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VOL 03 | ISSUE 01 | 2022
Innovative Approach
Resolving Challenges with Out-of-The-box Thinking
Changing Leaderships The Break from the Orthodox Leadership
10 Most Promising CEOs The
to Watch in
2022
Petia Dimitrova
CEO and Chairperson of the Management Board Postbank
Engraining Sustainable Leadership with Visionary Mindset
Editor’s Desk The Focal Point of Leadership
L
eadership can create a ripple effect on people with its strategic thought process and diligent actions. When the leadership at any organization is strong enough to carry this ripple effect throughout, it helps them get incredible business results. At the center point of this ripple is the CEO, who is focused on empowering the unique potential in everyone. Their utilitarian approach is always at the helm, finding desired results with attentive learning and diligent execution.
The business world constantly evolves by the minute. To be a successful business leader, one needs to think ten steps ahead, anticipate events, and prepare to deal with situations pragmatically. By analyzing the pre-occurred events, learning from them to curate a plan of action always helps leaders to make better decisions in the future. Leadership isn’t something that you are born with. Obviously, you may have heard the term “He/She is a born leader,” however, I believe that leaders are the people who have gained knowledge over the years, educating themselves with every situation. They are keen on learning from everyone, even the smallest aspect of their work, to better understand, which helps them maximize their ability. Seizing the opportunities with diligence is the hallmark of successful business leaders who knows to grab the opportunities that align best with their strategies and business acumen. They utilize every asset to leverage a competitive edge over others to grow sustainably. A leader with great market awareness, concept, and mindset always believes in combining preparation and preparedness and maintaining calm, even under the greatest pressure. Working under pressure isn’t a hurdle for them but a strong skill set.
Insights Success ventured worldwide to find leaders with similar skillsets who have changed the course of the business world, imprinting their mark on the world. In this edition of “The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022,” we are cherishing the CEOs that are leading pragmatically to deliver maximum performance and superior business results. Featuring on the cover is Petia Dimitrova, who leads by embedding the code of success at the Postbank as the CEO and Chairperson of the Management Board. Come across the array of successful leaders while flipping through the pages. Don’t forget to look at CxO penned down by the industrial experts and insightful articles written by our in-house editorial team. Let’s have a look!
Sharad Chitalkar sharad@insightssuccess.com
Cover Story
ARTICLES
08 26
50
Resolving Challenges with Out-of-The-box Thinking
The Break from the Orthodox Leadership
Innovative Approach Changing Leaderships
14
Caroline Lafferty
The Entrepreneur at the Intersection of Cryptocurrency and Animal Advocacy
18
CHRISTOPHER AMOS
A Profound Trailblazer Offering Marketing Solutions for Micro-Enterprises
CONTENTS
22
Edwin Bessant
30
Leading With Courage, Tenacity, and Diligence
Jude Gomes
Protecting Lifestyles, Dreams, and Ambitions of Sri Lankans
34
Mohammed Mubin Mallick A Doyen in the Field of Robotics
38
Mr. Sami Sharif
An Embodiment of a Proven Leadership
42
Rob Rosenberger
46
Transforming Federal Contracting Community with a Novel Approach
Thomas A. Bock
A Recognized Life-Science Leader Developing a New Class of Oncology Medicines
52
Thomas Shivers A Relentless Leader with a Progressive Approach
Editor-in-Chief Hitesh Dhamani Managing Editor Anish Miller
Executive Editor Sharad Chitalkar
Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes
Visualizer
Associate Designer
Co - Designer
David King
Shyam Sonawane
Sonia Raizada
Senior Sales Manager
Business Development Manager
Kshitij S
Peter Collins
Marketing Manager
Sales Executives
John Matthew
David, Martin, Vaibhav
Technical Head
Business Development Executives
Jacob Smile
Steve, Joe, Deepak
Technical Specialist Aditya
Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza
SME-SMO Executive Amol Wadekar
Research Analyst Frank Adams
Database Management Stella Andrew
Circulation Manager Robert Brown
Technology Consultant David Stokes
sales@insightssuccess.com March, 2022
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Company Name
Description
CaliCoin calicoin.me
CaliCoin is a charity token focused on helping what we term, “Animals of Determination” (“AOD”) – Animals which suffer from a disability and/or are homeless.
Christopher Amos CEO & Chief Digital Architect
No Boundaries Marketing Group noboundaries.marketing
No Boundaries Marketing Group was founded on the basis of simplifying the marketing and advertising world for small to medium sized businesses.
Edwin Bessant CEO
Ceuta Group ceutagroup.com
Ceuta Group is a global, consumer brand services business working with some of the most dynamic brands in Health & Personal Care and Food & Drink.
Jude Gomes Chief Executive Officer
Union Assurance PLC unionassurance.com
Union Assurance is protecting lives, empowering people achieve their dreams, and providing peace of mind to thousands of Sri Lankans since 1987.
Mohammed Mubin Mallick CEO & Founder
Kiran Smart kiransmart.com
Kiran Smart is a top IT Company in Kuwait that provides an industry-standard integrated solution, IT consulting, IT maintenance, IT consultancy and IT solutions.
Mr. Sami Sharif CEO
Kuwait Insurance Company kic-kw.com
Kuwait Insurance Company was established in 1960 by Amiri Decree No. 7 of 1960 as the first insurance company in Kuwait and the GCC.
Petia Dimitrova Chairperson of the Management Board and CEO
Postbank postbank.bg
Postbank, legally named Eurobank Bulgaria AD, is the fourth biggest bank in Bulgaria in terms of assets, having a broad branch network across the country and a considerable client base of individuals, companies and institutions
Rob Rosenberger CEO & Co-Founder
Blackdragon blackdragon.expert
Blackdragon is the federal contracting industry’s most advanced technology platform.
Thomas P. Shivers CEO and President
FourStone Partners fourstonepartners.com
FourStone Partners is an innovative consulting firm specializing in business development, sales outsourcing, and operational support services.
Thomas A. Bock MD, MBA, CEO
Notable notablelabs.com
Notable is a clinical-stage platform therapeutic company.
