Top 10 pioneering business leaders to follow in 2021 compressed

JOHN FORESI
LEADING WITH VALUES AND CONTINUAL INNOVATION
John Foresi, CEO and Co-Founder of Venterra Realty
PIONEERING
TO FOLLOW IN
2021
BUSINESS
LEADERS
1
Visionary
Leadership
TOP
VOL 04 I issue 05 I 2021
With Great Power
Comes Great
Responsibility

Soar Above
the Storm
ost of the people we meet in our day-to-day lives
Mdon’t have the recognition or something is
lacking in them. The thing that makes a leader
different from them is the risk-taking quality with the
exploration of the human mind into ideas and opportunities.
At the end, our choices affect our life, but to choose
whether to take a shelter or fly above when the storm hits,
like an eagle is in our hands. And, this is what makes the
leaders stand out from the rest.
Providing both professional and personal support to others
establishes the culture of leadership. The more leaders
accomplish the knowledge the more they grow with
experiences and insights. For leaders, embracing the fact
that they are more than these skills, brings greatness in the
team as well. Business Leaders do not worry about the
things they can influence, as it is difficult to control
everything. But the very fact that makes the leader think
about bringing a change makes them an influential leader.
Being a business leader, he/she plays with the strengths and
knowledge to travel in the industry. As leadership is
personal and leaders need to know themselves before other
leadership styles. The basic idea of business leaders is to act
on the purpose and vision aligned to the objectives of the
business.
The future of business leaders will be based on the
successful collaboration involving industry partners with
new skills and perspectives which will add further value to
the client relationships. For many business leaders pursuing
this strategy brings confidence and tends to grow quicker in
difficult conditions. Investing time and resources in
understanding these complex circumstances brings the best
out of business leaders. They are open to sharing their ideas
across borders maintaining an optimistic perspective on
overcoming challenges.
Editor’s Desk

While there are many such principles, fundamentals,
and qualities of a good leader, it is all about the
power to channel the efforts into action. So, this
leaves the business leaders with the same choice of
the storm, whether to wait and take the shelter, or fly
above the clouds and be unique by turning
challenges into opportunities.
Hence, we feel passionate to focus on such unique
business leaders with the same traits mentioned
above in our upcoming edition of Top 10 Pioneering
Business Leaders to Follow in 2021.
The cover story of this edition captures the exciting
journey of John Foresi, CEO and Co-Founder of
Venterra Realty. Venterra Realty is a rapidly
growing owner/operator of Multifamily rental
communities with more than 60 properties across 11
major US cities. John founded the company based on
7 Core Values. For John, Honesty & Integrity,
Humility, a Never-Ending Pursuit of Excellence,
Candor & Openness, Unparalleled Service
Excellence, comes first. John incorporates Candor
and Openness in everything he does and encourages
those with whom he does business to follow.
Well, that’s not all, you will explore more of such
inspiring journeys of business leaders in this edition
along with the CXO standpoints which will shed
light on the industry happenings. Also, make sure to
read the creative articles written by the in-house
editorial team as well.
Time to explore!
sourabh@insightssuccess.com
Sourabh More

COVER STORY
C
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N
T
E
N
T
S
08
ARTICLE
26
John Foresi
Leading With Values and Continual Innovation
Leader’s
Viewpoint
Leadership and
Success
Expert’s
Insight
Advertising and
Promoting of
Cocktails in the
Food and Drink
Industry
Visionary
Leadership
With Great Power
Comes Great
Responsibility
40
32

18
48
22
36
28
44
Amy Hedrick
An Inspiring Business Leader With
Admirable Work Experience
Jim Ratcliff
Let's Improve Overall Health
With better Oral Health
Taryn Andersen
Bridging the Gap Between Female Tech
Entrepreneurs and Investors
Better World
The Better Future of Crisis
Gideon Galloway
Doing Insurance Differently
Paul Marcantonio
Leading by Example and Remaining Humble

sales@insightssuccess.com
April, 2021
Editor-in-Chief
Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Technical Head
Technical Specialist Digital Marketing Manager
Research Analyst
Database Management Technology Consultant
Sumita Sarkar
Managing Editor
Anish Miller
Executive Editor
Sourabh More
Assistant Editors
Jenny Fernandes
Visualizer
David King
Art & Design Director
Asha Bange
Associate Designer
Shubham Dali
Kshitij S Peter Collins
John Matthew
Sales Executives
David, Martin, Akash
Business Development Executives
Steve, Joe, Aidan, Binay
Jacob Smile
Aditya Marry D'Souza
SME-SMO Executive
Amol Wadekar Frank Adams
Circulation Manager
Robert Brown Stella Andrew David Stokes
Kartik Balapurkar
Co-designer
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Brief
Company Name
Cleanbox
cleanboxtech.com
Amy Hedrick
CEO
Cleanbox Technology Inc. is a premium, eco-friendly, smart
tech hygiene company, specializing in UVC surface
decontamination for frequently used products.
Paul Marcantonio
Executive Director
ECOMMPAY
ecommpay.com
ECOMMPAY is more than an online payment service provider,
e-payments platform or payment company—we’re your
reliable payment partner.
Jim Ratclif
CEO
Rowpar
Pharmaceuticals
rowpar.com
Rowpar is a purpose driven organization that makes and
markets specialty oral care products.
Impulse4women
impulse4women.org
Taryn Andersen
CEO
In 2017 Impulse4women was born out of a desire to increase
the probability of fundraising for women tech entrepreneurs
and social enterprises.
Rob Pinataro
CEO
PaySpan
payspan.com
PaySpan's vision is to simplify the complicated world of
healthcare payments by providing financial solutions that
empower health plans and providers to solve their biggest
challenges – high costs associated with paper checks and
remittances, member-patient engagement and value-based care.
Gerald Neher
CEO
ComFin Software
comfinsoftware.com
ComFin Software has been providing trading and risk
management solutions to customers in the global oil and gas
sector since 1997.
Gideon Galloway
CEO
King Price Insurance
kingprice.co.za
Determined to keep #MakingADifference in the lives of the
people of Mzansi, the king of insurance introduced more coin-
saving products like R1 insurance, pay-as-you-drive cover, agri
insurance, and much more.
Thomas Russo
CEO
doeLEGAL
doelegal.com
doeLEGAL provides advanced information management tools
and elevated support designed to provide corporate legal
departments and law firms with anytime, anywhere control of
cases and costs to help inform decision making and drive
successful outcomes.
John Foresi
CEO
Founded in 2001, Venterra Realty owns and manages more than
60 apartment communities in 11 major US cities that provide
housing to over 35,000 people and 11,000 pets.
Venterra Realty
venterra.com
Featured Person
pioneering
Business
Leaders to Follow in
2021
TOP
Reggie Aggarwal
CEO
Cvent
cvent.com
Consistently recognized as a Top Workplace by both The
Washington Post and Washington Business Journal, Cvent
employees worldwide are encouraged to think and act like
entrepreneurs to drive business and innovation.

