The 10 most innovative business leaders to watch jan 2018

www.insightssuccess.com January 2018

The way of business solutions

Exclusive Entrepreneurship and Co-working: A Combination Leading to Endless Possibilities

Strategy Talk How Day Planner Can Help You Become a Better Entrepreneur

Nina Simosko President & CEO

Editor’s Note

Innovation Leads to Attention, Leadership Leads to Team, Together, they lead to Success

T “

he leader is one who, out of the clutter, brings simplicity… out of discord, harmony… and out of difficulty, opportunity,” once said the Nobel Prize winner and world's one of the greatest scientists, Albert Einstein.

Definitely, it’s not easy to be a leader, but at the same time, it’s neither impossible too. The qualities that makes one a leader are: to have a vision, passion and love for what they are doing, be focused about finding solutions than worrying about problems, continuously hone the leaderships skills, and be growthoriented. A leader is the one who know his/her weakness, but instead of hiding them from the world, he/she transforms those weaknesses into his/her strengths.

Whatever be the kind of industry, the trends that are circulating and influencing everywhere are artificial intelligence, live interactions through social media, in-depth social learning, and personalized interactive experiences, blockchain and data security. One who is aware of all that’s happening in the industry and does the necessary to drive the company forward is the leader who achieves success.

In short, leadership is defined by 3Cs as “Continuity”, “Compassion” and “Consistency”. So, it’s time leaders must stop worrying about people who do not like them, making decisions based on emotions, not being confident about one’s self, ignoring minute details but worrying about unnecessary little things, hiding things from one’s self, lying and not maintaining transparency with the team and one’s self. It’s time to get up, dress and run, run so long that the world will remember you forever.

Every business is built up on someone’s idea, which is often being molded by others, but there remains one core person who has given up every effort to turn that innovative idea into a multi-million dollar

business. And, to bring up such extraordinary personalities into prominence, we have come up with this edition, “The 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders To Watch”.

On the cover of this issue, we have Nina Simosko: Leading Technological Innovation at NTT i³.

Nina is an advocate for innovation in the technology industry for more than two decades; she has worked in an executive capacity for several well-known global companies. Prior to NTT i³, she was responsible for leading the creation and execution of Nike Technology strategy, planning and operations worldwide. Before that, she has served as Senior Vice President for SAP’s Global Premier Customer Network (PCN). She was part of the company’s Global Ecosystem & Partner Group, which was charged with creating an open ecosystem of software, service and technology.

Currently, she leads NTT Innovation Institute Inc. (NTT i³), which is the prestigious Silicon Valleybased innovation center for NTT Group, one of the world's largest ICT companies. And, while talking about leadership, Nina said, “Leaders need to know how to find the better person rather than always needing to be the better person in their organization.”

Along with such an interesting Cover Story, we have come up with extraordinary stories of other renowned innovative business leaders like Asokan Ashok: A Strategic Tech-Savvy Business Leader.

With a belief that technology and hi-tech products can make the world a better place Asokan Ashok, CEO at Unfold Labs Inc., is leading the industry by taking Innovation to Ideation to Real World Products. Balaji Ramachandran: Creative Leader Making an impact with Digital Transformation Solutions. Balaji Ramachandran, Founder and CEO of SoftClouds, is one of the individuals leading this charge, redefining terms in the digital transformation industry and creating new benchmarks in the sector. Bala Venkat: An Intuitive-Driven Entrepreneur with a Fearless Approach for Results.

Karanjit Singh: An Ace Leader Driving Kellton Tech towards a New Era of Digital Growth.

Karanjit Singh, CEO at Kellton Tech Solutions Limited, is one such entrepreneurial leader who has nurtured these vital traits within himself and is transforming businesses even without compromising on the business ethics and humanitarian values. Seppo Huurinainen: A Veteran Entrepreneur Revolutionizing Forestry and Biomass based Businesses. To enrich the industry with years of experience and to revolutionize the business of forestry enters Seppo Huurinainen, CEO at MHG Systems Oy Ltd. Mr. Huurinainen is an expert in forestry and biomass-based business operations.

Steve Wilson: An Ardent Leader Pioneering the Art of Transforming Adversity into Opportunity.

Steve Wilson, CEO, WhiteSky Labs is one such personality whose story will inspire many. Started from scratch, Steve is now the CEO of an enormously successful, hyper-growth company. He currently leads a company which specializes in Enterprise Integration, API strategy and consulting and offer services across the full Solution Delivery Lifecycle. Other contributing business leaders enlisted in this edition are Pratham Mittal, Founder of Venture Pact, and Priven Reddy, CEO at Kagiso Interactive.

To make the edition more interesting to read, we have also taken an interview of Bimal Gandhi, CEO at Uniken, a company which is contributing majorly towards introducing a mobile-first world with amazing security and phenomenal customer experience. The most interesting lessons which Bimal wants to share are “Two key lessons I would want to pass on – First, failure isn’t a bad thing – learn from it. Second, being loyal and showing loyalty is a must but don’t be blind about it.”

This edition also contains some masterly articles written by our in-house editors to enrich you with innovation and creativity.

Hope this issue will make a mark on your mind.

Rajarshi Chatterjee

CONTENTS

Nina Simosko Leading Technological Innovation at NTT i³ Cover Story

08

Expert’s Column IT and Communication Trends for Critical Infrastructure

38

22

32

40

Exclusive

Strategy Talk

Industry Concern

Entrepreneurship and Co-working: A Combination Leading to Endless Possibilities

How Day Planner Can Help You Become a Better Entrepreneur

EMPOWERING Women In Business Leadership Positions

Interview with Insights Success:

16 Asokan Ashok : A Strategic Tech-Savvy Business Leader

20

Balaji Ramachandran : Creative Leader Making an impact with Digital Transformation Solutions

28

Karanjit Singh : An Ace Leader Driving Kellton Tech towards Progression Path

30

Seppo Huurinainen : A Veteran Entrepreneur Revolutionizing Forestry and Biomass based Businesses

36

Steve Wilson : An Ardent Leader Pioneering the Art of Transforming an Adversity into an Opportunity

42

Bala Venkat : An Intuitive-Driven Entrepreneur with a Fearless Approach for Results

24

www.inď€ onic.com

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Senior Editor Anish Miller Managing Editor Rajarshi Chatterjee Co-Editors Nicola Sung Jack Harris Ashwini Deshmukh Rick Brien Visualiser David King Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Co-designer Alex Noel Picture Editor Shweta Ambilwade Art Editor Vijaykumar Dudhbhate Business Development Manager Mike Thomas Nick Adams Marketing Manager William Business Development Executives Peter Collins, Sherin Rodricks, Alice Fernadis Research Analyst Jennifer Circulation Manager Robert Database Management Steve Technology Consultant Swapnil Patil sales@insightssuccess.com

January 2018 Corporate Ofces: Insights Success Media Tech LLC 555 Metro Place North, Suite 100, Dublin, OH 43017, United States Phone - (614)-602-1754 Email: info@insightssuccess.com For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com

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The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Nina Simosko President & CEO

Cover Story

Nina Simosko: Leading Technological Innovation at NTT i³

One such successful, innovative and passionate business leader is Nina Simosko, President and CEO at NTT Innovation Institute Inc. (NTT i³), the prestigious Silicon Valley-based innovation center for NTT Group, one of the world’s largest ICT companies.

An advocate for innovation in the technology industry for more than two decades, Nina has worked in an executive capacity for several well-known global companies. Prior to NTT i³, she was responsible for leading the creation and execution of Nike Technology strategy, planning and operations worldwide.

Before that, Nina served as Senior Vice President for SAP’s Global Premier Customer Network (PCN). She was part of the company’s Global Ecosystem & Partner Group, which was charged with creating an open ecosystem of software, service and technology.

‘‘

She also served as the Global Chief Operating Officer for SAP’s worldwide Customer Education organization, responsible for driving more than half a billion euros in global education software and services revenue.

Currently, Nina leads an organization that is a part of a global multi-billion dollar entity with over 900 operating companies around the world. She also plays an active role on the advisory boards of two early-to-mid stage technology companies, Reflection and AppOrchid.

