Women in Tech 2019 | Business Magazine

Editor’s Choice Disruptive Technology and Changing Trends Inuencing Business

Women Empower

Innovating Space

Dynamics of Women Participation in the Ever-changing Modern Workforce

Innovative Companies in the Space Industry

June 2019

Make your own path, learn from others, and persevere your goals.

Disa Lee Choun

Using Technology to Improve Healthcare Services

EDITOR’S NOTE She Strived to Thrive in Tech

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he, what is she? It is not only a feminine identity to address a person but also a symbol of a proven growth in current business world. Yet, being bounded to various parameters many shes prevailed in achieving many milestones en route to success. With Women in Tech, the first thing that strike to a mind is the substantial growth of feminine leadership happened in the tech oriented business world.

Diversity creates business value! This diversity in technological sector might lead to the emergence of new silver linings and stars to the volatile technological sector.

Be it Sherly Sandberg, Ginni Rometty or Susan Wojcicki, all have been witnessed as a great leaders and are dominating the current technology industry. Being the respective leaders of Facebook, Youtube, and IBM, these personalities have set a bench-mark for many to come. Sherly says, and I quote, “We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” This statement exemplifies on how one, an individual, could make a big difference if driven through curiosity. These shes and many like them, proved the fact that the myth of meritocracies is exist.

In this special issue, entitled “Women in Tech”, CIO LOOK tries to focus on such feminine leaders with unique ideologies and impeccable leadership traits. It features some of best in their industries who brought a change in the customary way of practicing businesses. Their firm

“Through determination, comprehension and persistence-an emergence of a leader can be justified.” desire and tireless efforts have contributed in creating positive impact for women to enter into such disruptive digital sector.

CIO LOOK appreciates contribution of such prolific leaders and brings out to you the June month’s issue “Women in Tech, 2019”. These women are creating a dent in the universe through unequaled tech products and solutions.

Women comprise half of the world population and their contribution in every sector is essential for the overall development. Technology reduces the barriers and offers women solid opportunity to grow. Better representation of women in technology sector is critical to tap the full potential of technology and improve various services offered by organizations and businesses. CIO Look recognizes valuable women contributing largely to technology sector. One such impeccable leader is Disa Lee Choun, and CIO LOOK feels pride to feature her as a cover of this edition.

Let’s unveil such alike, inspiring interviews and stories of many such significant women business leaders in this special edition and spread a word about their contribution in making this world a better place. Also, flip through the CXO standpoints presented by some of the leading industry experts to taste the glimpse of industrial revolutions.

Enjoy the read….

Bhushan Ghate

CONTENTS

COVER STORY

10 Disa Lee Choun Using Technology to Improve Healthcare Services

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34

Editor’s Choice

Industry Intel

Disruptive Technology and Changing Trends Influencing Business

Rethinking the Products of Today for a Better Tomorrow

40

50

Women Empower

Unbaised Future

Dynamics of Women Participation in the Ever-changing Modern Workforce

Stablishing Gender Equilibrium

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62

Innovating Space

Leader’s Desk

Innovative Companies in the Space Industry

Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Women

Cover Story

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18 Amber Schroader An Accomplished Innovave Developer

20 Avril Chester Passionate about Utilizing Technology for Good

26 Elizabeth Scott Empowered and Exemplary Leader in Technology

28 Kristina Villarini Reforming a Case for Equality

36 Limor Sinay Transforming Leadership through Tech

44 Lora Haddock A Unique Approach for Right Cause

52 Rupal Asodaria Empowered and Exemplary Leader in Technology

58 Victoria Shanks Driving Financial Services Technology across Industries

K. Roy Editor in Chief CONTENT

Senior Editor Alan Swann Managing Editor Bhushan Ghate Executive Editors Rohit Chaturvedi Alex Spellman DESIGN

Visualizer Dave Bates Art & Design Director Tejas Kulkarni Associate Designer Kushagra Gupta SALES

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June, 2019 Copyright © 2019 CIOLOOK, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from CIOLOOK. Reprint rights remain solely with CIOLOOK.

Disa Lee Choun Director Head of Innovation, Global Clinical Sciences & Operations UCB

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I’ve learned as a woman sometimes I need to work harder and prove myself 110%

COVER STORY

Using Technology to Improve Healthcare Services

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omen comprise half of the world population and their contribution in every sector is essential for the overall development. Technology reduces the barriers and offers women solid opportunity to grow. Better representation of women in technology sector is critical to tap the full potential of technology and improve various services offered by organizations and businesses.

CIO Look recognizes valuable women contributing largely to technology sector. One such impeccable leader is Disa Lee Choun.

Below are the highlights of the interview between Disa Lee Choun and CIO Look.

Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.

When I was young, I was shy and lacked self-confidence, but I thank my mother for cementing the seed that women can be leaders and women are equal to men. This was significant for me especially growing up in Central America. My father passed away when I was very young so my mother had to play the role of both parents. She sacrificed for her children and for me she was my hero and role model. My mother believed in me and that's all I needed to pursue my dreams.

My first job was helping my mother in one of her stores. I learned the business and became the supervisor. Later, I co-founded an IT

company, providing hardware and software products and services.

Managing and leading the company was quite a learning experience and a big responsibility. From strategizing to coaching employees to making courageous decisions affecting the future of the company, I learned a lot about being an effective leader. I tried to mentor our employees to be the best they could be, reminding them along the way that it's okay to make mistakes if we learn from them and from others.

After completing my pharmacy degree and Executive MBA, I decided to pursue my passion in healthcare. I want to help patients improve their health through research and find the cure for diseases, also creating awareness on disease and prevention.

Later I joined UCB where I've been fortunate to continue growing as a manager and a leader. I learned about managing projects in matrixed organization and leveraged new skills to lead without authority. I am also grateful to the leaders I've worked with over the years who saw my potential and gave me the opportunity to thrive, while allowing me the space to grow. I gained respect and trust from my colleagues who believed in me and in what I was creating. Being recognized by my peers in the industry as a top 100 Women in Technology 2018 for my work in blockchain, celebrating women in technology, and encouraging diversity was a great career highlight.

I am humbled by what I've been able to accomplish with great colleagues and leaders around me. Success is not just hard work, luck, and the right timing. It's also continuing to have confidence and persevering to achieve our goals. If I fall, I get up and do it again and again. If I don't fight for myself or I'm afraid to ask or raise my hand and speak up, no one is going to do it for me. I am in a place where I am able to pass on my learnings to others and encourage people not let their fear of failure cloud their minds. Take courageous decisions, pave the way for others to follow, inspire your team, and listen.

What are the vital traits that every business women should possess?

From my experience, determination and a desire to succeed are key traits for business women. Stand by the choices you make, good or bad, and learn from your mistakes and move on. I've learned as a woman sometimes I need to work harder and prove myself 110%. I learned this early in my career when I realized my male counterparts often were not put to the same set of tests I was. I found as a woman, I need to be more vocal, direct, to make sure I am being heard.

As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a corporate business? And how did you overcome them?

Working in a world of continuous change is an ongoing challenge.

Managing that change in particular, when implementing a new solution or innovation, requires bringing people earlier on in the process and have the buy-in from all levels from employees to managers. Managing through change has taught me to plan ahead, get buy in for new ideas, and be clear about the value the idea will create.

This goes beyond looking for a return on investment, its understanding your customer's needs and how a new solution could help them and tailor the communication to their needs.

Building a team of champions to help spread the word and to provide support to users also helps move along the change continuum.

Have you in any ways contributed towards the cause of women empowerment?

As a female, I always encourage women to stand up for themselves, voice their opinions, and support each other. Within UCB we have an employee group called Women in Leadership designed to encourage more women to enter leadership roles in the company and further improve the female/male ratio. It supports women through training and workshops such as public speaking, self-assertiveness, etc. with the aim of including both women and men. I

encourage female colleagues to attend the courses being offered and provide the continuous support and try to motivate women to speak out when they disagree with decisions being made and ensure their voices are being heard. Outside of my day job, I also volunteer as an Ambassador for women's academy to support a cohort of corporate and entrepreneur women through their academic learning journey.

Tell us about your activities related to blockchain that led you to be one of the Top 100 Women in Technology.

I started to explore blockchain in early 2017. It was an “ah-ha” moment for me as I saw its potential to accelerate clinical development process and improve healthcare. From my vantage point I could see that this new disruptive innovation was coming no matter what. The question was and is whether we are ready in our organization and our industry to embrace it.

I started a cross-industry collaboration on Blockchain via PhUSE (Pharmaceutical Users Software Exchange, a non-profit organization run by volunteers and collaborates with FDA, EMA, and PMDA). I did this not only out of my own personal interest, but also because I believe this technology can empower the patients like me. Some of the potential uses are to: 1. own my data; 2. share or not to share my data; 3. make informed decisions about my health; 4. potentially predict and diagnose diseases powered by AI (Artificial Intelligence) and more. The PhUSE Blockchain workgroup includes cross-functional representation from pharmaceutical companies, vendors, consultants, academia, professional organizations, and a government agency. We delivered a white paper in 2018 to create awareness about blockchain and how this technology can apply in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. Currently we are working on proofs of concept with various companies on patient ID, data sharing, eConsent, labs and genomics, and architecture. The final deliverable will

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Make your own path, learn from others, and persevere your goals.

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As a female, I always encourage women to stand up for themselves, voice their opinions, and support each other.

include an App. Additionally, I'm involved in the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) Blockchain Enabled Healthcare, a public-private partnership with over 10 other pharmaceutical companies focusing on three domain reference applications of supply chain, health data marketplace, and clinical trials.

