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Leadership Failures Driving the Great Resignation

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Jonathan Ogurchak: Helping Pharmacy to Evolve with Right Technology

Dr. Tugrul Kararli S TAY I N G R E L E VA N T F O R TOMORROW

8 self-care tips for busy CEOs that you may have heard of, but really should try already W R IT T E N BY K A L E E N C A N E VAR I

LEADERS IN PHARMA 2022

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CONTENTS

12 DR. TUGRUL KARARLI

CONTENTS

28 DR. DHARIUS DANIELS

CONTENTS

46 KALEEN CANEVARI

C O V E R S T O R Y

STAYING Relevant for

T O M ORR OW Dr. Tugrul Kararli President & Founder of PharmaCircle

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C O V E R S T O R Y

In the context of entrepreneurship, the idea or the meaning of knowledge has changed a lot over the last couple of decades. From physical labor, technical skills to an innovative mindset, the pure de inition of knowledge has transformed completely. However, what has not changed is the ability to make data-driven decisions, which is the core of any organization, its results, or ef iciency.

And when it comes to industries like Pharma, there is no room for making any error as they run on practical data analysis, learn from facts & results, and are in direct con lict with sacred human life. What works in the industry is a wide breadth of knowledge, experience, and management to not only run a business but to enhance people's lives.

Exeleon features one such erudite personality on its cover whose knowledge and experience of over 40 years in the pharmaceutical industry has contributed to bringing a revolutionized method of making informed decisions from digital data.

Meet Dr. Tugrul Kararli, the President and Founder of PharmaCircle, a company serving commercial and emerging stage life sciences companies and suppliers from around the world with 14

integrated data and powerful analysis tools.

LEADING WITH EXPERIENCE With a BS in Pharmacy and Ph.D. in Pharmacology, Dr. Kararli served at Searle/Pharmacia for 18 years before establishing PharmaCircle in 2003. Over the course of his journey, Dr. Tugrul Kararli has seen a lot of changes within the industry and beyond.

"Pharma/Biotech Industry has evolved signi icantly over the past three decades, paralleling the advances in life sciences in general. By 2010 top 10 selling drugs have already transitioned from small molecule drugs to protein and antibody-based biologics," says Dr. Kararli. "Within the past few years, we are inally seeing the fruits of the advanced cell and genomic technologies in the form of personalized medicine."

Witnessing all these substantial changes in his professional career, Dr. Kararli emphasizes that adapting to the change is the need of the hour, and today's world leaders cannot escape from it. He mentions, "Within this rapidly changing business environment that we are in, lexibility and change must be in our DNA."

As such, his most critical function as a leader is to make sure that his company's oﬀerings are always relevant to the present information needs of the clients. This is also the reason why he believes that an in luential leader is someone who is a visionary, competent, and trustworthy individual who maximizes the contribution of their employees by creating a fear-free and ethical business environment.

My most critical function as a leader is to make sure that our content and service o erings are always relevant to the current information needs of our clients. THE FOUNDATIONAL ROOTS OF PHARMACIRCLE During his stint at large pharma, Dr. Kararli's role involved matching external drug delivery technologies with the internal drug delivery needs as part of life cycle management activities.

According to him, selecting the right delivery technology among multiple options requires a detailed and careful analysis of technology, followed by feasibility studies. And oftentimes, the selection of the correct delivery technology improves the odds of these programs making it to the marketplace.

Thus, in the year 2000, Dr. Kararli saw an opportunity, a need for an information service that could provide drug delivery and

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He gives an example of PharmaCircle's live customer service, which is available almost 24/7 to answer questions and inquiries. "This is almost like having an expert librarian on your staﬀ. Customers are always amazed to ind Kurt Sedo, VP of Customer Service and his staﬀ on the other end of their calls and take care of their information needs."

Taking the lead on the technological front, Dr. Kararli recently announced the Smart Search Engine to deliver tech-centric solutions as part of its service oﬀerings. The engine's history goes back to the year 2014, when team PharmaCircle implemented an innovative panoramic search engine that later became the basis of the Turboard Business Intelligent (BI) Platform.

formulation information and analysis. And within three years, he introduced PharmaCircle. "I launched PharmaCircle, and many of the pharma companies subscribed to our service within three years. Since then, our content has expanded to just about every aspect of the pharma business, making PharmaCircle perhaps the most comprehensive information service in the world. "

To sustain this earned trust and continue his business, Dr. Kararli keeps a keen eye on client satisfaction as the number one priority for his company. He is of the opinion that service must not only have the right variety and quality but also oﬀer IT solutions to maximize customer satisfaction with prevalent digital, online service.

