The CEO Time

Author: admin

  • Shanna Parry: Co-founder, Senior Managing Partner

    Shanna Parry: Co-founder, Senior Managing Partner

    “We believe the world becomes a better place as we improve access to education. This will allow the next generation to make informed decisions towards a better future.”

    Shanna is the co-founder and Senior Managing Partner of Global Services in Education (GSE).

    Shanna is an American educator who has been setting up, leading and operating schools in 6 countries over the past 12 years.

    Shanna’s reputation is well renowned. She was named a Top 10 Global Guru in Education (2018) and Top 30 Global Guru in Education (2019). In 2021, Shanna was named as one of the Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch.

    Shanna’s specialist expertise is her ability to coach and mentor teachers and to supervise the effective operation of high-quality schools. She is also an expert in adapting curriculum to unique cultural contexts including the alignment of local curriculum and culture with international models. She is passionate about making premium education accessible to every one.

    Shanna has served as:

    • Academic Director/Curriculum Writer (America, China, Malaysia, Dubai, Korea)
    • Curriculum Writer/Academic Director (TESOL China)
    • Teacher Trainer (America, Mexico, Bahrain, Malaysia, China, Dubai, Thailand, Korea)
    • High School/Middle School Principal (America, Dubai, China)
    • University Director (America)

    Shanna is an expert in A Level, IB, TOEFL, IELTS, SAT, IFY and US curriculums. She has authored two books on international education and served as a consultant for more than 50 schools across 6 countries. Co-Founder, Senior Managing Partner

    About GSE

    Founded in 2011, GSE was created by two leading international educators with the aim of designing and leading the very best schools in partnership with investors and developers. GSE is a private education management and advisory company that provides a comprehensive range of services to set up, operate and improve school quality in all major regions of the world. They are led by a team of seasoned education and business professionals who understand both the financial and the education sectors.

    Their services include market research and feasibility studies, business planning and financial models, conceptual and architectural design, branding and marketing, curriculum, teacher recruitment and many more education services.

    GSE independently operates education institutions on behalf of investors and developers under their own or other brands. They cover all sectors and curriculum including K-12, early years, vocational and higher education. GSE specialises in IB, UK, US, Australian, Canadian, IPC and all local curriculum models including bi/trilingual programs.

    “We are the bridge between business and education. We align vision, mission and corporate plans.”

  • Sarah Colbon: Co-founder of Njord by Bergman Design House

    Sarah Colbon: Co-founder of Njord by Bergman Design House

    Sarah Colbon, Co-Founder of Njord by Bergman Design House, has over a decade of experience within the luxury superyacht industry.

    Sarah Colbon has worked with some of the yachting industries most well known names, including Owners and their representatives, shipyards, designers, brokerage companies in sale and charter, yacht management companies and iconic superyachts themselves. Sarah’s experience in delivering strategies, protecting and managing reputations, project managing new concepts, showcasing major global campaigns and implementing specialist activities have had outstanding results in the Superyacht Industry.

    With all her knowledge and expertise rolled into one, she Co-founded Njord by BergmanDesign House, a superyacht interior design studio, alongside Marie Soliman and Albin Berglund. Sarah’s role within the company is running the company with managing the business, client relations, project management and driving the brand forward.

    Trusted by the yachting world’s most well-known names, she has worked with owners and their representatives, designers, shipyards, superyacht management and superyacht brokerage companies alike. Her work in strategy, delivery, reputation management, project management, client relations, building the business and the brand have seen unrivalled results.

    It was this 360-degree industry experience that made Sarah the perfect partner for Bergman Design House founders Marie Soliman and Albin Berglund, as the group founded their joint venture, Njord by Bergman Design House.

    The trio launched the superyacht interior architecture and design studio in 2020, where Sarah’s role spans operations, project management, client relations and building the brand.

    As the yachting arm of London’s award-winning interior design studio Bergman Design House, Njord by Bergman Design House has refit the 56m Benetti Galaxy, converted 61m Cassius from a former commercial ship, and created new build 83m Eden using the highest levels of sustainable methods and technique. Along with her co-founders, Sarah is considered a true mover and shaker in the superyacht industry – inspiring and innovating the world of luxury as the studio pushes boundaries in floating hotel design.  When Sarah isn’t moving and shaking the world designing superyachts, she mentors over 60 yachting business start-ups and regularly speaks at specialist yachting panels and events.

    Njord by Bergman Design House

  • Marianna Bulbuc: Inspiring Women Leaders

    Marianna Bulbuc: Inspiring Women Leaders

    Through this questionnaire, our aim is to accentuate your journey, your aims and achievements, your thoughts and perspectives, the organisation you run, your contributions to the society, and your strengths in the national and international markets. We are looking for crisp and perspicacious answers between 800-1000 words for the same.

