10 Best Companies of the year 2022

A Whole New World of Experiences Awaits at Saudi Arabia: Let Wafy Help You Embrace the Magic

Mohamed Abbas, Founder & CEO

EDITOR’S DESK

Arete!Nowthatisanextremelypowerful wordinancientGreekphilosophythat translatedintoexcellence.Initsbasicsense, thetermwastheultimateexpressionofaperson’s physical,spiritual,andmoralgreatness.

ToquoteAristotle–“Virtuesareformedinmanbyhisdoing theactions”.Interpretingthisquote,philosopherandwriterWillDurantsaid,“Weare whatwerepeatedlydo.Therefore,excellenceisnotanact,butahabit.”Thisistrue notjustforindividualsbutfororganizationsaswell.

Inthisissue“10BestCompaniestoWatch2022”,wearedelightedtointroduceyou toourlistofcompaniesthatworkandperformwithasimilarunderlyingprinciple. Whilecuratingthislist,wenoticedthatexcellencewasawayofdoingbusinessfor thesecompanies.Itwasfoundational,andbasedonthissolidfoundation,theyformed theirworkculture,definedthequalityoftheirmission&vision,businessapproach, andthedynamicstogetthingsdone.That’showthebestcompaniesremainthebestin theever-changingmarketplace.

Thesecompaniesconstantlyreinventthemselvesandoffergame-changinginnovations whilekeepingenvironmentalandsocietalimpactatthecenteroftheirendeavors.We congratulatethefeaturedcompaniesthathaveledinnovationinthemarketplaceand madetheirmarkasleadersanddecision-makers.

Best, DanielShelby ManagingEditor TheChief'sDigest

Editor-in-Chief : Christina Todd

Managing Editor : Daniel Shelby

Art Director-visualizers

Charles Richard

Sales & Marketing

Jonathan Henry

Business Development Executives

Racheal Williams

Jennifer Morris

Roman Parker

Relationship Manager

Joseph Edward Advertising Business Head

George Hagen

Publisher

Calvin Lloyd

10BestCompaniesoftheyear2022

MANAGEMENT COMPANYINBRIEF COMPANYNAME

Syncarioffersdataautomationplatformtoempowerbusiness leadersandoperatorstorestoredataconfidence,distribute trustedcustomerdataeverywhereit'sneeded,anddrive predictablegrowth.

Foundedin1998inSwitzerland,Medgateistheleading internationalprovideroftelemedicine,withoperationsin Switzerland,Germany,andthePhilippines.

Foundedin2013,Easyrainbringstogetherthepowerof innovationandtechnicalexpertisetoengineerpatentedsafety solutionsforepreventingroadfatalitiescausedbywetroads andlowgripconditions.

Conexiomoffersaplatformthatcaninstantlyextract, tranform,anddeliverdatafromunstructureddocumentsinto yoursystemofrecordandenabletradedocumentautomation.

FCILondonisthelargestcontemporaryshowroomfor furnitureandinteriorsinLondonshowcasingpiecesfrom over700oftheworld'smostexcitingdesignersand brands.

Forover43yearsintheworldofsalestrainingandcoaching, BakerCommunicationshelpsorganizationscreatesystems andprogramsthatfurtherimprovetheperformanceof individualsandteams.

DeltaPharmaisaleadingpharmaceuticalcompanyinthe Egyptianmarketaimingtostepupitsrankamongallother Arabianpharmaceuticalmanufacturers,tobecomeoneofthetop tengenericcompaniesintheregionwithintheupcomingyears.

Marvelutionstartedoutasawayforitsfounder,MarkRekveld,to sharehiscodingworkwiththeworld.Andhassincegrownintoa smallcompanythatprovidessoftwaredevelopmentconsultingand developmentofitsownsoftwarebeitopenorclosedsource.

NobleGoldInvestmentsisaleadingproviderofIRAapprovedprecious metalinvestments.ThefirmwasfoundedbyindustryveteransCharles Thorngren,CEO,andCollinPlume,President,withthemissionof educatingandprovidingoutstandingserviceandguidanceinprecious metalinvestments,soclientscanbetterprepareforthefutureandhave peaceofmindthattheirassetsaresafeandsecure.

Syncari

Medgate

EasyRain

ConexiomInc

RayGrady President&CEO

NobleGoldInvestments

WafyApp MohamedAbbas CEO&Founder

WafyAppisaninteractiveplatformthatoffersa completeguidetotourism,culture,sports,and entertainmenteventsinSaudiArabia.

MarvelutionB.V MarkRekveld Founder

FCILondon

BakerCommunications

DelthaPharma

NickBonfiglio CEO&Co-Founder

StavrosAthanasiou President GiovanniBlandina CEO &Founder

FirdausNagree CEO

MariaFrancescaAceti CEO

CollinPlume CEO

WalterRogers, President, Chairman&CEO

A Whole New World of Experiences Awaits at Saudi Arabia: Let Wafy Help You Embrace the Magic

Mohamed Abbas, Founder & CEO

SaudiArabiaisundoubtedlyan incredibleandenigmatictourist destination.Fromancientcities, palm-shadedoases,anddesert landscapestoadventureexperiences, theKingdomofSaudiArabiahas muchtooffertoeveryonewhocomes foravisit.But,howdoyoudiscover andexploresuchadynamic destination?

That'swhatyouneedtoaskWafy App.

Findingpopularandhappeningevents nearbyisn'teasyindeed.It's challengingfororganizersaswellto getthebestpossibleexposurefortheir events.That'swheretheSaudi-based andhighlycredibleWafyAppcomes intobridgethegapbetweenbothends andhelpitsusersdiscoverwhat's happeningintown.

Wafyisaninteractiveplatform offeringacompleteguidetotourism, culture,sports,andentertainment eventsinSaudiArabia.Wafy'smission istomarketSaudiArabiatotheworld, andtheydoitbysimplifyingand

offeringatonofoptionsforevents, experiences,andlocationstogotofor allSaudiexpatsandtourists.

WafyApp:ALivelyGuideofAll EventsTakingPlaceinSaudi's PopularCities

WafycoverscontentinCulture, Tourism,Sport,andEntertainment

TheWafyplatformhasbeenproviding onlineaudienceswithqualitySaudifocusedcontent,particularlyonculture, tourism,entertainment,andsports, sinceitsinceptionin2016.This includescultureandtourismarticles referencedfromrespectedsourcesas wellascomprehensivecoverageofall entertainmentandsportingfestivalsand events.

Theplatformalsoenablesuserstoget theirsearchresultstailoredtotheir preferenceswhenevertheyareplanning togosomewhereorattendanevent, dependingontheirlocation.Whether usersareplanningtotravelwiththeir familyorfriends,Wafycancustomize informationbasedonthataswell.

Wafyisthe#1ContentAggregator inSaudiArabiaofferingavariety ofoptions

Theplatformhasdevelopedto becomethenumber,mosttrusted contentaggregatorinSaudiArabia. Ittakesusersonajourneywhere theycanreadarticlesaboutSaudi Arabia,bookticketstogototheir favoriteevents,andsearchfor locationsofinterestacross categorizedlists.Wafy'sroleas aggregatorpositionstheplatformas asolidalternativetodownloading tensofotherapps.

Wafyappealstoallaudience segmentsfromeventgoersto experienceseekersandreaders

Regardlessofageorgender everyonecanenjoytheplatform. Whetheryouarelookingforan easilyaccessibleevent,adeeperand exceptionalexperience,orsimply tryingtolearnaboutSaudiculture andvarioustouristdestinations,the Wafyappandwebsitehaveyou morethancovered.

Wafy strives to become the preferred platform of discovery and connection for the nation, region and eventually the world in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.

WafyIsaSuperApp

You'veheardthetermbeforebutthis iswhereyoureallygettoexperience it.TheWafyAppisaSuperApp,to saytheleastboastingofferingsthat wouldneedmorethan60appsto cover,whereeventandexperience coveragesortickets–orcontentto readalong.

WafyplaysonFOMO

Weliveinafast-pacedworldwhere everythingjusthappenedorisabout to.Wafyconquersauniqueselling propositionwhenitcomestoevents andexperiences.FOMOisamajor partoftheirbrandDNAanddelivers throughouttheWafyoverall experience.ThisiswhatmakesWafy continuouslyabuzzingplatform amongstitsusers.Eventorganizersget thisverywelltoo.Businesseshave seengeneratedtrafficviaWafythat reachedestimatedhundredsof millionsofSaudiRiyalsinayear's time.

WafyisPlatformRobust

Wafy'sextremelyuser-friendly interfacecomeswithaverywelldevelopedbackendthatreflectsthe system'srobustness.Thistranslates intotheplatformbeing100%crashfreeanditsrecordofexponential growthintrafficanddownloads.The offeringisexcellinginmonetizingand beingtransactionalwithawhopping conversionrateinexcessof80%.

Wafy'sContentMethodology

Wafy'scontentmethodologyisbased onfivepillars:

• Educate:Allwritersandreporters producearticlesontrendingtopics daily

• Remind:Contentcreatorspublish

listswithcarefullycurated recommendations.

• Transact:Ticketingeventsand experiencesarebasedon interest.

• Share/rateandreview:Optimize reachthroughuser-generated contentanduserreviews.

• Re-attract:Growuseradvocacy bydeliveringarichand personalizedjourney

ExploringSaudiIsSimplerwith Wafy

Employingsmarttechnology includingfiltersandasmartsearch system,Wafyallowsuserstoaccess afullrangeofinformationwith minimaltimeandeffort,ensuring theirentireexperienceissimpleand appealing.

Asmentionedearlier,Wafyhasa databaseofthousandsofarticlesand listsallarchived.Thearticles,lists, events,experiences,andplaces conveythousandsofstoriescovering arangeofinterestsincludingculture, heritage,touristdestinations,and tripsaroundSaudiregions.The platform'sspeciallistsalsoaimto makeyournexttripaseasyas possible.Youcanchoosefromlists thatrecommendcafes,restaurants shoppingmalls,parks,cultural places,historicalsites,orseasonal eventsacrossdifferentSaudicities.

