Mirror Review The 20 Impeccable Women in Business 2017 by Mirror Review

www.mirrorreview.com / Dec. 2017 Issue

Nina Simosko

An Optimistic Leader, Giving a New Dimension to Leadership

e Heart Of Image

Editor’s Letter Who Runs the World? Though it is a bold statement, but this time I would surely scream loudly, ‘Girls’! Well, I don’t mean to be biased, but when you will read this issue, surely you’re going to repeat me too! This time we have come up with a special issue, The 20 Impeccable Women in Business 2017 to celebrate the ‘woman power’. This is our pure effort to unveil the stories of these unsung women. These are the women who have achieved a lot in their respective industries and these are the women that are transforming the world with their wit and skills. On the cover of The 20 Impeccable Women in Business 2017, we have with us, Nina Simosko, an optimistic leader, giving a new dimension to leadership. President and CEO of NTT Innovation Institute, Inc (NTT i³), Nina is a leader who puts her team first and considers everything other as secondary. A catalytic leader in the technology industry, Nina is giving a new dimension to the definition of leadership. In this issue, we also have with us Nicole Martin, CEO and Founder of HRBoost, a true inspiration changing the HR dimensions. Also, we have with us, Marina Tognetti, who’s helping the world communicate, with her company mYngle, an online language learning platform. You can also read an article about Alicia Asín, Co-Founder & CEO of Libelium, who is a thought leader in pursuit of innovation. Alicia believes that IoT will be the next tech revolution. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences on the issues related to Smart Cities, Wireless Sensor Networks and the IoT. I can assure you that you just can’t afford to miss an article written on, Marci McCarthy, who’s celebrating the achievements and endeavors of the unsung heroes of security. With a resolution to showcase unparalleled innovation in the information security industry, Marci, CEO & President of T.E.N. has dedicated her career to the efforts. Also, you just can’t miss to read an article about Deborah Herman, a fabric innovator being an inspiration to global womenpreneur. Deborah, Owner and President of Fabric Innovations have ‘a passion for creating beautiful products’. We also have with us, Maureen Huber, a leader inspiring the womenfolk. Maureen, CFO and COO at Stratus Video is setting an example before all the ambitious women out there. Standing tall in the male dominated industry is not at all a piece of cake! But there are some very bold and inspiring women out there proving every assumption wrong and standing shoulder-toshoulder with men in their industry. One such woman is Pam du Plessis, Managing Director at Invincible Valves, who is an inspirational leader, creating a difference. There is one more inspiring woman, Johnette van Eeden, who’s creating a difference in the wellness industry with her venture Star Wellness®. A woman, who have experienced hardships in her life but never found herself broken is Kathy Kamei, Designer and CEO of the line of jewelry that bears her name expresses that a piece of jewelry can inspire a person to break from the pack and celebrate their own uniqueness. The women leaders highlighted in this special issue of The 20 Impeccable Women in Business 2017 are not just the game changers, but true inspirations for all the womenfolk out there! In this attempt of unveiling the stories of these wonderful women, we are honored to write about such great ladies, their ups and down, their achievements and most importantly about the way they are inspiring others. I would love to thank all these great females for giving us a chance to share their wonderful journeys with the world! Managing Editor Archana Ghule

Mirror Review Media & Tech C-102 , Wisteriaa Fortune, Opp-Silver Spoon Hotel, Bhumkar Das Gugre Road, Wakad, Pune - 411057 +1 (850) 564-8517 info@mirrorreview.com www.mirrorreview.com

Business Consultants James Adams Maria Garcia Amar Saxena

Editor-in-Chief Henry Wilson Senior Editor Sarah Smith

Research Analysts Mark, Steven Lisa, Nancy

Managing Editor

Graphic Designer Poonam Magdum

Editorial Assistants Brian, Ronald, Linda

Human Resource Head George Williams

Client Communication Head Josephina Marie

Advertising Head Annirudha Mehata

Technology Consultant Swagat Chawbe

Archana Ghule

CONTENT

Nina Simosko An Optimistic Leader, Giving a New Dimension to Leadership

16 5

Alicia AsĂn

12 6

Deborah Herman

Johnette van Eeden

Maureen Huber

Marina Tognetti

Nicole Martin

Marci McCarthy

Kathy Kamei 7

his is a beginning of a new year, beginning of a new start and a beginning of new challenges. Usually, new year meant to be a time to make resolutions! While getting ready for a whole new year, full of expectations and a lot to achieve, all you need to do is, get ready for the new year resolutions that will fulďŹ ll all your business needs. So, what will you need to do this year to get your business ready for 2018? Here I have tried to list some priorities a business should focus on. Time Boundation The very ďŹ rst thing you have to understand about a resolution is to complete it in the bounded time. Time boundation is a quality that will not just keep you aware of your priorities, but will also make you experience the joy of achievement as you can see the results. Make sure that your assignment needs to get completed in the said period. This will allow you to give a speciďŹ c time and focus on the upcoming one. Also, there will be no two tasks need to be performed at the same time ever. If you will bound to the time, you will have one thing to complete at a time. Get ready for Digital Transformation

The world is about to transform digitally, and so do your business. To be competent enough in this digital world you need to think ahead in time in terms of going digital. We have heard and experienced the way Internet of Things (IoT) changing the way businesses work. Going a step forward, now Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has made its place in todays digital world. This is the time when businesses have to be updated with this upcoming digital transformation. If you are gearing up for a successful year ahead, then pre-plan for the digital advancements. Embrace the Automation Now, this will be the next step to the digital transformation. Once, you have pondered enough about the digital transformation, you will have to go ahead and embrace the automation. If you really wish to get ready for the upcoming year you will need to focus on automating things as much as possible. When it comes to automation there is no limit for its tools to perform. Whatever may be the size of your business, let it be a startup or a well rooted one, automation tools are accessible and affordable.

Organized One has been the Best Always! Being organized in every way is indeed a way towards success. This time it is for investors. If your data is organized well, it will be great for you to quench their query in time. Investors need to get updates from you about everything in the company. Not ﬁnding a document in time can cause you a lot of trouble. Now, this advice is not just for a particular year, but for a long term. Raising Funds for a Company As the above one, this one is also equally applicable forever. Make it a resolution for 2018 that you will raise more funds for your company. More funds lead to more employees and more employees lead to completing your targets on time. Additionally, with the extra funds you can invest in increasing the quality of a product or improve your service line or may be add on into it. Right Employee for the Right Work It is very important for your company’s growth to have a team that is hard working and have an equal interest in taking your company towards success. More importantly, an employee should have an interest in whatever he/she is doing while creating something new and innovative. And who else than you can better infuse it into them. So, all you need to do is, go ahead and recharge them about getting your business ready for 2018. Set your goals for the year ahead and make them aware of it. After all, its your employees who’s going to execute your ideas! Recheck the Tax List On the verge of everyday changing tax applications, it is necessary to recheck your tax list. Make sure the tax you need to pay is having the correct ﬁgure in your tax list. It is necessary for you to know the tax boundaries, as you have to invest in it too.