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Today, all the IT solutions of the company run on Turboard, and it acts as a stand-alone business, all the while challenging well-known BI tools in the industry. On the basis of it, Smart Search Engine provides the simplest form of Google Search type interface that everyone is accustomed to using. This innovative and easy-to-use search functionality eﬀortlessly allows users to access PharmaCircle's vast amount of hand-curated business and R&D intelligence service content. ABOUT PHARMACIRCLE

Established in 2003, the PharmaCircle organization has been providing clients with powerful analysis tools to navigate the delicate intricacies of pharmaceutical development and innovation.

At present, PharmaCircle information service provides an integrated, scienti ic view of global innovation spread across drug delivery, formulation & excipients, products & pipeline, supply chain, clinical trials, regulatory, molecule, and sales & transactions. A MILLION DOLLAR ADVICE

Dr. Kararli has been in the industry for over four decades. It goes without saying that to serve the industry for so long requires staying up to date with the latest knowledge and trends. This strategy of staying relevant to the industry is something that Dr. Kararli extends to emerging and aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and researchers in the Pharma industry.

According to him, the skillset and work experience must always stay in line with the latest trends in the industry. It doesn't matter whether it is being a part of a large organization or an owner.

"You must adhere to business ethics one hundred percent of the time. You must perform proper riskbene it analysis to steer oﬀ dangers that could derail the business and its future," he says. "I believe the technology revolution is still at its early phase, and young people should always look for opportunities to reduce or eliminate redundant work and business processes," he adds.

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A Progressive

FUTURE As far as the pharma industry goes, Dr. Kararli says that the future is extremely bright, and he is delighted to be at the center of the current industrial revolution. He is positive that the next decade of advancement will result in curing many of the immune related disorders, cancers, CNS diseases and genetic disorders.

And during such evolving industrial developments, PharmaCircle has always been quick to adapt and implement exciting new contents and methods to serve its clients.

On the personal side of things, his passion for what he does for his organization and the industry has not waned one bit over the years. He is proud of the way his business has grown organically and continues to do so.

In the forthcoming years, Dr. Kararli will continue to supervise PharmaCircle's growth by implementing and innovating solutions to stay relevant to changing information needs of the industry.

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We Embrace Excellence! Exeleon Magazine features some of the leading players in business and shares their journey of excellence to inspire aspiring leaders across the globe.

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From ‘Nutritionist’ to Becoming CEO, My Fullling Journey Through the Nutrition Industry

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H O M S O N CEO | SQUARE BABY

hat moment you realize everything you've been through -- every lucky break, every failure, every disappointment, every open and closed door -- has led you to exactly where you're meant to be. That's how I feel on a daily basis.

Reminiscing on the memories of being a very picky eater growing up, I became determined to create a healthy life as a young adult. Despite my parents' best eﬀorts to get me to eat a more diverse diet, like so many 80's kids, I grew up on chicken nuggets, ish sticks, canned green beans, and plain pasta. As a teen W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M

athlete, I started to have an appreciation for how food fueled me and made me feel. And as I started to discover all of the amazing cuisines I was missing out on as a picky eater, I started training my palate to learn to love the foods I'd loathed like salmon, sushi, eggs, beets, anything spicy or non-Americana. This began my passion for 'palate development'.

MY BEGINNING AT STARBUCKS

In college, I pursued Pediatrics -driven by my combined appreciation for health and love of caring for babies and children. After I graduated from the University of Oregon with a Pre-Med major and

minors in Business and Chemistry, I decided to move to Seattle to pursue a Masters in Nutrition at the University of Washington. During my Masters and Registered Dietitian programs, I nannied for a wonderful family in our neighborhood, John & Karen Culver. John worked for Starbucks.

After I completed my education, John so kindly oﬀered to send my resume to the QA/Regulatory Aﬀairs teams at Starbucks to see if they had any need for a dietitian. And the stars were aligned for me that day as they'd just decided they needed someone to come help with Nutrition Analysis for their irst 21

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Beverage Nutrition Brochure. It was just a 3-week contractor role, but I was elated! I didn't care how mundane the work felt, I was working for one of the biggest and most respected brands. I completed the 3-weeks of work in 2 weeks. Begged to stay. And I did.