Speaking about what keeps her schedule busy, Nina says, “Much of my energy is focused on building deep working relationships and cultivating a culture of compassion and innovation that naturally enables self-directed inquiry, learning, and collaboration among the company’s diverse team members and enterprise customers around the world.”

From Tech Enthusiast to Innovative Business Leader “I believe that there is no single path to success. Many different paths can lead to the same success outcome,” says Nina.

Nina started her career from the ground level when she entered the tech industry. Her first jobs in Silicon Valley were managing global call centers at Oracle and Siebel. She then transitioned to supervising and driving external sales

‘‘

E

very entrepreneur is a leader in their own right. A leader is not just a title. It is someone, who in any given moment takes action based on their principles along the lines of “I’m going to act in the right way. I’m going to do a good thing here.” It is in that instance that they become a more authentic and compassionate leader.

A lasting and innovative business can only be built on top of a base of meaningful relationships that reflect honesty and transparency

Leaders need to know how to find the better person rather than always needing to be the better person in their organization and successfully running increasingly larger P&Ls for various business units.

After 15 years with technology companies selling to the enterprise industry, Nina made the move to the consumer side to broaden her experience and gain valuable perspective. She joined Nike in a senior IT role, leading the creation and execution of Nike Technology’s global strategy, planning and operations. This was the turning point in Nina’s professional journey.

“Without taking the bold step of transitioning to the client side at Nike, I would not be in the position I am in now, nor would I be able to fully understand and appreciate how to collaborate and support innovation initiatives for global companies,” said Nina.

When asked about the lessons which have helped her to succeed, Nina says, “My most important and valuable learnings have been focused on people, behavior, and culture - how I see and treat others, as well as the maxims I use to guide my own behavior.”

John McCain, CEO, NTT DATA Services and Nina Simosko, CEO, NTT i3

With a strong emphasis on fostering strategic innovation, Nina now leads the team at NTT i³ working with established enterprise companies looking to adopt new approaches to help them evolve into technology-first, digitally-driven businesses. Under her guidance, the company

partners with early-stage startups and other NTT operating companies to assist them in establishing product differentiation within their respective marketplaces.

she says, “Throughout my career, my goal has been and is to be part of an organization which is human-centered, that puts its people first.”

Driven by Passion “When it comes to the way I approach each day at work, there are two main themes that I emphasize: optimistic leadership and business bravery,” says the modern business leader.

That is why she has created a business environment in which people have the room to flourish as individuals and become the best they can be. At NTT i³, she ensures that her team gets opportunities to grow and contribute at a higher level. She personally voices appreciation for each individual's work and makes them feel their importance.

Nina believes that optimistic leadership is about being more than a mindless cheerleader. Rather, it is about coming to work each day and being positive about oneself, the company, the mission and your team. To her, business bravery is defined as the need for leaders to have and to follow a clear moral compass.

‘‘

My most important and valuable lessons have been focused on people, behavior, and culture - how I see and treat others, as well as the maxims I use to guide my own behavior

Working with top-tier technology companies in Silicon Valley, she has learned that more often than not, people come to work in search of purpose and meaning, much as they do in their everyday lives. The idea that a company’s sole mission is to make money for shareholders is neither attractive nor meaningful for employees. People are willingly to work for organizations where they know they are making a difference and where they believe they have an opportunity to be a part of the equation in a people-centered view of the world.

When Nina talks about the organization’s need to recognize the way in which people and their teams wish to be treated,

‘‘

“A lasting and innovative business can only be built on top of a base of meaningful relationships that reflect honesty and transparency.”

Speaking of her greatest moments of achievement, Nina adds, “If I do all these things and more—I will have succeeded in inspiring – which is and will be among my greatest achievements.”

Nina actively supports a culture of wonder and curiosity and believes that it is the responsibility of business leaders to create organizational cultures that continually renew and change. She makes certain that the working environment at NTT i³ is one where people are talking about innovation - true innovation - as a fundamental responsibility of the business.

Freedom, the Secret Behind Creativity and Innovation The willingness to be comfortable to lead the charge in embracing serendipity is a key indicator of a risk- tolerant and risk-embracing organization.

This means that there is support and encouragement for people to explore outside the organization’s own walls and for breakthrough ideas. It represents the organization’s tolerance for failure. Nina is an ardent believer that through failure, true innovation occurs.

She says, “You should give people the freedom to do what they need to do, no matter where that may be or where it leads them. This philosophy can be difficult for large organizations to embrace, as they sometimes incorrectly see serendipity and freedom as synonymous with chaos. They

In the near future, NTT i³ will continue to evolve as one of the world’s premier innovation centers.

Recently, the company launched CLOUDWAN in a globally collaborative effort with NTT Group operating company partners: Internet Solutions (IS), the leading pan-African telecoms services provider, and NTT PC Communications (NTTPC), a network service and communication solution provider in Japan.

are wrong. It is synonymous with business creativity”.

With the belief that compassion empowers the environment of risk required for innovation, Nina reveals that she thinks that “For entrepreneurs – young and old alike – working towards a philosophy centered around compassionate leadership will bring both personal and professional success in the workplace”.

The Principles of Open Innovation At NTT i³, what is created, shared and learned between employees is founded on the principles of open innovation.

A core premise of the Silicon Valley-based company's innovation practice is the belief that the best ideas come from - and are developed by - a well-curated and engaged global ecosystem of technologists and business experts.

CLOUDWAN is a powerful networking solution for the next generation of businesses, connecting legacy systems with powerful, centralized visibility and control. It delivers an enhanced user experience, powerful flexibility and extraordinary agility to NTT’s enterprise customers. With CLOUDWAN, NTT i³ is helping organizations to grow and respond to changing business needs.

The Key to Motivation Nina remembers a quote that the best-selling author, Stan Slap had once told her: “Be human first”. She has also quotes a line by the CEO of SAP, Bill McDermott, “Believe it. Achieve it”.

Nina follows these mantras and she says that these themes are what motivate and guide her to achieve success. “What influences me consistently is the belief that if you do what you love and find joy in what you're doing every day, the rest will follow”.

Nina gives credit to her team and the people involved in NTT i³’s daily business, saying, “We are fortunate to have an amazing group of individuals with which to engage – from NTT's own operating companies, to the startup community of technologists and investors, to NTT’s global customers, to industry partners, and to our own executive advisory board.”

When talking about her sources of inspiration, Nina acknowledges that they are “My family, numerous amazing women leaders I’ve worked with in the past, all my colleagues at NTT with whom I collaborate, and friends and colleagues, past and present, who are in my professional network.”

Over 2018, NTT i³ is doubling down on innovation partnerships, investigations, and proof of concept development with its colleagues at NTT’s operating companies around the world. These collaborations will not only enable the company to address real industry problems, but also create best practices which NTT i³ can share with others.

Nina shared her view of the factors that drive success in any organization, saying, “You need to hire people who are better than you, specifically in areas where you know you are not the best. This means truthfully acknowledging your own strengths and weaknesses within the team. Leaders need to know how to find the better person rather than always needing to be the better person in their organization.”

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The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Company Name

Management

Kagiso Interactive kagisointeractive.com

Priven Reddy CEO

Kagiso Interactive is a leading, highly advanced, mobile applications development agency, which believes in providing forward-thinking creative solutions that yield exceptional results.

Kellton Tech Solutions Ltd. kelltontech.com

Karanjit Singh CEO

Kellton Tech is an IT company that provides wide-range solution includes AI, mobile applications, website development solutions, digital marketing solutions, IoT, SAP solutions, and many more.

Mayosys Inc. mayosys.com

Bala Venkat Chief Strategy Officer & CMO

Mayosys is a leading technology provider for small and midsize enterprises, and the government.

MHG Systems Oy Ltd. mhgsystems.com

Seppo Huurinainen CEO

MHG Systems Ltd is a pioneer in developing the most complete big data and mobile technology management solutions for forestry and bioenergy production processes.

