World's 10 Most Dynamic Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021 by World's Leaders Magazine

World's 10 Most Dynamic Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021

www.worldsleaders.com

CEO & President MES, Inc.

HITEN SHAH

A Trailblazer Leader in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Industry

AUGUST 2021

Editorial Note

World's 10 Most Dynamic Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021 World's 10 Most Dynamic Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021

www.worldsleaders.com

AUGUST 2021

CEO & President MES, Inc.

The Learning Aspects of becoming a Successful Entrepreneur The majority of individuals think about entrepreneurship in terms of notions. For many, true entrepreneurship, takes place on the inside, with the process of standing up, having courage, and doing things others never thought possible. However, being flexible with behaviour and learning to conduct business outside of one's comfort zone is the key component of successful entrepreneurship. Nowadays, being an entrepreneur requires coming up with a novel idea, solution, or service. And, obviously, to start anything new, one needs a solid concept: something people want, something that can be scaled, at least for the people who will be investing in the idea. However, according to a number of entrepreneurs in different types of sectors, if one doesn't know how to execute an idea or turn a concept into a profitable business, one is doomed to fail. But this can be avoided by taking a few steps while planning to start an entrepreneurial journey. The first step is to recognise and accept the challenges. If one wishes to advance, he or she must be willing to accept the journey's flaws and limits. At some time, every successful entrepreneur realised the value of failure acceptance. The next critical stage is to choose the reason and objective that will motivate and inspire you to take the necessary risk. Finally, one of the most crucial steps is to forge one's own route. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to acting outside of one's comfort zone, just as there is no one-size-fits-all approach to becoming an entrepreneur.

HITEN SHAH

A Trailblazer Leader in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Industry

In its upcoming edition, "World's 10 Most Dynamic Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2021", World's Leaders has enlisted business leaders whose success story is not a fairy tale that changed in one night. These are the leaders who learned from their failures and embraced their success' to achieve the helm in their respective industries. The cover features Hiten Shah, CEO and President of MES, Inc., a Supply Chain Professional and Entrepreneur who has developed a business that has been named to the Inc. 500/5000 (7 years in a row) and the Fast 50 (8 years in a row). He established and built MES Inc., which is a better supply chain and sourcing partner for organisations in the automotive, agriculture, lighting, and telecom industries. By utilising global manufacturing capabilities and executing full supply chain solutions, MES assists in the development of bespoke designed solutions. Finding and inspecting suppliers, establishing their quality systems, combining shipments at multiple ports, executing domestic value-added activities and storage near clients, and delivering on a Just-In-Time basis are all actions it takes to achieve this. Finally, never stop learning with our in-house editorial team's innovative pieces that will help you to enhance your knowledge of the industry. Happy Reading!

World's Leaders Magazine is a Media Company that covers stories of business leaders around the globe. Consistent updates to our online publication, internet based life and master sentiment give a substance rich pursuing knowledge loaded up with fascinating perspectives and remark on the issues of the worldwide business. World's Leaders Magazine inspires readers and users to think beyond traditional boundaries, lead conversations and create the future of business. Everyone wants to know the journey of a successful personality or a venture. They want to know more about the establishment, about the path that led them to the pinnacle, about the obstacles overcome, and the all hard work about the Success. World's Leaders Magazine is the platform, where we are unwinding the untold stories of business leaders and the stories of startup turning into the venture. World's Leaders Magazine is a trustworthy and honesty acquiring acknowledgment from business pioneers universally.

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COVE R STO RY HITEN SHAH A Trailblazer Leader in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Industry 08

ANNA N SCHLEGEL

SHANAZ RAMZI

KATHERINE COLOMBINO

MOHAMMED MUBIN MALLICK

KEVIN STEER

SHARMILA AMIN

NICOLE CARTER

TAMMY FRAZIER

VALARIE KING-BAILEY

COVER STORY

A Trailblazer Leader in the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Industry

HITEN SHAH 08 | AUGUST 2021

CEO & PRESIDENT MES, INC. worldsleaders.com | 09

COVER STORY

T The road to being an entrepreneur is not a straight line to success. It's a winding path with many ups and downs. The amount of risk that an entrepreneur takes, whether it's quitting a job, making a capital investment, or borrowing money, is greatly underestimated. Hiten Shah's entrepreneurial journey is an inspiration for many emerging business leaders. He is the CEO and President of MES, Inc. and believes in fostering a culture of values in both the company and its employees. "I believe that the magnitude of the risk and the stakes are underappreciated. It is frequently the most undervalued aspect of success, where one must have emotional and mental stability, "says Hiten. Beginning as a Supply Chain Professional Hiten began his career as a plastics engineer, but he has held a variety of positions throughout the years, including manager, process engineer, and vice president of sales. When Hiten quit his job in December 2001, he had the option of working with a couple of other rivals, but he preferred to work on his own as a consultant and focus on honing his networking and sales abilities, which he did for many years. In the year 2006, Hiten travelled to India to search for supplies for a machine 10 | AUGUST 2021

shop owned by one of his friends. He identified a few decent suppliers, but the company decided to go to the Chinese market. He says, "Then, I didn't know much about India and many of the other firms I was calling on in lighting, agricultural and medical were seeking an Indian supplier. I know what excellent factories look like. And it turned into more of a rep relationship. " Soon, some of his clients began asking for other services, such as supply chain and storage, in addition to shipping, thereby asking him to serve as both a logistics manager and a supplier. He says, "I kept thinking, how hard could it be? So we said, we'll do it. " Hiten works with the motto 'How hard can it be?' and he finds himself too naive to know how hard it is and too stubborn to give up. No Success without Challenges; Growing is Essential For a business leader, every day is a new challenge. Over the past 14 years of MES, Inc.'s scaling, Hiten has certainly faced a lot of challenges that have taught him some great lessons. These challenges include picking the wrong team member, working with the wrong supplier, pursuing the wrong customer, and taking some preventable risks. Hiten quickly learned how to be much better at the briefing and recruiting experts to avoid some of the early problems he encountered. For him, the other constant challenge is always staying ahead of the curve, whether it is in technical development or interpreting market conditions, including the regulatory environment. He knows how to overcome possible obstacles. He leads as a strong leader who is always up to date on all the pertinent factors and inspires the same behaviour in his team. He says, "I

think what really amounts to, at the end of the day, is having a very good, engaged team of people that care about their work that can help us navigate that can be reactive." MES, Inc.; Comprehensive Services across Commodities, Regions, Processes, and Industries Marketing and Engineering Solutions (MES) Inc. is a full-service provider of global manufacturing and supply chain management services with registered companies in nine different countries. It sources manufactured components from India, China, Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. The company maintains warehouse facilities in Poland, Ohio, California, Texas, China, and Mexico, and will add India to the list soon. The company helps many North American OEMs by managing the entire outsourced manufacturing process. MES counts on a base of over 427 suppliers between China and India and has personally audited few of these suppliers. Team actively works with 60 suppliers, all of which are ISO Certified. For automotive projects, MES will use only IATF16949-certified suppliers. As a global manufacturing and supply chain management service provider, MES is an important supplier partner for its customers. Now, the company is trying to reach for different commodities and does not want to be limited to castings or forging machine parts. Hiten says, "We have the geographical reach, we have process diversification, we have customer side diversification. In terms of lighting, agriculture, automotive, and industrial, we're doing a lot of work in the EV space with most of the EV manufacturers."

