The 10 Most Iconic Founders and CEO's to Watch, 2022

VOL 06 | ISSUE 02 | 2022

The

10 Iconic Most

Founders and CEO's to Watch,

2022

President, and CEO

Virginia Union University

Dr.Hakim

J. Lucas

Advocating Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Transformative Approach Seize the Opportunity

EDITOR’S NOTE Team up With the Best of CEO Skills

W

hether the goal is to transform the organization, serve markets, or create a future-fit workforce, business leaders and organizations are ready for the challenges of tomorrow. To get it right, it is better to understand that “There are no failures, only learning experiences in life.” That's how the culture of innovation and growth is built that closes the skills gaps with immersive insights.

Today's business leaders focus on creating pathways to attract, train, and deploy the right tech talent. As the demand for innovative skills needs to be filled with diversity and inclusion more critical than ever, the industry's approach is changing, and among leaders – CEOs are leading from the front.

Having a diverse and supportive team is great, as it answers the question – how do you do it? CEOs work with businesses to develop the building blocks required to create innovative, engaged tech teams. Their main responsibility involves developing teams, building scalable learning solutions to help close the talent skills gap, and power the organization's needs.

With the contribution of the CEOs, companies reach their full potential with engaging, high-quality solutions that directly cut the company's shortcomings. Thus, not only having an innovative CEO on the board is great, but it's just the right thing for your organization to do.

If you struggle to succeed using your current strategy, then a CEO is what you need to help grow the organization. It can also be said

The

10 Iconic Most

Founders and CEO's to Watch,

2022

that a CEO is the next step in the business evolution, raising the bar of leadership with their innovative strategies. They are making life easier for employees, organizations, and the people by offering new opportunities to fill necessary skills gaps.

CEOs are here to help the organization choose what's best for them, work together towards achieving goals, and empower individuals and organizations to develop their skills and succeed in the industry. They are building a culture of learning agility with millions of organizations worldwide, including start-ups, large enterprises, and government agencies.

It all comes down to perspective on how you term things, and CEOs are excellent examples that always keep an approach to learning and improving. Hence, we are grateful to have them around for sharing their knowledge, supporting us, and making all of us a part of something great.

This inspires CIO LOOK to come together and appreciate the efforts of CEOs for instilling their knowledge in us with the upcoming project - “The 10 Most Iconic Founders and CEOs to Watch, 2022.” This edition showcases the importance of CEOs among the team and their overall contribution to the industry.

Let us meet again with our thought-provoking articles inside this magazine, which will help you enlighten the industry trends and topics.

So, what are you waiting for? Hop on for an insightful ride!

Sourabh More

c

COVER STORY

o n t e

n t s

08

Dr. Hakim J. Lucas Advocating Historically Black Colleges and Universities

article

20

Transformative Approach Seize the Opportunity

Leader's Viewpoint Keeping It Human

Boris Arciniegas

16

A Profound Business Leader Assisting Organizations with Innovative Technological Solutions

24

Gene Saunders On a Mission to Provide Strategic Public Safety

Mathieu Gorge

28

A Seasoned International Security Expert

36

Sibongile Sambo A Dedicated and Aspiring Business Individual

Valerie Vacante

Bringing Emerging Technology Products to Life

40

C xO

32

Shellie Jones Editor-in-Chief CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Executive Editors Sourabh More Alex Spellman

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Featured Person

Company Name

Brief

Boris Arciniegas CEO

Grupo Business IT grupobusiness.it

Grupo Business IT is the most innovative business group, specialized in high-tech IT services, with a presence in several Latin American countries.

Brent Kruel CEO

BioFunctional Health Solutions biofunctionalhealth.com

BioFunctional Health Solutions aim is to deliver the world’s best health and wellness solutions to employees anywhere they are.

Jim DeVries CEO

ADT adt.com

ADT has made the security of our customers our top priority.

Gene Saunders CEO

Project Lifesaver projectlifesaver.org

Project Lifesaver is a community based, public safety, nonprofit organization that provides law enforcement, fire/rescue, and caregivers with a program designed to protect, and when necessary, quickly locate individuals with cognitive disorders who are prone to the life threatening behavior of wandering.

Hakim Lucas CEO

Virginia Union University vuu.edu

Virginia Union University is a premier historically black university, with a rich heritage and outstanding legacy of producing world-renown leaders; Virginia Union University offers its students "The Promise of A Limitless Future."

Mathieu Gorge Founder and CEO

Vigi Trust vigitrust.com

VigiOne enable organisations to achieve and maintain compliance with legal, industrial and security standards and frameworks.

Rick Bates Founder and CEO

RxSense rxsense.com

RxSense is a health technology company.

Ron Saslow CEO

Hu-Friedy hu-friedy.com

HuFriedyGroup, a global leader in dental instrument manufacturing, infection prevention and instrument reprocessing workflows.

Sibongile Rejoyce Sambo Managing Director

SRS Aviation srsaviation.co.za

SRS Aviation strives to become the dominant player in the Aviation Industry.

Valerie Vacante Founder

Collabsco collabsco.com

Collabsco is a strategy + innovation firm that collaborates with global brands and startups to create solutions for growth.

Advocating Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Like a shepherd guides flock, a transcendent leader does not walk in front of the flock but guides from behind to keep the flock moving forward.

Dr. Hakim J. Lucas President, and CEO

Virginia Union University

W

ith a rich history and remarkable legacy of creating world-renowned leaders, Virginia Union University is a top historically black university. The university boasts of developing its students into scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners in a global society.