    Kindly share a portfolio of around 4 – 6 High-Res images. (Attach Manna’s Profile)

    1. How would you describe your journey? Brief us on the inception story of your career.

    I am coming from a small country and a humble beginning however, my family has educated well and nurtured me with values, respect, dignity and accountability for the words and action through my development. Hence, from the beginning I have done my best to excel in studying and later at work. At a very young age, I have always been passionate in keeping good relationship , diplomacy, building bridges between individuals and business, and later between diplomatic businesses. The critical thinking and problem solving approach was supported in my family. This is why I stay productive in all critical projects. I have always made sure that I never under do and provide the best service excellence for that reason my name has bought credibility and can be the substance as what Bizzmosis as a brand can be seen in the region and the world.

    2. Enlighten us about your role in the organisation you are leading / associated with?

    Bizzmosis Group, that I proudly own and chair for over a decade has dedicated its existence to government affairs, building the bridge between the private and public sector, mediating the Business to Government communication and helping both parties achieve consensus, mutual growth and progress.

    We are the leading UAE Government Affairs specialist, serving over 7,000 entities as a one-stop-shop for all tailored business solutions such as business operation permits and approvals, business licensing, registration, and restructuring in the UAE and middle east region, as well as residency visas and PRO services, product manufacturing, registration, import and export permits. Tax, VAT, and accountancy services. “Bizzmosis Group has a strong history of making things possible by nurturing government relationships that have earned us a reputation as Miracle Workers – not only for expanding the realm of what can be done but contracting the amount of time required to do it” “We are the knowledge partner of Dubai Chamber, Department of Economic Developments (DED), Ministry of Economy, Economic Startup hubs, FDI, DTCM, and many more government and semi-government partnerships not just in the UAE but in the region and in the African market.”

    3. Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person.

    • “FIN WOMEN PROGRESSIVE EMPOWERMENT LEADERSHIP”award presented by FIN Women, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Khalifa Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan.
    • FIN Winter Edition 2022 featured as the Most Influential B2G Networkers in the UAE.
    • FORBESAfrica Special Edition featured and  being recognized as one of the “Movers and Shakers: People To Watch in 2022”
    • Sharjah FDI awarded knowledge partner
    • MOE international business roadshow 2019 awarded knowledge partner
    • UNDPR award for risk reduction awareness for business.
    • Dubai chamber and commerce awarded “Dubai’s business service provider of choice”
    • TIP Innovation Summit AD 2020
    • Female entrepreneurship support campaign partner 2018: Dubai Women summit
    • CAWEE partnership for opening its first satellite office in Ethiopia.

    4. What is the one thing you wish you had known about women in your line of work before you started working?

    My line of working is obviously interchange between business and diplomatic work. A lot of negotiations and critical works, stressful moments, pressure points from customer and governments, I wish I knew before how much misconception and pre judgement there is, for a women to access in pivot power positions and how difficult it is. However, swimming against the circumstances is what made me stronger. Despite all women finding problems to such situations, if you keep consistent, standing on your rights, consideration and admittance to high level negotiations, sooner you’ll find people will admire and appreciate no matter which gender you are and find people who have already opened the door. Never give up!

    5. Do you believe it is compulsory for a woman to manage a household alongside her work?

    I am a Business Owner, B2G Networker, Investor, Speaker and above all a proud mother and a wife. I believe gender equity starts at home. With equal partners we would be able to have a work life balance. Men should feel equally obliged in managing household duties as much as a women would. I am proud and lucky to have an exceptional husband, which is very actively involved in maintaining our house, the relationship with our daughter and so on. I wouldn’t have succeeded as much or where I am now, if I didn’t had the support, the love, the understanding and the sincere routine at my home.

    6. Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to work harder?

    We all have a unique perspective on the things we find most fascinating and enjoyable in life. Over 15 years specialising in diplomatic and corporate world relationship development. My relationships with government officials have driven dozens of the most well-known special approvals and exceptional cases in the country. When we concentrate on doing things that we have the most passion for, sooner or later success will follow. I am a people person and I love investing my time, attention, and developing talents around me. Also, the biggest inspiration is when I see my talented Bizzmosis team has impacted and supported and even sometimes changed the life for the start-ups owners and people from all beginnings when we solve a problem that was assumed to be impossible. This is what motivates us to keep us going and creating an impact around wherever we touch in people or business around us.

    7. As a woman, what has been the highlight of you career? What are the changes you wish to make for the better in your professional life post-pandemic?

    A decade ago, as female founded and female led entity, Bizzmosis Group, there have been many highlights and I’ve been very lucky to have seen thousands of business leaders, companies, MNCS who put trust in our expertise and over a decade that we exponentially growing with zero marketing including throughout covid is proven to the good work and service excellence we deliver. Now Bizzmosis is a leading UAE Government Affairs company, for all tailored business solutions.

    During the pandemic, Bizzmosis registered hundreds of products, introduced new categories, and obtained trade and registration permissions in just 7 days.

    We are proud to have facilitated high-level and impactful projects successfully for governments, multinationals, startups and more. I and my team always go beyond our offerings and anticipate achieving more success stories in the region.

    I am also proud to be a mom and grow my daughter to show an example while scaling and managing my business. The fact that my name and the brand is admired and appreciated and have a team which I am beyond proud of how talented, consistent, dedicated they are, and a happy family, successful life and that I have started from a 500 dollar debt from my family, to being a financially independent with a 7 digit turnover and achievements that I have never dreamed of. But I am humbly enjoying it.