NTT Innovation Institute Inc. (NTT I³) ntti3.com

Nina Simosko President & CEO

NTT Innovation Institute Inc. (NTT i³) is the prestigious Silicon Valley-based innovation center for NTT Group, one of the world’s largest ICT companies.

SoftClouds softclouds.com

Balaji Ramachandran Founder & CEO

SoftClouds understands that Customer Experience is not a specific software application; rather, a strategy for doing business.

SoftClouds’s modern solutions blend Oracle Technologies and specialist expertise to deliver sophisticated innovation.

UnfoldLabs Inc. unfoldlabs.com

Asokan Ashok Founder & CEO

UnfoldLabs is an innovative and strategic product development company in mobile, cloud & data platform technologies.

Uniken uniken.com

Bimal Gandhi CEO

Uniken is a company which is contributing majorly towards introducing a mobile-first world with amazing security and phenomenal customer experience.

Venture Pact venturepact.com

Pratham Mittal Founder

VenturePact’s SaaS platform helps businesses intelligently source and manage vetted software development teams for their digital product development.

WhiteSky Labs whiteskylabs.com

Steve Wilson CEO

WhiteSky Labs specializes in Enterprise Integration, API strategy and consulting and offer services across the full Solution Delivery Lifecycle.

Brief

Interview with Insights Success

1. Tell us about you, your life-story and your journey since the beginning of your career.

hit, and everyone and the company grow. I think failure is not trying – and when you try - take your best shot.

As a product of two cultures – India and the US – I have strived to maintain the best of both cultures in everything I do. I feel so blessed to be a first generation immigrant who has been given amazing opportunities. I’ve always pushed myself out of the comfort zone and into the unknown. My career started with a start-up entrepreneurial venture, jumped to a turnaround opportunity at a global airline then to business school, management consulting, back to turnarounds, a member of the management team for Fortune 250 firm and then back to a “start-up” – you can say I’ve gone full circle and found that I love to build things, grow companies and tackle ground that has never been touched.

3. State us about the most memorable and remarkable moment of your life.

2. What keeps you motivated all the time?

My main motivation is obviously my family and the desire to do well for them – who can't say that is number one on the list. However, my work ethic is driven by my desire to implement ideas and drive execution to successful outcomes. I’m your typical “type A” personality – driven to succeed – one who relishes challenges, works hard, plays hard and doesn’t mind being held accountable. I thrive on forming a well thought out plan based on fact based analysis, building the right team, executing on the plan, seeing milestones

16

Hands down the most memorable moment has to be the birth of my three children – each of those three moments is precious in my heart. Professionally, the key moment for me was the launch of a major business that started as a concept on a cocktail napkin in a bar – yes, it really does happen. Have an idea – draw it on a napkin, then build a whole plan to create that business, find the right people to help you build it, then execute and do it.

Always put the client first – design the product to meet the client needs (don’t guess ! Do your homework and research !) and launch it. Once launched find out what needs to be tweaked and do it ! I promise you that that first day you hit the market and get your first customer will be amazing !

4. Kindly tell us about the major challenges you have faced while building up both your company and your career.

The biggest challenge for me is always taking that first step – it may be starting something new, it may be changing gears and taking a different path, it may be switching jobs or companies. Once you do that the rest

| January 2018 |

Bimal Gandhi CEO becomes easier. Many of us tend to get paralyzed by looking at all the facts, the angles, the pitfalls – my advice is focus on what you can potentially accomplish - if its exciting do it ! The second biggest challenge is surrounding yourself with amazing people – find people that you work well with – not necessarily always see eye-to-eye with, people that have the same work ethic, same passion and belief in what you are doing. Lastly, for me always stay close to the customer – you will find that you can learn an amazing amount by keeping close to the customer – this takes time, effort and focus – not always easy when you are building a business but a critical element.

5. Kindly describe in brief about your company and its distinctive services/products.

Uniken is very unique – we are an innovative and disruptive cyber security company that is focused on helping our customers lock down every major vector of fraud and breach. Uniken’s REL-ID is a groundbreaking defense-in-depth mobile solution that puts our customers own mobile app at the center of their omnichannel security model. By bringing together strong authentication, channel security, endpoint threat detection, and transaction verification into one seamless platform - REL-ID delivers bulletproof security with a phenomenal customer experience for mobile, online, and omnichannel use cases. Our best credential is ZERO fraud! Zero identities stolen, Zero financial loss, Zero data loss.

For me, this was a no-brainer to join Uniken and take it to new heights. I have always been dismayed about the hoops one has too jump through to get great security – people forget about the client experience. Uniken blends amazing security with phenomenal client experience.

6. State us your major achievements and your company’s achievements under your leadership.

| January 2018 |

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Taking an amazing piece of core technology and building it into something that truly is exceptional and solves several problems completely – not just one. By listening to customers, prospects and others in the industry, we figured out that solving the problem partially isn’t the answer. As a result, we have created several new products, built a world class global team, and are now starting to serve some of the biggest companies in the world. The best is yet to come !

7. How do you describe yourself in one-word or one-sentence?

A strong and loyal leader who blends finance, strategy technology and operations into a seamless portfolio to drive performance focused on building a great team that builds a great business.

8. Tell us about your passion, aim and goal.

I would say I am a passionate builder of things – be it Legos, high preforming teams, product or companies – my high comes from building and taking it to the next level or three and then moving on to the next challenge.

9. What would you advise to the budding entrepreneurs?

Surround yourself with amazing, intelligent, interesting and smart people – employees, partners, mentors and board members. Being the smartest one in the room isn’t the key, it’s assimilating the best thoughts from those around you. Also, never be afraid of making the tough decisions – that’s what leaders do!

10. How do you motivate your employees and maintain a healthy working environment in the office? Share with us the work culture at your office.

To me motivation is being focused on a singular goal that will help everyone achieve their own professional and personal goals – along the way treat everyone with respect and ensure everyone knows what they are accountable for – also – have some fun along the way. If the company achieves its goals it has do so making sure everyone in the company can see the future and understand how they grow personally – be it skills, relationships, wealth.

11. What are the most important lessons you’ve learned throughout and would like to share?

Two key lessons I would want to pass on – First, failure isn’t a bad thing – learn from it. Second, being loyal and showing loyalty is a must but don’t be blind about it.

12. How do you see yourself and your company in the future ahead?

I see Uniken continuing to grow and become a true leader in the space – we are not out for incremental change or success – we believe we are the future of security. As for me, I will do my best and when its time to let someone else take the company to the next new level it will be time for me to find the next challenge – but that’s a few years down the road.

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| January 2018 |

The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Asokan Ashok: A Strategic Tech-Savvy Business Leader “

A

leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” - John C. Maxwell, celebrated American author, professional speaker and business

trainer.

Regardless of the industry or the size of the organization, good leadership skills are crucial to business success. In small and medium enterprises, the entrepreneurial and leadership skills of business owners and managers are especially important because their roles are often more hands-on, more visible, and more accessible to their employees than those of their counterparts in larger organizations.

With a belief that technology and hi-tech products can make the world a better place Asokan Ashok is leading the industry by taking Innovation to Ideation to Real World Products. With more than 25 years of experience as his guide and motivation, Ashok is currently the CEO of UnfoldLabs Inc., a company that focuses on creating

Prior to the inception of UnfoldLabs, Ashok held a variety of senior technology management positions in renowned companies like Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, Ericsson and Compaq (HP), as well as several startups. He is a serial entrepreneur and pioneering inventor.

Navigating Ups and Downs to Become an Industry Leader For Ashok, starting UnfoldLabs was a major challenge from the very start. While he had a great idea and a plan to make it work, he did not have the people to help him realize that vision. His first and most challenging task was to find the right people with the right attitude to form his core team.

Ashok handpicked individuals who shared his mindset of unwavering commitment, a love for technology, passion for innovation and a zeal for injecting fresh ideas into the market through high-quality products.

Hard work and patience define the character of Ashok. He

A leader is one who knows e way, goes e way, and shows e way innovative products and solutions for the technology industry.

Ashok is also on the Board of Advisors of SoftClouds, Enterpret Communications, neXva and Rewind. His passion for emerging technologies and for nurturing the next generation of world-shaping ideas has led him to serve as a member of the Executive Committee of TiE South Coast Chapter.