The picturesque Virginia Union University campus, located on 84 acres in the heart of Richmond, highlights historic architecture while providing comprehensive undergraduate and graduate education. A heavy emphasis on moral values and ethics is a guiding element of the university's educational program, and students are encouraged to participate in activities that promote self-actualization.

Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, the President, and CEO of the university, is a major supporter of student-driven initiatives and student and faculty participation in developing and implementing the university's strategic plan. He promotes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and fights to assure their longterm viability. He is a transcendent leader who has chosen to advocate for social justice through education.

As a result, he participates in several advisory councils and organizations.

An Illustrious University with a Rich History From Virginia Union University's inception in 1865, it was designed to give newly emancipated freedmen an opportunity for education and advancement. The first classes were held inside the Lumpkin's Jail, a former

slave jail also known as the Devil's half-acre, according to the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS). Mrs. Mary Ann Lumpkins, the owner, rented the venue for the classes. Lumpkins was a former slave who inherited the estate from her late husband, a slave trader. ABHMS eventually established four institutions, which later merged to form the "Union" that is now known as Virginia Union University. Richmond Theological Seminary, Wayland Seminary, Hartshorn Memorial College, and Storer College are the colleges that were merged together.

On February 11, 1899, the inaugural Founders' Day was marked by a groundbreaking ceremony at the current site of Virginia Union University in front of Kingsley Hall, and the first classes began on October 4, 1899. The campus was designed with nine "noble structures" made of Virginia granite to give it a distinct look. Pickford Hall, Kingsley Hall, Coburn Hall, Martin E. Gray Hall, Baptist Memorial Hall, Industrial Hall, and the "Power Plant" are the seven original remaining structures.

The School of Arts & Sciences, The Evelyn Reid Syphax School of Education, The Sydney Lewis School of Business, The School of Latin American & Caribbean Studies /Universidad, The University College, The Graduate, Global Campus & Professional Education, and The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology are the seven academic schools that makeup Virginia Union University today. Education, business, social activism; politics and government; media; sports and entertainment; ministry, sciences, and the military are among the university's prominent graduates.

Virginia Union University is nourished by its African American heritage and energized by a commitment to excellence and diversity.

University's Philosophy Virginia Union University is fueled by a commitment to excellence and diversity and its African American legacy. It aims to provide a loving, intellectually challenging, and spiritually rewarding learning environment and encourage students to acquire strong moral principles to succeed and become scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners in a global community.

Virginia Union University's objective is to improve liberal arts education, teaching, research, science, technology, continuing education, civic participation, and international experiences through a wide range of educational possibilities.

VUU is a premier liberal arts urban institution of higher education and a national center of excellence for student preparation and leadership development for the future.

Virginia Union University strategically works toward four goals: Student Success, Academic Excellence, Entrepreneurial Enterprise and, Brand Prestige. It is guided by five fundamental principles to deliver on the promise of a Limitless Future. They are Innovation, Spiritual Formation, Integrity, Diversity & Inclusion and, Excellence Each principle is essential to its ability to provide a best-in-class educational experience for students, faculty, and staff.

As a leader, it is important to empower those you lead.

The principles aid its community in understanding the right path to fulfilling our institution's mission. In conjunction with the principles are the university's Noble Values.

Innovation and Inclusion At Virginia Union University, they consistently search for and create growth opportunities that forge groundbreaking research, state-of-the-art technology, or a top-of-the-line curriculum. They welcome and encourage new ideas and processes that positively impact experiences.

As a faith-based university, they welcome the regular practice of prayer, worship, silence, and mediation that matures one's relationships, values, and life purpose, leading to ongoing spiritual growth and transformation.

The university values its commitment to fairness, honesty, and truth reflected in each person's words and deeds while holding itself accountable for its words and actions.

As one of the nation's oldest HBCUs, the university team allows diversity in thought, perspective, and embodiment, trusting that they are stronger when various voices, traditions, and experiences are present.

They value inclusivity and promote a safe campus with dignity, respect, and compassion.

They provide the highest quality of experiences and interactions while remaining flexible, responsive, and open-minded in developing and delivering programs, services, and facilities committed to exceeding what it means to be best-in-class. Virginia Union University has also partnered with Apple as part of its smart campus launch.

Creating An Impact Virginia Union University wants its students to: • Perform Better • Achieve Faster • Live Socially Responsible • Be Ethically & Ethnically Conscious • Achieve Generational Wealth In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a growing need for flexibility within the organization,

requiring the university to change its business model of education. The 21st-century student needs more educational options. Some students prefer to take the traditional educational route by living on campus, attending in-person classes, and pursuing a four-year degree. Other students are looking for other options, such as virtual courses and two-year programs that, upon completion, will allow them to graduate with certifications in high-demand fields. At Virginia Union, they want to cater to the ever-changing needs of those they serve.

The Driving Force Virginia Union University follows a Lean Six Sigma philosophy of improvement to eliminate waste and function as efficiently and effectively as possible.

The work culture at Virginia Union University is divided into work, Writing, Assessment, and Accountability.

They have seven divisions across the university which Vice-Presidents lead. They are Academic Affairs, Administrative Services, Talent Management, Business Affairs, Enrollment Management, Institutional Advancement, Student Affairs, and University Relations. Each division gives a weekly report with updates on the work being done within their area and completion status.