Featured Person Carol Lafferty Founder and CEO
Petia Dimitrova
CEO and Chairperson of the Management Board of Postbank
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Caroline Lafferty Founder & Chief Execu ve Officer CaliCoin
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Caroline Lafferty The Entrepreneur at the Intersection of Cryptocurrency and Animal Advocacy
T
he foundation of humanity has always been helping each other. There are people, and certainly animals, who are less fortunate than us. Animal-based charities are in perpetual need of financial support—only an estimated 10% of all charitable giving is directed towards animal -based charities; but unfortunately, these charities also suffer from the same issues of funding and governance many charities face. Now, imagine a charity token existing to address such animal welfare needs with transparent, seamless, and documented donation. Meet Caroline Lafferty, who leveraged this relatively new world of cryptocurrency to open new avenues of donation for needy animal charities by founding CaliCoin. CaliCoin is the first and only cryptocurrency devoted to helping, what Caroline terms, Animals of Determination (animals that suffer from a disability and/or are homeless) around the world. It provides a 100% flow-through of funds (0% commissions, overhead fees, or other charges) directly to pre-qualified animal-based charities serving AODs around the world. It ensures CaliCoin donors that their donations are helping animals of determination, and their funds are going directly to helping the animals without any of the issues which can plague existing charitable giving options. Caroline wears the hat of the CEO in the company.
This is all about helping the world be a better place, one needy animal at a time.
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A Blend of Passions CaliCoin is a wonderful blend of passions. Caroline has always been an avid animal lover. She along with her husband James Michael Lafferty moved to Dubai with their wonderful Yorkie dog, “Cali”. Shortly thereafter, they discovered that she has a genetic disorder of her bones. So, they, unfortunately, had to amputate one of her legs. Cali however never let this situation bring her down; she continued to romp and play and enjoy life, inspiring them all. Shortly after, they both found an abandoned kitten on the street in a pile of rubble, who followed them home. She is a lovable Arabian Mau named “Karma”. Both are best friends and integral parts of the company’s family. The three-legged dog and the orphan cat! Besides her love for animals, Caroline also had a special affinity with the emerging world of cryptocurrency. She has been deeply involved as an investor for the past 5 years. She saw a unique blend of the two, an idea in which it could leverage cryptocurrency and the universe of crypto users, to open entirely new pathways to support Animals of Determination. And that is how CaliCoin was born! CaliCoin marries Caroline’s love of the cryptocurrency world with her love for animals. Making the World a Better Place for Animals of Determination In essence, CaliCoin was created out of the pandemic to bring urgent help to animal charities around the world that saw their donations and financial support dry up. Caroline hears from many charities about how CaliCoin has helped keep them operating and serving Animals of Determination. “I get a huge sense of pride and joy in being able to help these noble causes. I firmly believe it represents the best of humanity when we can help those on our planet truly less fortunate than ourselves. It’s hard to imagine a population more in need than animals who suffer from disabilities or
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are homeless and roaming the streets,” expresses Caroline. CaliCoin’s mission is very noble: It helps perhaps the most disadvantaged subset on this planet—Animals of Determination. The team at CaliCoin has financed 100% of the start-up of CaliCoin and it takes no fees or commissions on donations. Built from the Scratch The biggest challenge for Caroline by far was doing what any entrepreneur knows well—doing things prudently and on your own! Most ICOs are executed via large teams and the engagement of many consultants and advisors, whereas Caroline and her husband launched CaliCoin entirely with an internal team of just a handful of people. The team created this entire project from scratch with limited budgets and lots of sweat equity, all driven by a combined passion for giving back and helping animals in need. And so far, she is proud of the early results: CaliCoin has gained global traction and has appreciated over 300% since its launch. Sources of Inspiration Caroline was greatly influenced by her parents. She learned from them, the courage and will to succeed. They emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada with nothing and built a life so that Caroline and her brother could have opportunities they never had. She watched them sacrifice and work endless hours, just to give their kids a chance. She wasn’t going to let them down and squander the sacrifices they made. Caroline was a top student and thus, she worked to get into the best schools such as the University of Toronto and studied the most demanding fields. CaliCoin is only the latest of several successful start-ups she has launched over the past decade. The second great influencer was her husband James, who co-founded CaliCoin along with her.
thing. It’s a passionate and caring team and I think this directly reflects on the culture we put people in at CaliCoin.” A Profound Note to the Emerging Ones In her advice to emerging CEOs, Caroline says “This industry, cryptocurrency, is rife with questionable ethics and people out to make a quick buck. And it is undermining the entire space and the adoption of what is an amazing and forward-thinking concept. Be able to look in the mirror at yourself and be proud. Look at any industry and eventually, ethics wins out. If you want to be both proud and sustainable, embrace strong ethics as a core of your business. It will be harder and take more time. But choosing the “harder right” over the “easier wrong” is always the winning way.”
The Pinnacle of Professionalism Caroline has always believed that success starts and finishes with people. Her small team is like a family to her, and she takes care of her family! She tries to breed a culture of ownership, where every employee “owns” a piece of CaliCoin. She further believes in developing talent, as people are most inspired when they see themselves grow. She says, “We are fair and principled, and we do the right
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Christopher Amos
CEO and Chief Digital Architect No Boundaries Marketing Group
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
CHRISTOPHER AMOS
A Profound Trailblazer Offering Marketing Solutions for Micro-Enterprises
H
ave you ever wondered while enjoying a scoop of the dessert that you wanted to try while relaxing on your couch what made you choose the specific brand to satisfy your hunger? Was it the brand jingle, or the tagline, or was it the mind-boggling post that you saw on social media? Whichever reason it might be, one of the essential factors that make any product popular among the masses is the magic of marketing.
sized businesses. Its goal is to produce transparent, measurable results for clients to focus on growing their business.
Often, it is quite a misconception that only large organizations invest in marketing their products to create a buzz when it comes to marketing. However, it is not the case anymore with simplified marketing and advertising services provided by No Boundaries Marketing Group. Christopher Amos, the CEO and Chief Digital Architect has cultivated unique marketing strategies and solutions that assist micro and medium-sized enterprises in promoting their products and achieving success.
Cultivating a Value-Driven Work Culture
The Synopsis Behind the Venture Christopher has had quite a journey over the last few years to design an agency that can consistently exceed the expectations of small businesses both locally and nationally. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he knows business owners need more as a team. They need additional transparency, leads, and extra efforts out of their marketing team! No Boundaries Marketing Group was founded to simplify the marketing and advertising game for small to medium-
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As a full-service marketing and advertising agency, No Boundaries Marketing Group uses various software platforms, applications, tools, and resources to ensure its clients get the best value out of their marketing dollar.