Aspartoftheongoingeffortsto ensureWafyisthenumberoneSaudi platformspecializinginculture, tourism,sports,andentertainment, Wafyteamalwaysstrivestoboost theservicesandaddnewproductsso thatexploringtheKingdom continuestobeanenjoyable experience.

GrowingBeyondtheBorders

ThereisnowaythatWafyremains restrictedtoasinglecountryor geography.Therearenoconfirmed newsorreportsatthemoment,yetall factorsseemtoindicatethatthe platformisexpandingandisexpected tolandnewterritoriessoonerthan expected.Wafy'sinternational ambitionscanbeonlyamatterof timebeforetheyturnintorealities, servingusersallaroundtheglobeand notjustSaudiArabia.

Besides,Wafyhastakenthestepto improveitsglobalreachbyadding contentinninelanguagesincluding EnglishandArabic.Thisnewmove aimstointroducereadersfromaround theworldtoSaudiprojectsthat improvethequalityoflife,attract touristsandelevateinvestmentinthe Kingdom.Thenewlanguagesare Chinese,German,Spanish,French, Turkish,Urdu,andBalinese.

WhenWafyoperatedwithonly EnglishandArabicasitsmain languages,itgenerated1.5million viewsmonthly Withnewlanguages addedtoWafy,theplatformwillbe abletoreach63percentoftheglobal population.

MeetTheInfluentialLeader MohamedAbbas

MohamedistheCEOandfounderof WafywhoalsofoundedandleadsGT Medical.Heisasuccessful entrepreneurwhohasestablished multiplecompaniesandgarnered localandinternationalattention. Forbesrecentlynamedhimasoneof 10inspiringbusinesspeopletowatch intheMiddleEast.Aninterviewwith theCEOhasbeenrequestedfor furtherinsights.

Executivescontinuetodisagree onsomeofthemostimportant measuresofacompany'shealth, suchashowmanycustomersitmight have,howmanycustomerschurnedin thepreviousquarter,andwhattheARR is.Why?Everydepartmenthasitsown systemofrecordor“sourceoftruth” andtherehasn'tyetbeenamarket-ready solutiontokeepeachsourceoftruthin syncwithtrustworthy,accuratedata–untilnow.

That'swhere comesinwithits Syncari dataautomationplatform,empowering businessleadersandoperatorstorestore dataconfidence,distributetrusted customerdataeverywhereit'sneeded, anddrivepredictablegrowth.

ExcerptsfromTheChief'sDigest's interactionwithSyncari'sthought leaders

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhavecustomers'responses shapedthemovertheyears?

Speedisthenameofthegamefor companiesonarapidgrowthtrajectory.

Data Confidence: A Problem That Syncari Solves with Data Automation

Nick, CEO & Co-Founder

RevOpsprofessionalsareempowered bytheSyncaridataautomationplatform toalign,analyzeandactivatedata throughoutthego-to-markettechstack, fromleadstobillings.Companieslike Conga,HylandSoftware,andDeelare finallyachievingdatainteroperability acrosstheirsystemsinthecustomer journeythankstoSyncari'spatentpendingmulti-directionalsyncengine anddata-model-drivenapproachto integrationandautomation. Additionally,SyncariEmbedisfor companieswhowanttoefficientlysync, unifyandmanagetheircustomer'sdata, toaccelerateuseradoption.Syncari Embedisacost-effectivesolutionto reducebarrierstoproductuptakeand providebettercustomerexperiencesby utilizingtheSyncariPlatformofAPIs andourecosystemofapps,workflows, andunifieddata.

Everybusiness,bigorsmall,getsits fairshareofchallenges,especially duringtheinitialdays.Tellusabout yourchallengesandhowyou managedtoovercomethem.

Syncaristartedoutasadecentralized workforce.Ouremployees'safetyand healthbecameatoppriorityduringthe pandemic,andaremote-firstculturewas born.Ourteamsworkacrossthree differentcountriesandfivedistincttime zones.

Onwhatidealsareyourworkculture andbusinessethicsbased?

Weestablishedaculturewherepeople comefirst,thenprocessesand technology.Incorporatingthepowerof teamSyncariwithreal-timeproductivity applicationssuchasGoogleMeet, Slack,andteamevents,wewereableto maintainthestatusquoevenwhen everyoneelsestartedheadingbackto work.

Forexample,VarshaNeelesh,VPof EngineeringatSyncari,manageda remoteyethighlyproductiveteam.How didshedoit?Sheemphasizedthe importanceofitsbenefitssuchasanocommuteexperience,morededicated timetofocus,flexibility,familytime, andworkinpajamas.Wheretherewere challengesthatincludedonboarding

newhires,multipletimezones, commonmeetingslots,andlackof watercoolerconversationsor facetime,shecreatedsolutions.This includedanincreaseintechnologyand producttrainingsessions,andthe abilitytoidentifyoverlappedtimeand makeefficientuseofit,including continuousasynchronous communicationtomore documentationandhuddles.

Likeoneofourgreatestcorevaluesas aSyncaroo,Varshabroughttogether thepeople,process,andplanning.

Thebestpart?ThroughtheSyncaroo awardprogram,Syncarirewarded outstandingteammembersona quarterlybasis,specificallyemployees whogoaboveandbeyondanduphold thecompany'scorevalues.Shoutouts likeHugaroosarealsoencouraged dailyasawayforpeerstorecognize eachother'sachievementsatthe corporateleveloninternalmessaging appslikeSlack.

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyour successasanorganization?

AtSyncari,webelievethatyoucan unlockgo-to-marketteamproductivity byempoweringyoursellerswithclean completedataeverywhere.Thismeans adistributedcustomer360°view, surfacingdatathatthesalesteam didn'tpreviouslyhaveaccesstoand wastrappedinothersystems.Syncari ensuresforecastaccuracybyswiftly locatingandcorrectinginaccurate, incomplete,andduplicatedata throughouttherevenueecosystemto deliverafairandaccurateperspective ofthebusiness.Byintegratingbuyer andcustomertouchpointsfrom marketing,product,finance,and customersuccesswithsalesactivities, Syncarialsomakesitpossiblefor dynamic,collaborativeeffortswiththe mostreal-timeinformation.

Whatdoyouthinkisauniqueaspect ofyourbusiness?

TheproblemSyncarisolvesiswellknown:inaccurate,incompleteor inaccessibledataleadstobadbusiness outcomes.Anditalsoisn'tnew The needtointegrateandmanagethe explosionofdataacrossappshasbeen aroundforyearsnow Theunfortunate realityisthattherestillisn'tasolution, andtheconsequencesaremounting. AcrossSales,Marketing,Finance,and RevOpsteams--inaccurate,incomplete, andinaccessibledataleadstotimewastingmanualclean-up,poor decisions,brokencustomerexperiences, andultimatelylostbusiness.

Syncarihelpsrevenueleaderstakeback controloftheirdatabymakingittrusted andaccessibleintheappswherepeople responsibleforkeypartsofthecustomer journeyactuallywork.

Theoperationsanddataprofessionals whointeractwithdataeverydayuse Syncaritocreateaunifiedcustomer viewacrosssystemsandstand-up automatedprocessestonormalize, clean,andenrichthatviewcentrally-withoutwritingcodeorwaitingon resource-constrainedITordatascience teams.Syncarithendeliversaccurate databackintotheappsusedbyrevenue teamsandmaintainsapp synchronization.Werefertothisas multi-directionalsync,anditisoneof ourcoreinventions,madepossibleby thecombined30+yearsthatour foundingteamspentatMarketo,where theyinventedmarketingautomation madepossiblebythe Salesforce/Marketobi-directionalsync.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Syncarisitsattheintersectionofthree keytrends:theriseoflow-code/no-code tools,theshiftfrombigdatato actionableinsights,andtheemergence ofRevOps.

Unlikeotherdatamanagementand integrationtechnology,Syncariisa stateful,multi-directionalsyncengine thatprovidesthoseresponsiblefor customerdatawithresilientand governedaccesstothedatatheyrequire, syncedacrosssystemsautomatically Thisismadefeasiblebyaunifieddata modelthatwedevelopandfine-tune withourcustomers,enablingsystemsin thetechstacktocommunicateina commonlanguage.

Syncariwillcontinuetodevelopthe Syncariplatformsothatmoreuserscan notjustmanageandaccessdata,but alsorealizegreatervaluefromitthrough investmentsinAI/ML,reporting,and broaderconnectivity...

PillarsofStrength NickBonfiglio

NickistheCEOandCo-Founderof Syncari,wherehe'shelpingGTMteams solvecostlydatainconsistenciesacross theirtechstackwithcomplete,no-code dataautomation.PriortoSyncari,Nick wasCo-FounderandCEOatAptrinsic (acquiredbyGainsight)andEVP, GlobalProductatMarketo(acquiredby Adobe)wherehebothsolvedthesync problemacrosssystemsandplayeda roleintheriseofnewrolesinthe enterpriselikeRevOps,MarketingOps, andCustomerSuccessOps.

NeeleshShastry

NeeleshistheCTOandCo-Founderof Syncari.Helovesbeingontheedgeof productsandtechnology.Hewas previouslyatechnologyleaderat Marketo,SuccessFactors,andOracle buildingscalabledata,streaming,and searchservices.

“Syncari helps revenue leaders take back control of their data by making it trusted and accessible in the apps where people responsible for key parts of the customer journey actually work.”

Onecompanythathasbeen leadingtheworldofsales trainingandcoachingforover 43yearsisBakerCommunications. Besidesitscustomerbasewhichlooks liketheS&PandNasdaqindexes combined,thiscompanyhasbeen quietlychangingthelandscapeofsales readinessfortheentiresalesindustry.

AccordingtoJoeDiDonato,Baker's ChiefofStaff,“Twoproblemsthathave plaguedallsalesorganizationsarelow quotaachievementandhighturnover.” Hewentontosay,“Only47%ofsellers achievetheirquotagoals,andturnover averages34.7%acrosstheentire industry Thatmeansthat53%ofsellers aremissingtheirgoalsandoverathird ofacompany'ssalesteamisbrandnew eachyear Togetherthat's87.7%ofa company'ssalesteamthatisn'tpulling theirweight–andconversely,12.3%of thesalesteamiscarryingtheload.If thoseareyournumbers,yoursales readinessscoreis12.3%outof100%.”