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COVER STORY MES currently employs 150 people internationally. The talented staff of the company includes six sigma engineers, sourcing experts, quality inspectors, supply chain experts, sales and account managers, business analysts, and support staff to ensure best-in-class metrics for the work the company does. MES strives to acquire talented and skilled employees through all the media available in all of the international locations it operates in. Hiten says, "We have people from all over the world on our payroll; we like to be good community members. We offer best-in-class facilities to our employees with good benefits. We are diversified in terms of the different supplier-side networks that we can build; we are also very diversified in terms of our customers. " Responsibilities as a Leader MES, Inc. has a very empowered and responsible management team. The company is led by a young management team, like most leading companies that are run by managers who are in their 30s, at least when they took over. At present, Hiten is primarily focused on three key areas. The first one is hiring. It focuses on hiring new talent, who can find a place in the company and help it to become more innovative. The second one is acquisitions, where Hiten is looking for new opportunities and sectors to expand the company's boundaries; right now, his focus is on software. The third is masterminding and planning with the sales team on creating new prospects to increase the customer base, and building strong relationships with existing ones. He asserts, "New business initiatives, sales and hiring, and a little bit of time are on key escalations." He further adds, "I usually get engaged in customer dealings such as shipping surcharges, or raw material issues. Things like these are escalated to me. " Work-Life Balance "We don't live to work, we work to live." Hiten follows the previous statement as his work philosophy. While leading a company, there is no assurance of limited work hours. He believes that being a manager does not mean there are only 30-40 hours working in a week. Sometimes the team has to work 45, 60, or even 70 hours a week. Hiten works by keeping key priorities in his mind. He believes, "A fair amount of my work is done when I'm alone. So, I tried the day times, but they are mostly filled up with predetermined meetings. "

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COVER STORY

He further adds, "I'd say 30 to 50% of my days are probably booked one week or two weeks in advance (deleted) ." At MES, Inc., the company has a wave of metrics management systems, which includes daily huddles, sweeping blitzes, monthly metrics reviews, and one-on-ones with people. Hiten keeps some time free during the daytime and is usually available to have conversations with people about the subjects they want to talk about outside of predetermined meetings. Besides his

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oﬃce working hours, Hiten ﬁnds himself doing analysis and writing about marketing that he does at night, or at least once every week. He has a routine of waking up at 3:45 am and completing early morning work. Hiten never worked between 5 pm and 9:30 pm, when his kids came back from school. He avoided working between these hours unless it was an important call or some travel. He says, "I was at home, spending time with my family, playing hockey, or cricket, or football. But after 9.30, I have

worked most of my life, even at a job I used to do. " Changes the pandemic has brought on the manufacturing industry The biggest lesson the pandemic taught the world is that different people react differently. As having companies in many countries, Hiten saw his own team members, suppliers, and customers react differently due to the fear of contracting the virus. He says, "Some people need more time, some people need less time. Seven out of 35

understand how complicated shipping is. Back in 2014, to 2017, a lot of the shippers consolidated and basically made three main shipping lines. Hiten opines, "We feel like they're kind of holding monopolistic powers now, and that was unforeseen." MES has a very active team on the ground that makes decisions on a day-to-day basis and is focused on making sure that the customers have enough products. Hiten mentions, "With higher inventory and higher shipping, we're still plodding along and making sure that we are the best in class performing suppliers for all of our customers." Using Modern Technology to Increase Business Eﬃciency The organizational strategy of MES is to become more eﬃcient and competitive by concentrating on essential business techniques such as on-time delivery, quality testing, inventory management, and so on. The automation of the company's processes is the most essential feature that distinguishes MES in the worldwide market.

people in our office never stopped coming to the office, and they didn't want to work from home. There were seven working people in a 5000 square foot office. We maintained enough distance, installed acrylic dividers, and all the stuff worked. " He further adds, "We knew we were essential services, so we never stopped working."

The use of technology is one of the major things that MES was a very early adopter of. MES developed a portal called “MESH” for sending RFQ's instead of giving an entire, very complicated Excel sheets. The company has developed an RFP system where it sends the link to

suppliers. It eliminates all the Excel work, and suppliers can quote it into the portal. He says, "We would just analyse, then we build off of that for Customer Quotes. We built off of that impact by extending it to quality portals, shipping portals all of these are all inbuilt tools, and our customers have expressed a lot of interest. " Last year, MES bought several new softwares for warehouse management, forecasting, sales order automation and packaging optimizations. The company did HR transformation, and over the last several years, the company has done all of its marketing reports in automated formats by adding technologies like Power BI and all other advanced tools for business intelligence reports. The company also has a ERP system and follows order management by using different software tools, and it implements this system in all its companies globally. Heading to Achieve New Heights The development of additional local manufacturing capabilities, realizing commercial possibilities in the UK, Japan, and expanding local storage facilities throughout the world are among MES's future initiatives. Currently, the company is focusing on building its name in the software industry with Hiten's older son himself leading that unit. Hiten opines, "Our team of managers are very engaged, and they want us to see us grow."

During the Pandemic, MES, Inc.'s warehouses were open all the time. Moving goods is the biggest responsibility for balancing demand and supply. The other learning was to worldsleaders.com | 15

Anna N Schlegel Impeccable track Record of setting Strategic Direction and Accomplishing Successes Globally

18 | AUGUST 2021

Anna N Schlegel VP, International Product & Markets, Global Infrastructure, & Globalization Author of "Truly Global”

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nna Schlegel is the VicePresident of Product, International Markets, and Globalization of Procore Technologies, Inc. Anna's journey into leadership started at Cisco Systems in the 90s, when she was selected for a young female program for the duration of a year, where, a small cohort was handpicked to get us started on the management track. She says, "I have a lot to thank Cisco for that program." Anna asserts, "During a year, we were paired with women that were senior to us at very important companies in the Bay Area at that time. I was at Cisco for about 6 years, and each year I was asked or pushed into several programs to learn how to get organized, lead, and manage virtually. One of my favorite base programs was The Seven Habits of Highly Eﬀective People. “ Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between World's Leaders and Anna Schlegel. Describe your award winning book "Truly Global" address the needs of your customers. "Truly Global, The Theory and Practice of Bringing Your Company to International Markets" was born in 2017. At that time, I had co-founded Women in Localization in 2008, an organization that promotes the art of globalization and, at the same time, does two more things, it trains women in our profession, and it creates a very much needed community to support each other. The more I talked to professionals in the space of globalization, I could not ﬁnd a book that explained what we do. There was no such a book, and to this day there is not another one that encompasses what 20 | AUGUST 2021

a globalization professional does inside an enterprise, or even a small business that wishes to go global. There are books that explain how to design global websites, or do global marketing, but none that explain how to form a team, who to hire, how to take a company from point A to point Z. In 2017, the book was a success, and at the same time, it was very controversial as we got a new President in the US who severed several international treaties and agreements. So I believe I gave about 400 interviews at the time about the book. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact on this industry through your expertise in the industry? I believe by doing a few things: First, I co-founded Women in Localization back in 2008, when we had not seen an association for globalization professionals. Since then, we have oﬀered hundreds it not a thousand meetings, webinars, videos, trainings, celebrations, that discuss anything around the world of globalization. We are in 30 sites, we are about 7000 members globally, and the wait list for more women to lead in new countries is very long. What are the challenges you and your teams come across in your day-to-day operations? I have managed many teams, in many areas, not just around globalization, but I have been managing digital transformation, programs that redo entire company product lifecycles, so we have seen many challenges. We mostly overcome them. Sometimes we fail, but it is also seen as a learning opportunity.