C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y
JOHN
FORESI
Leading With Values and Continual Innovation
We are passionate about building a
business that is uniquely focused on
the long-term that positively impacts
Venterra's stakeholders, employees,
and residents.
“
“
CEO and Co-Founder, Venterra Realty

These values are the foundation on which Venterra has been
built and are still significant in the company as John says,
“It is ok if you do not believe in these 7 Core Values, but if
you don't, you just can't work at Venterra.”
Leveraging Diverse Industry Experience
Prior to co-founding Venterra Realty in 2001 with his
business partner, Andrew Stewart, John spent time in
consumer-packaged goods, a boutique investment bank
focusing on M&A, the logistics/supply chain industry, and
software companies. Before Andrew and John founded
Venterra, both worked for and led companies running the
gamut of ownership and financing structures. Both have
worked for large multi-nationals, small private firms,
venture capital-backed companies, family owned/managed
businesses, and public and private companies. Similarly,
both have been employees, minority, and majority owners.
In the 1990's, Andrew and John exited the software industry
with a liquidity event prior to the Dot.com implosion, with
G
reat business leaders are driven by core values,
and when those values are embraced entirely by an
organization, great results are achieved. John
Foresi, CEO and Co-Founder of Venterra Realty, a
rapidly growing owner/operator of Multifamily rental
communities with more than 60 properties across 11 major
US cities, founded the company based on 7 Core Values.
For John, those include Honesty & Integrity, Humility, a
Never-Ending Pursuit of Excellence, Candor & Openness,
Unparalleled Service Excellence, Team First, and Prudent
Cost Management.
Honesty and Integrity are at the heart of Venterra Realty's
business decisions, ultimately leading to accountability and
trust with its employees, residents, and investors. John
incorporates Candor and Openness in everything he does
and encourages those with whom he does business to
follow. Venterra constantly strives to improve and lead the
industry, resulting in numerous awards and recognitions -
evidence of its commitment to its values, people,
customers, and investors alike.
Gateway North
Apartments,
Clearwater, Florida

sector. John believes this to be one of the top strengths at
Venterra: that its leaders have a diversity of industry
experience outside of the real estate industry.
Choosing a Value-Driven and Talented Team
The 7 Core Values are the foundation on which Venterra has
been built and it has been blessed to have people throughout
the company who passionately espouse these 7 values and
practice them every day for the benefit of all employees
who work at Venterra and for the tens and thousands of
residents who live at its properties.
Venterra's 7 Core Values and its people are the key
ingredients to making the company stand out in the
industry. Venterra is a real estate firm offering a
comprehensive suite of services for its residents, but at the
foundation are its people. Honesty and Candor permeate its
interactions. Whether it is a prospective resident looking to
rent an apartment or someone investing substantial capital
in one of its properties, Venterra has created an environment
where people depend on and trust it more than they trust
Venterra's competitors.
Over the years, John learned that it is truly people that make
the difference. The challenge for anyone in a leadership role
is to attract and keep the most talented, capable individuals
who want to be part of a team. Eventually, the best teams
always win over the best collection of individuals. Venterra
is fortunate to have incredibly talented employees who
genuinely want to be part of a team.
Prioritizing Health and Safety in a Pandemic
Protecting Venterra's employees and residents has been a
major part of its strategy to sustain operations during the
several motivating factors for starting Venterra. They knew
they enjoyed working together and they were too young to
retire (late 30's). As much as they projected and believed in
the long-term potential of the software industry, they also
saw the downside of “swinging for the fences”, so with
their liquidity event, their focus shifted to finding a way to
invest capital and earn “singles and doubles” with less
volatility.
Real estate in general intrigued them because of its
durability through economic cycles. Multifamily interested
them in particular because of its necessity of life
characteristics. Even though they both are Canadians, they
decided to focus exclusively on Southern U.S. markets
because they believed that select Southern markets
exhibited the ideal combination of both natural endowments
and policies to ensure long-term economic prosperity. To
this day, Andrew and John have not been disappointed.
Additionally, they chose Multifamily because it is a
complex asset class to manage, where being a great
operator makes a difference – and they knew they could
leverage their software backgrounds to bring industry-
leading automation to the sector. This has been the on-going
strategy for Venterra.
In founding Venterra, Andrew and John wanted not only to
leverage their diversity of industry experience, but they also
wanted to use their personal experiences to draw on what
they believed to be the best way to organizationally
structure -and fund- Venterra to maximize the probability
for long-term success for all stakeholders.
An important driver of the innovation at Venterra is the
varied industry backgrounds of both leaders and their desire
to bring the best-practices they learned from working in
other industries and adapt them to fit into the Multifamily

pandemic. The company is using contact tracing to
proactively manage its response to exposures and send any
exposed front-line employee home with pay for the CDC
recommended quarantine period. All employees and guests
in Venterra community offices are required to wear masks
and social distance. Floor markers are in place to serve as a
constant reminder, and residents are asked screening
questions before maintenance teams enter residents'
apartments.
To help protect Venterra's customers, self-guided and video
chat tour technologies are being used to facilitate
contactless apartment tours and leasing activities. To help
ensure a safe move, its newest residents are greeted with a
TM
home that has been treated with L.A.S.T. , a hospital-grade
EPA registered product that kills and prevents the spread of
Covid-19.
In Venterra's corporate offices, all employees have been
encouraged to work from home, and travel has been greatly
restricted. Microsoft Teams has kept its communication
efforts at the highest level possible, allowing for quick
connections across two countries and the organization.
Venterra Realty is not in a hurry to make any changes as of
now and is dedicated to focusing on the health and safety of
its employees and residents.
Investing in Long Term Success
Ensuring those employed at Venterra and its property
investors succeed in the long-term is something Venterra
spends a lot of effort on and believes is fundamental to its
ongoing success. For Venterra, this means orienting the
company's business strategy to focus on the long-term. John
believes that companies that can remain focused on the
long-term will prosper. Venterra therefore constantly makes
the kinds of infrastructure investments it thinks are required
for the company's long-term success, which is why Venterra
has not gone public nor accepted venture capital backing.
Venterra has a solid grasp of the macroeconomic and
demographic trends that drive its economy and business.
Venterra is well established and does not need to complete
acquisitions to be profitable, so it only buys when the right
opportunity arises. Through this acquisition strategy, it has
and will continue to obtain well purchased assets and turn
them into well operated assets for its investors.
Driving Value to Renters and Customers
Innovation permeates Venterra's strategy. One of Venterra's
Core Values is the Never-Ending Pursuit of Excellence,
which encompasses its infinite search for innovation and
paths to success and has proven to position Venterra as a
market-leading real estate management operation. Whether
it is investing in and developing industry-leading
technologies, modernizing and centralizing operational
procedures, or simply identifying new ways to drive value
to renters and provide them with an excellent customer
experience, all efforts are defined by its focus on
innovation.
Unparalleled Standards of Service
Venterra takes great pride in maintaining a vertically
integrated company backed by a culture of continual
innovation. It is focused on delivering an unparalleled
standard of service through sensible value-based decisions.
In turn, this has generated an industry-leading customer
Venterra Leadership Conference, 2019

John Foresi, CEO
and Co-Founder
Venterra Realty
Glassdoor Top CEO 2018
Links at Windsor Parke
Apartments,
Jacksonville, Florida

“
“
experience for residents and a portfolio of Multifamily real
estate assets that deliver superior cash flow for investors.
Driving Growth and Operational Success
In ten and twenty years, Venterra's plan is to be the same
company today in terms of culture and values; only bigger.
If markets cooperate by continuing to produce attractive
investment opportunities, it expects to have more than
40,000 apartment units by 2030 and be more geographically
diverse with increased capacity for new apartment
development.
Venterra will achieve scalability and create a Mobile
Enterprise by transforming its operational processes, by
building a stronger, more empowered workforce and
creating a more enabled customer base. It will ensure
employees and customers have the infrastructure and tools
necessary to be productive from anywhere and at any time.
Renters will be empowered to do more of what they want,
when they want through DIY access. Also, employees will
be empowered to be productive from anywhere, working
from home, while traveling, or while out on property.
Venterra will engage renters and support employees in
context (in the exact moment) by leveraging tracking and
data collection efforts to extract new value in every
interaction which prepares Venterra well to take advantage
of AI and automation opportunities and scale for the next
decade of growth and operational success. A mobile
strategy is not its own silo or specific technology.
More simply stated, Venterra will pursue solutions that
provide value to its employees and customers as they move
through their days.
Venterra Realty is committed to improving the lives of its
residents by delivering an industry-leading customer experience.
The Park on Wurzbach
Apartments,
San Antonio, Texas