Time to Get Innovative This a world which demands something innovative every coming day. So, if you are gearing up for 2018, then put innovation at the top of your checklist. You can shape up the world with your innovative and different ideas. As per a research, women entrepreneurs have an ability to see the world from a totally different angle. Also, this report revealed that women entrepreneurs have a record of maintaining commitment better. Now with all these qualities just imagine where you can take your company in 2018! Be Positive, Be Committed Here’s a resolution that will not just help you out this year, but many more coming years.‘Be Positive, Be Committed’. Challenges are a big part of the success. Do not ever let them be an obstacle in your way. Just remember that your positivity can help you out from any tough situation. Also, if you will bind positivity with commitment, no one can stop you from achieving success. So, make a resolution this year that you will stay positive and stay committed in any situation. All in all, getting your business ready for 2018 means getting yourself ready for the year ahead ﬁrst! It is simple, if you are ready to take any challenge, your team also can do the same. After all, it is up to you how you see the situation and how you motivate your team to fetch success for your business. So, all the best and have a great year ahead!

Alicia Asín

THOUGHT LEADER IN PURSUIT OF INNOVATION

thought leader of the industry, a true believer that IoT will be the next tech revolution, and a frequent speaker at international conferences on the issues related to Smart Cities, Wireless Sensor Networks and the IoT, Alicia Asín is the Co-Founder & CEO of Libelium. The first woman to receive the National Young Entrepreneur at the 2014 meeting of the Spanish Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs (CEAJE) and the first woman receiving the Rey Jaime I Entrepeneurship Award, Alicia has earned many accolades. Alicia is a Computer Engineer focused on how the IoT can change the world, starting with Smart Cities and Precision Agriculture, among other applications. She cofounded the company with David Gascón, CTO of Libelium, a Spanish IT company that has created “Waspmote”, a wireless, modular and open source sensor hardware platform for the Internet of Things (IoT). Libelium’s technology is present in more than 120 countries worldwide, developing projects to monitor and improve efficiency in agricultural crops, with environmental control systems to prevent climate change, or even through e-health control equipment to universalize access to health services in developing countries. Libelium, Working for a Good Cause

Libelium’s wireless sensor platform is present in projects of great economic and social impact to address the great challenges humanity faces in this century. Libelium sensors are helping to prevent pests and improve productivity in agricultural crops, are helping to reduce pollution and trafﬁc in several smart cities, have been involved in projects to predict volcanic activity, are helping to universalize access to a health system to populations far from hospitals, and have even arrived in space on board a satellite to study solar storms. Alicia is leading the growth of the company based on international projection and continuous innovation of the technological platform. “I sincerely believe that the greatest legacy that the Internet of Things can provide is greater democracy and transparency so that citizens can value the decisions made by public administration managers,” says Alicia.

“I am very proud to lead a company, Libelium, whose technology leaves its mark on the world”

Additionally, Alicia leads several educational projects to promote the vocations of young girls to engineering studies. “By 2020, 4.5 million programmers will be needed worldwide for the 50 billion devices that we will connect to the Internet. We either bridge the digital gap between the knowledge that companies demand and practical knowledge of the workforce, or we are endangering the growth of innovative companies,” adds Alicia.

Overcoming the Challenges Coming in the Way Towards Success It was not at all easy for Alicia to conquer every challenge coming her way! But she knew exactly how to turn them topsy-turvy and make out a way. She narrates one of the challenges as, “I cofounded Libelium at 24 and I have always looked younger than I really was. I remember the guys at the bank totally ignoring me when I was with David, my co-founder, even when he kept telling them I was the CEO. I have no regrets about those things, just used them to make my skin thicker, you cannot get distracted with details when you have higher goals, just focus on what you want to get from people you are talking to.” And as a CEO and the management at the head of Libelium, Alicia has led the company to overcome 11 years of successful history. In the last ﬁve years, Libelium has experienced a growth rate of 20% year-on-year in its turnover, which has been motivated by an increase in the percentage of exports and also accompanied by a considerable contribution to the generation of employment. The three main drivers of Libelium’s growth are its capacity for innovation, its international orientation, and the talent of its team. Libelium’s business vision is based on two keys: horizontal approach and interoperability. It’s sensor platform is open source, horizontal, and scalable. This allows other products to be developed based on the platform without having to pay for patents or trademarks. The platform has been designed to implement solutions for agriculture, water management, smart cities, or any other sector as it can integrate more than 120 types of sensors. Thanks to the horizontal nature and scalability of Libelium’s IoT platform, any proof of concept or small project can be expanded and modiﬁed over time without having to carry out changes in the installation. “In this sense, we have developed a strategic plan for Libelium’s growing based on the construction of a solid IoT ecosystem for mutual collaboration, especially with start-ups and big system integrators to develop new smart solutions.

We want to continue betting on generating an ecosystem of innovative and technological companies around Libelium. For this reason, we have an international network of more than 100 companies,” asserts Alicia. Alicia’s Personal and Professional Life Balancing ‘Manoeuvre’ Balanced is such a bold word... I am a GTD freak, so I only have one TO-DO-LIST with both professional, family and personal tasks. Having everything into one single list helps you to see where are the biggest priorities at any time. And of course, I try to exercise twice a week to release the stress. I would say that the secret is mindfulness, do and focus on one thing at a time... but I am not a master on that precisely. Here’s Alicia’s Advice for the Young ‘Womenpreneurs’ Every woman has to face her professional future with self-confidence, abilities and personal growth. The professional career is a race of endurance, not speed. The goal is not to reach high and succeed in the first, but in constant learning and in carving out one’s own path, learning from successes and failures with humility. The cinema has shown us many films of young people who succeed quickly, but in real life there are more cases of success in consolidated trajectories based on effort and constant sacrifice than of blows of fortune.

Nina Simosko President and CEO

Nina Simosko: An Optimistic Leader, Giving a New Dimension to Leadership

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best ideas come from and are developed by a well-curated and engaged global ecosystem of technologists and business experts â&#x20AC;? 17

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Leaders need to know how to - find the better person rather than always needing to - be the better person in their organizationâ&#x20AC;?

Deborah Herman A Fabric Innovator being an Inspiration to Global Womenpreneur

hat are the qualities that can make a person successful in the fabric industry? Most of the people would agree that love for creating products, expertise in manufacturing processes, experience in sales, and proficiency at public relations would sum up to lead a victorious journey in this industry. Deborah Herman, owner and president of Fabric Innovations, along with the above qualities, has something more, which is ‘a passion for creating beautiful products’. Deborah graduated from Brigham Young’s a university with a degree in Public Relations. As Deborah was instinctively good at connecting people; her professors affectionately called the degree of “Public Relations” as a degree in her own personality. After that, Deborah worked for her father at Bedspreads of California. While working for her father, she developed a great affection towards manufacturing. Referring to her first heart felt passion, Deborah says, “I loved everything about manufacturing; Employing people, making a physical product, solving incredibly different problems every time in the manufacturing process.” Deborah worked as National Sales Manager at her father’s company while creating Textiles of California dedicated to developing fabrics for the hospitality and hotel industry. The love for creating a product and the feeling of seeing the final product at the end of the day inspired Deborah to initiate

the company Fabric Innovations. A Design-Driven Fabric Company Fabric Innovations is a designdriven fabric company providing bedding, drapery, and upholstery fabrics to the hospitality industry. Since 1997, the company has been recognized as a leading supplier of linens, bedding, and custom fabrics to some of the industry’s most prestigious hotels. Being the President of Fabric Innovations, Deborah has applied over 37 years of experience in product design and development within the hospitality industry. This experience has been extremely beneﬁcial while enhancing both the quality of Fabric Innovations products and customer service. The team at Fabric Innovations specializes in global procurement programs for companies worldwide. Whether the goal is to revitalize an existing brand or create a new one, Deborah and her team strives to develop patterns authentic to the brand by deﬁning the company’s brand strategy, developing visual concepts, and translating such elements into a recognizable and consistent product. Referring to the quality they provide, Deborah asserts, “We pride ourselves on quality and have a seven-stage process of inspection, which takes place at each production facility across