They also have a strong culture of writing about their strategic plans, successes, challenges, and lessons learned, this aids in historical reference to the work being accomplished and standard operating procedures. Assessment is done through 30-Day plans submitted by all employees so that executive leaders can track the progress of their goals for each division.

The vice-presidents also submit monthly reports based on the employee success and challenges recorded in the 30-day report. VUU also holds meetings with the Board of Trustees three times a year.

The Best Is Yet to Come The university's goal is to be recognized as a 'Best-InClass' institution by 2025. That means working to become one of the nation's best Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), ranking in the Top 10 of HBCUs, preparing students, and developing them as scholars, leaders, and lifelong learners of a diverse, global society.

Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs As a leader, it is important to empower those that you lead. Dr. Hakim's model of leadership is servant leadership. A transcendent leader guides those they lead from behind. Like a shepherd guides flock, a transcendent leader does not walk in front of the flock but guides from behind to keep the flock moving forward. A transcendent leader in a transcendent organization continuously grows in professional maturity, allowing their self-awareness and professional awareness to exist and grow together to ensure that the organization's vision and mission are realized and achieved.

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Boris Arciniegas

Founder, President, and CEO

Grupo Business IT

The 10 Most Iconic Founders and CEO's to Watch, 2022

Boris Arciniegas A Profound Business Leader Assisting Organizations with Innovative Technological Solutions

S

ome leaders imbibe entrepreneurial skills as they progress in their careers, while some gifted leaders have entrepreneurial qualities inbuilt in them since childhood. Recognizing these inbuilt qualities is an essential aspect of business leaders and growing upon them makes them stand out. Reflecting upon his qualities, Boris Arciniegas has transformed himself into the Founder, President, and CEO of Grupo Business IT. He leads an innovative business group specializing in high-tech IT services in several Latin American countries.

his domain because of his attraction to mathematics, physics, technology, and computers. He also won various programming competitions at the country level, which strengthened his path in this information technology industry.

We provide our clients with a worldclass experience by creating pioneering, internationally awarded technology solutions to empower each person and organization to achieve their goals.

Boris has built the company to galvanize his 'Green IT' technological solutions to meet their business goals.

Grupo Business IT enables organizations to reduce operational costs, increase efficiency and improve productivity through environmentally friendly and sustainable IT practices. It aims to provide its clients with a world-class experience by creating pioneering, internationally awarded technology solutions to empower each person and organization to achieve its goals.

Roots of an Entrepreneurial DNA Boris Arciniegas was very observant, analytical, and creative as a child, the real place where he began his entrepreneurial journey. His urge to add a creative environment to his workplace came from a humble home that always sought to improve itself through new ways of generating income. The mixture of nature and a conducive environment shaped his entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. He took inspiration from global figures who stood out in science, such as Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Steve Jobs. He chose

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| July 2022 |

Boris's vast technical expertise and his love for nature made him an industry leader, particularly as the CEO of Business IT. He has formulated his three main responsibilities as the CEO, which go as follows: •

•

•

A vision where the world will find itself in the following years and where the technology will be found in the future to create a plan for the organization and lead everyone along that path.

Create the conditions (strategy + culture) for the company to improve (change) faster and faster; the only sustainable competitive advantage over time is the ability to change rapidly.

Create new leaders who push the organization's boundaries, supporting all the organization's staff to grow personally and professionally.

Boris adds, "What makes me different from other industry leaders is my main goal is to change the world, to generate a massive transformation that allows us to have a better place to live. The economic success of the company is secondary."

Inspiring Environment-Friendly IT practices Business IT was founded in 2009 and had its HeadQuarter in Ecuador; later, it was expanded to several countries in Latin America.

The company's solutions have a high degree of innovation. It is among the first in the world to adopt new technologies that are now being released faster and faster for the benefit of its customers. The solutions are "Green IT," which allows organizations to reduce their

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operating costs, increase efficiency and improve productivity through sustainable and environmentally friendly IT practices. Boris adds, "The company has changed a lot in the current situation, where its entire portfolio was redesigned in March to include many solutions that the market requires in this "new world" that we are living in."

Before the pandemic, Boris updated his portfolio with new services every three months. Currently, he does it every three weeks. This means reorienting the company in all its areas towards a new direction is important now more than ever; the plan must have constant adjustments because the world is living in an environment of high uncertainty. Boris states, "These days, we are launching a whole new Cybersecurity offer implemented on world-class platforms such as Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 that provide full integration with many systems, providing information security, agility, and global coverage to organizations."

Mission: Deliver clients with a world-class experience by creating pioneering, internationally awarded technology solutions to empower every individual and organization to achieve their goals.

Grupo Business IT focuses on Customer Experience; Boris is preparing the entire company to better understand its customers' needs and create an extraordinary experience when its customers buy their services. This is why it can expand quickly, opening two new operations in Latin America, the Caribbean, and the USA. The company rides on its core values to bring about international expansion, which is its most important project.

Vision: To be recognized globally by 2032 as one of the leading brands in transforming organizations with technological solutions.

The company has solidified its position in its niche by following simple, impactful points which read:

Scale Efficiency, Reduce Risks • • •

Character / Integrity: Leaders must inspire confidence. What the leader thinks, says, and does must be perfectly aligned.

Competence / Ingenuity: Leaders seek excellence in everything they do. They invest time in becoming the subject matter experts they lead.

Focused on Clients: They understand that the business exists for the clients. They do not allow internal bureaucracy to impede the growth of the business or organization. They build great teams by selecting the best. They are good communicators: They work consistently on their skills as communicators. They can summarize and explain their ideas. They transmit energy and stimulate others: They have a clear vision, and they manage to communicate it. They consistently emanate high levels of energy. They show that they love what they do.