Christopher has learned that the key to an awesome team is to foster a positive work culture. A work environment where people are encouraged to share their thoughts, grow the business, and collaborate across products and platforms eliminates service barriers and ultimately helps produce an amazing result for clients. The truth is, Christopher has an amazing team with skill sets that range from former business owners, customer service professionals, web developers, SEO strategists, and more! Each person provides valuable insight and problemsolving skills that help the company produce a better experience and outcome for its clients! The Adaptation through the Pandemic Christoper mentions that the post-pandemic world has changed considerably, from the ways consumers search and find local businesses to the way one shops for goods and services. The need for a strong, consistent digital presence
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“Your Business, Our Forte.”
has never been greater than it is today. Even post-pandemic as consumers venture back out to restaurants and local shops, the means to which they find these businesses almost always originates on a digital platform.
media, email marketing, and more are no longer optional. Creating a synergy between platforms and brand messaging has never been more critical. Christopher puts this with a saying, "You get one shot to make a great first impression!”
For many businesses, this means that having a website or social media page just isn't enough. Businesses owners have to focus on providing consumers access to high-quality content and dynamic images across numerous platforms. This is where access to an experienced marketing team comes into play. Business owners are already stretched thin, so the need for a reliable and experienced marketer can not only drive leads but can save time, create efficiencies, and so much more.
Strategizing Products and Services
Upscaling Technological Advancements The post-pandemic business environment has really forced businesses to become more digital or technology savvy to meet the demands of consumers. This digital transformation has taken owners and marketers alike out of their comfort zones and thrust them into diversifying their online presence. Now, things like reputation management, social
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Christopher expresses that for a business owner to meet the challenges of the future is to communicate with their marketing team. Sadly, because business owners wear multiple hats, it can be difficult to stay up on the data and trending. This can lead to missed opportunities, diminished results, and poor decisions in the long run. The best way to avoid fire drills and get the most out of the marketing strategy is to stay consistent, understand the data, and communicate! Weaving Up with the Community When it comes to giving back to the community, No Boundaries Marketing Group prides itself in being a part of the very fabric that makes up this community! It invests in several local chambers of commerce, volunteers at www.insightssuccess.com
community events, and its team members volunteer their time to help educate startups and new businesses so they can hit the ground running! Christopher says, "If given a chance, I would absolutely love to get additional resources into the hands of aspiring entrepreneurs. A common issue that we hear after meeting with a new client is "I wish I found you guys sooner" or "I wish I knew about that before I wasted my money.”
“Most marketing professionals are great at the sale and the creative. Sadly, what most marketing professionals lack is the transparency and communication skills necessary to truly wow a client. As an entrepreneur myself, we made significant investments into our reporting platform to make sure clients have access to data in real-time, and we made significant investments in our CRM platform to ensure we can effectively communicate with our clients," concludes Christopher.
"Sadly, many new business owners just don't know the insand-outs of the marketing game, and so they are susceptible to being taken advantage of. So, if I could change something, I would love to see more transparent information about marketing and advertising provided to new business owners to help them better navigate the marketplace," Christopher asserts. Guiding Up-and-Coming Generation In his advice for aspiring entrepreneurs into the marketing space, Christopher says, "Be transparent and communicate.”
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Edwin Bessant CEO
Ceuta Group
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Edwin Bessant Leading with Courage, Tenacity, and Diligence
S
etting up and starting a business sounds like an easy task, but even after having a highly successful and lucrative corporate job, it is not a simple feat. It requires one to have a lot of guts and courage to give up on such a job and enter the world of business with a leap of faith. A courageous leader, Edwin Bessant, spotted a gap in the healthcare arena 27 years ago, gave up his high-flying career in consumer healthcare at Pfizer Consumer [Formerly Wyeth], and set up Ceuta Healthcare with his founding partner Annette D’Abreo. Edwin is now serving as the CEO of Ceuta Group. Tenaciously and diligently, Edwin continued to retain a vision on the future, ensuring that Ceuta was always fit for the future and delivering a market need for his client base. Ceuta Group has a strong and trusted global Manufacturing & Private Equity [ consumer brand acquirers] client base and is a global leader with first market move advantage. Pioneering a Unique Vision and Expanding Business Model Started in 1994 as an omni-channel sales & marketing outsourcing partner, Ceuta Healthcare has now transformed into a Group of twelve companies with access to 114 international markets. Together, Ceuta Group’s businesses deliver the next generation of an industry-unique ‘Integrated Consumer Brand Outsourcing Services’ business – Global services include: Advisory, Digital, Shopper & Category Insights, Creative Design, Data Analytics, Field Marketing Sales & Marketing Execution and Logistics [https://www.ceutagroup.com/.] Edwin and Annette launched brand management specialist Ceuta Healthcare alone, with no clients, from a three-desk office in Bournemouth in 1994. Today Ceuta Group, through Edwin’s pioneering and unique vision, has several offices around the world [ including: New York, Dublin, Amsterdam, Singapore, Bangkok, and Sydney]. Ceuta
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Group employs more than 400 people, turns over around $140m, and after a whirlwind of acquisitions, comprises twelve distinct companies. Several of these businesses were bought after meticulous planning to logically expand the business model. Edwin predicts that their net income, currently around $13m (EBITDA), will double over the next two – three years. Leading a Pioneering Initiative Edwin was working for Pfizer Consumer when he spotted a gap in the market. He’d been with the pharma giant for 18 years, which led to a Director’s role on a European fast track programme. There, he saw a growing demand for “Outsourcing” and “Brand Fostering” – where an organization gives total responsibility for one or more of its brands to a third party. Certainly, he could build a company to meet this untapped market demand, and using all his blue-chip experience, Edwin crafted out a visionary and pioneering business plan, left his highly successful job, and set to work, encouraging Annette D’Abreo to join him as equally, she had a successful role at Pfizer. Annette immediately understood the opportunity and trusted Edwin to lead the pioneering initiative. “By the end of Year One, Ceuta Healthcare had 30 employees,” Edwin says, to give the impression of how he has never once doubted Ceuta’s ability to become a global powerhouse. He adds, “We made a loss of around £300,000 [ $414,000] in the first two years [in line with the bank’s support]. And in year three we made a profit of £50,000 [ $69,000].” Since then, the growth and investment have been explosive, leading Ceuta to be the ONLY company that can deliver a single point of contact for a company that needs international reach and complete management for their brands.
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‘‘
‘‘
Ceuta Group provides a unique collective of services to enhance, grow and support the brands it represents; delivering everything a brand owner would ever want or need from one outsourced partner.