“A tenacious dedication to product, product longevity and a commitment to please our customers are the reasons our success in the Fabric Industry.”

the globe to ensure that every seam leaving our manufacturing facilities is flawless.” Inspiring Women Entrepreneurs around the Globe The current International Ambassador for NEWH-the Network of Women in Hospitality--Deborah faced various typical challenges that every woman entrepreneur has to face. When Deborah was starting her business, she experienced that women were not taken seriously in the industry and nor were they making any money. Overcoming all the hurdles, she has achieved a respected name in the industry and also inspires young women around the globe to break all the status-quos. The qualities of this inspiring personality also reflect through her company. Fabric Innovations is certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Considered the gold standard, this certification is nationally accepted by thousands of major corporations as well as government entities seeking to do business with women-owned businesses. Addressing the current challenges for the aspiring business women, Deborah says, “Don’t be afraid. There is “NO” rule book on how to start your own business. The best I can help you with is what not to do. And most of all, know you can have it all, just not every day. Also, know that it is a little lonely at the top and that is OK. It is your choice to make every day. The other complication women face is keeping equilibrium between personal and professional life. Deborah perfectly balances both vertices of the life perfectly. She shares that she has good friends in the industry and has a huge family that she adores. Every day this business idol makes choices to keep everyone happy and fulfilled.

Future Challenges for Fabric Innovations Globalization and advancements in technology are enabling companies in the fabric industry to do business with the global customers. Fabric Innovations is already dealing with international business and Deborah plans to increase the company’s positioning within the global international hospitality market and enter the healthcare market as well as the cruise line industry. Furthermore, technology is moving so fast it is daunting to Incorporate into Company procedures. Deborah believes that from this technology employee expectations have changed and there is always a moving target of how the new generation perceives their job responsibilities. The team at Fabric Innovations plans on continuing to overcome the technology challenges by hiring millennial consultants and listening to their ideas and implementing the ones that make the most sense. “We also look to continuously putting the proper new data systems into place to make our work procedure faster and more efﬁciently,” shares Deborah.

Johnette van Eeden Creating a Difference in the Wellness Industry

fter working for over 15 years in the travel industry in both the transportation and hospitality sectors, there came a “lightbulb moment” in Johnette van Eeden’s life. Johnette realized that, ‘We could buy supplements everywhere, however, no one was doing any testing to validate that they actually WORKED!’ This led to the inception of Star Wellness®. ®

Star Wellness offers onsite corporate wellness screenings, which provides accessible, affordable, safe, comprehensive and proactive health assessments and screenings to the employees of its clients to help control healthcare costs. They also make their affordable rates available to individuals and work with physicians to provide discounted laboratory testing to their cash pay patients.

medical screening and laboratory services to major corporations, municipalities and ® school districts. Star Wellness holds certifications for being a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), Small Business Enterprise (SBE), and Historically Underutilized Business (HUB). The business model is built around a firm commitment to reasonable profit objectives, low overhead, and strict operating cost controls. This allows the company to offer state-of-the-art screenings for a fraction of the providers’ costs. Its consistently high volume earns preferential supplier pricing, which is then passed-on to clients in the form of significant savings. Innovator in Delivering Advanced Health Solutions

“I have a fierce drive to be successful and never giving up”

Star Wellness® is a recognized innovator in delivering Recognized in 2012 by The advanced health solutions. The Dallas Business Journal for company works with clients to Who’s Who in Health Care, implement a straightforward, Johnette has been proﬁled in highly effective cost avoidance several magazines, including strategy. By focusing on early Chief Executive, Octane, and D detection through affordable CEO. Star Wellness was also diagnostic testing, its clients can recognized as one of the Top 15 reduce claim costs, improve Fastest Growing Woman Owned employee participation in businesses in Texas for 2008, Top personal health management 100 Fastest Growing Woman programs, and help protect Owned businesses in the US for corporate health beneﬁts. 2008, and Top 500 Woman Owned Emerging Businesses in Star Wellness has introduced the US for 2013 and 2014. leading edge process About Star Wellness® ®

Founded in 2003, Star Wellness has grown to become a leading national provider of on-site

improvements designed to increase critical employee participation. These include: · STAR Scheduling®– Convenient online registration,

For Further Assistance Visit: www.StarWellnessUSA.com

which allows employees to select screening times that are most convenient for them. · STAR Access®– A revolutionary program that offers affordable laboratory testing to individuals and employees at dispersed locations throughout the U.S., employees who work from home, or those who miss on-site company sponsored events due to vacation or travel. This program also offers affordable, direct to consumer laboratory testing at any LabCorp patient service center nationwide. This is a smart choice for cash pay, high deductible and under insured patients or individuals. Furthermore, the company provides on-going marketing assistance to help its clients publicize screening events and improve participation rates. Johnette’s Journey towards Pinnacle Johnette has completed Executive Education Programs from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business, and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She has also earned an Ultrasound Technologist certiﬁcation in 2006, and has procured post graduate studies in Entrepreneurship with Biz Owners Ed in 2014 and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses. Johnette always desired to be an entrepreneur. It is her zeal to be an entrepreneur, which drew her towards working hard for it. After working as a software developer for several years, Johnette volunteered for a layoff during the downsizing at her company. Johnette says, “At the time, I had small children at home and I wanted to be home with them. I home schooled for a couple years, but quickly felt the urge to do something of my own. We were looking into starting our own health food store, but the idea didn’t resonate correctly with me. They seemed to be everywhere so there was a lot of competition.” When Johnette ﬁrst started the business, it was just her, doing the testing on people at health clubs and

health food stores. However, she experienced a surge in demand and had to expand her offerings and began marketing to the business community for employee wellness testing. And now they have over 200 business clients and have held screening events is 23 states! Determination and Hardwork that Paved the Way Towards Success Johnette was always determined to stay debt-free, especially in the initial phase of the business. So, she purchased her equipment on 0% credit card offerings and made monthly payments to pay it off. Johnette adds, “I didn’t pay one cent in interest. The first challenge was growing too fast. Within just a few months I needed to hire and train someone else and buy a second set of equipment so we could offer services at two locations at the same time. Determination to succeed is my biggest motivator.” Facing challenges on a regular basis never made Johnette take back her decisions. She is spontaneously handling all the juggling of professional and personal life. Johnette adds, “My husband retired last year and thinks I work too much. I don’t really see it as work though…I enjoy what I do and thrive on being busy. I plan my vacations at least a year in advance and pay for them so that I won’t be tempted to cancel them. We take at least 3 large vacations a year and I count myself fortunate to have travelled so extensively.” Johnette’s Advises to the Young Entrepreneurs Johnette started alone and conquered numerous hurdles. She has wisely managed her finances and transformed herself and her business with the blooming market demands. She shares some of her learnings with aspiring entrepreneurs. She says that it requires a lot of time, energy, and sacrifice. The main reason more people don’t succeed is because it is so much work.“I also advise to expand on the backside of the business. I don’t like the “If we build it, they will come” mindset. I prefer the “I’ll first get the business, then expand to fulfill the job” approach! It’s better on the stress level and your finances!” Johnette asserts.

