is one of its
key strengths. The company looks continuously to improve
its service. It does so by constantly listening to users’
feedback and improving accordingly, as well as leveraging
new technologies at its advantage. This is where mYngle
hopes to make an impact, leveraging its proven capabilities
to deliver successful online training and inspire the industry
for the benefit of its customers.
Transparent and Controllable Learning Process
This age of quarantine, social distancing, and remote
working fast-tracked the trend, and in many cases online
education has become the only possible way of learning.
While many of the traditional offline players have been
challenged by this sudden shift, mYngle was already in the
‘right place’’. It is built on many years of experience and
knows that migrating existing classroom training programs
to digital is not just the mere application of existing
technology solutions. Rather, it requires a more
fundamental re-thinking of the total learning experience,
Marina Tognetti
|
March 2021

from trainers to content, to the blended form.
mYngle is the solution for busy professionals who need
language training to be successful in their international
business, and for companies that want great learning results
and a transparent and controllable learning process to make
their investment a success.
Listen to the Leader
“In this era of challenging technological evolution, the vital
traits that every businesswoman should possess are similar
to those of an innovative entrepreneur. The tech world is
still particularly male-dominated: only ﬁve per-cent of tech
start-ups are owned by women”. Despite all that, women
are as innovative as men and companies run by women are
just as successful”, says Marina Tognetti. For this reason,
she aims to be a role model for other women in tech, but an
accessible one, trying to give a genuine picture of what it
takes to be an entrepreneur, the ups and downs that we all
have but few want to share.
She guides, “Be a visionary to set the direction and
anticipate and navigate challenges. Do not be afraid of
taking risks, since great, and sometimes unforeseen
opportunities come from taking risks. Embracing risk
also helps to overcome the fear of failing. Last
but not least, be able to adapt and change
to keep the business successful.”
The biggest challenges were not in
her corporate career but as a tech
entrepreneur. That was when the
company had to ‘pivot’ from the
initial business model to a
completely diﬀerent one, which is
mYngle now.
To lead is to
make a
difference.

Wireless
Trends Enabli
By- Yandisa Sokhanyile
Founder & Chief Digital Oﬃcer
KONECTA (South Africa)

s Technology
ing the Digital Economy
G
lobal internet usage has surged in the last year
mainly due to the COVID -19 pandemic,which has
forced most countries to be on lockdown. There is
anxiety, economic decline, job losses, deaths and a definite
move to digital platforms. This disruption has forced every
single citizen to be a digital citizen, if not, at least consider
becoming one. This is evident in the rise of internet
penetration stats. According to statistics website Statista , as
of Q4 2020 there are almost 4.66 billion active internet
users which account for 59% of the global population, a rise
from the same time in 2019 at 4.388bn, at 57% penetration.
The continuous internet adoption has brought about a huge
opportunity for the Telecommunications industry. It has also
highlighted the institutional voids that exist especially in
developing countries and mostly has just widened the
digital divide.
Regardless of the current pandemic, connectivity is a
necessity and I would go further to say a human right for
every individual. It levels the playing field affording a child
in the most rural place of the world an access to the world
that they would not physically reach. It presents access to
opportunities, to knowledge and a connection to the world.
The opportunity brought about is enormous and opens up
the market to Internet service providers (ISP’s), Digital and
Communications Companies, Online Education,
E-Commerce and so forth. Observing the increase in global
spend on mobile apps which has sky- rocketted to around
$28billion by Q3 2020 compared to the same time in 2019,
which was sitting at $23.4bn. If 91% of the population is
using mobile internet, can you imagine the infrastructure
required and pressure that has been put on wireless
networks. This means Telecommunications companies need
to be able to keep up with this growth and start to focus on
meeting the current demand and be able to forecast the
future usage. Telecommunications companies need to be
data companies and be able to understand consumer
behavior, usage patterns and customer needs so they can be
able to plan ahead.
This much growth in digital adoption creates an even bigger
need for faster wireless connectivity which brings the new
trends in wireless technology that can enable this digital
economy.:
5G
It has not been a sailing road for the Network Operators due
to the theories linking COVID-19 to 5G. These theories
have fuelled a rage within communities, leading the towers
and equipment being vandalised. The 5G network which
promises to be a game changer in the Telecoms industry by
providing users the highest speeds and will enable all the
other value added services that are necessary for future
digital economy.
This fifth generation wireless network (5G) is the upgrade
from the 4G network and provides the fastest speeds, high
Leader’s Viewpoint
|
March 2021

