The Most Successful Business Leader to Watch Out by The Enterprise World

WWW.THEENTERPRISEWORLD.COM | AMERICA EDITION | JULY 2022

The Most

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS LEADER to Watch Out

CEO, WingoCase

Disrupting the Industry with Innovative Vision

From Editor’s Desk S

uccessful entrepreneurship comes from within, is something that can now be easily discarded as a myth. It requires consistency, facing problems and finding solutions and leading a team to success. It is more about building a strong and trusted team rather than just going forward. Most successful business leaders are the ones who have started with nothing and have today built successful enterprises. With the right kind of perseverance and attitude towards life, anything is possible. The Enterprise World’s this issue of The Most Successful Business Leaders to Watch Out features the stories of such business leaders who with their wit and hard work have made success stories happen. For the cover story read aboutLeading people in its truest form, was Steve Elwell. Like every other CEO, he faced hardships in his journey, but his zeal to succeed made him the leader he is today. Leading WingoCase- Ambulant Inc. Steve is the CEO of his word and one in its true sense. With his ability to lead a call with the shareholders with utmost ease, and find an innovative way around the everyday problems the organization faces on a daily basis, Steve has been able to take the company to new heights. Steve has a proven track record of growing and leading some of the most prestigious leading organizations in industries like medical device, and many more. This is the vision with which he has made WingoCase one of the most successful organizations in its industry. “I am a bit of a “throwback” CEO. It is mostly because of my relationships from the executive team to the back-office staff.” Mr. Elwell Brings expertise in strategy, marketing, sales leadership, and business development. He brings over twenty years of senior management experience in the medical device industry and has been a part of three successful exits; ApaTech (sold to Baxter), Salient Surgical (sold to Medtronic), and Global Medical Concepts (sold in 2018). Virginie Simone is the Founder and Director of Simon&Co. Virginie is one of the most innovative, visionary, and charismatic business leaders of the year. She has revolutionized the industry with her company’s leading services, embedded with her expertise and invaluable experience. Simon&Co has become one of the leading names in PR and strategy with unmatched services, providing solutions that offer clients flexibility, scalability, and growth. Their long list of loyal clients makes them highly sought-after and one of the most trusted PR agencies in the market. Simon&Co establishes itself as a leading PR strategist and brand builder, through its comprehensive methods and ethos. Their primary service offerings revolve around reputation management plans, launches, communications of influence, public affairs, media relations, and business development. Patti Brownsord, Partner at Grounded With Data, who is making lives easier with her accurate information and representation of data. In this interview with her, let us know more about the journey of the company. Grounded With Data is a market research and data analysis consulting firm. We work with businesses to help them figure out what they're leaving on the table by not using their data and how they can start making better data-driven decisions. “My business partner and I both come from agency backgrounds where every day was different, and we had to learn fast about various industries to become effective with our recommendations. We pride ourselves on quickly getting up to speed with clients and bringing them new insights and ah-ha moments. One of our favorite things to hear is, "well, I never thought about it that way before ." We wanted to start this company for the freedom of being our own bosses, working for clients we love, and growing a team that felt supported and inspired by their work.”

Shalmali Shalmali W.

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For Editorial Concerns: editor@theentetpriseworld.com For Sales & Branding Enquiries: sales@theenterpriseworld.com For Subscription: info@theenterpriseworld.com Publisher The Enterprise World Creative Content Editor Shalmali W. Marketing Coordinator Peter J. PR & Marketing Coordinator James H. Business Development Executive Rachel Hayden Creative Design Head: Sushant K. Social Media Manager Narendra S. Digital Circulation Manager Amanda V. Digital Marketing Executive Prachi K. This list is NOT a ranking. The companies on listed in magazine serve different aspects of the market, making ranking them in any order except revenue impossible and unfair. We try to bring a perfect platform for business organization to showcase their valued products/ services. Copyrights © The Enterprise World | 2019. All Rights Reserved. The images and content included in this magazine should not be copied, transferred or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronics, mechanical, photocopying, recording, otherwise, without proper permission from The Enterprise World. The Enterprise World solely owns all the reprint rights.