20

“

acknowledges that it took him considerable time to build the successful team at UnfoldLabs, but that the positive outcomes that have manifested as a result show that it was a positive and worthwhile process.

Ashok is an innovator, a strategist, and a leading technologist, ever curious about technology and its future.

Anything with the potential to advance and benefit society through innovative advancements and unique solutions fascinates him.

| January 2018 |

He is also skilled strategist and has been instrumental in crafting the most effective campaigns of UnfoldLabs.

An Innovative Firm Leading the Mobile and Cloud-based Technology Sector Based in San Diego, California, UnfoldLabs is a pioneering strategic products development company that specializes in technologies around mobile, cloud and data platforms.

UnfoldLabs has an agile innovations team specializing in mobile, cloud and new product development/ideation, which guides and assists enterprises from the pure ideation stage to complete product development and marketing. This approach has resulted in a high level of success in the US market.

“With disruptive technologies coming out each day, it is imperative that we get ideas out there on time, with the right user experience and innovation in products to capture the imagination of consumers,” says Ashok. The professionals at UnfoldLabs help clients to capture emerging technology trends early so they can leverage them for greater business success.

Some of the next generation mobile products that UnfoldLabs has launched are RedGreen, MobileSwitch, UnfoldPrints, and 2020Wallet, all under the watchful guidance of Ashok.

In less than two years since inception, UnfoldLabs has been recognized with two awards – the Fierce Innovation Awards in Cloud Services for their industry leading product, MobileSwitch - that provides a simple, smart and super-fast way to transfer data between mobile devices, and was a CTIA eTech Awards Finalist for RedGreen - a product that addresses some core issues with Android such as | January 2018 |

Asokan Ashok Founder & CEO performance, battery, application management and data security.

“Recognized for Innovation by industry leading experts makes me feel awesome, thrilled and excited to create more ground-breaking products,” says Ashok.

Who Inspires this Strategic Leader and What Keeps him Motivated?

Like any successful entrepreneur, Ashok has multiple sources of inspiration and motivation. He says that he really admires Elon Musk for his thought leadership and motivation skills. Ashok also looks up to Steve Jobs for his user experience attitude and willingness to bring innovation into the world by taking the road less traveled.

Remarkable moment from Asokan Ashok’s entrepreneurial life Ashok says that one of the most remarkable moments in his early life as a technologist was the release of their one-of-a-kind telecom project, a

subscriber carrier system. He says, “I was very proud to be part of a team that produced an extremely imaginative and trail-blazing subscriber carrier system.”

Ashok says he gets the same feeling whenever any of his other innovative products receive that level of widespread acclaim.

Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs from the Strategic Innovator New businesses are springing up all over the world at an unprecedented rate. We see some very creative and innovative products invented by some of the most inventive minds on the planet. These budding entrepreneurs need to bring a new vision into the world and be prepared to nurture their business with innovations at each step.

Novelty is the key. A businessman needs to understand that any product is just not for a specific society, city or country. This innovation and business is for the welfare of the world.

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Exclusive

Entrepreneurship &

CO-WORKING:

A Combination Leading to

Endless Possibilities E

ntrepreneurship is a hot topic in the market now. Everybody wants to become an entrepreneur these days. It has become very popular among freshers and experienced professionals who want to start their own business. There has been a major growth in new ventures recently as a result of the government's encouragement towards start-ups in a big way. Almost every day, we can see new start-ups emerging to take part in the competition.

when a trusted employee doesn’t turn up; or the customer who had promised to purchase the very first project may turn his/her back. Moreover, the service providing agency may turn out to be unreliable. In spite of all this, entrepreneurs should keep it cool and proceed ahead with the objective of achieving success at the end of the line.

Entrepreneurs have to work hard and come up with new and innovative ideas which would take the company to new heights, establish it as a leader in the business, and make sure that it doesn’t fade away soon.

Entrepreneurs have to implement the basic principle of discipline in their daily lives. Discipline inspires confidence and ensures that one does first things first and does it right at the first attempt. In the face of chaos, discipline keeps things under control and makes sure that one is not distracted and stays focused on things that matter the most.

Entrepreneurs have to follow certain steps to make their business a successful venture. They have to be prepared for anything and everything on the field. They might have had things planned ahead of time, but it may backfire and things may go wrong in a big way. Instances may occur

There is no substitute to hard work.

Entrepreneurs have to spend sleepless nights and maintain early morning work schedules. Shedding blood and sweat, working hard with commitment and dedication makes one successful in any endeavor. Entrepreneurs have to fasten their seat belts, forget about

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work–life balance, and move ahead on their journey towards success.

Entrepreneurs can Efficaciously Utilize a Co-working Space Entrepreneurship and co-working can go hand-in-hand and play a major part in businesses in ways one would have never thought of. Self-working is on the rise and gives the advantage to be one's own boss. It provides the opportunity and flexibility to choose one's time and place of work. An emerging entrepreneur can join a coworking space and can make the most of it. Co-working doesn’t merely mean sharing desks and workspace. It is in fact a lot more than that; people can share their ideas, make new connections and get to know each other. An entrepreneur can get lonely at times; interacting with other fellow entrepreneurs can help them in building relationships; they can support and help each other at times of crisis.

Moreover, intermingling with a large number of smart minds helps in getting proper and early feedback on the products and services one is trying to build. | January 2018 |

Leading Towards Successful Outcomes Casual interactions between fellow entrepreneurs can sometimes lead to a fruitful discussion beneficial to all.

Co-working can help start-ups perform in a scalable and cost-effective manner. In co-working spaces, entrepreneurs don’t have to worry about their expandability and is the best option for businesses that grow by multiple times within months. Co-working provides networking opportunities and connectivity with mentors and investors. It is also a troublefree experience as start-ups don’t have to spend money on administration and other such jobs.

Co-working can be used wisely by entrepreneurs for achieving bigger goals and for creating better opportunities for themselves. It helps entrepreneurs to grow not only professionally, but also as a responsible human being.

Networking and monitoring sessions held at co-working spaces can help in building motivation and sharing expert discernments among the up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

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These sessions can also help the entrepreneurs in connecting well with colleagues and mentors.

In a co-working environment, sharing knowledge is of utmost importance which will be beneficial to everyone involved. Entrepreneurs working together can support each other by sharing new and innovative ideas. Coworkers can help each other whenever required. A co-working space consists of people from different backgrounds, making it a diverse workplace. An expert in finance can share his insights, ideas and opinions with an expert in marketing and vice versa.

In this highly competitive world, entrepreneurs have to struggle hard to survive and make it big. They have to expose themselves to everything happening around them, which is beneficial to them. Co-working with emerging entrepreneurs can broaden their perspective and knowledge and provide them with the extra edge to succeed in the long run.

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The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Bala Venkat: An Intuitive-Driven Entrepreneur with a Fearless Approach for Results

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ost people struggle to excel in a single domain throughout their life. But only a few exemplary humans leave deep impression even while working for different industries. Bala Venkat is one of them; he has not only jumped onto many different industries over his long professional career but also quickly adapted and learnt the work processes over there. Bold, determined and risk taking attitude to follow his dream has helped him in successfully transitioning from one industry to another. These facets have assisted him to walk into any business and turn the knobs quickly to grow that business and deliver desired results. Bala believes that transitions are good for personal growth as it exposes a person with unfamiliar industries and conditions which ultimately ignite the thinking process and often leads in developing new ideas: a prerequisite for growth.

assignments. Bala is known for creating new brands and has successfully launched various leading products for the healthcare, pharmaceutical, beauty and personal care segment. His successful marketing and branding career has assisted many organizations in expanding their business footprint and acquiring new companies multiple times.

Bala’s Noteworthy Achievements that reflect his true Strengths • By bringing creativity into workplace and forging partnership among 20 regional carriers, he assisted Sprint by exponentially increasing their subscriber count by 3 Million and that too within just one year.

