10 Most Influential Companies of The Year 2022 - The Chiefs Digest

Eric Ransden, Partner

EDITOR’S DESK

Forthisyear'slistof“InfluentialCompanies,”The Chief'sDigestsolicitednominationsfromorganizations operatingacrossdifferentsectorstounderstandwhatis itreallythatmakesacompanyinfluential.Afterourinteraction withthekeyexecutivesofthecompaniesandevaluatingthemon theirinnovationstrategies,businessimpact,leadership&success, werealizedwhatinfluentialcompaniesdodifferentlyboilsdownto this–ateamofgreatpeople,acultureoftrust,anddrivenbyapurpose.

Allthecompaniesfeaturedinourlatestissue“10MostInfluentialCompaniesoftheYear2022”,had achievedexcellenceinbuildingateamofgreatpeople.Greatcompaniesarecapableofaccomplishing greatfeatsbecausetheyconsiderpeopletobetheirinvaluableassetsandpayconstantattentiontothis area.

Speakingofbuildingacultureoftrustwithinanorganization,severalstudieshaveshownthatpeople liketobeworkingaroundthosetheylikeandrespect.Companiesthatstartwithputtingtheirtrustin peoplefirstwhileensuringthattheyaretreatedwithfairness,respect,andhonestyendupworkingwith teamsthatnotonlyworkharderbutalsohavehigherlevelsofsatisfactionfromtheirefforts.Besides,if atsomepointthere'sadisagreementwithdecisionsfromtheleadership,teamstrustthatthedecisions takenwillbeethicalandultimatelyleadtocollectivesuccess.

Lastbutnottheleast,allforward-thinkingfirmsaligntheirgoalsandobjectivestoserveagreater purpose.Everyoneworkingwithinthecompanyunderstandstheimportanceofthepurposeandhowit fitsintheirindividualroles.Keepingallofthisinmind,let'sexplorethestoriesofsomeofthemost influentialcompaniesdoingbusinessandmakingapositivecontributiontotheworld.

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

12. Pinnacle Technology Partners (PTP)

22. CadenceSEO

26. Chief Group Services

28. Mezzle

32. NextGen Life Sciences Private Limited

34. RIF Trust

38. Transact Campus 40. Unest

42. VidIt

10MostInfluentialCompaniesoftheYear2022

MANAGEMENT COMPANYINBRIEF COMPANYNAME

BuildSeniorLivingisaprivatelyownedcompanyfounedin 2012tooffersuperiorcaretoseniorsandfocusonthe developmentofseniorlivinghousing.

CadenceSEOoffersSEOConsultingServicestocompaniesof allsizeswithanapproachfocusedonclient-centricity,high engagement,andtransparency

ChiefGroupServicesisacustomer-centricorganizationthat offersarangeofsecurity,cleaning,andmaintenance servicesasanintegratedpackagewithsuperiorresultsand zerohassles.

Foundedin2021,Mezzleisacustomer-centricand technology-drivenlawfirmthatminimizesnon-billablehours throughinnovationandgiveslawyerstheabilitytoworkfrom anywhereintheworldatanytime.

NextGenLifeSciencesPvt.Ltd.sinceitsinceptionin 2014isservingScienceandalwaysstrivetoserveits majorobjectiveofbeingaleaderinproviding integrated,tailoredsolutionsforlifeScience ResearchersandScientists.

PTPhelpsinnovativecompaniesdevelopbreakthroughproducts morerapidly,efficientlyandsecurelyinacloudenvironment, throughacombinationofservicesandourPeakPluscloud managementplatform.

RIFTrustisaleadingresidencyandcitizenshipadvisories intheMiddleEastthatcaterstotheneedsofhigh-networthindividualsandhelpthemwithtravelandasset optimization.

Throughtransformativepaymentsandcredential-driven transactionsandprivileges,Transactpartnerswithinstitutions tohelpthemmaketheirstudentandfamilyexperiencemobilecentric,personalandindividualized,andcompletelyconnected allacrosscampus.

Unnestisaneasy-to-usemobileappthathelpsparentssave fortheirkids'educationviatax-advantaged529college savingsplan.

VidItistheleadingplatformenablingeveryonetobean AugmentedRealitycreatorandtosharetheirpassionand personalcreativeexpressionthroughtheAugmented Realityexperiences

BuildSeniorLiving

ShahidImran, MD/CEO

CadenceSEO ChristyOlsen, DigitalStrategy Architect

ChiefGroupServices

DannyFarah, ManagingDirector

MezzleMiddle EastLimited

HenzieHealley MD,MiddleEast Office

NextGenLifeSciences Pvt.Ltd

Dr.NagmaAbbasi, Founder&CEO

VidIt

ReneRodriguez, Founder&CEO

PinnacleTechnology Partners(PTP)

EricRansden, Partner

RIFTrust

MimounA.Assraoui, Founder&CEO

TransactCampus

NancyLanger, CEO

Unest Ksenia, CFA,Founder&CEO

AWS Partner of the Year 2022

A Team of IT Service Industry Veterans Leveraging Experience to Help Drive Data Science Results in Biotechnology with the Power of the AWS Cloud

PinnacleTechnologyPartners: GettingOfftheGrounds

ExperiencedITservicesexecutives andcolleagues,EthanSimmons,Eric RansdenandMikeMcElaney, realizedtheysharedthesamevision abouttheITinfrastructureindustry-decisionswerenolongerbeingmade bytraditionalITbutinsteaddrivenby linesofbusinessthroughapplications thatwerebasedinthecloud.The moveinbuyingpatternsandtherapid growthofpubliccloudcomputing resourceswasanopportunityfora companythatcouldfacilitatethat adoptionandassistinenabling migrationsandmanagement.And likethat,PTPwas“borninthe cloud”.

The Chief's Digest had the pleasure of interacting with Ethan Simmons and Eric Ransden on the industry scenario of cloud-managed services and how PTP aims to cater to the industry needs. Here's an excerpt from the insights they shared.

Howistheindustryscenarioin whichyouareoperating?Arethere anychallengesthatyouaretryingto solve?

PTPisfocusedonenablingfastgrowingbiotechnologycompaniesto gettheirtherapiesandtreatmentsto marketfaster Themajorityofthese firmshaveearlyfundingandneedto rapidlyprovetheirtheoriestoachieve furtherfundingandultimatelymoveto FDAapprovalandmanufacturing.

Theseorganizationsproduceresearch datafromdisparatetypesofphysical, on-premiseslabdevicesthatneedtobe movedtothecloudtoenabledata engineeringbybioinformaticians workingondataatdifferenttimesin differentplaces.PTP'sexpertiseis designing,deploying,andmanaging thecloudinfrastructuretoenablethese complexworkflowstorunrapidly, securely,andtobecost-effectivegiven thecapitalconstraintsofstartup biotech.

Sinceonly16outofevery100drugs thatenterPhase1willmakeittoFDA approval,ourbiotechcustomersand theirinvestorsneedto“gettono” quickly,orbetteryet,gettoyes.Time ismorecriticalthanmoney,andthe readilyavailableresourcesinthe

Eric Ransden, Partner

cloud,whendeployedproperly,can accelerateresearch.

Whataretheproducts/servicesthat youoffertoyourtargetcustomers? Howdoyouensurethattheyare makingabigdifferenceforthem?

PTPdeliversacomprehensivesetof cloud-managedservicesforlife sciences,includingCloudOps, DevOps,SecOps,andFinOps.Our PeakPlusManagedServicesplatform oftoolsallowstheseservicestobe deliveredtogetherefficiently,orala cartedependingonourcustomer's uniqueneeds.

Ourcustomersrelyonacombination ofourexpertiseinAWSservicesand ourdeepunderstandingoflifesciences withthescienceoperationsof Chemistry,Biology,andLab Operations.Ourcustomerscometous withavarietyofusecases:increase workflowspeed,improveperformance ofHigh-PerformanceCompute(HPC) clusters,ensuredatasecurity,optimize cloudcosts,improvedataaccessibility duetodatasilos,andmore.Our projectshavemeasurablegoals,andwe worktogethertoexceedthosegoals.

Additionally,manyofourcustomers aresmallbutgrowingcompaniesthat havelittletonoITstaffoftheirown. UponworkingwithPTPfortheirAWS cloudneeds,theyrequestPTPto provideend-to-endMSPservices acrosstheirenvironment,including supportfortheirendusers.

ArethereanyAWScompetenciesthat AWSpartnerscanusetoshowcase theirtechnicalexpertiseacross industrieswithdifferentusecases?

PTPmaintainstheLifeSciences Competencyheldbyveryfew providerswhichwasachievedby demonstratingexpertiseand

effectivenessincloudsolutionsfor biotechnology.PTPisalsoanAWS AdvancedConsultingPartner

Whatisuniqueaboutyourcompany offeringsthatmakeyoustandout amongtheglobalcompetition?

DuetoPTP'sleadershipexperience, PTPexecuteswiththeprecision processandmethodologyofnational andglobalprovidersbutatthespeed, cost,andintimateengagementoflocal andregionalproviders.Ourteamis comprisedoftenuredleaderswell trainedinthequalityexecutionofIT projectsbackedbyateamof exceptionalcloudengineersfocusedon customerimpact.