Leaders in Spotlight Leading people in its truest form, was Steve Elwell. Like every other CEO, he faced hardships in his journey, but his zeal to succeed made him the leader he is today. Leading WingoCase- Ambulant Inc. Steve is the CEO of his word and one in its true sense. With his ability to lead a call with the shareholders with utmost ease, and find an innovative way around the everyday problems the organization faces on a daily basis, Steve has been able to take the company to new heights. Steve has a proven track record of growing and leading some of the most prestigious leading organizations in industries like medical device, and many more. This is the vision with which he has made WingoCase one of the most successful organizations in its industry. “I am a bit of a “throwback” CEO. It is mostly because of my relationships from the executive team to the back-office staff.” Mr. Elwell Brings expertise in strategy, marketing, sales leadership, and business development. He brings over twenty years of senior management experience in the medical device industry and has been a part of three successful exits; ApaTech (sold to Baxter), Salient Surgical (sold to Medtronic), and Global Medical Concepts (sold in 2018). Virginie Simone is the Founder and Director of Simon&Co. Virginie is one of the most innovative, visionary, and charismatic business leaders of the year. She has revolutionized the industry with her company’s leading services, embedded with her expertise and invaluable experience. Simon&Co has become one of the leading names in PR and strategy with unmatched services, providing solutions that offer clients flexibility, scalability, and

growth. Their long list of loyal clients makes them highly sought-after and one of the most trusted PR agencies in the market. Simon&Co establishes itself as a leading PR strategist and brand builder, through its comprehensive methods and ethos. Their primary service offerings revolve around reputation management plans, launches, communications of influence, public affairs, media relations, and business development. Patti Brownsord, Partner at Grounded With Data, who is making lives easier with her accurate information and representation of data. In this interview with her, let us know more about the journey of the company. Grounded With Data is a market research and data analysis consulting firm. We work with businesses to help them figure out what they're leaving on the table by not using their data and how they can start making better data-driven decisions. “My business partner and I both come from agency backgrounds where every day was different, and we had to learn fast about various industries to become effective with our recommendations. We pride ourselves on quickly getting up to speed with clients and bringing them new insights and ah-ha moments. One of our favorite things to hear is, "well, I never thought about it that way before ." We wanted to start this company for the freedom of being our own bosses, working for clients we love, and growing a team that felt supported and inspired by their work.”

10. Steve Elwell

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30. Virginie Simon

20. Patti Brownsord

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The Future of

C O V E R S T O R Y

Disrupting

Industry

Innovative Vision Steve Elwell CEO

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C O V E R S T O R Y

As it is in stardom and in being a leader of a company, there is no big screen and a biopic playing for people to know you. Your excellent people skills, the way you tackle diﬃcult situations, the way you maintain a positive work environment everything comes to play when you decide to become a CEO of a company. Leading people in its truest form, was Steve Elwell. Like every other CEO, he faced hardships in his journey, but his zeal to succeed made him the leader he is today.

Featuring his story is The Enterprise World in this issue of The Most Successful Business Leader to Watch Out. Unmatched Leadership of SteveLeading WingoCase- Ambulant Inc. Steve is the CEO of his word and one in its true sense. With his ability to lead a call with the shareholders with utmost ease, and ﬁnd an innovative way around the every day problems the organization faces on a daily basis, Steve has been able to take the company to new heights. Steve has a proven track record of growing and leading some of the most prestigious

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“I am a bit of a “throwback” CEO. It is mostly because of my relationships from the executive team to the backoffice staff.” Mr. Elwell Brings expertise in strategy, marketing, sales leadership, and business development. He brings over twenty years of senior management experience in the medical device industry and has been a part of three successful exits; ApaTech (sold to Baxter), Salient Surgical (sold to Medtronic), and Global Medical Concepts (sold in 2018). Being a Washington State native, Jim Sinegal, the founder of Costco has always been Steve's role model. A piece of philosophy Steve has adopted from his role model Sinegal is that of taking good care of the employees. And that is the reason why he undoubtedly believes that the employees are a company's most prominent advocates. Steve's philosophy is that if you as a leader go the extra mile to take care of your people, it will create a cyclical energy that will ultimately benefit your organization in the long run.

