The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 - Vol II by tycoonsuccess

MAY 2022

THE MOST

ADMIRED WOMEN

LEADERS IN BUSINESS 2022

Sonica Aron Managing Partner

SONICA ARON Changing Peoples' Lives for Better

www.tycoonsuccess.com

Cover Story 08

Sonica Aron Changing Peoples' Lives for Better

CXO 26

Why Do We Need More Digital Leader In The Insurance Industry?

Kaleem & Madeeha The migrants who revolutionised the South Australian businesses

CONTENTS

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Lexis Serot A Thought-Provoking Leader, Humanitarian, and a Doting Mother Setting New Benchmarks

Kamales Lardi Moving Businesses into the Digital Age with Brainchild Endeavour Lardi & Partner Consulting

Manisha Karmarkar Breaking Glass Ceilings in the Field of Medicine

Karin Volo Leading A Novel Training Firm, Evoloshen Academy Bringing Joy to the Workplace

Yoana Boyanova Helping Organization to Make the World a Better Place

Editor In Chief Prashant C. Managing Editor Ehsan Jami Publishing Control Team Alexis, Michael Visualiser Mary Chars Art And Design Head Stephan Wood Art And Design Assistant Aby K. Art And Pictures Editor Abhijit Kandalkar Business Development Manager Wilson Shan Marketing Manager Chris Philip Business Development Executive Maria, Wilson, Martina, Alex, Kevin Technical Head Jacob Smile Assistant Technical Head Alina Sege Digital Marketing Manager Jennifer Parker Assistan Digital Marketing Manager David King Research Analyst Earl Lewis Circulation Manager Scoot Taylor sales@tycoonsuccess.com

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Editorial Desk

THE MOST

ADMIRED WOMEN

LEADERS IN BUSINESS 2022

ith the constant development in the startup ecosystem, more and more women are chasing the entrepreneurial dream and succeeding in their ventures. Women leadership in today’s world has been on a rising graph in the recent years. In this day and age, we can proudly say that women leadership is not an obscure concept any longer. Women are in the news every day, ruling all segments of industry and all facets of life. Successful women leaders and subject matter experts who have created a very strong knowledge pool are helping innovators to shape ideas into reality.

With a set of strengths and professional code of conduct that women are very well suited for; organizations are actively seeking women for leadership roles and female entrepreneurs are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other time in the past. Several organizations too are enabling women to grow and ﬂourish in both their professional and personal lives, enabling them to thrive on their own path, based on their own professional and personal priorities. Their expertise and thought leadership are fuelling organizations' impressive success. In a country like India where most of the women aren't encouraged to think big, there are some who have soared higher than one would expect from a constrictive setup. These wonder women are inspiring other ladies to venture on the path of start-ups through the stories of their personal struggles and challenges. Our current edition speaks of such inspiring stories of women entrepreneurs who are disabling the think-leaderthink-male norm and touching the sky. The number of female founders shining in our country will only rise, and we could not be prouder of our women. Flip the pages and Happy reading…!! Tycoon Success Magazine editor@tycoonsuccess.com

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022

SONICA ARON Changing Peoples' Lives for Better

Cover Story

‘

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you nd out why. – Mark Twain

’

Sonica Aron Managing Partner

city as well as in remote areas. This experience helped her realize, how diverse people viewed women workforce, worked with, and dealt with them. Sonica later went on and gathered experience from companies like ICI paints, Philips, Vodafone, and Roche diagnostics. While she was heading the HR department for Philips Consumer Lifestyle Business in India, she decided to take a diﬀerent path and reshape her career. So, come February 2013, Sonica Aron founded Marching Sheep with the vision of making a tangible diﬀerence to peoples' lives and careers. During her 2 decades-long career as an HR professional, Sonica has seen the narrative of Diversity Equity and Inclusion evolve. Once there was a time when the best organizations were not aware of Vishakha guidelines to now where organizations are not only working seriously towards increasing women participation in the workforce but there are organizations that are looking at other dimensions of diversity like Persons with Disabilities, LGBTQIA+ community as well.

oming from a family of doctors. The youngest of three siblings, no one in Sonica Aron's family has studied or practiced business management. So, this was a completely new world for Sonica. From having medical discussions at the dinner table as a child to today where she and her family talk about social justice, gender expression, awareness about disabilities, and inclusion. Sonica is an HR professional with more than 2 decades of experience. She has completed her graduation from XLRI Jamshedpur, which is also one of the soughtafter institutes for studying Human Resources in India. While working at PepsiCo, Sonica was exposed to diverse roles and geographies. She worked in sales and sales HR. She worked in a factory. She also worked in a

Sonica also believes a lot of organizations have moved ahead of 'token' efforts like standalone sessions and are approaching the issue with serious intent and are taking a holistic approach- through inclusive policies, processes, driving mindset change, inclusive leadership, communication, and decision making. Making a Tangible Difference in Peoples' Lives As a consulting organization, Marching Sheep had to evolve with the evolving times. During the pandemic, the company had conducted extensive industry engagement and came up with interventions that were specific to clients' needs in turbulent times. The organization has also observed the evolving role of HR as strategic partners in business recovery, continuity, and growth. So, Marching Sheep has curated an action