Doyouhaveastrategyforbusiness success?

PTPhascreatedauniquelifecycle servicesmethodologythatfluidly movescloudcomputinginitiatives fromdatagatheringtodesignto implementationandongoing management.Thisservice methodology,thePTPFlightPlan,was constructedtoextractcriticaldesign requirementsandcreateablueprintfor thePTPPeakPlusManagedServices CloudOpsteamtorapidlydeploy. DevelopedwithPTPintellectual propertyfrombiotechnologyandcloud expertise,wecandeploycloud solutionsontimeandonbudget.

Lookingforward,what opportunitiesdoyouthinkwillthe AWScloudspacepresentforAWS partners?

AWScontinuestoleverageitsscaleto createagrowingnumberofcosteffective,pay-as-you-gosolutionsfor customers.“Rightnowwe'reat84 [AWS]availabilityzones,sothat's26 geographicregions,andwe'vegot planstolaunch24moreofthose

availabilityzonesacrosseight regions,”saidDaveFildes,directorof investorrelations,duringAmazon's second-quarterearningsreporttoday (CRNarticle: https://www.crn.com/news/cloud/awsrun-rate-hits-historic-79billion#.YuWXFUOiXll.linkedin)

Evenwitha$79billionrunrateand33 percentsalesgrowthinthe2ndquarter, AWSbelievestheyarestillintheearly stagesofcloudadoption.

Increaseduse,whetherinthecomplex spaceofbiotechnologyorother verticalsrepresentsatremendous opportunityforprovenAWSpartners thatcanexecuteandcreatevaluefor theircustomers.

Howwouldyousummarizethe journeyofyourorganizationsofar? Tellusabouttheupsanddownsthat youwouldhavefacedandhowyou managedtostandstrong.

Enteringthecloudserviceprovider spacein2016,thegreatestchallengeto PTPwasinterestanddemandfroma widevarietyofcustomers.Nobody wantstoturndownbusiness,butitis alsocriticaltoclearlydefineyour uniquevaluepropositionandconstruct yourservicesandsolutionstoaddressa specificcustomersegment.Wehad organicgrowthinourbiotechcustomer baseearly,butourgrowthstartedto movequickly,despitepandemic challenges,oncewetailoredour businessmodeltotheuniqueneedsof lifesciences.

Atthesametime,asweareexpanding ourlifesciencescustomerbase,our managedservicescustomerswere requestingfull-stackMSPservices fromPTPtosupporttheircloud, network,security,collaboration,and provideend-usersupport.PTPisnow theprominentMSPforlifesciencesin NewEngland.

Whatareyourplansforthefuture? Whatdoyouwanttoachieveor buildnext?

TheteamatPTPisworkinghard, movingfast,havingfun,andmaking animpact.Wearenotlookingtoward whatwewouldbuildnext,instead, we'refocusingonscalingourbusiness withthelevelofexecutionandquality thathastakenustothispoint.Our teamofleadersandplatformofcloud managementtoolsisinplaceandis continuallybeingtunedandoptimized.

WearerecruitingthenextPTPteam membersthatcanjoinourorganization withacommitmenttothecustomer andthePeakPlusManagedServices expertiseinCloudOps,DevOps, SecOps,andFinOpsthatultimately helpsourlifesciencescustomersget theirtreatmentsandtherapiesto marketfaster.

AWindowintoTheLifeofEthan& EricasTheThoughtLeadersBehind PTP

Ethan

Simmons,ManagingPartner

SimmonsstartedhisITcareerinthe early90s,workingforseveralleadingedgecompaniesthatprovidedhim exposuretosomeoftheearlyInternet networkingtechnologies.In1996, Simmonsco-foundedhisfirst company,NetTeks,whichfocusedon helpingbusinessesadoptVoIPand virtualizationsolutions.

Inlate2008,Simmonssuccessfully managedtheacquisitionofNetTeksto Dallas-basedINX,Inc.Forthenext threeyears,SimmonsrantheNew EnglandoperationsforINX,untilINX wasacquiredbyaprivateequity company.Forthefollowingtwoyears, Simmonsledhisownconsulting companythatfocusedonhelping companies,suchasCisco,evolvetheir channelpartnerprograms.Simmons

COMPANIES

of the Year 2022

thenjoinedDallas-basedLumenatein 2013,whereherantheirNewEngland operationsandlatermanagedtheir Ciscobusinessnationally Simmonsismarriedwiththree daughters,andwhenheisnotworking, heenjoyswatchingtheirvarioussports activities(unlessthePatriotsare playing).

EricRansden,Partner

RansdenstartedhiscareerinITinthe financialservicesindustryintheearly 90swhereheledtheadoptionand integrationofclientservercomputing andleading-edgenetworking technologies.AsManagerof TechnologyServices,hewas responsibleforthecorporate infrastructure,datacenter,network, helpdesk,applicationdeployment,and corporate applicationservices.Thisexperience ledhimtobecomeITDirectorfor severalleadingnetworkanddatacenter companies,buildingadvancedIT, networking,application,database, storage,compute,andsecurity infrastructures.

Theshiftinhowtechnologywasbeing consumedoverthepastcoupleyears, andthetransitionthattechnology partnerswouldneedtomaketolead thisnewmodel,ledRansdentojointhe foundingteamofPinnacleTechnology Partners.

A1991graduateoftheUniversityat Albany,SUNYwithaBSDegreein ManagementInformationSystems, RansdenwentontoearnaMaster'sin ManagementInformationSystemsin 1999fromBentleyUniversity's McCallumGraduateSchoolof Business.

“Our goal is to help biotechnology companies discover new life-changing therapies and accelerate their development leveraging highly scalable, automated and optimized cloud computing environments.”

Asthemodernconsumer increasinglyreliesonsearch engineslikeGooglefortheir researchandpurchasedecisions,firms needtohaveanintegratedplanto engagetheiraudiencesandultimately supportdigitaltransformationand businessgrowth.

Hence,itbecomescrucialtofindthe rightdigitalmarketingagencyto partnerwith.However,itcanbeareal struggleconsideringthelackof communicationandtransparencythat iscommonintheSEOconsulting space.Besides,workingwithan agencythatdoesn'ttakethetimeto listentoitsclients'needscanbe extremelyfrustrating.

Inthelightofthescenariomentioned above,TheChief'sDigestispleasedto introduceourreaderstoCadenceSEO, afirmthatbelievesinbeingatrusted advisor,atrustedconsultant,anda

A Team of SEO Nerds to Help Your Business Connect with Its Ideal Audience

valuablememberoftheclients'team. “We knew there had to be a better approach to working with clients, which was the main inspiration behind our SEO consulting firm,”saysthe thoughtleadershipteamat CadenceSEO.

Excerptfromtheinterviewwith CadenceSEO

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

AtCadenceSEO,weareafull-service consultingfirmfocusedondigital marketing.Ourspecialtiesinclude technicalSEO,competitiveresearch, channelresearch,andgrowthstrategy. Wealsoseevalueinutilizingmultiple channelsforaneffectivedigital marketingcampaign,whichiswhywe alsooffercontentmarketing,social mediamarketing,emailmarketing,

pay-per-clickmarketing,andindustryspecifictactics.Ourwebsiteoffersfree SEOtoolstocheckbacklinks,page speed,pagetitlesandmeta descriptions,andmoretohelppotential clientsembarkingontheirSEO journey.

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

Businessgrowthandcreationare certainlynoteasyanddefinitelynotfor thefaintofheart.Intheearlystages, thebiggestchallengewasgettingthe growthprocessstartedandensuring thatwehadresourcesavailableto fulfillwhatwewereoffering.Thatwas quicklyresolvedwithsomeexplosive growthandtheadditionofsomekey teammembers.Therewillalwaysbe challengesinbusiness,butifyouface

Christy Olsen, Digital Strategy Architect

themwithyourprinciplesandgoalsin mind,youcanovercomethem.

Onwhatidealsareyourwork cultureandbusinessethicsbased?

Ourworkcultureisbasedonbuilding collaborativerelationships,internally andexternally.Wetrulyvalue everyoneonourteamandprovide propertrainingtohelpthemfeel confidentinprovidingclientswith expertadvice.Welovehavinga diverseteamastheycanbringdifferent ideastothetable.Foreveryclient,we haveaninternalchatchannelwherewe discusshowwecanpotentiallyhelp ourclientsimprovethroughvarious SEOtechniquesandstrategies. Fromabusinessethicsstandpoint,we takethetimetolistentoourclientsand findtherightstrategiestohelpthem succeedasabusiness.

Althoughwecannotnecessarily guaranteeresultswithGoogle'severchangingalgorithm,weworktirelessly togetclientsontherightpathto results.Withourtransparentclient services,weliketoeducateourclients onthewhatandthewhyofthethings wearerecommending.Themorethe clientknowsandunderstands,the betterandmoresuccessfulthe partnershipwillbe.

Ourteamisalsoreadilyavailablewhen needed.WhilewehaveAccount Managersthatcananswerabulkofa client'squestions,ifaclienthasa specificquestionabouttechnicalSEO orcontentcreation—theclienthas accesstothatteammemberaswell!