Kathy Kamei

A Designer, Entrepreneur, and a Philanthropist

hings that we wear signifies the ideologies we believe in. Scientists have proved and we have experienced that our style and the clothes we choose reflect and affect our mood, health, and overall confidence. Jewelry remains one of the most important parts of our attire as they complete our outfit. Kathy Kamei, designer and CEO of the line of jewelry that bears her name expresses that a piece of jewelry can inspire a person to break from the pack and celebrate their own uniqueness. Kathy Kamei is a global jewelry brand and is popular for its products in categories such as earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and belt buckles. The company significantly works with its philanthropic avenues, high end resorts, and spas. The lifestyle brand is committed to helping women celebrate relationships with themselves and others through creating unique and creative designs. Inception of the Company Born in Canada, Kathy earned a degree in fashion design. She then went Bali for a vacation, where began the journey of her lifestyle brand, “Kathy Kamei.” The creative jewelry designer says that she liked the culture, tradition, and grandeur of her vacation destination so much that she stayed at Bali for 9 years. Kathy learned many things about the local culture, including their language. Finally, when Kathy was leaving Bali to live in America, she thought, “What could I take from Bali that would be very beautiful and special and I

decided I was going to create jewelry.” When she started making pieces, she realized that she was not working on just jewelry, she was building a lifestyle brand. “It is all about women empowerment and women celebrating themselves and celebrating each other,” Kathy shares. Dedication Towards Philanthropic Work Kathy and her team are very dedicated towards philanthropic work. They contribute towards numerous causes including breast cancer and child education. Furthermore, Kathy is very devoted towards animal welfare. She often takes efforts to work for animal betterment. Referring to her responsible work towards nature, the business woman says, “One of the beautiful things about having my company is being able to not just have my own success, but to give a wonderful give back with the success that I have.” Perceiving Difficulties as Opportunities When Kathy was starting her own venture, she faced many difficulties. She had to overcome financial challenges to start something that her heart wanted to do. Moreover, as Kathy was from Canada, she wasn’t aware of the business world and the fashion industry in the United States. She had to learn everything herself. With her passion towards bringing uniqueness to the fashion world, Kathy did overcome all

“Always follow your inner compass and be very authentic and honest with yourselves”

the complications she faced. However, hurdles in her way didn’t end. When she was growing her business, a tragedy made her lose most of her designs and her factory. At that moment, being a mother of three children, Kathy was not able to travel back to Bali. She had to start from the scratch and her determination paid her and made her a respected lifestyle brand all over the globe. When asked about the secret that kept her moving over all the pitfalls she had to counter, Kathy says that she considers challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. She is expecting many challenges related to business in the upcoming years. However, Kathy doesn’t limit herself with those challenges and looks forward to grow over those complications. With the growing demand for her jewelry models, the self made business woman say that she needs to keep up with the escalating orders from clients. Furthermore, increasing customers will demand for more creative and unique pieces of jewelry, this is motivating her to work on fresh designs. Additionally, the team at Kathy Kamei is looking for possibilities of branching into different fashion segments for women, which is exciting for the CEO, Kathy.

it is very personal. It’s really about deﬁning who you are as a woman in the world and what are your most authentic dreams and aspirations are, I mean how you do truly align with your truest nature. Time’s Up #MeToo Movement Being a fashion designer, entrepreneur, and a philanthropist, Kathy talks about the Time’s Up movement and advises people to become more responsible. She asserts, “Everyone is talking about time’s up, #MeToo. And I think it’s for all of us on the planet to take personal responsibility for how we affect each other, the planet, the animal kingdom. Take what we need, and be generous as spirit. It’s really important for all of us to evolve and to grow, it’s our turn and its our time that we really need to take accountability – Accountability in a really beautiful way to live with more love and more generosity and more kindness of spirit.

Hobbies that Brings Harmony Apart from being a designer and CEO, Kathy is also an aspiring equestrian. “I ride my horse and that gives me a sort of luxury that I really enjoy,” she asserts referring to the same. She also plays cello and practices Vedic meditation and that helps her to balance her personal and professional life and gives Kathy a lot of harmony. Lessons to Women Entrepreneurs in Kathy’s Words The most important thing that I would like to tell to any of the young women entrepreneurs is that always follow your inner compass. Be very authentic and very honest with yourselves and to understand that success is measured individually. So, it’s not about whether other people think you are successful or not,

IoT In 2018 T

oday, both the companies and the consumers are getting involved in the changes Internet of Things (IoT) is bringing in 2018, in their way towards a better product or service experience. IoT has spread all over the globe, connecting nearly everything. The world is now interconnected and looking forward to get more from IoT. IoT is shaping the future of business as well the future of user experience. The business world is expecting a lot from IoT and the improvised version of it, i.e. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).Also, it is expected from IoT in 2018 that it will not just enhance customer relationships,but willimprove quality, productivity, and reliability while reducing costs, risk, and theft. So, here’s what we can expect from IoT in 2018:

We will get to see the introduction of tons of IoT devices Yes, it’s not enough at all! IoT in 2018 will introduce a new improved versions of many devices. There will be devices that can get connected to each other and transform data in no time. The add on devices will be far more than mobile phones or laptops, it can be smart doors, smart locks, smart homes, which will be more IoT enabled and accurate than ever before.

Enterprises will adopt IoT Data obsessed enterprises like, retail, logistics, utilities and many more will adopt IoT like never before. Businesses will adopt IoT and include it into their business model for reaping the beneﬁts of IoT. IoT will enable them to experience the less cost of ownership with a shared cost of the devices with the consumers.

The next big thing will be Artiﬁcial Intelligence (AI) IoT and Mobile In 2018, IoT will not get limited to data generation, but it will give an exposure to the consumer choices and the way they operate and uses the device. IoT will change the total ecosystem of the handheld devices. The consumer will connect a mobile phone to other devices, which will make it a key to unlock other devices, like smart locks or smart homes.

There is an obvious reason for AI to become an essential part of IoT in the future. The growing importance of AI technology will continue in the future too. AI will help IoT to process huge amounts of data. AI will prove really beneﬁcial to IoT as it will help IoT to ﬁnd similarities and patterns used to inform decision-making processes. IoT needs to analyze and review the collected data which is not possible without algorithms, which is a part of machine-learning cloud services and other AI solutions. 35

Security will continue to be a great concern When it comes to IoT solutions, security has been always a great concern and there are no chances even in the future to get any relief from that. Security attacks have become a common issue in IoT. To make sure that the data is secure, ďŹ rst of all, we will have to give a great effort to speculate the vulnerabilities beforehand. As IoT devices have the nature to create entry points into the network, there is a great security concern relates. There will always be a fear about the security issues in IoT. So, keeping the data safe will prove to be a great challenge in 2018.