What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you? My parents and brothers first. They gave me the Catalan values I grew up with. I simply adore Catalunya and the fact that I was raised in my town of Olot, and then Girona. We had a healthy balance of family, community, studies, incredible friends, and a very awesome Mediterranean and Pyrenean culture. I would certainly be a very different person today if I had not grown up with family telling me I could be whatever I set my mind to. My parents are incredible role models. Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensure the safety of your employees at the same time? I personally have seen more innovation than ever during the pandemic. We accelerated it. All the major businesses I typically work with or relate to had to leapfrog their digital strategies and learn how to serve their customers around the world. At first, we thought our productivity would slow down, but I am beyond impressed with how everyone stepped it up even if our internet was slower, and the kids were studying from home. We have seen many people change their careers, me included. After being an executive at NetApp for nearly 12 years, I jumped to a new challenge. Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drive Truly Global Business. I do a lot of listening to get to the bottom of each team member. That

allows me to see how we can work together, who is good at what, and modify how we work while they grow in their own careers. I laugh a lot with my teams. We work very hard, so we try to offer an open place for ideas, a place to collaborate. We create our own forums, we spin up industry forums. I have to say that I spend a lot of time looking at who we need to hire to be able to support these giants as they go global. I often prefer to hire for attitude and innovation spirit, people that are good to work with, who will be open to collaboration and learning. Accountability, clarity, speed, positivity, all play a huge role. Where do you envision yourself being in the long run and what are your future goals for Truly Global Business? I just stared to work at Procore Technologies, so that is where I see myself for the next few years. As for the book, I am already thinking of its third version, but this time I will ask graduate students of international studies to help me write a few new chapters I have in mind. I think the book will keep evolving as I evolve, I learn new major things each year. I am now studying a lot about globalization for global good, and the use of artificial intelligence to speed up what the world needs asap. What would be your advice to budding business leaders? Hire the best team, train them, I try to spend a lot of time developing my leaders. Without them, I go nowhere. Spending time during interviews to make sure you are onboarding people who are clear on what they are being asked to do, and spending time with them once they are in the organization is crucial. Proven expertise in establishing strategic direction and delivering results through executive influence. And please develop the females in your organization. For example, I am the Chair of the Board of Aula Magna Business School and I encourage everyone to enroll their up and coming female leaders in thorough training! Check it out here: https://aulamagna.us/

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Shanaz Ramzi A Specialist in Public Relations and Event Planning with a Strong Commitment to Social Responsibility

22 | AUGUST 2021

CEO STARLINKS

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here are no short cuts in life if you want to truly excel in whatever you do. Be honest to yourself and to your work and don't be impatient to grab it all," says Shanaz Ramzi. Shanaz is the CEO of Starlinks and is renowned for her ability to stay organized and work diligently. She asserts, "The key to success is in collaboration and not in working alone, so don't hesitate to empower others. Together you can surmount mountains. “

facilities, the showbiz sector, and more. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in this industry through your expertise in the industry.

Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between World's Leaders and Shanaz Ramzi. Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader. What challenges you had to face to reach where you are today? It feels strange to be referred to as a business leader, as I like to think of myself more as a hands-on-worker! I have to admit that my path leading me to where I am today was not strewn with challenges at all. In fact, I have been very blessed. I started my career as a freelance journalist, and my very first office job was offered to me by a person I interviewed for a newspaper, who was about to launch a television channel. As it turned out, that channel grew into the top entertainment television network in the country, and as one of its pioneer team members, I grew with it too, leaving it eventually, 11 years later, as GM Publications and Public Relations, to launch my own PR and event management company, Starlinks. In the 11 years that I was the face of the network, I hadn't realized the goodwill I had garnered. Clients contacted me, rather than the other way round, the instant they heard that I had set up my own business. Within the first year of my company's inception, we landed the 24 | AUGUST 2021

launch of the biggest mall in South Asia – Lucky One Mall – and became recipients of international awards for three consecutive years. The one consistent factor throughout my journey, though, was hard work, and a lot of it. Describe STARLINKS oﬀerings that address the needs of your customers. While Starlinks is basically an event management and PR company, we have been open to any and all challenges thrown our way, and have met our clients' varied needs. Thus, from executing launches, premieres, press conferences, and wedding events, to doing celebrity management and research to identify heroes from all over the country, and coordinating their shoots, to lighting up the city in purple in order to create awareness about World Epilepsy Day, we have done it all. Our clients include the corporate sector, government departments, the private sector, educational institutions, health

I feel happy that a couple of initiatives I took when I launched Starlinks, and a little after, have had an impact on the industry that I can be proud of. To begin with, ours was the first PR company in the country to launch itself with a strong CSR component. We took on pro bono assignments to assist those working for the betterment of education, the environment, heritage, and health, and soon after, other PR companies followed suit and established their own CSR wings. What's more, seeing that there is no one representative body in the country to give a voice to the growing number of PR, Event management, Digital and Activations companies now operating in Pakistan, I launched a platform – PREDA – with founding members from all the top companies in each of these sectors, and for the first time in Pakistan's history, brought these giants on the same page. We discuss all our issues openly now and collectively seek to solve them. I have applied for its registration as a legal entity and, hopefully, in spite of all the red tape, will succeed in achieving it soon. What people and what life factors have influenced and impacted you? I think the working ethics of some of my mentors will remain with me forever. Beginning with my mother, who I never saw sitting idle for even a second, to my school teacher, Miss Fikree, who was a stickler for perfection, to my editor, Asif Noorani, who taught me the

in the evening, a report would be taken. Similarly, all client meetings were also held on Zoom. After six weeks, we resumed office, and since we are not a very big team to begin with, we maintained a safe distance at work. Although events were not taking place, mercifully our PR work, which is mostly on-line, continued, keeping the team motivated and busy. There were months when the income was not enough to meet our office expenses, but I decided that I would let the company take the hit rather than firing anyone, or resorting to paycuts. I am an eternal optimist, and pass through life's travails firmly believing that 'this too shall pass!’ Where do you envision yourself being in the long run and what are your future goals for STARLINKS? I am happy that Starlinks is regarded as one of the industry's leading firms in such a short span of time. At this point in my life, I would like to continue inspiring confidence in us, and would like to eventually see Starlinks grow and prosper under the much younger leadership of my son and daughter-in-law, who are part of the team.