Thecompanywentontosaythatonthe highendoftheturnovermetricare

Give Your Organization a New Edge with Data-Driven Sales Enablement

Walter Rogers, President, Chairman & CEO

companieswithturnoverratesof5055%.Ifthat'shappeningtoyoursales team,thenBakersaysthatin combinationwithnon-quota-achieving reps,itdropsyoursalesreadinessscore intotheminus.Andthat'susuallythe pointwhereSalesVPsturnoverthe reinstoasuccessor.

That'sthestateofthesalesindustry today,accordingtoBaker.It'sno wonderthattenureinmostsalesteams ispracticallynon-existent.Accordingto HubSpot,whichtrackstheseturnover numbers,theaveragesalesreptenureis 18months.Unfortunately,salesrepshit theirpeakperformancebetweentwoand threeyearsintheirroleaccordingto theirstatistics.AndaccordingtoZippia statistics,43%ofSalesVicePresidents leaveintheirfirst2yearsonthejob, whichspeakstothatlackofsalesteam performance,and62%aregoneinunder 4years.

So,what'sBakerdoingaboutthese problems?

“Wereplacedopinionwithdata,” accordingtoWalterRogers,theCEOof

BakerCommunications.“Ifyoustart withthepremisethatallsalespeopleare reasonablygoodatselling,howdoyou accuratelypicktherightonesforyour team…andthespecificjobrole…andfor yourspecificindustry?”Hewentonto explainthatwe'vearmedourhealthcare professionalswithdatafromlabwork, MRIs,X-rays,andotherteststoassist themwithdiagnosingourhealth problems,so“whynotgivesalesteams thedatatheyneedtoimprovetheirability tohiretherightpeopleandhelpexisting teammembersimprovetheirskills?”

Wehadtoagreewithhimthatwiththose turnoverrates,the'picker'toolsthatare beingusedbysalesmanagementare prettymuchonlyslightlybetterthanthe flipofacoin,andinsomecaseswhere turnoverwasover50%,evenlessthan thecoinflipodds.So,wejustcouldn'tlet thetopicgo,andwedugalittledeeper

Tellusmore!

Well,itturnsoutthatBakerusesa databaseofinformationonover2.2 millionsellersin35,000+companies,

200industries,and155countriesto improvetheoddsofhiringtheright people,aswellasidentifystrengthsand weaknessesintheexistingstaff.They usethatdatatohome-inonaUnique RepProfile(URP)foraparticularsales position,inaspecificcompany,that sellsinaspecificindustry Atthatpoint, newhirecandidatesareevaluated againstthathiringprofile.That“turns offthefaucet”sotospeakonhiringthe wrongcandidates.

Next,theyhelptheircustomerscreate URPsforallthevariousjobroleson theirsalesteams,fromAccount ExecutivestoInsideSalesRepsto NationalAccountRepstoBDRs.Once thoseURPsareinplace,theycompare thesellersinaspecificroletothatURP andthey'reabletoidentifytheir strengthsandweaknessesbycomparing themtotheseveralmillionrepsinthe database.

Doesitwork?

The“PredictiveIndex”is91%and validatedbya3rdpartyaccrediting service.Buttherealtestcomesatthe companylevel.AccordingtoDiDonato, “Ifthedatatellsyoutohirean individual,thatpersonhasa92% chanceofmakingittothetophalfof performersonyoursalesteaminless than12months.Ifthedatatellsyounot tohire,andyouignoreit,75%ofthose individualswillleavewithin6months.”

Thecompanywentontosaythatthe datatheyhaveaccesstofromOMG–thecompanytheypartnerwithto analyzethedata–showsthatafterusing datatodrivehiringandtraining decisions,customersareseeinga62% reductioninturnoverratesandan88% increaseinthenumberofrepsmaking quota.Thesearethekindofresultsthat willchangehowtrainingandhiringwill bedoneinthefuture.Baker Communicationscallsthiseffort“Baker 2.0.”Fromourperspective,wethinkit shouldbecalled“Sales2.0.”

What'sNextforBaker Communications?

Withthosekindsofimprovements,you wouldthinkthattheBakerteamwould restontheirlaurelsandlettherestof thesalestrainingindustrycatchup.But that'snotwhatthey'redoing.Weasked themwhatelsetheyareworkingon,and thisiswhattheyshared.

“We'rebuildinganAItoolthatwe're callingFuel-IQ™,”reportedGary Margolis,Baker'sChiefTechnology Officer.“Itspurposeistotakeallthe datathatwe'vecollectedfromthe assessmentdataandmakeiteasyfor salesexecutivesandthesales enablementteamtovisualizewhereskill gapsexistontheirteams.That informationallowsthemtofocuson specificgapsandquicklyeliminate them,”Garywentontosay.“Ourvision forthetoolistotakeallofthedata we'vecollectedandletFuel-IQ™map skillgapstotargetedlearningand coachingsolutions-andthenprepare personalizedlearningpaths.”

Accordingtothecompany,thatdatais alreadybeingusedforthatpurposeby theircustomers,buttheprocessis manual.Fuel-IQ™willuseAItodothat 'mapping'inamatterofseconds. Insteadofsendingsellersthrough materialtheyalreadyknow,thesystem willonlyshowtheminformationthat theyneedtoclosetheirskillgap.

“Thenetresultisthatwe'redrastically reducingthetimetopeakperformance. Insteadofsendingthemthrough27 modulesoftraining,thesystemmay onlypick5modulesinaparticular seller'spersonalizedlearningpath,” explainedJoeDiDonato.“Ifeach moduleoftrainingamountedtoanhour oftraining,we'rereducingthetraining from27hoursto5hoursforthat particularindividual.”

Whenweaskedwhytheywouldwantto reducethetrainingtime,DiDonato explainedthatasellerwhocarriesa

$1,000,000quotagenerates$500in saleseveryhourduringtheworkyear “Ourgoalistominimizethetraining timeandmaximizethesellingtime,” explainedWalterRogers.Hewentonto explainthatreducingthetimeintraining bypersonalizingthetrainingisthe“holy grail”oftrainingandsomethingthat customershavebeenrequestingfor decades.

WhyweselectedBaker Communicationsasoneofthe10Best Companiesin2022?

Ifit'snotcompletelyobviousatthis point,BakerCommunicationsis changingtheworldofsalesentirely To useWalterRoger'sanalogy,it's analogoustogivingthemedical professiondiagnostictoolstohelpthem betterdiagnoseapatient'sdisease spectrumandthenpointingthemdowna pathoftreatmentthat'smoreaccurate thanwhatphysicianscoulddobefore theyhadthosediagnostictools.

WethinkBakerCommunicationsisthe numberonethoughtleaderintheworld ofsales,andthattheirdata-drivensales enablementapproachislightyears aheadoftheircompetition.Our congratulationsandthankstotheBaker teamfortheirgreatcontributiontothe salesindustry.

TheManBehindBaker Communications

WalterRogers,President,Chairman& CEO

“In partnership with organizations worldwide, we help create systems and programs that further improve the performance of individuals and teams, ultimately creating greater value for their customers, themselves, and their communities.”

Forbusinessesthatarestill manuallyprocessingemailed documentslikepurchaseorders, APinvoices,andorder acknowledgments,Conexiomcan alleviateyourteamfrommanualdata entry.Conexiom'sproprietaryTouchless automationtechnologyinstantlyextracts thedatafromcomplexbusiness documentswith100%accuracy, transformsthedatatoitsfinalformat accordingtopredeterminedbusiness rulesandlogic,anddeliversthecorrect datadirectlytoyourtechnologysystem. Asaresult,emaileddocumentsare processedquicklyandaccurately withoutahumanintheloop.

Excerpts from The Chief's Digest conversation with Ray Grady, CEO & President, Conexiom

Whatareyourcompanyofferings?

Howhavecustomerresponsesshaped themovertheyears?

We'reanautomationplatformspecificto thetransactionsthatsitinsidea company'sorder-to-cashprocess, procure-to-payprocess,orwithintheir

A Dialogue with Ray Grady on How Conexiom Can Transform Businesses with Trade Document Automation

Ray Grady, CEO & President

supplychainactivities.Weinitially startedbyautomatingsalesorders nearlytwodecadesago.Fastforwardto 2022,45%ofeveryordera manufacturerdistributorreceivesis manual,meaningtheircustomerswillgo totheERPsystemandcreateanorder Theywillthenattachitviaemailand sendittothecustomer.That'sthe problemwehavehistoricallysolvedfor customers.

Whatwerealizedistherearespecific attributesinasalesorder.It's transactionalinnature.Thedatamoves aroundinthatdocument,andthereis businesslogicspecifictoeverytrading partnerthatisunique.Besides,thereare lookupsandthingsthathavetohappen fromanERPperspectivetotranslate whatthecustomerwantsversuswhat ourcustomercalleditintheirERP system.

So,welookedatthoseattributesand said,youknowanAPinvoicehasavery similarsetofattributestoasalesorder Wealsolookedatthesupplychainand saidthingslikeanorder acknowledgment,oradvanceshipnotice

havesimilarattributes.Ourcustomers haveguidedus;we'velookedatthose attributesandnowhaveaplatformthat cansupportthesupplychain,AP,and sales.

Everybusiness,bigorsmall,getsits fairshareofchallenges,especially duringtheinitialdays.Tellusabout yourchallengesandhowyou managedtoovercomethem.

Whenwestarted,itwasjustanidea. Thereweren'tmanycompaniesoutthere thateventhoughtaboutautomatinga complexdocumentlikeasalesorder. Wewerekindofgoingaboutsomething alittlebitdifferently,andtheysurely didn'tthinkonecoulddoitwith100% accuracy.So,whatwestruggledwith then,eventoalesserdegree,struggle withnowishavingcustomersbelieving wecandowhatwedo.

Today,wehavemorethan500customer referencesthatcanpickupthephone andsay,'Yeah,theseguyshavedone thisforme,andit'satouchlessoutcome. I'vebeenabletoremovethehuman fromtheloopandhavethemdomore

valuabletasks.'Butwhenwefirststarted out,itwasn'tlikewewereanewentrant inanestablishedmarketplace.Wewere establishingamarketplaceanda companyatthesametime.