reliability, low latency and can transmit large chunks of
data. This makes 5G the ideal to enable the internet of
Things. The reality is, there are more devices per
household than there were a few years back. We have to be
realistic about how much bandwidth we are consuming,
how much data we are transmitting and this digital
evolution needs high speed connection. We are already
looking at autonomous vehicles, internet of things (IOT)
and internet of everything (IOE), all this will be possible
when we have technologies like 5G and beyond. I cannot
wait for a time when my fridge can automatically place an
order to the online shopping platform without me doing all
the work or when my car can communicate with the other
cars to make way as we are in a bit of hurry. These are all
possibilities with 5G technology.
WIFI 6
Another technology that promises an improvement in the
performance of WIFI networks is WIF-6, which also has
higher speeds and a potential to connect more devices in a
single router than the current routers. In a single household,
you now find someone streaming a series, another on video
call while someone is playing a game, which is always the
situation at my house. That doesn’t include all the other
IOT devices that get connected to the same network. I'm
sure you have heard the saying “ What’s worse than having
no WIFI is a slow WIFI”. The frustration of trying to
connect to a slow network is just annoying. WIFI 6 also
brings other benefits like security and a general improved
network performance of the devices in the entire network.
All the advancements in wireless technology enable the
different sectors of the economy to perform at their best. I
believe WIFI is like a free way that allows all modes of
transport to run on top. This is why At KONECTA ,we
build these wireless networks and platforms to gather big
data and enable value added services like e-commerce,
advertising and marketing. We give clients the opportunity
to target the right customer at the right at a right location.
With every business providing free WIFI to its customers,
we help these businesses get value from the free WIFI by
gathering customer data so they can be able to offer
personalised offers and also have a better understanding of
their customer.
If there is one thing that is clear is that internet usage will
keep increasing, as much as 59% of the world population is
already online, there is still the 41% that is not connected
and most of these are rural and marginalised communities.
The socio-economic divide is evident and the digital divide
is widening especially in this current COVID-19 pandemic
climate. This is why we have dedicated our resources to
deploying free WIFI hotspots in public transport hubs and
Churches in marginalised communities in South Africa to
give these communities a chance to be part of this global
digital economy.
It is a long and capex intensive journey but I believe with
the right partnerships and collaborations, we will be able to
reach our dream that every African child growing up will
have access to the internet.

ith concerns of the COVID-19 pandemic
Whaving a disproportionate impact on certain
individuals, such as minorities and the elderly,
public health experts worldwide require more detailed data,
provided on a real-time basis. A longstanding proponent of
the reliability and integrity of data as central to healthcare,
Axea Solutions’ Chief Executive Officer and Founder,
Susan Gatehouse, understands such complex elements.
Susan is a nationally recognized speaker and author, with a
nearly 30-year history as a leading provider of revenue
cycle solutions and advanced technology offerings within
the healthcare sector.
It’s All About the Journey
"It's been a thrilling journey over the last three decades,
watching the advancements in technology and how it
improved the efficiency and quality of healthcare as a
whole," says Susan Gatehouse. "There is no question that
technology has and continues to reshape the healthcare
industry in inspiring, transformative ways,” adds Susan.
"As a result of advancements in technology, vast quantities
of crucial information are now more accessible for patient
care, documentation, reimbursement, and most importantly
affords us the ability to measure healthcare outcomes,”
says Susan. However, ensuring that information is accurate
is an ongoing challenge for many healthcare organizations
and providers. And this is precisely where Axea, together
with its technology-based solutions and a team of industry
experts, comes into play to bring efficiency and real value
to clients.
Through this continual and comprehensive understanding of
client pain-points, Axea developed AccuTrend™, a
proprietary cloud-based system that provides integrated,
self-powered access to coding audit results, performance,
and detailed time-stamped progression of an audit. With
built-in, automated management tools to control
productivity and visibility into reporting, AccuTrend™
manages healthcare organizations' results and provides
recommendations in real-time. Nowhere in the industry can
you find a technology platform with an audit approach as
robust and thorough as AccuTrend™. The company's
technology solutions provide connectivity between all
parties, delivering total quality insights.
Axea Solutions also provides industry-leading education
with its proprietary cloud-based learning management
platform, Axea Academy®. "Axea Academy® is a unique
platform, unlike other available as it provides managers
Susan
Gatehouse
Thrives in Building the Big-Picture
At Axea Solutions, we take a universal
approach to technology always with a vision
to the future, to empower healthcare
organizations to complete Data Quality
Management.
“