importance of the maxim 'When in doubt, leave it out', and ﬁnally to the living legend, Yasmeen Lari, who taught me that nothing is impossible. Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensure the

safety of your employees at the same time? Initially, in the ﬁrst six weeks of the pandemic, when the world was almost at a standstill, we operated strictly from home, holding zoom meetings with my team twice a day, every day. In the morning, assignments would be allocated, and worldsleaders.com | 25

CEO SOFTWARE AND SERVICES CONSULTING SRL

28 | AUGUST 2021

Katherine Colombino An Inspiring Woman Tech Leader

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n Paraguay, Software and Services Consulting SRL is the number one partner in SAP Business One. Katherine Colombino is the company's Chief Executive Officer, and she leads with a very clear goal: to focus all of the company's efforts on one thing: customer happiness. The firm has over 80 successful deployments under its belt and a highly skilled staff.

company to have technology. Without her, the company was going to die. This pandemic teaches us that innovation is the key. We are in the era of technology. You can choose. You are in or you are out. But that decision will mark the future of your business. The experience that I and my team have is absolutely important for making a diﬀerence in the industry. What are the challenges you and your team at Software & Services Consulting SRL come across in your day-to-day operations?

Katherine is a member of the Hispanic Conference Speakers Association and an international conference speaker on human superation. She is also the author of the best-selling book "The strength of your choices.” Below are the highlights of the interview conducted between World's Leaders and Katherine Colombino. Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader. What challenges you had to face to reach where you are today? With extensive experience in the area of management of work teams, I held various positions at headquarters for more than two decades. Before the opening of SSC SRL, for 4 years, I was in charge of the Business Unit of SAP Business One in Infocenter S.A., a Paraguayan partner of SAP and an IT company with an exemplary track record in the national market. Currently, I am the CEO of SSCSoftware & Services Consulting SRL. The major challenge I had to face was a car accident with my

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father at the age of 8 years old. The diagnosis was paralysis in my legs due to a spinal injury. Although I have to move in a wheelchair, I have all the same capabilities as any person. That incident made me stronger and, with a great capacity to adapt to diﬃcult situations, I also developed my best in several areas. Describe Software & Services Consulting SRL's oﬀerings that address the needs of your customers. At SSC, what we primarily do is technologically advise clients on the best options for improving their processes with SAP management software. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact on this industry through your expertise in the industry. It is absolutely necessary for any

Being informed is essential and knowledge is necessary to understand the great changes that are already there and which we face. Just as it happened with the Pandemic, the millennial paradigm, and the home-oﬃce, all these changes that broke into our lives force us to constantly adapt to change. What people, what books, what life factors have inﬂuenced and impacted you? Each person who passes through our lives makes us shape our minds and grow intellectually. Everyone has left me an experience. As a writer, I have left my legacy with the books "The Power of Your Decisions" and "Legacy to humanity in times of pandemic". Both are in Spanish. Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensure the

safety of your employees at the same time? Obviously, this pandemic forced us to do work at home and also maintain healthy ﬁnances. Considering the diﬃcult situation, we are proud to say that we have not decreased our number of collaborators and all have received assistance when required. Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drive Software & Services Consulting SRL.

Where do you envision yourself being in the long run and what are your future goals for Software & Services Consulting SRL? We are building our future in the present. New alliances with our main supplier, SAP, in addition to constant training, will place us as one of the most inﬂuential companies in the country in a short time. Being a woman at the head of

a company entails greater eﬀort and also the title of being a benchmark in technology. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs? Be brave to undertake, take risks, be constantly innovating to diﬀerentiate yourself in the market. They will have stumbles, problems to face, but perseverance and hard work are their reward.

Our company always has an orientation towards customer satisfaction, mainly, without neglecting our collaborators, their personal and professional growth, being the pillars of our organization.

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A Prominent Name in the Advance IT Solution Industry

ohammed Mubin Mallick is the CEO & Founder of Kiran Smart. It is an Information Technology & Services provider company that offers a wide range of products, solutions and services starting from IT to Digital Transformation to Robotics to Ai and Fintec. The company also has rental services on its different corporate and home products. Mohammed asserts, “At the same time we do provide annual maintenance contract too. Our offerings are not limited to any industries due to our multiple choices of product and services.” Journey, Challenges and Success According to Mohammed, every journey has a different pattern whether one considers business life or personal life. The journey is like a season that comes with different 34 | AUGUST 2021

environments whether winter or summer is and everyone needs to prepare themselves as per the season to protect themselves. “Same ways there are many diﬀerent problems we will come across in our life as professionals which will make us strong each day as we resolve the problem. Each time you handle the problem it teaches you some lesson, and that valuable lesson would make you the Leader if you are leading the team or the company. However every journey is not easy which can make you the leader,” says Mohammed. He asserts, “I have faced many challenges which made me strong today and able to stand up successfully which are emotional, mental, and ﬁnancial and of course the market challenges to survive in the market in the initial stage.”

Serving Best IT Services and Solutions The team at Kiran Smart always tries to stand out of the crowd so that people can identify the company's offerings. There are certain strategies and policies which make the company different from others and bring a better impact on its services. As an IT service and solution provider, the focus is always on a smart solution and innovative products. The team tries to offer the best suitable products to the customer's problem which is affordable and best in terms of quality as well. Seeing Challenges as a Source of Motivation Mohammed states that the team loves challenges because it motivates them to perform well and

CEO & Founder Kiran Smart

MOHAMMED MUBIN MALLICK worldsleaders.com | 35

AWARDS

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‘‘

“Self-conﬁdence is the key to every success. No matter how big is the problem but you can resolve it if you think innovatively. So be different from others and make yourself unique while providing the best solutions and services to humanity. Success never comes in a day, but it takes a year to develop the skills to have patience,” be unique by facing the challenges in the most innovative way. He says, “Our challenges that we have every day are to follow our mission and come close to our vision.” However, the biggest challenge is making the customer happy when they are in pain that means they have a problem and called the company to provide the solutions. The team mentions, “Delivering our product and solutions on time that is promised for. At the end of the team, I would like to see that Kiran Smart team going home after work happily.”

learned from many practical examples of his elders' life. He believes that their character and traits have really inﬂuenced him a lot the way they lead their life which are personal family life, social life and business life that involve problems. These experiences have impacted him to be a strong and more challenging person to overcome any kind of problem that can be related to anything.