What kind of support was required and gained, by you, while emerging as a technological forerunner?

UCB is an organization focused on innovation. We are continuously looking for new ways to improve the lives of people living with severe diseases. Throughout my time here, I've had support from our leaders to explore new innovations. I wasn't put in a box, but had the room to explore new ideas and new ways of thinking.

I believe in using technology to benefit human kind and thinking outside of the box to create value and drive change. Exploring blockchain stood out as one of the most disruptive technologies which is why I wanted to explore its potential uses further. I believe in UCB's passion to bring value to patients living with immunological, neurological conditions, and our continued research into diseases affecting specific patient populations with unmet needs.

How do you cope up with capricious technological trends to boost your personal growth?

Technology is part of human evolution. I don't think of it as capricious, but rather a tool to help us meet our needs. In this digital era, there are many new technologies and start-up companies. This new universe requires continuously evaluating and identifying the needs of your organization, where new technology could create the most value, and pushing forward. Taking the time to learn and research is key in the ever-evolving world of technology. This is what I have been doing at UCB, ensuring our approach aligns with the company's strategy and involve the right stakeholders who are willing to listen to new, out of the box ideas. We need to be bold and challenge the status quo to continue to evolve.

What are your future objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future?

The future is looking bright. For me there are no limits especially living in this digital world. My passion is to have an early adoption of blockchain in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries to accelerate research and to conduct virtual trials. Also using blockchain coupled with AI and IoT to better understand diseases and to have an early diagnosis or prevention is one of the things I'm very interested to explore.

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Amber Schroader An Accomplished Innova ve Developer

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ntrepreneurs with a touch of innovation are rarely to be witnessed in today’s scenario. Integrating technological innovations in most of market-based business ventures has become more of a requirement than a want. With a proper balance of technological inventions, many leaders and business owners can grow their ventures to heights.

investigative process. They were the first company to support mobile data back in 2001 and that has been an area they have maintained strong support with as it has grown. Over the past few years, the company has spent the time with cloud and IoT data as well as the digital landscape is always in a flux.

They always remind themselves of the investigator perspective. Many companies come into the DFIR arena to offer technology, yet are not familiar with the work flow and massive overwhelmed that many of the investigators experience in the space. Amber always keep that in mind as she, and her team, make a game plan as their solutions need to be feasible to be brought up to speed with any level of investigator with a large variety of data in days not weeks. Amber always knows that her company has to be intuitive and easily deployable so it can work in any workflow.

Meet, Amber Schroader, Founder and CEO of Paraben Corporation, understand need of technology implementation and has contributed various innovations through her venture. For past two decades. Amber has proved herself a driving force for innovation in digital forensics and is continuing to offer more. She also coined the concept of “360-degree approach to digital forensics” for a big-picture consideration of the digital evidence acquisition process.

CIO LOOK admires such leaders and appreciates their contribution in evolving the technological sector. It takes pride in featuring Amber in the special issue entitled “Women in Tech 2019”.

“You have to be flexible and always have a fresh perspective.

Many times, you get into a set pattern and you expect a lot of the business world to adjust to that pattern. However, every day holds a new challenge and you have to approach that challenge with a fresh perspective each time and be ready to adjust,” says Amber.

Here is her story: She started in the DFIR industry at 14 and really worked my way up through the field. As someone who is dyslexic it was great, for her, to find an area where thinking differently was a benefit. Digital forensics is such a unique space with a constant change in technology and the need to be able to solve problems that are not typical.

Amber and her team work hard to look at all digital data as potential information that people will need to review in an investigative scenario. Whether, it is civil or criminal the need to review it and refine it is all part of the

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Paraben Corpora on

There were many roadblocks that have come in the way and some that still exist. When she look at the history of what the company have overcome it is hard to focus on just a few. She thinks the biggest one that she can pin down is being an introvert. One might not think of that as a business challenge, but when an individual is growing a business then it can be difficult. Those like her, who came into business as nerds were not the best at networking.

She understood what she needed to do to build solutions to problems, but having to grow those solutions through networking always created a barrier. She worked hard to fix this with public speeches and lectures and feel that had made a difference in the reach out to the community with good information and it shows the company is willing to work with others. Being shy is not always the easier barrier for a business leader to overcome.

Each day is a new day to solve a problem.

This is a challenging topic. From her perspective the first problem comes from trying to identify “merit”. What qualities and characteristics in a person at merit-able as a point of judgment? Typically, in today’s culture, merit means how much money one makes. She would hope to see a more balanced view of someone’s merit as not just what someone earns, but what someone is like as well.

The other measure of “merit” comes down to education where many people who worked there way up in the field should be ranked just as high as those with formal education. In fields like technology, she think the second point impacts things even more where real skills are required to show true success.

For a nerd like herself, technology disruption is what keeps it so interesting and exciting. She is always in a state of learning that is probably the biggest impact on her personal growth as well as to the growth at Paraben. By keeping a pulse on trends, she and her team are able to respond quickly with solutions that can fit into organization workflows. From simply things like the security of fitness devices in an organization to collection of data from the cloud it keeps the team up on trends and on the solutions to those trends.

My future always holds innovation. As she explores new areas that need a “forensic” perspective she can see a myriad of problems that are waiting to be solved. From IoT cities and the future of their data sharing to personal endeavors such as evidence collection against animal cruelty. The world is waiting for new solutions to problems and a perspective that can move it forward.

Amber Schroader Founder & CEO Paraben Corpora on

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Cancer Central

Avril Chester Passionate about Utilizing Technology for Good

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echnology if utilized properly has the potential to create the positive impact in the lives of many people. CIOLook recognizes contribution of women in technology.

Avril Chester is one such woman who is passionate about utilizing technology for the common good of the society. She is the Founder & CEO of Cancer Central. She is utilizing technology effectively at Cancer Central to serve the people affected by cancer. Cancer Central is a brandnew digital platform created to provide those affected by cancer with the help and support they need.

Below are the highlights of the Interview conducted between Avril Chester and CIOLook.

Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.

Graduated from university having completed a dissertation on cyborgs with no idea what I was going to do – cyborgs didn’t exactly exist! Started on a Graduate Management Scheme, took a path through Project

Management, then Program Management, then Global Programs, and followed by Heads of / Functional roles, including operations, onto IT Director. This was all through different industries, permanent and interim roles. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 with treatment into 2016. During my time off, I realized the need for Cancer Central and after a 16-month stint returning to work as Interim IT Director, I decided to give Cancer Central my best shot. I didn’t want to live life thinking, ‘what if?’

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to entice the target audience?

Launched in October 2018, Cancer Central is a new digital platform created to provide those affected by cancer with the help and support they need during their cancer journey.

The platform combines a database with an innovative conversational search engine to connect people to the products, services and products,

Don’t compare and be true to yourself.

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Avril Chester Founder & CEO

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when and where they need them.

These services include benefits advice, insurance products, counseling, complementary therapy, respite care, hats, wigs, lingerie, skincare, financial help, nutrition advice, local societies or communities, meals on wheels, books, blogs, forums, local hospital taxi services and so on – all based on geographical location and cancer type to provide individualized information.

The site is non-exclusive and independent. It is not tied to or driven by any charity, not for profit or business. We exist to give those affected by cancer, their friends and family a choice.

Knowing who all these businesses, charities and communities are is a challenge. We are always looking for people to help share the news of Cancer Central and encourage providers they know and have used to register with us for free. Together, with our audience, we will achieve diversity of offering.

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in the market?

The key to Cancer Central’s brand is community and innovation. A new word to describe this working style is Cominovation.

Cominovation is not just about problem solving, it is the complete process of finding solutions - from identifying a need, developing ideas, | JUNE 2019 |

sourcing support, to delivery. It involves individuals giving their time, skills and/ or expertise to something they are passionate about and coming together with like-minded people to innovate for a common purpose.

collaboration tools, online social delivery etc. be honest and focus on building a fresh environment, full of trust, with you unblocking the issues and most probably, dealing with the politics so that your team can flourish.

Subject matter experts have contributed to everything from the ideas, suggestions, design, processes, build, testing, policies, data, and so on. Over 25,000 hours from 200+ individuals and 30+ organizations with major contributions from TechFINIUM and ROQ have been donated to date. This is #TechforGood at its finest. We have partnered with leading corporates such as IBM & American Express and some of the sharpest minds in the tech start-up / SME community.

What are your insights on “The myth of meritocracy”?

And how it could bring a change in today’s technological arena?

I don’t think it is a myth; it is too well known and established. However, with technology becoming more digital, consumable and accessible you do not need a PHD in computer science. It is possible and encouraged for nontechnical entrepreneurs to spring board new ideas into reality.

Our cominovation approach sets us apart. It provides everyone who has been affected by cancer with the opportunity to use their skill set to help and support.

How do you cope up with capricious technological trends to boost your personal growth?

Unsure if I understand the question; but it is important to not get absorbed in current fads. As a Founder & CEO, it is important to have a voice and be accessible. This is vastly different from previous decades. It is noticed if you are not on social media or blogging for example. How will customers, potential employees and partners decide whether they wish to do business with you if they do not know who you are digitally? We have thankfully entered the wonderful world of value and purpose-based decisions. The best advancements in technology, has allowed us to connect more with like-minded people globally.

Our game plan is constant innovation, fresh ideas, and involvement from the community.