Over the course of the next 6 years, I'd create the irst 'Nutritionist' role at Starbucks as a full-time 'Partner'. It was the irst ride of my life. Knowing there was so much more a dietitian could do for a company than nutrition/data analysis, I took an early opportunity to present to the then-CEO, Jim Donald, and share my thoughts on the company's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.

I talked about the health bene its of tea and coﬀee, and the nutritional impact that a daily latte can have on a population that is largely in need of calcium and vitamin D. I talked about the sugar, sodium, trans fat, and saturated fat across the food and beverage portfolio and recommended healthier options, smaller portion sizes, and a focus on communicating to the customer how to customize their beverage to meet their needs. LEARNING THE 'INS' AND 'OUTS'

I started my career on the Regulatory Aﬀairs & Quality Assurance team -- in charge of the accuracy of every nutrition facts panel and claim on the packaging. I learned from the best regulatory and legal specialists who trained me to understand the FDA's regulatory ins and outs as well as have an appreciation for and dedication to marketing and packaging that was 'truthful and not misleading'. Essentially, this work prepared me to 22

walk through a grocery store and see through the BS marketing that often plagued the aisles.

Over the next several years, I'd take on a strategic role in the company as Health & Wellness became one of the 4 strategic pillars of the company. I'd work alongside Marketing and Category teams to determine product priorities and with R&D chemists to reformulate existing food and beverages -- going to a Skinny Vanilla Latte taste testing was a fun 'meeting' to have on the calendar!

We made some incredible progress together as we created the irst Nutrition Guardrails (caps on calories, fat, saturated fat, sodium, etc.) and Ingredient Standards (removing arti icial lavors, colors, preservatives, HFCS, and arti icial trans fat across the US and International food and beverage products.) Hundreds of products were reformulated to be better for you.

And dozens of new products were launched like wholesome smoothies, oatmeal, egg white options, and a beautiful assortment of salads and protein and veggie-packed bistro boxes. I also consulted the Strategy and M&A teams on retail assortment and potential acquisitions for the Starbucks brand.

With all of these product launches and nutrition initiatives, I started to have the opportunity to act as a spokesperson for the Health & Wellness Agenda -- doing TV, radio, and print interviews as well as numerous desksides. I found that I loved storytelling, especially on behalf of a brand I was so proud to be a part of.

ANOTHER TASK ADDED TO THE CHECKLIST Everything -- and nothing -- changed when I became a mom in 2008. Everything changed in that my focus shifted from Frappuccinos and breakfast sandwiches to baby purees and infant cereals. And nothing changed in regard to the fact that I was always focused on creating healthy solutions for customers and was a champion for transparent, authentic brands and truthful marketing.

As a new mom, I cruised the aisle for baby food options and was fed up with what I found — many baby foods were unbalanced, lacking premium proteins and healthy fats, and misleadingly marketed. I saw a sea of uninspiring, shelf-stable, muted lavors. And rows and rows of unrecyclable pouches that don't encourage the important motor development skill of spoon-feeding.

So, I left my dream job at Starbucks to set out to create a better solution for parents. FILLING UP THE BABY AISLE

We didn't want the next generation of babies growing up on so much applesauce. Did you know many baby food pouches have the same grams of sugar as a bowl of LUCKY CHARMS? Babies deserve better.

I was determined to solve mealtime for parents. To take the guesswork out of feeding baby balanced meals. To oﬀer a variety of foods, lavors, and textures without spending hours in the kitchen. So, I put in the work. I dove into the

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research surrounding infant nutrition -- understanding the developmental milestones and important nutrients like iron + vitamin C, calcium & Vitamin D, zinc, biotin, choline, probiotics, omega 3's, healthy fats, iber, protein, etc.

I developed the Square Meal System™, the irst-ever customizable meal plan service that oﬀers 100% Daily Nutrition. That means any 2 or 3 Square Meals per day (depending on babies' age) oﬀer 100% of the baby's daily recommended servings of veggies, fruit, whole grains, and protein-based on USDA and AAP recommendations. After several years of nutrition research, recipe development and baby taste testing (the best part!), developing a business plan and model, and creating our brand -- I moved to the Bay Area in 2014 with my husband and 2 kids, Nolan and Jackson who were 2 and 5 years old at the time. Everything changed when I met Kendall.

