Issue 7 2022 GrowthRocks Ltd.: Leading The Path To Success
Welcome to the July issue of CEO Monthly. As always, CEO Monthly is dedicated to providing the latest news and features across the business world to our readership. When we take the time to understand and consider everything a business does, we can get a full scope of their place in their specific industry. But, of course, none of this would be possible without the fine work of their CEOs. As bold leaders, CEOs find new and exciting ways to better business for the sake of the team and their clients – rather than for profits. Looking towards the future, we can only predict where a myriad of industries are heading – and we can see them flourishing under the leadership of their CEOs. Globally, we can see that these individuals are doing their best to lead and inspire their teams – whilst pushing themselves, and their business, to new heights. It is important to remember how passionate these individuals are, and how far they have come. Hard work and dedication results in success and expansion. This is what all of these CEOs have done to surpass any expectations and become showered with endless accomplishments – all of this is for the benefit of their industries, which inevitably impact every person they touch. This issue has been carefully crafted to showcase a wide variety of companies and their CEOs, here for your enjoyment and inspiration. We hope you enjoy exploring this issue and, for now, we hope you have a wonderful month ahead – we look forward to welcoming you back in August. Sofi Bajor, Editor Website: www.ceo-review.com AI Global Media, Ltd. (AI) takes reasonable measures to ensure the quality of the information on this web site. However, AI will not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any information that is available through this web site. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. The information available through the website and our partner publications is for your general information and use and is not intended to address any particular finance or investment requirements. In particular, the information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us or any of our partner publications and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making or refraining from making any investment or financial decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Any arrangement made between you and any third party named in the site is at your sole risk and responsibility.
4. News 6. NearMeNow: Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Cardiff, the United Kingdom 7. Proximity: Powerful Workspace Management Software for a Tech-Powered Hybrid World 8. Tu Identidad: Identity Verification, Made Easy 9. Expedient Tax Inc: Concierge Tax Service 10. GrowthRocks Ltd.: Leading The Path To Success 11. Iconic Digital Marketing Consultants: Iconic Marketing, Iconic Leadership 12. Three T Institute: The Three ‘T’s of Project Management Education 14. Knowledge Preservation: In Defence of Data 16. AG Auto Trading LLC: Most Inflfluential CEO, 2022 - Dubai, the United Arab Emirates 18. Cooper Standard: Automotive Supplier CIO of the Year 2022 19. eDreams ODIGEO: Shaping the Future of Travel 20. Winners’ Listings Contents
NEWS Castle Trust Bank Appoints Ken Stannard as New iNED
AnewsurveycommissionedbyLatticerevealsemployee perspectives around pay policy and processes, bias in salary decisions, transparency, andmore People leaders across the UK face a difficult year ahead in navigating employee pay cycles amid rising inflation and market volatility, and new research shows that over half (53%) expect the cost of living to be a key consideration in their compensation reviews. “A convergence of factors — including increased turnover, rising inflation, volatile markets and the current cost of living crisis — are putting increased pressure on compensation cycles,” said Dave Carhart, Vice President of Lattice Advisory Services. “This report revealshowemployeeperceptionsaroundcompensation are evolving in the midst of all this upheaval – and provides important insights for leaders who will be tasked with balancing employee expectations alongside shifting business needs.” These insights come from research conducted by Lattice, the people success platform that empowers business leaders to build engaged and high-performing teams and inspire winning cultures. • As cost of living increases, workers expect employers to step up. Over half (53%) said that cost of living should be one of the most important factors considered within a compensation review, but just 26% of employees said the cost of living was currently a consideration in their company’s compensation review process. • Annual increases are not going to satisfy all employees, and they have specific increases in mind to feel valued. Nearly 30% of employees said they were looking to be evaluated for compensation increases every 3-6 months; assuming good performance, 47% of UK employees would need a pay rise of at least 4-5% to feel their work was being valued adequately. • Employees see bias, and a lack of action to address it, in compensation decisions. Over half (51%) of employees agree that there is bias around gender, age, race or other factors when it comes to the way companies conduct performance and compensation reviews; of these, 36% say their companies are not doing enough to address this. Just 30% reported that their organization was leveraging technology to measure and address pay equity gaps. Lattice conducted this research into employee compensation experiences and preferences ahead of the wide rollout of the company’s compensation product, designed to connect performance and compensation to drive employee engagement and retention. Learn more here. For more information on the survey results, reach out to press@ lattice.com. Read more about Lattice’s viewpoint on evolving compensation strategy here and in the Lattice library. About the Research: This research was conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Lattice, surveying over 1,000 UKbased employees and freelance workers (excluding sole traders) at medium to large businesses in February of 2022. Censuswide abides by and employ members of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles. Over Half of UK Employees Rank Cost of Living as a Top Consideration inPayAdjustments CastleTrustBankispleasedtoannounce the appointment of Ken Stannard as an independent Non-Executive Director. About Castle Trust Bank Castle Trust Bank was launched as ‘Castle Trust’ in October 2012 with backing from leading US private equity firm J.C. Flowers & Co., initially offering investment products and specialist mortgage finance. J.C. Flowers & Co. continue to be Castle