• Led Exodus Communications marketing and business development campaign with a run rate of $ 150M. • Approached by the COO of Open Harbor to help

Prepare to lose some ing in e sta , in order to accomplish big win in e end.

Bala Venkat has pursued his engineering from the prestigious IIT Bombay and completed his Masters from University of Texas. During his extraordinary professional career, Bala has worked with many multinationals giants in various capacities. His result driven work approach and the ability to realize the pulse of a business has assisted him to earn top positions in many marketing and branding projects. He is a champion in handling and leading category management, brand management and customer focused marketing

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scale their enterprise B2B business. He headed up the Marketing & Services process, and quickly doubled that business.

• He successfully grew Trend Micro’s business by $ 200 Million in just two years through innovative products, strategic partnerships, and robust reseller/channel networks.

• SAP approached him to run their SME BU Global Marketing operation, and with no surprise Bala turned SAP’s fortune by scaling their business from | January 2018 |

100M euros to 980M euros in just two years. He also put together the cloud and mobile strategy operation which resulted in the acquisition of Sybase.

• His entrepreneurial thirst made him to quit SAP to help build Mayosys. Within three years, he launched IoT solutions at large data center and rolled-out advanced technology. He is credited for providing advanced technology solution to many leading companies including Dell EMC, Marvell, Cisco, Cadence, Google, etc.

• As a CMO of Cenzic, Bala has led the M & A with Trustwave which was acquired by SingTel for $ 800M. Spirituality of Buddha and Business Acumen of Steve Jobs Shaped Bala’s Personality A role model shapes the thought process and ultimately the life journey for any person. Numerous personalities have inspired him but Buddha and Steve Job comes on the top of his stack. Buddha, being a spiritual icon, has influenced him immensely in developing his vision with clear mindset, and patience in resolving conflicting issues. At business level, he reveres Steve Jobs as he was the man of his belief who brought many inventions with passion and courage by following his intuition. He also believes that setting a goal and visualizing its success to the minute detail is very important to reach the finishing line.

Bala’s Driving Factors Developing new ideas, products,

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Bala Venkat

technology; identifying talents and empowering them to bring out their best, building high performance teams and taking businesses to the next level drives him every day and motivates to take the step ahead.

Formula for Fostering Innovation Nurturing a work culture that encourages people to think out of the box, incentivize people who comes up with good ideas, providing autonomy in executing projects are some of the vital facets that Bala believes are necessary to nurture a mediocre mind into an innovative one, at workplaces.

On the personal front, he strongly believes that great innovations do not happen by chance. The culture, mindset, and process ingrained into his thinking, to find innovative ways to do every task, whether it is related

to daily life or business is the key ingredient in his ability to bring innovation and creativity.

Bala’s Priceless Advice to the Budding Entrepreneurs Follow your passion; do not get bog down by the false beliefs and distractions from the skeptics.

Meticulously develop a plan, secure funding for it and start executing action from day one, and never give up; perseverance is one of the vital assets that are required to succeed.

There will be mistakes, admit it and rectify it. And always mentally prepare to lose something in order to taste bigger success in the end.

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The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Balaji Ramachandran: Creative Leader Making an impact with Digital Transformation Solutions undreds of people leave their marks on the digital transformation industry, from executives to engineers. Some, however, leave a much bigger mark and truly shape what is to come by creating innovative, customized technology based solutions that will take customer service, CRM & CX to the next level.

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consulting companies. Bala jokes that, as a consultant, he learned less about how to and more about how NOT to do CRM implementations. He witnessed projects consistently fail due to high prices, ill-advised services and poor software and business knowledge. That was the time he decided to start a company that would do things right.

Balaji Ramachandran (Bala) is one of the individuals leading this charge, redefining terms in the digital transformation industry and creating new benchmarks in the sector. He is the Founder & CEO of SoftClouds, a leading CX solutions provider based in San Diego, California.

In 2005, recognizing the emerging trends in digital transformation, CRM and Cloud, Bala started SoftClouds to address and implement Quality CRM Solutions.

Bala has everything necessary to be a big player in the digital transformation industry: a real enthusiasm for the customer experiences of the future, passion for cloud technology, and years of experience.

Bala’s Entrepreneurial Journey Bala has had a passion for customer experience driven solutions/applications and the automotive industry ever since he was a kid.

Bala picked the Automotive Industry as a break-thru ground for his innovation & passion for customer experience solutions. That has transformed his clientele of top automotive OEM’s with CX solutions and setting them future ready. Bala has been the man in charge of making SoftClouds respected throughout the automotive industry and figuring out which cloud and CX solutions best fit the needs of OEMs that are stuck with on premise legacy CRM systems.

Those who had the chance to work with Bala say that he

I ink e leader inside me never lets me rest no ma er what; no failure stops me Bala started his career in 1993 at the Electronic Data Processing (EDP) department of India’s largest automotive dealership & services company TVS and later moved to second-largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, Ashok Leyland. His focus was on sales and service automation, inventory management for parts, and on scheduling systems to solve service and customer service problems.

Later, Bala moved to the United States and worked as a technology consultant for several major management

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always seems to have something up his sleeve, and he always knows how to fix even the most challenging CRM problems for his OEM clients.

Bala was heavily inspired by software pioneer, Thomas Siebel. At SoftClouds, Bala started with developing solutions to improve the Siebel CRM systems for major enterprises. Bala was instrumental in progressing the CRM industry to the cloud with cloud and hybrid CRM solutions.

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Bala’s Sources of Inspiration Bala thanks Steve Jobs for instilling in him the passion for creation, and Bill Gates for his enthusiasm for philanthropy.

Warren Buffet Quote: It takes decades to create a reputation and minutes to ruin it.

Bala’s Attitude - Leave No Stone Unturned Bala wanted SoftClouds to capitalize on the need for customized CRM software but faced numerous challenges on its inception. The biggest one was finding a way to prove the brand and its capabilities against major competitors, all without an established customer base.

However, Bala showed clients that a passionate boutique company with a high quality mindset, better architects/ solution providers like SoftClouds can provide a much better tailored solution for a considerably lower cost. Sheer dedication and smart work took those promises and turned them into actual, demonstrable results.

Most memorable moment for this leading entrepreneur Bala says that his most cherished memory is when SoftClouds won a contract with one of the biggest weight loss companies in the US. It was a very large venture, and that was the moment that he realized that SoftClouds could handle, plan and execute a multimillion dollar project if the team was focused on quality and delivery.

SoftClouds: Taking Your CX to the Next Level SoftClouds helps its customers develop a clear understanding of global CX strategy. Operating in multiple locations across the world, the company is able to bring innovative

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Balaji Ramachandran Founder & CEO ideas to the market and implement them with tailor-made solutions for every client.

Language Search Engine for Siebel called Qupplet. This innovative product is revolutionary in CRM search mechanisms.

SoftClouds offers a broad range of renowned products and world-class CX solutions that allow its customers to expand their reach and message in various sectors, including manufacturing, automotive, communications, and financial services.

SoftClouds has also won numerous awards and received appreciation from the software industry fraternity, including being listed among Inc. 5000's list of fastest growing private companies in the United States.

The company’s experts are constantly working to improve ideation and creation of futuristic solutions around Bots, IoT, Proactive/Predictive CX and other cutting-edge technologies. This ensures that SoftClouds not only meets the needs of its customer today but also helps them plan to stay ahead and ready for future trends.

Making Success a Habit SoftClouds has been applauded for its many innovations over the past decade.

They recently developed a Natural

Sharing that proud moment, Bala says, “I would say leadership does play a role, but trophies like these aren’t achieved until you have shoulders to move with you in the race. I am very thankful to our amazing team at SoftClouds. My goal is to make SoftClouds a company of about 1000 people within the next 5 years!”

Speaking of his view of the future of SoftClouds and the industry, Bala says that AI-enabled CRM is the future, “We want to take SoftClouds in that direction to build AI solutions for CRM systems.”