‘‘
Being Inspired by Pioneering Innovators and Entrepreneurs Edwin admires the pioneering innovators and entrepreneurs who have truly taken up the opportunity of spotting a gap in the market, defining and shaping the new way we live and shop with phenomenal success, changing consumer
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engagement and technological enhancement i.e.: Jeff Bezos – Amazon, Elon Musk – Pay Pal, Tesla, Space-X, Steve Jobs – Apple, Travis Kalanick & Garrett Camp – Uber, Will Shu & Greg Orlowski – Deliveroo & Jack Ma – Alibaba, Larry Page & Sergey Brin – Google, Larry Ellison, Ed Oates, Bob Miner – Oracle. Edwin expresses that he does not like to plagiarise when reading business books, but of course, he considers it is important to never stop learning, and there is no harm in having a good mentor. He does like reading books that have actually been written or co-written by successful entrepreneurs i.e.: ‘The Alchemist’ by Jim Ratcliffe [ The Ineo Story] and the series of the Blue Ocean Strategy & Blue Ocean Shift by W.Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne. Accelerating Brand Marketing Development During the covid period, Ceuta Group has thankfully had a record-breaking year, working within the Health & Personal Care and Food & Drink industries, and having part of its workforce working from the offices and the majority of personnel successfully working from home. Ceuta experienced more challenges with Brexit affecting its
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Marketing Agencies, as corporations were holding back because of the uncertainty of elections and getting the Brexit bill passed. In the short term, there was a temporary hold on Marketing budgets within some sectors, but overall, it saw a rapid change to brand marketing development which continues to accelerate. Ensuring Inclusive Work Culture Further, Edwin opines that culture creation within any organization is key, and this has always been an important mantra for Ceuta. Ceuta Group has four different generations of employees, and they all have different levels of expectations from an employer. Ceuta must deliver to ALL, and the right culture glues its workforce together. In addition to culture creation, it has also engaged with further intent, monitoring, support, and executing for the right reasons such as ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Gender balance [ Ceuta Group is approx. 48% female / 52% male]’. Also, sustainability and environmental protection are key imperative for Ceuta Group.
It supports 11 to 30 year-olds who are unemployed and those struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. Edwin periodically goes into classrooms to talk to students [from all ethnicities] on business building and the watchouts etc. which he really enjoys. Expansionary Approach In a conclusion, Edwin mentions that for the next five years, Ceuta Group’s vision is to continue to build out its Global Digital services. It wants to continue to build out its ‘Marketplace Support Platform’ – USA, Europe, and China. It wants to selectively acquire other Ceuta type organizations worldwide and to acquire Consumer Health & Wellness brands’. Edwin is also a ‘Life Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine’.
Supporting Local Community Ceuta is emersed and engaged through its CSR team and supports a different number of initiatives: Ÿ Support local charities with financial contributions Ÿ Organize clean-up events Ÿ Volunteer in local schools or community projects Ÿ Local fund-raising events Edwin is a ‘Fellow of the Prince’s Enterprise Trust’ which helps vulnerable young people get their lives back on track.
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RESOLVING Cha
OUT-OF-TH THINKI
Innovative Approach
allenges with
HE-BOX ING T
he challenges in life or business, or any field are inevitable. Challenges make the journey more interesting, and overcoming them makes life meaningful. Without challenges journey of life becomes dull. An easy life doesn’t allow us to come out of our comfort zone and do something extraordinary. Challenges add a good flavor to life and are blessings in disguise as challenges bring out our real leader. Crisis forces a person to be a leader, and challenges are the wake-up call to think innovative and intangible to break the shackles. If we see with the right perspective, obstacles are opportunities. Pioneering leaders believe in transforming challenges into opportunities. They believe that tough challenges are the opportunities to come up with more innovative solutions. Unprecedented challenges call for distinctive and out-ofthe-box solutions. Pioneering leaders in any field choose this approach to deal with unprecedented challenges and understand that no problem can be solved with the same level of thinking when it arrives. The time of pandemic is unprecedented gives rise to new challenges. The greatness of a person or leader has to be estimated by their ability to deal with tough times. Their
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ability to be most pragmatic and clever in the approach and play the role of situational leadership to resolve the challenges in unprecedented times make them admirable. Leadership is not a post to enjoy, but it is a serious responsibility. Great leaders think in this way. They are the personification of exemplary and ingenious leadership. They also hold the ability to come up with solutions to the challenges even at the spur of the moment. They can take high-value decisions even in unprecedented times. They don’t believe in giving up and keep fighting courageously with passion and perseverance. They know that with the fighting spirit, anything complex can be overcome. They adopt a new approach to dealing with situations that are never experienced before. The world is a battlefield. Business leaders believe in having a fighter spirit for sustaining their competency and value in the world. They understand that new situations will require new solutions, and old ways need to be given up. They prioritize clearing out the old to make way for the new. Not being stuck and always having the attitude to deliver what the situation demands should be the attitude to be the most outstanding leader in modern times for delivering evolving solutions to sustain the competency in the market. Innovative and out-of-the-box thinking is the hallmark of pioneering business leaders. They are always open to accepting the new way of working and expanding the business. They ensure that they can continue their dominance in the market by serving their clients even if there are challenging times. They are clever at adapting new ways to serve the clients, but they will never give up their spirit of servitude, and in this way, they keep expanding their services to the greater number of clients and can ensure the success of their businesses. Times like pandemics may be unprecedented and challenging. However, pioneering leaders can deal with such situations also immaculately with their clever, innovative, rational, and pragmatic approach. They can deliver value to the clients no matter what the odds or challenges are. That’s what the glorious leaders do, and that is what they will keep on doing. In this way, they inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs to thrive even in challenging situations with a spirit of fighting, grit, perseverance, and resilience. Such leadership goes a long way in making a sustainable impact in the lives of everyone they come across.
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The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Jude Gomes
Protecting Lifestyles, Dreams, and Ambitions of Sri Lankans
I
However, he guided his team on a journey of transformation, positioning the company as a modern, customer-centric, digital life insurer to address the lag in technology adoption within the industry.
Jude Gomes, the Chief Executive Officer of Union Assurance PLC, is among those leaders. He draws from a highly accomplished career in financial services spread over three decades with experience accrued across key Asian markets and key global financial institutions. With over three decades of industry-leading success, Union Assurance (UAL) is the country's oldest private Life Insurer empowering the Sri Lankan dream, offering a range of insurance solutions covering education, health, protection, retirement, and investment needs of Sri Lankans. Powered by a network of 76 branches and a 3,000-strong team that shares a customer-centric approach to business, the company continued to invest in people, digital infrastructure, products and processes to remain agile and responsive to emerging and unprecedented changes under Jude's guidance and visionary leadership.