Onwhatidealsareyourworkculture andbusinessethicsbased?

Wetakeourvisionandvaluesreally seriouslytothepointwherewewalkall ofournewemployeesjoiningus throughthecorevaluesofthebusiness. Ourvaluesareprettystraightforward. First,wecareforeachother.Thiscanbe anintensejobaswe'redoingamissioncriticaltaskforasetofcustomers,but ultimately,wewanttoworktogether andmakesurewearehavingfun.

Wewanttoholdeverybodyaccountable. That'sanothervalue.Weholdourselves accountable.Wewanttomakeour customersheroes.Weovercommunicatewitheachother,andthen, wewanttomakechangeforthebetterin thecommunities,andwewanttobe inclusive.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereissomesortofformulato besuccessful?

Thereareanumberofwaysonecould definesuccess.Howwedefineitat Conexiomisthatwelookatour customerNPSveryseriously.It'sagreat indicatorofifwearebeingsuccessfulin deliveringvaluetoourcustomersand exploringourcustomer'ssentiments whenitcomestohowweareserving them.Wealsolookatitviathingslike G2Crowd.

WealsothenlookatourENPS,our employeenetpromoterscore.It's importantforustoknowifwearedoing agoodjobofmakingthisagreatplace towork.Dopeopletakethistobea platformtobuildofftheircareers?Do weseepeopleprogressingintheir careers,gettingpromoted,takingon newresponsibilities,etc.,whichwe've proudlybeenabletodoovertheyears?

Andthen,obviously,therearethe financialmetricsthatcanultimately showtothemarketandourinvestors. Arewemakingprogress?Arewe growing?Areourbookingsgrowing?Is ourprofitinlinewiththebest-in-class business?Isourretentioninlinewith thebest-in-classbusiness?Allofthose factorsarehowwemeasuresuccess.

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyoursuccess asanorganization?

We'reluckytositinatotaladdressable market.It'samulti-trillion-dollarTAM acrossEuropeandintheU.S.We'realso seeingthatmanualentryisaproblem thateveryonehas.Ifyoulookatsmall tolargeenterprisecompanies,theyhave peopledoingmanualtasksthatarenot value-added,andthecompanywould ratherhavethosepeopledoingother thingstohelpmovetheneedleforthe business.

Anothercontributingfactoristhings thatarehappeningintheworldtoday Weautomatecomplextradedocuments inthesupplychain,whichinturnfrees peopleuptogo,andspendtimeto identifyhowtosolveacustomer problemduetoasupplychainchallenge thatisreallyrelevantintoday's marketplace.Wedelivertechnologythat willallowacustomertomaybenothave ahumaninthelooptodocertaintasks inaworldwherewearenowfacedwith theGreatResignationwhereit'shardto hirepeople.That'sarealvalue-added component.

Whatdoyouthinkisauniqueaspect ofyourbusiness?

Ithinkoneofthemostuniqueaspectsof ourbusinessisthefactthatwecan deliverrealvaluetoa$10Million family-owneddistributor,andonthe samedaywecandeliverthesamevalue toExxon,ortoHoneywell.Ithinka uniqueattributeofthisbusinessisthe abilitytogrowthosesegments concurrently.It'salmosta50/50split

betweenbookingsinrevenuebetween ourenterprisecustomersandourmidmarketcustomers.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

We'regoingtocontinuetogrow.Ithink automationisgoingtobecomemoreand moretopical,andsincewe'reintheright space,you'llseeusevolve,innovateand rolltechnologiesoutthatwillmakeit easiertogetourcustomerslive.

Ithinkyou'llseethepowerofmachine learningreallykickintoourbusiness. Ourcustomersneedtogetupand runningasfastaspossiblesotheycan starttopayoffthebusinesscase.We willmakeinvestmentsthatwillhelpour customersachievethosegoals,andquite quicklythemarketwillseeusbecome muchmoreofaninternationalbrand thatwearetoday.

KnowingRayGrady

Raybringsmorethan20yearsof experienceinscalinghigh-growthB2B organizationsandleadsthecompanyin designingandexecutingConexiom's vision,strategicgrowthplans,and companyoperations.

RaycomestoConexiomfrom SalesforceB2BCommerce,wherehe heldtheroleofSVP,COO,andGM. Previously,GradywasPresidentand COOofCloudCraze,whereheledthe companythroughits2018acquisition bySalesforce.Grady'sextensive experiencealsoincludesrolesasSVP andGMofAcquia,oneofthefastestgrowingSaaSprovidersintheworld, andtheco-founderofAcquityGroup, whichwentpublicin2012beforebeing acquiredbyAccentureInteractivein 2013.

“We want our company to look like the communities where we live. We really try to adhere and align to the values of the business and stay true to them every day.”

Delivering High-Quality Food Supplements Made of Innovative and Natural Raw Materials

Maria Francesca Aceti, CEO

InourinterviewwithMaria FrancescaAceti,

CEO,

Deltha Pharma,shespeaksofher journeywithDelthaPharmaand howthefirmaimsatsolvingthe issueofvitaminandmineral inadequaciesinourdiet.Herstory oftherevivalofDelthaPharmais theepitomeofhowtoughtimescan beovercomewithperseveranceand determination.Here'sanedited excerptfromourconversation.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea orconceptforyourbusiness?

DelthaPharmawasfoundedin2009 bydoctorsandpharmacists,whowere interestedinthesupplementand nutraceuticalfield.

Myfatherhadinvestedinthis developerandmarketerofhighqualityfoodsupplements,but unfortunately,thecompanywasnear bankruptcysoonafteritsfounding. WhenIlearnedthatthecompanywas strugglingtosurviveandmyfather couldlosehismoney,Idecidedto stepintotheleadershiproletosaveit. TheoldCEOhadgivenup,soI decidedtotryandsaveittominimize myfather'sloss.

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

WhenIstartedmybusiness,Itook multiplestepstoensurethe company'sgrowthandsuccess.Ifirst

madesomeimportantpivotsinthe productdevelopmentprocessafter thinkingaboutwhatpeoplewanted.I changedrawmaterialsthatwerebeing usedtomakesupplements,buying onlythenewestandthebestavailable inthemarket,suchasnanoparticles andvegetablestemcells.Myaimwas andstillistomakeonlyveryhighqualitynewproductsandofferunique productstocustomers.

Duringtheseyears,Ihavelearnedthat consumershavebecomeawareofthe sourcesofingredientsandaremuch moreinterestedinthenaturalones. Withthisinmind,wehavemadeour productsusingnaturalingredientswith vegetableandgastro-resistantcapsules withouttitaniumdioxideandheavy

metals.Therawmaterialsweselect arecertifiedbyItaliancompaniesand madefrominnovativetechnologies. Infact,ourproductbasedonOmega3iscertifiedIFOS5stars–themost well-knowncertificationwhich ensurestransparencyandquality

Everybusiness,bigorsmall,getsits fairshareofchallenges,especially duringtheinitialdays.Tellusabout yourchallengesandhowyou managedtoovercomethem.

WhenIbecametheCEOofDeltha Pharma,Iwasveryyoung-awoman withnoexperienceinthe pharmaceuticalfield.TheCompany hadhugedebts,andtosaveit,I decidedtomakeadebtrestructuring tocreatenewproductsandanew salesnetwork.Itwashardbecause nobodyreallythoughtIwasgoingto makeit.ThefirstchallengeIhadto facewastomakesalesagents, customers,suppliers,employees,and allKOLstrustme.Itwasreallyhard though.However,Iovercameitwith hardwork,consistency,keeping promises,andintroducingcertain crucialchangesinthecompany's businessmodel.Therefore,Imanaged toraisethefortunesofthecompany withinayear.

Onwhatidealsareyourwork cultureandbusinessethicsbased?

Ithinkthataflourishingworkculture influencesallaspectsofabusiness andthepeoplewithinit.Oneofthe crucialelementsIconsideristheir work-lifebalance.Thehappinessof myemployeesmatterstome,andI wantourworkplacetobeaplacethat respectstheirlivesasawhole.Hence, ourofficescloseat4.40pmsothatall myemployees,includingme,can spendtimewithourfamilies.

Besides,inourheadquarter,children arewelcometocomealongwiththeir parentstowork.That'showIknowall myemployees'children.Evenmy daughterlovestobeattheofficewith me.So,Ireallyfeellikeweareabig familyandnotjustpeoplewhoknow eachotheronlybecauseoftheirwork. Wehavealsoimplementedasystem ofwelfarewhichincludesmedical insuranceaswell.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Overthelastfewyears,manythings havechanged.Sincetheoutbreakof Covid-19,thereisalotofinterestin stayinghealthy,andthegreatest challengeisnottoextendlifebutto expandit.Allovertheworld,thereis stillaninadequateintakeofvitamins andmineralsinthediet:only1in10 adultsconsumestheamountoffruit andvegetablesrecommendedbythe guidelines,anditisscientifically proventhatsupplementingourdiet couldpreventmanydiseases.So,I wouldreallyliketospreadthe messagethataqualitysupplementcan helpyouimproveyourhealthandlife.

Nowthemacroareasofmyinterest aredigitization,eco-sustainability, andexportarea.Ihavejustdecidedto applyforanESGrating,infact,we arecommittedtoachievingfully sustainablemanagement.Thispathis basedonmaximumcommitmentand totaltransparencyinorderto implementanenvironmental sustainabilitystrategythat encompasseseveryaspectofthe company'soperations.ThenIhave beenactivelyworkingforseveral monthsonthedigitizationofall companydepartments,fromthe warehouseandlogisticsoperationto

theadministration;fromthe managementofthesalesnetworkto themarketingcampaigns,by interfacingwithdifferentERPs, CRM,andsoftwareofmarketing automationwitheachotherandwith governmentdatabaseusing blockchaintechnology.Overthe comingmonths,Ihaveplannedof puttinganewproductinthemarketof ourliverline,the“EpatorilPro”and inthenextyearanewlineofproducts informofgummiesforwomenand children,whichiscalledasmy daughter“Penelope”.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

WhenItookthehelmofDeltha Pharma,theCompanyhadhuge debts,wegotevictedfromouroffices. However,Ineverlostheart:Ihadto takeimmediatemeasurestoimprove howtomanagethecashflow.Ihadto cutunnecessarycostsbyworking aroundtheclockonfinancial statementsandnegotiatingcredits fromsuppliersasfarasIcould withoutitdamagingourrelationships.