    7. Brief us on the changes the pandemic brought to your sector and your market. Has the work-culture altered?

    Bizzmosis invests in its talents and promotes internal human growth, we are committed to promote and prepare our team members for leadership roles. An online Bizzmosis school platform is set to sustain our knowledge growth and secure consistency in our commitment to service excellence to our clients. We have tended to keep cultural, team building, stress buster events every month however yes, the pandemic has bought to my attention to provide a hybrid working environment for my talented team. This increases flexibility and this leads to a balanced workload, participation in team activities, and higher work-life satisfaction.

    During pandemic we have maintained salaries without cuts and rewarded salary raise during inflation for all members of the team irrespective of their roles, which has built more trust in our journey together. The pandemic has only strengthen our internal policies and supported our growth and build more trust between client and us of proving how stable and reliable we are, no matter the situation we are put in

    8. What words of wisdom/ inspiration/ advice would you offer to the next generation of female leaders?

    As commonly used this is, “Nothing is impossible, just don’t give up”. I had many days of tears, frustration, hiding in behind blankets and not talk to anybody, however, with the correct people that surround us with the right friends and family, consistency and thrive for opportunity to achieve what you deserve that is what can guarantee your success. Success is not about making millions or power. It is independent from person to person. Just know what you want and keep moving one step at a time in that direction. And if you have set back don’t let that move you away from that goal.

  • Inspiring Women Leaders – Payal Nanjiani

    Inspiring Women Leaders – Payal Nanjiani

    How would you describe your journey? Brief us on the inception story of your career.

    Payal’s Response:

    That’s an interesting question, Here’s a little bit of my backstory. It all started with a question in my mind- ‘why do we have only a few exceptional leaders in any organization?’

    See, I had a very successful start in the United States. And I remember how friends and family told me that I am in a land of opportunities where people are very successful. But the reality I saw around me here was different. I observed that despite all the information and resources, most people struggled at their work. The number of successful people was few in number. And most people were stuck at the mid-level- both in the corporate and business world.  I wanted to get to the root of this gap between the average and exceptionally successful peopl. Later, I left the comfort of Corporate America and immersed myself in research that helped me understand the reason for this gap. It formed the springboard of Success Within Leadership, dedicated to developing transformed leaders who influence, innovate and implement with speed and serenity in any economy.

    Enlighten us about the work you do?

    Payal’s Response: 

    I am famous as an executive coach where I help leaders bring about a massive transformation in themselves so they can be highly successful leaders. When they change their thinking and behaviors, they can maximize their leadership potential, succeed in the corporate world, and experience a fulfilled career life. I have a proven philosophy that leverages each client’s inner resources to become high-performers and develop success.

    Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to work harder?

    Payal’s Response: 

    It’s people like you and millions of others who inspire me to move forward. When I hear stories of people who have become successful using my “insider” techniques and how it has transformed them into world-class leaders, I feel inspired to give more and serve more. Nothing gives me greater joy than seeing people rise up. My drive to help people learn how to be world-class leaders is what even got me started into book writing. I’ve made it my mission to help people become successful in life by teaching them the importance of behavioral changes. I feel my work is most rewarding.

    Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person.

    Payal’s Response: 

    • Honored by the US media for re-defining leadership
    • Recipient of the Global Humanitarian Award by Bloom for her work in leadership
    • Recognized by the Times Group as the Most Influential Personality in Leadership and Executive Coaching
    • Received the GCPIT award for having trained and coached more than a million professionals to be world-class leader
    • Recognized as the Top 10 Coach by Silicon India
    • Recipient of the State Ribbon award, USA, for her work in leadership.
    • Award-winning host of the globally recognized leadership mastery podcast — THE PAYAL NANJIANI LEADERSHIP PODCAST.

    What is the one thing you wish you had known about women in your line of work before you started working?

    Payal’s Response: 

    The power of networking. I wish I had appreciated this much earlier in my career.

    Do you believe it is compulsory for a woman to manage a household alongside her work?

    Payal’s Response:

    I think nature has given a man and a woman some intrinsic quality and behavior patterns. Taking care of the house and doing household chores is a great quality in women. Similarly, taking care of the household finances comes naturally to men. Whether a woman must do the household work or not is a decision each of us needs to make for ourselves. What is important though is that women must keep moving ahead in their career regardless of the challenges.

    As a woman, what has been the highlight of you career? What are the changes you wish to make for the better in your professional life post-pandemic?

    Payal’s Response:

    So, when I first got started in this field of leadership speaking, coaching, and book writing, there weren’t women of Indian descent in America that I was aware of that were doing exactly what I wanted to be doing. It’s typically a white dominated field. So there wasn’t any role model or guidance I could have then. And eventually, I became known as the only woman of Indian descent to be a leadership speaker and author in the USA. And America is one place where you get known not by your gender or color but for the value you bring. Now I also work to help more women of color to be visible in their field of work.

    Brief us on the changes the pandemic brought to your sector and your market. Has the work-culture altered?