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The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Karanjit Singh: An Ace Leader Driving Kellton Tech towards a New Era of Digital Growth

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o transform a company’s fortune, one needs to have the right skill-set with a larger magnitude to become a catalyst for change. In this contemporary era, a CEO is considered to be the chief architect who drives an organization towards the path of progression. A successful and pragmatic CEO always focuses on crafting a productive work environment that triggers the transformation from within the organization. Defining a unified vision to the employees, integrating acquisitions to deliver value, hiring and motivating personnel to fulfill their aspirations, laying out processes that are agile and reliable, and delivering the ever-present change management are some of the vital traits that every CEO should have in order to excel in their respective field. Karanjit Singh is one such CEO who has nurtured these vital traits within himself and is transforming businesses even without compromising on the business ethics and humanitarian values. And that's the reason people revere him for his unique persona among equals.

post 1990’s and since then he has witnessed the rapid stride India has made.

After initially working for traditional enterprises in the area of supply chain, production, and procurement, he moved to the emerging IT sector wherein Karanjit worked both for product and service-based companies and has helped them build and implement world-class solutions. Prior to joining Kellton Tech, Karanjit had a successful stint as the Director of Product development with JDA Software. With his extensive experience in a variety of operating roles, he has built a reputation in the IT industry for his ability to build and grow businesses while keeping the core business ethics intact. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Andhra University and Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the prestigious National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai, India.

Co itment and focus towards a single-minded goal can lead to unimaginable results Professional Journey Started at the Inception Point of Indian Economic Liberalization Karanjit currently serves as CEO at Kellton Tech Solutions Limited. He has more than 27 years of vast experience in product development, engineering management, delivery, product management, and pre-sales & implementation support. His professional journey began when India had initiated the first wave of economic reforms

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Karanjit personally believes that challenging oneself to go beyond the expectation can lead towards unimaginable results. His sharp focus and strong determination towards goals have helped him immensely. He believes entrepreneurism is a real test of conviction, resilience, perseverance, hard work, and adaptation. These traits have shaped his inner core immensely and assisted him in catering the responsibility of developing and delivering complex software applications to numerous companies in the past.

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Innovative Firm Riding on the Growth Trajectory Founded in October 1994, Kellton Tech Solutions Ltd. is a nextgeneration IT services company helping clients to emerge as high performance and digitally-transformed enterprises. They have rich experience in providing end-to-end digital transformation solutions. Their portfolio of services includes Digital/ISMAC (Internet of Things, Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud Solutions), Digital Connected Enterprise solutions, SAP solutions, Artificial Intelligence, Outsourced Product Development, and Digital Commerce and Marketing. With $100 million yearly gross revenue and more than 1500 employees working on projects across the globe, Kellton Tech has been offering infinite possibilities with technology.

Over the last seven years, Kellton Tech has witnessed the meteoric rise and has grown by leaps and bounds. The company has worked with over 200 clients ranging from start-ups to earlystage enterprises and Fortune 1000 companies under its fold. In the last couple of years, the firm has acquired many prominent companies all around the world including Lenmar Group, Bokanyi Consulting, Prosoft Technology Group, Vivos Professional Services, eVantage Technologies, Supremesoft Global, DbyDx Software, MCS Global, and Tekriti Software. The stupendous growth of Kellton Tech has helped it to get listed on India’s largest stock exchange BSE and NSE and recently it was assessed as a CMMI Level 5 Company.

Kellton Tech’s practice of innovation with technology assisted his company

| January 2018 |

Karanjit Singh CEO Kellton Tech Solutions Ltd.

to develop best-in-class and costeffective solutions for their clients. Due to their quality products and high-end services, Kellton Tech has received many accolades from the industry. · Recently recognized by Forbes Asia as one among the Top 200 companies in ‘Best under a Billion’ 2017 List · Placed three times in the Deloitte Technology Fast50 India listing · Won the ‘Best E-Governance Initiative of the Year’ award at Businessworld Digital India Summit for experience-enriched expertise and vast technological arsenal in implementing e-governance projects Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs from an Industry Insider

greater heights in one’s career in the times when every other person in the neighborhood is dreaming and working hard to pursue the same dream with the same amount of zeal and passion. He believes that one must also build a character that follows core business ethics and humanitarian values to make a distinct mark. Along with these qualities, entrepreneurs also must have the passion, risk-taking capability, and a deep commitment to pursue their obsession till they succeed. Karanjit admires Warren Buffet for his investment and management acumen.

He is also inspired by his present boss and Kellton Tech MD for his visionary zeal, deep technical understanding, and commitment. He asserts “When a professional has the right goals in place, he can accomplish anything.”

Karanjit believes that skills along with ethics are the key to success. With only superior skill, one cannot achieve

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Strategy Talk

How Day Planner Can Help You Become a Better

Entrepreneur

or budding entrepreneurs, “The best advice that I can offer is that being proactive and a careful planner is key. Think about the major things that could shake up your financial life, and I’ll bet there are some great ways to protect yourself,” says Alexa Von Tobel, the famous American Entrepreneur and the author of New York Times Bestseller.

Technology is now involved everywhere, from doing daily chores to developing rocket science. In this fast pacing world, everything involves technology and technological devices from portable computers to smartphone. Subsequently, for people to do everything from making monthly budget to booking a movie ticket, taking a break from the so-called tech-savvy world and using a notepad and pen can help better.

Write down everything, even the smallest things count The demonstration of composing resembles zen for your bustling personality, and research indicates will probably recollect things you work out. Taking the time every day to record the greater part of your arrangements, undertakings and objectives is justified regardless of consistent spends. It will spare you time the following day when you have a genuine arrangement and aren't scrambling to make sense of what should be finished.

No undertaking is too little to record if it’s something you would prefer not to overlook.

Record it, and after that make a move.

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| January 2018 |

Experts generally prescribe taking a couple of minutes out, each earlier night before bed, to design your following day, and above and beyond, to take some time every Setting up month to month motivation is significantly more viable, than basically making yearly resolutions, and keeps things new. Record what makes bliss in your life, things you need to state no to, schedules and propensities that assist you to remain sound, extraordinary dates and a month to month can list. Make a point to allude back to your notes each week so you keep the motivation going.

Use Your Planner to Track Every Minute Detail Utilize your organizer minus all potential limitations degree conceivable. Your funds are an enormous piece of your life and business, so for what reason not record things to monitor your cash?

Stamp when your bills as due on the date that they should be paid, define money related objectives and verify them when you achieve them! You in all likelihood have planning programming set up for your business, yet how often have you been in a rush amid the week and understood your electric bill is expected today or - much more lamentably - yesterday? Record it and erase that worry from your life totally.

Not just tracking your finances, use your planner to do jot down every minute detail of the yourself. Plan your personal life and incorporate self-care as that is what is acting as the main source of power behind your and your enterprise’s success.

Sunday night to design your up and coming week.

You will discover your brain is clearer and all the extra time will surface.

Choose a planner where you can fill up your timetable and daily agenda every day As a visual creator and a nitty gritty organizer identity, most entrepreneurs take their affection for organizers and makes their own particular image of organizers a couple of years before. One of the fundamental segments of the planner is the design to offer enough space for every day schedule.

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It is imperative to entrepreneurs to have the capacity to see the greater part of their chance delicate exercises amid the day, yet additionally have a space to compose undertakings. We as a whole have a great deal to achieve every day, except with an appropriate organizer setup, we can remain focused and accomplish our objectives sooner.

Write down your monthly goals so that you can achieve them In case you plan your schedules every day, you ought to likewise be considering an outline every month. One of the key elements for business visionaries is defining objectives and afterward finding a way to contact them. Take some time toward the finish of every month to choose what you need to achieve in the next month, and compose everything out in your organizer or planner book.

A current report directed by Dominican University of California demonstrated recording your objectives makes them significantly more prone to happen. These objectives can be business-related and individual. You are not a different element from your business. You are a piece of it, so making objectives that work for your business and for you is critical.

Use the Planner to Inspire Yourself A planner diary isn’t only a place to confirm things and see what time you should be some place. It ought to be a place that houses motivation too. Something most entrepreneurs generally write in their own particular organizer is a word to concentrate on every month. A great deal of us pick an expression of the year or set a New Year’s determination, yet we know that it is so difficult to remain enlivened all year.