Everydecisionworemeout,butI neverthoughtIwouldn'tmakeit. Withtime,thesuppliersbegantotrust me,however,theturnoverwasn'thigh enough,maybeitwastoomuchfora younggirlwithsomuchtheoryinher headandlittlepracticeonher shoulders.Myclearvisionand missionhelpedmetogothroughthis journeyandtheresultsdidn'twaitto come.Duringthese11yearsthatI havebeenleadingthecompany,I made“quality,safety,andefficacy” mymotto;Ihaveayoungand dynamicteam,madeupofvarious figures,engagedinthecontinuous searchfornewrawmaterialsandin thedevelopmentofnaturalproducts

thatguaranteethehighestlevelsof quality,safety,andefficacy,in compliancewithfirmethicaland moralprinciplesandthereforethey arereallyusefulforthewell-beingof theusers.

In2019Istartedacooperationwith oneofthemostimportantuniversities inItaly:UniversitàCattolicadel SacroCuore.Togetherweformulated averyspecialprobiotic,onwhichwe madesomeclinicaltrialsatthe PoliclinicoA.GemelliofRomethis producthasbeenpatentedbythe universityitselfandwehavean exclusivemarketinglicenseforthe wholeworld.

OneofthebestfieldsIdecidedto focusourdevelopmentonwasdigital marketingandthedigitalizationofthe company.Idecidedtoonboardthe mostimportante-commerceplatforms intheworld,bothb2bandb2C,and webecameonethebestdealerson AmazonandAlibaba.com.Infact,in 2022Alibaba.comchosemeandmy

companyasacasehistoryofsuccess totell,andIwasoneofthespeakers attheSMEsday2022ofthe InternationalTradeCentre.

Istronglybelievethattheworldhas becomesmaller,soIfocusmy attentiononnotmanufacturing countriesanddirectedmanydigital campaignstolookoutfor internationalpartners.Since2018,I haveaddedanexportareatothe company,andin2021,adistribution agreementwassignedwithamajor Chinesedistributor,whoissellingour productsonTmallGlobal.This helpeduseventofacethepandemic Covid-19,infact,wewereresilient andreactive:weimportedmasksand placedthemintothemarketalong withfoodsupplementsbasedon vitaminsDandC.Ourrevenuegrew by30%in2020.

Eventually,inthelastyear,Icould buyanewbuilding,thatafteralong workofrestructurationbecameour newheadquarter,whenIfirstcross

thedoorIhadtearsinmyeyes,thisis amazing:itisanopenspace,modern andgreen,madeofglassandresin whereyoucanreallyenjoyspending yourworkingday.

Nowthecompanyhasastrong vocationtowardsdigitizationandecosustainability,thereare15productsin thelist,somemarketleadersinthe referencesector Wearepresent throughoutthenationalterritory, servingmorethanathousand pharmaceuticalwholesalers, cooperatives,andpharmaciesand distributingproductsin16countries allaroundtheworld.Wearealso associatedwithAICEforforeign tradeandtheinternationalizationof companies.Thecompanyalsoworks tothehigheststandardsofqualityand hygiene:in2022,wegotISO9001 certificationsforqualityandISO 14001forenvironmental sustainability

What'smore?InSeptember2022,we havebeenlistedintheItalian “Campionidicrescita”forrevenue growth.

MeetTheInfluentialLeader

MariaFrancescaAceti,CEO, DelthaPharma

AwordfromMaria:Igraduatedin chemicalengineeringandwhenItook chargeofDelthaPharma,Iwas27 yearsoldworkingatENEA,avery importantresearchcenterforenergy inItaly,specificallyonaproject relatedtotheproductionofelectric energybygasificationofcoal.But, onceImadeupmymind,noonewas stoppingmefromtakingoverDeltha Pharma.

Weneedtolistentothose whothinkthatyouridea maynotwork,butyou havetobepersistentandstrongly believeinyourselfwhenyourown hasbeenvalidated,despite everything,whenyouaretoldthatit willneverwork.”

Giovanni Blandina, Founder and CEO of Easyrain

AdialoguewithGiovanni Blandina:GiovannispeakstoThe Chief'sDigestaboutasimpleyet brilliantsolutionforsavinglivesand preventingroadfatalitiescausedby wetroadsandlowgripconditions. Easyrain'steamcombinestechnical expertiseandthepowerofinnovation toengineerpatentedsafetysolutions tomakevehiclesmoresecure.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea orconceptforyourbusiness?

AsEasyrain,we'veapproachedan issue(reducingaccidentsinthewet

roadandaquaplaningconditions) thathasbeenaroundsincethecars cameout.Theideathatwecould succeedwherethebignameshave failedwashardtobelieve.Over time,wehavemanagedto overcomeskepticism,andtoday, carmakersarestartingto collaboratewithus.

Anotherchallengewastolauncha start-upwiththemissionof developingactivesafetysystems, thusrequiringahugeamountof money.Findingthefundstodo R&D,stayinginItaly,andhaving nohelpingchannelswascertainly oneofthemostimportant challengesIhadtoface.Another hazardousbutrewardingchoice wastofollowtheoppositedirection ofwheretheautomotiveindustry hasbeenallocatedinvestments:in aneraofdigitalization,software, andautonomousdriving,Easyrain haschosentodevelophardware systems.

Giovanni Blandina, Founder & CEO

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

Since2013,Easyrainhasbeen developing

AIS:AIS(AquaplaningIntelligent Solution)isanintelligenthydropneumaticsafetysystemwithcustommadenozzlesplacedinfrontofthe frontwheelsofthevehiclesand capableofcleaningthewetsurfaceof thetirestocontractaquaplaningand improveagaintheroadgripofthe tires.Withthesecondgenerationof AISprototypeintroducedinthe summerof'22,thesystemhasbecome smaller,lighter,andeasytobefittedin everytypeofcar,fromcitycars(with littleroominthefrontendtoplacethe system)toSUV(withhigherroad clearance),includingEVvehiclesand autonomouscars.

DAI:Theconnectedvirtualsensor DAIsecuresdrivingonwetasphalt conditionsbyrecognizingdangerous

Staying Safe on The Road Isn't Just About Your Driving Skills: Make Driving Safer & Intuitive with Easyrain

wetroadsituationsandaquaplaning conditions,anddeliveringwarning levelstothevehicle;OEMscanuse warninglevelstosetupnewvehicle safetyfunctionalities,includingthe automaticadjustmentofACCspeed. DAIdoesn'tusedataconnectionsas theyarebasedoninformationalready presentonthevehiclethroughthe CAN(ControllerAreaNetwork)and predictivealgorithms.DAIcanbe furtherintegratedintothe5G networktowarnnearbyvehicles. DAIisthefirstvirtualsensor developedwithintheEDPplatform, whichhostsvirtualsensorsto recognizeroadhazardslikeWater–Snow&Ice–Pothole–Gravel.The virtualsensorsanalyzeexistinginVehicleinformationandprovide alertstothevehicle,enablingOEMs tointroducenewvehiclesafety features.

ERC:EasyrainCloudcollectsdata, comingfromtheEDPplatformand GPSofthevehicle,andprocessesit toshareinformationondangerous roadconditions,improvefleet managementandperformadvanced computationsforreal-timewarning onvehiclepartsmaintenance.

Atthemoment,ourproductsarenot onthemarketyet,butourcustomers (someofthemainautomotive groups)haveshowngenuineinterest inourproducts,andwehavetest sessionsplannedatthebeginningof October

Onwhatidealsareyourwork cultureandbusinessethicsbased?

Weencourageouremployeesto expresstheirviewsandideasbecause weneedtothinkfasterandmore efficientlytoquicklyovercome problems.Wewillnotgetsecond chances,soit'sourresponsibilityto

ensureweinnovateondailybasis. Furthermore,everyteammember knowsthattheyareessentialforthe successoftheentireprojectandin thedevelopmentoftheproducts.The choiceisdictatedbythedesiretobe partofachallenge.Skillscanbe boughtandenhancedbypayingfor masterclasses,butthewillingnessto facechallenges,thedesireto participateinsomethinggreat,and theattitudetosacrificecannotbe bought.Thisiswhytheseaspectsare apriorityintheselectionofpeople bothasemployeesandpartners.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereisaformulatobe successful?

Wedon'tfeedpersonalandcompany success,norwewillfocustoreachit –tousasEasyrain,successisadirect resultoffulfillingourmission. Anyway,wecannotdenythatour biggestdreamistobecomeakey playerinEUstrategyfor2050aimed atzeroroadfatalitiesand,ultimately, seeourselvesbecomingaleading companyinthefieldofcarsafety.

Whatdoyouthinkisaunique aspectofyourbusiness?

Wearethefirststartupinthe automotiveindustrytodevelopa complete,modularecosystemfor roadsafetyonlowgripconditions, whichincludesahardwareplatform, theAIS;asoftwareplatform,the EDP;andadataplatform,theERC, improvingvehiclesafetyonevery roadsurface.Noothercompanies offeraproductrangelikeours.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Theautomotiveindustryischanging, andchangeisoftenfrightening.On thecontrary,Easyrainislivingthis

momentwithincredibleenthusiasm, becausewebelievethatchangeisa synonymforopportunity.Overthe years,Easyrainhasbecomealeader intheresearchanddevelopmentof innovativesafetysystems,andbeing closetotheiseriesintroduction representsanincrediblesuccess, especiallyconsideringthatthemost positivefeedbackEasyraingotatthe beginningwas“nice,butyou'llnever makeit.Theautomotiveworldis inviolable”.Stronglybelievingin ourselvesandinthepossibilityof succeedinghasallowedustomake greatstrides.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

Veryrewardingsofar,andthebestis yettocome!