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyoursuccess asanorganization?

Amajorfactorofoursuccessishonest andopencommunicationwithour clients.Nosmokeandmirrorsorsecret

sauce—westrivetoofferSEOadvice thatwillgetresults.Withthiscandid communicationstyle,wecreatestrong partnershipswithourclients,which helpsourclientstrustustotakecareof theirSEOservices.Weneverwantour clientstofeelliketheycan'tconnect withusorgetanswers,wearealways availableforourclients,andtheycan reachouttousatalltimes.Unlikea largeSEOagency,wetreatallour clientsas#1,nomatterwhat.Onour clientcalls,weactuallyshowclients whatwearedoing,whetheritbe showcasingkeywordrankingsor optimizingcontentrightonthecall. We'reveryopenwithwhatwedo,and ourclientsappreciateusforthat.

Whatdoyouthinkisauniqueaspect ofyourbusiness?

Weneverwantclientstofeelstuck. We'veheardnumeroushorrorstories whereclientshavegottenstuckwitha previousagencyandcouldnotgetout withoutbreakingacontract.Our servicesfunctiononamonth-to-month basiswitha2-weekoutatanytimefor anyreason.Mostofourclientspartner withuslong-term,butwealwayswant togiveclientsthatoption,sothey neverhavetofeellikethey'reunableto leave.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Asacompany,wearefocusedon growthnotonlyfromaclientand financialaspectbutalsofroman internalperspective.Obviously,afew yearsfromnow,wewanttobebigger, fasterandstronger.Butmore importantly,wewanttobeknownas aninnovatorintheindustryand expandourofferingstoadapttothe ever-changingmarket.Thetermwe wanttounderstandistobeprogressive andadaptivewhenitcomestomarket needs.

COMPANIES

of the Year 2022

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

Thejourneyhasbeenamazingtothis point.Obviously,ithasnotbeenfreeof challenges,butoverall,wehavebeen amazinglyblessedtobeintheposition thatweareintoday Wehavean amazingteamwithusandclientsthat anybusinessownerwouldbeproudof. Weareexcitedaboutwhatthejourney hasinstoreforthefuture.

MeetTheEssenceofCadenceSEO

ChristyOlsen

Christyisthebackboneofthe company.HervisionforSEOstarted yearsagowhileworkingatalarge agencywhereshecutherteethonall thingsSEO.Hervisionistobring better&moreaffordableservicetothe industryandpositionCadenceSEOas oneoftheFastestgrowingagenciesout there.

KevinMcLauchlin

Kevinhashishandsinalmost everythingatCadenceSEObutmostly overseesthegrowtheffortsaswellas helpswiththedesign,implementation, andmanagementofstrategies.His backgroundisalittleunorthodoxbut hehasgrownintoan“SEONerd”over thelastfewyearsofagencylife.

“CadenceSEO values transparency, communication, and engagement in our services so clients can feel like they're involved in the process every step of the way.”

Inourattempttocuratethelistof someofthemostinfluential companiesoutthere,werealized thattherewasonefactorthatwas commonineverycompany envisioningtomakeittothetopof theirindustryandbecomingtruly influential.Itistheirdedicationto puttinginrelentlesseffortstowards improvingtheirproductandservice quality

Customer-centricityliesatthecoreof everythingtheydo,andtheyalso ensuretohavealltheproceduresin placeforemployeewell-beingand helpingthemservicetheendclients. TheChief'sDigestisthrilledto presentthestoryofonesuch influentialcompanythathasbeen doinganamazingjobwithinnovation

Danny Farah, Managing Director

andtechnology-drivenapproachtodeliveran excellentservicetoitsqualityclients belongingtodifferentsectorsfrom Government,Commercial,Aviation,Retail, Strata,PublicDomain,andHospitality.

ChiefGroupServices,headedbyDanny Farah,offersarangeofsecurity,cleaning, andmaintenanceservicesasanintegrated packagewithsuperiorresultsandzero hassles.

commercialcleaningcompany Thisroleledmetoagreatyet riskyopportunityofpurchasing anichesecuritycompany–whichIdecidedtogoforatjust 22yearsofage.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeideaor conceptforyourbusiness?

Aftercompletingmyuniversityeducation,I startedmyjobasacontractmanagerfora

Fastforwardadecade,andI successfullybuiltandsoldthe companyasaleaderinits sector.Ithensteppedintothe propertysectorandother investments,however,(the businessownerinme)soon decidedtolaunchmyveryown integratedservicecompany–ChiefGroupServices,which wouldencompassthesectorsof theindustrythatIwasboth passionateandknowledgeable about.

Our operational differences, experience, and size make us a premier integrated services provider – one that stands out as an industry leader

In conversation with Danny Farah, MD, Chief Group Services

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

Weprovideourclientswitharangeof security,cleaning,andmaintenance serviceseffectivelymanagingthese sectorsforourclientsasanexternal supplier Weaimtooperatethese servicesforourclientscompletely withzerohassleandexcellentresults. Weareworkingtowardsourgoalto beleadersinoursectorworking tirelesslytoachieveareputationfor professionalismandhigh-quality workmanship.

Onwhatidealsareyourwork cultureandbusinessethicsbased?

Wearepassionateaboutstaff happiness,andtheirindividualcareer progression,anditshows.Ourstaffis supportedwitheffectivetrainingand careerguidancetoensurethey continuetoexcelintheirsector.Our staffisthemostcrucialelementofour business,andwevaluethemabove all.Weliketothinkofourcompanyas alargefamilythatisproudtowork togetherandrepresentthecompany.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereissomeformulato becomingsuccessful?

Successisensuringwedeliveronour vision,whichis“toberecognizedas Australia'sleadingproviderof integratedservices,providingpeaceof mindtoourclientsthroughour customizedsolutions,ahigh-quality service,andenduringpartnerships withourclients.”Allourdecisionsare basedonthisvision,andthisisthe keytoourformulaforsuccess.

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyoursuccess asanorganization?

Weprovidefull-circlesolutionstoour clients,whichsavestheminthelong run.Weareexternalyetimplement strongcommunicationstrategiesto formaneffectiveandfriendly relationshipwithourclients.

Clientsfindvalueinthewaywe operate.Weareveryopeninour communicationsanddiligentinour projectmanagement.Wemeetour client'sneedsaboveallandhaveaclear focustoneverdisappointintermsof ourqualityofservice.

Whatdoyouthinkisauniqueaspect ofyourbusiness?

Ibelieveit'sourcorevaluesthatmake ourbusinessthemostuniqueinthe industry.

• CustomerFocused:Webuild relationshipswithourcustomers. Weunderstandtheirneeds.We makecommitmentsingoodfaith. Wealwaysactprofessionally,and we'rehonestinallofouractions.

• SafetyFirst:Wearecommittedto workplacesafety,andourtargetis zeroincidentsorinjuries.We investinsafetyprogramsand proceduresforourpeople,andwe providecontinuoustrainingto enableasaferworking environment.

• Integrity&Respect:Thisisthe basisofourrelationshipswithour clients,suppliers,andstaff.We believeinethicalbusinessconduct –wewillalwaysdotherightthing, andweareconsistentlyopen, honest,andgenuine.

• Dependability:Ifwesaywewill

COMPANIES INFLUENTIAL of the Year 2022

dosomething,wewilldoit.We deliverourverybestandhold ourselvesaccountableforour results.Ifwemakeamistake,we arehonestaboutitandputitright quickly

• Quality:Wewillnever compromiseonthequalityofour performanceorthe professionalismofourstaff.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Wearestillaveryyoungcompany, butthefuturelooksverypromising.It isalreadyasuccessfuloperation turningoverahealthy7figure amount.Mygoalistoturnthis organizationintoapowerfulnational competitorintheyearstocome.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

We'veseencontinuedgrowthsince 2016,andinthelast12months,we havecreatedsomedeeperpartnerships withourclients.Asourbusiness expands,wenowworkwithsome majorplayersintheairlinesindustry, whichhasinvigoratedtheteamaswe forgeaheadinthesecondhalfof 2022.Wearelookingforwardto continuedgrowthandsuccessasour teamflourishesandourclients expand.

our core.”

“We are professional, reliable, and detail-focused with superior project management and communication skills at

TheIdeaBehindMezzle

Afterseeinglawyerschainedtotheir desksworkingridiculoushours,the ideabehindMezzlejusthadtobe founded.SinceMezzlefacilitatesa radicalchangefromthistraditional approachtotheprovisionoflegal services,ithasexperiencedsubstantial growthsinceitsinception,servingthe demandfromlawyerstobetheirown bosswiththebackingofan internationalfirmwithoutsacrificing financialfreedom(butinfact,adding toit).

Mezzleisacustomer-centricand technology-drivenlawfirmthat minimizesnon-billablehoursthrough innovationandgiveslawyersthe abilitytoworkfromanywhereinthe worldatanytime.Mezzleisequipping itslawyerswiththebestofthebestto havewhatHenziecalls,the“Mezzle Lifestyle”.TheMezzleLifestyle envisionsalawyerthathasahealthy

Mezzle Middle East Limited

Is at The Forefront of Challenging and Changing the Traditional Approach to The Legal Sector

Henzie Healley, MD, Middle East Oce

work-lifebalanceandaveryhealthy income.