Susan Gatehouse
Chief Executive
Oﬃcer & Founder
Axea Solutions, Inc
|
March 2021

If you find you have not made any eminent mistakes on
your professional path, be certain you are not taking the
risks required to reach your potential. Don’t be afraid of
mistakes, tough decisions always accompany mistakes.
“
with a complete management tool for education and
training, and coder cross-training across coding teams in
multiple locations," adds Susan.
Think Innovation
"With constant developments in emerging technologies, it is
necessary to stay current on innovation and industry
changes as they occur," says Susan. The organization’s
offering is based on noted voids within the industry.
Continual awareness of client challenges is vital, as is
continuous remedy assessments to provide the highest level
of service and solutions to build prominence for future
opportunities.
“Proven time and time again, to be successful, taking
certain risks are necessary. But one cannot be afraid of
taking risks,” informs Susan. She remarks that the fear of
risks or making the wrong decision is one of many
businesses' first challenges. Such fear can immobilize
progress and creativity and ultimately halt or destroy
innovation. Susan says that one must trust their knowledge
and the knowledge of those surrounding them while making
informed decisions, recognizing mistakes will be made, and
often a change in the course is required.
Susan is curious by nature and a firm believer in feeding
that curiosity through engagement and constant learning of
one's specialty. "You must be an expert in your field, to
elevate your credibility and achieve authentic success,"
Susan says.
Change is Vital to Growth
The healthcare industry's environment is continuously
changing, and like any organization, the company faces
challenges along the way. It is vital to stay abreast with the

changes. Moreover, you have to ensure you are providing
solutions to clients' current needs. Axea Solutions was
established with a simple vision ─ to provide superior
value-added services by listening to and meeting clients'
needs, always guided by a commitment to integrity. One of
the primary reasons Axea has been so successful is that its
vision is embedded in its corporate culture, with a
consistent message to perform with integrity and succeed
on merit through its quality results.
With today's changing and competitive business
environment, particularly in the healthcare sector, Axea has
found that the ability to change and adapt when necessary is
crucial. Being nimble, flexible, and responsive to clients'
needs could be considered the secret to the company’s
success. The fact is, change is good, but significant change
is evidenced when you consistently evaluate and adapt
objectives and goals to ensure you deliver unparalleled
service and solutions.
Strategic Solutions
Susan founded Axea Solutions in 1999 with the primary
goal of providing clients with current, thorough, and
accurate auditing services and education. Under Susan's
leadership, Axea has expanded to become recognized as
one of the premier Health Information Management (HIM)
and revenue cycle enhancement firms, serving various
clients nationwide. Susan believes nothing replaces hard
work and experience; it is merely part of the journey. At the
outset of her HIM career, she submerged herself in diverse
healthcare settings, which provided her an inherent
understanding of healthcare facilities' revenue cycle and
functional operations. She built Axea on a solid foundation
of industry knowledge at a fundamental level.
Susan has continuously stayed active and engaged within
the healthcare industry, providing numerous lectures at
national conferences and events for industry organizations
such as AHIMA, HFMA, GHIMA, and GHA. In addition,
she was a contributing author and editor for the book,
"Implementing Information Security in Healthcare:
Building a Security Program," and contributed to the CDC
manual, "Moving Science to Coverage." Among her many
professional achievements, Susan is a recipient of the
Georgia Health Information Management Association
Professional Achievement Award. She was named "Female
vendor RCM leader to know" by Becker's Healthcare, and
listed as "One of the Top 10 Most Influential Women in
Technology, 2020."
|
March 2021

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