    Payal’s Response: 

    I think every market has been impacted by the pandemic. For one, we all stepped into digitization and that changed the game. So, I am glad that now along with in-person sessions, I can also opt for online.

    What words of wisdom/ inspiration/ advice would you offer to the next generation of female leaders?

    Payal’s Response: 

    I would say this- any challenge that comes your way doesn’t come based on your gender or color. Challenges are for anyone who dreams big, and your job is to stick to your higher purpose. When you make a decision keeping your higher goal in mind-then there is no confusion. The Universe will show you your next step. Your job is to overcome the challenge and not get sucked into any biases.

    About Payal Nanjiani:

    Globally Acclaimed Leadership Expert and Speaker , Top Executive Coach , and New York Award-Winning Author

    ​Recognized by the TIMES Group as the most influential leadership speaker and executive coach, Payal Nanjiani is a globally acclaimed Indian-American leadership expert, executive coach, and author.She has spent over 2 decades helping leaders and organizations grow, transform, and succeed.

    ​A prominent figure in the corporate and business world, her books, and podcast have made her one of the best-known names in leadership training and executive coaching.

    She is known to get people to achieve a leadership breakthrough, get to their next level, and achieve extraordinary levels of success.

    ​She is a New York award-winning author of leadership books.

    Payal has been honored by the TIMES group for her leadership speaking and coaching and has been featured on  America’s Fox 50 news channel for redefining leadership.

    Payal believes in her philosophy that leadership starts and ends with you

    For more information visit : www.payalnanjiani.com

  • Bamidele Itunu

    Bamidele Itunu

    Brief us about the inception of your career? What were your ambitions as a teenager?

    As a teenager, I wanted to be many things. Pilot was first on my list, then every child’s dream; a doctor, but a lawyer? No, I haven’t had a thing for law, although I love literature, and a flair to speak. But when I got to Basic 6, my school invited a career counselor to put us through the various career paths available to us, then I decided to be a Biochemist because I loved the idea of wearing a laboratory coat. Long story short, I was able to look inward as I grow older at the values I hold, and the passions I have, together with the experiences I have had as a student. Reading further about Nigerian basic and higher education was what solidified my decision to be a teacher. It was a bitter pill to swallow for my family because expectations were high, but yes, this is whom I have decided to be. I am glad they allowed and supported me, now I am a Teacher that makes all the difference.

    What are the aims and ideals that guide you as you run your company?

    There are lots of ethical ideals that guide me as a person, as well as a Team leader. But generally, I am a big fan of people owning to their creativity, I believe that if people are engaged on a basic human level, in a safe space, and in an environment where mistakes are an avenue to get better, they would not only love what they do, they will do their tasks well and with a touch grace and confidence.

    As an innovative leader, how do you manage to inspire your team to innovate and think outside the box?

    A leader in my exemplary understanding is a person who serves right in front of a goal, mission, or vision, a concept known as servant leadership; I simply go first. As an innovative team in the space of systems and design thinking for contextual problem solving and systems change, we embrace that there are no absolutes to creativity, everyone has a brilliant part to play, therefore, everyone is allowed to express themselves, and be a part of the jig saw puzzle. The contributions of each member make a whole, from different perspectives. Embracing this simple approach has practically helped us a lot at GIDDY2SCHOOL NIGERIA to develop, ideate, and execute a lot of projects for national development.

    What were the challenges and obstacles you faced along the way?

    Because of the turf of social entrepreneurship, we found ourselves, we leverage a lot on volunteering. Volunteering as we know impedes a lot of workflow prioritization because we cannot be entitled to people’s time. Also, another major challenge is time synchronization, I can mention specifically Katherine, one of our ambassadors at GIDDY2SCHOOL NIGERIA from Australia, she always hop in our meeting at midnight hours, let’s say 1 am, or 2 am because she’s 10 hours ahead, I feel amazed most times meeting her in the meeting sometimes before everyone else. This tells vividly the caliber of people that share our vision in the organization, and how passionate we all take this business.

    What sets your company apart from the rest of the market? Do you believe in diversifying?

    GIDDY2SCHOOL NIGERIA is a nonprofit organization that provides access for kids, teenagers in low-income communities towards achieving quality, and equitable education, and also extended to adults in their respective professions. Recently, we completed the Giddy Mentorship Forum for cohort 1 for 20 high-impact professionals in their fields a few weeks ago, the mentorship program was designed to develop the human resources of our nation by exposing young leaders to soft and hard skills needed in the 21st century. This value proposition makes us one in town, there isn’t anyone else in this business of high impact.

    Talking about diversity, this session would not be complete without making mention of the 9 GIDDY2SCHOOL Ambassadors from all over 4 continents of the world contributing to the successes we have recorded so far; Connor Woodall from the United States, Dhruti Dhedha from South Africa, Akinbobola Busola, Bakare Oluwatosin, Opeoluwa Makinde, Steven Loya, and myself; from Nigeria, Katherine Feng from Australia, and Hafiza Samath from Malaysia. When we talk about unity in diversity, this is it. I am so proud to be working with these amazing people. 

    Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person and organization.