Trust Bank’s principal shareholder to this day. As the business grew, it expanded its operations with the acquisition of Omni Capital Retail Finance in 2017, adding point of sale finance to its range of services. In 2018 we were delighted to be invited to pursue an application for a banking licence, and in June 2020 we became Castle Trust Bank – a fully authorised bank. Our administration hub in Basingstoke and our City of London office already serve over 200,000 customers across our savings, specialist mortgage finance and retail finance arms. Our most recent Net Promoter Scores of +30 for our savings business, and +35 and +68 for Omni partner retailersandcustomers respectivelydemonstrate the high level of service we provide to our customers - and our status as a bank continues to provide a springboard for our plans to grow. As at 31 May 2022, our customers held over £660 million of savings with us. Our total property loan book stood at over £400 million, alongside our retail finance loan book of more than £200 million. Our ambitious growth strategy is overseen by our Chief Executive Officer Martin Bischoff, who has extensive experience in the retail banking sector, including senior roles at Santander and Royal Bank of Scotland Group in the UK and USA. Martin is supported by an experienced and prestigious Board, chaired by Richard Pym. About Ken Stannard Ken is an experiencedbanker and iNED. His executive experience covers 33 years including CEO of Cabot Credit Management plus senior positions in Lloyds Banking Group, Capital One Bank, American Express and Oliver Wyman. Ken is currently on the Boards of Cepal Hallas, Verastar and Viewture. He will join the Board in July 2022, subject to regulatory permissions. Richard Pym CBE, Chairman, said “It is a pleasure to welcome Ken to Castle Trust Bank. Ken’s appointment will broaden the extensive banking experience of the Board and his previous involvement in scaling businesses is the perfect complement to our ambitious growth agenda.” Tim Hanford, Non-Executive Director and representative of shareholder J.C. Flowers & Co said “I am delighted that Ken has agreed to join the Board of Castle Trust Bank. This is testament to the growing reputation of the bank as a specialist lender, harnessing its proprietary technology to deliver personalised customer services. Ken joins the business at a time of record performance, and his experience will help accelerate and broaden our growth plans.” Ken Stannard said “I am thrilled to be joining Castle Trust, a bank with a track record for innovation and a very exciting future. I am proud to be part of a bank that has such a vibrant culture and puts the customer right at the heart of everything it does.”
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 6 Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Cardiff, the United Kingdom In a world of online shopping, adopting digitalisation is one of the biggest challenges facing small high street businesses. Victoria Mann, Founder and CEO of NearMeNow is leading the charge in the revival of Welsh high streets by empowering businesses and communities to build smart digital towns. Ahead of the launch of the brand-new product VZTA, we are taking a closer look into Victoria’s journey of becoming a high street hero. earMeNow all started with a vision to bring people together and better connect the high street with consumers. Sparked by a visit to the hairdressers, Vicky Mann saw first-hand how businesses were unable to easily, and effectively, connect with their own customers. An experienced senior analyst within the finance industry, Victoria founded NearMeNow in 2017 and has worked with hundreds of stakeholders since then to understand the underlying digital needs of our high streets and the businesses within them. Small businesses often don’t understand and are unable to exploit digital technologies to the extent of larger businesses. Digital infrastructure is crucial to the future of high streets and town centres; it is as important as our highways, roads, and pavements. With the digital gap widening in rural, post-industrial, and coastal towns, Victoria and the NearMeNow team knew that digitising high streets needed a radical approach with robust digital toolkits that would give businesses the ability to collectively communicate, transact, and advertise in one place. NearMeNow has created VZTA, a product that meets this need, working with a ground-up approach to make town centres a better place to visit, live, work, shop and learn. VZTA has been likened to ‘social media for the high street’, providing a digital tool that gives businesses the means to communicate with their customer at a time that suits their customers’ need. The entire platform is underpinned with a “no town left behind” approach to ensure post-industrial, coastal, and rural destinations are not left behind in a tech marketplace that often takes a city-centric approach. NearMeNow has gone door-to-door in order to hand hold businesses through the journey to digital high streets. It knows that the current digital tools available to high street businesses are inefficient and have had to include businesses and consumers in this process to ensure their product is fit for the purpose of businesses, consumers, and local authorities. The NearMeNow team is currently working with the Great British High Street Champions, Treorchy, taking the small business owners on a digital journey and hand holding them through digital upskilling whilst crucially understanding the needs of their own businesses. Victoria has inspired the most digitally isolated business owners to embrace the technology, future-proofing their business and ensuring the creation of robust smart town ecosystems. NearMeNow knows the high street like no other. It has spent years working with, engaging, and supporting local high streets. From shop owners to consumers, local authorities, and government, the team has immersed themselves in the environment and people they seek to serve to make VZTA the perfect fit for the needs of town centres. They continue to listen, learn, and adapt everything they do to ensure relevancy for the high streets they work with. By empowering the whole community, from consumers to businesses, NearMeNow has delivered a system that allows businesses to compete with online giants and drive footfall to high streets. VZTA helps businesses achieve more together. Saving time and money by working together and supporting businesses to increase sales. VZTA is more than just a digital high street, it connects consumers, businesses, towns, and local authorities for a completely joined-up approach to create the world’s first smart towns ecosystem. Company: NearMeNow Contact: Victoria Mann Apr22670 N