The company looks to stay ahead of its competition by adopting several strategies. The most important strategy is to monitor clients to constantly determine changes in their portfolio, new competitive advantages they are taking out, and understanding of key personnel they are incorporating. Another factor is to use experimentation a lot, that is, have several ideas on how to optimize the staff internally, but it is needed to test the hypotheses and constantly experiment with controlled risks. Traditional organizations try to scale efficiency and predictability, creating static environments believing that it will reduce risks. This helps Grupo Business IT to move and change faster than the competition.

Creativity is at the Core of Customer Service "The crisis is an opportunity for creativity and innovation."

One of the most important geniuses of the 20th century, Albert Einstein (1935), wrote, "The crisis is the best blessing to people and countries because the crisis brings progress. It is in crisis that inventiveness, discoveries, and great strategies are born."

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SEIZE THE

A

s they say, “If opportunity does not knock your door, build the door”. Let’s justify this quote through this article in the context of business leaders.

A business leader realizes that with his/her creativity and vision the business can unleash opportunities and make things happen. He or she drives new products, services, new business models and innovate the ways of working. Being a business leader, broadening the diverse pools is meaningful to the business. Embracing the change by working with different people and perspectives with different backgrounds and knowledge is important to drive innovation and growth.

We are in the digital world of innovation where entertainment, living, and learning share the global stage of connection. It is going to impact the way people interact and connect in the physical world. When we talk about innovation and technology, we are working continuously to build a better world for all of us. For business leaders, there is always room for learning and improving their companies with these technological tools like AI, IoT, Cloud, Robotics.

In the Depth of Leadership Ultimately it is all about passion and belief to empower the community and being confident about the business concepts. There are a lot of leaders right now providing opportunities and they continue to build the doors of opportunities with the help of their qualities.

A Challenging Journey The challenge for business leaders has been creating and connecting people with the physical and digital worlds. Unveiling technology for growth creates business partnerships, market opportunities, connect communities, and encourages people to explore out.

Other challenges also include learning how to grow the business as an entrepreneur. Business leaders have to navigate through different roles and responsibilities, and they create new opportunities solving complex problems.

Those who practice such impactful leadership qualities deliver to achieve the goal of the organization. A good business leader inspires and encourages to lead the organization to new levels of success. As a business leader, one’s growth is based on the performance of the team. They use their intelligence to outplay the competition. He is the specialized person creating the impact in the organization.

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Transformative Approach

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He is the go-to person for all the team members of the company and with his deep expertise he helps to strategize the plans to achieve tangible growth. Once he develops the legacy of success in the industry with his skills, he can ensure digital dominance and become a preferred choice over every other leader to achieve growth.

about growing together and this quality will transform the industry and the world as a whole.

This is the most underestimated trait of leadership.

Business leaders are well aware that if they really want to bring a change, they have to be empathetic. There is always a way of working out things through technology, but it is constrained to business only. Coming out as a true leader, learning, and respecting people will build one’s reputation. It allows one to address the problems and issues of the people. Business leaders know their business, market, and customers, but what is important is to know your people and a desire to mentor them with the opportunities and achievements.

The quick and adaptive business leaders have increased their productivity through the virtual working environment because of the pandemic. They introduce the digital realm in order to provide value to the people along with new digital coaching groups, making the environment positive.

Know It Before You Blow It Our actions today will impact the future and only kindness and empathy towards each other with help to face every problem in our life. So, an empathetic business leader feels it is his responsibility of giving back to society. There is so much more to do for the people and the environment. Above all, the important thing is to build that door of opportunities for himself and open it for others. Succeeding in business is all

The Shining Message Finally, in a world where almost everything is transforming, the journey for business leaders also goes through digital transformation. The bottom line - the real leader knows how to get the stuff done. For them, the greatest motivation lies in creating opportunities, as they are not driven by the materialist world.

For them, the highest motivation is gratitude, empathy, and contributing to the success of the team members and the organization. It is the difference between consistency and inconsistency that separates from an ordinary leader to an impactful leader. The best aspect of making an impact on others is by empowering others with opportunities and no expectation of getting something in return.

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Gene Saunders

Founder and CEO

Project Lifesaver

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Gene Saunders On a Mission to Provide Strategic Public Safety

A

Look to

s the population of the world ages, the number of people with Alzheimer's, dementia, or similar diseases will increase, eventually adding to the risk of wandering. There are already several efforts to assist older persons who have gone missing.

the problems in the sector

In essence, wandering is characterized by locomotive behavior that may or may not be intentional, and it may or may not be something that a person is aware of. This fact points to a very significant issue that needs to be addressed. And with that, Gene Saunders came up with the idea of using the right approach to track down wandering people. He is the founder and the CEO of Project Lifesaver, a leading search and rescue company run by public safety organizations worldwide. It is specifically developed for individuals who are prone to life-threatening wandering behavior.

and come up

with methods

and solutions to assist in the

Gene is an internationally recognized expert in tracking the recovery of people at risk. He has appeared on local, national, and worldwide radio and television programs for his expertise in this niche.

ever-changing role of public safety.

CIO Look caught up with Gene in our endeavor to find "The 10 Most Iconic Founders and CEOs to Watch, 2022."

We talked with him to understand how he is driving a transformative change in the public safety sector with his expertise.

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Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.