    I have received various awards, here are a few; as a Teach for Nigeria fellow- for outstanding community impact. As an Education Officer, I have received two times commendation recognition awards for stellar performances in the Lagos state education commission. Furthermore, I was selected to be on the International Teachers and Educators Program organized by PILECKI Institute in Poland, the international conference was around five cities in Poland unravelling the history of totalitarianism. I recently received the Global Education Influencer Award from Education Influence in Australia. And I most recently have been named a Global School Program’s Advocate of the month for outstanding performance throughout the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN). Giddy2School however, has received some recognition in terms of grants, and recently finalized some partnership announcements with some organizations with similar outlooks, because we believe that together is better than alone.

    Where do you see your organization in the years to come? How do plan to respond to the lows that followed the pandemic?

    Our traction of community engagements this year is commendable, despite little or no funds, we were able to reach over 1200 children in low-income communities with our programs, in the coming years, as an organization, we have the goal to reach thousands of children, and established more sustainable partnerships to help us do more good. In terms of operations, we want to attract more professionals to offer quality engagements to more Nigerian students under our initiative. In summary, we wish to hit a 100% literacy rate in Nigeria.

    What is your advice to budding entrepreneurs who wish to kick-start their careers?

    Entrepreneurship is a risk, by now I know you know. But above this, as an entrepreneur, I will remind you every day that our world needs you because you are solving a pressing challenge with your idea, be it for-profit or nonprofit. My advice for you is to not give up what is achievable for fear of failure or probability of success. On this journey, you always learn, not necessarily fail.

  • Vineet Trakroo

    Vineet Trakroo

    Brief us about the inception of your career? What were your ambitions as a teenager?

    As a teen I wanted to fly for the Air force. Fast jets and power excited me. But a not so perfect vision moved me to engineering, rather electrical engineering in MIT Manipal. There my affinity for control systems and math bloomed and got me to become analytical with a desire to solve complex issues. A desire to Strategise or to plan always existed. A flair to think big while taking risks with new ways to establish a business drove me to try innovative selling solutions. In 1990 I dabbled with leasing capital products in the electrical power systems industry to industry and electricity boards. After a 2-year hiatus from studies I went back to do my MBA in marketing from Jamnalal Bajaj Inst of Mgmt Studies, Mumbai. Post my MBA I moved out from the electrical industry from selling complex power system solution to selling edible oil and soaps as head sales and marketing for Postman oil at the age of 27.  Concepts of TQM and processes for ISO 9000 were indoctrinated in our working in the first few years of work life.  These systems probably have helped in given a direction to my future values and behaviour.

    There after I have been Head sales and or Marketing for Pidilite,  Beiersdorf ( Nivea), Cavin Kare VP Marketing and Usha International as CMO. 

    Thereafter in 2013 we started Evolution Strategy Advisors LLP with an objective to cater to the mid and large sized organisation in the B2C space to identify growth strategies as well as to partner our clients in executing them. We have now extended our services into Business Transformation, Building Excellence in Sales and Marketing and Building Business Alliances as well as bringing in International brands to India through JV and licensing. 

    What are the aims and ideals that guide you as you run your company?

    Our clients give us a mandate for their growth only when they trust us. We are tasked with identifying challenges in a dispassionate and unbiased way without identifying the individual creator but looking at solutions. We believe there is no point in going into who did what as both success and challenges are created by a team and not an individual. Our focus is the issue and its quick solution. We focus on identifying the blind spots in the business, identifying strategic and system gaps as well as competencies required. We link problems with solutions, which can be easily implemented. Most importantly our solutions come at no increase in cost (men, money or materials) to our clients, we reallocate the resources.

    As an innovative leader, how do you manage to inspire your team to innovate and think outside the box?

    Every client has unique strengths and culture. They also have challenges which are unique to the industry, in fact no 2 competitors are similar and thus the solution for one cannot be applied to another. Every client issue is a challenge in innovation as the solution has to work in the existing culture. At times we face a wall and have then to look at different industries on how do they solve similar issues. We have cross pollinated ideas from pharma to automobiles (both use IT based tablets for detailing their products). Further we have used solutions from durable industry on value creation in building material industry. Innovative solutions are also required during execution, specially when we set systems for IT or HR and even Route to Market. For ESA innovation is in our DNA and it’s the vast exposure and experience of our Managing Partners who have been at CXO levels in different industry which gives us this ability. IN fact there are hardly any challenges which our experienced team has not lived through.

    What were challenges and obstacles you faced along the way?

    As we had a unique solution creating a customer base for the same took us a bit longer. Clients were not used to handing over their challenges to a consulting company unless forced by top management. Disclosure of business issues and cultural issues could only happen once trust is built. We had identified a specific segment of customers who could benefit greatly but reaching out to the decision makers there often took long. Internally we had to evolve on our systems as we had to be miles ahead of our clients capability for them to learn from us and deliver success for them.

    What sets your company apart from the rest of the market? Do you believe in diversifying?