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| January 2018 |

The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Seppo Huurinainen: A Veteran Entrepreneur Revolutionizing Forestry and Biomass based Businesses

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ith the growing rise in the deforestation, rapid use of fossil fuel and making up of luxurious space for human beings, there seems to be the appearance of declination of the natural balance of earth. As people are now becoming a bit aware of the current scenario and its future outcomes, there arises the necessity of forestry and biomass based businesses. To enrich the industry with years of experience and to revolutionize the business of forestry, enters Seppo Huurinainen, CEO at MHG Systems Oy Ltd. Mr. Huurinainen is an expert in forestry and biomass-based business operations.

Apart from numerous years of experience in forest management, Seppo has a broad academic background in GIS, IT and silviculture with five university level degrees.

In the year 2005, he founded MHG Systems which currently offers wide range of ICT solutions for forest and biomass supply chain management. Before becoming an

requires immense level of personal motivation and utmost patience. Now, however the difficult a situation is, Mr. Huurinainen considers motivation to be the major contributing factor behind his company’s success. He had stated it like most successful businessmen on earth. Seppo continuously motivates his team and keeps product and business development rolling even in constrained circumstances.

Mr. Huurinainen is a veteran entrepreneur in developing and commercializing ICT based solutions for forestry and biomass based businesses. And, while talking about the challenges the company has faced during its more than one decade of industry experience, Seppo said, “At MHG Systems, we are developing visionary services, so sometimes we face problems with some prospective clients who are little hesitant to implement our services as they

My passion towards entrepreneurship and e vision to digitalize e forestry and biomass business is driving our steps towards e grow of MHG Systems. entrepreneur, he has held several development and research positions within the forest and agriculture industry and has worked for organizations such as the Finnish Forest and Park Service, the Forest Center, Metsäliitto, Stora Enso, and the National Board of Education.

Immense Personal Motivation & Utmost Patience is what takes an Entrepreneur Forwards Life and career of an entrepreneur is not at all easy and it

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have to adopt new and improved operational practices by throwing old and orthodox methods away.”

Seppo is a passionate man whose passion towards entrepreneurship and the vision to digitalize the forestry and biomass business is driving MHG Systems towards the growth of the company. He has clearly stated that entrepreneurship and managing his own as well as neighbors’ forest property of around 1000 hectares in total are his passions. With an aim to digitalize forest business | January 2018 |

along with tree-wise monitoring solutions and a goal to build a visionary e-solution, where all types of forestry data are available with just one click, Seppo is making multiple forestry data linked and processed into one web-service possible.

An Entrepreneur who turned a Problem into a Revolutionary Milestone Mr. Huurinainen was suffering from a problem of managing his 500 hectares of forest property in an easy and profitable way. Then, to kill his problem and revolutionize the forest and biomass supply chain business through digital services, Mr. Huurinainen founded this revolutionary enterprise.

While having a word with the CEO, Mr. Huurinainen shared his most remarkable and memorable moment of his life and said, “Birth of twins weighing only 1 kg each, raising them for half a year until full vaccination protection was covered and then moving to the poorest country, Mozambique, to work there for 2 years as a training expert under civil war circumstances.”

About the Company Revolutionizing the Forestry and Biomass Industry While innovating by integrating open software technology with years of field experience in the forestry and biomass business, MHG Systems is a pioneer in management solutions for forestry and bioenergy supply chain and logistics.

With a highly committed team of eight to ten professionals including software developers, business developers and marketing professionals and under the leadership of Mr. Huurinainen, MHG Systems now offers forestry one-stopshop solution:

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Seppo Huurinainen CEO MHG Systems Oy Ltd. Wuudis (Forest & Data): Full-service digital forest property management platform connecting forest owners with local contractors, timber/biomass buyers and authorities.

MHG Biomass Manager: The most complete solution for bioenergy production, procurement, managing, harvesting and logistics.

MHG Mobile: Mobile real-time management of forest assets, biomass and human resources enabling more productive business models.

MHG BioPlant Optimizer: Feasibility assessment service for Bioenergy Investment.

Apart from their strong commercial operations (i.e, development and sales of MHG Systems Services), one thing worth noting in their success rate is the way they are acquiring EU research projects. This apparently proves their capabilities of developing the most

cutting edge ICT solutions for forestry and biomass industry. In this way, some of their achievements are successful funding injections from multiple EU research projects (LogistEC, CASTLE, SLOPE, DataBio) and EU H2020 SME phase I project.

A Veteran’s Advice to the Budding Entrepreneurs In entrepreneurship, motivation and patience are the most important aspects. Any aspiring entrepreneur should have these two qualities at their highest level to achieve something extraordinary. In their initial days, it is quite normal that an entrepreneur fails in many projects/negotiations. But one needs to learn from failures and keep the courage to move on. Another most crucial aspect is the entrepreneur’s vision. An entrepreneur should have the vision and a clear roadmap for both product and business development of his/her business to reach their desired goal.

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IT

and

Communication

Trends for Critical Infrastructure

ritical infrastructure such as electric, gas and water utilities rely on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions to deliver reliable, efficient and affordable services throughout the world. UTC is the trusted resource for ICT solutions, collaboration and advocacy for utilities and other critical infrastructure industries. The growing convergence of IT and OT within utilities is quickly becoming a catalyst for greater interoperability and real-time communications.

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millions of personal, customer or otherwise sensitive information exposed. Disruption of critical infrastructure by a cyber-incident is a serious concern for utility executives and technical practitioners. UTC believes that cyber security is the 21st century reliability challenge. To help our members address this challenge, UTC is implementing a comprehensive, holistic strategy that provides practical tools and information about handling cyber security challenges in a utilities environment.

New discussions involving “smart city” technologies are starting with the electric utility infrastructure. The new Envision America initiative announced by the White House is issuing a challenge to America’s cities to become smarter by accelerating deployment of innovative technologies that tackle energy, water, waste, and air challenges. UTC brings together government, the research community, utilities and cities to discuss innovative solutions to problems citizens care about – like reducing traffic congestion, fostering economic growth, improving sustainability, fighting crime and improving the delivery of important critical infrastructure services.

With billions of data packets and millions of endpoint connections, utilities are exploring optimization and efficiency solutions from a multitude of vendors, including large established companies as well as entrepreneurial solutions built on the latest protocols. The key decision point for packet-based communications networks is not only cyber security, but also latency with the communications network. Machine-to-machine and grid edge computing interacting with central computing and data analytics demands real-time communications over secure networks.

Quickly emerging issues around cyber and physical security are bringing a new challenge to cities and utilities large and small. Not a single week goes by without a news story about a company or government agency being hacked and

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How will telecom providers address the massive growing list of smart devices, which gather terabytes of data for critical infrastructure processes? Join the conversation at UTC Telecom & Technology 2016, which will take place in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center May 3-6, 2016. | January 2018 |

Bobbi Harris the VP of Market Strategy and Development Utilities Telcom Council

About The Author Bobbi Harris is the VP of Market Strategy and Development at UTC. She is a smart city industry expert with more than 15 years of experience focusing on environmental issues and sustainability technologies to address water and energy challenges, including smart water infrastructure, smart grid, cleantech and green building initiatives. UTC is a global trade association dedicated to creating a favorable business, regulatory and technological environment for companies that own, manage or provide critical telecommunications systems in support of their core business. Founded in 1948, UTC has evolved into a dynamic organization that represents electric, gas and water utilities, natural gas pipelines, critical infrastructure companies, and other industry stakeholders.

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Industry Concern

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he question is “why”, instead of having tons of laws made for gender equality in business, women are still missing from the chair of top management, all over the globe? The situation clearly shows the slow progress of women folk elevating in the top position, grabbing their chair in the board rooms of businesses.

The situation is same in every single industry. Let it be education, law firms, hospitals, or business, lack of women presence on the top positions can be observed. Though it is hard to believe, but yes, it’s true that in the list of 500 CEO’s there are only 23 business women in the CEO position, according to a survey.