swears by, and that is empowering them to make decisions. When you empower individuals and they know that they are trusted and supported, they will make decisions that are for the betterment of the larger good. The Company“WingoCase is based in Bend, Oregon and our mission is to create the most comfortable and versatile digital accessories that remove limitations between people and their devices.” The “science” behind this product is a 12-inch wooden ruler! WingoCase's Founder, Cole McGowan, was home for a family weekend and his father, an arthritis sufferer, had purchased a tablet so he could read books but was having to put the tablet down because of the excessive grip pressure required to hold it. To make the tablet easier to hold, Cole's Father taped a 12-inch wooden ruler to the back of the tablet which effectively created “wings” that extended beyond the perimeter of the device and enabled him to hold it effortlessly. Cole realized that tablets and phones were hard to hold, and he immediately secured two utility patents around creating independently deployable “wings” that make tablets easier to hold.

Building of a Strong Team-

The Challenges and Success-

The building blocks of raising a strong team are to know each and every employee on a human level. With the concept of remote work making its way, everyone's work lives and home lives are very much intertwined these days. So to rise above that and be a great company, all the employees need to know that they matter as individuals and not just as an employee number.

2019 was the year WingoCase stepped in the market, launching their ﬁrst ever product, WingoCase for the iPad Mini 4. The product was a massive hit, selling all the inventory. Considering the convenience of this case, and its easy to use nature, WingoCase was thriving in the market with great reviews.

Another key pillar in taking care of the employees at WingoCase is what Steve

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And as the company was ready to kickoﬀ better customer engagement with some of their newest additions,

“Fall of 2022 will have many new exciting products from WingoCase that will grow our ecosystem into more tablet and phone devices brands.”

leading organizations in industries like medical device, and many more. This is the vision with which he has made WingoCase one of the most successful organizations in its industry.

C O V E R S T O R Y

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products that supported the iPad 8th Gen and iPad Air 4, the world was shutdown due to COVID-19. This was a huge blow on the company's progress as it greatly impacted the company's ability to penetrate the market deeper and wider. But the plight of the pandemic was such that it eventually led to the 2021 supply chain issues that impacted the globe. Enduring the strong impact, it had on the company, 2022 was the year that marked for the growth of WingoCase. The company has also on-boarded Sandy Gohres as the company's new Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Roberto Gonzalez as the company's new Sr. director of Sales

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both with an extensive background in building brands and distribution partners as well as building a world-class sales organization. The Products and Services“How can we make it more comfortable? More usable? More intuitive?” While other companies promote features of their accessories, Wingo puts people at the center of every design decision. Wingo is the ﬁrst tech accessory company that focuses on the wellbeing of the person holding the

device in addition to protecting the device itself. The initial vision of Wingo was to create an ergonomic holding solution for phones and tablets. As the company grew, it quickly realized that, in addition to making phones and tablets easier to hold, consumers also needed the ability to make their phones and tablets stand up in both portrait and landscape mode. To raise the bar even higher, the team also realized that a variable angle stand did not exist in the market so Wingo set out to create a stand that could be adjusted to any angle without having to physically adjust the stand. After months of prototypes and tests, they have recently released their ﬁrst accessory for phones

C O V E R S T O R Y

that incorporates Variable Angle Stand The Road AheadTechnology (V.A.S.T.). WingoCase's mission is to create the most comfortable and versatile digital In short, Wingo has developed a proprietary friction hinge that enables accessories that remove limitations between people and their devices. As the consumers to securely stand their phone at any angle (landscape mode). average daily usage of mobile devices Smartphones are extremely powerful, continues to rise globally, the frequency of and it is a fact that people are capable RSI's (Repetitive Stress Injuries) continues of doing amazing things with their to rise. phones. “At Wingo, we take this very seriously. “At Wingo, we want to remove The genesis of Wingo emerged from a restrictions that limit the power of desire to help people.” people and their devices and our Wingo's mission is at the core of all of Variable Angle Stand Technology design discussions and roadmap reviews (V.A.S.T.) accomplishes just that.”