Learning from Life Examples of Others

The entire world has been aﬀected by the Pandemic, and for this, no one was prepared to face it. It came as a shock to everyone and created panic in business life and personal

Mohammed is not very fond of reading books, however, has

Pre and Post Pandemic Challenges and Changes

life. Company operation was interrupted badly due to fully lockdown and partial lockdown in the country. It is a great challenge to survive now due to uncertainties. Mohammed has looked into costcutting strategies but not laying offs the employees. There was a muchunwanted expense the company had to borne like international travels which have become an online meeting, expo participation which is also now online or virtual. The company has increased its online support and services locally and internationally. At the same time, disinfection and service robots are playing a major role in the organization's sustainability strategy. As per Mohammed, most of the employees are working from home and remotely. But those who are coming to office, following the country Health Safety Protocol and WHO precautions and measure defined. Aiming to Become Leading IT Solution Provider in the World Mohammed is much focused and describes himself as one of the leaders of the future who will be serving humanity with robots. He would like to see Kiran Smart on the list of one of the most innova ve solu ons and service providers in the world. He says, “We are Kiran Smart so we would like to solve all the problems smartly around the world and we always believe in equality, togetherness, flexible, mo va ng, fair chances and responsibili es which defines the task of each one that supposed to execute.”

worldsleaders.com | 37

Kevin Steer An Expert of FinTech & InsurTech Solutions

38 | AUGUST 2021

evin Steer is the Founder & CEO of 121Advisor. Kevin started the business in 2010 to cater to both the FinTech & InsurTech sectors. Over the past 11 years, the company has implemented many disruptive online solutions including Referral Management with Marketing Automation (for Banks), Mobile Point of Sales, Online Direct Selling, Online Claims, Agency Distribution, Online Customer Service Portals & Corporate Websites. As a founder, he is a “techie” and advises the Team on InsurTech & FinTech. He also develops the Database Designs and shares them with the team. Based on this, he

for predicting new products to buy, churns & lapsation, underwriting, etc.

gets feedback from the team and adds extra ﬁelds to the tables. 121Advisor With the growth of AI & chatbots; 121Advisor implemented disruptive solutions including multilingual Chatbots & Robo Advisors along with AI-based Predictive Analytics / Machine Learning for predicting New Products, Lapsation, Fraudulent Claims & future predictions for Investment Funds. 121Advisor grew the business to 20+ companies. 121Advisor has implemented many solutions including Ÿ

Multi-lingual Chatbot for Financial, Insurance & Takaful (FITbot), a Multilingual Robo Advisor, and a chatbot that utilizes hybrid trees and natural language processing (NLP) to engage with customers to oﬀer a more personalized customer experience and generate more referrals.

Web Portal Solution for Sales & Servicing (WebPoS), a multi-lingual mobile responsive website and portal solution to enable clients to experience a uniﬁed personalized digital experience where content, sales, marketing, and work management are consolidated instead of siloed.

Referral Management & Marketing Automation (ReMMA) is used for banks to effectively and efficiently autoassign leads, track, and manages lead referrals and conversions based on user-defined workflows. Marketing automation results in personalized content delivery targeted campaigns and engagement.

Sales Activity Mobile App (SAMA) allows agents to eﬀectively plan and manage sales activity to ensure all leads and prospects are addressed. Managers can monitor real-time to render assistance where necessary.

Community & E-worksite Marketing & Distribution

Predictive Analytics with Machine Learning using this

Founder & CEO | 121Advisor.

worldsleaders.com | 39

(CeMD) allows organizations to engage with members of their community to nurture trust and create advocates thereby improving customer retention. Recently the company has launched u12know knowledge portal. Ÿ

Takaful & Insurance Mobility Made Simple (TIMMS), a cross-platform mobile point of sales solution allowing agents to identify client ﬁnancial needs via Customer Fact Find, recommend products, make presentations, generate quotes, and e-submit applications, in a regulatory compliant process; solutions for IOS, Android & Windows.

The Customer Self Service Portal is an on-demand access point enabling the customer to view their insurance/takaful account, anywhere and anytime. This enables the policyholders to view their policies and certificate details via a simple internet connection. The portal provides a safe avenue for customers to update their personal information, pay a premium, switch funds, print documents, update beneficiary details, request policy changes, and engage in filing claims and processing, which traditionally would take weeks to be executed due to siloed lines of business. The platform also supports automated workflows that are triggered by certain customer activities which are routed to relevant departments and customers are kept informed via emails or messaging. Providing a portal

40 | AUGUST 2021

for your customers with the convenience of self-servicing, customers can enjoy the freedom of doing what's convenient for them when they want anywhere. Enterprise Product Conﬁgurator (EPC) reduces the time to market for insurance and takaful products. Built to rapidly set up product rates, illustrations, validation engine as well as an automated testing module allows quick product deployment. Ÿ Multi-channel Distribution Management Solution (McDMS) for general agencies, IFAs, brokers, ALCs (Agency Leader Corporations) to simplify operations by consolidating their diverse requirements. With built-in performance management and compensation computation, our clients have seen improved sales with reduced administration costs.

are regulatory compliant. We have implemented many products and oﬀered them to our clients who have accepted our solutions” An Initiative to Imparting Knowledge on Finance

Challenges while Fulfilling Commitment Providing comprehensive fintech services with a commitment to deliver the highest efficiency is no easy task though. 121Advisor's faces challenges while developing new solutions and offering them to the customers. Kevin says, “121Advisor is fully regulatory compliant, and we test new solutions each year to ensure they

Kevin states, in 2020, 121Advisor launched a knowledge portal u12know (www.u12know.com). He thinks that as most millennials in the Asia Pacific do not understand financial planning, and often max out their credit cards and get into debt, there is a need to help educate them on their lifestyle financial goals and recommend products that they can buy online. With the launch of u12know, the company's user base increased to 5,000. The company realizes that this will become a disruptive knowledge portal offering advice on lifestyle financial & (in future) health goals. Kevin says, “This will help them understand their needs and create a plan to help them build their lifestyle & business financial plans. For each country, this will be translated into the local language.” The team at 121Advisor has created a number of Health Calculators, and will soon be launching a “Total Health Score” to assess whether they are very healthy, healthy, at-risk, or in critical condition. Plans for Overseas Expanding and Advice to Future Leaders

With its consistency in achieving success, 121Advisor is growing the business and soon going to launch its services in Singapore & Indonesia. The management at the company wishes to launch u12know in different countries (using multi-lingual translations) in the Asia Pacific, and also to expand to the US and Europe. Kevin asserts, “121Advisor is looking to expand u12know in different countries, & our future goals are to grow our business, in different countries and include online selling of insurance & takaful, as well as bank loans.” As a successful entrepreneur and business leader, Kevin's advice to budding entrepreneurs is to focus on defining solutions. According to him, this is also essential to create an investor pitch and a financial plan to grow the business as well. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the IT & Services industry through your expertise in the industry? In 2010 we founded 121Advisor, and we successfully grew our operations to

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Chairperson & Board Member Globe Forwarding Agencies Pvt. Ltd.