Mezzlehasbecomeafirmthatkeeps sharingthelove.Happylawyerscreate happyclientsandthecyclekeeps repeating,becomingstrongerevery time.

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

TheunderlyingconceptbehindMezzle isthatit'saremote-basedfeeshare modelthathasinvestedheavilyinits back-officesystems,supportingits legalexpertsbyprovidingthemwith accesstoauniqueandrevolutionary technologythathelpsthemstreamline theirtime(meaningclientsreceive theirrequestsquickerthanmost traditionalfirms).

WithMezzle,theclientalsohas directcontactwiththelawyerthey

haveinitiallyengaged,workis completedinamoreefficient manner(sinceMezzle'slawyersare allsenior)andtheclientispaying forthelawyer'sexperienceas opposedtopayingtotrainajunior lawyertowhichtheclient'swork hasbeenpasseddownatsome traditionalfirms.

Mezzle'slegalconsultantshaveall trainedandqualifiedfrominternational firms.Theyhavelegal/commercialand operationalbackgrounds,extensive privatepractice,in-houseandcorporate experience,allofwhichmakesthem strongbusinesspartners,who understandboththeclient's commercialandlegalneeds.

Traditionallawfirmssometimes alsoblockprogressbybeingtoo aggressivefromalegalstandpoint, whereasasabusiness,itisnormal toweighupthecommercialrisks

withthelegalonesandMezzle's legalconsultantsunderstandthat.

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

Scalingtooquickly.Evenbefore Mezzlehitthemarket,therewasa growingdemandforitsbusiness model.Since“goinglive”Mezzlehas beenunmandatedwithrequeststojoin thefirmandhasfoundithardtokeep upwiththedemand.

ThelawyersMezzlehasonboardedare legalexpertsintheirfield-Senior lawyerswithyearsofexperience.This knowledgeandskillset,coupledwith thefactthatMezzlehasfoundawayto makethemhappy,meansthatclients arealsoreceivingbetterservices, whichmakesthemhappierandhappier clientsalsomeansacontinuously growingclientbase.

Mezzlehasreachedthepointwhere Mezzleisexpandingintoother jurisdictionsevenquickerthanthey hadplannedto.

Isthereanidealuponwhichyour workcultureandbusinessethicsare based?

Mezzleisveryresults-driven.Each lawyerworksforthemselves(buthas ourongoingsupport).Mezzle promotesinternalcross-referralsand providespromotionofitslawyerson thewebandvariousotherplatforms. Thereisnohierarchicalsystemin termsofa“boss”,butMezzledoes howeverconsiderthepersonalityof legalconsultantswhenonboarding themtoensurethattheharmonyofthe firmisnotdisrupted.Mezzlehas createdarelaxedfamilyenvironment, wherepeoplelikeworkingforthefirm andwithothermembersoftheMezzle team.

MezzlehaswhatitcallstheMezzleTide toreminditslawyersoftheethicsand valuesuponwhichMezzlewasfounded. Trust,Integrity,Diversity,and Efficiency-Mezzlepromotestheseas theethicsofitsbusiness,anditslawyers embodytheseatalltimes.

Whatdoyouthinkisthemostunique aspectofyourbusiness?

Mezzleisnotyourordinary(or traditional)lawfirm.Thatsaysitall.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Mezzleisgrowingfromstrengthto strengthandiscontinuingtoactively recruitgood-qualitylawyersacrossthe UKandUAE.Withmorelawyers joiningMezzle,itsserviceofferingis goingtogetwider,andwiththemodel andinfrastructureitgivestolawyers, thedemandkeepsincreasing.

Theultimateplanistocontinuethis growth,inboththeUKandUAEand furtherafieldalso.Thefeeshareor consultancymodelisonewhichwill dominatethelegalmarketinthefuture andMezzlehasbeencreatedatjustthe righttimetobethepioneerofthis.

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar? Wow!Wheredowestart?Mezzle alreadyhastwoofficesandisintalks aboutopeningtwomoreofficesinother locationswithinthenext12months.

Henziehasbeennamedasoneofthe Top10BusinessLeaderstoFollowin 2021andreceivedthistitletwiceontwo separateoccasionsfor2022.Shehas beenfeaturedinvariousmagazine articlesandreceivedanawardofhonor fromtheWomen'sInvestment EmpowermentForum,theLexFalcon AwardfromLexTalks,wasincludedin theWho'sWhooftheWorldfor2022 andsettoreceiveanotherawardin November.

COMPANIES

of the Year 2022

MezzlewonBestCorporate& CommercialLawFirm2022duringthe 2022GlobalExcellenceAwards,was namedoneofthe5BestLawFirmsof 2022andoneoftheInnovativeLaw FirmstoWatchin2022.Whileeachof thesehasbeenanotableachievement initself,ifoneconsidersthatallofthis hashappenedwithinthelast6months, Mezzlecancallthatachievementof achievements.

KnowingTheTeamBehindMezzle

RajSumal&MelKang,Founders

RajandMelcomewithacombined workexperienceofover30years. Theyhaveworkedatseveral prestigiousfirmsbeforecomingup withtheideabehindMezzle.Tiredof theoldwayofworking,theydecided tocreatesomethingrevolutionaryby creatingtheMezzleCloud,the backboneofMezzle,whichhas completelytransformedthewaythat legalservicesarebeingprovidedand howlawyersprovidethem.

HenzieHealley,MD,MiddleEast Office

Henzieisapartnerin,andManaging Directorof,MezzleMiddleEast.She isanaccomplishedandskilled commonlawqualifiedlawyerwho startedthebasisofthelegal consultancybackin2019,merging withMezzlein2021,andrebranding theAbuDhabiofficetoMezzleMiddle East.

“We always knew there would be the demand and Mezzle would hit the ground running, we just didn't realize by how much. But it's a nice challenge to have… and one which we openly embrace.”

We,atTheChief'sDigest, believethatnothingcan beatthevaluethatcomes fromconnectingwithleadersand mastersintheirrespectivefields,who havebeenthroughtoughchallenges, andsharetheirstoriesofsuccess againstallodds.Speakingofthe courageandpersistenceittakesto thinkclearlyinthehurdlesand obstaclesonthepathofone'spurpose andpushingthroughittoreachthe goal,itgivesusimmensepleasureto introduceNextGenLifeSciencesPvt. Ltd.

Establishedin2014,NextGenLife Sciencesisasingle-sourcefacility cateringtotheresearchneedsof scientistsinthefieldofMolecular biology,Cellbiology,Immunology, Healthcare,andDrugDevelopment. TheNextGengroupbridgesthegapin understandingtheneedsandpainsof

Transforming Life Sciences & Biotech: Delhi-based Nextgen Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. Shines

Through in Its Approach to Cater to Science & Research

Needs Based on Value, Service, and Support

Dr. Nagma Abbasi, Founder & CEO

ResearchersoftheLifeSciences/ Biotechindustryandhelpsscientists gaininsightontherecentinnovations andtechnologies,assuringasound knowledgeofthesubjectmatter. Initially,NextGentriesgettinginsight onthecustomerrequirementsby exchangingideas,understandingthe completeworkflow,andthenexpecting resultswhichinturnhelpsthemto suggestthebestpossiblecustomized solutionstotheircustomers.

We had the pleasure of interviewing

Dr. Nagma Abbasi, Founder & CEO, NextGen Life Sciences. Below is an excerpt from the interview.

Whatwerethechallengesthatyou hadtofaceinyourinitialyears?

Likeallstartupcompanies,NextGen haditsfairshareofchallengesduring itsinitialstages,likecapital

investment,findinggoodtalent, buildingcustomertrust,andgood relationship.Withoutjustsittingback andrelaxing,NextGenovercamethese problemsandtodayitstandsstrongin themarketbycreatingauniqueplace.

ThefactorsthathelpedNextGento groware

• CompanyCulture

• KnowledgeManagement

• ClearlyDefinedRoles

• ContinuedScalability

• CashFlow

• DevelopmentofInternalTools

• ConsistentTeamQuality

• CustomerHappiness

• CoreValues

• LittleWins

• TeamPerformanceEvaluations

Howhaveconsumerresponses motivatedyoutoshapeandgrow yourorganization?

Withitsaugmentingspectrumof productsandsolutions,NextGen empowersthemountingrealmof researchtosolvecomplexanalytical challengesinthepharmaceutical, biotechnology,academic,government, environmentalandindustrialresearch, andtheclinicallaboratory The company'sproductsaddressawide rangeofrequirementsrightfromthe sample,materialcharacterization,and chemicalanalysistoclinicaldiagnoses andbiological-basedtherapeutics handling.

ThecompanyoffersservicesforCell Analysis,CellCulture&Transfection, Cloning,DNA&RNAPurification, GeneExpressionAnalysis& Genotyping,PCR,ProteinExpression &Analysis,Real-TimePCR, Sequencing,SyntheticBiology,Cancer Research,Stemcellresearch,Drug Discoveryanddevelopment,Plant Sciences,EpigeneticsandServicesfor Sequencing,NextGeneration Sequencing,andBioinformatics.