Amy Hedrick
CEO and Co-founder
Cleanbox Technology
18 | April 2021 www.insightssuccess.com

AMY
An Inspiring Business Leader With
Admirable Work Experience
When it comes to building the skills and habits of leadership, one
must draw upon a lifetime of their own unique experience. As an
aspiring leader, it is critical that one takes the time to reflect upon
and assess their own goals, capabilities, and habits. Amy Hedrick is one such
business leader, whose journey demonstrates how to overcome difficulty,
build great teams, and come up with innovative ideas and radical solutions in
challenging situations.
Amy is the Co-founder and CEO of Cleanbox Technology Inc. Her
background as a content creator and thought leader in the application of
immersive technologies as industry disruptors provided the building blocks
for Cleanbox Technology as a business. Over the past decade, Amy has led
multiple teams from project inception and funding, to planning and
execution.
“I'm very proud of the hard work, quality product and customer services my
company and team delivered, and personally feel satisfaction that we were
able to provide jobs and real-world product solutions during a global
pandemic,” says Amy. She states, any honest business owner can always
look back and identify efforts they plan to improve.
Cleanbox Technology Inc. is a premium, eco-friendly, smart tech hygiene
company, specializing in UVC surface decontamination for frequently used
or shared products. The company's proprietary engineering of UVC light in
an LED provides safe, healthcare level hygiene, killing 99.999% of
contagions without the use of chemicals, heat, or liquids.
The more you
accomplish and
experience
throughout the
course of your life,
the more you will
want your
knowledge and
insight to live
beyond you.
Top 10 Pioneering Business Leaders to Follow in 2021
19
|
April 2021
www.insightssuccess.com

“Due to COVID-19, immersive technologies have become
even more important for many industries and observing
their growth in business applications, we have been able to
identify pain points we can solve and we build out new
product lines to address different,” says Amy.
Independence to Work Freely With Better Career
Opportunities
According to Amy, a positive work culture is important for
a growing business. Cultivating, building and maintaining a
positive work environment and sustainable culture is
critical for individual fulfillment, since the average worker
spends the majority of their life working for someone else.
Cleanbox Technology offers its employees the opportunity
to work remotely and the independence to hone their
strongest skills.
Travelling Around the World
Amy admires high velocity risk takers as well as leaders
who quietly work to impact the world around them. Most of
the people who have influenced her life don't have name
recognition. The biggest thing she credits for opening up
her mind and exploring new ideas and opportunities is
travel.
Amy started traveling around the world at age 15 and never
looked back. She asserts “I'm not talking about vacations.
My life choices were absolutely impacted by sleeping on
dirt floors in Uganda, making friends in the mountains of
Northern India, being taken care of by strangers after I'd
sliced my arm open in the Philippines, learning to sing in
Swahili, visiting summer camps in Russia, observing
traditions of multiple faiths—and yes, having drinks at the
Ritz in Hong Kong.” She believes feeling fear, sensing
danger, watching happiness, traveling alone, observing
human responses conditioned by their social and economic
situations are her greatest influences and her ongoing
inspiration.
Supporting is Essential for Leadership
Amy feels fortunate to engage with a number of multi-
talented, accomplished women who are making waves in
their respective areas of technology. She believes that
providing both professional and personal support to other
women in leadership is key to opening doors for other
women and establishing a leadership culture that doesn't
keep women at the bottom.
She opines “I think that the more you accomplish and
experience throughout the course of your life, the more you
will want your knowledge and insight to live beyond you.
Providing work and mentorship opportunities is a great
way to do that.”
Trust in Yourself
Amy's advice for emerging female leaders is “embrace the
fact that you're a woman—then move past that and lean into
the skills you've honed that make you a good leader who
can build a successful business.” She believes an
empowered woman can bring greatness to the team around
her.
Expanding with Every Passing Day
“We're planning to continue to support businesses and
their employees on their path toward reopening, and to
make the Cleanbox brand a household name when it comes
to trustworthy, eco-friendly and intelligent
decontamination,” says Amy. She further adds, once things
return “to normal,” the public will very much have the
potential risk of new contagions on their minds.
Maintaining business and consumer safety will continue to
be prioritized .
Cleanbox Technology has already expanded its product
lines to meet business needs outside of VR, AR and MR
space. Cleanbox is currently in 40 countries, and Amy
anticipates that number will double as the Cleanbox team
grows, and increases the number of products it offers.

Gideon Galloway, CEO
King Price Insurance

For businesses across the globe, 2020 demanded new
ways of thinking about, and doing, many things. In
this difficult year, Gideon Galloway – CEO at
King Price Insurance – stayed committed to finding
sustainable solutions for their clients, partners and
investors. So, not much different to previous years, really.
Gideon launched King Price nine years ago with a strong
team that’s grown as the business has grown. In 2012, they
were a ZAR100 million start-up; by the end of their eighth
financial year, they were worth ZAR5.3 billion. Similarly,
the tiny original start-up team now has more than 1,100
engaged, purpose-driven employees – all of whom pull
together to make their insurance products easier to
understand, manage, engage with, and claim for.
Although they’re known as the ‘maverick’ of the South
African insurance market, King Price’s valuation approach
and methodology are actually very conservative when
compared to other South African insurers and listed
financial services companies, as well as when compared
with international markets. Even so, their last financial year
added another 28% to their value.
Gideon says that, while that’s beyond big, they’re by no
means close to being done. The secret to this success is
something he shares freely: “Follow your dreams. Push
through. Don’t let capital be a hurdle.”
We spoke to Gideon about how he plans to grow King Price
even more. Here are some highlights:
Take our readers through your role at King Price and
your journey so far with the company.
It’s been almost a decade since we launched. We’ve moved
past our start-up years but our vision is still the same:
Lower premiums: Higher purpose. We want to change the
insurance landscape in SA and make an impact all over the
world.
Gideon Galloway
DOING INSURANCE DIFFERENTLY
Two years ago, we took our first leap towards substantial
expansion by buying a South African life business and
acquiring a stake in a holding company with insurance
interests in Europe, which will run on our business model.
We’re super excited about the future and look forward to
continuing to grow at 30+% annually – in a sector and
economy that are barely growing at all.
What roadblocks or challenges did you face as a
corporate business? And how did you overcome them?
It’s never NOT been a challenge! Working in the heavily
regulated FS landscape; governance; solvency
requirements; rating models; capital and the deployment
thereof: gaining ground in a fiercely competitive market;
scaling: all challenges.
We overcame these – and other – challenges through
passion and vision, and by getting the right crew on board
as we built our business. You could say that we built the
ship while we were already sailing, and we’ve weathered
storms as well as calm seas.
Three things in particular have contributed to our success:
Ÿ Marketing: Industry figures show that we spend around
2% of what the bigger local insurers spend on
marketing. Everything we do aims to break through the
clutter and position our company as a customer-centric,
23
|
April 2021