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 7 Mar22259 Proximity In what is now a hybrid work world, Proximity provides simple, powerful workspace management technology to improve the way people collaborate and work. Businesses and coworking spaces use the industry-leading Proximity platform to manage their workforce, provide easy building door access control via smartphone, reserve meeting rooms and desks, control Wi-Fi, and more. In light of Proximity’s CEO Josh Freed being named Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Colorado, the USA, we take a closer look at the work he and his team do. Josh Freed has been CEO of Colorado-based Proximity for five years, and alongside his team, built a platformdesigned to solve a common problem: the need for a solution to manage workspaces. As workspaces increasingly shift to hybridmodels, organisations are tasked withmanaging the office experience for employees whomay no longer have a dedicated office or desk where they work each day. Proximity’s flexible workplace technology has become critical for organisations looking to execute their return-to-work plans with today and tomorrow in mind. “Where and how we work is becoming more flexible and more distributed,” says Josh. “In this evolving work world, technology is a crucial component to ease the burden workspace managers are facing as they struggle to allocate space and understand when, where, and what employees are actually showing up to an office.” Back to the beginning Josh and his team originally built the Proximity platform because they needed a solution to manage their coworking spaces. After more than a year of searching for a solution, Josh’s team came up dry. No platform offered an integrated solution with powerful features, or was easy to use – much less at an affordable price. So they set out to build their own system. That was the whole plan. But it didn’t quite work out the way they intended. Other spaces started to hear about the platform (they hadn’t even named it yet) and the team realised that maybe they weren’t the only ones who needed a better way to manage their coworking spaces. So, the team got to work and launched the Proximity platform and quickly grew their network to over 400 connected coworking spaces. Then, the pandemic hit The pandemic resulted in a sudden acceleration of flexible and remote work practices for thousands of companies and millions of workers. As a result, companies started to seek long-termsolutions tomanage this unfamiliar mix of remote and in-office employees. And while the rush to figure out “the new normal” was happening, and while the world was feeling less connected and more scattered than ever, Josh knew Proximity could provide a solution for businesses and offices that were trying to keep up. “We had the technology, so we quickly made the decision to expand and help bridge the gap for the thousands of businesses attempting to navigate their distributed workforce during the pandemic,” says Josh. So, with some research, a few adjustments, and a lot of coffee, Josh and his team opened up Proximity to businesses looking for easyto-use technology to manage their flexible office space and hybrid workforce. Proximity today The Proximity network is exponentially growing and continues to help businesses and coworking spaces streamline their day-to-day operations. They also offer flex space software options for those who want tomeet the inventory demands of an evolving workforce and turn their commercial real estate assets into flexible workspaces. Beyond and behind the Proximity platform is a group of people who truly, genuinely care for the company’s customers. Josh says, “Our team has such a unique form of balance, patience, accountability, and kindness, and I cherish all of it. I’m not sure how I got so lucky every day to work alongside the amazing people behind Proximity. One common internal theme is how grateful we are for the people who make up this team. Proximity really is an incredible mix of something special.” “We’re inclusive, we’re generous, we’re accessible, we’re genuine, we’re creators, we’re innovators. We are Proximity.” He goes on to say, “The laughter you can have alongside the people you work with is truly an amazing gift. It has been such an honour to lead this company and cherish so many moments.” Proximity is growing and hiring for a number of positions. And when it comes to recruiting new talent, Josh shares his promise: “You will be seen, valued, and respected by everyone at Proximity. We challenge and encourage and create runways for professional growth.” Josh and his team now have their sights set on the future, where they have some exciting new partnerships in the works, as well as some really exciting new features that will be launched soon. Stay tuned! Company: Proximity Space Contact: Josh Freed Email: [email protected] Website: www.proximity.space y 432 Powerful Workspace Management Software for a Tech-Powered HybridWorld
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 8 Mar22631 When it comes to identity verification, all past processes and procedures have become known as full of bloatware for both customer and verifier, resulting in an incredibly irritating and unnecessarily time-consuming experience. Seeing this, Tu Identidad has responded by resolving to change all of that. Attempting to overcome the current As an identity verification expert, Tu Identidad has seen all sorts of systems and processes come and go, each more complex than the next. With this in mind, CEO Ricardo Robledo, the ‘Most Influential CEO’ in 2022 for Mexico has developed the Tu Identidad platform, hoping to usher in a new era of better-standardized processes that protect the information gathered and make it less stressful on the side of both the information gatherer and the information giver. systems of cumbersome, risky, complex, and unfriendly identification verification solutions that foster an air of distrust and suspicion between the parties involved, it has vastly trimmed the fat from the process with its identity verification platform. Led by front-running professional Ricardo Robledo, he has made this possible with the supportive and respectful management style he uses in order to cultivate a healthy atmosphere within his team and inspire a true commitment to his clients. It is his vision to spread the word of its flagship innovation. Tu Identidad has developed an integral layer of digital identity verification services which will be the cornerstone of the user-intuitive, and easy-to-use platform in which a bank, institution, company, or market participant can identify the customer, partner, supplier, or shareholder; after this, the final user or information owner will complete a