Ifyouhavetolistfivefactorsthat havebeenthebiggestassettoyour organization,whatwouldtheybe andwhy?

TheStrategicMindset:Rationaland well-informeddecisionmakingatthe righttime,withcalculatedrisksis essentialforthecoreteammembers. Themanagementandtheleadership teamsshouldleadthecompany's peopleandprocesseswithalong-term proactiveapproachratherthanadayto-dayreactiveapproach.

TheHumanResourcePool: Organizationsfailtodeliverinthe

absenceoftherightdeliveryteams. Wellqualifiedandexperienced professionalsenablequickadaptability thatenablesthebusinesstorespondto circumstancesandstayaheadofthe competition.

OperationalEfficiencies:Allthe operationalprocessesmustbefinetunedforachievinghighproductivityin termsofemployeeperformanceand overalloutput.

TheFinancialHealth:Itiswellworth consideringthevariousaspectsof maintainingthefinancialhealthofthe firmwhichincludescloseobservation ofliquidity,profitability,solvency amongotherkeyfiscalratios.

CompleteCustomerOrientation: Customerorientationcannotbelimited tomarketingandsales.Tosucceed,an enterprisemustmakeitpartofitscore valuethatinfusesacrosseveryfunction oftheorganization.

Whatdoyoufeelarethereasons behindyourcompany'sreputation?

Greatteam,Products,andservices, loyaltytowardscustomersandpartners, communication,hardwork,consistent effortsarethekeyfactorsbehindour reputation.

Nomatterwhoyouareorwhatyour goalis,withoutagoodreputationyou'll finditdifficultoralmostimpossibleto achievesuccess.Yourcompany's reputationcanbeacatalystforanew businessoraroadblockfornew customers.Protectingandimproving yourbusinessreputationisthebestway toincreaseyourbrandvisibility, promotegrowth,andachievesuccess.

Wheredoyouseeyouandyour companyacoupleofyearsfromnow?

NextGenLifeSciencesPvt.Ltd.aims highwiththelaunchofitsown-brand productsofinternationalstandards.Ata

steadypace,itisworkingconstantlyto empowerthemountingrealmof researchtosolvecomplexanalytical challengesinthepharmaceuticals, food,environment,biotechnology,and industrialandclinicalresearch.

MeettheLeaderWhoMakesThings HappeninNextGenLifeSciences

Dr.NagmaAbbasi,Founder&CEO

Dr.Nagmaisleadingthedevelopment andexecutionoflong-termstrategies withthevividvisionofexpandingthe organization'sfootprintsacrossthe globalmarket.SheattendedIMT Ghaziabad,AMU,Aligarh,andIndian AgriculturalResearchInstitute,Delhi forherstudiesinBusiness administration,Doctoralstudiesin MolecularGenetics,andPost-Docin MolecularBiology

Shelearnsfromherexperiences, failures,andupdatesherselfaboutthe worldlychangesthroughreading.She wantstobethebestentrepreneurand anexampleforthefuturegeneration. Hercareerspansoveradecade workingwithEsteemedResearch InstitutesandleadingMultinational companiesintheLifeSciences/ Biotechindustryacrossvarious verticalslikeProductmanagement, customersegmentation,brand management,andstrategicmarketing.

“The company's mission is to discover, delineate, and deliver high-quality products and excellent services that enable millions of lives to live a healthy and better life.”

RIFTrustisoneoftheleading residencyandcitizenshipby investmentadvisoriesintheMiddle EastandAfrica.Thefirmwas establishedtocatertotheneedsof high-net-worthindividualsandhelp themwithvisa-freetravelandasset optimization.Workingwiththeaimto providegreaterfreedomtofamilies, RIFTrustofferstransparencyinits operationsandwithafocusin offeringanddesigningthetop residencyorcitizenshipprogrammes.

The Chief's Digest Interview with Mimoun A.

Assraoui, Founder And CEO, RIF Trust

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea orconceptforyourbusiness?

Comingfromanimmigrant backgroundhavingbeenbornin Morocco,raisedinFrance,and proudlylivingintheUAEformany years,Ihavealwaysvaluedfreedom

Helping High-Net-Worth Individuals Invest in A Secure Future in A Prosperous New World

A. Assraoui, Founder & CEO

aboveallelseandfeltitisa human right tobeabletotravelfreely withoutboundaries.Thisbusinesshas allowedustofulfillourcorevalueof givingourclientsandtheirfamilies thefreedomtobecomeglobalcitizens andtoachievetheirfullpotential.

Whatareyourcompanyofferings? Howhaveconsumerresponses shapedthemovertheyears?

Asoneofthelargestglobal investmentmigrationadvisories,RIF Trustoffersover20Citizenshipand ResidencybyInvestmentprograms fromcountriesaroundtheworld.

Wehavesuccessfullyassistedhighnet-worthindividualsandtheir familieswithobtainingasecond passportintheCaribbean(e.g.,St KittsandNevis,Dominica,or Vanuatu)orEuropeanresidency(e.g., Portugal,Spain,orMalta).Weoffera bespokesolutionforeachofour

clientsandwillguidethemeachstep ofthewayuntiltheyreceivetheir newpassportorresidency,aswellas post-approvalserviceswithour exclusiveafter-careservice.

Ultimately,consumersarelookingto S.M.I.L.E.:Security,Mobility, Investmentopportunities,Lifestyle, andEducationandEmployment.RIF Trust'sservicehascontinually evolvedoverthelastdecadetoensure thatweareofferingthebest programmesandinvestment opportunitiesforclientstoallowthem thebestchancetoS.M.I.L.E.

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

Theinitialchallengewasawareness andtrust.WhenRIFTrustwasfirst formed,investmentmigrationwas

Mimoun

virtuallyanunknownnicheindustry

Withasmallteambehindme,Ifound myselfconstantlyhavingtoprovethe legitimacy,legality,andbenefitsof ourservice.

However,withthepassageoftime andalotofhardwork,wewereable tobuildaglobalbrandthatpeople knowandtrust.

Thecurrentscenarioisthatthemarket isbecomingincreasinglycompetitive withnewentrants,whoareoften unlicensed,inexperienced,andsmall operations,enteringtheindustryeach month.However,clientsarealso becomingalotmoreselectiveabout whotheyworkwithandcanidentify legitimateandexperiencedadvisories, likeRIFTrust,fromthesmaller advisoryintheindustry.

Onwhatidealsareyourwork cultureandbusinessethicsbased?

Wevaluetrust,excellence,and transparency Wetreatouremployees, clients,andpartnerslikefamily We arealldrivenbythesamegoal,where eachofourroleshelpstomakethe livesofourclientsbetter Wehire peoplethatarecommitted,positive andcaring.

Whatwouldyousayarethefactors thathavecontributedtoyour successasanorganization?

Despiteourgrowthasacompany,we haveneverforgottenour entrepreneurialmentality We continuetoworkhardeachdayto improveourserviceandensurethat wemaintainourleadershipposition andstayaheadofourcompetitors.

Whatdoyouthinkisthemost uniqueaspectofyourbusiness?

Withover50staffmembersjustatour UAEheadquarters,RIFTrustisthe largestgovernment-approvedagent

operatingintheMiddleEastand Africa.Withourmergerwiththe LatitudeGroupin2018,wenow haveaglobalfootprintwithover 100teammembersacross22 officesworldwide.Duetoour globalpresenceandreach,we're abletoofferover20different programmeoptionsforourclients, ensuringthattheyhaveawide rangeofsolutionstochoosefrom intheCaribbeanandEurope.

Wehaveadiverseboardof directorswhoarepioneersinthis industrywithacombined experienceof100yearsinbuilding andofferingcitizenshipand residencybyinvestment programmes.

RIFTrusthasbuiltourbusiness aroundourclients.Whendeciding onthebestsolution,ourpricingis alwaysfairandcompetitive.We arefocusedonbuildingtrustwith ourclientsduringeachstepofthe process.

Businessleadershavealways emphasizedthehabitofreading forsuccess,ontherecord.Is thereabookthatyoudraw inspirationfrom?

Oneofthepositiveimpactsof COVIDwasfindingmoretimeto read.Istartedreadingbooksin Frenchasthelanguageishighly nuanced.Currently,Iamreading LeNaufragedesCivilisationsby AminMallouf,aFrench-Lebanese writer.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompany afewyearsfromnow?

Weemergedstrongerfromthe COVIDcrisisandourgoalover thenextfewyearsistobecomethe internationalleaderinthe investmentmigrationindustry.

COMPANIES

of the Year 2022

Howhasyourjourneybeensofar?

Ourjourneyhascertainlybeenvery impactfultothelivesofourclients, andIamproudofwhatwehave achieved.RIFTrustisimpact-driven andwederivethemostjoyfromhow manyliveswewereabletoimprove. Wehavedeliveredpassportstoover 4,000clientsovernearlyadecadeand wearegrowingourstaffandnetwork everysingleday

KnowingMimounA.Assraoui, FounderandCEO

Almostadecadeago,Mimounleftthe bankingworldtoestablishRIFTrust in2013.Mimounhasover27yearsof experienceintheMiddleEastand Europe.Hehasworkedatdifferent internationalbanks,sovereignwealth funds,andfamilyofficesthroughout theMiddleEastandAfrica.After noticingtheopportunity,Mimoun leveragedhisexpertiseinbankingand entrepreneurialmindsetandfounded RIFTrust.