Blockchain to Rescue But in the realm of insecurity in IoT, Block chain is considered as a solution. Introduced and used basically in the FinTech industry, Blockchain has now widened its zone and is used everywhere, which includes IoT too. So, now it can provide a relief of security by offering privacy, reliability and scalability. Also, there will be new entrants in the digital currency list. 2017 saw the surge in like Bitcoin and Etherium, now there are chances of new currencies to be introduced soon, as per the experts.

Fog Computing will take a step forward Experts say that the fog computing will take a step forward in 2018 and can take up speed too. IoT in 2018 will see advancement in fog computing, which will offer an ease into the process. With an infusion of more intelligence, edge devices and fog-computing solutions are becoming autonomous. This will boost analytics and machine learning to the emergence of distributed edge-cloud programming paradigms.

IoT is proving itself as the premier solution for innovation. And even in 2018 IoT will see a lot of innovations structured on it.

Touch & Type

Marci McCarthy

Celebrating the Achievements and Endeavors of the Unsung Heroes of Security

ith a resolution to showcase unparalleled innovation in the information security industry, Marci McCarthy, CEO & President of T.E.N. has dedicated her career to the efforts. Since founding the ISE® Awards in 2002 and T.E.N. in 2010, Marci is working on the company’s mission to align with security professionals, technology companies, and thought leaders by empowering them to connect, collaborate, and celebrate. T.E.N. has accelerated the growth and success for the cyber security industry with the ability to deliver programs in 42 cities across North America.

Marketing for Lancope (acquired by Cisco); and the CEO of Executive Alliance. Currently, she is the CEO & President of T.E.N.; and CEO & ® Chairman of ISE Talent. In addition to her professional experience, Marci also serves on the board of several non-proﬁt organizations including TechBridge and The International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals (ICMCP). Additionally, she also serves on the Atlanta Girls’ School Board of Trustees and is the Inaugural Advisory Board Chairman for The National Technology Security Coalition (NTSC). The Founding Story of T.E.N.

The roots of T.E.N. started with ® the ISE Awards Programs. At A graduate from Babson College the time, there was a need for in 1993 Magna Cum Laude with visibility and sharing success in a Bachelor of Science Degree in the information security industry. Marketing, Marci started her The ISE® Awards were modeled career in the information after WIT’s Women of the Year technology industry as a Awards. This eventually evolved marketing associate for a into the idea of connecting company called Essense executives and vendors in a nonSystems, based in Peabody, threatening and relaxed format Massachusetts. that also provided the opportunity to highlight their It was only after moving to successes and their Atlanta in 1994 that Marci met achievements. This, in turn, several dynamic women from an opened doors of opportunity for emerging organization called collaboration between executives “Women in Technology” (WIT) and projects teams with solution who mentored and introduced providers. It is a natural way of her to the power of networking bringing together buyers and and relationship building. sellers in a trusted environment. The programs are designed to With almost 25 years of build bridges between solution business management and providers and cybersecurity entrepreneurial experience, professionals via personal Marci has been the Director of communications, knowledge Product Marketing for sharing, and face-to-face Secureworks; the Director of interactions.

“T.E.N. endeavored to revolutionize that mindset and show those in the cybersecurity industry that they ARE deserving of awards, attention, and respect for their work and achievements”

How T.E.N. Elevates the Security Industry A national technology and a security executive marketing and networking organization, T.E.N. facilitates peer-to-peer relationships between top executives, industry visionaries and solution providers in the cybersecurity industry. Nominated for numerous industry awards, T.E.N.’s executive leadership programs enable information exchange, collaboration, and decision-making opportunities for Information Security Executives® and cybersecurity solution providers alike. Its ﬂagship program, the nationallyacclaimed Information Security Executive® (ISE®) of the Year Program Series and Awards, is North America's largest leadership recognition and networking program for security professionals. T.E.N.’s events allow information security teams to network with other companies and collaborate on challenges and solutions. They can then take these shared innovations and ideas back to their own company and apply them in a way that helps improve their own security posture. The ISE® Awards also provide security executives the opportunity to celebrate the achievements their teams have made in a public fashion within the industry that rewards their hard work and tireless efforts. This can help them gain greater visibility in their own organization and help them garner the respect and attention they deserve as critical business drivers. Obstacles and The Successful Jump Marci had to face many obstacles in a way towards success. But if you are not confronting any challenge in your journey, you are on the wrong path! While narrating the challenges Marci and the T.E.N. Team faced, she says, “One of the earliest challenges was changing the mindset of security professionals about their role. We had to help them see that the security professional should have a seat at the C-Suite Table and Board, and prove to them that security could be a business driver. We also had to show why a security professional should have an executive level role. We also had to convince executives on the thought of being hohnored with an ISE® Award. Those in the cybersecurity industry are usually far more humble and accustomed to staying in the background and doing the work because being front and center usually involves a

breach or other issue. But with T.E.N.’s ISE® Awards, they are instead appreciated for their ‘behind the scenes’ work to protect their organization’s infrastructure.” Another early challenge was encouraging solution providers to sponsor events like the ISE® Programs and experience the unique benefits of real face-to-face connections with executives in the industry in an environment that encourages building relationships and exchanging information versus a simple pitch. Through ® ® the ISE Private Dinners and ISE Programs, they are able to celebrate the accomplishments and efforts of InfoSec professionals and project teams and allow them to share their knowledge and experiences with their industry peers to help build a more secure future. How Marci Balances Her Personal and Professional Life “Truth be told,” states Marci, “I feel like I blur the lines between both. I have a passion for what I do and sometimes work doesn’t necessarily feel like work to me. I truly feel fortunate to be able to work in a field that I’m very passionate about. That being said, I do still make sure that I set aside time for my family, friends, and personal interests. I also greatly respect the work/life balance and personal lives of my team as well.” Marci’s Valuable Advice to Young Business Women and Minorities Marci explains that many paths exist for young women to choose from when it comes to entering the cybersecurity workforce. Studies have found that for the last four years, women make up about 10 percent of the information security workforce. It’s even less than that for minorities. However, there is still an incredible need for women and minorities in the cybersecurity workforce. Marci highly recommends looking into groups like International Consortium of Minority Cybersecurity Professionals (ICMCP), Women Who Code, Women in Cybersecurity, Women in Technology, and the Anita Borg Institute. “Slowly but surely,” she notes, “We’re also starting to see more K-12 schools embrace STEAM curriculum; and college and universities are establishing cybersecurity degrees both at the Undergrad and Master’s levels, which can help a whole new generation of women and minorities prepare for careers in cybersecurity. I encourage every woman and/or minority out there who is interested in becoming part of this incredible field to follow their passion.”