Below are the highlights of Gene's interview.

Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Project Lifesaver.

What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?

Project Lifesaver is a Non Profit 501c3 organization that provides equipment, training, and support to its member agencies in the Project Lifesaver program. It also researches new technology to aid in its mission.

I was with the Chesapeake, VA Police Dept for 33 years, retiring as a Captain in 2001. I also headed the Sheriff's Search and Rescue unit. In 1999, I had the idea to track and locate persons with Dementia, Autism, etc., who wandered and became lost through RF technology. I developed a training and certification program, and public safety agencies began joining the organization.

We named this program Project Lifesaver as it saved lives, reduced manpower and cost on searches, and is highly successful.

Enlighten us on how you have impacted Public Safety through your expertise in the market.

We have drastically cut down the amount of time, cost, and manpower necessary to conduct this type of search and, to date, have recorded over 3,700 successful searches in an average recovery time of fewer than 30 minutes.

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Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.

All the people in our organization believe in its mission, to save lives. It is demonstrated by the willingness to do whatever it takes to assist our member agencies in the mission.

Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful?

We constantly test new equipment and methods to enhance and improve the mission.

What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the Public Safety sector? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change?

Public safety is looking to do more with less and a more pronounced shift to technology to accomplish its tasks. We stay in contact with our members as to their needs and work to incorporate them into our equipment and methods.

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for Project Lifesaver?

Project Lifesaver will continue to test and adopt new equipment methods and technology to aid its members in an even better approach and solution to this ever-increasing problem.

What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the Public Safety sector?

Look to the problems in the sector and come up with methods and solutions to assist in the ever-changing role of public safety.

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Mathieu Gorge A Seasoned International Security Expert

W

here is your data & how does it flow? Who are the stakeholders & what regulations and standards are you subject to? Founded by Mathieu Gorge in 2003, VigiTrust has been answering these questions to international clients in the healthcare, financial services, retail, and government sectors for over 20 years.

Board, an international security & compliance thinktank.

Aims to Deliver Innovative Projects The security and compliance sector evolves very quickly at the best of times, so Gorge pro-actively and diligently keeps his finger on the pulse at all times. He does this through the VigiTrust Global Advisory Board which gives him amazing insight into what's happening in the industry from a technology, regulation, and research perspective.

A Regular Speaker at International Conferences Mathieu Gorge is the CEO and Founder of VigiTrust which he created in Dublin. He is an established authority and speaker on Cyber security, Risk Management & Compliance with more than 20 years’ international experience.

Right now, a lot is going on in Machine Learning, AI, and Quantum, not forgetting blockchain. VigiTrust is involved in a few innovation projects with research partners globally and aims at delivering new innovative solutions to clients & partners at all times. Gorge is also on the board of several tech companies and part of working groups within the security & compliance community. This allows him to keep learning at all times and to extend his network.

Gorge’s areas of expertise include PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, VRM, and ISO 27001. He has been involved in payment security for more than 20 years and has worked with many security working groups and associations in the US and EU. He is a regular speaker at international security and compliance conferences such as RSA, ENISA & ISACA.

Passionate About Data-Security Gorge studied languages, marketing and law. He never once studied IT or compliance. However, he was fortunate to work for companies whose leaders were passionate about security, and having caught the bug, he developed a keen interest in data security, a subset of the security market. Things grew from there, and Mathieu remains passionate about data security, risk management, and compliance.

Gorge was the President of the French Irish Chamber of Commerce in Dublin from 2017-2019 - he remains on the Executive council and as chair of the ICT working group. Mathieu has also served as the Chairman of InfoSecurity Ireland and was an Official Reviewer for ANSI (US). He is the founder of the PCI DSS European Roadshow, which has been running since 2011. He is also the Chairman of the VigiTrust Global Advisory

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Focusing on Core Solutions The current global crisis is unprecedented, and like most organizations VigiTrust had to learn as it went along. Whilst the company had a crisis management plan, it had not planned for a crisis that would impact travel, health, finances, and global geopolitics at the same time. So, Gorge and his senior management team started with reducing all costs, focusing on core solutions that were not impacted by the crisis, and servicing the company’s key clients and partners. The organization then decided to explore if there was any opportunity to reposition its solutions to address the new way to perform risk assessment audits. It quickly realized that its clients and partners alike could no longer go on-site to conduct assessments.

As it happens, VigiTrust’s 2020 roadmap for Q4 included the development and deployment of remote assessment capabilities, so it moved that forward to Q2 and Q3 and the company was able to address this opportunity and, incidentally, majorly enhance its partner program and partner onboarding.

A Perceptive and Accomplished Individual Gorge ensures that VigiTrust continues innovating, looking after existing clients, and gaining new markets.

There are a lot of companies doing well right now because they can see new opportunities and they are agile. VigiTrust is one of those, and Gorge is very proud to be surrounded by a team of highly motivated, resilient people, and by very encouraging close people.

“

Gorge suspects that VigiTrust will either be acquired in the next few years or start acquiring other businesses to continue its expansion. From a personal perspective, the founder has just published his first book, The Cyber Elephant in the Boardroom, published by Forbesbooks and it has opened up many opportunities. Gorge is now a regular contributor to US, UK, and French media outlets on the topic of cyber-accountability and cyber security.

Wake up early and believe that today is going to be a good day for your business.

Your passion and persistence coupled with key skills from the team you've assembled will take you, your business and your team and entourage to the next level.