MeetGiovanniBlandina

Bornin1979,Giovannistartedhis careerin2001asaTesting MethodologyandProcessDesigner forUrmet,aTurin-basedcompany thatdesignsandmanufactures integratedbuildingcommunication andsecuritysystems.InJanuary 2008,hebecameTeamCoordinator forMotoGPteamFBCorse.In January2009,hemovedtoMarellias SkyTechnologySeniorConsultant, designingnewtestingstrategiesfor automotiveproductsinthetelematics area;fromSeptember2013,he becameTestingMethodology DesignerforMarelli.Hefounded EasyRaininMarch2013:itstartedas apart-timejobforhim,butitbecame afull-timejobinJuly2018.

“We firmly believe in ourselves and in what we do; the possibility of succeeding has allowed us to make great strides.”

AdialoguewithFirdaus

Nagree:Firdausspeaksto TheChief'sDigestabouthow FCILondonrosefromasmall showroomtobecomethelargestluxury furnitureandinteriorsshowroominthe UK.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea orconceptforyourbusiness?

Icomefromafamilyofentrepreneurs. FCILondoninitsearliestformwasa smallmom-and-popshopestablished bymyparentsin1985.Atthetime,it wascalledFurnitureCraft.After workingforseveralyearsatAccenture, Ijoinedthefamilybusinesstohelpit growandevolve.Togetherwithmy businesspartner,webought commercialrealestatepropertyin NorthLondonandthat'swheretheFCI Londonshowroomwasborn.

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

FCILondonisoneofthelargestluxury furnitureandinteriorshowroominthe

Curating Luxury Furniture To Transform Your Space

Firdaus Nagree, Founder & CEO

UK,showcasingover700ofthe world'sbestbrandsunder1roofinour 30,000sq.ft.NorthLondon showroom.Weareanindependently ownedfamilybusinesswithdeeproots infurnituredesign,manufacturingand interiors.

Wesellthemostexclusiveluxury furniturefromtheworld'sbestdesigner brands.Whenwefirststarted importingpiecestotheUK,manyof thebrandsthatweworkedwithwere stillsmallartisanworkshops.Today, theyarehugelysuccessfuland recognisedaroundtheworld.

Wehaveanextensivecustomerbase ontheB2Cside,butwealsoworkwith aclosenetworkofinteriordesigners forwhomwe'vecreatedarangeof tradeservicesdesignedtotakethe headachesoutofdesignprojects.From productsourcingandtechnical drawingstologisticsandinstallations, weprovidebespokeprojectassistance andcuratedbrandsattradeprices.

Everybusiness,bigorsmall,hasits

fairshareofchallenges,especially duringtheinitialdays.Tellusabout yourchallengesandhowyou managedtoovercomethem.

AfterweopenedthefirstFCI showroom,thebusinessexpanded rapidly Weopenedseveralmore furnitureshowroomsandthingswere tickingalongnicelyuntilwehitabump intheroadin2008whenthebank wantedtoforecloseononeofour commercialbuildings.

WehaduntiltheendofJanuarytocome upwithaloadofcash.Inlate December,mybusinesspartnerandI signedanewtenancyagreementthat broughtinthecashweneededand preventedthebankfromtakingthe buildingintoreceivership.

Inthosedays,asayoungentrepreneur andleader,Iwasalsostilllearning aboutbusinessandpeople. Entrepreneursfacemanychallengeson aday-to-daybasis,butIwouldsaythe primarychallengeisgettingtheteam right.Ittookmemanyyearstofigure

outhowimportantcompanycultureis andhowtocreateapositiveand supportiveworkingenvironment.Ihad tolearnhowtoaskforhelpandto acknowledgethatthereispowerin admittingthatyoudon'tknowitall.

Inmorerecenttimes,theadventofthe pandemicpresentedunprecedented challenges.Likeeveryoneelse,we wereblindsidedbytheeffectithadon ourbusiness.Becausewealreadyhad anexistingremoteteam,wehada provenformulatofollowwhilewe wereallstuckathomeduringthe lockdown.Butnotbeingabletosee andinteractwithourcustomerswas tough.

Ourfurniturecollectionsarenotcheap –wesellluxurybrandsthatarereal investments.Inmostcases,people wanttocomeinandseesamplesorat leastbrowsetheshowroomandchat withsomeonebeforetheycommitto buying.Wehadtofindnewwaysof beingavailabletoourcustomersby creatingfullyintegratedonline consultationswherewecouldview someone'sspaceoverZoomandmake furniturerecommendations.

Thewaythatourteammembersall mobilisedtomakethishappenwasjust incredible.TheUKteam,theIndia teamandalltheothersacrossthe worldjustputtheirheadsdownwith thissinglecollectivepurpose:to survive.Everypersonbarnonewas committedtothat,anditwasbothan inspirationalandhumblingmomentin mycareer.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereisaformulatobe successful?

Ithinktherearemanywaystomeasure success,butnotallofthemareequally important.Asacompany,we'vewon manydifferentawardsforthingslike thebestfurnitureshowroom,best

interiors,bestup-and-comingbusiness, etc.They'reallgreatandweappreciate them,butattheendoftheday,they're notatruemeasureofsuccess.

Whatmakesusproudandwhatletsus knowwe'vedoneourjobwellareour customerreviews.Thepositivereviews aretherealmeasureofoursuccessand theyhelptoguidethedirectionofour brand.

Asfarasaformulagoes,Idon'tthink there'sonespecificrecipeforsuccess. But,Ibelievethathalfyourbattleis findingtherightpeople.Youhaveto bringpeopleintothecompanywho understandyourcorevaluesandwho havesimilarcorevaluesthemselves. Whenyoucreatethattight-knitteam thatissupportiveofoneanotherand committedtoworkingtogethertowards acommongoal,youhavethebest chancethatyou'lleverhaveofseeing success,bothprofessionallyand personally

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyoursuccess asanorganization?

I'dsaythatpersonally,mygreatest achievementhasbeenbuildingan incredibleteam.Onethingwe'vedone reallywellatFCIistocultivateavery accessibleenvironmentwherepeople feelsafetosharetheirideas.

Thiscreatesaplatformwhereeveryone canbeopen,whichleadstoacascade ofcreativethinkingandinnovation. Wheneveryonecontributesandthey're excitedaboutwhattheycanpotentially do,theywillstrivetokeepimproving andyou'llgetthebestoutofthem.

Icreditmyteamforeverysuccess we'vehad.I'velearnedthatinmyrole asaleader,Iamaservant,andmyrole istoservethepeoplethatIlead.IfIdo thiswell,theywillflourishandgrow intothebestversionsofthemselves, whichinturnleadstosuccessforthe

business.

Whatdoyouthinkisauniqueaspect ofyourbusiness?

Whenitcomestotheluxuryfurniture thatweimport,ourrelationshipswith oursuppliersareverystrong,which allowsustoofferbespokeoptionsto ourclientsthattheymaynotbeableto getelsewhere.

Butwhatreallysetsusapartisour customerservice.Wearevery,very goodatit.Everybodysaysthey'regood atcustomerservice,butwegenuinely areacutabovetherestbecausewe ownallthenecessarymovingpartsinhouse.

Fromtheinstallerstothefitters,the deliveryvans,thewarehousing,the admin–it'sallin-houseandnoneofit issubcontractedout.So,whether you'rebuyingacustom-builtwardrobe fromusorwe'rerenovatingtheinterior ofyourentirehome,weownthatlasttouchexperiencewithyou,theclient.

Thishasdefinitelywonuspoints, particularlybecausewe'reintheluxury sectorandexpectationsareveryhigh. It'snotenoughforonepersononthe teamtogotheextramile–every division,everyteam,mustwork togetherasaunittoofferanintegrated experiencethatwillsimplywow people.Andwedothat.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Thewaythatpeopleseeinteriordesign ischanging.Thisadvancementhas beentheinspirationbehindoneofthe biggestprojectsthatwe'recurrently workingon–thedevelopmentofa globalSaaSplatformthatwill revolutionisehowpeopleaccessdesign adviceandallowthemtooptimisetheir livingspaceswithoutspendinganarm andaleg.

“In addition to our luxury furniture range, we offer a comprehensive interior design service with a team of trained designers. Our mission is to create transformative, positive spaces that contribute to overall happiness and wellbeing.

Wewanttomakepeoplehappyby transformingtheirspaces–thatisour ultimategoal.Ifwecanmake someone'sspacevisuallyperfecttosuit theirstyleandkeepitwithintheir budget,itwillgoalongwaytowards contributingtotheiroverallhappiness, hopefullyinspiringthemtothenpayit forward.

We'realsolookingathowtech innovationiscontributingtoluxury furnitureandhowcanweusenew trendstomaketheFCIexperience betterforourcustomers.We're constantlydealingwithnewdesigners, newproductsandnewbrandsandnow we'rebusyexploringtheworldof NFTs.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

It'sbeenawildride!Beingan entrepreneurcomeswithmany challenges,butitisalsosothrilling.I lovethevarietyofmyworkthat constantlyleadstolearningnewthings andmeetingnewpeople.Ilovebeing abletomakeadifferenceinthethings thatreallymattertome.AndIlike challenges–learningfromthemand improvingiswhatdrivesme.

TheManBehindFCILondon's Success

FirdausNagree

Firdausisaserialentrepreneur,angel investor,father,husbandand

passionatescubadiverwhohas foundedorfundednumerous successfulcompaniessince1999.After beginninghiscareerasastrategy consultantwithAccenture,Firdaus becameinvolvedintheLondon propertyscene,tradingpropertiesfrom theageof21.Hehasbeenactively involvedasanexecutive,board memberorinvestorinavarietyof sectorsincludingDigitalHospitality, F&H,Construction,InteriorDesign, Retail,BridgeFinance,Proptech, Education,AggregatedLogistics, Property,On-DemandFoodDelivery andInsurance.

- FirdausNagree,thefounderand CEOofFCILondon

InceptionofMarvelution

Marvelutionisasoftwarecompany thatsimplifiesJenkinsintegrationin Jira.Itwasfoundedasaresultof Mark'sinclinationtodealwith complexissuesandmakethemas simpleandeffectiveaspossible. Mark,acodegeek,software developer,designer,andsolution architect,workedwithseveralmajor firmsintheindustrylikeOracle, BEA,IBM,SAP,andSiebelafterhis graduationin2007.Duringhistime workingwiththesefirms,herealized thatopen-sourcewasnotusedin projectseventhoughtheyoffered

Simplifying Jenkins Integration in Jira to Help Users Gain Insight on Build Results and Their Issues

Mark Rekveld, Founder

betterandfastersupportascompared tothesoftwarefrombigplayersinthe industry.