learning-based strategic HR business partnering certification, and in partnership with FICCI Quality Forum, has been successfully running programs that have been attended by HR professionals from different companies. In order to stay true to its vision of making a tangible difference in peoples' lives and careers, Marching Sheep needs to stay in touch with its client organizations and people. So, the organization also carries out various noncommercial campaigns including, Marching with Pride, where the company engaged with people from the LGBTQIA+ community to understand their lives and what would take it to make organizations inclusive for them. Another Campaign was 21 Marching, where they met with 21 persons with disabilities to help spread awareness about the 21 disabilities covered under the RPWD act 2016. Marching Sheep provides four main services, which are; • Diversity & Inclusion Strategies and Interventions: The organization truly believes that inclusive organizations are much more productive and Marching Sheep partners with client organisations to arrive at their inclusion and diversity charters and strategy through a diversity diagnostic, chart out executable plans, and also partner with the execution, drive mindset change, and culture building. • Human Resource Consulting: Organizations need their HR strategy, policies, and processes to enable employees to deliver on the business strategy and goals. Marching Sheep works closely with its client organizations in order to streamline the vision, mission, values, behavioural frameworks, policies, practices, HR strategy, and socialization, and drive communication, internal Leadership, managerial capability to enable the same. • Bespoke learning interventions: Sonica believes that the world has significantly changed during the last two years of the pandemic. As the socio-economic fabric is slowly evolving, the competencies needed to succeed at work are also changing. Marching Sheep work with clients in order to enable individual contributors, managers, and leaders to succeed by building the right competencies. The organization curates each intervention to drive the right behaviours

through the facilitation of insights, reflection, and practice. • Health and Wellness Portfolio: Marching Sheep believes, wellness nowadays includes emotional, mental, and physical wellbeing. While things like insurance can take care of the physical part, a massive awareness and life-skill building are needed to handle issues like stress, burnout, and anxiety. The best part is, Marching Sheep enables all the individuals to become emotionally resilient by identifying their stress triggers, their own stress responses, and coping mechanisms and hence more productive, personally, and professionally. According to Sonica, the company does this with programs curated after research, and with the help of clinical psychologists. The Inception Story Before founding Marching Sheep in 2013, Sonica used to be on the other side, as an HR Head. However, her biggest issue with that was, they would engage a consultant, carry out an intervention, and incur costs yet there would be no tangible change post the event. So, she along with the team drew the blueprint of Marching Sheep on how they would approach each assignment, and what they would achieve at the end of the assignment. For her, leaving a tangible impact is extremely critical. The second factor was that she was already the head of HR position by 2012, and it was the time for Sonica to evaluate her next steps for herself, in her context. With her husband's career growing parallelly, two young kids, and three sets of aging parents and grandparents, Sonica was seeking a career path, where she could contribute, and get the satisfaction of making a difference on her terms. Marching Sheep has clients across various industries. The organization has worked with different global MNCs, and Indian Conglomerates, funded start-ups, emerging organizations, and large giants. It has worked in sectors like FMCG, FMCD, manufacturing, power, and infrastructure, BPO/KPO, IT and ITeS, Financial sectors. As a company, Marching Sheep has also successfully built relationships with clients based on the Quality of its

delivery. Sonica and her team always deliver what they commit and on time. The Marching Sheep team spends quite a lot of time understanding customer pain points and offering a solution that will eventually solve the real issue. Tackling Challenges Sonica faced many challenges while founding Marching Sheep. The challenges included things like statutory requirements that are associated while having her setup. Some decisions like whether it should be an LLP, LLC, or a company or a proprietorship were to be made. Making her website from scratch was a big challenge, being bootstrapped. She was in a vicious cycle, to hire a team member or to make revenues to reach a certain level. Sonica was doing everything from BD to delivery to invoicing to client management to paying taxes herself. Doing Business development did not come naturally to Sonica. She was quite hesitant about singing her own praises as a consultant, but that was needed. She took her time to learn this art. Then came the issue of managing cash flows. Slowly and steadily she learned, she hired and grew. Soon the client base grew, and revenue also got stabilized. However, challenges like demonetization, implementation of GST, and the pandemic came and destabilized the industry. Every time the industry got destabilized and the client's focus shifted from HR interventions to business continuity. Therefore, Sonica and her team had to evolve each time in order to meet the client's need to stay relevant, which eventually taught the firm flexibility and adaptability. Future Roadmap Marching Sheep is already a leading D&I firm in India. So, it would like to make its mark globally. The organization has started acquiring international clients from 2021 and now it is planning to press the accelerator pedal this year. Sonica also added, “We have gone from strength to strength in the last 8 years. From being a one-woman

army to today being a strong team of passionate HR professionals, with clients, mentors, allies across industries and globe.” She also considers herself lucky to forge strong partnerships with the clients who have trusted the company and given them repeated work, partners like FICCI, and transformance forums who helped the company carry its message and passion on building inclusive workplaces, and an inclusive world.

Kamales Lardi CEO

MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

Kamales Lardi Moving Businesses into the Digital Age with Brainchild Endeavour Lardi & Partner Consulting

amales Lardi, a Digital Business Transformation Expert & Thought Leader successfully contributing top-line growth of businesses, their operational excellence and capabilities development through digital transformation. She combines over 21 years of deep cross-industry experience with the latest digital and technology solutions and is presently leading Lardi & Partner Consulting in the key position of CEO. In academics, Kamales did B.Sc. in Computing & Information Systems where she found her interest in technology, programming, and business strategy. The inspiring lady began her career at Accenture (Andersen Consulting back then) after graduating in 1999. Then, she enrolled in MBA at Durham University Business School in the UK (2003). Kamales worked in Zurich Insurance for a while, and then at Deloitte

MAY 2022

Consulting. In the year 2012, she decided to start her own consultancy. Further Kamales shared about her journey, “I became a parent and found the consultancy business model not conducive to a balanced lifestyle. This became the premise for my 'modular consulting' business model, a term that I coined to combine high-quality solutions with a ﬂexible and agile delivery model. This approach has resonated well with many business leaders and has helped my company stand out in the digital space.” In addition to consulting, Kamales Lardi is active in teaching as well and has lectured at several higher institutions like ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business, and Durham University Business School. She is the Chairperson of the FORBES Business 15