Hisambitiousvisionofbecomingan industryleaderhashelpedhimshape RIFTrust'scorevaluesofoutstanding service,asmoothprocess,and transparencywhilebuildingits internationalnetworkofoffices.

“My success formula can be abbreviated as C.E.O.: Clients, Employees, and Owners.

When you find the perfect mix of these three core elements there is no limit to what a company can achieve.”

Beingasmartcompanymeans stayingaheadofthecurveby keepinganeyeonclient needsandconsumertrendsand respondingquicklytochangesinthe market.“Westayintheleadby partneringwithourclientstocreate solutionsthatgetthemtowherethey needtogorightnow,”saysLanger “TheTransactteamembraces change.Theythriveinthis environmentthatcapitalizesontheir nimble,client-focusedwork approach.”

“TransactCampusisamobile-centric campustechnologythatintegrates institutionalpayments,campusID, andcampuscommerce.Withitsuserfocusedsolutions,ourtechnology canstreamlinecampuslifeto enhancethecollegeexperiencefor studentsandtheirfamilies,andfor thecolleges,thatfostersstudent retentionandpost-graduate connectionsandloyalty.”

In our interview with Nancy Langer, she shared her enthusiasm about the progress she's made at Transact Campus and the plans she has for scaling the business to new heights.

Here'saneditedexcerptfromthe interview.

Therewereacoupleofthings.For one,Transacthashugepotentialand tremendousopportunitiesforgrowth. Andthemarketweserveissmart,fastmoving,andfuture-oriented.Lookat wherewesit.Transacthelpscollege studentsnavigatethroughtheironcampusexperience.Ourtechnology andinnovationsmakeanimportant differenceinhowuniversitiesserve andinteractwithstudentswhoare muchmoredigitallyconnectedand mobile-centricthaneverbefore. Studentsarealwayslookingforthe nextbigthing.It'sincredibly energizingtobeinthemiddleofthis.

Justasimportantistheteamhereat Transact.Thisteamispassionateabout thebusinessandthatmindsetcreates anexcitingenvironmentthatfuels creativethinking.Toansweryour question,itwasacombinationof comingtoaspacewherethereisalot ofinnovationanddisruptionandbeing abletobecentraltothat transformation.Tobeapartofa businesswithuntappedpotentialfor growthandpartofateamthatbrings energyandcommitmenttothe business?Thatisanobviouschoiceto make.

Making An Impact in the FinTech Space: Led by CEO Nancy Langer, Transact Campus Paves the Way for Simplifying Campus Operations and the Student Experience

WhatwasyourpriorityatTransactinitially, anddoyouthinktherehasbeenachangein yourprioritiessincethen?

Ibroughtanextensivenetworktotheenterprise. Transactwasnotwellknownandtheproduct wasn'twellunderstood.Itwasimportantto changethatperceptionquickly.Ineededtoget outthereandletpeopleknowwhoweare.I talkedtoinvestors,colleagues,andpeers,and askedthemwhattheythinkwedoandwhythey thinkwhatweprovideisimportant.Iwasableto connectwithandengagesomekeyinfluencers andeducatethemaboutthepoweroftheTransact technology.

Byleveragingmynetworkandconsideringtheir input,wegainedsomeimportantinsighttoapply todefiningastrategyforgrowththateveryone couldsupportandalignwith.Thenwewereable tocreatethetacticsneededtoexecuteagainstthat strategy

Ofcourse,it'salsoessentialtohavestrongteams inplace.Oneofthecrucialearlystepswasto matchexistingtalenttothekeyrolesandgive themtheownershipandauthoritytheyneedto executetheirownsuccess.Wehaveavery capableworkforceandwhenwereorganizedto positionthemintherightroles,werealizedwe onlyhadtohireforafewnewpositions.

Withtheteamandthestrategicdirectioninplace wewerereadytogrow,toquicklyrespondtouser

Whatwasyourinspirationbehind joiningTransact?

Nancy Langer, CEO

needsandbepreparedtomovethe needleonopportunitieswhenthey appear That'sourprioritynow.For example,therearestraightforward paymentservicesthatwecanprovide, andthey'reimportantforourusers,but wecan'tbesatisfiedwiththelowhangingfruitofbasicproductfeatures. Weneedtobenimble,andnowit'sapart oftheculturetoprioritizegrowthandput ourfocusontheareaswhereweknow wecanmakeanimpact.Thestrengthof theTransactproductsisreallya collectivesuccessstory

Howwouldyoudescribethework culturewithinyourorganization?How doyoudifferentiatebetweensmart workandhardwork?

Wehaveacultureofinnovation, accountability,andcustomerfocus. Transactisagreatexampleofwhere hardworkandsmartworkintersect. Earningacollegedegreeoranadvanced degreeishardwork.Therearen'tmany shortcutsintheprocess.TheTransact technologyletsourhard-workingstudent usersworksmart.

Everythingwedoisfocusedonhelping studentsworksmarter.Oncampus, Transactsolutionssimplify administrativestepsbystreamlining operationswithcampusIDs,campus payments,andcommerce.Inshort,it givesouruserssmarttoolsthatletthem savetimeandenergyforwhattheycame tocollegetodo—workhard.Withone connectedcampusexperience,Transact workssmarttodeliverprecioustimefor thehardworkofcollegesuccess.

Whatarethefactorsthatmake Transactasmartbrandandwhy?

Withourfocusonmobile-first technology,weareservingthecurrentas wellasthenextgenerationofstudents. Wearepleasedandexcitedtobeableto saythatwewerethefirstoncampuswith amobilecredentialfullyintegratedtothe AppleWalletandGooglePay We thoughtourcampusbase,ourstudents,

wouldloveit–andtheydo–buttheyalso said,“It'sabouttime!”Itisthisdynamic withthestudentsthatkeepsusonourtoes.

Ourapproachisverycomprehensive.Wecan servemultipleusersegmentsfromthe studentstotheirparentsandgrandparents. Fortheusersofoursystems,weareasinglesourcesolutiontomeetmultipleneeds acrosstheentirecampusexperience.

Wehavegreatpartnershipswithcompanies thattoday'sGenZstudentsidentifywith, likeApple,Google,Microsoft,and GrubHub.Thesekeypartnersresonatewith studentsinourcustomerbase.Butweare mindfulofallthedemographicsweserve. Onthepaymentsside,tuitionpaymentplans areextremelyimportanttoparentspaying fortheirkids'collegetuition,andtheflexible plansallowustoprovidemorepayment optionstostudentsandtheirfamiliesto matchtheirfinancialneeds.Thewaywe partnerwithschools,andtheprogramswe canoffer,givesinnovationaplacetohappen oncampus.AndthatisworkingSMART

What'syourtakeontheinvolvementof companiesinsocialwelfare/CSR activities?Doesitmakeapositive contributiontothebusiness?

Absolutely Thesocialissuesthatdominate thedailyheadlinesaretopofmindand createsometimesurgentneedsforour collegeaudience.Andinternally,forour team,we'veseenthatthediversitywe embraceinourTransactworkplace contributesafreshwayofthinkingaboutthe designanddeliveryoftheproductsand servicesthatweoffertoourusers.

Inherentinourstrategicapproachof listeningcarefullytousers,istheabilityto spotopportunitiestocustomizeourproduct offerings;toberesponsivetomanydifferent needs,includingsocialdiversityandequity. Thecomplexityofcampussystemscanbe bewilderingforfamilieswhoare inexperiencedwithfinancialaidand paymentssystems.Streamliningtheprocess makescampuslifemoreaccessiblefornew arrivalstothecollegeexperience.

Thebestandthebrightestwanttowork inanenvironmentthatvaluesdiversity andinclusion,buttheydon'tcaremuch aboutthetalk,theywantthecompanyto act,andwehaveincorporatednew initiativesontheissuesofDEIthatwe hopewillreverberatethroughthe enterprise.Wehavehiredaleaderofour DEIefforts,MechelleKing,tohelpus createathoughtful,intentionalcultureof diversityandinclusion;it'stherightthing todoanditinvitesourpeopletobring theirbestselvestotheirwork,which ultimatelymakesusabettercompany

Wheredoyouseethecompanyafew yearsfromnow?

Itwillbeamuchlargerorganization,not onlyfromtheperspectiveoforganic growthbutthroughacquisitions.We'llbe expandingwhatwedeliverinhigher educationtoothermarketslikeK-12, internationallocations,andcorporateand medicalcampusesinclosed-loopcitystyleenvironments.And,ofcourse,there willbeopportunitiesthatwillcomewith technologiesandneedsthataren'teven onthetableyet.It'satremendously excitingpositiontobein.