Marina Tognetti Helping the World Communicate

teve Jobs once said “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower”. Making innovation the founding stone of her startup mYngle, about a decade ago, Marina Tognetti started her entrepreneurial journey. The importance of Communication cannot be stressed enough! The global economy increases multi-culture within corporations and new technology means that the world is continuously interconnected. The need to learn or upgrade someone’s language skills and bridge cultural differences is therefore ever increasing. That was the problem Marina Tognetti was trying to solve. A graduate cum laude in Business and Economics from L.U.I.S.S. University in RomeItaly and MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau- France, Marina Tognetti started her entrepreneurial journey with mYngle, an online language learning platform, about a decade ago. Originally from Italy, Marina has lived and worked in different countries and speaks Italian, English, Dutch, French, Spanish and a bit of Mandarin. The Seed of mYngle After many years of successful corporate career, Marina was in search of ideas to start a business for herself. It was when she was looking for opportunities in China that she

was struck with the idea of starting mYngle. Her ﬁrst step was travelling to the Country and getting at least some knowledge of the Chinese language. But being a busy manager, and working in The Netherlands, it wasn’t easy for her to learn Mandarin. It was then that the idea for mYngle hit her! “There are thousands of teachers all over the world, I just need to use the power of the internet to connect teachers with students,” says Marina. She adds that when they started mYngle, back in 2007, live online language education (with real teachers) was just at its beginning. Overcoming the Challenges Challenges pave the way towards success! And the story of mYngle is not any different. “Building a business from scratch is always challenging, building a tech start-up disrupting an industry as traditional as that of education, is exponentially more challenging (especially 10 years ago, when we started),” shares Marina. She has a very simple philosophy, “One thing that holds most of us back is that we care way too much about what others think. I never really cared much about this, so my motivation came from inside, not outside, from the strong belief that the vision was right, even if I would ﬁnd a few challenges along the way.” Innovative and risk-taker by

“Building a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint”

nature, Marina never had a set path to follow. She fought her difficulties and unearth the solutions. She believes that ‘no matter what challenges we meet along the way, we can always find a solution; that if we are willing to take risks and make the hard choices, there is nothing we cannot achieve’. Going forward in the future, mYngle will have to face the challenge of keeping innovating and being ahead while the market moves from early stage to more mature. But Marina knows the way she needs to go. She says, “The best way to overcome this, is for us to keep on being alert about what is happening around and especially listen to our customers. Customers are critical to understand if we are delivering the right value, if the business is moving in the right direction. This is something that not all education companies have understood. It is one of mYngle core values, the first and most important. I believe it is the key for rising above our future challenges.” Here’s what mYngle offers to the clients mYngle is the solution for busy professionals who need language training to be successful in an international business, and for Companies that want great learning results and a transparent and controllable learning process to make their investment a success. mYngle offers personalized, face-to-face corporate language training with highly qualified native trainers in 45 languages. The programs focus on the specific needs of each professional, ensuring language goals are met in the shortest amount of time possible. The virtual classroom enables learners to conveniently take classes 24/7 and from any location.

successful. I did it myself at the beginning and I learned from it. The most important for a leader is to keep the head clear in order to be able to see new directions ahead, anticipate problems, identify crossroads, have the energy to drive the team through difficult periods. Building a successful business is a marathon, not a sprint. And it is especially in periods of challenges that you have to find the energy and motivation to keep on pushing forward. Now I mix time for mYngle with time for my passions- animals, yoga, snowboarding, and dancing. I know that me being happy and in balance gives my company the leader able to drive it even in the most difficult situations. Advice for the young women professionals by Marina Whether you want to start your journey as an entrepreneur or raise the corporate ladder: stop comparing. The stories you read about the few that “got it all” are rare exceptions and often not the full truth. Women, in particular tend to do injustice to themselves: if we are not perfect, we feel we are not good enough. Let go of that. Let go of trying to imitate types of leadership you see around, but which are not you, and be really true to yourself. Don’t look around, look inside. A strong leader is not the one without faults, as we all have faults, but that which is so selfconfident to be able to show his/her vulnerabilities without being scared that it would impact the strength. For all young women at the beginning of their career, remember: confidence comes not from always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong.

Marina, Facing the real challenge, ‘The juggling’ between the personal and profession life I know that the 80 hours’ week cannot hold forever. This is a mistake that especially new entrepreneurs tend to do, thinking that by adding more hours they can solve their problems and be

Maureen Huber Leader, Inspiring the Womenfolk

oday, women are climbing the ladder of success with a true determination and hard work. But the scene was not at all same a few years back, when we had to search really hard to complete a list of successful women in business. Today, there are so many qualified women in the pipeline who are proving to be a great example for young generation women folk. These are the women, who have become successful in their industry by raising their profile, and women who are gaining visibility and credibility, and outlining specific areas they should focus their efforts, improving their technical and leadership skills. Crain’s CFO of the Year Awardee and also honored at Vista Maria’s 2012 Celebrating Women Event, for her achievements and community involvement, Maureen Huber, CFO and COO at Stratus Video is setting an example before all the ambitious women out there. Maureen leads Stratus Video in the areas of Finance, Human Resources, IT, and Operations, having over 20 years of experience leading through organizational change, international expansion, and strategic transactions. She oversees software engineering, IT, language operations, finance and human resources for Stratus Video. Her primary role is to lead an amazing team of people, set priorities and strive to exceed client expectations. A first generation college

graduate, Maureen earned her Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and returned to earn her MBA from the Broad School of Business in 2010. While working and paving her own way through college, Maureen experienced every functional area of accounting and progressed to a leadership position very early in her career. Determination and Hardwork It all started when a young girl, Maureen witnessed the introduction of a Commodore Vic 20. One of the ﬁrst personal computers in the market. She was truly fascinated by the computers at an early age. She tried at learning various programming languages. Though, facing failure in learning them Maureen knew that she will make her career in the software industry.

“Being naturally curious fosters continuous improvement in oneself and for the organization”

Maureen says, “Business and ﬁnance came more naturally to me so I focused on those skills and looked to lead technology organizations so I can be involved with development and the use cases for solutions.” Maureen’s tenure as a Corporate Controller of a publicly traded technology company provided her the experience to transition to a subsidiary of a multinational software conglomerate as CFO, becoming the CEO in a few years following the acquisition by private equity.

She had to face challenges, but they failed to stop her in achieving her goals. She experienced the changes technology has acquired in the last years. According to Maureen, the most profound change she has observed is the adoption and use of technology. As it is in the everyday lives via mobile and smart devices.

of experience in the health care and technology markets, Stratus Video is committed to enabling visual connections and vital conversations.

To win over her challenges, there were three things that kept Maureen motivated, knowing that they were improving lives through better communication, their corporate culture, as they are all very passionate people who encourage one another, and the most important one is - someone told her that they couldn’t do it!

Put in the WORK – It’s called labor for a reason. It takes effort and dedication some of it may be mundane or you may not have a sense of its importance but it is tasked to you. Do the work, exceed the expectation by being present in everything you do- like it’s the most important task on the planet.