and is the driving force for WingoCase product evolution. Quite simply, with their extensive research and development, the team knows that mobile devices are only going to be more prevalent in our daily routine and WingoCase strives to be the ﬁrst company that not only protects the device but protects the well-being of the person holding the device. The company is on a mission to provide its customers the creative freedom and soar and will continue to put people and their well-being at the center of every decision they make as a company.

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Partner Grounded With Data 20

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Patti Brownsord

Making Lives Easier with Accurate Information

efined as the systematic collection and the analysis of data market research and data analysis is a branch where the data regarding a specific target market or even a defined segment is collected for review. This can include the information of your competition, or the information related to your business needs like supply and demand, products and consumers. Collecting of this data and representing it in a way that is easy for the investors or the stakeholders to explain is a skill donned by just a few. Featuring for The Enterprise World's this issue of The Most Successful Business Leaders to Watch Out is Patti Brownsord, Partner at Grounded With Data, who is making lives easier with her accurate information and representation of data. In this interview with her, let us know more about the journey of the company.

Brief us about your company, what inspired you to start the company? Grounded With Data is a market research and data analysis consulting firm. We work with businesses to help them figure out what they're leaving on the table by not using their data and how they can start making better data-driven decisions. My business partner and I both come from agency backgrounds where every day was different, and we had to learn fast about various industries to become effective with our recommendations. We pride ourselves on quickly getting up to speed with clients and bringing them new insights and ah-ha moments. One of our favorite things to hear is, "well, I never thought about it that way before ." We wanted to start this company for the freedom of being our own bosses, working for clients we love, and growing a team that felt supported and inspired by their work.

What are the products or services the company focuses on? How are your services diﬀerent from those in the market? Grounded With Data typically works with clients still learning about data and how it can be used. We focus on third-party research projects, surveys, and setting up data processes; additional tasks such as focus groups, asset analysis, marketing analysis, and dashboards/reporting blossom from the initial work. We're the Approachable Data Folks. We want our clients to feel comfortable with their data and create presentations, dashboards, and reports that are easy enough for them to present to others and look like rockstars. I've seen many consultants come in to build dashboards and reports that become so elaborate that the end-user scraps them. If our clients don't use it, it wastes everyone's time, and we never want that.

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Most non-proﬁts and foundations we work with come to us with a problem to solve, and then we start building more long-term relationships with them as their go-to data people. For small and medium-sized businesses, we either help them prepare for growth or ﬁgure out their capacity issues since they grew too fast and hadn't prepared for it. It's usually a combination of system congestion and culture shift, so we always mix training and process improvements. Please tell us about your team. I am essentially the Co-CEO, CMO, in charge of sales and stay directly connected with the clients as their representative. My experience in

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media, marketing, business intelligence, and general strategy has put me in a unique position to help clients consistently steer themselves to the best outcomes.

from diﬀerent generations and backgrounds to help build collaborative reports. It always leads to innovative insights that leave our clients delighted.

My business partner, Dr. Jack Slingluﬀ, Jr., is the other Co-CEO and COO and is in charge of the outcome of the projects. He has experience working with large casinos for their Customer Experience and Satisfaction. He knows surveys, focus groups, and the best way to tackle big market research projects. He also loves advanced statistics.

Our team consists of an executive administrator, who keeps Jack and me in line, plus is our editor and gut-check to ensure that we never sound wonky to clients. In addition, we have a project manager who acts as our senior market researcher. And we have various other friends we work with that help with our market research, data integration, data analysis, and data visualization projects. We pull them in as needed, depending on the assignment.