secure digital file that will identify itself by mobile device. This creates a simple, friendly, and unintimidating give-and-take with its own internal standards that are consistent across the board, a far cry from the usual industry standard of a total lack of consistency. Streamlining the processes and shirking the common data integrity issues of its peers, its platform guarantees all necessary verifications will be carried out in a timely and reliable manner. Thus, the clients it serves include traditional finance institutions such as banks, insurance companies, Fintechs, and those companies involved in the prevention of fraud who implement digital processes, and its way of working has quickly endeared it to such companies. With an obsession for meeting goals, customer service, determination, always growing, and being humble and realistic about its development, it strives to be the best of the best whilst acknowledging how much there still is to learn. This allows it to graciously accept client feedback – an invaluable element of platforms such as the one it has created – and to implement said feedback in a meaningful way. Furthermore, listening to its clients has gone a long way towards endearing it to its market segment, something that each member of its team has worked hard to make a cornerstone of the business and a courtesy that is also extended to the staff in its yearly strategic planning meetings. Ricardo Robledo himself takes a ‘lead from the front’ ethos in this way, and with 25 years of leadership behind him, he looks forward to facing down any future challenges and implementing AI and machine learning technology into the business to further improve fraud prevention. Company: Tu Identidad Contact: Ricardo Robledo Website: tuidentidad.com Identity Verification, Made Easy
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 9 Concierge Tax Service Expedient Tax is a company striving to excel in the business of preparing income tax returns for individuals and small businesses, through fast and efficient service and at affordable prices. Valuing the needs of its clients, it is a one-stop shop offering additional services in bookkeeping, life insurance and annuities, credit repair, and public/mobile notary. We got in touch with CoFounder and this issue’s Most Influential CEO, 2022 (Illinois), Stephen T Keys to learn more about the outstanding work he accomplishes with his team. What makes Expedient Tax different and in fact, special is its offering of conciergelike VIP service. With its team being very personable, they make sure to know each client by name and to cater the service to fit their needs. And it believes in making everything as convenient as possible by offering different ways for clients to send their important documents, whether that’s through the Tax app, which clients love, via email, or by coming into the office. They service all 50 states and originated in Chicago, IL. He believes partnership is significant to any business, and leads alongside his business partner and wife, Essence Keys, who is Co-founder/ VP of Operations who has her own leadership style which focuses on making sure the customer comes first and that the company can listen to what their needs are while exceeding their expectations. Essence has a performing arts background and a bachelor’s in Corporate communications, so she likes to include a lot of roleplay in her training. She pushes the team to challenge themselves by setting goals. And building confidence that they can do anything they put their minds to. She believes that “ With faith, perseverance and determination you can achieve anything. Stephen comments, “We believe in teaching ownership through what we are doing. I believe together we are what you call the dynamic duo.” They are parents of two boys Stephen, five, and Jeremiah, two. In which they are working on showing them ownership by creating apparel, books, etc under the name Keys Collections. Supporting these clients is the Expedient Tax team, who are the backbone of the business. They are able to work together with honesty, integrity, and professionalism, while having great personality and being coachable with an open mind to change. Their clients became so inspired that they wanted to learn more about taxes which inspire stephen to create the Expedient Tax Institute in 2014. These are online courses which enhances the knowledge on the latest news of the taxes. These classes consist on basic intermediate, and advance. they also just launched the keys foundation in which they want to inspire and teach the youth about the importance of financial literacy. Company: Expedient Tax Inc Contact: Stephen T Keys Email: [email protected] Web: www.expedienttax.com May22138
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 10 Leading The Path To Success When it comes to growth, the power of digital innovations cannot be underestimated. The team behind GrowthRocks understands this better than most, with their CEO, Theodore Moulos, leading the way when it comes to this innovative technology. Named by CEO Monthly as one of our Most Influential CEO, 2022 - the United Kingdom, we thought it appropriate to dig a little deeper to uncover some of the secrets of Theodore’s incredible success. acking new ways of achieving growth is the aim of any company, but few do so with such panache as the team behind GrowthRocks. Under the capable leadership of Theodore Moulos, this intrepid business has helped many organisations to thrive. Driven by data, their marketing exploits have achieved incredible success across the industry. At the heart of this success is Mr Moulos, a man who started his career in a much more technical fashion. Having studied Psychology, Accounting, Computer Science, and Management, he proved a capable CTO. His real passion, however, was for building products as opposed to building companies. Through GrowthRocks, he combines the two and he not only oversees the expansion of a multi-venture empire – that he calls a “micro-monopoly” but assists others to thrive in challenging times. With so many organisations looking for ways of expanding, the team has been able to work alongside a range of customers including B2B, B2C, Info products, SaaS, Marketplaces, and eCommerce. Their market is international, allowing GrowthRocks an incredible growth potential. Since opening their doors, Mr Moulos has insisted his team focus on ensuring that everyone of their interactions is transparent and agile. The ability to deliver truthful support as well as adapting to changing circumstances has been invaluable to the team. The last few years have been difficult for many businesses, but Mr Moulos has been determined to lead by example. When he tells his clients, they need