THE PERFECT BUSINESS PARTNER

She was one of my irst friends in my new town of Orinda. We both had kindergartners and a passion for health and wellness. Together, we volunteered in our community to raise money for local children's hospitals and organizations, start a nutrition education program at our elementary school, revamp the School Lunch Program, and more. I quickly learned that Kendall was the perfect business partner for me -- a solutions-based operator and executor and a born leader. She's also insanely smart and accomplished with a Masters in Biophysics & Molecular Genetics. W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M

Kendall started her own business by the age of 30 -- the irst private Perinatal Practice in San Francisco.

In 2017, following one of my insistent gut instincts, I asked if she would join me in launching Square Baby. To my surprise, she accepted! We got to work reviewing and re ining all of the research and business plans and developed our go-to-market strategy. This was a turning point in my life.

In July 2018, Square Baby was born. SOLVING THE HUNGER OF PARENTS

We created Square Baby to solve for every pain point we had when feeding our kiddos. To solve all of the fears and questions we had when irst feeding our own children. How do we know we've given him the right amount of the right foods? Is he getting enough protein, veggies, and healthy fats? When is he ready for gassier foods like beans and

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cauli lower? And how about herbs & spices? How do I help prevent food allergies? And how can I assure he'll grow up to be an adventurous eater who loves beets and sushi -- and not a picky eater who demands chicken nuggets and plain pasta?

Everything I'd learned and experienced as a young picky eater, at graduate school, and at Starbucks helped me design premium and safe products with the most optimal nutrition, a trustworthy brand with transparent packaging, and a solution for parents that was always laser-focused on the customer 24

experience.

We are so proud of what we've built with Square Baby. Our organic meals are made fresh in small batches and delivered frozen— giving you as close to 'homemade' quality & nutrition as possible. And we are the only brand that oﬀers 100% Daily Nutrition and a comprehensive Allergen Introduction Menu. THERE'S A LOT MORE TO COME

We are beyond excited to announce that our regional, bootstrapped brand is growing! West Coast

parents have been loving our meals and service and we quickly outgrew our Bay Area commercial kitchen. We are scaling into a new state-ofthe-art facility and expanding nationally with our direct-toconsumer service in early 2022.

Any entrepreneur will tell you that launching and operating a startup is a crazy roller coaster - to put it mildly. But there's one thing I know for certain: I'm doing exactly what I should be. And I'm so grateful every day for the opportunity to chase this dream and make an impact on the next generation. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E

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Dr. Dharius Daniels Author and Transformational Coach

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Leadership Failures Driving the Great Resignation

ince early 2021, the Great Resignation continues to cause havoc in the employment world as millions of workers are making a mass exodus. More than ever, business leaders and employers need to think smart to ensure their work environments appeal to the post-Covid generation of workers, while also recognizing some of the fundamental leadership failures that drive good employees away. Leaders globally are grappling to understand what is fueling the Great Resignation. Research suggests that in the aftermath of Covid, people are rethinking their careers, acknowledging their long-standing job dissatisfaction, desiring a better work-life balance, and increasingly preferring the lexibility that remote work allows.

To adapt to this post-Covid generation of employees, employers need to ensure that their work environment appeals to the generation of workers, and this includes recognizing and addressing some of the fundamental leadership failures that are known to drive employees away.

Dr. Dharius Daniels, an emotional intelligence expert, author of Relational Intelligence: The

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People Skills You Need For The Life Of Purpose You Want and former professor at Princeton University, identi ies four crucial leadership failures and provides insights on how to rectify these. Leadership failure 1: Not recognizing employees as the primary customers

Employees are initially drawn to work for a company because of the company's reputation. Ultimately however, good employees stick around because of how well a company looks after them. Employees should therefore be treated as the primary customer. This means that the employee should be treated, cared for, managed, and responded to in ways that are consistent with what the company wants for their customers.

Managing employees in this way not only sets a good example, but also increases one of the most important assets of any company – credibility. What credibility brings is trust. As Steven Covey says, every relationship “moves at the speed of trust”. Employees want to work with and work for a company that they can trust. If they can't trust the company, then there is no credibility.

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Leadership failure 2: Not recognizing the diﬀerence between leadership and management 'Leadership' is a buzzword in corporate culture but, in reality, what we see in most companies is a management culture and not proper leadership.

Management is important and is part of leadership responsibility. Managers have to make people follow, but leaders make people want to follow. Managers bring about compliance but what leaders are able to create is buy-in. When there is buy-in, it increases the likelihood of an employee bringing their best self to work and giving their best effort. If leaders recognize the difference between management and leadership, it increases their likelihood of recruiting and retaining good employees and of having a team that gives their best effort and will go beyond the regular call of duty. Leadership failure 3: Not recognizing that inances are no longer the only valued compensation

A recent development, speci ically when considering the work patterns of the millennium generation, is that inances are no longer the only valued compensation.