With the mission of simplifying insurance and empowering customers, the company shifted its focus towards digitisation during this time. The transformation was initiated by simplifying, innovating, and digitising complex processes, culminating in an overhaul of its operating system to a digital model. To provide uninterrupted service to its policyholders, the company established a trilingual call centre that operated 24/7, an online chatbot and enabled digital platforms and gateways to meet the growing demand in customer queries. Furthermore, Union Assurance disrupted the future of Life Insurance by adding a dynamic facet to its customer experience with a 100% digital platform - Clicklife, which offers customers to purchase products instantly without any paperwork and physical interaction as well as a platform with real time selfservicing capability as part of its end-to-end online insurance solution. The app features World Health Organization approved challenges, rewards, and other exciting in-app features to engage and motivate users to stay fit and healthy.
n a pandemic-ridden environment that was uncertain, complex, and fast-evolving, a handful of organizations have shown true resilience and business success under the guidance and navigation of leaders who have broken away from the archetypal 'command and control' mould of traditional leadership.
Under the banner 'Your life, Our strength,' the company has nurtured the Sri Lankan dream in unique and personal ways to support its policyholders and the people they love. Excellence, ethics, integrity, innovation, and a customercentric mentality are the heart behind day-to-day operations at Union Assurance. Acting as a Catalyst The coronavirus pandemic broke out just a few months after Jude took the reins as the CEO of Union Assurance.
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Navigating through Challenges Speaking about challenges, Jude mentioned that aspects of economic growth, socio-cultural factors and financial literacy have been barriers to industry expansion. In his view, financial literacy is low compared to developed markets in which insurance penetration is high. This is an important factor for improving insurance consciousness and awareness across society.
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Jude Gomes
Chief Executive Officer Union Assurance PLC
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People Empowerment Jude is an ardent believer that leaders should constantly challenge themselves and their teams to exceed expectations and embrace new opportunities. Empowerment is an important criterion for leading people and organisations to success. To this end, Jude nurtures a workplace environment in which safety and trust are prerequisites for people’s empowerment. When people feel empowered and safe in the workplace, it paves the way for more innovation and advancements to take place. He believes in cultivating a culture where employees learn from mistakes and strive towards excellence. Accelerating Growth Insurance has trailed other industries and in particular financial services when it comes to transformation – digital or otherwise. In an increasingly data-driven environment, poor public perception of insurers came down to a combination of factors. The lack of transparency augmented by archaic processes; low understanding and misinformation of investment vs. protection, lack of confidence in insurance agents, inadequate focus on training and skill development, restricted channels and limited product suites skewed towards investment rather than protection, are some of the industry challenges. Gomes believes a defining feature for growth acceleration is in the depth of customer-centricity adopted. Protection should centre around the people it protects. By rolling out a simplified customer-focused digital agenda in 2019, Union Assurance mapped out a comprehensive customer journey, addressing pain points, eliminating complexities, and customizing solutions through the application of technology, setting the benchmark for a future-ready operating model.
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“
Understanding that you don’t know everything is a very valuable lesson to learn early on. Admi ng o failures, taking accountability, and making necessary changes fast is what is important for success.
“
Gomes articulated three key strategies he believes will drive the insurance sector: first, cohesive strategies should be in place to attract and retain the right talent, especially given that the industry is manpower-dominant; second, there should be a focus on an omnichannel distribution model to provide greater accessibility to customers; third, is in creating efficiencies in operations and delivery platforms making the buying cycle easy, convenient, fast, and transparent.
A Note to Emerging Leaders “When you’re in a leadership role, developing your intuition plays a big part as your employees rely on you to make trustworthy decisions meeting needs of all stakeholders. “It is important to note that staying true to your values and morals is key in your journey. Understanding that you don’t know everything is a very valuable lesson to learn early on. Admitting to failures, taking accountability, and making necessary changes fast is important for success.”
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Mohammed Mubin Mallick A Doyen in the Field of Robotics
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ince decades, technological advancements have been assisting humans in almost every sphere of their lives. Even in this pandemic situation, technology didn’t fail to offer assistance to us. The use of robots was explored extensively by most of the researchers and businesses, especially healthcare organizations, considering the facts that they don’t need mask, they can easily get disinfected, and they don’t fall sick. With this idea, Mohammed Mubin Mallick’s Kiran Smart has significantly contributed to the development of advanced robotics in this ongoing pandemic through its state-of-theart robotics solutions.
traveling, or living alone away from home. He has never broken down and has always stood up to fight the situation. As time passed, things became easier for him to handle due to the experience he gained.
Towards Visionary Project In the year 2017, Mubin predicted the future as it is going to take a turn towards some advanced technology. The thought came into his mind was robots as it was his childhood dream to have robots. But he was demotivated and discouraged after being rejected on his robotics idea or topic by many. These negative factors made him stronger to face and challenge the market.
Well versed with different robotics manufacturer around the world, Mubin is working on his Visionary Prime Project which could make him the pioneer in the world on robotics services that human has never imagined or expected on the idea.
Since his childhood, Mubin has seen many difficulties and has tackled them successfully, be it studies, sports,
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Mubin founded Kiran Smart with lots of love from people who really wanted to have these services and solutions. He did market research in GCC on robots. He developed every single robotics solution for every industry and as well for home too. He did not find suitable CEO who would understand his vision and that is the reason, he decided to wear the hat of CEO as well.
Getting the Best out of Everything Mubin mentions that every journey is not pleasant and thus, running a company successfully is also not as pleasant as we think. There are always ups and downs, because as a holistic view it is a company and not a business.
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The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Mohammed Mubin Mallick CEO / FOUNDER Kiran Smart
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At present Kiran Smart’s Robot Services are inclusive of Humanoid Robots, Services Robots, Delivery Robots, Educational Robots, Logistics Robots, Pet Robots, Disinfection Robots, Cleaning Robots. Other than this it has smart digital screens which the company sell as solutions and also rents them out. Even for Robots, it provides the solutions and also rents out the robots in multi-purpose use, providing services globally as well. At the same time, Mubin is also working on the “Rise of Robotics Generation” where he is training children about robots, teaching about robots but with live demo on the company’s different models of robots. His vision is simple for the next 5 years – to be recognized as one of the best brand service providers globally especially in terms of Robotics Services.