Council Women Executives group and a dynamic and influential speaker. Lardi & Partner Consulting, Transforming Traditional Business Models Lardi & Partner Consulting GmbH is a boutique consultancy specializing in digital business transformation and emerging technologies. We enable organizations to transform traditional business models, processes, and operations to meet the needs of the digital economy and customer experience. We help companies define their customer's needs and identify the best ways to utilize digital and emerging technologies across the business value chain to gain sustainable returns. The firm provides advisory services to mostly multinational companies across various industries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In addition, over the years they have also advised SMEs, start-ups, and the public sector. Kamales's focus on creating value in business enabled by technology has helped the Lardi & Partner Consulting firm stand out. She often says, 'technology is not a silver bullet solution, a clear value proposition should drive any transformation effort'. This approach resonates well with many business leaders and has helped her stand out in the digital space. The Impacts of Covid-19 COVID-19 has shifted mindsets towards greater adoption of technology and digital platforms. As experts in Digital Transformation, Kamales and her team have extensive implementation experience in this space and actively support companies in driving. They have taken a peoplefirst approach that focuses on team wellness and prioritizing clients in their work. This works well as they have strong personal relationships with their clients and understand their personal and business challenges. In addition, their capabilities in business transformation and emerging technology solutions are exactly what companies need now to create business continuity and resilience. From the CEO's Desk When asked about her views on challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and advice to overcome them, Kamales said “I do believe there is still a certain level of bias, conscious or unconscious, in the field of tech, entrepreneurship, and business. This could relate to a range 16

of challenges such as women getting fewer opportunities in the field, struggling to gain funding, not receiving the credibility or recognition that they deserve for their work, or even manifest in the technology solutions being developed because of the lack of diversity in the development teams. This challenge should be addressed at various levels to be effective, including education, support, and deliberate actions and policies to enhance diversity – not just across gender but in every area.” What Fascinates You the Most about Running your own Business? “I take an active role in every client engagement that we deliver. I like working with clients and each company is unique, bringing new experiences, challenges, and opportunities. I find this fascinating and exciting. Also, the best part for me is seeing our solutions and advisory moving from vision to action, driving transformation in the company, and delivering real business results. This brings satisfaction and motivates me to keep doing what I do”, shared Kamales while disclosing the fascinating part in her business role. “By running my own business, I have full control over the types of projects we do, who we work with, and what kind of results we can bring. For example, we usually work with multinational corporations, however, if there is an interesting project with a small company or start-up, we could still take it on. I am also excited about exploring new capabilities and skills. For example, back in 2016, many clients asked about the impact of blockchain and crypto in their business. This led me to deep dive into the topic, including understanding the technology and programming in this scape and eventually designing and building a blockchain-based traceability solution for the agriculture supply chain”, she further added. Awards and Milestones on the Way The company has hit the 10-year milestone for the business this year and they are still going strong. This is a big achievement considering the competitive market. Lardi & Partner Consulting has been honored with the 2020 Global Corporate Excellence Award from Business Worldwide Magazine in the category 'Digital Business Transformation Firm of the Year'. In addition, Kamales Lardi has received numerous awards including: • “Top 10 Global Influencers & Thought Leaders in Digital Transformation” (Thinkers360, 2021) MAY 2022

• The Top 50 Women in Tech - Inﬂuencers to Follow (2021) • Top 20 visionaries of the media and technology industry (Adello Magazine, 2021) • First-ever Forbes Business Council Women Executives Chair (2021) • Women in Fintech Powerlist (2017)

Don't limit yourself to what others or society or even you think you should be doing. The possibilities are unlimited, as long as you are bold and take a leap of faith in yourself. Build the right capabilities and experience required to succeed, but remember you do not need to be 100% ready, leverage teams that can help you build the right capabilities.

Lardi & Partner in The Next Five Years Lardi & Partner Consulting aims to ﬂourish into a globally recognized brand and expert partner in digital business transformation in the near future. Also, the team is planning to work on more technology projects that deliver towards sustainability and climate change solutions Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

MAY 2022

Karin Volo CEO

MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

Karin Volo Leading A Novel Training Firm, Evoloshen Academy Bringing Joy to the Workplace

tanding strong on the sturdy shoulders of a ﬂourishing businesswoman, a global leader, an employee engagement expert, and a recognized HR Inﬂuencer, Karin Volo, CEO, Evoloshen Academy endeavours to guide employees to be empowered, engaged, and help them reach their full potential. Evoloshen transforms business through culture. It is the team of expert trust advisors to CEOs, CHRO's, and top management teams to help them work strategically on culture issues. With over 20 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies globally, this inspiring leader has insights on business building, cultural transformation, and high