When we take on market research projects, we always create a team of senior leaders and creative thinkers

Please brief us about your professional experience. I started at an advertising agency for seven and a half years, where I was a media planner and supervisor. I helped win various clients for the agency, my favourite being the St. Augustine-Ponte Vedra Visitor and Convention Bureau, which we later re-branded Florida's Historic Coast. After finishing my master's degree at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, I became the Digital Media Manager for Clear Channel Outdoor, where I managed the digital billboards in the area. This experience gave me a better understanding of the value of money for small businesses, and I became friends with many non-profits I helped with fundraising by putting them on my digi-boards. After that, I had a small stint as a Media Director for JWT Inside (J. Walter Thompson's recruitment division). I then left media for Business Intelligence at the AAA National Office in Heathrow, Florida. I received a crash course in proper data visualizations and dashboarding and then moved to the Strategy, Insights, & Experience department as the Association Strategy & Special Projects Manager. This position helped increase my strategy, company goal setting, and leadership knowledge. When I left JWT Inside for AAA, they asked me if I could work on a few things for them since no one else could do it. I obliged and started this company! I was finally able to go fulltime in July of 2021. What are the key achievements of your business journey? My first achievement was winning the Orange County Regional History Centre for its media planning and data analysis. This win was the first contract we received where it wasn't a pick-up

job from my old client. The second achievement was winning the Winter Park Health Foundation's data analysis and market research. They are now our oldest and dearest client. They are continually ﬁnding more things we can help with, and we couldn't be happier! The third achievement was my ability to leave my corporate job and turn my side hustle into a thriving business. We still have a way to go to be wildly successful, but we're thriving. Any client experience you would like to highlight?

successful through their grants. We also love working with non-proﬁts because of their impact on the community. And we enjoy working with small and medium-sized businesses because if they can grow and be successful, that helps their team be happier, and that also can help the community. Which one is your favourite quote? “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” - Bruce Lee

We love working with foundations because they can help many nonproﬁts and individuals become more

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The Futu

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ure of

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igital currencies will undoubtedly have an influence on financial systems. According to the World Economic Forum, 86 percent of the world's central banks are investigating the advantages and disadvantages of central bank digital money. Cryptocurrencies were a big issue at the World Economic Forum's Davos Agenda this year. Leaders in the blockchain sector met electronically to discuss concerns such as legislation and which features were necessary for the industry's continuing growth. Cryptocurrencies based on the blockchain provide an alternative to established money systems like fiat. Digital currency may theoretically remove control of money away from institutions and return it to the people by eliminating the power of governments and central banks. Unfortunately, the world has been slow to accept this concept. Despite its inherent promise, Bitcoin has had a bad image throughout the first decade of its existence. The public impression of the emerging asset class has shifted due to enterprising criminals, unscrupulous investors, and institutional apprehension. Speculators and initial coin offerings (ICOs) took advantage of the potential to earn a quick buck—often at the cost of inexperienced investors—during the crypto boom of 2017. Thankfully, the focus has shifted away from cryptocurrencies as a speculative asset and toward aiming to solve many of the problems that consumers and companies face throughout the world, from faster and cheaper cross-border transfer to banking the unbanked. However, most ordinary people still face considerable

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barriers to utilizing cryptocurrencies in their daily lives, which must be overcome if digital money is to gain widespread adoption and eventually replace fiat as the dominant monetary system. Legal Documents & Smart Contracts The blockchain is used to keep track of digital money production and transfer. This capability is ideal for storing and enforcing legal documents in the form of smart contracts. Smart contracts are computer programs that run when certain criteria are satisfied and are maintained on a blockchain. This enables legal agreements to be automated so that all contract participants are immediately aware of the conclusion, with no time lag or need for an intermediary. The adoption of legal papers and smart contracts will be driven by the automation of workflows, triggering the next step when criteria are satisfied, and irreversibly recording status on the blockchain, especially when the cheaper cost of conducting business crowds out paper-based contracts.