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“

Gorge has also just been appointed VP of the Dublin section of the French Trade Advisors, and he remains involved with the French Irish Chamber of Commerce.

“I think I'll remain involved in those spheres as long as I can continue to add value wherever I am, probably with similar structures but based in the US as Vigitrust builds its US team out of New York”, shares Gorge.

| June 2022 |

Mathieu Gorge CEO and Founder VigiTrust

Leader's Viewpoint

T

he Secret for Setting a Positive Workplace Culture in a Work from Home Era

On various occasions, I have been asked for my advice for managing a team remotely. And this answer comes very natural for me. It is all about Keeping it human.

We have to be genuinely interested in the people and their current needs and lives beyond work. Everything being remote has turned listening into one of the essential soft skills. We must acknowledge that as nonverbal cues we typically rely on are lost, we must focus on actually listening. Also, I have learned that a turning on your computer camera makes the difference! People know that if you turned on your camera, you are focused 100% on them and it may sound as an insignificant gesture, but it is a small act of interest that can engage you with people you work with. I also recommend enabling office spaces, maintaining all the biometric security measures and social distancing, to hold face-to-face meetings. Keeping up employee morale is particularly challenging in these uncertain times, but through little acts of listening and actually caring, we will definitely come out victorious. As all leaders are saying, we have less chances to ask employees if they feel good or bad, like before just bouncing in the corridor of the office, and what we know is that a lot of them are struggling for different reasons.

Uncertainty has become the new normal. For the past year, working remotely is, as well, the new normal.

Employees all over the world had to cope with this new reality as they keep track on their responsibilities and better manage their life-work balance. As company leaders become more aware of their roles in this pandemic era, it is the perfect time for them, for us, to reinvent the concept of office, and manage to keep fostering a positive work culture. How can we rethink the way we work to benefit our employees as well as our businesses? This is a very complicated question, with no right or wrong answers. My approach has to do with thinking from a leadership perspective. Now, more than ever, leaders need to become emotionally connected with their employees to foresee what may come in the so unclear future.

We need to use technology to innovate and develop more human-like tools to improve our workplace interactions. Emails, social networks, and teleconferencing meetings may feel as enough but they might not be when thinking in setting a positive culture or transmitting values and ways of working… It is about looking for social tools so that people can interact, and, with these tools, we are going to be able to discover the value of making working remotely, work. In the end, it is about how we create real experiences for real people.

How we create activities that go beyond work life and understand that there might be employees that treasure working in a fully remote environment and how there are others seeking for an office space. How I see it, the hybrid model will be the one prevailing in the months and years to come, and it is simply because this model takes into account both perspectives of returning to an office and working from other spaces.

The hybrid way is the ultimate way of achieving the human side and keeping up with the businesses. With this model, leaders and employees, must come up with activities that make work more human, a lot closer, social and fun.

And to keep it human, means to be human as well with the new employees. We have to think about the new people joining our teams. The onboarding process has changed, and it is very important to reinvent methodologies to create and maintain the bonds that would otherwise be generated naturally by being in a face-to-face environment. A remote Buddy Program has shown to be successful. People have other people to come to and express their needs, difficulties, fears and all kinds of emotions. To enable this program has meant to continue passing the culture and the company´s DNA through a word-of-mouth strategy.

In the end, I believe a positive work culture is essential.

You can ask, but how do you maintain that culture being remote? Communication and transparency are the key.

The only way to transmit your businesses DNA is by enabling different communication channels which have different social purposes. The email will still be the formal way to talk about work, WhatsApp will become the platform where good news and milestones are transmitted, Slack can be used as that relaxed tone, communication channel where peers can talk about their lives and vain conversations will be taking place here. All of them matter, not because talking about your wife and children is less important that talking about the closing of a deal, but because they maintain the work-life balance that is vital to succeed both personally and professionally, and it is this balance that we long for in the workplace.

In this work from home paradigm, CEO´s and leaders will be determinant from whatever perspective they will address the situation. Reading a Forbes article regarding stats employers need to know about the workforce, I came across the 2020 study conducted by Growmotely, in which they asked working professionals and entrepreneurs to share their thoughts on the new work from home paradigm, 74% of professionals expect remote work to become standard. These stats show an overwhelming percentage in favor of remote work continuing post-pandemic, so we must stay on top of these trends, to give employees what they expect from us as business leaders.

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KEEPING IT HUMAN

Veronica Crisafulli CSO and Cofounder MO Technologies

Sibongile Rejoyce Sambo,

Managing Director,

SRS Aviation (Pty) Ltd, & Aero Metals (Pty) Ltd

Sibongile Sambo A Dedicated and Aspiring Business Individual

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n the past 27 years, the South African government has made substantial progress in growing the economy, becoming internationally competitive, incorporating greater numbers of people of all races into the economy, and diversifying the economic base.

However, the transformation of South Africa’s economy will not be complete until Women, Youth, and Leaders of tomorrow play a vital role in the mainstream economy.

envy, and undying passion. Sibongile has since then had a dream that one day she will have access to them in one way or the other.

Sibongile Sambo has spent 17 years at SRS Aviation since 2004, the journey was not smooth at all. It was full of turbulence. Sibongile did enjoy the journey; she learned a lot and she got an opportunity to empower other people in the process. This business has given birth to Aero Metals, where the company manufactures elementary parts for new Airplanes.