MAY 2022

performance. Aside from becoming an expert in culture, employee engagement, personal and organizational development, she is an international bestselling author. She is also an accomplished inspirational speaker and a Certiﬁed C-IQ™ Coach. Her purpose is bringing joy to the workplace. Further Karin apprised “I've had my own company since 2003 when I started an Executive Search ﬁrm in Sweden. My work has evolved from taking the best talent out of companies to helping companies keep their talent through working on their culture. The catalyst for this change came from writing a book called Engage! in 2012 which became an international

bestseller. It lead to me speaking on culture, engagement, trust, and purpose and developing impactful training programs in these areas.” Successful Clientele & Core Values Evoloshen Academy works actively with progressive CEOs and CHROs who understand the value of culture. They have worked with a number of industries and types of organizations from fast-growing tech companies, global consulting firms, manufacturing, private equity, and governmental agencies to give some examples. The core is focused on developing and training employees to be empowered, engaged, and to help them reach their full potential. They have training programs such as Ignite Your Trust Factor, am International Cultural Engagement Specialist certification, and Discovering Your Purpose. The deeper they are able to work with their clients, the stronger the trust and relationships grow. Besides training, they have expanded to offer coaching and group masterminding as well. This has developed from their clients asking the team to support them even more. Progressing In Entrepreneurship The absolute key is to know your purpose! Evoloshen aims to bring joy to the workplace and that is what drives Karin and her team every day. They know the power of reaching their full potential and thriving. They share tools and knowledge that are empowering and help people understand who they are. As an entrepreneur, Karin finds it as the complete commitment to a bigger purpose that will drive her through the challenging times. It gives inner confidence and commitment to never give up and to keep going forward no matter what. From the CEO's Desk The two biggest challenges I'm looking at currently are how best to grow my business and to offload many of my daily tasks and projects. As a leader, I'm evolving and growing as well. This is why I'm a big believer in coaching and mentoring! It helps along the way and can save a lot of time and mistakes. While talking about the branding strategies of Evoloshen 22

Academy to stay ahead, Karin said, “We rely a lot on word of mouth and recommendations. Giving value and building strong relationships over time builds high levels of trust. I also have a podcast called The Amazing Leader Series where I love to showcase progressive CEOs and leaders who are proving that working with culture is great for business because they are actually doing it. This provides a lot of value and inspiration to leaders. In addition, we have published a number of free reports on our website that have great value and information to help support people who want to learn more about cultural transformation.” Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs & Karin's Views She ﬁnds it tough to generalize this. She says we all have our own experiences and journeys we are on. Women need to support each other and lift each other up as much as possible. In Karin's view, young women feel pressure to balance between their personal/family lives and their professional lives. She has noticed that once kids are grown, women seem to step into their power. They have a lot of drive and energy and can really make an impact. And she always encourages mothers to enjoy their time with their children because they grow up too quickly! It's important to enjoy each stage of life and know that the journey is constantly changing. When you can embrace the phase of life you are in and truly appreciate it, that helps to handle the ups and downs that life will bring your way no matter what. It's a part of the human experience. So why not enjoy it along the way? Karin's Daily Routine “With an ideal day, I normally wake up around 6:30 or 7:00. I like to enjoy my mornings by easing into the day, working out at home, drinking my daily green smoothie and walking my dog. My days are always diﬀerent based on the projects I'm working on, which I normally have two to three at a time. It often includes meetings with clients and/or my team, sometimes preparing for workshops, writing articles, checking emails, making videos, working on web pages”, Karin shared when asked about her daily routine. Milestones & Future Roadmap Evoloshen has been recognized as one of the Top 10 MAY 2022

The world needs women entrepreneurs now more than ever. Women are naturally caring and nurturing and the business world is changing to be more supportive on a human-to-human level. Karin believes that will make it even easier for women to be themselves and step into their power. There is nothing that can hold female power back and their time is now! Turning Solutions towards Covid-19

Organizational Development Companies in Europe by HR Tech. Karin Volo has also been recognized as a Top Thought Leader in Trust, named on the Engagement 101 Inﬂuencers several years in a row, Top 10 HR Inﬂuencers, and many others.

Karin said, “Our world has gone through some severe trauma in recent times. We need to come together to heal and support each other. I absolutely see a world in the future where every person can thrive and reach their full potential. Our children deserve this and together we can solve the problems in our world. It all comes down to love. Love is the currency of business—we want to love our jobs; we want to Live Our Values Daily. So, it's time for us to realize that when we are united, we become an unstoppable force and we can use this to create momentum to change the world. We must have the courage to care for and love one another!”

Evoloshen is on the way to be known globally as the trusted company to help develop leaders and employees, create high trust organizations, and the team is working diligently to transform many lives! Plus, with every client project, Evoloshen will also contribute to support education, clean water, or ﬁghting child sex traﬃcking. A Piece of Advice for Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs

MAY 2022

Why Do We Need More Digital Leader In The Insurance Industry? T

he insurance industry is working on digital process optimalisation. They are learning a lot: how can we develop new business models and special new service models, to support the needs of clients and to achieve the “heart of customers”. For this purpose they use a design thinking approach, analysing trends and using business model canvas. But they shouldn't learn only methods, but also how new technologies like artiﬁcal intelligence, blockchain, internet of things or predective analitics work. This combination is very important to be „ﬁt for the future“, to be a digital leader!

insurance DNA for the next generation. As you know, today, to develop a digital approach, to change your legacy system, to develop your culture and organisation, to “teach” your clients to use your apps. It takes time to see the results and appropriate proﬁts. If you invest into the future, you need enough ressources (time, money, quality) to develop a long term perspective. The insurance industry is only on the starting point of this tranformation journey. I`ve prepared an “insurance landscape” about the status of startups and insurance companies/corporate ventures from the perspective, whether they are cooperation or compatition.