crypt-enabled debit cards bridge the gap between regular money and bitcoin, providing a solution. Wirex, for example, is prioritizing the acquisition of local banking licenses in order to secure the assets of its clients. In fact, the ﬁrm is licensed to issue electronic ﬁat money and payment instruments by the UK Financial Conduct Authority under the Electronic Money Regulations 2017, with equivalent licenses in Japan and the

Crypto-enabled debit cards In recent years, a number of creative fintech startups that try to give alternatives to bitcoin exchanges have thrived. These include mobile-based systems that let customers to buy and exchange a variety of digital and fiat currencies. Wirex cards, for example, may turn any fund into fiat instantly, letting clients to spend it in stores and online just like cash. Although exchanges are still an important element of the bitcoin infrastructure, they lack the practicality and simplicity to allow everyday payments. As a result,

United States due soon. There is a lot of market volatility right now. Cryptocurrencies, unlike traditional ﬁat currency, are vulnerable to severe market volatility. This implies that the value of tokens like bitcoin, XRP, and ethereum might ﬂuctuate dramatically in a single day. The value of a single bitcoin soared from $5,940 to more than $19,190 at the end of 2017, before

plunging in January 2018. Skewed wealth distribution can cause volatility, with a few high-net-worth people or organizations exerting disproportionate pricing power. However, macroeconomic considerations and public image are vitally important in the digital currency industry. Despite the fact that its underlying blockchain technology enables for safe low-cost payments and transfers outside the traditional banking rails, cryptocurrency's inherent volatility

makes it an undesirable means of exchange. Mainstream adoption of digital currency might not happen immediately Cryptocurrency supporters are a dreamy lot. Decentralised digital currency is claimed to be an alternative to traditional ﬁat money that puts control back in the hands

of ordinary people, rather than central banks and government entities. The irony is that without the assistance of such organizations, widespread acceptance of digital money is improbable. After all, changing a money system that has ruled for over 50 years is no easy task and necessitates a massive revamp of the global financial infrastructure. The financial elite has long been skeptical about cryptocurrencies' ability to become a mainstream monetary system, citing examples of fraud, crime, and a lack of regulatory control. "Central banks have been sleeping at the wheel over the future of our money system being defined by a tiny number of banks, payment businesses, and now internet giants," says Fran Boait, executive director of advocacy organization Positive Money. However, governments and commercial organizations throughout the world are starting to see the advantages of a tokenized economy over the present fractional reserve banking system. Central Bank Digital Currencies are being investigated by the Bank of England, Sveriges Riksbank, Bank of Japan, and European Central Bank (CBDCs). The Bank of England stated in a financial stability assessment released in December 2019 that "stablecoins might partially replace or supplement present payment arrangements."

closed worldwide network of ﬁnancial institutions that works to expedite settlement among its members. Cryptocurrency's general adoption is unavoidable, but whether it will replace or just supplement the present ﬁat money system remains to be seen. Fintech companies will continue to create methods to assist businesses and individuals in using digital money in everyday life until that day comes. Conclusion We believe that the popularity of digital currencies and cryptocurrencies will continue to grow, and that banks, governments, and other institutions will be powerless to stop it. The beast's very nature is adaptive, responsive, and technologically adept, implying that the developers behind it can overcome practically any obstacle placed in their way. The only people who should be concerned are those who have invested millions in such currency. Because the dependability of any currency cannot be guaranteed, caution should still be maintained when taking risks with large sums of money.

This concept is also being accepted by private businesses. Wirex teamed with IBM towards the end of 2019 to become the principal issuer of regulated stablecoins on the IBM World Wire Network, a

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Your Reputation Matters! R and Strategy form the very core of any business looking forward to having a mix of traditional and digital footprint and expanding its service coverage across the globe. There are many companies providing exemplary services, led by equally capable and talented leadership.

Simon&Co establishes itself as a leading PR strategist and brand builder, through its comprehensive methods and ethos. Their primary service offerings revolve around reputation management plans, launches, communications of influence, public affairs, media relations, and business development.