to be agile, he knows his business model must be agile too. As such he moved GrowthRocks from a firm which was “digital-first” to one which is “digital only”. This shift has empowered the team as it is now 100% remote, able to act quickly to support clients on a professional and personal level. During the pandemic, the team were able to transform numerous crisis points into moments of opportunity for their clients. When looking at the future, we thought it appropriate to ask Mr Moulos his perspective directly. “We see a financial recession coming,” he explains. “As per macroeconomic scientists, it will be a long one, not a V sharp one – a short one lasting 3-4 months. That means that companies will need to survive, work with no new capital, and change their valuations, as well as their expectations.” The challenge for businesses, therefore, will be to engage customers and use inbound marketing to ensure that they survive these turbulent times. GrowthRocks is ideally positioned to help, with their ability to support clients to deliver their services and products at previously unprecedented speeds. Looking ahead personally, Mr Moulos has set his sights on the creation of a proprietary internal growth machine. He knows that for his company to scale efficiently, his teammust continually calibrate their approach, focusing on standardization of services, productization of services, own ventures (self-sustainable startups) and the creation of peripheral revenue streams. The latter has been achieved at GrowthRocks through the creation of growthbytes.com, growthbites.com, growthjunkie.com, and growthhackinguniversity.com and many more not all starting with the word growth. As ever, nothing the team offers is ever proposed without the GrowthRocks team doing so themselves. When the team at GrowthRocks do something, they know it will work because they’ve done it themselves. Given their tenancy to exploit any possible potential and try new things, it is clear that Mr Moulos’ determination has been a critical factor in the continued success of the company. Counting already 3 exits, we cannot wait to see what he does next. Company: GrowthRocks Ltd. Email: [email protected] Web Address: https://growthrocks.com/ May22272 H
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 11 Mar22259 Iconic Marketing, Iconic Leadership Steve Pailthorpe, the current leader of Iconic Digital Marketing Consultants, has earned renown as the ‘Most Influential CEO’ in 2022 for London with his philanthropic behaviour and exemplary work in the marketing field. During the pandemic, this professional has been keen to help his peers through a time of tumult, and donated thousands of pounds worth of resources to struggling businesses in order to help them survive it. London based Iconic Digital Marketing Consultants has made itself a true friend to its peers over the time it has been in operation, especially so in the past few years since the start of the pandemic that has wracked the world’s economy. Critically, CEO Steve Pailthorpe has thrown himself into aiding such businesses in their pivot to fit themselves to the emerging new paradigm of remote enterprise. Therefore, since 2020, he has been writing a great number of business resources that have helped a countless number of professionals to take their businesses to the online arena and avoid stagnation as foot traffic and in-person retail came to a standstill. With books including ‘The Digital Revolution’ and ‘The Little Book of Twitter’, Steve and his company have been working hard to show the modern business world the importance of flexibility and a healthy, online, digital footprint, through which clients can understand who they are and what they do instantly. In this manner, Iconic Digital Marketing has been able to help many of its peers and professional partners continue to thrive even throughout a time of increased tumult and global stress – not just through its work in creating its dynamic and digital marketing strategies – but in being the support system its market needed. Additionally, its own client service has increased exponentially in renown as it has continued to gain traction in its sector. Producing the most effective, quantifiably results-yielding, and market-specific promotional materials, it has developed a worldwide client base that has benefitted from its ability to handle all aspects of online marketing. From SEO to PPC, marketing automation, social media, and content developing, its omni-channel digital strategy promises to help clients reach out to their end customers with the right message, at the right time. Iconic Digital Marketing Consultants can also handle web design, branding and creative design, lead tracking and AI software, CRM and database management, and so much more. Fundamentally, even through these services each cover wide areas of internal process, a client can rest assured that putting their faith in it is always the right choice, with this company’s talented and gifted staff showing their in-depth and detail oriented professional excellence in a reliable manner. It is the hope of Steve Pailthorpe and his team that they can continue to serve the market in this manner, with front-running digitization that gets them ready for the future, promising that its clients can count on it every step of the way. Company: Iconic Digital Marketing Consultants Contact: Steve Pailthorpe Website: iconicdigital.co.uk Ap 560
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 12 The Three ‘T’s of Project Management Education Being a foremost and front-running IT and project management school, Three T Institute has become renowned in the educational sector for giving students ‘everything you need for a successful IT and project management career’. Run by Mahjooba Bianchi, the ‘Most Influential CEO’ in 2022 for Virginia in the USA, her business has helped thousands of learners to unlock their potential over 21 years of combined experience between the team, and she has great pride in everything that she and her students have been able to accomplish over the years. eing a womanowned and womanled company that thrives on making positive change in people’s lives, Three T Institute has built its renown on providing training and consultation services to the federal government, private organisations, and individual learners who come to it seeking better ways to approach IT and project management. The CEO and founder, Mahjooba Bianchi, has held down several senior and leadership roles in a wide variety of different companies, bringing something new and invaluable to each as she built her professional career in the handling of project logistics and administrational leadership. Having been a project manager for both Technatomy and