Because the digital leaders will be the winner and as you know “the winner takes it all!” I think, most of our challenges are coming from the complexity of digital transformation and the complexity of the insurance branche. How should we start? Should we start with processes, products, organisation, clients or employees? Should we cooperate with a startup or should we be a startup, as digital insurer or should we found a venture and invest in startups?I realised, there are so many questions and also so many ideas developing step by step the digital 26

MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

Erika Kr san Managing Director

Our exponentional developing business life required a exponentional learning developing. The insurance world was very closed world. From closed value chain from developing new insurance products, through sale the product and in case of demage regulare the claims. But the technology is supporting us to do our process more eﬃcient, quick, to develop more customer convinience. Our InTa – Insury Talent Network supports young (re)insurance professionals & brokers to understand the new insurance innovation world and act like a “Champion”. The insurance industry has the power to do the right things in the right direction with understanding the customers, education talents, develop the right vision, strategy and company culture, use the most important technology. If your „Innovation House“ ready is, you can do your job with passion and enthusiasm every day. Are you ready to understand and create a great insurance industry together?

MAY 2022

Lexis Noel Serot Founder & CEO

MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

Lexis Serot

A Thought-Provoking Leader, Humanitarian, and a Doting Mother Setting New Benchmarks

path-breaking leader, Lexis Serot is driven by a passion for transforming lives and providing life-changing experiences. She is spearheading the motto of Collaborating, Empowering, Supporting, and Protecting others through her organization, LittleWins. She is the Founder and a model leader at a young, rapidly growing organization. Her vision of leadership is about setting an example and leading a unique path to achieve desired purposes and goals. "The reason I started LittleWins is a huge part of who I am today. I wanted to tell my daughter that when life presented an “at-bat” I swung MAY 2022

like hell. With my daughter, I saw ﬁrsthand how diﬃcult it was to access the proper care and equipment that could enable her to reach her fullest potential. Every detail of LittleWins has been carefully designed, with compassion, respect, and love for this community." A Ground-Breaking Leader Lexis is well versed in the care, therapies, and equipment that help her daughter – and people with a range of abilities. She has navigated a frustratingly complex system that leaves people with disabilities and their families feeling isolated and alone. Understanding the need of the hour and being shocked by the disparities that, limit many people's access to durable medical equipment, she decided to address this problem by founding her company. Based on her experiences, interactions, and an “unrelenting desire to make a change,” Lexis began laying the groundwork for LittleWins in 2018. The name 29

is personal and relatable to her community because every progress milestone for a person with disabilities is a little win for them and their family. All About LittleWins

equipment suppliers such as NuMotion to identify used equipment that can fulﬁll the needs of LittleWins community members. She connects regularly with other entrepreneurs – such as Communikind founder Cimeran Kapur– and promotes their services on LittleWins.

One in six children and one in four adults in the U.S. have a physical, developmental, behavioral, or sensory impairment. Most can't aﬀord the durable medical equipment they need or wait months for insurance companies to approve it.

She joined forces with another woman entrepreneur, Hotsy Totsy Haus CEO Christi Leonardi, a deaf single mother, to create LittleWins-branded, natural ingredient bath bombs, that are now being sold, on the LittleWins website.

Lexis believes that access to equipment and supplies should be simple. The mom of four, including a daughter who has cerebral palsy, founded LittleWins.com to connect and support people with disabilities and individuals who actively work to provide a better quality of life for others.

Lexis regularly works with NuMotion, National Seating & Mobility, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and Clearbrook.org, which empowers adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live their fullest lives possible. Building a Resourceful Community

LittleWins.com harnesses the power of the community to help its members buy, sell or donate medical equipment, get information, and connect with others. Members list and browse equipment by category and location on the company's website. They connect directly with buyers and sellers through the site's app. They share tips, experiences, and advice on LittleWins' social pages. “People with disabilities deserve to say, 'there is nothing I'm not worthy of.' LittleWins goes to bat for every one of them,” says Lexis. Since 2018, Lexis has continually adapted the LittleWins.com website with web and e-commerce developers. She directs a marketing assistant and marketing communications agency. She works closely with her legal and financial advisors. She collaborates with regional and national organizations that support people with disabilities. She partners with other entrepreneurs, who offer products and services to her community. She created and posts regularly on LittleWins' online support forum, receiving and providing feedback to help people with disabilities and the families that support them live their best lives. Coming Together for fulfilling a Bigger Purpose Lexis is a passionate advocate and cheerleader of the work of national and local organizations that serve people with disabilities. She works with durable medical 30

Lexis's relentless eﬀorts to build an online community of people with disabilities have paid huge dividends. More than 6,000 followers now visit LittleWins.Facebook and Instagram pages; and 800+ visitors go to the LittleWins website every week. To date, LittleWins.com's 7,500 + community members have donated, purchased, or exchanged more than 200 pieces of equipment. They also exchange experiences and advice daily on the site's secure messaging app. The Team LittleWins “Empowering Communities and Smashing Stereotypes” Private Facebook Group. Now 400 members strong, the Group, led by Lexis, is a platform for families and people with disabilities to share their stories, provide advice and experiences on products and services and provide mutual encouragement. After launching LittleWins.com in 2019, Lexis began to explore how the site could serve her community's needs beyond durable medical equipment. To build the LittleWins brand, she launched a line of LittleWins apparel – beanies, trucker hats, and t-shirts. The LittleWins blog and podcast feature educational posts, stories about her clients, inspirational leaders in the disability movement, interviews with durable medical equipment and adaptive technology experts, and more.