Virginie Simone is the Founder and Director of Simon&Co. Virginie is one of the most innovative, visionary, and charismatic business leaders of the year. She has revolutionized the industry with her company's leading services, embedded with her expertise and invaluable experience.

Simon&Co views the dynamic of working with its clients as a partnership, working together to make the best brand possible. This creates a long-term rapport between Simon&Co and its clients, not only ensuring that the marketing strategy it advises is custom built to ﬁt, but that it can adapt this strategy with the organization in question.

Simon&Co has become one of the leading names in PR and strategy with unmatched services, providing solutions that oﬀer clients ﬂexibility, scalability, and growth. Their long list of loyal clients makes them highly sought-after and one of the most trusted PR agencies in the market.

Every decision regarding the best ways to communicate a message to an audience is tailored to the client's speciﬁc circumstances. Moreover, Simon&Co goes above and beyond to ensure that its clients are ready to deliver the message that they have in mind. When a client presents a plan that their team thinks is ill-timed or could use extra work, they won't just put the strategy into action, but will work with the client until the communication is at its best before release!

Simon&Co, establishing your brand, revolutionizing PR and strategy! Simon&Co is a global PR and communications agency, with its wingspan around the world, and its headquarters based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The company's vision is “To work with clients to build strong brands that empower them to rise in their industries, helping to develop, promote and establish them through clear and intuitive communication”.

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Given how crucial timing is for an eﬀective campaign, the team of Simon&Co works hard to ensure each communication goes out when the time is right for that speciﬁc content. Additionally, they encourage their partners to know the assets and selling points of their campaign beforehand, to know the expectations of their target market

Virginie Simone, Founder & Director

Simon&Co www.theenterpriseworld.com

as well as how best to reach them. PR strategy, especially during a pandemic, needs to adapt and evolve with the world it wants to make a mark in.

Lastly, Switzerland is also a multicultural country welcoming a variety of companies, from start-ups to multinationals, foundations, and NGOs. It is full of opportunities, allowing them to grow on a wider scale.

Journey of Simon&CO Simon&Co's founder, Virginie Simon feels lucky enough not to have faced initial challenges. When she left her previous agency (as a Senior Consultant and Head of the Geneva office), she was very tired and wanted to take a few months off to follow the training and find a job in a company. Becoming the client was her goal! But the word of mouth is very powerful and the first clients came before Virginie even started to set up her agency. The first one came from Brazil and the second one from Korea, which is crazy when you think about it. It's only after a few years that she had to face some typical entrepreneur's challenges like managing the cash flow and not paying all your invoices at the same time like a good Swiss citizen! Reasons that make Simon&Co successful, strong holding their position in the market? It is the patience and diverse experience of Virginie in crisis management as she used to work for the Federal Office of Public Health during the H1N1 pandemic, which was key to handling her company during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also managed by herself and from A to Z all strategies and communications for the most important redundancy that Geneva has ever experienced.

Indomitable services of Simon&Co, and what sets them apart? There are very few true PR companies, as most of them have become communication agencies, which is great. But from a PR point of view, communications are only one tool that can be leveraged to reach wider business-related goals. This is why Simon&Co oﬀers a plethora of services, covering all aspects related to PR and strategy. Their services are: Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Public Relations Strategic Counsel Business Development Crisis and Change Corporate Reputation Media Relations Launch Inﬂuencers Digital National and international campaigns Public Aﬀairs Coaching and training Internal communication

This along with her expertise in PR and strategy led her and SImon&Co to climb the ladder of success, acquiring prestigious clients, pushing their growth, and making them successful.

The company has mainly been growing with Virginie, her expertise, and experience as it requires skills and knowledge you mostly don't learn at school. The company and its team also develop services according to their skills and what they feel is going to be the next big change.

One of the major reasons that establish their long-standing success, making them a leading name in the PR industry, is the respect and loyalty they have earned from their clients over the years. Simon&Co has always believed in being true to their work and working with a sense of ethics, which has created an unwavering trust with their brand name.