What are the vital traits that every business women should possess? Ÿ Stop comparing. We are all different, from our natural strengths, our personalities, our likes and even our big toes. Why then do we compare and let ourselves feel intimidated / doubt ourselves? Ÿ Be brave. One of my favorite quotes - ‘Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you’ Bethany Hamilton. Give it a go, learn quickly and have fun along the way. Ÿ Believe and be you. Ultimately you are the best at being you. Find your strength, build on that. Write it down to read when you are having a difficult day, because these exist and you need to find your own inner strength to dust yourself off and keep going.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future?

Immediate objectives are to secure social impact investment so that I can recruit a core team and grow the organization quicker. This will provide the continuous leadership alongside cominovation. My hopes and dreams are to eventually go international and develop the platform for other critical illnesses such as dementia, stroke, and mental health.

As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges were faced by you in a corporate business? And how did you overcome them?

Thankfully I look young for my age (I hope that continues), so when I ran my first technology department mainly full of men, I was wondering how I could be seen as credible.

Especially as I have a squeaky voice, I bounce and wave my hands around a lot. This is where I learned very quickly to just be yourself and realize everyone in the department including you is like a piece of the car. Someone is the breaks, another the wheel, the suspension, the speedometer and so on. Only together does the car not only move but have terrific fun on the country roads or race track. I therefore didn’t shy from my weaknesses; I called them out in front of my team. In technology you cannot possibly be a subject matter expert in everything, no-one can (even a male!). Whether it is networking, infrastructure, analytics, AI, security, development,

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Disruptive Technology and Changing Trends Influencing Business

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ew decades ago, reaching the moon was beyond imagination. But not today, because technology has completely changed the world and made it possible.

Technological inventions were revolutionized in the 18th and 19th century with the steam engine, the telegraph, fiber optics, typewriter, sewing machine, etc. Later, it changed the way we communicate on a real-time basis with telephone, radio, and internet.

Let us see how trends in technology are changing businesses.

Internet of Things IOT has begun to change the world around us. It allows the businesses to access their information virtually, creating a flexible and global way of accessing data, any place, and any time. It reduces the cost by maintaining IT system, rather than purchasing expensive systems and equipment. It also allows employees to be more flexible in work practices. Let us see some fields where IOT must be adapted.

Innovations in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and information technology are already helping to solve challenges that occur in these sectors. Through the breakthrough innovations in health services, technology has been able to improve the lives of poor people in developing countries.

Healthcare Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are largely paperbased industry. The pen and paper approach is still followed largely around the world. Patient’s record sharing is still done in the traditional way which is time-consuming.

Whereas, real-time monitoring via connected devices can save lives in an event of a medical emergency. IOT devices collect and transfer health data and are stores in the cloud.

These data can be shared with a physician or a health firm, in order to allow them to look at it, regardless of their place, time or device. Therefore, in an event of an emergency, patients can contact a doctor who is many kilometers away with a simple smartphone.

Manufacturing field is increasingly being automated and technology driven. Advanced technology and systems such as automation, nanotechnology, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, and others are changing the face of manufacturing to improve business technologies. So, the adaption of technologies in work will revolutionize the way it was in the past in the field of manufacturing as well.

Fleet Management Fleet operators spend a large amount of time, money and resource in maintaining the safety standards and resource in maintaining the safety standards and operate at the desired performance levels. Through various sensors, fleet companies have access to a vast amount of data. This information can help the company to make real-time quick decisions for instant improvements. In fact, these insights can help in effectively managing the overall supply chain.

Undoubtedly, IOT has set to become the backbone of the fleet management industry.

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Editor’s Choice

Public Transport Management In today’s major cities at rush hour, getting to and from work is a nightmare. Imagine a world where not only the cars are smart, but also the street and traffic lights. Public transportation systems like trains and buses are connected to individual’s smartphones.

This will help to know the exact time to leave the houses accordingly. In smart cities, passengers are already enjoying Wi-Fi and USB charging stations on public transportation. Overall, IOT already started affecting the aspects of our life.

75%

Renewable Energy Will you like earning money on reducing the use of electricity? Thanks to IOT energysaving tools, you can significantly decrease the numbers in your bills. IOT energy solutions are sensor-based technology. It analyses weather and environment condition, helps automate the management of wind farms, optimizes maintenance and thus reduces the cost dramatically. People (both households and companies) get a better understanding of their usage habits and adjusts them accordingly. These system collects data on electricity consumption in real-time and helps generate important insights for environmentalists, researchers, and conservation strategists. Thus, installing IOT smart energy device can join the environmental initiative, cut down on energy consumption and lessen the greenhouse effect.

Agriculture The global population is set to touch 9.6 billion by 2050. So, to feed this much population, the farming industry must embrace IOT. Smart farming based on IOT technology will reduce waste and enhance productivity. Ranging from the quantity of fertilizer utilized to the number of journeys the farm vehicles have made. In IOT based smart farming a system is built for monitoring the crop field with the help of sensors and automating the irrigation systems. It is highly efficient when compared with the conventional approach.

Thus, with the population growing rapidly, the demand can be successfully met, if the farmers implement agricultural IOT solutions in a prosperous manner.

75% 75%

Blockchain Technology Blockchain technology is changing the way we do our day to day businesses. Companies are starting to work with Blockchain technology because it gives you privacy along with it is transparent. Let’s see how blockchain can help to deal with business.

Smart Contracts Contract is where consent of the parties is involved to agree and interact with each other. Blockchain technology helps to guarantee the validity of a transaction through a secure validation mechanism. Industries and institutions are heavily reliant on contracts, such as insurance, financial institutions, real estate, construction, entertainment and, law. A smart contract helps formalize the relationships between people, institutions and the assets they own. They eliminate the need for trusted third parties and are self-verifying, self-executing and Tamper resistant.

Blockchain will be an important part of our financial and technological digital future. It is one of the incredibly creative inventions that technology has ever seen. So how we use it is up to us, it could indeed transform the global scenario.

Technology and changing trends in businesses is not something which is going to happen in the future, it is happening right now. It has already started affecting a lot of businesses. So businesses have tremendous opportunity to benefit from such technological advancement. There is no doubt that technological innovations are largely followed all over the world and it will revolutionize the businesses.

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Elizabeth Scott: Empowered and Exemplary Leader in Technology

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echnology-based organizations need, more than ever, women’s talents, skills, abilities, and their valuable contribution. Women in tech play an important role in achieving success for technology oriented organizations.

Strategist. While working, she also co-founded and successfully exited an e-commerce start-up, called Startup Drugz, a satirical lifestyle brand for entrepreneurs. In her spare time, she has also dabbled in investing in startups and venture capital.

CIO Look recognizes valuable women contributing largely to female empowerment in the technology sector. One such impeccable leader is Elizabeth Scott.

Below is her story,

Elizabeth thrives in collaborative, creative and challenging atmospheres. She has over six years of experience in content strategy and development, marketing campaign execution, as well as corporate messaging and positioning. She has managed teams of up to 12 full-time employees, in addition to creative agencies, videographers and independent contractors.

Needless to say, multitasking is one of her specialties.

Elizabeth is an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. She has been interviewed

Elizabeth is the Global Head of Content for YI Technology, which is headquartered in Shanghai, China.

She is based in San Francisco and works in the Silicon Valley ofďŹ ce. She previously worked at UploadVR as Director of Social Media and at Google as a Social Media

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Rosendin Electric

by CNN and featured in The New York Times, TechCrunch, BuzzFeed, BBC, and many others on the topic of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. She served as the President of the Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention (ASAP) and was a founding member of Sexual Assault Peer Advocates (SAPA). She has also been the PACE mentor when she was in college.

foster the conversation to drive understanding and draw awareness to what must be done to close the gender pay gap and disparity in opportunity. The only way to eradicate these things is to first admit that there is a problem; then progress can be made to change the way women are treated in the workforce.”

Elizabeth has made it a priority to surround herself with a strong network of champions and friends, male advocates, female peers and leaders—people who take her outside of her comfort zone.

Personally, she sometimes has to remind herself that she belongs in the conversation, in the boardroom, in the lead. As long Since launching the initial action camera, as she overcomes her own YI has widened its product offering Women should build fears and finds her inner from professional VR Cameras, such as strength and courage, the YI Halo (made in partnership with other women up in remembering the challenges Google VR), to home security cameras the workplace, not that she has faced, she finds (Best Sellers on Amazon), Dash the energy and strength to Cameras, 4K Action Cameras and even tear them down. continue to put in the work Mirrorless Digital Cameras.

—Elizabeth Scott that will go towards closing the Global Head of Content gap.

In November 2018, YI Technology YI Technology Elizabeth says that meritocracy is launched its new, premium brand for the an ideal one should continue to North American Market and its first strive for. She states that the product, the Kami Indoor Camera. Its full difference in today’s world is that we product line will be releasing in coming months have an opportunity to become more selfand will allow consumers to have a fully integrated aware of unconscious biases that interfere with security system for their homes or businesses that they meritocracy from succeeding – particularly in the can access with the tap of a button on their smartphone. workplace.

Its partnership with Microsoft Azure ensures that its customers’ privacy and footage is secure on the Kami At the end of the day, the greatest professional Cloud. experiences become possible when we are surrounded by phenomenal colleagues, who not only have an implicit Elizabeth Scott considers that business women should understanding of excellence in execution, but also bring of possess essential traits such as individuality, openness, diversity of thought and experience to the table and feel and courage. She believes that women should build up empowered to express those ideas. other women in the workplace instead of tearing each other down. She strongly believes in being a champion of The barrier to leverage technology to build tools and gain women. education or “knowledge” is being lowered every day.