DR. SHARMILA AMIN A Renowned Name in Logistics Industry

42 | AUGUST 2021

T The logistics sector has seen a drastic shift to digitization with the ever-evolving technological advancements in the last few years. There is an improvement in every aspect that connects to logistics such as quality of warehousing, increased rail network capacity, improved infrastructure for coastal shipping, identifying and resolving the gaps in the connectivity for air, sea, rail, and road transport. Meet Dr. Sharmila Amin Chairperson and Board Member at Globe Forwarding Agencies Pvt. Ltd., who visions to add these industrydriven changes to enhance the company's shipping, logistics, project freight management, transportation, and custom clearance oﬀerings. Journey as a business leader and Challenges Dr. Sharmila Amin joined Bertling Logistics and its subsidiary Globe Forwarding in 2014. As per Dr. Sharmila, it was a diﬃcult time as the enormous amount of debt that had been taken on by the previous local management had to be repaid. Along with this, there had been a

global recession in Shipping since then. “To work in those circumstances and bringing the company back on its feet has been my personal goal and achievement,” says Dr. Sharmila. Being at the helm in a senior leadership position at Globe Forwarding Agencies Pvt. Ltd enabled her to take tough decisions and achieve the impossible. Today, with those tough decisions the company is back to being profitable and managed in a lean manner for maximum efficiency benefitting its customers and global clients. Challenges that transform into Strength Challenges bring the opportunity to grow, to expand the idea, and keep us humble, all at the same time. Dr. Sharmila states that the challenges she faced on her way were numerous. She recalls, “Each challenge has only strengthened me to make me the person I am today; a thorough professional who knows exactly what she wants; someone who sets her eyes on a goal and does not take them off it unless it is achieved.” She also feels grateful towards her seniors and colleagues who have inspired her through her journey. She asserts, “This could not have been achieved without the inspiration I have received from my seniors and my colleagues, for whom I have deep respect, and from whom I have derived the strength to challenge myself and perform better at each stage.

Describe Globe Forwarding India's offerings that address the need of your customers. Globe Forwarding is a dynamic performance-driven company providing skilled services in the fields of shipping, logistics, project freight management, transportation, and customs clearance. Its proactive and innovative approach has helped to deliver tailored logistics and shipping solutions to major clients in the oil & gas, energy, and mining sectors in the most distant and challenging regions worldwide. Steps to Improve Service Offerings Dr. Sharmila points out that improving the efficiency of the logistics sector is of high importance for the country's economy as it boosts economic growth, grows exports through global supply chains, and generates employment. To bring improvement in the sector's offering, Dr. Sharmila suggests that the solutions broadly fall into three categories: (a) physical assets such as infrastructure and equipment, (b) policy reforms, and (c) operational and technical improvements. She asserts, “My contribution in reshaping the performance of varied industries from logistics to custom clearance has evident in the standardization of logistics practices, improved efficiency, establishing long-term worldsleaders.com | 43

relationships with stakeholders including customs clearance, reducing shipment delays and ensuring to meet the customizable needs of every client in providing logistics solutions.”

Ever since the outbreak of COVID – 19, the organization's employees have been at the forefront handling extraordinary logistics challenges in their daily work routine, some from home and some manage from being physically present in the oﬃce.

Impact of the current pandemic During the Coronavirus pandemic, Globe Forwarding has been following a systematic and holistic process to ensure the best possible operations for its customers. 44 | AUGUST 2021

According to Dr. Sharmila as COVID – 19 continues to aﬀect diﬀerent parts of the country, the health, safety, and well-being of employees and customers have been the company's top priority. She highlights, “It became

imperative that Globe Forwarding implemented safe working practices to prevent the occurrence and transmission of the disease.” Valuing Culture, Ethics, and Integrity Globe Forwarding is committed to conducting its business in an ethical manner, in accordance with the values and principles set out in its Values and Code of Conduct. The Values and Code encapsulate Globe Forwarding's owners, directors, and senior management's commitment to ensuring the highest standard of ethical conduct in the way Globe Forwarding conducts its business. It details the business principles to be followed in dealing with Globe Forwarding's stakeholders, as well as the rules of individual responsibility that Globe Forwarding's employees are expected to demonstrate. The core principles underpinning Globe Forwarding's Values and Code of Conduct are: Ÿ Respect for people Ÿ Preventing corruption and fraud Ÿ Upholding human rights Ÿ Promoting free competition Ÿ Promoting financial transparency An Optimistic View for Future According to Dr. Sharmila, the scenario for capital expenditure in India looks robust, particularly in the next 5 years. She views that with a stable government that is bullish on growth, especially infrastructure, the logistics sector may witness a move ahead in terms of the stalled projects. She asserts, “Once these take off, the flow of capital goods for these projects will follow with a lag of 6 to 9 months due to the ongoing pandemic.”

The government's push for the “Make in India” initiative will further boost the manufacturing sector in India and therefore the Project Cargo business, as more and more companies will look to start or boost their manufacturing bases in India. An Advice to Lead Better Dr. Sharmila shares some points for emerging business leaders that can beneﬁt them to stand ahead in their careers and push boundaries a little further. She asserts, “Be Self-eﬃcient, Communicative, and lead by vision.” She adds, “I like to have a keen perception to look towards a better future and see the small obstacles hindering smooth execution. One can intuitively sense which direction the organization needs to move in order to compete within our sector.”

She further adds, “This presents a pretty optimistic future for growth in our industry over the next decade. Also, the power sector will be the leading industry. Mining, petroleum, and public infrastructure will also be the key drivers. Also with a thrust on renewables, we can expect an increase in project cargo for wind and solar power projects across the country.” worldsleaders.com | 45

NICOLE CARTER A proﬁcient with 18 years of proven record in Grant-writing Services

he ﬁrst born daughter of a pastor and trained at a young age by her grantwriting father and RN mom, development and community service run through her veins. Meet Nicole Carter, the Founder and CEO of Carter Consulting, Corp., which supports nonproﬁts, new start-ups, and faithbased organizations by providing technical assistance, capacity building, grant writing, contract and bid support, resource development, program evaluations, and professional development training. Nicole has served numerous social service agencies and units of the Federal government 48 | AUGUST 2021

throughout the United States for more than 25 years. The Company: Carter Consulting Corp. Carter Consulting has provided technical help, capacity building, grant writing, resource creation, program evaluations, and professional development training to non-proﬁt and faith-based groups since 1999. As a Women-Owned Minority Business with SBA 8 (a) and HUBZone accreditation, Carter Consulting is dedicated to excellence and developing creative and adaptable solutions for its clients. The organization

specializes in program/project management, and it is capable of overseeing the full process from planning through execution and closeout. Carter Consulting is also an accredited Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) organization and is certified as a construction craft trade specialist by NCCER. Thanks to its integrated knowledge, Carter Consulting is able to offer a range of services designed to make projects more efficient, controlling costs, schedules, and work scope without compromising quality. The firm's capabilities combine its expertise and experience in

CEO & Founder Carter Consulting, Corp.

worldsleaders.com | 49

compliance, human resources, recruiting, staﬀ training, administrative support, and contract negotiations.

Consulting. She is enthusiastic about developing grants that will positively impact communities and the lives of those who reside there.