Their services comprehensively cover all aspects of PR and strategy, giving their clients a whole ﬂeet of unrivaled services to choose from. This along with the brand name of Simon&Co along with their commendable support and service standards makes them highly sought-after and one of the most reliable PR and strategy agencies.

They always try to make the most of their clients and provide them with nothing but a comprehensive solution, tailored for them. To them, it's not about selling their services to their clients, but more about cooperating with them and oﬀering them strategic insights, support, and training on a long-term basis.

Orchestrator of Simon&Co

JULY 2022

Virginie is a highly-motivated, multicultural, diligent, and passionate PR strategist and brand-builder with 13 years of proven track record in delivering strategic communications campaigns, reputation management plans, and high-level change and crisis counseling. She has gained experience in

the public sector, Swiss and international agencies, startups, nonprofit and multinational corporations, which allows her to understand and analyze all types of organizations. Passionate about business development, brand management, and strategic communications, Virginie always goes beyond traditional thinking to implement meaningful actions. Her knowledge of the Swiss market has also become a strong asset for her national and international clients willing to develop themselves or launch new products and services in such a small but specific country. In her previous senior roles in PR and communication agencies, she led major international and national accounts and multifunctional teams, ensuring return on investment and reaching high key performance indicators. She in particular managed all communications for the largest redundancy Geneva has ever experienced and launched a campaign in more than 35 countries. Prior to that, she developed and launched Swiss national campaigns of prevention, developing and implementing promotion, media, PR, and crisis communications plans as well as partnerships and events. Virginie obtained an Advanced Diploma in Strategic Brand Management from the London School of Business and Finance, a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Marketing Management from HEC Business School, and a Master's degree in Political Sciences from Lausanne University. Trilingual in French, English, and Spanish, she is fluent in German and speaks Italian. The team and work culture at Simon&Co Virginie has decided to hire talented people who don't come from the PR or the communication world. They all have a very different path, one was an entrepreneur for instance, and another used to work in a back office and is amazing at storytelling. But they all have skills that are a plus for the agency and a curiosity that is very important when working with a client. “You have to be open-minded and know what's going on in terms of politics, social environment, which are the local and more global economic tensions and challenges, etc. As they all come from different fields and all want to develop themselves in PR, I offer them the tools and the opportunity to develop what they really want”, Virginie adds.

meetings on a regular basis but their relationships are very friendly and quite cool. All these factors make them a close-knit family, working synchronously to strive for perfection, and innovate services that imprint Simon&Co's brand, as one of the leading PR and strategy agencies! Virginie's take on the responsibilities of an entrepreneur? I don't see my entrepreneur life as full of responsibilities. I see it as full of freedom as it allows me to take the risk and develop whatever I want whenever I want. Of course, it is also a lot of sacrifices, you work like crazy and cannot disconnect totally and get paid less than what a big company would offer. But I feel that I do fit this lifestyle the most and wouldn't exchange this freedom for anything else. Virginie's take on the competition in the market? How does she cope with it? I believe that there are enough great projects for everyone and that sometimes we could also join forces between agencies. I am quite disruptive with this point of view but sometimes, if you are too busy or missing one specific skill or type of person in your company, you should just ask for some support from abroad. I have the chance to have built the most amazing network of professionals around me. I told most startups that the most difficult step to grow is to surround yourself with the right people. It's the same in our case. We can count on other agencies or experts to support us from time to time and they also ask us the same. Is competition a motivating factor for Virginie? Does she feel it helps to bring out the best? Yes and no as of course it motivates you to bring out the best when you compete during a pitch. But at the same time, if you work with ethics, know where your values are and how you can effectively support a client, there is space for everyone. New companies are settling down in the country or being created each year. New types of products and services are developed. There are still plenty of opportunities. We just have to be clever and make sure our services fit this market and evolve with it.

This keeps the team highly motivated, enabling them to learn from each other all the time. The leadership is very ﬂat with