Current studies reveal that this is the irst generation in a long time to not out earn the previous generation. It is not because this generation isn't capable or competent, but because there are things that they value more than money, such as being part of something that means something, and that values them. They value lexibility more than inances.

generations, but it will not work for companies that thrive in the future.

Leadership failure 4: Not recognizing that EQ is the IQ multiplier Given the reality of the Great Resignation, it is important to realize that what employees don't want to return to, is the toxicity in the culture they were part of. They are not avoiding work, or wanting to stay at home, but they've had a glimpse of what it's like to work in peace. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) should be seen as a core leadership competency. The four qualities of EQ 1. 2.

3. 4.

Self- Awareness: How well you are aware of yourself as a leader.

Self-Management: Your ability to manage yourself based on what you know about yourself, as the irst person any leader must lead, is oneself.

Social Awareness: Your ability to discern the diﬀerence in others and their relationship management.

Relationship Management: The ability to distinguish how diﬀerent people communicate and are motivated, and your ability to lead and respond accordingly.

Being an emotionally intelligent leader - able to manage yourself and others - is key and critical to recruiting and maintaining good employees in a post-COVID work world.

An example is the idea of golden handcuﬀs: paying employees so well that they tolerate toxicity in their working environment because of the inancial compensation. It may have worked for previous

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A recent development, speci ically when considering the work patterns of the millennium generation, is that inances are no longer the only valued compensation.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) should be seen as a core leadership competency. The four qualities of EQ 1. 2.

3. 4.

Self- Awareness: How well you are aware of yourself as a leader.

Self-Management: Your ability to manage yourself based on what you know about yourself, as the irst person any leader must lead, is oneself.

Social Awareness: Your ability to discern the diﬀerence in others and their relationship management.

Relationship Management: The ability to distinguish how diﬀerent people communicate and are motivated, and your ability to lead and respond accordingly.

Being an emotionally intelligent leader - able to manage yourself and others - is key and critical to recruiting and maintaining good employees in a post-COVID work world.

An example is the idea of golden handcuﬀs: paying employees so well that they tolerate toxicity in their working environment because of the inancial compensation. It may have worked for previous generations, but it will not work for companies that thrive in the future.

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Sarah Jenna Helping Life Sciences Companies Harness the Power of Augmented Intelligence

ur lives are de ined by our purpose, our ambition, and our willingness to contribute to something larger than ourselves. This idea of 'calling' becomes our particular life purpose; the reason we were born, and the legacy we will leave behind for the rest of humanity. While for some this realization can come early in our lives, for many others, it may come later.

Sarah Jenna surely joins the latter group of ' inding their calling' later in life. She discovered her calling and took the leap into entrepreneurship at the age of 45!

After more than two decades in academics, she was inspired to create an AI-powered SaaS platform that empowers scientists to accelerate drug development.

As the Co-founder and CEO of My Intelligent Machines (MIMs), Sarah applies her 20 years of experience and knowledge to oﬀer customers cutting-edge integrative genomics methods and systems biology, with a special emphasis on the requirements of life scientists working in Biopharma. Along with her two co-founders and a full- ledged team of scientists, she uses her expertise in systems biology to provide state-of-the-art software solutions 34

for life sciences companies developing personalized medicine. In addition to its disruptive innovations, the company shines thanks to its humanist values of diversity and inclusion as well as an infallible work ethic. FOUNDING THE CALLING

Sarah obtained her Ph.D. in cell biology and microbiology from the University AixMarseille in France in 1998. In 2006, she began her teaching career while at the helm of the Integrative Genomics and Cell Signalling Lab at UQAM. All in all, her extensive interest in the ield of systems biology led her to pursue the career of a scientist for over twenty years.

Sarah won several prestigious accolades and recognitions during her scienti ic career. She was bestowed with a Junior Canadian research chair in Integrative Genomics and cell signaling in 2016. She became the irst woman to get this award in experimental sciences at UQAM. In 2011, she received an 'Acceleration to Discovery' Grant from the NSERC, which is a prestigious grant given to the top ive percent grant applications in Canada submitted to the Canadian federal agency in nature and technology each year. Throughout her academic career, Sarah has written and co-written over 30 scienti ic articles. However, half-a-decade ago, a point came in her life where she realized the imminent end of her academic career. She didn't feel positive about the promotions or career

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advancements that were oﬀered to her. Sarah needed new challenges; almost as if she could anticipate something new, something bigger on the horizon.