wanted to pay less for their insurance. Rightly so. But the
‘discounts’ being offered by other insurers weren’t
sustainable. So, we designed, built and brought to market a
new product called chilli, which can save clients up to 70%
on their car insurance every month.
Tell us about the culture at King Price?
‘Culture’ is a broad term. For us it means that, as a
collective group, if we enjoy what we do, we’ll excel and
be more productive. So, we try to align all our business
principles to benefit our employees, clients, suppliers,
business partners, shareholders and communities.
We attract the best people to give us the edge and then we
make sure they’re fulfilled, challenged, appreciated and
rewarded. Nine years down the line, most of the core group
that we launched with are still with us, and I think that says
a lot. Basically, we’re a team that has a purpose, works fast,
and has fun.
We launched with 7 ‘family values’ that have guided us
well, but we’ve just re-looked them and distilled them down
to 4 core sentiments that guide everything we do. I’m so
proud that our values aren’t just posters on the wall. We live
them every day, and we make values-based decisions.
Everyone benefits.
forward-thinking innovator. If we can’t do it differently,
we don’t do it!
Ÿ IT: We don’t run off legacy systems. Instead, we built
world-class systems in-house that enable us to be agile,
fast and innovative. Like everything we do, our IT
systems put our clients at the heart of all transactions
and interactions.
Ÿ Our unique culture: We make sure that we bring the
right people on board and retain them. When people are
happy at work, they’re more invested in the company’s
goals and aspirations, get things done faster, and take
ownership of their decisions. We encourage our
employees to come up with new ways of doing things
and to have fun while they’re doing it.
How do you make sure that your team works towards
offering easier, faster, and more cost-effective insurance?
It’s in our name: King Price. We continuously innovate so
as to be more cost-effective than the competition. As an
example, we’re the first insurer in the world to offer
comprehensive car premiums that decrease monthly as the
cars depreciate in value. We just don’t think it makes sense
to only ever pay more to insure something that’s only ever
worth less!
We also listened to our clients when lockdown hit South
Africa in March 2020. They were driving less and so
Hard times create a character,
and uncertainty creates
opportunities. With risks come
rewards. Execution is key.
These all sound like clichés,
and talk is cheap. Until you
actually go out in the hard
times, take the risks, and make
the most of the opportunities.
Like we did.

What’s your vision for sustaining King Price’s
competency in the cut-throat and volatile world of
business? Where do you see yourselves in the next five
years?
It’s been cut-throat since we launched, so we’ll keep on
keeping on. We aim to continue to grow at the same pace.
In five to 10 years, we’ll be in 20+ countries but still
maintaining our lean, fast-moving business ethos.
The world is changing and insurance needs are changing
with it, which means business models have to change. My
children probably won’t even own cars. And if they do,
they’ll be self-driving. Just these two future realities mean
that insurance companies will have to change
fundamentally in order to remain relevant and solvent.
We’re already planning different products for different
needs.
Mostly, though, it boils down to staying humble and never
taking anything for granted.
Probably everyone’s favourite value is ‘fun with a little
madness’. Our office may look like a circus, but everything
is measured. We take what we do very seriously… But
ourselves, not so much!
Why do your clients take out policies with King Price?
Look, insurance is a grudge purchase and pretty much a
commodity. No one wakes up in the morning all excited
about buying insurance. But we do everything we can to
inject some humour and humanity into the process –
starting with our brand tonality, which is approachable and
casual throughout the client journey.
We have many unique client-centric products, including our
decreasing premium model, our new ‘pay per k’ chilli
cover, and charging our comprehensive car clients just
ZAR1 per month to insure their golf clubs and bicycles.
We make it easy for our clients to understand what they’re
buying and to engage with us on the platform of their
choice. We always view our business from our clients’ point
of view and are constantly refining our processes to make
every touch-point smoother, simpler and more convenient.
Another of our values is ‘customer is king’. This underlines
everything we do.
How has King Price contributed to the community?
King Price was founded on the principle that we want to
make a difference, in South Africa and across the world.
35% of our profit goes into foundations that support
grassroots organisations and enable charities in southern
Africa. It’s core to what we do.
In addition, our decreasing premium model has saved our
clients over ZAR200 million and counting. We also make a
difference in our clients’ lives by offering them products
they need and giving them sound financial advice.
We’re changing the world, one
decreasing premium at a time.
25
|
April 2021

With Great
POWERComes Great
RESPONSIBILITY
Alot of things are being spoken and written about
the leader and leadership qualities all over the
world. But what makes a ‘leader great’ rather than a
‘great leader’ is the topic which needs to be focused. A true
leader is not concerned about publicity, money, or
reputation. They are only concerned with doing the right
thing. He/she fights for injustice, for others, and for what is
right. That’s the real quality of the leader on social,
business, or any other platform.
Get the Best of Tech
Speaking of business, we have come a long way till the
fourth industrial revolution – the digital revolution. It is the
age of exploring the human purpose with the technological
changes like AR, VR, AI, Cloud, and Robotics. We are set
on exploring the potential within us.
With the expansion of such innovative tools, leaders are
responsible for the understanding of the business and
customers. Leaders will have to go through these cutting-
edge technologies and solve problems for the company and
the team. It is their dedication to their work that gets the job
done. He/she gets along with everyone around him and
brings a positive atmosphere in the company.
Today we see companies moving more into Digital
Marketing as it is such an exciting place for business. Due
to the pandemic situation, more and more businesses are
involved into virtual marketing in several other industries,
and educational fields.
To Grab the Opportunities
Getting to the point - today business leaders are centered on
Digital Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Mobile
Marketing, and Content Marketing. This is the change
which is playing the part of futurist leadership.
Businesses have just started to explore, and the potential
that the technology brings along with it is highly massive.
Combining all this – an innovative leader will increase the
number of innovative teams, companies, and industries
globally. He/she will ultimately be developing and
introducing the innovations to the team and customers. So,
the opportunities of the dream leadership journey lie in
diving deep into these innovative fields.
Spot On
This change of traditional leadership to a digital
transformative leadership is seen for quite a few years. The
old and traditional leadership used to consume a lot of time
in getting things done. Business Leaders see this as an
opportunity to take high-end decisions. Most firms want
such business leaders with all the acquired skills and more
often these leaders are into their own start-ups.
This is a revolutionary and futurist concept that all business
leaders need to transform. The old and traditional ones will
have to adapt to stay in the competition. However,
disruption is taking place not only in industries but also in
leadership roles. Leaders will have to cash into this exciting
journey of immense digital industries. It is not just leaders
but the expansion of the people and the world as a whole.
Irrespective of everything above, the questions we all need
to ask is - How will it change our lives and how can we
make it into a good thing for humanity? Because no matter
how good the technology is or for that matter the leadership
is, it will only be considered good only if it is used for the
good of humanity. As leadership and human growth tend to
grow hand-in-hand.
27
|
April 2021
Visionary Leadership