A Proficient Leader Nicole is currently contracted by the Department of Education, Department of Treasury, Department of Health & Human Services, Department of Labor, and the US Department of Agriculture and numerous local government offices nationwide. She provides consulting services for grant recipient awards and peer review for grant applications and panel chairperson services. Nicole, who since the firm's inception has worked tirelessly to ensure success for everyone she has the pleasure of working alongside. She is a business mentor and is driven by her passion for helping people to succeed and thrive in today's economic market. She feels that it is an honor to assist so many individuals with employment opportunities to sustain their families and livelihoods. This is her passion and her success is a result of Nicole's love for her role and those she supports. Nicole has spent a large portion of her career as a grant writer or grant monitor, allowing her to draw on her extensive expertise in this sector to assist the clients with whom she works in her capacity as president of Carter

50 | AUGUST 2021

In the last three years, Nicole has obtained almost ten million dollars in federal, state, and local financing, founded more than 32 grassroots/community-based groups, and aided in the formation of more than 50 housing and economic development programs, including: emergency food assistance, education and employment, job training, counseling, recreational, housing and rehab, elderly, healthcare, crisis intervention, and family development programs. Ms. Carter sits on the advisory boards of several local organizations and is the primary instructor for the well-attended regional community-training workshops: "Nonprofits and Federal Funds". The Team of Dedicated People In addition to this work writing grants, the firm's lead executives have been contracted by numerous departments of government for technical assistance, education, consultation, and grant evaluation services. As such, they have the far-reaching expertise and industry knowledge to constantly be ahead of emerging market

developments and able to offer clients throughout the market the very highest possible standard of service. Working tirelessly to support their clients, Carter Consulting's expert team has more than 65 cumulative years of experience in the non-profit industry and has served hundreds of grantees from all over the country and abroad, resulting in the securing of more than $50 million dollars. The firm's executive staff is comprised of high-level executives from numerous industry arenas, including: construction, nonprofit, government, commercial, technology, accounting, and primary federal contractors. Nicole Carter, the firm's CEO and namesake, has worked hard since the firm's start to guarantee the success of everyone she has had the pleasure of working with. She is a business mentor and is driven by her passion for helping people to succeed and thrive in today's corporate market. She feels that it is an honour to assist so many individuals with employment opportunities to sustain their families and livelihoods. This is her passion and her success is a result of Nicole's love for her role and those she supports. Recognition for being Extraordinary Carter Consulting received more than $4 million in grants and

contracts in 2019. This year's achievements included the establishment of Tennessee's ﬁrst minority-owned hemp farm and the purchase of three rental properties. Carter Consulting also paid $375,000 cash for a $500,000 apartment building. This was a collaborative endeavor that required critical thinking, strategic planning, and interpersonal interactions. By collaborating with community organisations, the ﬁrm is able to meet the needs of its various stakeholders and provide support that can not be found elsewhere.

www.carterconsultingcorp.com www.facebook.com/carterconsultingcorp www.linkedin.com/company/carter-consulting-corp www.twitter.com/carterconsultco www.youtube.com/channel/UCmYZ5SjXkiEXh0m b 6_VgJQ?view_as=subscriber

Working to Keep Consistency in Growth In order to expand and build on its success, Carter Consulting plans to produce more housing units as well as win federal and state contracts for administration and construction services in the future. Nicole and her brilliant team will be able to solidify their position as important innovators and thoughtleaders in this competitive market as a result of this.

worldsleaders.com | 51

CEO | President at American Data Plates Inc.

TAMMY FRAZIER Presenting the True Values of a Leadership

52 | AUGUST 2021

T To lead a business takes a lot of know-how and making sure you keep your head on straight during any situations that may arise. You need to make sure not just to say but to lead by example, not for only you but to show your employees that everything works out for the good. To succeed in business today, you need to be flexible and have good planning and organizational skills. The prior statement has given by Tammy Frazier CEO and President at American Data Plates Inc. Tammy joined American Data Plates Inc. 8 years ago. She was producing the parts in the back just like any other beginner. A few years after, she moved up to working in the office. It didn't take long to learn how to run the business. Her title went from Production to Office Manager; bringing in new orders, answering emails, making sure materials were in stock and ordered if need be. Talking with the customers to make sure their orders were done right and sent out on time. She says, “It

took me a few trials and errors but it happens to everyone while learning something new.” In an Interview with World's Leaders, Tammy shared her journey and how she successfully thrived in it by hard work and being persistent with every job proﬁle she had in the company.

that American Data Plates, Inc. has an excellent GMP in place that is topped by our Quality Control division.

Below are highlights of the interview:

As technology, demographics and economic climate shift - we as the manufacturer must innovate ways to be competitive. We have learned to produce our parts through more strategic ways and improve the production time as well. Educating our employees is pivotal for our innovation. To successfully meets the market demands our workforce has understood the existing

Describe American Data Plates Inc.'s offerings that address all the needs of your customers. American Data Plates, Inc. solely manufactures to the Aerospace, Space, Defense, Energy, Transportation, Marine, Medical and Automotive industries and a few others. With these, we offer identification services that are required in all industries mentioned that is not a readily available request in most parts. We provide each customer with their identification products whether it is in data plate form, to manufactured dash panels and overlays. Our customers also can get their products in a multitude of different processes which in return helps them to lower costs, faster cycle times for mass production and make to stock if required. Our clients are always in search of companies in the manufacturing industry that can manufacture to comply with their products. We being ISO9001 and AS9100D certified helps the customers know

Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the manufacturing industry through your expertise in the industry?

“

Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven't planted worldsleaders.com | 53

technologies. We support a continuous learning culture and implement opportunities as they evolve. Our practices are becoming more digital compliant with the new times within our business. We have improved our webpage and social media outlet. What are the challenges you and your team at American Data Plates Inc. come across in your day-to-day operations? As a manager and president of American Data Plates, Inc., I face challenges related to productivity and communication throughout the day. Knowing how to recognize them and address the issue right away helps to increase my confidence and ability to lead our team. Our employees experience periods when they aren't as productive as normal. Sometimes it's hard to balance their workloads and my own as well. I focus on what they need to do first, and then I start my tasks to ensure everything gets done adequately. The most important thing to do is, to be honest with your team members in any situation. What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you? My mother was the biggest influence in my life. Growing up watching her take care of us kids, making sure dinner was on the

54 | AUGUST 2021

table every night, helping us with our homework, and just watching her do it and not complain. I have overcome a lot of struggles in my life; My son Justin watching him grow up and teaching him the things in life he needs to be successful. Knowing that I brought such a handsome, strong and smart young man into this world gave me the strength to make myself the best that I could be just for him. To show him that he can overcome any situation and come out stronger and smarter than before is a blessing. things he doesn't know. Learning I was pregnant with my son made an impact on me to give him a better life and be a greater person all around. Always looking to God and having Faith helped me to overcome all bad situations knowing that everything will turn out good no matter what. Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and its impact on global economies, how are you driving your organization to sustain operations and ensuring the safety of your employees at the same time? It was a sad thing to see the pandemic hit us and so many people get sick and even die. We are doing our part to make sure our employees stay safe and work in a clean environment. We have our employees wipe all equipment, desks and other work areas down every morning before work is started. Taking the time to make sure they are equipped with the cleaning tools, cleaners and having masks is on the top of the list. We were mandated to stay open, so that helped us stay aﬂoat with this pandemic. Seeing the majority of the businesses close was sad to see. Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives American Data Plates Inc.