ERPi, as well as a Chief Executive Officer for ADV consultants and a senior project manager for Inova Loudoun Hospital, she has put her credentials as a Master of Business Administration from Strayer University to good use throughout her career. Now, as the leader of Three T Institute, she uses her incredible levels of success to foster the same sort of success for other professionals. Nominally, her founding principles were ones of providing simple yet effective learning for her peers, allowing them access to ways to boost their careers and enhance their personal development in order to let them get to their next career milestones. Aiding each individual professional and her industry in the macro scale by ensuring that everyone has access to impeccable service, knowledge, and support through Three T Institute, she was able to hit the ground running with this business ins 2019, as many already knew her from her outstanding career of diligent, hardworking business management. So, why the ‘Three T’ Institute? Well, in essence, the name reflects the three pillars upon which the company has been built. Firstly, there is the pillar of technical knowledge: this handles the nitty gritty, the ins and outs of both project management as an applicable skill and informational technology as a field. The second pillar is that of soft skill, which speaks to a person’s ability to use their own talents, gifts, and energy to make a genuine connection with a team of people or a set of information, grounding the business management specific skills in with the personality that each student brings to the table. And, lastly, the third pillar is mindset. This speaks to a person’s own driving forces, their ambitions, and the attitude with which they approach their role. When all these things combine, they are sure to make an impeccably skilled and incredibly effective project manager or informational technology expert. Boasting a hybrid way of teaching that combines classroom and online learning experiences, Three T Institute has cut its teeth on creating educational services that bring excitement, motivation, and – eventually – career success. Indeed, Mahjooba Bianchi herself has funnelled significant effort into ensuring that each provider of such educational services within her company is a truly incredible teacher who deeply cares for their Apr22236 B learners and wishes to get to know each one of them on an in-depth and personal level. By doing this, the tutor in question can more effectively implement the kind of teaching that will stick with them for years to come. After all, one of the most important aspects of learning is the applicability of said learning. Thus, its service of the Northern Virginia area has involved bringing an incredible level of empathy and understanding with it to classroom environments both in person and using online learning tools, aiding each person who walks through its doors to obtain professional certifications. Such certifications can be of use in aiding employee retention, professional growth, and bolstering the proficiencies of the staff within an organisation, making it an exemplary way to share in a combined mission and vision. Moreover, it is never one to upsell a client on something they do not need, and will only ever be doing its best to help a client get the most out of its services; to this end, its free professional development
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 13 coaching sessions allow its intensely knowledgeable and empathic staff to help a learner map out their career. From there, Three T Institute will be able to talk a client through where it will be able to help, and what they may need to do to unlock certain milestones. When they have been thoroughly and comprehensively informed, should they wish to progress in an education with Three T Institute, the company will welcome them with open arms in order to bolster their confidence and give them the tools they need to succeed. This hands-on approach has certainly endeared it to a wide range of learners. Over the years, its e-learning and physical teaching alike – emboldened by the tenacity and drive of the founder herself – has become synonymous with a personable and effective approach that never fails to help a client come out a more prepared and supported professional than they started. Indeed, this support and firm dedication to client satisfaction and wellbeing is what has made it such a cornerstone of the IT and project management training industry, using classroom work, coaching calls, and a sense of community to boost confidence and prepare its professionals to handle the challenges and opportunities of the future. Company: Three T Institute Contact: Mahjooba Bianchi Website: threetinstitute.com
In Defence of Data
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 15 With its founder Phyllis Elin Ph.D earning accreditation as the ‘Most Influential CEO’ in 2022 for New York, her company – Knowledge Preservation – has been making waves throughout North America with its incredibly well designed and thorough data protection strategies. Implementing infrastructure that promises to take its clients’ organizations to the next level and future-proof their gathered information in a holistic sense, it specialises in the protection, restructuring, and empowerment of data assets. As one of the most trusted data protecting companies in New York, Knowledge Preservation has cut its teeth on the defence, structuring, and empowerment of it’s clients’ data assets. For this company, the truth of its ambition lies in its name – Knowledge Protection – as this describes the structural work it does to rebuild its customers’ organizational memory into something that will preserve their company’s information and safeguard it well. Founded by exemplary mind in her industry and pioneer of governmental information management, Phyllis Elin Ph.D, she has turned this company into a front-runner of industry and leader of information governance and consultancy practice. Its team, experts in synthesised information, use deep information governance and technological skills to create holistic, cost-effective, and best-practice information restructure in their work. Thus, it has been able to protect and empower their core data assets since its beginning. Making a name for itself in this manner was never a struggle for Knowledge Protection, as in everything it has made its professionalism and diligence known, serving one client at a time with truly incredibly levels of customer service that keep them at the very heart of its concerns. Helping clients to create, deploy, and maintain its strategies, Elin herself is a CCPA, GDPR, data privacy, data security, and governance expert, working in the