Hence, the time came when the other co-founder of MIMs, Mickaë l Camus, helped Sarah see that something bigger was awaiting her. To her, the calling manifested as a high level research and development project, in an industrial context with much greater means.

Sarah took a one-year sabbatical from her academic life to establish MIMs with Mickaë l Camus and Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo, the third co-founder. Initially, she had thought of going back to her academic life after her sabbatical and hiring a CEO at the end of her leave. Nothing short of taking the reins of MIMs had even crossed her mind.

Nonetheless, in the course of her work with Mickaë l and Abdoulaye, Sarah discovered that she had 'found her calling' as an entrepreneur and decided to pursue it fulltime.

Sarah believed that certain talents of hers were being overlooked in the academic world. While in her role as CEO of MIMs, she felt she was given the opportunity to lourish. She claims this to be a life-changing experience for her on both personal and professional level.

After working for over ive years with co-founders Mickaë l and Abdoulaye, Sarah has gained the feat of becoming one of the rare biologists with a deep understanding of bioinformatics and arti icial intelligence. It is without a doubt an outstanding quality to be able to carry out her mission as the CEO of MIMs and guide the design of the perfect product for clients. ABOUT MIMS TECHNOLOGY

Founded in 2016, Montreal-based My Intelligent Machines (MIMs) is a leader in arti icial intelligence and systems biology. MIMs markets augmented intelligence systems packaged in a software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution, to support patient strati ication and the selection of therapeutic targets and biomarkers, both required for the development of more ef icient and personalized therapies. Whereas conventional AI solutions generally operate as a 'black box', MIMs' software solutions are based on open and explainable AI and data integration. 36

Augmented intelligence empowers scientists and their machines to identify together what neither could have done individually. Creating a synergy between the machine and its users enables life scientists to capitalize on machine-based computer modelling, distributed computing and federated learning, while leveraging their own expertise in life sciences, in order to understand complex biological systems more precisely than ever before.

As part of its business strategy, MIMs provides clients with access to a software that may be customized to their speci ic requirements, with onboarding fees, as well as a monthly subscription fee that grants access to the software via a secure online interface.

TALE NTE D TRIO

As a leading AI company in life sciences in the country and beyond, MIMs have been identi ied as part of the Red Herring's Top 100 North America Award, which is one of the most prestigious prizes granted every year to the most promising private tech companies. The thriving startup was also named Company of the Year 2021 by Anges Qué bec. Additionally, Sarah herself has been featured in pitch competitions and has presented to over 15 panels such as TEDx, C-tribe, and BIO amongst others.

Sarah is in good company. Co-founder and chief scientist Abdoulaye Baniré Diallo himself has participated in a number of discussion panels and has received many honorees. His most signi icant honor was the Next Fellow Einstein 2018 award, which he received in Kigali. In response, he was featured on TV5 Monde, Radio Canada International, Le Point Afrique, and New Times: Rwanda Leading Daily, among other media outlets.

Co-founder and chief technology of icer Mickaë l Camus, an expert in arti icial intelligence, has been asked to participate in a number of AI panels, including the Quebec Commercial Delegation and was recently involved in a workshop led by the Canadian Space Agency presenting a project to monitor astronauts' health while in deep space exploration.

Together this talented trio has combined their individual knowledge and expertise to build a business that is growing in numbers every passing year.

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Helping Pharmacy to Evolve with Right Technology Jonathan Ogurchak | CEO & Co-Founder STACK

chieving any level of success requires taking risks, or at least taking on challenges to overcome them. As such they come to be a crucial part of our lives. Taking chances and risks can be scary, but they result in the most rewarding experiences of our lives.

Jonathan Ogurchak is also familiar with this feeling. As an engineering and architecture enthusiast, he got into pharmacy by chance, took a risk upon himself to deliver a service, and embarked on a journey to improve the profession.

Exeleon looks into this dynamic leader's professional journey. DISCOVERING PHARMACY

Jonathan brie ly remembers his family friend owning an W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M

independent pharmacy, wherein he used to work as a cashier during his school years. At the time, Jonathan was no way near in his mind to join pharmacy. Instead, his mind was wired towards the creative side seeking a career in the engineering and architecture ield. However, that interest vanished as he shadowed the area under a senior project. In his subconscious mind, he realized that he was not it for that particular ield.