Those with less access or privilege are now able to bring Elizabeth says that working with and for corporations has ideas to the market that would have previously been given her an awareness of the need for continued focus rejected by historic gatekeepers. Elizabeth Scott is and attention on inclusion, diversity, championship and excited for the next generation of young people who will opportunities for women in the workplace. She mentions be entering the workforce and the women who will lead that typecasting, conscious and unconscious biases, us into the future of tech. discrimination, especially sexual, are only a few of the challenges that she and other women routinely face.

YI Technology’s first product was the 1st Generation YI Action Camera. It was extremely well-received because of its excellent image quality, well-built form and high quality for an affordable price. It was nicknamed the “Go Pro Killer”.

She states, “It would be easy to describe a myriad of offenses that I’ve personally experienced and that occur all too often against women in the workplace. But let’s suffice to say that as women, we must continue to demand respect and inclusion,

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Kristina Villarini Digital Director Lambda Legal

Kristina Villarini Reforming a Case for Equality 28

| JUNE 2019 |

Lambda Legal

O

ur civil rights are the bindings that allow us to have political and social freedoms. When they function correctly, they allow an individual to exist while being free from discrimination. How do we obtain those rights, and are such rights practiced genuinely free from any discrimination?

Many communities continue to fight for their civil rights and societal recognition.

Two such well-known communities are LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. Society accepts change when a leader they support can portray its significance. However, what if the leader itself is a part of such a community?

Imagine the impact it would create?

Meet Kristina Villarini, the first ever Digital Director of Lambda Legal in its 46th year of inception. She currently sits as the only queer woman of color driving messaging for the oldest and largest LGBTQ legal advocacy organization in the country. As the first dedicated person at the helm of Lambda Legal's multi-channel digital efforts, Kristina has accomplished many groundbreaking achievements in the last two years. By empowering Lambda Legal's clients and attorneys using digital storytelling and building their brand as ambassadors of LGBTQ and HIV civil rights, Kristina's digital team has improved the transparency and increased the nimbleness of an organization that has served these communities for nearly half a century.

“Never

not working.

Below is her story: Her first job with a bit of responsibility for others was a finance role in her early 20s. She was processing applications for high-net-worth clients for a famous insurance company in New York. She was pretty good at the execution of the role, but she lacked the leadership part because she had no examples of how to do it well. She was young, and she thought her job was to make people care about the work. She learned reasonably quickly that good managers and directors are working for their staff, not the other way around. People have a lot of reasons why they do the work they’re doing, and learning how to listen to her teams and colleagues, allowed her to grow. She quickly learned that if people are “underperforming” on your watch, one of three things is likely happening: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

They don't know how to do something, They don't know why to do something, or They are not the person to do something.

So the beginning of her journey was about failing forward while moving through the many, many stages of a career as a journalist, web developer, and digital strategist. Ultimately, she understood that if you eliminate those three challenges for your staff, they respect you, follow you, and trust you to lead them.

At Lambda Legal, the mission is to make the world more equitable for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV. As a national nonprofit, the company's offerings are their pro bono legal and public policy work, as well as the "hearts and mind" work on messaging for public education. Its audience varies from

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| JUNE 2019 |

LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV to partner organizations and allies. Her team distills complex legal casework into something you can talk about “around the kitchen table.” They segment those audiences based on interest areas and curate their content based on social media platforms across a variety of distribution efforts. They are always looking for more opportunities to inform the public about why Lambda Legal matters more than ever before.

As one of the oldest national nonprofits doing this work, they have a legitimacy that affords them a bit of l eve ra g e . T h a t i s o n e o f t h e i r competitive advantages. "My team doesn't run the brand's channels from a scarcity mentality. We know who we are and what we are trying to build and do every day. As Kanye West said about competing with himself, 'it is one on no one.'"

However, Kristina is keenly aware that she is in the attention game.

Every email, every text, every website, every tweet or Instagram post that you get that's not from Lambda Legal, is taking your attention away from the company.

The "what's the ROI of digital" conversation was happening when she started on this path in the early 2000s. Kristina states that many people thought the digital business model was not sustainable. So, how do you build a career out of something people inherently believe is a fad? You prove everyone wrong. That is when data and analytics, cultural competence, and grit play out in the public square. For her, the proof of concept was raising a ton of money on email, social, and web. In any field, people start to believe you know what you're doing when you execute your strategy well. Play your game, no one else’s.

Meritocracies can only work in a world where everyone has equal opportunity and access. "Unfortunately, this is not our world," says Kristina. She knows that "work hard and you succeed" is not enough, and isn't the whole story. There are other elements at play. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck, someone willing to take you under his/her/their wing, and your patience. Even then, you’re still going to have to work harder, faster, and be stronger than everyone else.

Famed writer and Stoic Ryan Holiday said, “You don't have to be the best; you just have to be harder to destroy.” Patience and kindness would go a long way to changing all of the tech space.

Her vital traits to a successful career are EQ and grit, because "to be a cisgender or female-presenting person in any field is challenging enough." So Kristina would say that thick skin and resolve that reminds you that you're qualified to be in every room you're in, is critical. A willingness to stick it out through the tough times, and the ability to read the rooms you're in and remain steady at all times. It's never fair, but it's necessary.

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Lambda Legal

She thinks if you think you’re “coping with it,” you've already lost. She feels lucky to be a part of the conversations about how and when Lambda Legal shows up in the digital world, and that may be her job, but it's also her life. So, she needs to be as informed as possible, in a way that feels organic to her and her audiences. She wants to know how people are communicating at all times and why. She enjoys testing the boundaries of what messaging works and what her personal audience/followers expect, also she enjoys being surprised and being wrong. She is not romantic about any of it.

paid social and experiments with user acquisition, usergenerated content, and experiential marketing. She is curious about the rise of intent marketing. She is also watching how voice search impacts how people consume media. One of the projects she worked on last year was getting the company set up on Alexa/Amazon Pay for donations via Echo + Echo Dot, and she believes that's a long game they are playing where the payout potential is high, and Lambda Legal was one of the first people there.

She sees herself continuing to build her digital infrastructure and surprising folks on what a nonprofit can do in the digital space.

She is looking forward to seeing how the conversations on data, privacy, and social play out. Those have implications on where people spend their time, and the market demands on businesses and brands on those platforms shift. Kristina's team continues to invest in

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Rethinking the Products of Today for a Better Tomorrow

Celia Pool Co-Founder DAME

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| JUNE 2019 |

Industry Intel

“

T

he world is finally waking up to the single-use plastic crisis.

Over the last 10 years we have created more plastic than the whole of the last century combined. Half of the plastic we create is used just once, and then thrown away, taking 500 years to decompose. By 2050, the oceans are predicted to contain more plastic than fish. The plastic crisis is now too big for recycling alone to fix.

Global governments, businesses and consumers need to collaborate quickly to make impactful change before it’s too late. However, change is difficult when environmentally damaging habits have become so entrenched and often appear more financially appealing.

Technology is helping in this fight.

Reusable water bottles are now widespread, and apps that help you locate drinking water refill stations are now emerging. At the same time, reusable coffee cup technology is addressing the half a trillion disposable coffee cups discarded every year. Such items are gaining increasing social currency with consumers, who are keen to display them as markers of their environmental conscience. This revolution is encouraging, but what about the products that people aren’t so willing to talk about?

100 billion menstrual products are thrown away globally every year.

These are single-use, mostly made of plastic and cannot be recycled. You can choose not to have a coffee, you cannot choose not to have a period. Reusable options (e.g. menstrual cups, cloth pads) have been on the market for decades, yet the adoption rate has been slow. The primary barrier to entry is the fear of habit change.

So how do we bring about a revolution? The answer is keep it simple. And take time to consider consumer psychology. As humans, we abhor change. We are creatures drawn towards the comfort of the known. By

keeping habit change to a minimum, consumers are much more likely to adopt a new idea.

This was our philosophy at DAME when we created the world’s first reusable tampon applicator. We ensured the design was familiar and intuitive, so women did not have to compromise on their convenient, established rituals. We knew that hygiene could be a significant barrier to entry, so we worked with leading micro-biologists and medical engineers and used the best medical grade, antimicrobial materials on the market. As a result, the consumer only must rinse the applicator in cold water after use to keep it clean. Simple steps, minimal habit change.

However, it is challenging to tackle an issue that has such little awareness.

Menstruation has historically been shrouded in shame, fear and discretion.

It is not a topic openly talked about.

This is a problem with feminine care as a whole: it is frequently dismissed and the women trying to address it are critically underfunded. In 2017 female founders got 2% of the $85 billion VC investment pot. About 8% of partners at the top British VC firms are women.

According to Harvard Business Review, stereotypes about female entrepreneurs persist: women are overly cautious, shy away from growth, have insufficient resources and consequently their ventures underperform. Yet there is no performance data to support these stereotypes.

How are products used by women supposed to change in line with human and environmental needs, when they aren’t given appropriate recognition or have women involved in all stages of the process? Women need to be given more of a voice if we are to create meaningful change. The world of AI is already highlighting the need to diverse away from male, white, Western coders if we are to avoid

35

unconscious bias in the robots of tomorrow. Amazon had to abandon an AI recruitment tool that was discriminating against women, instead favoring prospects who mirrored Amazon’s existing male engineer workforce. At DAME women have been involved in every stage of the journey, not as a token gesture but as an absolute necessity.

However, our overarching business strategy goes beyond issues of inclusivity to incorporate a wider mission. DAME was founded on the belief that business can be used as a force for good. We use this core value to guide every decision we make in the business, bringing great clarity to our route forward. By communicating our genuine and authentic commitment to this mission, we hope that our message will quickly be picked up by those eager to join a movement for change.