Stratus Video serves a real purpose that makes a difference in hundreds of thousands of lives each month. Being able to access an interpreter on demand at patient While narrating the challenges Maureen asserts, “The bedside via a secure video connection, improves patient outcomes while helping healthcare providers be in biggest challenge has been managing growth. Being able to provide tech enabled services when clients need regulatory compliance. us. Our private equity and banking relationships were Stratus Video has a team of passion people. From there to support our growth, but finding the right software engineers to interpreters everyone at Stratus people and being able to scale quickly is demanding Video is equally motivated to be there when clients need and just simply hard work.” them, which requires technology and people. There is one more challenge for a woman, and that is As Maureen says, Stratus Video will continue the to keep a perfect balance between personal and growth and ability to scale maintaining high quality professional life. When questioned about the same, Maureen reverts, “Balance implies a 1:1 counter point standards. Maureen foresees a shortage of qualified medical interpreters, but she knows very well how to or tradeoff. I’ve always approached it as professional and personal integration. Setting and meeting priorities tackle that. Stratus Video has developed its own Stratus Video University to train and educate bi-lingual is a very fluid dynamic and trying to balance just individuals to become interpreters. seems complicated. So being able to flow with the personal and professional demands as they arise is Valuable Advice From a “True Business Diva” what worked for me.”

Stratus Video, Connecting Areas of HealthCare Stratus Video is a technology-driven company that is changing the way patients and medical professionals connect across all areas of health care. It is the largest and fastest growing video remote languages services company in the world. Stratus Video Language Services has four proprietary products, namely Stratus Video Interpreting, a video remote interpretation product; Stratus Audio, an overthe-phone interpretation service; Stratus In Person, Uber-like solution for onsite interpreting; and Stratus Word, a solution for document translation. Led by a team of dedicated individuals having decades 48

Ask Questions – Being naturally curious fosters continuous improvement in oneself and for the organization. Having a full view of a project or task will help develop overall business acumen and give context to your contribution. Advocate for yourself – Whether it’s being assigned to a project or asking for pay increase; advocate for yourself with basis. Be sure to do the homework, ground the request in facts and basis not thoughts and feelings. Consider the objections and have prepared non emotional counterpoints to consider. If the result is unfavorable, ask for feedback – how could I have approached this differently, what do I need to do to achieve my goal. It’s not about you – Approach every action, every day with the organization and it’s goals in mind.

Nicole Martin

True Inspiration Changing the HR Dimensions

reat leaders always find the balance between business foresight, performance, and character. Their characteristics like vision, courage, integrity, humility, and focus along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyze help them build a best cooperation amongst their team. One such woman leader, creating a difference in the HR industry, with a whooping 20 years of experience in the field, is Nicole Martin, CEO and Founder of HRBoost, LLC. A person who truly lives joy and purpose through her work, Nicole is a true inspiration for today’s womenfolk! An early starter, Nicole began her career at the age of 18 right after high school. She quickly advanced in HR and concurrently, while working full time, she completed her BS in Business and Psychology and MSHRM from Roosevelt University. She has also earned certifications (SPHR, SHRMSCP) specific to the field of Human Resources and Business. A very versatile persona, Nicole is a writer and a speaker with her two books related to the field of HR, The Talent Emergency and The Human Side of Profitability. In the shoes of a Founder As a Founder, CEO and Chief Empowerment Officer of HRBoost, Nicole leads a high performance team of HR leaders to partner with businesses and meet them wherever they are on

their journey to being a best place to work. “We have experienced tremendous growth and proudly nearly every client has been sourced via word of mouth,” says Nicole. HRBoost has served businesses spanning various industry sectors, including Professional Services, Non-Profit, High Tech, Manufacturing, Staffing firms, Hospitality and Healthcare environments. The clients of HRBoost are typically high growth businesses with 50 to 250 employees, though it has served smaller and larger businesses with up to 500 employees on a project basis. Recognized as a 2017 Annual Awardee for Business Excellence (AABE) by the Daily Herald Business Ledger, the company specializes in building HR departments from scratch!

“I truly live joy and purpose through my work”

With ‘a vision to bring joy and purpose to people through their work’ HRBoost is marching towards its glittering future. While questioned about the challenges she had to face and the thing that keeps her motivated, Nicole said, “It may seem idealistic, but every person deserves this. Growing rapidly in business can be good, but it can also have signiﬁcant challenges. I was fortunate to have my ﬁrst shared services client invest in my business and I do what I have always done...I learn. I came out of the 10,000 small businesses program with

Goldman Sachs in 2014 and have been executing on my five year growth plan.Getting the education to be successful is critical, but even more important is overcoming fear and speaking your truth.” ‘Success Leader’ of HRBoost It is not easy to be the client’s favorite always! But with determination and dedication towards work Nicole has accomplished it for HRBoost. Nicole thinks that ‘it is one thing to provide tactical HR services and quite another to strategically rebuild the infrastructure of HR and link it to strategy.’ HRBoost’s first shared services client signed on in 2011 and scaled from $10M to $28M in a little over 24 months. They were proudly recognized a Best & Brightest®company to work for during that same time. The next year, the company sold for $58M and HRBoost was retained a year post sale and then they converted their key HR Consultant as their permanent HR Director, who still works there! Even better, six years later they have sustained their Best & Brightest®status, long after HRBoost left. “Building something sustainable is our focus and is the major factor in how businesses find us and partner with us,” asserts Nicole. Then on, there is no looking back. HRBoost talent lives for the vision to bring joy and purpose to people through their work and enjoys the diverse clients it partners with. “I employ the concept of intrapreneurship in my business and I truly believe HRBoost is better for the talent we employ,” adds Nicole. Nicole’s perfect balance between professional and personal Life

I am a mother of two young boys and I have an amazing husband who truly devotes his life to family and co-parents with me. After welcoming my second son in 2016, I implemented a schedule that works for everyone and still delivers results. My schedule includes field days, client facing days, meet and greet days, writing days, work from home days, pay someone to make me do it at the gym days and yes, I turn it off on the weekend and I get home for dinner most nights. I do not think of it as balance. I think of it as work/life integration. It is who I am. Nicole’s advice to the Womenfolk I would advise young women that you must forget your gender and be the person you are. Meet others in this way and it is easy to see we are just people seeking to be understood. When we seek to understand, exercise prudence and remain true in our values, confident in what we know and seek to collaborate for mutual good, only good can come of it. I never walk into the room thinking about my gender and it surprises me when it is called out. In recent years, I have been invited into select groups where the demographic is heavily male and when asked, “You are the first female in our group, does that bother you?” My response was simply, “It’s not a problem for me, is it for you?”

The Gameing Revolution

Pam du Plessis

An Inspirational Leader, Creating a Difference

tanding tall in the male dominated industry is not at all a piece of cake! But there are some very bold and inspiring women out there proving every assumption wrong and standing shoulder-toshoulder with men in their industry. Meet one such courageous woman, Pam du Plessis, who is inspiring all the women folk out there showing courage to prove themselves in the male dominated industry.

Pam is working as a Managing Director at Invincible Valves, a medium sized enterprise located in Knights, Germiston. The company offers a full range of low pressure valves, reconditioning service and an inhouse rubber lining service for valves, pipes, fittings, and vessels which is utilized by many of the country’s major valve manufacturers. About the Diva Pam completed school in 1988, after which she received a first class pass and Diploma in Financial Accounting. Initially, Pam followed her accounting background into the IT world of Accounting Software Accpac. She was working as a support consultant to support the software for accounting users, writing print specifications and assisting with regular monthly processes. Later on, Pam went on to work within a healthcare facility, where she was the admin manager, again bringing her accounting knowledge and experience to rather run a

hospital as a business. “It was by chance that I started working at Invincible Valves, as I had entered the business as a contractor to write a couple of Accpac Crystal reports and then never left,” says Pam, adding, “I never chose this industry, instead it chose me! At a very early stage it sucked me in and has never let me go! After a month of contracting, I was offered a position, which I accepted as I really felt connected to the business. Within 3 months, I bought my first shares in the business and within a year, I knew that I wanted to run the business. Seven years later that became a reality. I have an absolute passion about understanding this industry, the mechanics of valves and the operation thereof.” Pam has observed that since she entered this space, there has been a significant change in the way women are perceived in more senior positions. There is a younger generation entering the senior space which is incredibly significant to the longevity of the industry. Pam feels that all that is missing is an influx of young, enthusiastic artisans and engineers, male and female.