KnowingtheCEO

NancyLanger

AstheCEOofTransactCampus,Inc., Nancyoverseesthecompany'svast ecosystemofpayments,campusID solutions,andcampuscommerce technology

“It was important to bring an extensive network to the enterprise. Transact was not well known, and the product wasn't well understood. It was important to change that quickly. I needed to get out there and let people know who we are.”

Women'sEntrepreneurshipis keytoimprovingthesocial andeconomicgrowthof societiesacrosstheworld,butitseems liketheareaisinsufficiently acknowledged.Althoughthereare womenleadersandentrepreneurswho aretakingoverthebusinessworld,we stillhavetoworkalotoncreatinga conduciveandfreeenvironmentfor everyonehopingtoachievesuccessin theentrepreneurialandcorporate world.

Aswespeakofwomen's entrepreneurship,TheChief'sDigestis proudandgratefultohavethe opportunityoffeaturingthestoryof KseniaYudina,CFA,Founder&CEO ofUNest,whoisstrivingtohelp

UNest

Investment Made Easy To Secure Your Child's Future Goals

Ksenia, CFA, Founder & CEO

parentsgivetheirchildrenafinancial headstart.

LeaderslikeKseniasetglorious examplesofhowwomen,justlikeher, canfindafootingandplacefor themselvesinsocietyandthebusiness world.

Below is an edited excerpt from Ksenia's interview with The Chief's Digest.

Howdidyoucomeupwiththeidea orconceptforyourbusiness?

Thecostofeducationkeepsgoingup andifwetalkaboutstudentdebt,ithas reached$1.7Trillion,whichishuge. EvenIgraduatedfromUCLA Andersonwithamassivestudentloan.

Isawmanyfamiliesstrugglingtomeet thecostofeducation.It'sdevastating. Asanexample,afamilyfriendofours justgraduatedfromUSC'sDentistry Schoolwith$500kinloans.Itwilltake herabigchunkofhercareertopay thatback.Thatisbecomingthenorm, studentbystudent,familybyfamily.

WhenIwenttoworkatCapitalGroup/ AmericanFunds,thelargestprovider of529collegesavingsplansinthe country,Irealizedthatcountless familiesdidnothaveaccesstoa convenientwaytoavoidthekindof loansanddebtthatIhadexperienced. Plus,whenmyfriendsaskedmeto helpthemplanfinanciallyfortheir kid'sfutureeducation,Iwouldsend themalong15-pageapplicationform.

Theywereseriouslyputoffbyhaving todothepaperwork,FedExtheform around,etc.Theywereusingappslike VenmoandRobinhood,sofillingout longformswasalientothem!

Irealizedthatthiswasacategorythat wasripefordisruptionwith technology.Itwastoughtoseehowa largefinancialinstitutioncouldmove quicklyenoughtosolvetheproblem, soIdecidedtodoitmyself.

Whatareyourcompanyofferings?

UNestisthemoneyappforyourkids' future.Thecompany'siOSand AndroidappsandInvestmentAccount forKidshaveachievedanoutstanding levelofsuccesssincebecomingwidely availableacrosstheUnitedStatesin February2020.UNestdemystifiesthe previouslycomplexprocessofsetting upsavingplansforeducationandother importantlifestageswithapaperless approachthattakesonlyfiveminutes tosetup.Theappalsoincludesa simplegiftingfeaturethatmakesit easyforfamilyandfriendsto contributetoachild'saccount.

UNestRewardisaprogramthatputs moneydirectlyintoyouraccountwhen youshopwithbrandsyoulovesuchas Disney+,Nike,orDoorDash.These partnerspayusanaffiliatefeewhena UNestcustomersignsupfortheir serviceorbuystheirproduct.

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

Oneofthebiggestchallengesearlierin mycareerwashavingavisionof innovationatalegacyinstitution,but withthatcomescomplexitiesasthey arenotoriousforthelackofinnovation duetotheirconservativeways.I

overcamethischallengebybeing persistentandrecruitingafantastic teamtosupportme.Myworkethichas alwaysbeenastrengthofmineand whenI'vebeenpresentedwitha challenge,Irelyonittobeatthe competition.

Earlyonfundraisingwasachallenge because98%ofventurecapitalgoesto malefounders.Ididnotletthisdeter me.Ioutworkedmymalecounterparts andwasultimatelysuccessfulin raisingmyroundSeed,SeriesA.

Howdoyoudefinesuccess?Doyou thinkthereissomesortofaformula tobecomesuccessful?

AtUNestwedefinesuccessbyour abilitytohelpparents.Wequantifythis successwiththenumberofparentsand childrenonourplatform,which currentlystandsatover300,000,and theirreviewsofourapp,which currentlysitsat4.8starsontheapp store.

Whatdoyouthinkisthemost uniqueaspectofyourbusiness?

ThelaunchofUNestlearnhasbeena terrificsuccessandanopportunityfor ustohelpeducateourcommunityona varietyoffinancialliteracytopics. Whilewedonotchargeforthiscontent ithasbecomeauniquedifferentiatorof ourbusinessbecauseitallowsusto supportourfamilieswiththetraining andsupporttheyneedtothrive.

Businessleadershavealways emphasizedthehabitofreadingfor success,ontherecord.Istherea bookthatyoudrawinspiration from?

TheIntelligentInvestorbyBenjamin Grahamisamust-readforanyone lookingtoinvest.CrucialConversation isanimportantbookforanyone lookingtoleadafintechcompany becauseitofferssuggestionsonhowto

COMPANIES INFLUENTIAL

of the Year 2022

navigatechallengingmoments.Often, I'vefoundmyselfinsituationswhere, stakesarehigh,andemotionsrun strong.Itisimportanttohavea frameworkforresolvingissuesand thatbookhelpedmedevelopone.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompanya fewyearsfromnow?

Wearequicklybecomingtheleaderin savingandinvestingsolutionsfor parentsandfamilies.Inthenextfew years,we'dliketoexpand internationallyandweseeourselves becomingtheholisticfinancialsolution forparentsandkids.Ourgoalisto leveltheplayingfieldforthenext generation,andbuildamoreequitable andinclusivesystemwhereeveryone canthrive.

MeetTheLeader

Kseniaisanentrepreneurandfinancial expertwithovertenyearsof experienceinthefinancialindustry As CFA,FounderandCEOofUNest,she hasspearheadedthedevelopmentof thebreakthroughfintechsolutionand raisedfundingfromleadingventure capitalfundsincludingNorthwestern Mutual,AnthosCapital,TheArtemis Fund,Group11,DraperDragon, UnlockVentures,andVestedVentures.

“Everyone on the UNest team is committed to our mission of helping parents build a better future for their kids, regardless of income or background, by providing guidance and access to costeffective financial solutions.”

Humankindisnotnewtothe transformationalimpactsof technology.Wearewellaware ofhowinnovationinthetechnological spaceisreshapingtheworldfasterthan everbefore.Andthereisenoughanecdotal andvisualevidencetosupportthe statement.Forinstance,wecanconsider theproofinourpockets;wehaveasmall mobiledevicecapableofoffering informationthat'sclosetotheentiresum ofknowledgehumanityhasgainedsofar

Speakingofthetechnologicalwonderswe aresurroundedwith,whatcouldbethe nextbigadvancement?Well,wehave alreadyexperienceditthroughsomeapps andfilters.Yes,wearetalkingabout AugmentedReality.Ithasthepotentialof bringingforwardthepossibilitiesthatare hardtoachievewiththeexisting technologieswehave.ARwillsurelyalter thewayindividualsviewtheworldand beginanewchapterinhumanbehavior.

Building A New Immersive World: It Appears the Sky's The Limit for VidIt

Rodriguez, Founder & CEO

Aswespeakoftransformational technology,there'sonecompanythat isalreadyonitswaytotappinginto theenormouspotentialofARand democratizingitsothateveryoneon theplanetcanbecomeanevangelist ofthisnewbehavior.Todaywe,at TheChief'sDigest,arethrilledto introduce toourreaders. VidIt

In an exclusive interview with The Chief's Digest, CEO Rene Rodriguez shared valuable insights on how the future will be with AR and his visions to support the transformation. Below is an edited excerpt.

Whywasthecompanysetup? Whatinspiredyoutodevelopthe ideaorconceptofVidIt?

Theanswertothatquestionissimple.

Ihavebeenanentrepreneurallmy life.However,theideabehindVidIt

didn'tconceptualizeuntil2007,when afriendofmineintroducedmetothe movie,“BacktotheFuture”.Itwas myfavoritemoviebackthen.Isaw thetechnologyofaugmentedreality forthefirsttime,andIcould instantlyfindaconnectionwiththe movieaswellasthetechnology

Icouldliterallyseeanewworldfull ofinteractivecontent.Istill rememberwhenMichaelJ.Foxwas standinginthecorneroftheplaza, andsuddenly,abighologramshark snapsathim.Inmyhead,Ithought thatwassoincrediblycool.Iknew thetechnologywasgoingtogetbig inthefuture,andIthoughtIwantto beapartofthis.Ididn'tknowhow longitwouldtake,butitinspiredme toenvisionthatthewholeworldwill becomeaninteractiveworld,and that'swhenIstartedworkingonit.