MAY 2022

Lexis continually mines feedback from the company's surveys and emails that can inform how it can create (or support) solutions to common challenges for people with disabilities. She is preparing to launch a medical supply subscription box program that will provide people with disabilities and their families exactly the right supplies they need, when and how they need them. Combined, these initiatives are raising awareness of LittleWins' mutually-supportive community, and the used durable medical equipment items that are available on LittleWins.com The Big Wins of LittleWins During the past year, Lexis launched two new projects, with a third about to launch. LittleWins teamed up with Dine-It-4ward to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

Lexis's Ultimate Vision In addition to her day-to-day leadership of LittleWins.com and full-time care of her four young children, Lexis's entrepreneurial spirit, drive, and relentless pursuit of growth for LittleWins.com are rooted in her desire to help others. Her deep belief in the unique service she's created, her ability to tell her personal story, and her talent for connecting with people who share her vision and journey. She believes that community-based models – supportive online villages like LittleWins – can re-unite everyone to solve shared challenges, reach common goals, and make sure everyone has an equal shot at success. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, she has used the power of online communication to tell the stories of her customers and her community. The Road Ahead

LittleWins sponsors events that, support services for people with disabilities, such as the abilities Expo, Virtual Run/Walk of Clearbrook, a leader in creating innovative opportunities, services, and support for people with disabilities; Farm Fresh Food Bank, The Kids Equipment Network, and front line responders. She also put together the ﬁrst-ever music festival to accommodate people with disabilities this past summer. She's donated hospital beds to people who needed them during the start of stay-at-home orders. For this eﬀort, Lexis took out an ad to reach people who had hospital beds but no longer needed them. She picked the beds up from each donor's home, disinfected them, and delivered them to people who needed them. Lexis gives virtual shout-outs to companies that actively support people with disabilities through their product marketing and hiring practices. She shares stories of LittleWins community members and their loved ones. In 2021, Lexis was named a Top 100 Healthcare Visionaries by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare, previously known as the Smart Health Conference. She has been asked to be a keynote speaker at this year's conference, to be held in Dubai. LittleWins was also awarded honorable mentions, by Fast Company's 2021 World-Changing Ideas.

MAY 2022

Lexis envisions a world that values people of all abilities – a world that actively supports their right to the help, equipment, and services that help them achieve their full potential. She reckons that everyone's attitudes toward people with disabilities are improving, she believes pointing to companies whose policies and practices support workplace equality. “But we still have a long way to go,” she notes. “We must celebrate and tap into our differences on a much broader level.” Lexis exemplifies leadership in 2022 – an entrepreneur in evolution who derives satisfaction from helping others – and continually finds new ways to serve them a better and brighter future. She has even launched version 3 of the LittleWins website at the beginning of this year. This version update was spearheaded by the community and what they wanted to see from LittleWins and how it could be better. The latest update includes a premium membership which allows members a fixed shipping rate through FedEx and the ability to print their labels at home.

Manisha Karmarkar COO

MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

Manisha Karmarkar Breaking Glass Ceilings in the Field of Medicine

eet Dr. Manisha Karmarkar, COO, Ruby Hall Clinic. Having joined the hospital as an anesthetist, she rose to the ranks and held a number of key positions. While she continued to be enjoyclinical work, the leadership team quickly noticed her intellect and emotional ability to get tangible results. Although she leads the hospital from the front, she hasn't forgotten her roots. She is a practicing anesthetist and even continues her education in the form of degrees from esteemed educational institutions across the globe.

Since Manisha never planned her role as COO, she considers herself as an 'accidental COO'. The ﬁrst time she got attracted to healthcare leadership was when she was oﬀered to head the Anaesthesiology Department and OT services at the hospital. Although she had theoretical knowledge due to her MBA in Healthcare Management,its practical knowledge and the belief senior management had in her that propelled Manisha forward. She also says, “I believe that nothing substitutes for hard work and talent. You can't skate your way to the top and break glass ceilings.” MAY 2022

Achieving Excellence in Hospital Care Manisha says, “Ruby Hall Clinic has a history of keeping at the heart of its operations. As an 850-bedded multidisciplinary institute with three hospitals in Pune, we have constantly moved towards a true culture of achieving excellence in-hospital care.” The hospital's nine NABH and NABL quality accreditations and certifications in medicine as well as its cGreen OT certifications are proof of this very notion. As one of the forerunners in being bestowed with such accreditations, Manisha and her team's focus on high-quality patient care speaks volumes in itself. Additionally, Ruby Hall's super-specialist doctors have a proven track record of excellence. Going beyond reputation and word of mouth, the hospital's tertiary care services are known to have an excellent rate of results. When it comes to investing in the latest technology or even promoting organ donation in the country, Ruby Hall Clinic has the first-mover advantage further strengthening its position in the healthcare market. Take 35

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‘

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.

‘

for instance the fact that it has been the ﬁrst to perform pioneering robotic surgeries in the city and this number has now crossed more than 300. Or even the fact that Ruby Hall has a cutting-edge cancer care facility and an all-women managed breast care clinic among many other initiatives. The Pandemic Changed Many Things Manisha took the reins in the capacity of the COO at Ruby Hall Clinic right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although she feels it was a big challenge, she was willing to tackle it head-on. Manisha believes that coronavirus upended life for one and all and as a leader, she continued to do everything in her capability to keep her patients and employees safe while quickly adapting to changes in the industry. Be ittechnologically advanced equipment, adopting AI and machine learning, or pivoting tactics and strategies - the pandemic brought about changes she never imagined. As a leader, Manisha had to display business acumen, healthcare expertise, and forward-thinking all at once. Sure, there may have been challenging days but what mattered is that she took it all in her stride and worked to make a diﬀerence when it mattered the most.