Jim Ratcliff
Let's Improve Overall Health With better Oral Health
entistry and medicine have grown as separate
Dbranches of healthcare, and it is essential for the
two to now integrate fully. Dentists and hygienists
can be on the frontlines of detecting disease, be it COVID
or diabetes. To do so, health and dental records need
integration to optimize healthcare. Oral health is window to
our overall health. The mouth is the primary entry way to
our respiratory, circulatory, and digestive systems. Since
2000, Jim Ratcliff, Chairman and CEO of Rowpar
Pharmaceuticals, has been stiving to optimize the integrated
healthcare by focusing on ways improved oral care can
lead to improved overall health. In investigating the many
links between oral and systemic health, Jim finds
opportunities abound! His passion is to leave the world a
better place for having been here.
Driving the Consistent Growth of Organization
Jim Ratcliff was one of the seven individuals who founded
Rowpar under the leadership of his father, Perry A. Ratcliff,
D.D.S., dental researcher, academic leader, and inventor of
®
the original formulas of ClōSYS . Initially, the Company's
products were sold only to dentists who would recommend
them to their patients. While active on the Board since
inception, Jim became executive leader of the Company in
2000. In the ensuing 20 years of his service, Rowpar has
moved from a family firm to one characterized by a
professional management team and a professional board,
with the members of each having strong experience,
knowledge, and skills in the key areas of the business. Also,
company has moved from a boutique company selling only
through dentists to a fast-moving consumer goods company
selling nationally and internationally, through major
pharmacy, retail, and grocery chains as well as dental and
medical supply companies.
Innovative Oral Health Solutions
Located in Scottsdale, AZ, since 1991, Rowpar
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. provides innovative oral health
solutions to dental and medical professionals and to the
general consumer, helping people get well and stay well in
the USA, Australia, Canada, China, Europe, India, Korea,
®
Russia and South Africa. Its ClōSYS brand is
recommended by leading dentists, hygienists, doctors,
®
nurses and fitness experts. ClōSYS toothpastes, oral rinses
and oral sprays are top selling oral care products in U.S.
retailers such as Albertsons, CVS, H-E-B, Kroger, Meijer,
Target, Walgreens, Walmart and is an Amazon Preferred
Product.
Leading from the Front
Rowpar Pharmaceuticals has always been a mission-driven
company. It's vision of helping people get well and stay
well through improved oral health has only been amplified
by the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 infects largely through the
eyes, nose, and mouth. Rowpar has positioned itself on the
frontline of this battle.
Central to any organization is its people, and Rowpar
Pharmaceuticals has a wonderful team. As with many other
firms, Rowpar quickly established work-at-home
capabilities (computers, phones, etc.). Company extended
its liberal leave policies so that individuals could take
whatever measures were required to get well, should they
get sick. It reduced headcount in office to 25% and to
essential workers to enable social distancing, but also to
mitigate risk employees face in making a daily commute to
work. Special dispensation was made for those who are
immune compromised.
Focus of Innovation in Oral Care
Optimum oral care necessarily focuses on the twin
pandemics of the mouth: gum disease and dental caries.
Both affect two-thirds or more of the population, both are
growing rapidly, and both significantly impact systemic
health. Persons with gum disease, for example, have higher
risk of adverse pregnancy, heart disease, Alzheimer's, and
gum disease makes it more difficult to manage diabetes or
COPD.

29
|
April 2021

Innovation in oral care begins with the oral mirobiome,
viewing it as an ecology that individuals carry with them.
When that ecology is disrupted, disease happens. Disease
often occurs within biofilms which protect pathogens from
the oral care products designed to limit their overgrowth
within the oral ecology. While many people are concerned
about "bad breath" for example, the proper focus should be
on the disease causing the bad breath.
Being Solution Oriented
Rowpar Pharmaceuticals wants to provide perfect solutions
for people's oral care needs. While competitors focus on
product attributes (such as whitening), ClōSYS products
align with people's lifestyle desires, how they redound to
their oral health, and how company can be helpful. So, if
one has an oral sore and one uses its products, and the oral
sore disappears after a week or so of use, then Company's
products have been a solution to one's oral care needs.
Same can be said of oral malodor or sensitivity or tooth
decay. Rowpar 's ClōSYS products are for people who seek
improved oral health first.
Partership Between Dentists and Individuals
The Rowpar approach to oral health relies on a partnership
between dental professionals and individual patients.
Individuals cannot fully remove oral biofilms (and
pathogens within) by home oral hygiene alone. Periodic
cleaning of the teeth by a dental profession is required to
prevent overgrowth of pathogens. Similarly, the work of
dental professions is compromised when the regular home
oral care does not sustain the cleaning, doesn't inhibit the
regrowth of dental biofilms, and doesn't strengthen tooth
enamel.
Leadership in Oral Care Products
Rowpar's partnership with dental professionals occurs in the
office as well; with COVID, even more so. Currently
Dentists and hygienists are using ClōSYS® products to
rinse patients' mouths prior to dental procedures and to
sanitize dental devices, such as ultrasonic scalers, to reduce
microbial aerosols generated from their use. Rowpar
continues to provide leadership in oral care through the
introduction of new products to meet the needs of dentists
and health-conscious consumers.
Helping People to Get Well and Stay Well
Rowpar is mission-driven to help people get well as stay
well. Right now, it is engaged in research into how oral care
products may help mitigate the COVID risk. Recent
independent laboratory testing shows that its ClōSYS
products reduced SARS-CoV-2 viral load (the virus that
causes COVID-19 disease) by up to 98.4% and reduced
Influenza-A (a co-morbidity factor with COVID-19) by
99.99%. While lab tests are encouraging, clinical trials are
necessary. ClōSYS products are being used in clinical trials
at 3 major research universities to determine efficacy with
healthy and infected humans.
Rowpar Pharmaceuticals makes and markets
®
ClōSYS , a premium oral care range, offering
superior efficacy in addressing two oral
diseases now at epidemic proportions- gum
disease and dental caries.
‘‘
‘‘
Jim Ratcliff
Chairman & CEO
Rowpar Pharmaceu cals

Karen Mc Dermo ,
Director & Founder
Serenity Press

Leadership Success
and
Success is a mindset! When things happen in our
environment it can affect how we think and therefore
it can affect our outcomes. The key to success is
nurturing our mindset, keeping it strong and ensuring that
we create a secure foundation so that we can thrive.
With the year that was many businesses choose to close
their doors. I absolutely get how they could not see a future
or maybe they were already struggling and that was the
final straw. As an entrepreneur I am used to the highs and
lows of business, the passion for what I do fuels me through
the lows to get innovative about new ways to produce
cashflow. This keeps business interesting and me on my
toes as a business owner. Setting the intention always brings
results. It is when the passion goes that the cash flow
dissipates. I am drawn to remember some advice I received
that struck a chord with me during one of my less fruitful
periods.
“It’s the loss of passion to create new streams of cash flow
that is the reason businesses fail”
Yes, it is important that there is a demand for our products
but ultimately businesses fail because the person who is
passionate about it gives up. I absolutely get it, there have
been many times when I have wanted to step back, and I
adore what I do but generating cashflow to fund growth and
keep things moving along can feel heavy. However, it all
works out somehow and I end up on an upward trajectory.
One thing I have noticed is that when the well dries up, it is
usually for a reason that entails taking another route to the
destination. The energy that fuels the endeavour is waning.
I soon realise that I have been missing something and this
will help me shift onto the right track and then it is full
steam ahead again. A shift in perspective and quite often a
break or time out, so that I see the solution more clearly, is
a secret remedy to most slumps.
My top 3 tips for business who feel like they are failing are:
1. Think outside of the box. Nothing is ever as bad as it
seems, there is always a solution.
2. Take a break, go for a walk, step back from the situation
and you will see a solution more clearly.
3. Leverage your connections.
As much as 2020 was tough for some, my business along
with many others thrived. The drawn-out time in quarantine
meant that business owners and aspiring authors took the
time to tick the box of writing their books. There were also
more people reading books. It is a publisher’s dream.
The beginning of 2021 came with the new phenomenon of
Clubhouse, which at first, I did not quite get it but then I
soon seen the potential for building strong and valuable
connections and to become more visible in social circles I
may not have ever encountered otherwise. As a natural born
giver who shows up authentically in every arena, I loved
Leader’s Viewpoint
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|
April 2021

your life to see if you are aligned with your hopes, dreams,
or goals for your life. If the answer is no to feeling that
balance, then maybe the following tips will help:
1. Identify something positive that you can add or detract
from your life right now that will enhance your experience
of life. It can be as little as finishing 30 mins early!
2. Mindfully make an effort to spend some extra time with
someone you enjoy the company of.
3. Know that we move through seasons in life and it is ok to
adapt your life to accommodate a renewed direction.
Life is for living and we should get to know what a
successful life means to us. For me it is fulfilling my
ambitions whilst not compromising my core values. That
ensures that all my wins feel like a celebration and not a
compromise.
the opportunity to give value to others through my words
but also appreciated the insights and introductions I
received from like-minded people who were on the
platform for the same reasons I was.
I don’t see Clubhouse going away anytime soon, it is genius
and with the amount of high-profiles showing up to
contribute and connect it is a high value platform.
I have observed Clubhouse filling up the days of many and
am curiously watching the benefits stack up in their favour.
I do hope that this is the best thing ever for those who are
investing time in the platform.
Where we focus our energy is what will flourish in life and
business. It is important to be mindful of this but not to
deprive ourselves of the things we enjoy doing just because
there is work to be done. In fact, I would go as far as to
suggest that if you are not doing a job that makes you heart
sing then maybe you should take a moment to check in with