For Mubin, building a company was like being on the battleground. As a challenge he saw financial crisis, getting the right people for right place and right job, finding expert people with innovative ideas, and getting the investor. Mubin kept on going and today, Kiran Smart is a first Humanoid Robot Solutions and Services company in Kuwait having existence in multiple location, providing IT services to business and home users. Devoted to Serve Humanity Mubin’s father late haji Noor taught him to live for others and serve humanity. One of the incidents that impacted his life was the case where he found a lady who was crying for the money to do the treatment of her daughter. He was just a child and only could understand that she is asking for money. He had 50 paisa in his pocket to buy a chocolate for her younger sister. He could not say no to the lady because her tears brought him down so emotional that he started weeping and gave her 50 paisa. The lady just saw the coin and said, “My son GOD will give you enough so that you can help others and GOD will make your heart big enough to help others.” He can never forget this incident. Innovation in Robotics Kiran Smart is into Information Technology, Digital Transformation, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and Fintech. Mubin is of the belief that these technologies will play a major role post-pandemic. Thus, if businesses in any industry have to survive, they will need to implement Robotics, Automation, and Artificial Intelligence to make advanced hybrid solutions to survive in the future.
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Good Network for Business Opportunities Mubin and his team generate jobs for every category so that people could survive and feed their families. He and his team create jobs for drivers, engineers, managers, supervisors, developers, skilled and unskilled labor, waiters and waitress, and cleaners. Also, he shares the company profit on a certain percentage as charity across the world where the community is helping to survive their life. He is looking for a great opportunity to change the world into a smart village but of course there must be a good team to execute it like investors, businessmen, entrepreneurs, partners, engineers, and a lot more, because he is working on one of his project called ROBO2050 where every house will have Kiran Smart’s robots.
“Information Technology will be so advanced and if we don’t adopt ourselves in terms of business and personal life then we will be left alone to suffer.” www.insightssuccess.com
Mr. Sami Sharif CEO
Kuwait Insurance Company
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Mr. Sami Sharif An Embodiment of a Proven Leadership
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he pioneering leadership is a combination of exemplary skills, abilities and talents. To lead organization successfully, it is essential for leaders to have good amount of competence, as it plays a significant role in the success of the organization and its clients. When the same competence is paired with strong managerial and technical skills, the results attained are excellent. An embodiment of such a leadership is Mr. Sami Sharif. He is the CEO of Kuwait Insurance Company (KIC) since 2016. Prior to KIC, Mr. Sharif has held various leadership roles in different renowned companies. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics and Space Physics and a Master’s Degree in Mathematics both from the University of Houston – USA. He worked for several years as a lecturer in mathematics and statistics at the same university. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) in the USA since 1996 and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA) since 1993. Besides, he also has an in-depth experience in life, health, and general insurance, and takaful. He carries an immense knowledge of strategic management consulting combined with sound actuarial background. He also has in-depth experience in launching and leading new insurance operations in different countries. KIC has a full line of conventional and takaful insurance products for corporate and individuals covering general insurance, life insurance and money accumulation. It has more than 200 employees and 10 branches in Kuwait. Being Driven by Achievement, Innovation and People Development Mr. Sharif is driven by KIC’s shared values i.e. Achievement, Innovation and People Development. He mentions that the company cares for its staff, shareholders, and clients. It adheres to a set of values. KIC’s vision is to be the fastest growing company in Kuwait and to expand geographically. It aspires to be the www.insightssuccess.com
company of choice for personal and commercial insurance products and services. It aims to be the fastest and the simplest in delivering its services and the most advanced in using technology. It envisions to be the company of choice for employment. All the efforts of Mr. Sami are in the direction towards achieving this goal. KIC’s mission is to provide its clients with the most competitive products in terms of benefits, values and services, to provide its distribution channels with state-ofthe-art services, to invest on developing its staff, and to be a school of insurance and management. Besides, the company also believes in being sales-driven and in achieving its sales target. It believes in differentiating itself with innovative Products & Services, Distribution Channels, and Technology. It believes in its people to exhibit Knowledge, Leadership, and Communication & Interpersonal Skills. Having Advantage of Experienced Staff Talking about the challenges, Mr. Sharif shares that KIC had to deal with a challenge of political risk since the area is inflamed with many political problems that lead to some business instability in the region. Maintaining the size of the portfolio was a major challenge for KIC. KIC is the first insurance company in Kuwait and the GCC. It has the advantage of keeping experienced staff who have been with the company for decades. Taking some of the key staff to the most advanced ways to run a business, in particular the reliance on technology, was a challenge that they enjoyed the stages to overcome it. Being Influenced by Working with Great People Mr. Sharif is an ex-consultant with McKinsey& Co. that he considers his best school. He still cherishes the days he worked for Mckinsey, the people he worked with, and the leaders that he worked under such as Mr. Dominic Barton. In addition, he has worked with people who had a great influence on him, like:
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of Houston. His space physics professor Dr. Bering at University of Houston. His first actuarial manager Mr. Marc Pitoniac who taught him how to survive under any work challenges. Mr. Abbas Khalaf, Regional president of ALICO, MEASA Region who taught him leadership. Mr. Barry Jacobson, President of ACE Life (now Chubb) a great leader. Mr. Ghazi Abu Nahl, President of Nest Investments hard work and perseverance.
Evaluating Employees Objectively and Compensating them Fairly Mr. Sharif has created a positive environment at KIC where everyone thrives. The company strongly believes in the well-being of its employees. It strongly encourages education and pays all education expenses to its employees. Moreover, it created the first company kitchen run by a professional chef to provide daily healthy meals to its staff at minimum charges. It created a nursery at work to help mothers with baby kids, age 0-5 at no charge. It has a thorough 360 system to evaluate its employees objectively and to compensate them fairly. It established KIC academy to offer professional courses and training to its staff.
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on the insurance industry as a whole. However, Mr. Sharif sees more pros than cons. The way of doing business became more technology-driven, as technology is a key success factor for all industries including insurance. AKIC puts a balance between people safety and business safety. As such, it was present and functional in its market. Contributing to Community with Welfare Services When it comes to giving back to the community, KIC always stands tall. On almost monthly basis, it runs different campaigns examples: Ÿ Cleaning the beach in Kuwait Ÿ Blood Donation campaign Ÿ Brest cancer awareness campaign Ÿ Diabetes awareness campaign Being People Person and Expanding Robustly Mr. Sharif advises aspiring and emerging CEOs in the insurance industry to work on their technical and managerial skills. He tells them to learn the essence of leadership and cultivate a healthy lifestyle. He asks them to be rough, tough, but reasonable. Besides, he also advises them to be people person, have a large connection in industry, and to avoid arrogance and give smile to everyone.
Striking a Balance between People Safety and Business Safety When Covid-19 pandemic arrived, it had its pros and cons
Kuwait Insurance Company enjoys a stable and strong financial foundation and maintains a leading position in the local and regional insurance market by providing reliable and innovative insurance products and services and professional team of experts at the level of Kuwait and GCC.