Fostering the culture of entrepreneurship is critically important for the country and Sibongile Sambo has outstanding gifts, abilities, and knowledge to go out there and become the best that she can be. She is the Managing Director at SRS Aviation & Aero Metals (Pty) Ltd, taking advantage of the political freedom she is creating economic freedom not only for the company but for the community at large.

Pursuing her Dream and Passion In 2000 Sibongile Sambo registered a company for cleaning, security, and HR services but it never took off because she had no passion at all in mentioned services though she was well trained & gained a wealth of experience in Human Resources. Sibongile searched her soul for what lies within her.

Sibongile’s Journey and Background It all started with a dream and passion for aircraft.

Sibongile Sambo was born in Bushbuckridge, a village where aviation was never part of the vocabulary. She did not have any sophisticated toys and therefore she just played outside on the streets with other children.

She used to stop everything & every time when an aircraft flies by, so she could wave them with eagerness,

The love for aircraft never left her mind. Sibongile started attending air shows and did extensive painstaking research on aviation business opportunities. One day at De Beers Consolidated mines she took a decision that she doesn’t regret, leaving her well-paying job to venture into the unknown world of aviation.

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The only thing Sibongile had was a belief and confidence in herself and the business idea. Sibongile was so confident that she would go out there and be the best she can be in order to be successful. This is when she moved to what she really wanted – the fulfillment of her dreams and passions.

similar challenge - trying to access capital. Secondly, employing and retaining skilled employees has been a challenge because once they are well trained and experienced, they move to bigger organizations.

The company now has emerging subsidiaries in the following areas: -

How SRS Aviation got Funded The team approached banks and different institutions for finance however most decision-makers were on holiday at that time - a week between Christmas & New Year's Day. The remaining gave feedback on the spot saying we would not be financed because aviation is regarded as a high-risk industry. As they had no collateral and no aviation experience and the contract at hand meant nothing to the financiers.

The supply of aircraft components and spare parts for manufactures such as Boeing; Bombardier, Airbus etc. Ÿ It is also an industrialist, manufacturing of aerospace elementary parts and components, planning to expand to Automotive, Rail, and Maritime. The company is called Aero Metals (Pty) Ltd. Ÿ During the 2020 lock-down due to the Covid- 19 pandemic, the company inherited a technical training school that was closing down. This is a strategic organisation for technical training not only in aerospace but in all key industries. The company is called Dyondzo Technical Training Academy. Ÿ

Sibongile Sambo then had to come up with an alternative solution before she could lose the entire contract. Sibongile’s Mother and Aunt borrowed her their pension money, she got so much support from them.

Contribution and Recognition Sibongile Sambo and her team have always been involved in Aviation awareness programs, empowering the youth about career and business opportunities in the industry. The organisation has produced pilots, people who never even thought they would have access to an aeroplane.

17 years later the team is now experienced and has generated enough revenues that would give comfort to investors. The company has established networks worldwide and has managed to break through an untapped Aviation industry.

A Motivational Leader Sibongile Sambo likes open and inclusive leadership. It is important that the colleagues and employees share the vision with the leaders of the organization. She acknowledges that different situations require a different style of leadership. As a leader, she needs to be agile and respond to situations without procrastination. She is indeed, a future Leader.

Since 2006 to date, the company has won several accolades both locally and abroad. The organisation has gone through its own share of challenges. It has crossed the oceans and rivers full of challenges and is now still crossing streams of challenges. The team has become stronger and wiser.

Challenges and Growth Aerospace is capital intensive and access to financial capital is required. Therefore, the biggest challenge was securing finance for the business. Sibongile faced a

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“

To reach for my dreams and conquer the challenges; I will dare to be different; and with proper guidance and direction and with God on my side, nothing is impossible.

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Valerie Vacante Bringing Emerging Technology Products to Life

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high-end office or loads of overhead, just the flexibility to work with brilliant people on interesting products and experiences serving as an independent collaborator to explore, educate, inspire and ignite product innovations, collaborations, and experiences.

Valerie has expanded innovation efforts across the US, Europe and South America helping companies build their portfolios through collaborations with inventors, startups and global brands. She laughs that her house looked like Doc Brown’s house from the film “Back to the Future” with so many connected products, prototypes, and inventions in the works. Collabsco has allowed Valerie to experiment with new technologies, collaborations, and ways of working setting her own boundaries and constraints.

o uncover new opportunities, enhance existing product experiences or ensure a presence on a global stage Valerie Vacante, Director of Strategy at LiveArea and Founder of Collabsco, is here to share perspective on innovation and global experiences. In a connected world of entertainment, play, living, and learning, Valerie has pioneered awardwinning digital products and connected experiences across IoT, AR, VR, voice, robotics, and beyond.

Valerie guides by saying, “When designing a new product or experience ensure there is always room for ongoing testing and learning across all aspects of the business to continuously improve focusing on what’s working and swiftly getting rid of what’s not as possible.”

Creating Connected Experiences in the Physical and Digital World

As Director of Strategy at LiveArea she brings her entrepreneurial instinct and expertise to a creative and collaborative organization where she uncovers cultural trends, next generation innovations, and designs strategies impacting the way people connect and experience in the physical and digital world.

The common thread throughout Valerie Vacante's career has been creating and connecting consumer experiences to the physical and digital worlds. She started her career in London, England in the early 00’s, working with an outstanding team to create platforms and technologies that did not exist.

Navigating Challenges Some of the biggest challenges with starting Collabsco were learning how to build a business from the ground up. Valerie always served as an intrepreneur; however, starting as an entrepreneur is very different, you have to learn about the business legalities, structure, operations that are often already in place when you are an intrepreneur. It’s a completely different undertaking.