Marktookituponhimselftocomeup withopen-sourcesolutionsthatcan helphimimplementadifferentstyle ofintegrationbetweenJenkinsand Jira.Eventually,hestartedhelping manycompaniesintheirdevelopment andofferingsupporttocustomers. Andthatmarkedthebeginningof Marvelution.However,thecompany wasformallyestablishedinlate2015 followingthewideadoptionofthe softwarethathappenedoverquitea shorttime.

OvercomingtheChallenges

Marvelutionwasahumbleattemptby Marktohonehisdevelopmentskills. AlthoughMarvelutionsawaswift successintheinitialtimes,makingthe transitionfromanopen-source umbrellaprojecttogettingestablished asacompanywastough.

Oneofthemajorchallengesthat Marvelutionhad,asMarkrecalls,was tofindalicensemodelforalltheopensourceprojectsundertakenunderthe businessname.Sofar,Markhandled everyprojectunderMarvelutionby creatingandmaintainingthemforfree.

Butnow,Markhadtofigureouta waytodevelopasustainablebusiness modelthatcouldgenerateprofitsto growMarvelutionwhilealsotaking carenottoforce-feedthelicensed modeltoitscustomers.

Eventually,Marksucceededin overcomingthischallenge.He developeddifferentofferingsforthe projectsthatwereinheritedwhile keepingtruetotheiroriginofopensourcefreesoftware.Thisopenedup newavenuesandscopetoexplore whilealsogeneratingrevenuesand addingnewsolutionsassoftware featuresfortheirclients.

UniqueOfferingsCustomizedto MeetCustomerDemands

ThesolutionprovidedbyMarvelution tointegrateJiraandJenkinsisbased onthepremisethatJiraholdsthe standardframeworkforintegrating thebuildresultsinJenkinsintothe viewsofissuesinJira.

Othersolutionproviderstendto configuretheintegrationandbehavior withinthebuildconfigurationofeach jobinJenkins.Asaresult,numerous jobshavetobeconfiguredtoshare resultswithJiraincludingthe credentialsneededtopushbuild resultstoJira.

Thesinglesourceoftruthsolutionof theJenkinsIntegrationforJiraapp allowsadministratorstoconfigurethe integrationonce,andafterthat, JenkinspushesdatatoJira.ThenJira handlesprocessingtheresultstomake surethenecessaryactionsaretaken.

Oneoftheprimaryreasonswhy Marvelution'sservicesareuniqueisit focusesoncustomizingthesolutionto

fittheclient'sneedsandchanging demands.Whilecompetitorsuseissue commentstolinkJenkinsbuildsto Jiraissues,Marvelutionusescustom viewelementsaddedtoJiratoshow thisinformation.Theadvantageof thisisthesecommentsdon'tget clutteredandcustomer/user commentscanbeeasilyfound.

Moreover,Marvelutionisalso developinganautomationenginethat allowsadministratorstoconfigurea rulethatshouldbeexecutedwhena buildorjobissynchronizedtoJira.It willallowyoutosimplycreate,and releaseaversioninJiraiftherelease buildwassuccessful,orautomatically transitionanissueifadeveloperis workingonit.

Marvelutionspearheadsthe companiesprovidingJirasolutions duetomanyreasons,oneofthem beingdriverfeedbackMarvelution receivesfromtheircustomers.This canbebothbugreportsandfeature requestsandisthenmixedwiththeir out-of-the-boxthinkingandunique ideasforproductsandservices. Anotherdecidingfactoristechnical advancementsandchangesneededto makesuretheproductsandservices keepperformingtothehighstandard setbyMarvelution.

AdaptingTotheShifttoTheCloud

There'snothingnewaboutit,butthe shifttocloudcomputingcontinuesto grow.Initially,mostofthecustomers thatMarvelutioncateredtowere dependingonserverordatacenter deploymentstoruntheirbusiness operations.Lookingatthescenario today,moreandmorecustomersare movingtothecloudnotjustbecause theyrealizethebenefitsitoffersbut

becausetheyareforcedtomovein thedirectiontheirsoftwarevendors areheading.

Withinthistrendofshiftingtothe cloud,Markalsosawthatmost featureswerecloud-firstandsome werecloud-only.Tobuildastrong differentiatingfactor,Markensured thatthefeaturesarereleasedtothe cloudfirstsinceithasafasterrelease cycleandalsofollowedupwitha releasethatcustomerscanuseontheir serveranddatacenterdeployments.

TheJenkinsJiraIntegrationproductis theoldestproductMarvelutionhas thatstartedin2008asahobby project.Overitslifespan,theproduct hasseen3-4rewritestoovercome usingtheproductateverlargerscales. Afteryearsofdevelopment experiencewithJenkinsandJira,the producthasturnedintoarobust solutionthatworksverywellineven thelargestscaledcustomers.

MeetTheTrailblazer

MarkRekveld

MarkistheFounderofMarvelution. Afterfinishinghisbachelor'sdegree inInformatics,MarkfocusedonJava softwaredevelopment&matured withapassionforleandevelopment andopen-sourcesoftware.His passionandloveforcodingandurge tosimplifythecomplexityledto Marvelution.

“Marvelution's services are unique and custom-made to their client's needs and changing demands, truly setting them apart from the competition in the market.”

TheWorldHealthOrganization (WHO)estimatesthatthereisa globalshortageof4.3million physicians,nurses,andotherhealth professionals.Withnotenough physicianstohandlethepopulation, enablingthemtodoconsultations remotelywillenablethemtocaterto morepatients.That'swhereMedgate comesinwithitsvisiontoprovide healthcaretothemajorityandmakeit moreaccessibletoeveryone.

“We at Medgate make a difference by working with patients to motivate, and empower them through continual education, clinical reminders, and guidance to help them achieve their health goals and improve their quality of life”-StavrosAthanasiou,President, MedgatePhilippines.

Excerpt from the dialogue with Stavros Athanasiou: Stavros talks about the increasing need to incorporate telemedicine systems in healthcare delivery and practices and how Medgate is making a concerted effort to increase access and coverage between healthcare practitioners and patients.

Leading The Telemedicine Healthcare Ecosystem to Ensure Accessible Healthcare to Millions of Filipinos

Stavros Athanasiou, President

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponsesshaped themoverthe years?

Medgate'stele-treatmentprogram providesnon-emergencyandnon-lifethreateningtreatmenttoeligiblepatients. Medgate'stele-treatmentincludeshaving accesstolicensedFilipinonursesand doctors,internationalguidelinesand protocolsfollowedbyourspecialist doctors,triageconductedbyMedgate nurses,andgeneralreferralstocustomer clinicsandaffiliatenetworks.Medgate alsoprovideslaboratoryrequestsand interpretation,e-prescriptions,and certificatesofmedicalteleconsultation rightafterthepatient'sconsultation.We providemultipletouchpointstoour patientssuchaslandline,mobile,and socialmedianetworkstoprovide24/7 accesstopatients.

Duetothepandemic,peoplefeargoing tomedicalfacilitiestohavetheirmedical consultationsface-to-facebecausethey mightbeexposedtothevirus.This contributedtotherecognitionthat Telemedicineplaysabigrole,where

havingmedicalconsultationremotelyis analternativetoaface-to-face consultationfornon-emergencycases. Forthepatient,itismoreconvenientand cost-efficient.Medgatewasoneofthe firstcompaniesthatpassedtherigorous accreditationbythePhilippine DepartmentofHealth(DoH)and NationalPrivacyCommission(NPC)to deliverteleconsultationservicesto FilipinosduringtheperiodofEnhanced CommunityQuarantine(ECQ)and ModifiedEnhancedCommunity Quarantine(MECQ)implementedto mitigatethespreadofCOVID-19. Duringthistime,Medgatehada170% increaseincalls.Medgatecontinuesto handleahighnumberofcallsaspartof thenewnormalwherethereisanalmost equalratioofnewandrepeatcallers.

Everybusiness,bigorsmall,getsits fairshareofchallenges,especially duringtheinitialdays.Tellusabout yourchallengesandhowyoumanaged toovercomethem.

TelemedicineinthePhilippinesis relativelynew.Hence,introducingitto Filipinos,whoareusedtoface-to-face

consultationwasverychallenging.The keytointroducingthemwaspartnering withcompaniesthatareinthehealth, insurance,andbankingindustrieswith manycustomersthatarelookingfor addedbenefits.Incooperationwiththem, wewereabletocreateawarenessand providetheircustomerswith telemedicinewhichbecameanadd-onto theservicesthattheywereoffering.It becameauniquesellingpointforour partners.Tocreateawarenessamongour membersandtotheuntappedmarket,we wereaggressivelypresentonsocial media.Wealsoconductedroadshows andorientationsandparticipatedin conferences.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereissomesortofformulato besuccessful?

Successforusisbeingabletoattainthe trustofourclientsinprovidingwhatwas promised–toprovideaccessible healthcare.Wefocusonproperplanning, implementation,andreviewofresults. Thisnotonlyappliestoaddressing concernsofourexternalstakeholdersbut ourinternalstakeholdersaswell. Communicatingeffectivelyand efficientlyiscrucialinthehealthcare industrywherewearedealingwithlives.

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyoursuccess asanorganization?

Asanorganization,weensuretostay truetoourvisionwhichistoprovide accessiblehealthcaretoFilipinos.With thisinmind,wepracticeourcorevalues withintheorganizationbybeingeasy, efficient,innovative,andpersonal.Easy –whereourservicesareaccessible, straightforwardandeasilyunderstoodby ourpatients;Efficient–weofferoptimal, cost-effective,andsolution-oriented medicaltreatment;Innovative–weareat theforefrontofhealthcaretechnology andwearedrivingitsdevelopment forward;lastly,wearePersonal–we focusonthewellbeingofourpatients andcommunicatingwiththemas

individualstoprovidethemthecarethat comforts.