And just in a single working night, Jonathan's mind went to research pharmacy more closely and fell deeply into its concepts to make a career in it. “Honestly, I fell into the pharmacy by chance,” shares Jonathan. TRANSFORMING THE INDUSTRY

Since taking his irst step in pharmacy, Jonathan has walked a lot in the industry. He has been involved in pharmacy operations throughout his entire career. Alongside, he has also seen how technology is bene icial to improve ef iciencies. At the same time, his extensive experience in the industry has also led him to spot gaps in the working pipelines of the companies. He shares, “While many solutions companies are technically-savvy, they lack the day-to-day understanding of how to integrate into a work low of an organization.”

That's why Jonathan came up with STACK, a curated software platform designed to help organizations keep up with ef iciencies through irst-hand knowledge of what pharmacies truly need. Since its establishment, the platform's

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capabilities only increased and expanded into professional associations, higher education, certi ication programs, basically in all the areas that require some form of curated ef iciency.

Jonathan also tells an exciting story behind naming the platform STACK. In one of his previous jobs, he used to prepare for an on-site audit or accreditation survey. “We'd print out papers that we knew would be requested, and 'stack' them on our desk to prepare to hand them over for review.” However, as the surveys were conducted on papers, they would slowly outgrow themselves, becoming irrelevant to sharing upto-date knowledge. On the contrary, digital solutions provided the correct version of every business asset in a digital 'stack' that allows for real-time data sharing in multiple locations. THE RIGHT MODEL

According to Jonathan, long-term contracts are pretty much common in the pharmacy which leads to clients being left dissatis ied. Hence, he has put in a short-term model which forces Jonathan and the organization to stay up to date with the clients and industry and innovate constantly. The innovation part translates to the team taking feedback and putting it right into the next development cycle to improve the platform. “We continually push ourselves to do better by our customers – and challenge ourselves to never be in the position to lose customers along the way,” elaborates Jonathan. And since the company is in its early stages, most decisions come across Jonathan's desk on a daily basis, including technical direction 42

of the products to new partnerships and opportunities to social media posts and marketing. However, the company is growing rapidly by taking new employees for a new product line, and Jonathan has taken the responsibility of organizational development to have appropriate policies and procedures to help the business grow. BIGGEST LEARNINGS

The professional journey of Jonathan has been a sequential one, from graduation from pharmacy school, changing his mind about where he wanted to practice, falling into the industry by chance to building innovative solutions, joining a startup pharmacy, and coowning it, to taking risks by selling his equity and taking a chance on his idea to improve the profession.

Not to mention, Jonathan started the company in the pandemic, which isn't for the faint of heart. However, he pays gratitude to the hardship that the pandemic brought as it only strengthened his will to innovate and diversify into new areas.

In all of his journey, Jonathan's biggest learning has been his transition from clinician to vendor/salesperson. This transition brought forth the diﬀerence in front of Jonathan between consulting a patient and convincing someone to buy the product. A GROWING FUTURE

As a dynamic leader, Jonathan believes that leadership means leading by action and not by the title. In his dictionary, leadership also means rolling up sleeves and

doing the work, advocating for the team's personal and professional growth; and having fun while doing so. This approach has served Jonathan throughout his career where he continued to learn and re ine to the best possible leader he can be. And for the future, Jonathan will continue to do the same while learning and growing more to improve his strengths to be an

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overall vendor. Although he has already expanded from the initial pharmacy market into professional associations, he is excited to see how the company grows in those complicated areas. The irm is also geared up to launch solutions in the medical higher education space starting in 2022 and is also launching its irst credentialing partner in January. Outside of the STACK platform as a

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product, Jonathan is using the patented framework to build other meaningful technologies for healthcare. Next year will witness the company launching new products rede ining how healthcare can eﬀectively use the technology rather than utilizing the best options present at hand.

new coursework, writing, and programs to expand his role as a subject matter expert in the healthcare industry.

On a personal level, Jonathan is excited to continue expanding his presence in education, working on

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s O E C y s u b r o f s p i t e r a c f l 8 se ay have heard of, m u o y t tha should try already y l l a e r but nevari

a aleen C K y B n Writte

rue story. Being a CEO means juggling balls that you didn't even know existed, which makes it easy for self-care to fall apart. Even if you *know* self-care is important and may even espouse the bene its of it to others, there's a good chance that you might not be doing it to the point that you're starting to notice a decline in how you feel.