To date, we have seen this happen not only with our consumers and the press, but with employees. People are increasingly drawn to companies doing good. 75% of millennials would take a pay cut to work at a socially responsible company.

All this strengthens our resolve at DAME to continue to tackle critical problems that are not openly acknowledged, that are significantly underfunded, and that have historically been controlled by giant monopolies.

Today we are focusing on menstrual products, but our vision is to revolutionize the entire bathroom.

These are big mountains, but having strong guiding principles makes the navigation much easier.”

-Words by Celia Pool Co-Founder of DAME For more information visit wearedame.co

| JUNE 2019 |

“Just do it.

“

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Akamai

Transforming Leadership through Tech

About Akamai

Akamai is the globally distributed intelligent edge platform that surrounds everything, from the enterprise to the cloud, so customers and businesses can be fast, smart, and secure.

It keeps decisions, apps and experiences closer to users than anyone and attacks & threats far away. It allows companies to easily manage security across all devices and locations. This commitment to security is trusted by 18 of the largest asset managers, 12 of the top insurers, and 8 of the top ďŹ nancial technology companies. Whether it is middle of the afternoon or the middle of the night, it is supported by unmatched customer service and 24/7/365 monitoring. It has 20 years of experience and a team of more than 1900 experts supporting with strategic expertise, comprehensive outsourcing, proactive monitoring, and responsive troubleshooting.

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S

ince the beginning of the 20th century, technologies have acquired a growing relevance in modern societies. As technology becomes more and more intrinsic in our everyday lives, companies need to transform businesses. The demand for a new type of leadership presents an opportunity for women to become the change agent in the organization and move towards more senior leadership positions. Limor Sinay is one such enthusiastic tech leader with extensive experience in enterprise software delivery, operations, and product management. She is a Senior Manager at Akamai Technologies which deals in cloud and enterprise solutions. She is also experienced in managing enterprise accounts across primary industries: Financial, Healthcare, Communication, Retail, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, and Legal.

The most important skill throughout this and any challenge she has faced was keeping positive and asking for help. Help from family, help from colleagues, help from her boss, help from the community, help from teachers, help from the school. The list goes on. “If you are open and honest about your challenge, whatever it may be, you keep a positive outlook and you ask for help, 99/100 people around you will be there. You just need to ask,” says Limor. By stating the above statement, she suggests that a person must have a bold and honest way to deal with the challenges.

As she works in the technology industry, it is crucial for her to stay on top of technology trends and genuinely understand where the company has the potential to provide future business value. She measures her personal growth by her personal learning more than anything else. More she learns, more she has a solid opinion to bring to the table. To learn, she’ll go to reputable industry reports and courses. For example, her latest course was on Blockchain use cases provided

by MIT online executive education. She genuinely enjoyed learning about new ideas and strives to get recommendations from people she looks up to.

Early in her career, she believed leadership was about seniority and title and sought to become a VP/C-level or member of a founding team. She moved from Israel to the US in pursuit of her MBA at MIT Sloan, with the goal of getting the credentials to become a future business leader. For her, today, leadership is about influence, impact and ability to drive change. In addition, she loves spending time mentoring young women leaders as they navigate their opportunities, challenges, and careers.

“Just do it” is probably her favorite tagline and her style too. She’d rather go fast, get it wrong and adapt than debate for endless hours on the path forward. It makes the decisions fast based on the data available, rather than chase down every detail in every angle. This approach is not appropriate for every industry, but it works for her. She also says, every woman should have an opinion and not be afraid to share it. It is vital to chase those decisions and activities you are passionate about with rigor.

Below is her story, Limor has studied her MBA from MIT Sloan in 2004.

Out of school, as an entrepreneur at heart, she helped grow start-up companies off the ground and found her way into the executive team of a smaller company. As life would have it, the timing was not always right for her. The demands of the executive suite coupled with 3 girls under the age of 5 did not work for her. While she made the conscious choice to take some steps back title wise in order to enjoy those precious years, she found out that leadership comes from within regardless of title or role.

She is a big believer in a customer first approach. She says, meet with your customers often, listen to them more than you talk to them and good things will happen. This is also very much aligned with Akamai’s core values as a company. It cares about how it can make the customers successful through the company’s digital transformations. If the customers are successful, the company will be as well.

While there were many business challenges throughout her career: downturns in economy, legislative impact to the business, bankruptcy, high employee turnover, cutting significant costs where the only choice is cutting people’s livelihood, new competitive pressures on successful business and more, her toughest challenge of all was her family journey through her husband’s cancer while working.

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Dynamics of

Participation in the Ever-changing Modern Workforce

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Women Empower

G

Collaboration, and not the cutthroat competition, is the modern era’s principle virtue to achieve success. Many endeavours which seem to be beyond the bounds of possibility can be attained by combining efforts from different resources, channels and departments. Further, collaborating products with consumer experience are enormously important. It leads to crafting the best solutions for customer’s pain points and compelling value propositions that reflect their overall business objectives.

one are the days when women were stereotyped to a certain set of skills and professions, restricting them from exploring the world of endless opportunities. Today, women have announced their arrival in many fields of the business world.

Therefore, it seems more important than ever before to recognize female contributions in every profession.

Fighting through biased work culture in favour of male dominance, women have conquered the unconquered on the account of their distinct calibre and predilections. In the times when the world female participation rate is to the dispiriting levels of around 67% and pay-off rate of about 63%, achievements by women go-getters are praiseworthy.

Multiple studies have found that women prefer to work in teams, while men prefer to work alone. An unfaltering affinity towards collaboration primes women to garner success in different fields of business which gives them an edge over others.

Increased profitability can be a motivating factor for many firms to hire more pool of female talents as many studies support the fact. Statistical research shows that Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on boards financially outperform companies with the lowest representation of women on boards.

Moreover, gender-diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to male-dominated teams, and a recent Gallup study found that gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units.

Listening capabilities is one of the distinguishing aspects of feminine species as compared to their male counterparts. Instilling and pursuing ones thoughts is undoubtedly important for effective working.

But being a better listener is something that can make a difference as studies show that the customer values and trusts the firms if they perceive that they are being listened to by the firms. With inherent caring and affectionate traits, women outclass men when it comes to understanding critical demands of the customers.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) - the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of others - is an essential skill when it comes to dealing with a diverse class of consumers. Women are naturally gifted with higher EI making them better suited for pressure situations and avoiding counter-productive decisions while keeping emotions in check.

Trust over female leaders is an attribute which needs to be reciprocated while making the choice. More American workers perceive female executives as honest and ethical than male executives. Pew’s “Women and Leadership” surveyed Americans in 2015 and found that 34% say women are better at this, while only 3% say men are better at it (64% say there’s no difference).

Emotional Intelligence encompasses two major dimensions – awareness of one’s self and awareness of others. Both the attributes are very much significant for the survival and success of any organisation. Selfawareness involves being familiar with trigger points and behavioural traits when put to the test. This, in turn, helps to modulate impulses avoiding conclusions which are harmful for the welfare of business. In addition to selfawareness, an awareness of others is equally critical in business. Analysing and decoding non-verbal communication – that amounts to 93% of the message – eventually benefits in convincing and converting a lead into a client.

While it’s unclear whether this means women are actually more honest, it’s a subtle reminder of how tangled some business decisions can be. Leaders are often tasked with choosing between options that aren’t black and white, ethically speaking, and the capacity to lead honestly is important to the entire company’s success and job satisfaction.

Not to mention, increased job satisfaction and organizational dedication to cite positive and meaningful business culture are the added advantages feminine employees carry to the organisation.

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However, the journey is not all merry go round every time.

Hindrances – seen, unseen – are there to check the unrelenting zeal of women aspirants to thrive in the industry. These obstructions need to be pointed out and rectified to create an environment that fuels women empowerment.

what you bring to the table.”

Lack of confidence, according to many experts, is one prime reason women tend to question themselves and doubt their worthiness. In order to advance, they must coach their inner critics.

While proving value, women tend to overcompensate in order to demonstrate that they are adding value. Instead of doing it all alone, change the paradigm and track to encourage others to take on more responsibility, thus enabling them to scale and multiply their own impact.

Women are generally uneasy about asking for what they want. They must stop thinking about what they need as a self-serving request. They must develop the courage and fortitude to stand up and ask for what they want.

Out-speak and define what women want professionally if they want to get succeeded. Too often they don’t know or rely upon others to define it for them.

Not to forget, biased work culture and regional barriers are the crucial obstacles in the road of women work participation. But, today women are breaking these shackles and coming out boldly to be a part of economic processes shouldering their male counterparts.

There has been obvious progress in achieving gender equality around the world over the past two decades: more girls are attending school, more women are working and are being elected to public offices, more women hold management positions, and the situation involving women’s legal as well as social rights have also improved.

“Building relationships with those in positions of leadership is critical,” Susan Brady, executive vice president of Linkage Inc. says. “Put down the to-do list long enough to connect with decision makers across the organization, and help them understand who you are and

However, a great deal still remains to be done to achieve equal outcomes for women and men. Recognizing women’s abilities, the values they bring to the organisation, the transformation they achieve as far as work environment is concerned, and considering monetary benefits associated with the female work participation, corporate sector need to welcome their emergence with open arms. No future is far where maledominated workplaces will be a tale of extinct, we believe.

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| JUNE 2019 |

Lora DiCarlo

Lora

Haddock

A Unique Approach for Right Cause

I

n an interview conducted by CIO LOOK, Lora Haddock—Founder & CEO, Lora DiCarlo exemplifies how she is rebooting orgasms. Her firm desire to bring out a change in the customary way of business has driven her establishing a venture that inherently reform the definition of hands-free vaginal robotic massager. Let us have a look over a memorandum of such a disruptive leader.