Paul Marcantonio
Executive Director
UK and Western Europe
ECOMMPAY

PAUL
MARCANTONIO
Leaders need to lead from the front to be exemplary. They
need to demonstrate the high degree of competence and
strong character to gain the trust of others. This in turn
helps them to create the best team to achieve the organizational
goals. Paul Marcantonio is one such inspiring business leader who
strives to lead by example, demonstrate integrity, support others,
and at all times he tries to remain humble. He is Executive
Director - UK and Western Europe at ECOMMPAY. Paul lives
by his own personal values and there are great synergies with the
values of ECOMMPAY. That's why he wanted to join this company.
Being Persistent and Goal-oriented
As for his style of leadership, he thinks it is important to give
people the chance to grow, and he expects them to take this
opportunity, to evolve not only as professionals but also as
individuals. Also, he aims to empower people and build team spirit.
The latter is extremely important for him. He believes a team is like
a family, to him this is impactful leadership. His style of leadership
is to focus on results and work hard to achieve them. Yes, some of
them might take more time than others, but he is persistent and goal
oriented. He leads change and learn from feedback. He believes
that learning from feedback is the only way to improve. Of course,
constructive, and honest feedback is key.
Building a Reputable Payment Brand
When Paul joined ECOMMPAY, the company was expanding and
planning to enter new business verticals and markets, such as travel
Leading by Example and Remaining Humble
‘‘There is no single
formula for success,
but my vision is to
empower people to
have the condence
to at least try.
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|
April 2021

and hospitality, online education, etc. There was a focus to
attract more clients in the online retail industry. Therefore,
ECOMMPAY started building brand awareness and
credibility in these areas. Building trust is a difficult
process, people were looking under the hood trying to
understand ECOMMPAY's reputation and how reliable it
was, but they didn't know much about ECOMMPAY so
company had to work even harder to build its authority. At
that time, the payments market started to grow becoming
more competitive; as a result, building a reputable brand
was extremely important.
Meeting Requirements of End Users
Consumers want to have a wide variety of payment
methods, to choose the most convenient for them, and to
feel safe and secure when purchasing goods and services.
The financial landscape is changing all the time. Paul says
that both online businesses and fintech companies have to
focus on the buying behaviour and preferences of end-
users, adapt to them and anticipate any changes. COVID-19
reality is shaping payment habits, creating new payment
trends (like payments via messengers) and making eWallets
a must-have. Finally, Brexit also affects the industry; for
instance, both MasterCard and Visa increase their fees in
the UK when trading with the EU. ECOMMPAY
understands very clearly that each business is unique and
their end users have varying needs and requirements. This
is why ECOMMPAY offers tailored solutions to its
merchants' needs. At ECOMMPAY it treats its clients as
partners, helping them grow, adapt, and scale their
businesses.
Promoting Financial Empowerment and Responsible
Buying
Paul believes that ECOMMPAY's learning platform
ECOMMTALKS contributes a lot to the fintech community.
It is a community itself, which unites fintech experts and
people working in eCommerce. The fintech industry is
constantly changing, along with consumer behaviour and
expectations; so, the key goal of this platform is to educate
on industry trends, new products, and market changes, as
well as to share experience and facilitate networking.
ECOMMTALKS has become especially useful in light of
the global pandemic when socialisation and education
opportunities are restricted to computers and other gadgets.
There are many mental health problems in society today
that are derived from financial issues and financial
insecurity. Paul would like to see that people from all walks
of life can make safe, secure, and compliant payments,
make it easier for people to keep track of their financial
lives, expenses, income, and investments in a single
connected environment. All in all, he would like to help
people take more control of their financial well-being and
health, to promote financial empowerment and responsible
buying.

Being Open to Learn from Others
Talking about influential people, Paul views Elon Musk as a
true visionary and he is overwhelmingly belligerent in his
quest to make the world and even the universe smaller and
more accessible to everyone. He continues to push the
boundaries, bringing new concepts and ideas to life, Elon
Musk makes Paul excited about the future of travel.
Paul adds that the book by Mark Manson has helped him
put his work-life balance into a better all-round perspective.
He says that like many other books, it helps one to
understand the true meaning of controlling what one can be
in control of and realise what is truly important in life. Paul
likes the idea that one should only worry about the things
one can influence; it's impossible to control everything, and
there is no need to strive for it.
Being Open to Innovations and Challenges
Paul thinks ECOMPANY just has to continue doing what it
does; its corporate values and a culture that has helped it
reach the stage that it has so far. ECOMPANY knows that
the following formula works, it is not just a business, it is a
family; it not only supports each other, but it also provides
constant support and takes an individual approach to its
merchants; and finally, it is open to innovations and new
challenges.
Forecasting Successful and Sustained Growth
Paul says that Fintech industry is a very cutthroat industry
but as long as ECOMMPAY continues to evolve and move
with the times, without changing the very core of who it is
as an organisation, he is confident that it will continue to
attract further success. In the next 5 years, Paul forecasts
successful and sustained growth, exploring new industries,
penetrating new markets, and bringing best-in-class
payment technologies and customer support.
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April 2021

Raissa de Haas,
Co-Founder,
Double Dutch Ltd

Advertising and Promoting of
in the
Cocktails
and Industry
Food Drink
Dutch twins Raissa & Joyce de Haas, started
Double Dutch drinks in 2015 with a belief that
drinking could be more flavourful and that
premium spirits deserved better mixers to make every
drink delicious. With flavours such as Cucumber &
Watermelon and Pomegranate & Basil, the mixer & tonic
water brand has won more awards than any other mixer
brand including Best Tonic for your Gin, Bartenders
choice of tonic as well as a spot on the prestigious Forbes
30 under 30 list. With the growing rise in cocktails, which
has been accelerated by the Covid- 19 pandemic as
consumers seek a convenient way to enjoy on-trade drinks
at home, we speak with Joyce and Raissa about how
companies are promoting cocktails further and how they
arebecomingmoremainstream.
The growth in foodie culture and focus on food pairing on
social media has driven the desire to have a truly
‘Instagram-worthy’ shot and cocktails are the perfect
opportunity to achieve this. Cocktails can be as complicated
as a Michelin standard meal, with molecular gastronomy
and a focus on flavour pairing mean you can really take
Expert’s Insight
41
|
April 2021

someone on a flavour journey. On the other hand, they can
equally be sufficiently simple; with the growth in the
category, cocktails have become even more accessible at
home with flavoured mixers such as Double Dutch’ Bloody
Mary soda or Cucumber Margarita. This shift has allowed
consumers to become a bit more experimental, layering
flavour profiles to maximise their drinking pleasure.
Consumers are actively looking for engaging brands who
offer inspiration to make the most of their consumption
occasions. From glassware to garnish it is about more than
just the liquid. A great looking cocktail can evoke an
immediate emotional connection and appetite appeal to
create awareness and trial which makes them the perfect
tool to drive experimentation and reaching new audiences.
The growing shift towards more moderate drinking habits
means lower abv cocktails are gaining popularity which has
accelerated the use of more exotic and herbal ingredients in
cocktails like basil and rhubarb. This shift in consumer
attitudes means flavourful and fulfilling drinking experience
is more important than ever and cocktails or ‘mocktails’ are
a great tool as the desire for low alcohol options increases,
they provide the perfect opportunity to elevate your
standard ‘No and Low’ beverage.
Double Dutch flavours are created with molecular
gastronomy by using flavour pairing techniques. This
allows them to find unique and well-balanced flavour
combinations that bring the best out of the spirits that they
are mixed with and make cocktails more easily.
There are some drawbacks when using cocktails as an
advertising tool, platforms like Instagram & Facebook can
make it difficult to advertise effectively because of
restrictions on alcohol. However, I agree it is important to
be responsible and advertise the kind of consumption that is
also reflecting consumers lives – moderate, choiceful and
tasteful. Focusing messaging on why your brand is relevant
therefore is even more important to create a distinctive
message that can resonate with consumers, whatever
platform you are reaching them on.