Rene

So,IhavebeenworkingonVidItfor thepasttwelveyears,andfinally,we haveaplatformthat'sreadytogo.

WhenIsawthevision,andweputthe concepttogether,werealizedthatthis willhavetobedeployedinphases.So, rightnow,wedohavephasenumber oneinwhichweprovideservices wherewecanmonetizetheplatformto websites,videos,NFTS,andother solutions.

Andinthesecondphase,wewillbe pushinghardontheabilitytocreate adoptionforfreeusersandour platform.Andoncewegetthereforthe users,wewillsuccessfullycreateafull worldofaugmentedreality.So,it's kindoflikethemetaversebutin augmentedreality

Inthismodernbusinessworld,what exactlydoesa“SmartCompany” meantoyou?

Forme,asmartcompanywouldbeone thatisstreet-savvy,onewithcommon sense.Today,technologyisevolvingso rapidlythatanyonewho'snotmoving aheadwiththenewtechnologiescan easilyrunoutofbusiness.

Let'sconsiderthelastfiftyyearsfor example.Wesawhowtheinternetand socialmediacompletelyrevolutionized thewayhowpeopleandcompaniesdo business.Itwasn'tsomethingthat peoplechosetoacceptorreject. Businessesthatdidn'tacceptitormove towardsitliterallydied.Similarly, augmentedrealityisgoingtobethe nextbigthing.

So,youneedtoheadinthedirection wherenewtechnologiesaremoving. Andinthenextfivetotenyears,we believetherewon'tbeacompanyon theplanetthatwillbeinapositionto rejectornotuseaugmentedreality.If theydon'tacceptaugmentedreality,

“People would like to have the ability to see their favorite museums, places, parks, or let's say, the Eiffel Tower. With VidIt's augmented reality technology, we want to bring all that to them.”

theywill andcould beatdisadvantage potentiallyrunoutofbusiness.That's howsimpleitis.So,asmartcompanyis alwayswillingtoadapttonewchanges, isopentostarttestingthewaters,and alwayslearning&movingtowardsthe newfuture.

Whatchallengesdidyoufaceinyour initialyears?Whatwasthenumber onemotivatingfactorthatkeptyou movingforward?

IwouldsayTiming!Waytooearlyinthe vision!!!!Soconvincingpeopleofthe futurewastough,especiallyinvestorsin whichIamextremelygratefulforthem ofcourse,butit'sbeensometoughearly yearsforsure,ofnotgivingupon somethingthatweknewitwascoming!I canrecallpeopletellingmethatmyidea wasthestupidestofalltheyhadever heard.Theywouldtellwhowillbe lookingforthingsthroughthatphoneor lookingforanyofthisstuffatall.Butall ofthatwasjustfascinatingtome becausetounderstandthedifference betweenPioneersandSettlers.

Itookeverychallengethatcameourway sportively,beitraisingmoney,keeping thingsalive,orbuildingtheteam.Iwas readytotakeadeepdiveandgointothe trencheswiththeteam.Weunderstood thedeeprootsoftheproblemandthen theprocessthoroughly.Eventually,we builtateamofwarriors,andthat'show weknewweweremakingprogress.Of

COMPANIES INFLUENTIAL of the Year 2022

course,wedidn'tletgoofoutside technologiestogetusthere.

Everytimeourvisionadvancedevena little,ourstepsgotmoresolidandwe gotmoremotivated.Now,weareso closetolettingtheworldexperience somethingsoincredible.Weare excitedtobeapartofthefuture.

Howwouldyoudescribethework culturewithinyourorganization? Howdoyoudifferentiatebetween smartworkandhardwork?

Ibelieveyouneedtodoabitofboth hardworkandsmartworkcombined. However,there'soneelementthat shouldbeaddedtothemixwhichis theattitude–arelentlessattitude towardsfindingasolution,learning, andthinkingoutofthebox.Andonce youhavepeoplewiththerightattitude, it'snothardtofindpeoplewhowork hard.Whenyouhavecombinedallthe three,youcanfeedthemwiththeright vision,andthenit'slikearocket.

Asaquestiononadaptability,how doyoustayrelevanttotheconsumer interestsandneedsinthishighly volatilemarket?

Whenyouintroduceanewtechnology, peopleusuallydon'tentirely understandthecapacityofthe technology.Rightnow,augmented realitytechnologyisbeingintroduced totheworldasjustsimpletoolsand filters,andpeopleareyettofully comprehendhowpowerfulaugmented realitycouldbe.

Today,peoplearesomewhatawareof augmentedrealitythroughtheir Snapchat&Instagramfilters,andsome toolsthatyoucanseehereandthere fromappslikeNike.Butinreality,this isnewbehaviorandeverybody's participationwillcontributeto evolvingthisbehavior.Overthenext

tenyears,thisisgoingtobemassive andwillchangethewaytechnologyis usedforever.Thecontributionfrom multiplecompaniesanduserswillbe crucialbecauseit'simpossibleforone entitytochangeeverything.

Whatarethefactorsthatmakeyour brandoneoftheSMARTESTand why?

Experience,expertise,andknow-how aredefinitelykeyelementsthathave allowedustounderstandtheindustry verydeeply,inadditiontoourmodel andmarketapproach.WethinkofVidIt asYouTube,TikTok,oreven Facebook-wehavecreatedaplatform inwhichpeoplehavethefreedomto createaugmentedrealityexperiences andsharethemacrossanysocial platformintheworld,beitFacebook, Instagram,orSnapchat.Wewanttobe theplatformthatenablespeopleto bringforwardtheirowncontent.

VidItislikeanecosystem,where individualsandorganizationscanbring content,sharecontent,orcreate contentfordifferentpurposes,sayfor educationormarketing.Wewantto allowpeopletopopulatetheworld withARexperiencesacross geographicalorproductlocations, websites,videos,etc.

AsIhadmentionedbefore,phaseone offersasolutionforbusinessesthat wanttohaveaninteractivewebsite withaugmentedrealitytechnology AndwithVidIt'saugmentedreality solution,Ithinkwehaveasmartplay withthis.

Howdoesyourcompanycontribute tothecompetitiveglobalplatformat large?

Wearedrivingafreemodelrightnow. Wewanttoofferthistooltoevery school,university,country,andevery

kidontheplanet.Wewanteveryoneto haveaccesstothetoolstohelpthem createexperiencesinaugmentedreality andthenpromoteitthroughtheir talent.Wearesurethateventually, companieswillbeseeingthatandthe needforthatwillemerge.

It'sgoingtobeasbigastheinternet.If welookattheearlydaysofthe internet,everybodywantedawebsite, andtherewasaneedforpeoplewho cancreateone.Similarly,when YouTubestarted,theinitialideawasto allowcommonpeopletoenjoysharing theirhomevideos,butlateritgrewinto ahugevideoplatformwhereboth individualsandorganizationswanted topostandmanagetheirvideos.

Goingforward,therewillbeademand fortheservicesforaugmentedreality inthesamewayhowthecreationof websites,videos,ordesignshasgrown indemandtoday.Andweonthe platformwillallowthewholeworldto interactinafreemodelwithallthe toolsandservices.

What'syourtakeontheinvolvement ofcompaniesinsocialwelfare/CSR activities?Doesitmakeapositive contributiontothebusiness?

Absolutely Wehavedevelopedour platformtogivethepowerandability topeopletouseitinawaythat benefitsthem.Forexample,our platformcanbeusedtotakeeducation toawholedifferentlevel.Wecanmake high-qualityeducationaccessibleto peoplefromdifferentcountries,places, ororganizationssothattheycanlearn inwaystheyhaveneverdonebefore.

WithVidIt,youwouldn'tneedany specialsoftware,elements,or equipment.Youcanstartwithjustyour phoneandeventually,awearable device.Anditwouldchangetheway howpeoplelookattheinformation.

Forinstance,wecangrabpiecesof artfromthemostfamousartistsand wecanbringthemtoanycountryor locationonearth,andpeoplecan haveavirtualtour.Itcouldbelikea virtualmuseumwherepeoplecan learnaboutartfromtheirown location,andthatwon'tcost anything.

Whathaveyouenjoyedthemost whilesailingthroughtheupsand downsofyourbusiness?

Thejourneyhasbeentheenjoyment thewholetime-thejourneyof buildingonemorecompany,the lessonsIhavelearned,thepeopleI hadtheopportunitytoassociate with,andenjoyingeverybitofit thoroughly Theprocessofbuilding VidIthasn'tbeeneasyatall,butit's beenveryfulfillingbecauseIcan helpsomanypeoplewhichI alreadydoactually.Justthefactof beinganassettoothersandnot askinganythinginreturnis phenomenal.

Wheredoyouseeyourcompany afewyearsfromnow?

Ifallthisstartsliningupwithwhat wearedoing,wewillbea worldwidebrandthatwould entirelychangethewaypeople obtaininformation.Ifyouthinkof it,imaginebeinginaparkfullof dinosaurssponsoredbyNikefor example.Thenthere'sanotherpark ontheothersideofthecitythathas allthecharactersfromDisneyand Marvel.Youcaninteractwiththem, takepictures,recordvideos,ordo whateveryouwant.