“Knowledge is Power and Big Ears with a small mouth – learn from each encounter, allow it to add value to your life and cause”

Pam’s Challenging Role at Invincible Valves Invincible Valves was already a well established business at the time Pam took over the company, therefore the challenges were endless for her. The most important factor was

this is a male dominant industry in South Africa, so it was a “culture” shock to be addressed by a woman. Pam asserts, “It is also a very aged industry, which meant that I didn’t fit into the “old school” boys club, so very often I was ousted in certain circles, which was difficult as I was keen to learn from them. These, after all, are the guys who established business back in the 80's and with the movement of technology and business in general, it made it difficult to make your mark without upsetting them.” Instead of getting scared of the challenges, Pam always felt that these challenges were in fact opportunities to learn and make her mark. She says, “I guess my motivation would be because I am stubborn and therefore the more I was told that I cannot do that, the more I wanted to prove that I could. Ultimately, it has worked for me and made me a well rounded individual with a higher emotional intelligence.” Invincible Valves, “One Stop Shop” for All Your Valve and Controls Requirements Established in 1982 as a Valve Reconditioning & Rubber Lining business, Invincible Valves has grown from strength to strength and is now one of the top valve distributors, reconditioners and rubber liners in the South African market. It has a wide range of new valves that it distributes globally. As the Managing Director of Invincible Valves Pam works on the business, that enables her to focus on the strategy and results rather than the day to day issues. The company has team leaders in strategic places within the business who reports directly to Pam for guidance on daily issues. The company has a clear code and the business runs to it like a well oiled machine. South Africa is currently facing a Mining Crisis, which includes the new Mining Charter. Invincible Valves has since diversified the business and shifted its main focus from the Mining sector.

The company has managed to infiltrate a number of new industries, which include paper & pulp, fisheries, power generation and many more. This diversification has worked well for Invincible Valves as it has well established and has a regular flow of stock, therefore giving it an opportunity to service multiple industries without delay. Work Life Balance It was not easy in the beginning to keep personal and professional life balance for Pam, but eventually, she learnt to manage her time and to be sure to have a personal life outside of Invincible Valves. “It’s really a simple thing, you need to commit to both business and personal time,” says Pam. Currently, Pam is busy writing two books, one being a training manual for Basic Business Skills and the other being her Biography. Pam advises the young women - Be bold, don’t be afraid. It may be daunting, but don't allow that to deter you in any way. Instead, educate yourself, learn from anyone and everyone. Follow your heart and do what you believe to be best, if you are passionate about something you need to action it. I found that my passion for this business erases anything remotely negative in my life, my passion is to touch peoples lives and add value to their existence, to educate them and to be a support structure and this in turn has done exactly that for me.

Sr.No

Company Name

Andrea Heuston, Artitudes Design Inc.

Alicia Asín, Libelium

Company Info Artitudes Design Inc. is a full-service graphic design ﬁrm based in the Seattle area. We deliver award-winning design solutions for your business www.ar tudesdesign.com

With 10000+ developers in the world’s largest companies and with deployments in 120 countries, Libelium is satisfying every IoT need of its clients. www.libelium.com

Betsy Bassan, Panagora Group, LLC

Christy Wyatt, Dtex Systems

Deborah Herman, Fabric Innovations

Panagora Group is a dependable small business partner providing highquality, high-impact social and economic development consulting. www.panagoragroup.net

Dtex Systems combines lightweight visibility with analytics to detect insider threat with actionable User Behavior Intelligence. www.dtexsystems.com

Irene Arango, NAMA Foods

Fabric Innovations is a design-driven fabric company providing bedding, drapery, and upholstery fabrics to the hospitality industry. www.fabricinnova ons.com

NAMA is a Raw Vegan Food Restaurant in London, based in Notting Hill, offering — beyond dining – raw food courses, raw food catering, detox with raw food, packages, and all manner of information on the raw vegan food lifestyle. www.namafoods.com

Jessica Del Guercio, Evoke Marketing

EVOKE is a boutique integrated marketing agency that develops and launches creative engagement strategies for lifestyle brands in Fairﬁeld and Westchester Counties. www.evokeny.com

Johnette van Eeden, Star Wellness ®

Star Wellness ® offers onsite corporate wellness screenings, which provides accessible, affordable, safe, comprehensive and proactive health assessments and screenings to the employees of its clients to help control healthcare costs. www.starwellnessusa.com

Karen Emanuel, Key Production (London) Ltd.

Be it vinyl pressing, CD manufacturing, DVD replication or special packaging, Key’s peerless project management service underpins our unrivalled commitment to consistently deliver, within budget and to deadline, beautifully realised product for the music and media industries. www.keyproduc on.co.uk

Kathy Kamei, Kathy Kamei

Kathy Kamei is a global jewelry brand and is popular for its products in categories such as earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and belt buckles. www.kathykamei.com 57

Sr.No

Company Name

Marci McCarthy, T.E.N

Company Info A national technology and a security executive marketing and networking organization, T.E.N. facilitates peer-to- peer relationships between top executives, industry visionaries and solution providers in the cybersecurity industry. www.ten-inc.com

Marina Tognetti, mYngle

Maureen Huber, Stratus Video

mYngle is an online language learning platform. www.myngle.com

Stratus Video is a language services company that is changing the way limited English proﬁciency patients communicate with their healthcare providers. www.stratusvideo.com

Maya Roth, CADFab Digital

CADFab Digital is a high-end digital printing and design house, serving the fashion, interior, textile and entertainment industries. www.cadfabdigital.com

Nicole, MartinHRBoost

HRBoost offers a full range of human resources services on both a consulting and outsourced basis. www.hrboost.com

Nina Simosko NTT Innovation Institute Inc (NTT I³)

Pam du Plessis, Invincible Valves

One of the world’s largest ICT companies, NTT i3 is focused on fostering strategic innovation. www.n 3.com

Invincible Valves offers a full range of low pressure valves, reconditioning service and an in-house rubber lining service for valves, pipes, ﬁttings, and vessels which is utilized by many of the country’s major valve manufacturers. www.invalve.co.za

Rebecca Kantar, Imbellus

Imbellus is a venture-backed technology company that is reinventing how we measure human potential. www.imbellus.com

Tabatha TurmanIntegrated Finance & Accounting Solutions, LLC

IFAS is a professional services firm that applies integrated finance and accounting solutions to every engagement to help clients build sustain, and maintain a profitable business model. www.ifas-llc.com

Tracy Balazs, FSR People

FSR is an award winning human resources and workforce solutions company that serves clients in both the public and private sector nationwide. www.fsrpeople.com

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