Taryn Andersen,
CEO & Co-Founder
Impulse4women

he Covid -19 pandemic has caused an evolution in
Tthe technology sector, the world was probably in an
era of digital transformation but what was going to
translate into an evolution of eight to ten years has been
carried out in one year. “We can speak that we are in a
technological revolution, many new technological tools
have arrived to solve a transitory situation, but they have
created new habits of life and interaction with the
consumer,” says Taryn Andersen. She is the CEO & Co-
Founder of Impulse4women.
Taryn believes that the lockdown has caused many
consumers to explore new tech applications that will make
their life easier. All this has as a result that sectors such as
health, gaming, delivery, financial, education etc, become
more important than before the Covid-19 for new
consumers as well as for investors who already invested in
technology. She opines “As an NPO we have seen how
Covid-19 has made people aware of more ethical and moral
values and remind us that we are a society where we must
support each other, that we are all vulnerable to disease
and to the pain of losing loved ones. This positive part has
helped organizations that were supporting in a
humanitarian way to receive more funds to positively
impact those projects aimed at both humans and our
ecosystem.”
Impulse4women is positioned in the technological world
since 2017th, since then the company offered an online
service where investors can find projects that are looking
for financing. As per Taryn, if Covid19 has brought
something positive, it is an increase in demand for online
tools, providing users with services and products in a
simple way. This new situation has shown that her online
connection model has made it easier for investors to access
a market niche at an international level.
Impulse4women has also noticed an increase in the number
of women who have joined to undertake their own project.
All this added to the new habits generated by the global
lockdown, has given more value to the company’s model.
Story Behind the Impulse4women
For a year, things have changed a bit. Before, Taryn was
traveling continuously, participating in technology events,
closing agreements with public and private organizations in
different cities to increase the presence of women- led
entrepreneurs in technology. Since March 2020, the team
has been working worldwide as well but online. The team
has pivoted its offline events into a 100% online model. It
has started a new adventure that until recently they were
unaware. The team has had to transform digitally in order to
continue creating a position in the market and offer a
service to investors, connecting them with start-ups with
social impact and those led by women entrepreneurs in
technology.
It has been a challenge to stay in a new environment trying
to offer quality and service without testing if it would give
good results, in a time of uncertainty. Changing and
incorporating new work processes and tools to coordinate
ourselves from different parts of the world.
Taryn asserts “We have a team that goes from Hong Kong
to UK, Spain.” She further adds, what has not changed is
th
since Impulse4women NPO was born in 2017 , the team
has been building community, communicating through its
social networks, and the purpose of connecting and
increasing investment in women entrepreneurs who are
leaders in technology and also for those who are social
impact projects as well. To create this ecosystem, the
company has invested an average of two hours a day in
contacting them and explaining the project. At the same
TarynAndersen
BridgingtheGapBetweenFemaleTechEntrepreneursandInvestors
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|
April 2021

time, it has carried out the same action with investors and
companies, offering them access to these wonderful projects
from different sectors, maturity, location and thus being
able to learn more investment opportunities.
“To summarize our day to day is to increase our ecosystem
and develop new online events such as #PitchingSessions,
#MentoringSessions, Podcast, #Webinars in order to
support and join efforts. Every day is a new experience for
us,” says Taryn.
Initial Challenges
According to Taryn, at first the team detected that the
relationship that existed between women entrepreneurs and
investors was different compared to men. To change this
situation, Impulse4women NPO was created. It was about
connecting them with investors and increasing investment.
“Our objective was to start in Spain but we didn´t have
enough female entrepreneurs that is why we had to move to
Europe, analysing the market of women entrepreneurs in
technology, social impact projects and investors. The next
market step was supposedly to go to US and Canada, for
the maturity of the start-ups and for the relationship
between the venture Capital in which I am as director of
investor relations. The fund has been investing in this
market since 2008th in early-stage start-ups,” says Taryn.
The first challenge was that the team began to close
agreements with public and private international
organizations that wanted to increase the quota of women -
led entrepreneurs and made a connection by contributing as
a third party. Start-ups could make themselves known,
entities could raise the female presence on the stage and
investors could have access to female entrepreneurs.
Collaborating with international entities Impulse4women
could grow in other cities and develop the ecosystem for
social impact projects and for women -led entrepreneurs in
technology.
This is when the team decided to incorporate into any
international project that came from other cities; thanks to
the support of the ambassadors and to collaborate with large
public and private entities.
The second challenge was to start dealing with software
developers, finding someone who understood the
requirements. The services, team wants to offer initially
seemed easy, but the team has gone through several
meetings to be able to define its need and translate it into
what it wanted.
The most important
thing about our work is
to offer the possibility
that entrepreneurs can
grow, jump barriers, be
successful and for sure
be invested.
‘‘‘
‘

The third challenge was when Taryn started
Impulse4women there were not so many associations
supporting women-led tech entrepreneurs or those projects
with social impact. “Today there are much more
organizations supporting women in general and duty is to
differentiate ourselves by communicating our objective;
increase investment in women-led entrepreneurs in the
technology ecosystem,” says Taryn.
A Stage for Women Entrepreneurs
Starting from the base that Impulse4women is an
international platform. The company is considering itself as
a great defender of diversity, the integration of different
cultures, religions, mindset, etc. All this provides added
value to any team. The team says, “We should also remark
that there is data that shows how a work team gives better
results and is more effective when the teams are mixed.”
The way to approach a situation from a woman´s or a man´s
point of view is different, nor better not worse just different.
That´s the good point!
In general terms, women are more holistic, and the team at
Impulse4women thinks more in the long term; the
community is an important point in their decision-making.
Man is much more focused on one goal; he is more
competitive and accepts risk in a different way. All this
generates a wealth in the team that in the medium term,
translates into benefits for the company.
From Impulse4women, the team gives all the necessary
tools so an entrepreneur woman who wants to develop a
project can meet other females who are going through the
same situation, experiences, joys and frustrations. Of
course, the company’s support is aimed at female
entrepreneurs.
“Since Impulse4women was founded we have been growing
the ecosystem seeing where we could offer more support
and little by little, we are expanding that coverage,” says
the company.
“The most important thing about our work is to offer the
possibility that entrepreneurs can grow, jump barriers, be
successful and for sure be invested!”
Sharing Stories, Success, and Challenges
The principal contribution is bringing investors closer to
women entrepreneurs in raising those women who are role
models for others, in communicating the awards that they
can find depending on their allocation, maturity, sector etc.
Creating online events with different purposes as; the
company’s Podcast start-ups can listen to the successful
experiences and not so attractive stories of other start-ups.
The main objective is to help other start-ups through the
experiences of entrepreneurs that have go through the same
before.
“We also offer webinars; we want to cover them offering
pills on different topics that may be important for the
entrepreneurs depending on their maturity. We cover all
stages of maturity, from the beginning until the exit,” states
Taryn.
Initiatives for Women Empowerment
Since 2017th, www.impulse4women.org has contributed to
offering an ecosystem to those women who wanted or were
starting up. The company has an advisory board of 71
persons, including investors ranging from Business Angels
to Private Equity and ambassadors. All of them from the
technological ecosystem, where they support women
entrepreneurs in technology and social impact projects with
their time and knowledge. “Thanks to them we have been
able to grow internationally and support start-ups,” says
Taryn.
Inspiration and Learning
Taryn believes her father is the role model who helped her
to get this far. “I have come this far, thanks to my Father, he
has always trusted me and respected me in my decisions,
allowing me to make mistakes on several occasions, and
then come to help me,” says Taryn. When Taryn started her
professional career in Private Banking, she had her first
mentor, who was also her boss from she really wanted to
learn, and who always explained the behaviour of the stock
markets, how to act and proceed. Later Taryn changed jobs
and had another boss who taught her that there was nothing
that was priceless and effortless. The challenge was to open
a branch for a Multi Family Office in times of crisis.
According to Taryn, the books that have impressed her have
been many, some of them are “Siddhartha” by Herman
Hesse, “Goddesses in Everywoman” by Shinoda Bolen, “In
the name of Identity” by Amin Maalouf. One book that she
considers helped her a lot professionally was “How to win
friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie.
47
|
April 2021