they set for themselves, and to do it in a way that is affordable to them. And that is what Manisha is most excited about. As a hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic has begun to expedite its expansion strategy by focusing on the rapidly growing demand for innovative and comprehensive solutions to support the digital transformation of the healthcare ecosystem, be it automation, artificial intelligence (AI), or the Internet of Things (IoT)."To be specific, the hospital has already incorporated a new EMR system, a successful Lab App actively uses robotics in surgeries, invested in world-class advanced equipment such as the Varian Ethos for cancer care, a hybridcath lab, and a neuro-navigation system amongst others,” she says. Ruby Hall Clinic's purpose is simple: to build a digitally enabled healthcare ecosystem where it actively collaborates across the continuum of care to improve each patient's health outcomes. Suggestions for Young Entrepreneurs When asked for suggestions, Manisha says, “Be authentic, be genuine and be fearless. Not everyone will like your true colors, but people will appreciate your honesty anyway. But showing your true colors means showing your vulnerabilities, too. Let people know what gives you strength, what are your weaknesses, but make sure to turn them into strengths later on.” She also adds, “No woman has risen to a leadership position without taking a few risks. It's normal to feel hesitant about what you don't know and what isn't familiar. But don't let that fear restrict you from pursuing a great idea or goal. Be fearless in the attempt of doing something new or challenging!”

Providing Unparalleled Healthcare Experience is the Target Professionally, Manisha's goals at the hospital focus on providing unsurpassed quality, unique technology, and an unparalleled healthcare experience. She and her team are working hard to build a more integrated system to achieve better health, better care, and more joy for those providing care as well. By harnessing technology, the entire team of Ruby Hall Clinic is looking to create the kind of experience around accessible healthcare that is valuable for people, allows them to achieve health goals MAY 2022

Kaleem Usman Managing Director

Madeeha Usman Managing Director

KALEEM & MADEEHA 40

The migrants who revolutionised the South Australian businesses MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

“Taking a deep dive into the numbers is a notso-secret passion for Kaleem and Madeeha, while ﬁnding their real joy in creating opportunities for the migrants. ey are not just Business Partners but a lifelong companion”

he fearless couple, who revolutionised the South Australian Industry. Meet Kaleem Ulah and Madeeha Usman, the young entrepreneurs of Adelaide. When Usman, was offered her first role as an external auditor in PWC, within 20 days of her arrival in Australia, she was mentoring students of her age. The job was a well sought position, overseeing the external audits for a global organisation. While Kaleem, a well-trained engineer, found his passion in numbers. Being recognised by the official Institute of Public Accountants for his extraordinary vigilance and passion for accounting. Kaleem is known to be the support system for many SMEs. They are taking the accounting industry by storm. And, if you are visiting Adelaide, you are sure to be recommended by many! This is the story of two most enigmatic leaders, who share the same vision but believe in bringing a different approach to the table and giving back to the community. Going into Business… In April 2016, Mr Ulah and Mrs Usman decided to start their own accounting firm. Every night, they would sit in their garage and brainstorm. Kaleem was quite popularly known by his Australian friends as Kaleem 'Kal'. And one night, when Usman was trying to scribble and brainstorm, she was struck by an idea – And it was The Kalculators. The Kalculators in two short years was supporting variety of entities – factory workers to multimillion – dollar turnover businesses such as pharmacies, retail stores, construction companies and service providers. “Many of my clients are high net worth individuals, which we define as anyone with over $5 million in liquid financial assets. ese clients are often either retired or run successful businesses including franchises, and managing stock portfolios and estates” When asked Usman, about the vision she brings, “Everything we do, and the success we have, is due to our root vision of treating customers with transparency and equality” MAY 2022

While, Kaleem's home-made tax form, was hitting a speedy road to success. Madeeha's business vision towards creating a sustainable firm became the backbone of the organisation. “I remember back in the day a client asked me why I was using my own Word printout. Everyone else was using computers and there I was with my piece of paper. But clients liked my resourcefulness, and years later my very first clients are still with me,” reveals Mr Ulah. Two short years later, Madeeha and Kaleem were managing 10 offices throughout Adelaide and over 10,000 clients. The couple owes their success to the fellow migrants. And believe, a leader must give back to the society to create a stronger root for the generations to come. Kaleem and Madeeha have helped countless newcomers adjust to life in Australia. “Most of my clients have migrated from other countries. They don't know any accountants and they don't know enough about the local laws. So, they need someone who can teach them and who can speak their own language,” says Mr Ulah. “My wife and I thought, 'we have the resources, we have everything, so let's go and offer international students the opportunity to learn how to do tax returns',” he explains. “International students spend a lot of money on their studies, but finding employment for them, is very hard. The reason is that students are learning the theory, but lacking the practical experience,” says Mr Ulah. “we have hired a professional trainer who trains the international students on how to use software and how to execute tax returns in real time. They also observe our accountants while they are on the job. Slowly we bring them to a professional level.” “Once they complete it, we offer the dedicated ones a job in one of my offices,” he says. So, eager to grow with their community, the couple allows international students to develop practical experience with the aim of easing their integration into the Australian workforce. Madeeha, who is known to be the philanthropist by some, mentors for many, and Tax Lady by her team. Mentors 41

students at the Oxford University, who are working towards their PHD dream.

recently recognised for its “Consulting service” and as a “Boutique ﬁrm” of 2021.

Being recognised as one of the most powerful women in the accounting industry, Madeeha was honoured as an Ausmumpreneur in 2021. Usman encourages and supports young mothers to create a life of their own dreams.