Whatdoyouthinkisauniqueaspect ofyourbusiness?

Whatsetsusapartisthatevenbeforethe pandemic,wewerealreadyproviding accessiblehealthcaretothemembersof ourpartners.Ourservicesfocuson24/7 teleconsultationservicewherewecan providemedicalconsultationsoverthe phonefornon-lifethreatening,nonemergencyhealthconcerns.

Weensurehavingmultipletouchpointsto provideaccessibilitytoourpatients.We canbereachedthroughlandline,mobile phone,website,socialmedia,aswellas anupcomingmobileappsothatpatients cancallourdoctorsanywhere,anytime. Apartfromthat,wehavemorethan22 yearsofexperienceintheTelemedicine industry,handlingover12million teleconsultationsglobally

TheMedgateplatformisrobust,tried, andtestedforthedeliveryofhighvolumeteleconsultationstoalarge memberbase.Weemploystatistically basedclinicalguidelines.These guidelinesallowaGeneralPractitionerto treatadermatologicalcase,oran Internisttotreatapediatriccase,etc. Medgatedoesnotrelysolelyonthe knowledgeofanindividualdoctor Instead,ourdoctorscanleanonthebody ofworkthatourentireglobal organizationgenerates,soourdoctors canconfidentlydiagnoseandtreatour patients.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanyafew yearsfromnow?

Beforethepandemic,Medgatehadset intomotionitsplansofexpandinginto keyASEANmarkets.Theexecutionof theseplanswillcontinueassoonas businesstravelresumesintheregion. Medgatewillcontinuetoinnovateand growitstelemedicinecorebusinessas newtechnologiesemerge.Theadventof 5Gbroadbandshouldmakeforan

immersivehigh-resolutionvideo experiencefurtherenhancingthe experienceofpatients.Advancesin wearables,especiallythosewiththe abilitytocapturebodytemperature, bloodpressure,andevenbloodsugar willusherinanewwaveofcustomers.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

Thejourneyformehasbeenfulfilling andfrustrating,rewarding,and disappointing.Likeallinvolvedin healthcare,wemournthelossofmany duetothecauseofthepandemic,butwe lookforwardtothefuturewithagreat dealofoptimismasaresultofthearray ofdigitaltoolsinthemarket.Thesetools willdefinitelyenhanceandgrowthe business.Excitingtimesupahead!

MeetStavrosAthanasiou,President, MedgatePhilippines

ConcurrentlybeingthePresidentof MedgatePhilippines,Stavrosisalsothe ChiefFinancialOfficerandCorporate SecretaryforTMIPHoldingsPty Limited,aholdingcompanyfor telemedicineoperationslocatedinAsia. Sincehisappointmentin2015,hehas overseenthesetupanddeploymentof regionalaccountingsystemsand reportingframeworks.

StavrosearnedhisMasterofAccounting attheUniversityofTechnologySydney andaMasterofTaxationthroughthe UniversityofNewSouthWales.Heis currentlyundertakingaMasterofPublic HealthfromMonashUniversity

BeforecommencinghimselftoMedgate PhilippinesviaTMIPHoldingsPty Limited,heservedastheChiefFinancial OfficerforRantarnaPtyLimited,a privateinvestmentvehicleforaprivate equityfirm.Stavroshasalsobeen responsibleforcontrollinginvestmentsin severalentitiesintelecommunications, leasing,andtelecommunications activities.

NobleGoldInvestmentsisafirm basedinPasadena,Californiathat strivestoeducateitsclientsonthe investmentvalueofpreciousmetals whilealsoofferingasafeandeasyway tobuythem.

“Ourfirmviewsabalancedportfolioas thekeytolong-terminvestingand retirement.Webelievepreciousmetals arethefoundationoffinancial success,”saysCollinPlume,CEOof NobleGoldInvestments.

InourinterviewwithCollinPlume, hespeaksenthusiasticallyabouthis experienceandjourneywithinthe financialindustryandhowhewants toscalethebusinesstonewheights.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea orconceptforyourbusiness?

Myfathercollectedgoldandsilver

Helping People Preserve Wealth in A Rocky Economy with Tangible Assets

Collin Plume, CEO

whenIwasachild,soIalwayshada fondappreciationforthem.After workinginthefinancialindustryfor overadecade,Inoticedarealgapin awarenessandunderstandingofthe commoditiessectoramongAmerican retailinvestors.Ialsoworkedfor anothergoldinvestmentbroker,where Isawalotofthingswrongwiththe industry,thingsthatweren'tserving investorswell,soIsawanopportunity todoabetterjobatprovidingoneof themoststablealternativeinvestments inhumanhistory

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

Wehavethreemainofferings:the optiontoinvestpartofaself-directed IRAorRothIRAintogoldorsilver (hence,aGoldIRA);theoptiontobuy andholdpreciousmetalsinour

military-gradesecuritydeposits;orrare coinstobuyascollectibles.Welistento eachprospectiveinvestor'sneedsand tailorourrecommendationsspecifically tothem;nogenericpackagesorroboadvisors,justrealhumanadvice.Asa result,themajorityofourcustomerbase comesfromword-of-mouthreferrals.

Everybusiness,bigorsmall,getsits fairshareofchallenges,especially duringtheinitialdays.Tellusabout yourchallengesandhowyou managedtoovercomethem.

Certainly,thepandemichasbeenoneof ourgreatestchallenges,asithas spannednearlyhalfthelifeofour company.Fortunately,mostofourwork canbedoneremotely,sowequickly adaptedtoahybridworkplace.Andasa CEO,Istronglyvaluepeople's commitmentstotheirfamiliesand

personalwell-being,soIallowthemthe flexibilityofworkinghours,location, andstyle,aslongastheygettheirwork done.ItrustthepeopleIhiretogettheir workdoneontimeandourwhole companybenefitswhenwehireand accommodatepeoplewithfulllives outsideofwork.

We'vealsoheldregularteam-building socialeventsonZoom(duringwork hours)throughoutthepandemictokeep ouremployeesfeelingconnectedina morepersonalwaythanjust collaboratingontasks.Wepay employeeswell,andwelistentotheir needs,andasaresult,we'vemaintained a95%employeeretentionrate throughouttheGreatResignation.Other companiesshouldtakenote.

Onwhatidealsareyourworkculture andbusinessethicsbased?

Irunmybusinesswithpeopleinmind firstandforemost.Abusinessthat providesaproductorservicethat genuinelymakespeople'slivesbetterin somewayisonethatIcanfeelgood about,andearningaprofitwithout sacrificingourpeople'shealthor happinessisimperative.Customer serviceandemployeewell-beingaretwo foundationalethicsofourbusiness.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereissomesortofformulato becomingsuccessful?

Ijusttrytobealeaderinmyownlife, leadingbyexampleasagoodhusband, father,andemployerbecausethathasa bigrippleeffect.Itrytocreate environmentswherepeoplefeelsafeand cansucceedandhavealifeoutsideof work.Itrytoinstillconfidenceinmy staffandbeasoundingboardfornew ideas.Ialsogetalotoffulfillmentfrom philanthropiccauses,butthemost importantthingisdoingrightinyour backyard.

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyour successasanorganization?

Well,asImentionedbefore,my passionforthisproductrunsdeeply personal;Iworkedfordecadesof experienceinmyindustrybefore startingthisbusiness;Iputmy employeesandcustomersfirst;I surroundmyselfwithpeopleof varyingperspectivesandactivelyask themtopointoutany“blindspots” I'mmissing,andweadapttochanging technologiesandtimes.Knowledge, hardwork,andresiliencepayoff.

Whatdoyouthinkisthemost uniqueaspectofyourbusiness?

Oursalestacticsarenotlike traditionalsales–weturnawaymore leadsthanweacceptbecausewemake sureinvestorsarereadyfirst.Wedon't letanyonediveintosomethingthat won'tturnoutwellforthem.Wetreat peoplethewaywewanttobetreated. Wetriedchatbotsyearsago,butwe quicklydidawaywiththembecause everyperson'ssituationisdifferent, andgivinginvestmentadviceishighly personal;itrequiresgoodjudgment. Youcan'tgaugeacompanyora productthroughabot.Maybethey couldbeusefulforsmallerquestions ortransactions,butwhatwedo requiresmoretimeandcare.

Businessleadershavealways emphasizedthehabitofreadingfor success.Isthereabookthatyou drawinspirationfrom?

It'saclassic–HowtoWinFriends andInfluencePeoplebyDale Carnegie.Thatbookisanevergreen, universalguidetoformingnew relationshipsthatanyonecanusein businessorpersonallife.Ihighly recommendittoyoungprofessionals andnewentrepreneurs!

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Inafewyears,Ihopewe'llhave reachedourbillion-dollarrevenue goal!Ithinkit'spossiblebecause, withinafewyears,moreinvestorswill realizethatcash,stocks,andmost othermainstreamassetsareunreliable investmentsandturntoalternative investmentsoutsideofgovernment control,likegoldandsilver.Ithinka largeshifttowardhedgesagainst inflation,liketheonesweprovide,will helppeoplecatchuponretirement savingsorwealthbuilding,andI'llbe proudtohaveasmallpartinthat.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

Myjourneyasanentrepreneurhas beenatonofwork,buthighly rewarding.Ilearnedthe importanceofnetworkingand collaborationearlyoninmycareer,so workisneverlonelyandneverboring! It'sbeenreallytoughjugglingwork andfamilythelastcoupleofyears,but I'mhighlyoptimisticaboutourfuture. MeetCollinPlume

CollinistheCEOofNobleGold Investments,apreciousmetalsIRA brokerhefoundedin2016.Hehas overseventeenyearsofexperience buildingandmanagingthewealthof hisclients,drawingupondecadesof expertiseinpropertyinsurance, commercialrealestate,cryptocurrency investment,andentrepreneurship.

Heispassionateaboutspeakingand educatingthepubliconinvesting wisely,andhesetstheexamplefor businessesadaptingtopost-pandemic restructuringandDEIstandards.Collin isregularlyquotedinForbes,FX Street,andUSNews&WorldReport forhisinvestingexpertise.