Below are the highlights of the interview: Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a proficient leader.

I’ve always been a creative person, working in various industries searching for the right space to express my inventive side. I’ve worked in almost every industry from publishing, food and beverage, and healthcare to get through college, until I was awarded a full ride scholarship as a Naval Midshipman U.S. Navy in 2008 and was accepted as a Cadet at the Norwich University Nursing program. But in 2009, my mother encountered some serious health problems, and I had to leave the Navy with an honorable discharge to become her fulltime caretaker. In 2013, after working at a startup brewery for three years, I decided to continue my career in healthcare by co-enrolling at Portland State University and Portland Community College, commencing a pre-med program. I’m an “anatomy geek” and became fascinated with psychological, physiological, and anatomical aspects of the female orgasm. While being a student and working full time in healthcare and business management positions, I was developing my concept. I spent three years doing physiological research, gathering anatomical data from hundreds of women, and developing functional product specifications. I found my calling the day that I founded

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Lora DiCarlo. I’ve grown and learned from each field that I’ve worked in and since founding Lora DiCarlo in October 2017, my journey towards launching a new women's health product has only just begun.

and knowledge is oneself. Impostor syndrome is a hurdle for nearly every female I’ve ever met, but that’s all it is, a hurdle, something to be confronted and moved beyond.

People will try to deter you, sometimes deliberately and that’s when you push harder. That’s when you find allies and you surround yourself with them. Find folks that get you, that get your drive, those that get your mission and turn them into your supporters, your allies, and your warriors. We as femmes often think that if we are to succeed, then we are to do it alone; that notion could not be further from the truth. Build o a team, create a following, inspire others with your passion, determination, and knowledge and they will lift you up.

Days, months, and years will undulate with highs and lows; some days will make you want to curl into a ball and cry and other glorious days you may feel as though no one can touch you. Just remember to stand your ground to fight the good fight because you do belong here. These allies will counsel you, follow you, work for you, fight for you, and eventually, when you are given the official title of leader you’ll already be in that headspace, then those allies will become the building blocks of your greatest venture. Whatever happens, don’t give up because you never know when you’ll have an opportunity to change the world and we need more changemakers.

How do you diversify your organization’s offerings to entice the target audience?

We design, build, and market consumer electronics for women and people with vaginas’ sexual health. We are building the first lifestyle consumer brand for socially active and empowered women and non-binary folks in our category. Our first product, Osé, empowers the user to explore the possibilities of their own pleasure. It will enhance the experience of those women who already have a variety of sex toys and create new experiences for the women who do not. Education is the biggest step towards empowering women to learn about their own bodies and normalizing self-pleasure. From there, Lora DiCarlo will offer a variety of specific products that will meet the various types of orgasms people have. The industry currently only offers vibration and with a new product like Osé, we intend to learn from our customers; what works best and develop a product based on those needs. Our offerings are based on our customers’ enticements. Osé is only the beginning of the journey towards self-awareness, de-stigmatization of femme pleasure, and the rest of our offerings will be based on our target audience’s pleasure preferences.

What are your insights on “The myth of meritocracy”?

And how it could bring a change in today’s technological arena?

How do you strategize your game plans to tackle the competition in the market?

There has never been a better time to prove “The myth of meritocracy”: Wealthy parents are being held accountable for using bribery and fraud to get their children into Ivy League schools, data shows huge disparities between white and nonwhite students regarding access to opportunities, and male-led start-ups receive 96% of all venture capital funding - the list goes on and on. As for our experience regarding the myth of meritocracy, I knew being a female CEO in Tech would mean more obstacles to overcome but I had no idea just how quickly they would surface. Before the CTA restored our Consumer Electronics Show award in Robotics and Innovation, they took it away from us for being indecent, immoral, obscene, and profane. In the past, CES has banned other female owned sex toy companies from even attending their conference. CES is the “Global Stage for Innovation” which I think most would consider a literal technological arena where female CEOs have been banned from existing in the same space as men.

Meritocracy would have you believe that the white males, making up 65% of the tech industry, made it there because they worked harder, but the reality is that women, POC, and LGBTQ folks are quite literally excluded from a worldwide space of tech and innovation. Hopefully, there is a glimmer on the horizon and the tech industry, as well as other industries where misogyny and gender bias

Our game plan is to simply be ourselves: a diverse group of folks who want more from the sex tech industry; to create products for everyone and remove the shame associated with pleasure. Our social mission is to fight for gender equity and we aim to empower women and people with vaginas and normalize self-pleasure. We’ve built a company whose values are Respect, Integrity, and Empowerment and every single one of our decisions are measured against these values. Tech finds its place in every single element of our lives and we know that diversity is essential to creating products that are accessible for all people, not just a privileged few. When product design is driven by a homogeneous group of people, then the tech that is created is increasingly out of touch with many of its users. This goes for everything from algorithms to pleasure products. Biases inform everything that we make, which is why safe inclusion, diversity, and representation of all types of people in tech, is so crucial.

What are the vital traits that every business woman should possess?

An only individual that stands in the way of determination

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| JUNE 2019 |

Lora DiCarlo

is systemic (which is basically every industry), will see the light along with the Consumer Technology Association.

How do you cope [up] with capricious technological trends to boost your personal growth?

I think we’re at the edge of the revolution in pleasure and wellness products, and a lot of that is specifically related to who is making them. Previously it was mostly male CEOs, designers, and engineers designing products for vaginas.

Now we’re seeing a shift away from that model, with more women, gendernonconforming, and LGBTQ+ people taking charge and designing products that actually work for us. We’ve received so much positive support throughout this entire experience, from people of all genders and backgrounds. What we’ve found is that there is so much space for change within tech and society in general. People want to see more of them represented in the products they use and the brands that they see.

What are your future endeavors/objectives and where do you see yourself in the near future?

For Lora DiCarlo, we’re continuing the movement. We know there are so many issues with bias and sexism in tech and business, as well as stigma around sexuality. What we want is to make a tangible change in the world. We’re striving for a world where folks can feel empowered and can help lift other people up. We want to make sure more diverse people have their place in tech and business. Our Marketing and Sales Director, Sarah Brown, likes to describe our product roadmap as an interstate, rather than a road – so we have a huge amount of products in the pipeline. We’ll be officially launching Osé in fall of 2019, and we have several products focused on couples, we’re also really interested in VR, so lots and lots of wonderful things coming.

“Embrace inclusivity; surround yourself with brilliant and capable individuals that are different from you, and then ask them to challenge you. I promise it will be worth your while.

“

—Lora Haddock Founder & CEO

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About the Author Ineke Kooistra is the CEO of YoungCapital, a leading Dutch recruitment agency, since 2013. She has been working in the recruitment and secondment branches for 25 years.

Additionally, she has also set up and expanded various specializations within the IT stafďŹ ng market. Her role as the CEO of the company is to get people moving, motivate them and coach them.

Together with three male founders, she directs a predominantly female management team and 1,300 employees, of which 80 percent is also female. This is pure coincidence, because Ineke doesn’t believe in selecting her employees based on gender.

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Unbaised Future

Establishing

E uilibr um

A

say “I want to be a director, but I still have children that I need to bring to school. Is that possible?” As if there are no male CEOs that bring their kids to school. The big difference is that men don’t ask these kinds of questions.

They just do it!

t the top “It’s all about finding someone’s strengths. Women don’t outperform men and vice versa. But I won’t deny that it takes a lot of discipline to stay at the top as a woman,” Ineke expresses. Just like men, women have a lot of qualities that match perfectly with a leadership role. It’s important that leadership comes from the heart. And you need to have the intention to help others grow and make them better through your role. I call it Servant Leadership.

If you want to make your company a success, you need to be of service to the company and its people. This has nothing to do with gender or background.

Balance It’s all about balance. Recently, I attended a forum on female leadership, where I talked about my role as a CEO. In the audience, were female students who were just about to graduate. When the moderator asked which of them wanted the same job as me, only three of the four hundred students raised their hands. The moderator was shocked, and asked the audience what was going on. “She works too much”, was the answer. “And we also want to be able to go to parties, exercise and have a social life.” That shocked me a little. It’s not that I don’t do anything else besides work.

My downtime, social life and work activities are just one big mix. It’s true that I’m constantly thinking about work.

But I also allow myself to go for a run in the morning or see my hairdresser during the week. To me, it’s just one full week in which I can do a lot.

That’s why a quota for women at the top is completely nonsense, according to me. All women who really want to reach the top, will find a way to break through that glass ceiling. No bias in the world will stop a woman on a mission to reach that top position. But it’s wrong to think that anyone with the right capabilities – man or woman – can work anywhere they want. There should be a match between your personality, the company’s values and its culture. And sometimes it’s just a case of pure luck. Being at the right place at the right time. If this match doesn’t come naturally, it’s just not meant to be.

Did I have this go-getter mentality as a child, since I already knew I wanted to one day reach the top? I think so.

But, at the same time, all the things I hoped for as a child didn’t come true. What I got is a lot better. I definitely don’t regret the choices that I’ve made. I started a family, got married, and am the CEO of a young and ambitious company. I should therefore be the last person to decide whether or not one should have a leadership position based on a ’home situation’. How you combine the two is up to you. And yes, that takes a lot of discipline. But if you have natural leadership qualities, I believe everything is going to be alright.

But if there is a perfect match between you as a leader and a company, it’s the first positive step, in my opinion. It’s still a lot of work. Having all that responsibility takes a lot out of you. You shouldn’t be afraid to make choices, and that also means saying no to certain activities in your personal life.