After returning to the U.S., she worked with a number of digital marketing and advertising agencies serving as a catalyst for growth, uncovering new technologies, business partnerships, and market opportunities. In 2014, she segued into product innovation, primarily focused on emerging technologies and experiences such as IoT, wearables, connected communities, connected play and gaming. After a short stint in a small design startup, a few colleagues encouraged her to venture out on her own so she did.

In 2016 Valerie launched Collabsco. She did not want a

Other challenges in her prior roles coming up in the industry were always not being heard or navigating unnecessary hierarchy and too many rules - she doesn’t

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“THERE IS A HUGE VALUE IN LETTING THE OUTSIDE WORLD IN TO INSPIRE NEW THINKING, LEARNING FROM FAILURE, KNOWING YOUR LIMITS TO PIVOT, AND TAKING ON THE NEXT CHALLENGE AHEAD.”

Valerie Vacante Founder, Collabsco Director of Strategy, LiveArea

like rules. Valerie is best when she works with collaborators where the team brings their superpowers or strengths to create new products, services or solve challenges, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Creative, Collaborative and Charismatic

Valerie Vacante's style of leadership is collaborative.

The command-and-control ways do not work in this day and time. They are too constraining, take up too much time and don’t get to the root of real open thinking and problem solving. Valerie believes that people need a clear vision, to have freedom in a framework, to be empowered, supported, and know that they can get what they need to succeed.

“A successful business must have a clear vision and creativity to thrive; it must support wildly creative people, those who are curious and who not only uncover opportunities, but realize how to connect the dots to make it happen - they drive new products, services, marketing, sales, new business models and ways of working,” explains Valerie.

One of the most influential leaders, Nolan Bushnell, the godfather of video games and founder of Atari, has a shared belief. In his book “Finding the Next Steve Jobs: How to Find, Hire, Keep and Nurture Creative Talents,” he explains the importance of having a “staff of wildly creative people who live as much in the future as the present, who thrive on being different, and whose ideas will guarantee that your company will prosper when other companies fail.”

There is no surprise, after all he hired Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, as well as Valerie Vacante and many other creatives over the course of his five decades in business.

A Relentless Champion Throughout her career, Valerie has launched awardwinning products and experiences that have been featured at CES, SXSW, Wired Live and in such publications as Fast Company, The Wall Street Journal, Wired, VentureBeat, Forbes, The Drum, VRScout, PCR, ToyNews, and more.

Valerie has worked with some of the world's most innovative brands. Her portfolio includes MercedesBenz, MINI, AT&T, Honeywell, Sleep Number, Dell,

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Vodafone, Nestlé, Hasbro, Mattel, Disney, Bandai Namco Entertainment, WowWee, Virsix Games, MERGE, Pressure Games and Firebolt Games among others.

In 2018, Valerie launched the first-ever connected play landscape; her latest iteration maps over 260 connected experiences, emerging technologies and business growth opportunities featured in VentureBeat, The Drum, VRScout to name a few.

In collaboration with Peter Jenkinson, she also cofounded TechUp, a curated service that showcases innovative products on a global stage as featured at WIRED Live, WIRED Next Generation, CES and SXSW. Most recently, in her role at LiveArea, she is one of the co-creators of LiveArea Scan & Go,™ a patent-pending, web-based, app-free contactless payment technology that, seamlessly integrates into a retailer’s existing website, customer profiles, and loyalty programs, providing opportunities to create more meaningful connections with consumers in store or online, from almost anywhere. She has also architected NXT Intelligence™, a collection of 12 solutions focused on technology, innovation, and brand experiences designed to explore, evaluate and evolve business growth opportunities.

education, and backgrounds are important to drive innovation and growth. With more remote work opportunities companies have a bigger and more diverse pool to choose from,” says Valerie.

Collaborative, Outside-in Perspective and Actionable Insights Valerie Vacante continuously hears feedback from clients who have worked with large management consultancies. The most significant and consistent feedback is that management consultancies overprocess simple challenges, restate the challenge or already known issues instead of providing actionable recommendations. The real opportunity is understanding a client’s business and rapidly uncovering near-term and longer-term opportunities with actionable solutions.

She serves on the SXSW Innovation Advisory Board, as a CES KAPi Awards judge, a global expert to MassChallenge, an international speaker and writer.

She has recently been named one of the Top 25 Women in Tech 2019 and 2020 by PCR magazine, 40/Forty and Mojo Nation 100 – Design Champion.

You can likely find her where creators are designing the future.

At LiveArea, the team is directly addressing these challenges through its new collection of solutions, NXT Intelligence™ which allows the company to provide an outside-in perspective to clients in meaningful ways to their business across technology, innovation, and brand experience. These are strategic exercises that provide actionable insights in weeks, not months.

The Importance of Perspective The biggest change that Valerie Vacante brings to management consultancies include two key concepts: , first, to be more inclusive, broadening recruiting pools, embracing different people and perspectives; , second, to work with real people in ways that is meaningful to their business. “When I was growing up, my parents and grandparents had a bakery and made all sorts of pastries, cakes, and cookies. It doesn’t take a baker or lover of sweets to know that if you only have flour you can’t make a cake, cookie, cannoli or anything. Different people, perspectives,

The team keeps a collaborative approach to work with clients. It doesn’t really pitch, it designs opportunities “with” its clients based on their goals. The organization provides an unfiltered, unbiased perspective.

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