    We are amongst the very few growth consulting and business transformation practice who strategies and execute. We put our skin in the game and collect a part of our fees only when we deliver. The difference is in our success we have delivered from 20% to 65% growth within a year and more than 70% of our clients come back to us. Our high success rates in delivering for our clients is driven by practical solutions delivered by a senior team of ex CXO’s. To support them we have unique tools which use digital diagnostic and analytics. These tools have proven success across Industries. We are already diversified in delivery covering a wide range of industry sectors: automobiles, auto components, durables, building materials, fmcg, OTC and Pharma 

    Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person and organisation?

    Our recognition comes not from the awards which are plenty but from the success of our client and them coming back to us for new challenges. We have a > 70% repeat business from our clients. Our clients trust in our delivery and genuine advisory which delivers for them is our recognition. We have done multiple projects for the Tata Motors, Titan, Murugappa group’s Parry & Carborundum, Mahindra’s, Pfizer, Abbott, Pepsi, Faber Castell, Saint Gobain and close to 50+ clients

    Where do you see your organisation in the years to come? How do plan to respond to the lows that followed the pandemic?

    We have expanded our team of Managing Partners to take on more projects across different industries. This would make us ready for a 3x growth in the coming year. Post the pandemic the lows were felt only during the 1st year thereafter most companies have realised the fragility of their business in the context of external factors. Many businesses are now more than willing to consider a transformation so that they can be future ready.

    We have further added Business Alliances as a separate vertical where in bring in international companies to India through JV and licensing. For India we partner LMCA a leading Global Brand Extension organisation headquartered in the US. They represent HP, Cummins, Castrol and many other brands for licensing.

    What is your advice to budding entrepreneurs who wish to kick start their careers?

    Consulting is an area which requires nurturing and patience. Its important that consulting entrepreneur’s identify a key customer segment where they can deliver excellence, as market is segmented into startup’s, MSME, Family managed conglomerates and MNC. The delivery has to evolve as problems get complex thus it has to be a learning organsation.

  • Somia Khawaja: Inspiring Women Leaders

    Somia Khawaja: Inspiring Women Leaders

    How would you describe your journey? Brief us on the inception story of your career. 

    My journey has been quite evolutionary, being born and raised in Dubai at the time when Dubai was propelling to the pinnacle it is at today. I knew I didn’t want to be married off at a young age like my sisters. Coming from an industrialist family, in our culture it is the men that always lead the family business. 

    During my time at the university I had read a book by Robert Kiyosaki “Rich dad , poor dad” This was the book that changed my mindset about money, the university doesn’t teach you how to be smart about financial markets, and obtain passive income using debt. I was fascinated to discover such tools, It felt like I had discovered fire. I knew that if I am ever to be successful in this world I will have to gain experience at an institution that knows how to utilise such opportunities.

    It was not easy for me to convince my father to allow me to work outside the family business. I believe that was the first stepping stone for me in my professional career as a negotiator. I convinced my father to allow me to intern as a private banker in one of the top banks in the UAE.

    Enlighten us about your role in the organisation you are leading / associated with? 

    I love my role at Falcon Global Capital ( FGC for short) it is an establishment that consists of  seasoned and aspiring professionals who strive for excellence in being amongst the best in the industry. As the CEO and Executive board member, it is important to maintain balance and a sense of worth for every individual that is part of the team. Team work is synchronized like you would see in a Formula one race. Where a driver brings in the race car and the team has less than 2 minutes to change the  tires. This skill, which only lasts for less than two minutes but it has taken many years to master this and to be able to perform in such a way.  The same goes for FGC. 

    We work hard with a combined vision as a whole.

    • Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to work harder?
      I find inspiration in futuristic market trends, you may call me a futurist lol, with that in mind, it is enough to motivate myself and my team to innovate our products/services and instead of disrupting we believe in constructing a sustainable future.
    • Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person.
      In the finance industry it is a valuable asset to be accredited and qualified by a reputable institution. I was fortunate enough to complete an Executive MBA at the Said Business School University of Oxford and achieve a distinction in FinTech.
    • What is the one thing you wish you had known about women in your line of work before you started working?
      I wish I had known what it would be like to balance work life, family life and personal development ambitions.

    Do you believe it is compulsory for a woman to manage a household alongside her work? 

    It is not compulsory for a woman to manage a household, I believe that is a cultural thing. There are many professional women out there who like to be number one in their career as well as their home and then there are some who would rather focus on one. It truly depends on the household, sometimes there are single parents that do not have a choice and in some cases there are men who would rather have their wife in charge of the household while they are the bread winner of the family. 

    As a woman, what has been the highlight of you career? What are the changes you wish to make for the better in your professional life post-pandemic? 

    The highlight of my career was when FGC was granted the regulatory license by the DFSA, it took us a year and half during the pandemic to pursue this.  

    I would like to establish a corporate eco system that is self sustainable, so should anything happen, another pandemic, war or catastrophe we are able to sustain that storm, and that applies to internal personnel as well. i.e. everyone that is part of the FGC team can function and move forward. 

    Brief us on the changes the pandemic brought to your sector and your market. Has the work-culture altered? 

    The impact of the pandemic has heightened market risk aversion in ways not seen since the global financial crisis.  Collectively as a team we have enough experience to understand market trends, volatility patterns and signs of early recessions. This has however prepared us to do scenario planning, that allows us to know what we have to do should we face such a challenge. By the way this subject is now being taught in many universities.  