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Ÿ His mathematics professor Dr. Klaus Kaiser at University
CEO/Co-founder
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The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
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Thomas A. Bock MD, MBA, CEO Notable
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Thomas A. Bock A Recognized Life-Science Leader Developing a New Class of Oncology Medicines
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ecent advances in science and technology have resulted in a new era of more targeted therapies for many diseases. These advances have materialized for patients, resulting in some truly transformative treatments, thanks to the talent and dedication of the life sciences community. Meet one such life-science leader who has developed and commercialized six lifesaving paradigm-changing blockbuster medicines in cancer, ultra-rare disorders, and inflammation, and who has built four entrepreneurial organizations that created a major impact for both patients and investors. - Thomas A. Bock, MD, MBA, and CEO at Notable. Inspired by his work, we at Insights Success had a conversation with Thomas to know more about his journey and how Notable is transforming the way cancer is treated. Below are the highlights of the interview: Give us a brief overview of your position at the company, and your journey since inception. I joined Notable as an Independent Board Director in 2020 and then started serving as the CEO in February 2021. At that time our company was known for our predictive technology platform developed to help physicians determine which cancer treatments are most effective for their individual patients. Today, we are beginning to leverage Notable's leadership in predictive technology to develop cancer treatments focused on individual patients who we know will respond to a specific treatment. My role is to drive our organization to a leading precision therapeutics company by creating a new class of precision medicines – predictive precision medicines. www.insightssuccess.com
Please describe the technology that makes your company standout from the competition. Notable's predictive technology combines machine learning, laboratory automation, and high throughput screening directly on patient blood samples to predict responses to therapies with a 92% accuracy. Over the past years, we created a unique and continuously growing library of optimized (out of millions of options) platform conditions and predictive data across approved and investigational cancer treatments. This enables us to focus on the most promising candidate medicines and develop them as predictive precision medicines solely in clinically responding patients. Patient by patient. Cancer by cancer. What is your opinion on the advancements of businesses to improve their offerings with newer technological developments? Notable represents the next generation of predictive precision medicines for patients with cancer, based on the emergence of new technology. Our platform can predict an individual's clinical response to cancer treatment from a blood sample taken before beginning treatment with a 92% accuracy. I am proud of how our proprietary technology addresses the question that matters most to patients, yet previously could not be answered: "Doctor, will this treatment work for me?" What is your thought on the necessity of a positive work culture? In what ways do you implement it at your organization? Notable's culture extends from its core mission of redefining treatment for people with cancer. For us, the patient matters most. This means that we not only pursue transformative medical impact but also, proceed responsibly and with the sense of urgency that patients deserve. Our team is spearheading therapeutic solutions at the interface of therapeutics, diagnostics, and engineering. March 2022 | 47
Scientists, engineers, and experts from many fields work together closely and also build off of the insights and ideas from each other. They work hand in hand, peer to peer in a unique and collaborative approach. Leading this patientfocused and integrative culture is key to an innovative environment, and I believe it is because of this that we have been able to recruit and retain top talent across industries. In what ways have you or your company contributed to the community? If given a chance, what change would you bring in creating a "community of healthy business"? Today, most cancer treatments deliver only modest clinical response rates and fail for the majority of patients, exposing them to ineffective therapies and unnecessary side effects and toxicities. Notable's mission of delivering predictive precision medicine that works for each cancer patient, and reducing unnecessary side effects, makes an important impact for the community. These types of advances will revolutionize treatment for people with cancer. What is the best way to meet today's/tomorrow's challenges with your company's exceptional products and services for urgent needs coming our way? In order to create the stream of predictive medicines that patients can rely on with the urgency they deserve, it is critical that we continue to collaborate with industry partners and academia. Having developed and commercialized medicines for cancer and rare diseases for more than twenty years, I know that many medicines can deliver a huge medical impact but unfortunately only for a small subpopulation of the patients who receive them. We have created a platform that reproduces the human cancer cell microenvironment that can be used to test cancer therapies, patient by patient, with a 92% accuracy,
before they receive treatment. Thanks to our platform and its prediction accuracy (as reported by Stanford University*), we can now engage with prospective partners to co-develop and license such transformative medicines solely focused on responding patients. Patients can be confident that their treatment will work for them, and our life sciences partners benefit from a faster development speed and a higher likelihood of success. *Source: Michael A. Spinner, …, Peter L. Greenberg; Ex vivo drug screening defines novel drug sensitivity patterns for informing personalized therapy in myeloid neoplasms. Blood Adv 2020; 4 (12): 2768–2778. As an established CEO, what would be your advice to the budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the industry? Be able to pivot quickly to take advantage of emerging opportunities, expect bumps and detours along the way, and most importantly, stay true to your core values. When you develop products for patients, proceed with extra urgency and care. How do you envision sustaining your company's competency in a cutthroat and volatile world of Security? Where do you see yourself and the company in the next five years? Part of our integrative culture is to be externally focused and equally seize opportunities and address challenges with the best possible approaches. Challenges make us stronger and will expedite our vision of delivering a stream of predictive precision medicine and redefining the standard of care, always ensuring the best possible outcomes for patients. Patient by patient. Disease by disease.
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Each patient is notable and can benefit from a predictive precision medicine that works for them.