I am a mother of two and am not home every day. My husband and I have been able to make it work. I notice that a lot of women still find it difficult. But you can’t run a company part time. You need to dare to go full in. Those doubts often appear during the initial job interview. Women

The key to achieving this? As a female – or male – leader, you need to learn to let go and prioritise. Just do your best and focus on making things better for other people.

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RUPAL ASODARIA

On a Verge to Create a Difference

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t takes strong determination and courage to come up with a new venture that might and have created a dent in the universe. An innovative personality understands the requirement of a betterment in societies as well as markets, and offers a unique products to rely on. One such leader standing tall is Rupal Asodaria, Inventor & Founder of NursElet.

CIO LOOK admire such avid leaders and appreciate their contribution in evolving the tech and business sectors.

And feels pride to feature Rupal in its special issue, entitled "Women in Tech, 2019".

Here is her story: It took lot of sleepless nights, tons of hard work, patience, trial and errors, failures, achievements, and frustrations. In the end, determination got her to where she's now and she is so proud of it. She comes from an entrepreneurial family, and she believes that the real experience of watching her family hustling and making it happen helped her to stay positive and move forward. Also, leadership is the skill that one can learn along the way with right attitude and environment. Every day is a learning day. By discipline, she is a software engineer. She did her Masters of Science in New York City. Before

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becoming an official entrepreneur, she was working for one High Tech IT company in San Francisco. However, she truly believes that nothing fails in life, she used all life learning lessons to start e-commerce business without any prior knowledge in this industry.

She is confident that the knowledge and experiences which she gained will definitely inspire someone to try new things to pursue their dreams.

They say necessity is the mother of invention and it truly was in her case.

The NursElet® Nursing Bracelet idea was born from her real life challenges.

She is a huge advocate of breastfeeding and when she was feeding her second child a little over 3 years ago, she noticed that she started developing back pain and neck strain because of improper posture while trying to keep her shirt from falling onto the baby. As a mother of two little boys, she knew there was a demand for

I live by this quote from Walt Disney “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

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NursElet®

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never felt before. Thoughtful planning and proper management helped her to narrow down her tasks. With her family support, she overcame from the biggest challenge she believed she had ones and delivered her order on time.

She learned that the challenge was disguised blessings and taught her to have better manufacturing planning for efficient delivery system. So glad that early on, she learned this important lesson.

In addition, Rupal states, merit should be based on talent, effort, and achievement, rather than factors such as heredity or wealth, sexuality, gender, age or race. Meritocracy is an ideal one should continue to strive for.

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her innovative product NursElet in the market.

After receiving amazing response from all around the world on NursElet®, the company streamlined its process and also expanded its product selections to offer some more must have baby essentials to their clients to simplify the early and the most important years of parenting.

After all, parenting is the journey, not the destination.

"You own your own story and none can better tell than yourself," says Rupal.

Major benefit to own your story is that nobody can steal it! It's your asset. She suggests that one must make sure to tell his/her story effectively. She b e l i eve s , p e o p l e j u s t d o n' t b u y products but they invest in you, your s t o r y, a n d yo u r b ra n d . Fo r h e r, customer service is number one top priority since the beginning.

Community support is very important to grow all together. Her mantra these days, take one step at a time and keep your eyes on your prize. Finding your tribe and making a connection with those who can understand your ideas and your vision makes you powerful.

Wo m e n , i n h e r e n t l y, a r e d e e p l y

powerful – but to realize their full p o w e r, t h e y n e e d t o m a s t e r independence. Self-confidence is the best accessory that any woman can wear. Rupal believes that every woman has a great stamina and flexibility to bounce back from various situations including failures. She also believes generally, women have a special ability to manage tasks efficiently even under stressful situations.

To run a business itself is challenging.

It's very hard to define just one big obstacle as whenever an obstacle (small or big) comes, it feels like it's the biggest but once you get used to it, it's easy to understand and react to it.

There's a solution for everything if you look hard enough! When you're starting something new, you'll hit the roadblocks and challenges. However there are many resources available to help you navigate those challenges.

She thinks those challenges and roadblocks make one powerful.

Working with corporate culture r e q u i r e s g r e a t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y, management skills. It teaches a lifelong lesson of relationship as well.

In today's technology arena, it's possible for anyone to express their point of view, wisdom or knowledge with right tool and education system.

T h i s s y s t e m c a n d eve l o p e q u a l opportunities for under privileged individuals who were otherwise left behind. This is so exciting news for entire eco-system.

When technology is changing so quickly, one must need to try and adopt new changes to stay in the game. You don't need to be a perfectionist but progressing towards your goal is important. Adopt new habits and work on yourself every day, the best master piece you can own. Always be vigilant to your surroundings and never afraid to learn new things. Slowly but surely, you'll get there.

She would say no success is overnight success. It takes a great amount of persistence and efforts to make it possible. She has been working on some secret projects for a while. She can't wait to share when time arrives.

When she received her very first BIG order in the beginning, it was blessings as well as a biggest challenge she had

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W

hat do we call an area that is not limited to a single planet and has no physical boundaries?

We call it the era of the emerging space resource industry. As humans, we became a spacefaring species 60 years ago when Russia launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. We are the only species to achieve this milestone in the 4.5 billion year history of the earth. Later, the space industry began to develop after World War II, as rockets and satellites later found civilian purpose.

original space race began from the ideas and skills of visionary theoretical engineers like Robert. H. Goddard, Wernher von Braun, and Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, etc.

Today, space endeavors are propelled by a new generation of entrepreneurs including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Robert Branson. There are some more major players and innovative companies with the vision of space exploration and are as follows: SpaceX- SpaceX was founded in 2002 and has reached worldwide popularity with their historic milestones in space exploration. It is already the world’s most highprofile commercial spacecraft company. The aim of SpaceX is to revolutionize the space technology, with the goal of enabling people to live on other planets. Its success has been worth appreciating. Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon Spacecraft are some of its milestones.

Dragon Spacecraft has helped with regular resupply missions for NASA space stations.

Today, companies around the world are in transportation, energy sector, construction, hospitality, real estate, etc. and they are looking for their next growth opportunity.

Space is quickly becoming a place where the industries that power our global economy have started conducting business. Future developments in the space industries include space tourism, satellite manufacturing, and the launch industry. In recent years, however, private spaceflight is becoming reality in the space industry.

Blue Origin- It was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the technological retail entrepreneur and CEO of Amazon, aims to launch people in space. It is fully reusable, vertical takeoff vertical landing (VVTL) space vehicle. Though its goal is different from that of SpaceX, it targets the Space tourism industry. It is focusing on commercially available, suborbital human spaceflight and has developed a vertical launch vehicle (new shepherd) for it. New shepherd is

Of course, these private companies also compete against each other and it could be argued that a new space race has begun. But while with an element of competition, the success of the past decades shows that is possible to collaborate in space. For example, NASA a major government agency has relied on privately operated launch services like SpaxeX for its satellite launches. The

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Innova ng Space

named after the Mercury astronaut Alan Shepherd, the first American Astronaut to go in Space. It is designed to take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space.

Observatory and it continues to produce data that enables astronomers to make extraordinary discoveries.

Launched in 1999, Chandra has found evidence for a significant new class of supernova. It has also uncovered evidence of a powerful outburst from the giant black hole at the Milky Way’s center.

Boeing- Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer in space and security systems.

Throughout the last 50 years, Boeing has been integral in every major endeavor to escape earth’s gravity. The satellite industry has made the headlines since the launch of its first Mercury capsule to the current ISS (International Space Station).

NASA has a long tradition of utilizing Northrop Grumman’s spacecraft, including the Spirit and Opportunity rovers that landed on Mars in 2004. The rovers will help guide the Mars as it investigates the viability of microbial life on the planet now or in the past.

NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is the most powerful rocket ever built. Boeing is the prime contractor for the SLS design development, test, and production of the launch vehicle. SLS is the world’s only super heavy rocket capable of transporting astronauts to deep space. NASA is setting its eyes on the exploration of Mars with the help of Boeing technology. Boeing has successfully launched all of NASA’s Mars probes and rovers aboard Delta 11 launch vehicles. Recently Boeing engineer designed a spacesuit to protect astronauts from dust, radiation and other hazards when exploring the surface of moon and mars.

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will play an important role in studying planetary systems. NGC is the prime contractor for building the dreams of Webb technology. The telescope will be sensitive to infrared light which will enable it to understand an era of the universe just a few million years after the Big Bang.

Made in Space- MIS is the space-based manufacturing company, dedicated to making of reliable Additive manufacturing equipment and fiber optics (MIS Fiber) for Space. Additive manufacturing is also known as 3D Printing and is transforming the industry. It can manufacture larger and more complex objects faster, with finer precision and with multiple aerospace grade materials. MIS Fiber Optics, on the other hand, is produced without crystals that affect signal loss. Later, these crystals provide superior data transmission capabilities, high-speed internet as well as enhancing technologies in space.

Sierra Nevada Corporation- Selected by NASA, SNC’s Dream Chaser spacecraft is a multi-mission space utility vehicle. It used for transporting crew and cargo to LEO (Low Earth Orbit) destinations such as ISS (International Space Station). The system is designed to deliver up to 5,500 kg of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the space station under the CRS (Commercial Resupply Service)-2 contract. It will carry supplies like food, water, & science experiments and returns to earth with a gentle runway landing. The spacecraft is selected by NASA to provide a minimum of 6 cargo missions to and from the space station by 2021. Sierra Nevada Corporation is making solid progress and likely to stay a key player in the private space company.