    What words of wisdom/ inspiration/ advice would you offer to the next generation of female leaders? 

    My sincere advice is to find your niche, find what you are passionate about and make your self so good at what you do that you are irreplicable. In any career ladder reputation, trust and integrity play a big role, so keep your standards high and live your life according to those standards that people believe that you are a person of high calibre.

  • Swati Chakrabarty

    Swati Chakrabarty

    How would you describe your journey? Brief us on the inception story of your career. 

    Growing up in a small town where there were few opportunities to make my mark, I always had a sheer will in myself to do something out of the box. Having a regular desk job was not what my plan was. I was never intrigued by the idea of following, instead I was always an avid admirer of creation. Hence, the only way where I could channelize my own ideas and hard work was by investing my mind in creating something new. Thus, I was inclined toward the idea of Entrepreneurship from my early days. The path to becoming an Entrepreneur was not a bed of roses. It was a difficult road full of obstacles that I had to overcome in order to become a successful Entrepreneur. The journey after becoming what I had always wished for since my early days is no short of a roller-coaster ride. Post setting up of the business, the hardest thing is to keep the ball rolling. In order to do that, it is very important to connect with the right people and make the right decisions that would impact the business positively.  

    Enlighten us about your role in the organisation you are leading / associated with? 

    Apart from being the Director of Operations of the PR and Marketing Agency, Candid Communication, I am also the proud Director of the abroad education consultancy venture, EduGlobal, where our tagline is Abroad Education @Indian Cost. We don’t take any consultancy fees from students and provide free career consultancy. 

    Where do you find inspiration? What motivates you to work harder? 

    My family has been supportive from Day 1 but like others, my parents have their share of suggestions too to avoid problems that might occur in the life of an entrepreneur. They have been a true inspiration to me and have not taught me to quit whatever may occur in life.

    The initial period is almost always difficult but some entrepreneurs do learn to bring in a balance after achieving reasonable stability in their businesses. During the first 5-6 years I had to sacrifice my family life and friends, and focus on building a business. Over a period of time, I have learned to balance both my professional as well as personal time.

    Kindly mention some of the notable recognitions and accreditations received by your person. 

    1. Featured under ‘India’s 40 under 40 Brightest Business Leaders’ (The Entrepreneurs of India) 
    2. National  Award for Excellence in CSR as PR by IRPRA
    3. Featured in The Entrepreneurs of India’s Womenpreneur edition.

    What is the one thing you wish you had known about women in your line of work before you started working? 

    I wish I had known to cope with the initial stress an entrepreneur faces in the initial days of work for her gender. It took some time for me to understand the situation and how to deal with certain people who have preconceived notions about a woman being able to handle work with élan.  

    Do you believe it is compulsory for a woman to manage a household alongside her work? 

    I believe the choice should be of the woman whether she would like to manage household work alongside professional work. Definitely, it should never be compulsory under any circumstances to manage household work. But the freedom of choice has to be there in order to have a balance in the life of a woman as a lot of things are expected by default from a woman because of her gender.  

    As a woman, what has been the highlight of you career? What are the changes you wish to make for the better in your professional life post-pandemic? 

    Coming from a small town and from a non-Entrepreneurial background, it was very difficult for me to achieve what I had wished for in my early days. Not having the required support and knowledge in the initial days, was a big challenge for me. However, I always had a strong will of doing something out of the box and on my own. Hence, from my early days, I started working towards my goals. With all the uncertainties and the unknown ahead of me, it was difficult, to come to a new city and try to create a mark here. It did take time, hard work, and courage to remain persistent and not lose focus. It was an uphill task. But I never lost my grit and determination to succeed in what I had set out for.

     I would like to take more care of my mental health since post-pandemic a lot of people have been affected by it due to certain situations. If your mind is calm and focused, you could provide more attention to your work and ideas seem to flow properly. Spending more time with family is on top of my mind nowadays as we all have probably understood after being isolated from the world the value of being with close ones.  

    Brief us on the changes the pandemic brought to your sector and your market. Has the work-culture altered? 

    The business environment has become more competitive than it was a decade ago. Innovation and smart work could be applied in every segment. A business that may be relevant Pre-Covid has started to lose its relevance very easily given the rapidly changing time we are living in. Innovation and keeping at par with ‘Time’ are important to stay relevant.  Similarly, PR and Event management, in fact, education business have gone through drastic changes. Things we could have never thought about have gone virtual and we have become used to it.  

    What words of wisdom/ inspiration/ advice would you offer to the next generation of female leaders? 

    Slowly and steadily things are changing, since more and more women are taking a forefoot in the business world. There are plenty of women entrepreneurs in the commercial sectors these days that are doing excellent work in their respective fields. These business-savvy females have become an inspiration for everyone out there many other ladies since entrepreneurship still is a male-oriented territory. However, these hurdles could be crossed by female entrepreneurs with determination, dedication, and by not giving up spirit whatever the situation may be.