not only help their performance but encourage collaboration between our team members. We make sure to have room for feedback to adjust quotas and KPI's (Key Performance Indicator's) when they are needed. In inclusion to setting department goals, we make sure every employee is clear on our organization's long-term intentions. This is to help our workers prepare for a sense of professional purpose. There are times when our work is stressful, but we set the time to make the environment a little more cheery to brighten the mood for everyone. People don't succeed unless they are having some sort of fun sometimes. Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for American Data Plates Inc.? My partner, Ron Coger and I have envisioned ourselves taking this business over the top. It has been a small shop for the longest time, and our goal is to make it the biggest manufacture of data plates in the United States. We strive to be the best that we can be and put out a great product for our customers, so they keep coming back for more. We work with our customers in meeting their needs for the products they need to fulﬁl their job. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs? Think twice before making purchases to ensure you build up your company. Truly understanding your industry is the key to having success. Last but not least, make sure to deliver more than the customer expects. Being a successful entrepreneur takes a lot of work, a lot of vision and determination. Anyone can do it with the right determination and tools.

Here at American Data Plates, Inc., we strive for Strategic Precision through all of our production processes. We outline the objectives of each team so our employees have concrete results to work towards. It will

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58 | JULY 2021

C I O V I E W S | 59

VALARIE KING-BAILEY A Prominent Name in the Life Sciences Technology Industry

alarie King-Bailey's journey as a business leader began in 1976 when she entered the University of Wisconsin – Madison College of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She always knew that one day she will become an entrepreneur. She prioritizes her study over her passion to become an entrepreneur and never conceived of starting a business without ﬁrst completing her education. She graduated with a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering in 1982 and went on to pursue an M.B.A. from Keller Graduate School of Management in Chicago. She asserts, “The completion of my full education in engineering and business laid the foundation for my success.” Today, Valarie is leading a company and serving as CEO of OnShore Technology Group, an independent Chicago-based consultancy founded in 2004 specializing in Independent Validation and Veriﬁcation (IV&V) services and solutions. 58 | AUGUST 2021

OnShore Technology Group “Life sciences companies are our target market,” says Valarie. These companies seek to bring new products to market faster. In pursuit of their business objectives, they leverage advanced enterprise technologies and software applications that help them achieve efficiencies in pursuit of their business objectives. The U.S. FDA (FDA) mandates that all such technologies must be VALIDATED. Thus, OnShore Technology Group is an Independent Validation & Verification (IV&V) firm. OnShore provides a portfolio of software products and services that help life sciences companies meet FDA regulatory mandates for validation. Its flagship software application is called 'ValidationMaster™'. This solution automates the full lifecycle of validation and delivers an automated, paperless process to help life sciences companies ensure

regulatory compliance while maintaining operational efficiencies. The most popular service offering is ValidationPro℠ - A “turnkey” professional service that delivers a fully validated system with minimal impact on the client's organization. The team at OnShore conducts all project management activities, prepare all documentation, execute all test scripts and summarize the entire project. The benefits to the client are that they get to adopt cloud or mobile applications quickly with minimal impact to their production operations while ensuring sustained compliance. Making Impact through Innovation Before the development and delivery of OnShore's ValidationMaster™ suite, validation was a paper-based manual process. This process was very inefficient and time-consuming for most companies, and because of the

CEO OnShore Technology Group

worldsleaders.com | 59

regulatory requirement to produce validation documentation, many life sciences companies were restricted in their rapid adoption of these technologies and wasted precious time that could have been used to bring new products to market faster. The product, ValidationMaster™ ushered in the era of Enterprise Validation Management and Quality. For many in the life sciences community, automation was viewed as a luxury and not a necessity. Since COVID, many companies now view automation as a necessity and not a luxury. As organizations were forced to close their oﬃces, many life sciences companies sought ways to become more eﬃcient and thus adopted the ValidationMaster™ at a rapid pace during the pandemic. The management states, “Many of our clients were seeking to develop new vaccines and COVID products and quickly bring them to market through automated supply chain management. ValidationMaster™ helped them do this quickly and with 60 | AUGUST 2021

minimal impact to their organizations.” In 2021, ValidationMaster™ received the Global 100 award for the Best Software Solution for IV&V. The company also earned a spot on the coveted 2021 INC. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Companies in America. Challenges with Rapid Tech Advancements The latest challenge is keeping up with the rapid adoption of ValidationMaster™ as more and more global companies seek to deploy this valuable solution to automate their validation processes. OnShore has added a ValidationMaster™ Training Academy to help its clients learn and use the application at their own pace. The Love for Literature and Inspiration The most inﬂuential book for technology companies that Valarie has ever read is 'Crossing the Chasm' by Geoﬀrey A. Moore. His follow up

book 'Inside the Tornado' is MUST READING for anyone seeking to build a business in the technology industry. Valarie also loved the book 'Good to Great” by Jim Collins. She mentions, “Good to Great taught me how to focus on what I am good at, what can I make money at and what I have a passion about. The intersection of these three things will direct your efforts. It is a simple yet profound concept for building a GREAT business and not just a good one.” She further adds, “Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado taught me how technology companies grow and achieve market success.” She finds that these 3 books have had a profound impact on how she developed OnShore Technology Group. Remote Working during the Pandemic As per Valarie, moving the company's operations remotely during the pandemic was easy. OnShore Technology Group is a flexible workplace. Many of its employees already had home offices. The teams already were using Zoom and Microsoft Teams for meetings since it is dispersed around the world. Thus, when the pandemic hit, there was not much of a “transition” for the team. They just simply did not use the office locations for work. Valarie opines, “We were able to effectively social distance, and no one in the organization got COVID. We all have been vaccinated but are still taking precautions in light of the delta variant. We will remain vigilant until this crisis ends.”

Values that make the Organization Great OnShore values hard work, discipline, honesty and integrity, and customer service excellence. The team works hard to earn the clients trust and their business. With every engagement, the focus is on providing outstanding service and treat the customers with the care that they deserve. Valarie says, “We are passionate about our work, and we love what we do. OnShore Management treats every employee with respect, and we often seek their advice and input on how we can make the company better.” OnShore flexible work environment is a hit with the employees. According to Valarie, it is a win-win-win where customers win because employees work hard to fulfil their objectives, and OnShore wins because its employees are dedicated and the employee wins and enjoys the benefits of a flexible work environment and rewards for outstanding work.

itself in markets beyond life sciences where it strives to help companies meet regulatory imperatives and accelerate their business objectives through the adoption of advanced technologies with minimal defects. Believe in yourself! Valarie's advice to emerging entrepreneurs is “Believe in yourself and pursue your passion.” She adds, “Don't be afraid of hard work because the rewards are great. Think big. The world has many challenges, and we need more innovation to solve the issues of climate change, aggressive viruses that can destabilize the world, new energy solutions, infrastructure challenges and new solutions that improve life on this planet. Recognize that you are the next generation.”

Future Goals OnShore seeks to be the global leader in advanced testing solutions worldwide. OnShore Technology Group sees worldsleaders.com | 61

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