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The Break from the
ORTHODOX
LEADERSHIP T
here is a saying, "become the best version of ourselves." Well, what does it take to become one? It is the break from the ordinary, challenging orthodox thinking, and coming out as the best version of ourselves. It applies the same in leadership; today, it is the break from orthodox leadership, which we need with innovative ideas. What else follows in the journey of a leader? Let's have a look through this article. Long-lasting Leadership The will to learn new things by collaborating with the experts of that particular field expands the knowledge of the business leaders. While we may agree that everyone's journey in life is different, it follows you till the end once you choose. But the end goal is to make an impact in the life of others, be it in the form of business, sports, politics, entertainment, or any other niche. And, when it comes to business, there is a position where assisting, motivating, and impacting the lives of others is the responsibility of the business leader - CEO. The decisions taken by a CEO can have a huge impact on the organization's life and the people. The CEO Ingredients When we speak about the CEO, what are the must-have qualities to watch out for? The primary aspect comes from knowing to solve the problems of the employees and the company. The team's support helps the CEO in critical times and without a team player, one cannot succeed in business or any other field. The rest of the qualities comes from maintaining a culture that is worth inspiring and following. The CEO is the most appropriate and responsible person for meeting the needs of the employees and the company. The ideas, decisions, and culture set by the CEO make the company shine in every situation. He/she is involved in every management decision and is the person who understands the clients and the employee's needs. He/she
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also acts as a mediator who digs deep into every problem of all the company levels, as the CEO is involved in several meetings right from the employee to the company growth. There is no single decision taken without a CEO; as a matter of fact, he/she is the face of the management. There is a lot of value for integrity in the life of a CEO because you have to provide honest recommendations and instruction in every part of the organization. Additionally, being aware of the market updates and know-how comes naturally, as you got to be the best in business for the team and the company. Lastly, promoting inclusivity and diversity in the organization makes the organization a place to thrive. Where are we Now and the Future Today, we see more intelligent CEOs with a positive and fresh approach entering the business arena, breaking the trend of orthodox leadership. With their innovative thinking, companies are resulting in more innovative practices. The CEO is bringing the transformation and successfully meeting all the expectations from the clients to the employees. Ultimately, only living up to these values can bring the overall transformation in the industry. The journey of the CEO is no doubt challenging but looking at the results, it is all worthy in the end. In a world full of transformation, it is best to balance both technology and compassion. It will lead us all to a better future, where we as humans can nurture and progress even more, making the world a better place to live for us all. Lastly, with this, let's all hope that we live a life full of compassion and kindness whatever time we have on earth. After all, it should not always be about the business and profit but also about creating a world of opportunities, where all the people feel included. And, being a CEO, it becomes his/her role to lead all such people with the best skillset. www.insightssuccess.com
Changing Leaderships
Thomas P. Shivers CEO and President
FourStone Partners
The 10 Most Promising CEOs to Watch in 2022
Thomas Shivers
A Relentless Leader with a Progressive Approach
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elentless leaders set directions to make ideas into reality. They focus on producing ideas that have practical implications for them. What makes them stand out from the rest is their ability to listen to their team and recognize the effectiveness of their offerings. One such pioneer of relentless leadership is Thomas P. Shivers, who has been consistently recognized as an industry leader for his constant focus on results, accountability, and practical application. With over 25 years of executive and entrepreneurial experience in the workers’ compensation managed care marketplace, Tom has been instrumental in shaping the industry. As the CEO and President at FourStone Partners, he has created a unique consulting firm that has been widely praised for its innovation, effectiveness, and efficiency. We, at Insights Success, caught up with Tom to unveil his entrepreneurial journey and how FourStone Partners is optimizing the performance of businesses. An Entrepreneurial Journey Tom founded FourStone as a startup that has now grown into a national organization. The firm started without any private equity money; FourStone has been self-funded since its inception. Along the way, Tom has met great people and great clients who, in one way or another, have contributed a tremendous
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amount of learning experience for him. It has been an incredible journey for Tom, and there is yet more to come. The Values that Optimize Performance FourStone has continued its expertise in the workers’ compensation industry and commercializing healthcare products with a unique approach. Tom has centered FourStone around practical application and collaboration. He focuses his time and attention on practical application that helps clients maximize their opportunities based on what truly works and develops implementable and actionable strategies. Tom believes in less theory and more practical actions. In his opinion, what differentiates FourStone from its competitors is that it provides its clients with impactful strategies and then executes them on their behalf. Sculpting Strong Leadership From the perspective of Tom, impactful leadership is collaborative in nature, and it is also never asking anyone to do anything that you won't do yourself. A leader needs to be accountable for the decisions of his or her team. The personal philosophy of Tom is 'everybody in the room is the smartest person in the room based on the subject.' He implements the same at FourStone. This way, the best idea wins, no matter who creates that idea. This allows people to be at their best selves without any fear and express their
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We are a high energy, high intensity, results driven organization that fully engages with our clients to optimize performance.
point of view, thoughts, and ideas on the subject. At some point, these ideas and can be embraced and moved forward. Overall, this empowers people to feel free and not be afraid to make mistakes. This approach will unlock their maximum potential in the long term. In addition, Tom also believes that humility is an essential trait for a leader. A CEO should be open to new ideas and understand that every colleague brings their knowledge to the business. It is crucial to be able to listen. On the flip side of being a humble leader is being relentless in pursuing goals and success. Tom says, “I've got a team of employees that count on me to be very good at my job. So, I have to be really good at my job for them. And I feel like one of the traits that I have that has allowed me to succeed is that sort of relentlessness and tenacity. If you combine that with humility and behaving honorably, I think it creates a nice culture. And I think the culture at our firm is something we're very proud of.” A Healthy Work Culture When asked about maintaining positive work culture at FourStone, Tom says, "I don't think you can overvalue a positive work environment and a positive work culture. I think it's incredibly paramount to the success of a firm long term. We take an immense amount of pride in the culture that we have.”
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The culture at FourStone is collaborative, competitive, and family-oriented that prioritizes performance and taking care of each other. The culture is also based upon practical application; the team at the firm treats themselves like they treat its clients. There isn't any theory, esoteric, unquantifiable sort of mission or goal. When people bring ideas to the table for the firm or the clients, they have to be based on practical application, focusing on real world solutions that can be tracked and managed. Tom and his team are fearless and tenacious when implementing new things. They aren't afraid to quickly make educated decisions to roll out new products and enhance existing products. They work collaboratively, both internally and with their clients and other constituents. The team takes much pride in how they present themselves to one another and their clients and industry. The Highs and Lows of Pandemic FourStone managed to survive and experience a slight growth during the pandemic because of its diversified portfolio. Some of its products and services did suffer, but some of them could maintain and grow. Culturally, the pandemic affected FourStone the most as everyone had to undergo a remote work culture. The company implemented some virtual models for some of its products and services in a brief timeframe. It also meant to www.insightssuccess.com
trust the team to do the right thing and work the right way. Fortunately, Tom has spent much time on hiring based upon character. This helped the firm when it went remote and had to do things differently overnight; the hiring philosophy proved successful as the entire team adjusted remarkably well. Tom opines that it was crucial to adapt to the circumstances. The performance of the company in many ways has exceeded expectations. In fact, some of the FourStone Team will continue to work from home post-pandemic. Technological Aspects to Move Ahead Technology has played such an incredible role in the evolution of how companies function during this pandemic, and Tom doesn't think that's ever going to roll itself back. It will get more important moving forward. Heading Into New Horizon Tom has an absolute vision of organic growth, which is a challenging road, and he thinks in the future FourStone will also grow through acquisition. The company is actively looking at some potential acquisition targets. The firm would also like to diversify and expand the services that it offers to its clients. Words of Wisdom for Aspiring Entrepreneurs In his advice to upcoming entrepreneurs, Tom says, “Be absolutely relentless in your pursuit of success. Listen to people who know more than you, surround yourself with the best team that you can find that has complementary skills to yours, and allow them full opportunity to help grow the company with their own expertise and spirit.”
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