New York City Metropolitan Area and serving her clients with an exemplary level of pride that each of them appreciate. After all, she sees her duty towards her clients as a duty of care, one that will better the corporate world in the macro scale. Her information governance work has been developed thusly over the past 30 years, allowing her to build an in-depth and highly impressive portfolio of past clients, each of whom have benefitted from the enterprise-wide information consultancy she has delivered to clients from financial enterprises to pharmaceutical companies. She has also served customers in healthcare, the legal sector, higher education, and the public sector. Its services include the development, deployment, and maintenance of data defensible governance systems, each of which have made a name for itself in the market for the excellence that unite them. Fundamentally, although each of its services are highly tailored to fit the client, their needs, and their specifications, they all share this as a common trait, as well as sharing the outstanding level of customer service that goes into their implementation and implementation; its staff take great pride in making sure each customer feels taken care of throughout the entire process. When it comes to needs assessment and gap analysis, it uses an in-depth and industry leading understanding of data assets to conduct itself and re-organise a client’s informational structure. Firstly, its work with a client begins by identifying client priorities right from the word ‘go’, teasing out the individual needs, specifications, and priorities that they find the most important in order to ensure it can do its best work. Knowledge Protection then uses this information to assess, evaluate, and isolate any high risk and high value data compliance and litigation risks, presenting these to the client in a manner that is holistic and unladen by jargon in order to give them a comprehensive idea of what it is they’re dealing with and what the implications are. After all, above all else, it is aware of what a minefield its industry can be to the uninitiated – and even for those who are more intimately familiar with it. Knowledge Protection gives its clients the opportunity to shuffle any stress caused by this enigmatic and complication consideration, instituting remediation plans that address gaps and weaknesses in a manner than leaves no stone unturned and no factor unconsidered. After all, the benefit of gaining the help of a foremost expert such as Elin and her teammeans that a client can rest assured that this will happen in a reliable fashion; between her own expertise and the knowledge of her team, her experience means that she is adept at seeing all variables at play and act accordingly. Developing reporting, communication, and accountability structures with this in mind is a sure-fire way to increase their dependability. This, effectively, future-proof’s a clients’ businesses by co-ordinating gap remediation planning, analysis, and reporting, each of which can happen quickly, efficiently, and without draining a client’s own internal resources, which will usually always be of better use elsewhere. Due to this, clients can focus on what matters to them – the ambitions of their business – and leave information protection in the capable hands of Knowledge Protection and its team, resting assured that they have made the right choice. Indeed, Knowledge Protection has aided many clients in this way, and does not wish for any new clients to simply have to take its word for it. Elin and her team are staunchly dedicated to the collection of and action regarding client feedback, and Knowledge Protection is always anxious to keep improving and developing accordingly, with a proactive approach to feedback that has seen clients depend on it time after time. With the exemplary retention schedule implementation it handles, the politics, procedures, and training it delivers, and the customer service that exists behind every service it offers, Knowledge Protection and Phyllis Elin herself are looking forward to a continually improving future for itself, its clients, and the wider world. Company: Knowledge Preservation Contact: Phyllis Elin Web: www.knowledgepreservation.com Apr22061
Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Dubai, the United Arab Emirates
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 17 Dr. Arturo Lujan, CEO for Al Ghurair Ventures, is an exemplary leader whose drive, tenacity, innovation, people development, customer-focus, sustainability, and impeccable education continue to pave the way for business growth, expansion and transformation. As the CEO for Al Ghurair Ventures, Dr. Arturo Lujan has established a name for himself as an influential leader and a driving force within Al Ghurair Investment, one of the largest and most reputed family business groups in the Middle East. In terms of industrial footholds, Al Ghurair has established itself in the sectors of foods and resources, property, construction and services, energy, mobility, and ventures. Al Ghurair Ventures comprises a broad and diverse portfolio of businesses, all primed for growth and to support in driving the overall transformational journey of the wider Group. Al Ghurair Ventures companies range from automotive, printing, retail, education, financial services, exchange, travel, and shipping, amongst other diverse sectors. Since joining the company as CEO, Dr. Arturo Lujan has been steering Al Ghurair Ventures towards the future, with a focus on innovation, sustainability and transformation. As key demonstration of this drive, AG Ventures companies recently achieved both the Middle East and Africa Regional Innovation Award and the Middle East and Africa Regional Sustainability Award. Moreover, the Dubai 2020 Expo Passport, produced by Al Ghurair Printing, ranked as Amazon Best Seller Globally for five consecutive months during the Dubai EXPO 2020. This milestone was a record achievement, as a first-time accomplishment for a company in the MEA region. Additionally, AG Retail business, within AG Ventures as well, achieved the Dubai Business Excellence Award, as a recognition for its outstanding customer-centric excellent service. Earlier this year, Dr. Arturo was himself recognised with the prestigious distinction of “Friends of Spain in the UAE”, awarded by the President of Spain in recognition of his outstanding contributions toward business leadership, economic expansion and supporting bilateral trade relations. Dr. Arturo Lujan has previously achieved personal accreditation for his leadership in joining the ranks of Spain’s 10 top CEOs and Presidents. The base of knowledge and depth of experience that have led to his coveted place