This current scenario shows the intense need to empower women in business leadership positions. Now, it’s not a day’s task to change the situation thoroughly. But, yes the key to the question of how to empower women in business lies in the current business scenario. The situation can be changed by giving same opportunities to the women to go ahead and get in the shoes themselves.

Some of the reasons behind this condition can be seen as follow: The Profile does not Appeal to Many Well, the most genuine reason behind the lack of women in

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| January 2018 |

business ‘the lack of appeal’women folks are finding when it comes to the leadership roles. Many women do not feel excited to get promoted. The reason is simple, the presumption of having not totally qualified for that position.

Lack of Support from the Supervisors A presence of supervisor providing a moral support to the women employee is a necessity. According to a survey, most of the women do not find the correct boost expected from the supervisors to go on and compete for a higher position. Lack of moral support from the supervisors is proving to be a very serious issue for the progress of women on a top position.

Absence of a Relatable Role Model in One’s Company Having no role model present before, can also be the another reason of women not having in the top position.

Typically, women do not see other women in the leadership role made the situation more disappointing for them.

The absence of role model before, women does not feel encouraged to opt for a top position.

Though the reasons sounds very familiar, but their impact on women is worse than imagination. But the situation is still in our hands, which can be changed with some simple but effective ways. The current scenario shows the vanishing of women as soon thy reach the top position they get replaced by men.

Now, the thing is we cannot change the past. But we can definitely change the future. This is time we need to search the ways to change the situation. So, here are some of the ways that can be adhere to boost up the moral of women and give them a chance to be on the top of the ladder.

Conducting Mentoring Programs Organizations can contribute a lot to give women a chance to be on the top position with some simple ways, like conducting Mentoring Programs for women. Organizations can help the women talent through giving them a chance to get the best guidelines possible by the experienced people. Going further organizations can create a women group inside the organization to help the young talent find new ways to show it and tackle the hurdles coming their way.

Developing New Opportunities The boost up cannot be only helpful; organizations need to develop some opportunities for the women folks. Giving a real opportunity to the women on the way to go to go on the senior level is really important. Organizations need to encourage and at the same time develop new opportunities for women in the organization to showcase their real talent. The lack of role model plays a very important role in making the refrain from the opportunities visible.

Recruiting Women Actively The best way to increase the women count in a leadership role is that organizations should increase the women count in the leadership team. According to a study, organizations having women on the top position make better financial progress than those who are not having them. So, organizations should emphasis more on actively recruiting women on the top position, presenting them the role model for the other women talent in the company.

So, the ground is clear. If we want to empower women in business, we need to instrument strategies that will not only boost11.8 their morals but take them to the places where their talents should be!

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The 10 Most

Innovative Business

To Watch

Steve Wilson:

An Ardent Leader Pioneering the Art of Transforming an Adversity into an Opportunity

H

ow a person deals with adverse circumstances, when things don’t go according to the plan, reflects the true strength of a person’s mind. As in battle, strategies often go completely out the window once the enemy is engaged. The same is true in business due to the entry of new players into the market, competitors M&A activity or the appearance of disruptive technologies or business models. The ability to stay calm, to evaluate the situation and decide the correct course of action for the business, requires huge self-belief and extensive experience.

Steve Wilson, CEO, WhiteSky Labs is one such personality whose story will inspire many. Failure is a part of life and despite facing multiple setbacks; he forged ahead, continuously and vehemently. Embracing new challenges and responsibilities each time, he proved his mantle as an adept professional and an ace entrepreneur.

Today, he is a highly successful leader who is working in the topmost management position, but it was not easy climbing the ladder if you dive deeper into his enthralling journey.

Steve’s Fascinating Journey is an Inspiration for Many

Die wi

Steve wrote to only two companies and “Chiat/Day/Mojo” employed him as an Account Manager. Chiat/Day was voted the most creative agency of the year in the US nine times in a row during the 1980’s and most creative agency of the decade in the US. His role included managing marketing and branding strategies for multiple consumer products, successful delivering on time and to budget TV and Radio commercials, as well as print ads, promotions, packaging redesigns and new product launches.

This role gave him exposure to the CEOs of large companies at a very young age. After working there for almost two years, Steve decided to start his own business.

Even after several early and rapid failures working for himself, his perseverance led him to success as the founder of “Second Sight”, distributing an Israeli based anti-virus software product. This was developed by Zvi Netiv, an electronic warfare specialist and the previous head of Avionics in the Israeli Air Force. This was his first triumph as an entrepreneur.

memories, not dreams

He started from scratch, and is now the CEO of an enormously successful, hyper-growth company. He worked in many odd jobs in his adolescent days, from delivering newspapers, to working in retail and even delivering pizzas.

Upon graduation, Steve got his first real job as a “Management Trainee” for “Fletcher Fishing”, New Zealand's largest fishing company and a part of Fletcher Challenge, New Zealand’s largest company at the time.

In the early 1990’s when Fletcher Challenge made a decision to divest its fishing operation, rather than

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relocating within the Fletcher’s group, he decided to follow his passion for the English language and seek a job in the advertising industry.

“

His sharp business acumen helped the company to flourish from a startup in 1993 to having offices in Auckland, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Oxford (UK) within three years. After a successful trade sale in 1999, Steve moved to the UK and worked briefly for “Efdex”, a global food and drink exchange firm under CEO Ellen Marram, the ex-CEO of Tropicana in the US, and also a Board Member of Ford and the New York Times during that period.

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Later, he worked with a company called Glue in the UK for five years, while holding a board position and directing the strategy for another fast growing UK-based technology company. He then returned to Australia and invested personally founding Glue APAC as the majority shareholder. He nurtured the company from inception in July 2006, until a highly successful sale to UXC, Australia’s largest domestic IT company and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, in 2009.

Over the next four years, Steve served on the executive leadership team of “Red Rock”, Oracle’s largest partner in the ANZ region in various capacities.

He left Red Rock to join WhiteSky Labs as CEO in August 2013.

WhiteSky is part of the portfolio of a local Private Equity company, Exto Partners. Since then he has successfully led a transformation of the business, refocusing it to the cloud as a MuleSoft partner. In 2017, WhiteSky Labs was selected as the MuleSoft 2017 AsiaPac Delivery Partner of the year by MuleSoft.

attracted him. Usually, there is a lesson or two, which is relevant to him, says Steve. Reading has helped him immensely in creating innovative solutions for his customers, partners and staff.

The motivational factor that drives him to take step ahead Steve is passionate about delivering better solutions, to benefit all stakeholders including shareholders, customers and staff. He is constantly seeking to reinvent and improve himself and the company, as he believes change is constant. As Steve says, “in the IT industry, if you are not constantly evolving and observing trends in the market, then you and your business will be left behind”.

Unforgettable moments in life Since childhood, Steve has travelled a lot. He has been to many countries and gained valuable experiences with other cultures by being independent and challenging himself. On his first trip to Japan, while at Auckland Grammar School, he pursued his passion to learn the Japanese language. He then saved the funds himself and travelled again to Japan at 17 years of age alone for 3 months, following the end of his first year at the university.

Varied approaches to maintain creativity Steve believes in building a team of strong and experienced people who are creative leaders in their own right to support him. He has had a passion for reading since childhood. Business books and stories regarding how companies are built have always

While travelling around Japan he practiced Judo full-time, seven days a week and also improving his Japanese.

This decision and the support of his mother was a unique and fantastic experience for him, which he also considers one of his most memorable ones. The following year he spent four

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Steve Wilson CEO months learning to ski and chose Aspen, “why not” he said. Travel has remained a key passion for Steve ever since.

Others’ success is ‘Steve’s’ real accomplishment The tenacity to keep getting up and trying again, even if something doesn't work, has helped him immensely in achieving success in life. Building companies and seeing the benefit his colleagues have reaped in their careers as a consequence is Steve’s most proud accomplishment in business. He believes in living life with a sense of compassion and empathy. Integrity, trust, empowerment and fun are fundamental elements in any work culture he creates or participates in.

Advice to budding entrepreneurs “Get started now. Don’t wait. Ask for help - most successful entrepreneurs are usually happy to give back through advice and sharing their experiences” asserts Steve.

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