Creating ability through disability

Madeeha's mentoring was a compelling one, she always conveyed the inspirational thought

Working with the clients in disability, they realised the provided service level suﬀered for the vulnerable. Even with the proper funding, many individuals with disabilities were unable to create an independent lives for themselves. This is when, Care Assure was born…

– “If you fail don't lose hope because as the wise saying goes, we can't change the direction of the wind but we can certainly adjust the sales” Yet being one of the most inﬂuential women in business, you can't just dismiss Madeeha as an accountant. She is also the author of her recently launched book, “The Women Changing The World” – A story of her life and other powerful women, who choose to lead life the harder way – to set an example for women, who are still doubting their abilities to build themselves. As per Madeeha, “This book is not only for women, but to inspire daughters, and sons, for the generations to come”

Madeeha and Kaleem founded Care Assure - a disability housing and support provider in South Australia. As the directors of Care Assure, we are not about making money; the role requires empathy and value creation. And working towards value creation is not easy, it is about constant quality assurance, to ensure your clients are being treated with care and respect. Providing disability accommodations all over South Australia, Care Assure is recognised for the seamless service experience it provides. Wielding Soft Power

“Getting to the top at the expense of another woman is not a sustainable way to get ahead, and, most importantly, doesn't help our case. The only way that women will be seen as equal in business is by making sure that there are more women accomplishing what they deserve in the workforce, and that takes encouragement” “This book is not just stories, but real life journeys, relatable role models – where women in Australia are changing the world through entrepreneurialism, education, conscious living, advocacy and innovation”. “Game Changers”

As directors, it's about more than the sales you do or the money you create; your clients are your centric value. In the current times of uncertainity, as organisations we must be sustainable, realistic and exercise quality control. The day you start working through hierarchy and consider yourself as a boss! You start to lose your ground as a leader. Management should value transparency and respect. Not just proﬁts or expenditures! Provide your team with the right resources and respect them for their own individuality. You will end up having a team of passionate individuals exceeding expectations.

Madeeha and Kaleem both used their positions to encourage the young migrants to pursue their dream. As a result, The Kalculators earned recognition for “Diversity Inclusion” in 2021. Employing over 100 young individuals from various cultural backgrounds. They believed opportunity is inclusive to all. Also, being recognised as a ﬁnalist by Xero, a multimillion cloud accounting organisation. The Kalculators was 42

MAY 2022

Yoana Boyanova Senior Member Of Technical Staff

MAY 2022

The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II

Yoana Boyanova Helping Organization to Make the World a Better Place

eet Yoana Boyanova, a Senior Member of Technical Staﬀ at VMware Bulgaria, VMware's largest R&D oﬃce in Bulgaria.

Vmware is a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise control. At the heart of everything it does lie the responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, equitable, and more secure future for all. VMware streamlines the journey for its clients to become digital businesses that deliver a better experience to its customers and empowers employees to do their best work. Since its foundation in 1998, VMware's employees and ecosystem of over 30,000 partners have stood behind the technology innovations transforming entire industries—from banking, healthcare, and government to retail, telecommunications, manufacturing, and transportation. Every day, VMware's employees work to solve its customers' toughest challenges through disruptive MAY 2022

technologies like edge computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, machine learning, Kubernetes, and more–to define the digital foundation that will accelerate the next wave of innovation. With almost six years of experience as a Front-End Developer, Yoana is currently moving into a managerial role. Prior to joining VMware, Yoana worked in EPMA Systems. She completed her bachelor's degree from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and her master's degree from the New Bulgarian University. Yoana is also a part of a non-profit group named 'Women who code”, which focuses completely on supporting women in technology. Currently, Yoana works on a leading Cloud-Service Delivery Platform which is part of VMware's MultiCloud Program. The organization has a variety of clients who are mainly service providers, and its product is critical to their business. For Yoana's team, clients' needs are always with high priority. 45

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‘giveNeverup

people to do that. She is quite excited that she is a part of a one really big initiative which can bring a lot of changes to the world right now and she can do a lot with her work to support it.

– everything is possible

‘

The Journey towards Leadership While at school, Yoana was very good at maths, and the most perspective career then was to be a software developer. That's how she moved to Sofia from her hometown to study Information technologies. It was hard at first and Yoana studied a lot, but only a year and a half later she got my first job as a junior UI developer. Meanwhile, she was studying Project Management at the university and soon realized that management is what she wanted to do. Later Yoana started working for VMware, joined Women Who Code, spoke at several conferences, and she served as a mentor in an academy and mentor to a girl intern. Yoana was performing well as a technical team lead for a small team, which helped her to get recognized, and now she is moving to a manager position. She hopes this will eventually help her try something new, which can help her gain a lot of experience. Yoana feels the need to align her team goals to the company's objective and, key results. She says, “We live in a very dynamic time, and I need to be very agile and at the same time to step in very fast in my new role.”

Suggestions for Upcoming Entrepreneurs When we asked Yoana to give some advice to upcoming leaders/entrepreneurs, which will help them, she says, “Don't be afraid that you can fail and that it seems it's a “men's world”. We live in a modern world and anyone can achieve anything.” She also adds, “If you need some inspiration or source of strength, you can contact an already successful woman which can help you to grow. And yes, there are a lot of successful great women out there!” Satisﬁed Clients “VMware is the glue that holds our multi-cloud strategy together. It allows us to share resources, tools, and data between Amazon, Google, and our own private cloud environments.”- Salvatore Cassara, CIO, SGB-SMIT Group “We deployed VMware SD-WAN Edge devices to extend the same level of user experience to the home as if our employees were working onsite.”- Emil Patel, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Hyundai AutoEver has been focused on application modernization with VMware Tanzu and heavily invested in internalized capabilities like DevSecOps and microservices.”- Jung Sik Suh, CEO, Hyundai AutoEver

Creating a Balanced Industry Yoana suggests that it is important to show that everything is possible and the only thing matters are who you are as a person and what are your skills. She believes, companies can make more events for diversity inclusion, take part in various initiatives, organize internal programs, and more. She strongly believes, VMware can win the Multi-Cloud world as the company has the right portfolio and right

MAY 2022