on the international arena has been built following a 25-year career as a business leader, comprising positions across five continents. Directing companies from the positions of President, CEO, Private Equity Partner, and Board Member, Dr. Arturo’s experience extends across a number of Global Fortune 100 companies in the spheres of consumer, business-tobusiness, industrial, healthcare, and information technology. Fundamentally, Dr. Arturo’s drive and ambition have created companies that consistently achieve outstanding financial results and are reputed for becoming great places to work for their employees. His efforts in maximising employee engagement and enhancing customer loyalty are widely recognised, with his name now synonymous with long-term value creation, profitable growth, and financial strength. With a passion for innovation, sustainability and circularity, social impact and environmental conscience are topics close to his heart, and are embedded into his purpose-led business strategies. Through his business leadership and private equity work, Dr. Arturo has lead companies in five continents and developed a remarkable network of business leaders around the world, reaching from the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa, powering far-reaching impact. Essentially, Dr. Arturo’s purposefocused and transformational leadership have become a driving force in the corporate world, ensuring his continued personal growth in such a way that allows his achievements to become the success of the company he works for. With his place cemented as a cornerstone of modern corporate leadership, Dr. Arturo is primed to push Al Ghurair Ventures to further success. Of course, his well-rounded approach to his business career has been greatly aided by his perspective to everyday life: leading by example when it comes to his passion for learning, and towards becoming a better version of himself, every day. Dr. Arturo holds an MBA from the prestigious Wharton School of Business in the USA, and a BSE — focusing on economics, finance, management and marketing — also from Wharton, graduating from both programmes with Honours. Moreover, Dr. Arturo has completed his Advanced Management Programmes from Harvard Business School, further expanding his leadership competencies and global network. This year, Dr. Arturo Lujan was presented his Doctorate Degree, awarded in recognition of his extensive contributions to business transformation and community impact. The Council of Doctors voted unanimously for Dr. Arturo to receive this prestigious distinction of Doctorate Honoris Cause in the historic house of knowledge, Ateneo of Madrid, Spain which is the highest distinction awarded by this prestigious institution. Company: Al Ghurair Contact: Group Press Office [email protected] Website: www.al-ghurair.com May22082 As the CEO for Al Ghurair Ventures, Dr. Arturo Lujan has established a name for himself as an influential leader and a driving force within Al Ghurair Investment, one of the largest and most reputed family business groups in the Middle East. “ “
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 7 2022 18 Automotive Supplier CIO of the Year 2022 Headquartered in Northville, Michigan in the USA, Cooper Standard specialises in materials science and manufacturing. Breaking down barriers to innovate materials science into final products, Cooper Standard delivers sustained value for all stakeholders and the global industries it serves. As the company’s CIO, Soma Venkat sees extraordinary success within the C-Suite Awards 2022, we take a closer look at the company andhis career. or more than 60 years, Cooper Standard has been constantly evolving to meet the current and future needs of its stakeholders, with the ultimate aim being to create sustainable solutions together. The company has a long history of providing customers with the highest quality and most cutting-edge automotive solutions. Today, it is still delivering this same quality and innovation to a wide range of markets with its materials science technology. It drives value through successful relationships with customers, world-class operations across a strategic global footprint, and commitment to advancing the business as a whole. Cooper Standard’s purpose is made up of four keywords of ‘creating’, ‘sustainable’, ‘solutions’, and ‘together’. In ‘creating’ it works to develop gamechanging advancements in materials science and product innovations. For ‘sustainable’, it delivers continued business viability and reduction of its environmental footprint. Under ‘solutions’, it delivers quality products and services. And ‘together’ means partnering with all its stakeholders to create a better tomorrow. The company strives to be the first choice for its stakeholders by living out its core values and demonstrating its capabilities to meet or exceed their expectations. These values are ‘safety first’, ‘collaboration drives success’, ‘integrity always’, ‘diversity makes us stronger’, ‘commitment to excellence’, and ‘respect for all’. Each of these core values do what they say on the tin, and they enhance the Cooper Standard team’s capabilities, helping team members to work together and to deliver outstanding results in their daily work. Soma Venkat has been leading the global IT and digitisation and innovation initiative for Cooper Standard as CIO since September 2021. He is also on the board of Liveline Technologies, a spin-off from Cooper Standard which enables him to utilise the power of artificial intelligence to automate complex manufacturing processes. Soma is an accomplished technology leader with over 25 years’ experience under his belt in providing innovative solutions to the automotive, manufacturing, high-tech, higher education, and media industries. This experience includes an array of leadership positions in companies such as Meritor, MASCO, ProQuest, Bell & Howell, and Oracle. Not only this, but he also founded InfoShuk, a big data/ AI start-up company. Prior to entering the corporate world, Soma was part of the teaching and research at the University of Windsor, and before that he achieved a PhD in Computational Mathematics from the same university. He is also a graduate of the CIO Institute at the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago. By having such a wealth of experience in leading and executing IT within a variety of sectors, Soma is truly an asset to the Cooper Standard team as it continues its digital transformation and the execution of its Driving Value plan. Ultimately, he is clearly very worthy of the awards success he has achieved. Company: Cooper Standard Contact: Soma Venkat Website: www.cooperstandard.com Apr22661 F
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