Photo Credit: Simon Klein-Knudsen / People´s.

The Better Future of Crisis
A Positive Crisis Impact
From a crisis management perspective, COVID-19 has in
many ways had a positive impact, as governments,
companies' people´s understanding of the importance of
crisis prevention and preparedness has increased. As a
whole, we are now better prepared and equipped to prevent,
prepare for and manage future crises.
Now, there is a general understanding of crisis and crisis
management and a new awareness and interest that I hope
that we take advantage of and take the lessons learned from
and prepare ourselves – families, societies businesses–
and prevent prepare for the next crisis – in whatever
shape, size or form it comes.
Prevention is always the best – and cheapest – option. That
is the premise. As business leaders, it is our duty of care to
emerge in a better – and safer – place post-crisis and
allocate budget to crisis management before the next crisis
hits.
We can Emerge from this Crisis, Preventing Future
Crisis
As a security specialist, my duty is to voice the
inconvenient truth. That is the nature of the security,
intelligence and surveillance world and my role. I did my
duty in the Danish media in early February 2020, warning
against a virus and later a pandemic hitting Denmark. When
we don´t prevent a crisis, it hits harder. That is a reality
whether we want to face it or not. A virus can turn into a
pandemic, a risk into an emergency. I work with risks and
they are constantly changing, while new are arising. In my
industry, we do surveillance, intelligence and crisis
management. We work with surveillance and prevention to
avoid a pandemic, crisis and breakdown. We do this in
order to contribute to a safer business environment and to
save lives.
Crisis Guide
After a long career working with security, I felt it was my
duty to democratise and share my knowledge and
recommendations, not only with governments, companies
and other clients, but with the general population. Last year,
I published my first book that had been in the back of my
mind for years - 'Prepare yourself best for the worst’. It is
he first Danish crisis guide and a modern, urban survival
guide for you and your nearest and dearest to prepare for a
crisis, emergency or disaster – a cyber or terror attack,
national catastrophe or something as simple as a power
failure.
The keys – as business leaders and citizens - are prevention,
preparedness and awareness. The purpose of my book and
work is that people gain a crucial awareness of potential
threats and an understanding of what we can all do to
prepare ourselves, and why and how we can take
responsibility in order to better get through current and
future crisis together.
This guide does not ask you to go into the wilderness or
build a taller fence around your home or office, but rather to
take matters into your own hand with simple steps in case
the authorities are not able to assist you. It is essential that
we as citizens and leaders are prepared for a crisis on all
levels and all aspects.
I have now written an international version of my book,
which is released this summer.
Mental Health: Strengthening Our Response
Mental health is increasingly mentioned when it comes to
crisis management and leadership. It is of great importance,
as stress and fear can cause irrational and damaging
behaviour for yourself, and the people around you both
personally and professionally, and filter into society.
The COVID-19 crisis has shown how citizens and
employees have reacted to different phases of this global
crisis and how differently we have handled the
recommendations and restrictions from authorities and
leaders across borders and sectors.
In crisis management, public awareness, transparency and
openness are key. When we as citizens have an
understanding of threats, we react in a more constructive
and responsible manner.
-Susanne Skov Diemer
Be er World
49
|
April 2021

The same goes with crowd management at big events. It is
easier to guide a crowd who is informed and understands
the risks and consequences. This is a key area in
PACTESUR, where I am on the expert Advisory
Committee. The aim is to empower cities and local actors in
the field of security of urban public spaces facing threats,
such as terrorist attacks. PACTESUR federates local
decision makers, security forces, urban security experts,
urban planners, IT developers, trainers, front-line
practitioners, designers and others in order to shape new
European local policies to secure public spaces against
threats.
Competitive Parameter and Risk Radar
In my world, a risk is a risk. It has no gender, but it does
have a colour - red, yellow or green. I meet very few female
business owners like myself within the security sector
globally, but we do see an increase in female analysts and
'supporting roles' within the industry. But the reality is that
crisis doesn't care about gender, plans or deadlines.
During a crisis, we reassess physical, strategic, and
financial vulnerabilities and out of the box thinking is
crucial.
We are seeing how crisis management has taken on new
urgency in these recent unsettled times with terror and
hacker attacks, natural disasters and pandemics.
We might develop vaccines and have crisis plans, but no
one is immune to this new reality of constantly changing
threats. Step one is to accept that a crisis is inevitable. The
other keys are preparation, implementation, mitigation,
lessons learned evaluation recovery.
There is a growing interest in having threat protection as
part of a business development plan. Businesses are
increasingly using this as a competitive parameter in
running their business. We also see how companies are
increasingly spending resources on risk assessment – I call
it 'The Risk Radar' – in order to truly understand what risks,
they are potentially facing, how they can prioritize and
mitigate them.
In an age of pandemic, terror, cyber threats, fraud etc. a
crisis is not a question of if, but of when. And the best time
to prepare for the next crisis is now.
To me as a business leader and security specialist, it is not
about withstanding a crisis or getting through it. It is about
going beyond crisis preparedness. It is about thriving and
rising.
Links:
Praesidiogroup.com
Susanneskovdiemer.com
About the Author
Susanne Skov Diemer has an extensive career dedicated to
security, intelligence, crisis- and risk management, a
security specialist and expert on advisory boards and
consultant for global companies, CEO of Praesidio Group –
a global intelligence and security company headquartered
in Denmark, the author of a modern survival and security
guide and a keynote speaker.
Having spent important parts of her career under the radar
in England and the U.S., she is recipient of various U.S.
Government awards for her work with the U.S. Department
of State – Diplomatic Security and has received special
training as a first responder within Weapons of mass
destruction and pandemics by U.S. Department of State –
Diplomatic Security.
She serves as a security and intelligence expert within the
private, public and cooperative sector, organisations and
communities. Among others, she is an expert on the
Advisory Committee for the European Forum for Urban
Security - the only European network of local and regional
authorities dedicated to urban security, bringing together
250 cities and regions from 16 countries. She also services
as advisor for a global philanthropic charitable organization
focusing on global virus and pandemic.
As an event and crisis advisor, she, and her team, has
participated in protection, security management
coordination for state visits, Denmark's Presidency of the
Council of the EU, NATO Head of State Summit, COP15,
International Olympic Committee Meeting, among others.

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