So, let's talk about some simple ways to level up your self-care game and start feeling better — or at least more clear headed and less like you need to dive into a pool of coﬀee at 3 pm every day to survive. ;-) 1. Get some freaking exercise.

Look, I know you know that exercise is good for you, but hear me out. This isn't so you have to look a certain way and it W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M

certainly doesn't have to be complicated or time consuming.

All I'm saying is that it makes sense that your body doesn't feel great if you're spending hours hunched over your computer and engaging in back to back ZOOM meetings until your eyes cross.

The thing that can really help this? Exercise. Even of the gentle, not-so-sweaty variety. Here's some low bar ideas:

Ÿ Look at your calendar each day and see if any of your meetings can be phone based, so you can sneak in a walk at the same time. Ÿ Find a short stretching routine on your favorite workout app or YouTube that

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Ÿ you can do at your desk.

Ÿ Look for an online Pilates mat or bodyweight class that you can do without breaking a sweat if you have limited time.

…or pick any movement modality that sounds fun to you and book it into your calendar — you know…that all knowing force that runs your life. 2. Establish a morning routine.

This doesn't need to be anything complicated or involved. It just needs to provide structure to your day and get you out of bed without hitting snooze every 5 minutes for an hour. Enjoy your coﬀee? Make it a ritual.

Trying to igure out when to sneak in a quick workout or walk? ::Hint…Maybe you can sneak 10 minutes into your morning.::

Starting your day with a clear head and less chaos can set the tone for less stress when you get into the of ice, so consider what you need to do for yourself every morning to feel that way. 3. I know you're busy, but don't skip lunch.

Yes, you're looded with work, but this is not a Snickers commercial and no one wants to deal with a hangry CEO. Also, eating enough improves executive function, so if you want to be able to make good decisions prioritize eating enough during the day! 4. Have a bedtime routine.

You're smart. This is not rocket science. Taking the time to close the 48

laptop, wind down, and go to bed at the same time every night can help you get a better night's sleep, which improves overall health and helps you think more clearly.

Also, you're not in college anymore. All nighters should not be a regular thing and get some darn blue light blocking glasses already! 5. Cultivate a personalized mindfulness practice.

If you hate the idea of listening to a generic meditation, I totally get it. Wind chimes don't always do it for me either. Something that I've found to be helpful for myself and my clients is to create a more personalized version of recorded meditation. I started doing this when I realized that there are certain things I'll learn or realize in hindsight that I'll want or need to hear again in the future.

When I have one of these moments of wisdom, I write it down and then make a voice recording of it. Later, when I realize it's something I need to hear, I'll play back my recording to myself. For me, this has been more relevant and transformative than a more generic guided meditation. It gives me clarity when I am struggling to shift focus and a muchneeded pep talk that also aids in selfacceptance and appreciation. 6. Get a legitimate hobby. No, your company doesn't count.

This gives you something to look forward to, so work doesn't consume your entire life. Also, I say this with love, but no one in your inner circle cares about the mind-numbing details of being a CEO. Yes, it's important for you to connect with

other people in the same space as you, but you need to be able to communicate with people outside of your industry as well.

To that point, to be interesting — and you need to be interesting for press and podcasts — you need to have something relatable to share with other people. Having an outside hobby helps you be interesting and maintain some semblance of sanity.

7. Create a support network for yourself in and outside of your business.

I think of my executive leadership coach as a business therapist. He's helped me re lect on how I manage and lead, which has decreased my overall stress and made me a far more eﬀective communicator.

That being said, if you're struggling — or even if you're not, but you know you could bene it from some additional support — consider inding an actual therapist too. Many of them do remote sessions, which means you don't even have to leave your home or the of ice to honor your mental health. 8. Find something that feels really indulgent to do on a consistent basis — aka treat yourself!

This can be anything that sounds good to you with the shortlist being a massage, facial, mani pedi, or haircut and blowout every 3 weeks. What the thing is doesn't matter, so long as it feels like it “resets” you and helps you feel your best. Originally Published on Medium.

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UTH ABOUT THE A Kaleen Canevari is a certi ied Pilates instructor and engineer who solves equipment headaches. She is the Founder of Flexia, a connected itness company which helps people build strength, lexibility, & mindfulness with its smart Pilates W W W. E X E L E O N M AG A Z I N E . C O M

machine. She formed Flexia after recognizing a need to reinvent Pilates, by combing an at-home machine with the latest technology. Kaleen shares about her beliefs related to leadership and health related content through her Medium Blog. 49

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