Virgin Galactic- Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight company founded in 2004 by British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson. It is developing commercial space crafts and aims to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists.

VG uses a larger, four-engine jet plane that carries passengers into space. It is similar in design to a private plane. These private space firms seem to have different interests in the space race, but actually, these companies share the same goals.

Northrop Grumman Corporation- NGC is a leader in science and exploration in space for more than 60 years.

Thiokol Chemical Company, now part of NGC developed the world’s first reusable space shuttle program in the late 1970s.

Looking at the future, there will be a need for laws, regulation, and controlling authority to govern space exploration. It will be necessary to have firm and wellunderstood protocols in the event space crashing, while there are serious issues around the safety of astronauts as well. At the moment, the UN’s Outer Space Affairs is responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. Perhaps, the entry of the private sector into space exploration will contribute to the growth of the economy as valuable targets for investment. However, it will be interesting to see how healthy competition opens up in the development of the Space Era for Citizens.

Contribution to NASA: July 20, 1969, was a historic day when the world watched, astronaut Neil Armstrong took mankind’s first steps on the moon. The success of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission is still remembered and celebrated.

Several heritage companies of NGC are recognized for the vital role they played in the achievement of the Apollo 11 mission. NGC designed, assembled, integrated and tested the Lunar Module (LM) of the Apollo program.

NASA’s Northrop Grumman built Chandra X-ray

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Victoria Shanks

Driving Financial Services Technology across Industries

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he Myth of Meritocracy has been practiced since the early ages of civilization. Being rewarded for what one is worthy, without any discrimination, seems a legit and correct way to admire an individual’s competence. It can witnessed the world is filled with such exemplary individuals who attained successful statures. Meet one such individual with unique skill sets and ideologies, Victoria Shanks. With over 20 years of experience within Financial Services Technology, she serves as an Executive Director of First Derivatives & Global Head of Kx Services.

CIO LOOK admires such leaders and their exemplary contribution in evolving financial sectors. It takes pride to feature Victoria, an adherent leader in its special issue “Women in Tech, 2019.

Here is her story When she joined First Derivatives (FD), the company was only a small team of 5 people. Since then, the company has grown at an astounding pace and now has nearly 3,000 employees across the globe. She grew with the company and as a result, leadership and responsibility naturally evolved. Her role changes over the years, from office manager

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First Deriva ves

Victoria Shanks Execu ve Director First Deriva ves

“Under-promise and over-deliver.�

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to financial engineer to Executive Director, which is where she is today. She has around 500 employees under practice areas she is directly responsible for, and having been an on-site consultant herself for several years, she has the knowledge and experience to lead her team to success.

consulting organization are the knowledge and experience of its staff and they have invested in a program to ensure their clients are provided with consistent and optimum service.

She quotes and I highlight, “We know what we are good at—delivery!” At First Derivatives, she and her team focus on their sweet spots. If a competitor is better suited to the opportunity then they are honest and advised as such. Their best sales people are ex customers who have used their services and products in a suitable manner. She also quotes, “Never over promise”. She promotes what the company does best, which continues to lead to repeat business. They focus

FD’s key foundations have always been focused on understanding the business domain of financial services as well as the technology needs. It may sound simplistic, but that is still a key differentiator. Her company’s training and graduate program is second to none, which offers young employees a fast track on their career and develops their skill set. The core assets of any

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First Deriva ves

on their strengths and maintain excellent client relationships. She also states that every business woman out there must possess certain vital traits to grow—honesty, flexibility and the ability to listen.

Throughout the course of her career, Victoria faced many obstacles. Her biggest professional challenges came when the company was also facing challenges there have been upturns and downturns in the wider business as the industry has changed over the years. As a company, they focused on their key strengths and worked within the changing environment to really develop the NearShore and Regulatory business, which allowed them to offer key skills in lower cost locations.

The flexibility to adapt meant they actually had their biggest period of growth after the 2007-2008 crisis.

She thinks, in general, the key to overcoming challenges is flexibility and being able to adapt to the volatile changes.

As the technology landscape is constantly evolving, the new trends are emerging at an incredible rate. By observing the market and listening to what clients and industry peers are saying/doing, she tries to keep up with the major trends in the industry. Not only is this important for her personal career but for the business.

It is also important to pass the knowledge of these trends on to the wider company and ensure people who work for the company are also up-to-date with new technology trends. At FD, the training program is flexible and they are able to adapt and step up the training to meet the needs of the environment.

Victoria continues to see her objectives focused on supporting her team on the journey of growth. The expansion FD has made now into new business verticals is hugely exciting, but the core business will remain the focus; she says, “Keep your core strong and the branches will grow.” So it’s really more of the same but bigger, better and more varied.

She has also been playing a key role in driving the Cloud initiative within FD and Kx, her software division.

Naturally, there is a strategic focus on the importance of Cloud and ensuring the team is delivering the best service, so she will continue to be heavily involved in this area as well.

Moreover, she fully believes in being rewarded for the ability. Well-trained talent with the right work ethic will naturally result in high-performance and impressive achievements. In today’s technical arena, if you have a natural capability you can rise up the ranks and be rewarded with key responsibilities and interesting work much faster than in a traditional work setting. At FD, she presents opportunities for her employees across the lines of business to succeed - “You have the support to orchestrate your own destiny, and if you have the ability, FD will recognize and reward.”

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ust today I had a young and enthusiastic women call me up asking for advice and maybe some pointers on how to bring her vision to life. During the call I could almost see her deflating while I piled up the list of challenges that came with fundraising, developing tech products and gathering the right team. I know exactly what that feels like because I, myself, have experienced it many times before. The mountain of work that faces an entrepreneur is sheer unfathomable, and that’s probably a good thing: who knows how many companies would still be out there if the founders had known what awaited them!?

That feeling in mind, I did leave the call on an uplifting note (I hope), but what I also did was send her a list of female founder groups as well.

but the emphasis is on learning from and networking with the speakers. I have made the best out of them by targeting events with speakers that could be important for my business and that I would otherwise have difficulties accessing. To my greatest sorrow many events are early morning breakfast meetings at 7 or 8, where I pretend that it’s a normal hour to be about for me. My favourite one: SheWorx

Having a female led and populated ecosystem that can absorb some of the pains any female entrepreneur has to face can be the difference between succeeding and giving up. I choose the words ’giving up’ on purpose, because we can all fail, but it should be for technicalities all start-ups face, and not because we are lonely, overwhelmed and unsupported women.

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From experience I have recognized three sorts of female ecosystems that are important for different challenges within the journey, each adding their own individual value, and I am grateful for each and every one of them: Ÿ

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The Community: these groups are more motivational and empowering than having an actual impact on your business. Especially at the beginning of founding a company they are important. You get to meet other women, hear their stories, recognized that it’s not only you and make friends along the way. I think these groups are very important for your mental health, especially when your new company also means a change of lifestyle. You can meet other women and have a tea or a drink without feeling like you should be working because you ARE. Panels with talks, meetups and even workspaces distinguish these groups from strictly social events. My favourite one: Blooming Founders.

The Platformers: These groups offer mostly awards and events. While on the surface you often don’t win anything tangible like prize money, the award itself ads huge value because it is highly respected in the field and opens doors. During the events you get to network from a privileged position which is invaluable for companies that are fundraising. It is also one of the few visible social markers that all your hard work, blood, sweat and tears has been acknowledged and rewarded - something you can show to your painfully neglected friends and family. My favourite one: TechWomen100

During the development, the fundraising and the pivot of my digital mental health company with our emotional fitness game, eQuoo, there have been multiple times that these groups were there at the right time and place, offering me support, information and a platform. Women are still vastly underrepresented in the tech world, and while the #MeToo movement has unearthed many of the people abusing their power against women, it can still be a hostile environment if you’re unlucky. And statistically speaking you will be unlucky a few times.

The VC world is slowly starting to understand that a mentally health founder is a productive one and having communities that support us is a vital ingredient to our wellbeing.

The Educators: these groups offer talks, workshops and one-on-one’s with highly successful men and women in the start-up world. Here you need to bring your pen or laptop and stay on top of what is being said because the lecturer/guest speaker will dump large amounts of wisdom on you. Sometimes there are drinks afterwards,

It takes a village to raise a child? Well, it takes a city to build a start-up.

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Leader’s Desk

Silja Litvin is the Psychologist, Founder and CEO of PsycApps Digital Mental Health, a company that uses AI, gamication and psychology to help people help themselves. She is a developer of the multi-award winning eQuoo – the Emotional Fitness Game.

Silja was born in Germany but moved to southern California early in her life. Exposed to many diverse cultures early in life, she developed an insatiable curiosity for the human condition leading to her pursuing a degree in psychology. During her 17 years of international modelling she began her Masters at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, graduating in Clinical Psychology and Systemic Family Therapy in 2013. Alongside her education as a Systemic Family Therapist in 2015, she began her PhD in Clinical Psychology.

A child of the digital generation, Silja was looking for ways to use apps and social media to help people suffering from mental issues. She went on to create a psychological mobile app that helps users identify and self-manage depression. With this idea, she undertook her PhD thesis, thus ensuring it to be evidence based and ethically sound.

Now she is venturing into the world of AI, gamication and chatbots to nd a way to be able to help people help themselves, launching her emotional tness game eQuoo in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The game has been featured in major news outlets such as Forbes and TechCrunch and she won multiple prizes with PsycApps such as THE EUROPAS Pitch Awards and Pitch@Palace on Tour.

Silja Litvin Founder & CEO

PsycApps Digital Mental Health

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