  • Deepak Chopra – Interview

    Deepak Chopra – Interview

    Deepak Chopra grew up in New Delhi graduated from St. Columbus School in New Delhi in 1960. In 1964,he entered medical school at All India Institute of Medical Sciences. He graduated in 1969 as a medical doctor after which he came to the United States in July 1970 to do a medical internship in New Jersey, later he did residency and fellowships in various hospitals in Boston associated with Harvard, Boston and Tufts universities. He obtained board certification in internal medicine and endocrinology in the mid-70s.Following taught as junior faculty on subjects of internal medicine and neuroendocrinology. During the mid-70s interested in neuropeptides as the “molecules of emotions”, this led him to explore mind body integrative medicine and involved into his interest in consciousness as fundamental reality. Currently he is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California at San Diego.

    A multifaceted personality

    As an author, speaker and physician, he has written over 90books, which include 29 New York Times Bestsellers and national bestsellers. Co-authored numerous articles as a contributing columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and Yahoo and taught hundreds of thousands of people around the world. When asked Mr. Copra to describe himself in one word, he choose word, “Healer”. Mr. Chopra is Designated by Esquire Magazine as “one of the top ten motivational speakers in the country.” Time Magazine described Dr. Chopra as “one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century.” The World Post and The Huffington Post global internet survey ranked Dr. Chopra #17 influential thinker in the world and #1 in medicine. Globe In acknowledges Dr. Chopra as #1 in The 10 Most Influential Spiritual Leaders around the World and the list is long.

    The organisation connect

    The Chopra Foundation is committed to creating a more peaceful, just, sustainable, health and joyful world. The foundation has engaged in pioneering research in mind body wellbeing, humanitarian outreach programs in mental health and suicide prevention, personal and societal transformation via education programs, cultivating spiritual knowledge, expanding consciousness and promoting world peace via its love in action campaign. The foundation has leveraged technology to democratize access to mental wellbeing content by developing the Never Alone platform on an industry leading distributed ledger platform. The foundation has also deployed an industry leading, community outreach AI mental health chatbot with an integrated 24/7 crisis support hotline to address the current challenges in our communities and a focused solution to address the needs of veterans.

    Skepticism is healthy doubt

    Challenges included skepticism about his work in the area of integrative medicine and about solutions to hard problem of consciousness and his take on evolution guided by consciousness. These challenges still exist however vilification and condemnation and more acceptance to the ideas that he has promulgated over 40 years.

    Major Contributions to other organizations

    His major contribution with other organizations has been teaching Soul of Leadership at Kellogg and Columbia universities for over a decade. This leadership course led to the creation of Just Capital, an organization cofounded with Paul Tudor Jones.

    Exercise of will power

    He does not believe in motivation, it is an exercise of will power. He only share ideas, stories and concepts that help people explore their higher self as the source for insights, creativity, higher vision and purpose.

    The message to the world

    His only message is Mahatma Gandhi’s, “you must be the change you want to see in the world”. My hope is to create a critical mass of one billion people, which moves in the direction of a more peaceful, just, sustainable, healthier and joyful world

    Future Insight

    Our current focus is humanitarian efforts for the displaced and disenfranchised including helping orphanages and finding ways to address slave trade and other glaring injustices in society. We do research on various aspects of mind body medicine on the Self Directed Biological Transformation Initiative. In addition, we are now focused on mental wellbeing & suicide prevention.

  • Muniba Mazari – Interview

    Muniba Mazari – Interview

    Brilliant & Brave, Muniba is the kind of role model. Muniba Mazari is first Goodwill Ambassador for UN-women Pakistan, a content writer, an artist, a speaker, a model, an anchor person, a TV show host and a mother of a beautiful son. A multifaceted personality like her deeply believes that we all are sent to earth with a mission to fulfill. She was born on 3rd March but her life took a U-turn on February 27th, the date which she says mark her rebirth.

    Her life incident involve, she surviving a traumatic car accident which she narrates and says that it broke her physically but it transformed her soul and gave a new way to her life . In all the nothingness and pain she found a reason to live and that reason determined her path in life. To her the reason is connecting with those who are in the dire need of love and light and where her journey of pain helps her as it connects her with the people on human level. So her life journey began after the incident. Rightly said by Mark Twain: “the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why?!”It totally applies to her life.

    With all her power woman on wheelchair says, Do Not Give Up!

    Herself been a survivor, when asked about the mission of life, she beautifully replied that she wants to remind the world everyday to “Do Not Give Up!” No matter how cliché it might sound but that’s the only advice she has to give and the essence of the statement multifold when it comes from a woman who happens to be in the wheelchair for last 12 years, a woman whose body is half fractured and half paralyzed, a woman who adopted a child when she was told she could never have a child of her own, a woman who was scared of facing people and became a public speaker, a woman who was told that she won’t be able to paint and today she’s an artist and lastly it’s coming from a woman who has admitted that she’s perfectly imperfect and that’s perfectly alright. So, despite all the challenges that life has thrown towards her, if she can be who she always wanted to be, so can we! Her story reminds of a beautiful Bengali song written by Rabindranath Tagore which utters: “Jodi tor dak shune keu na ashe tobe ekla cholo re, Ekla Chalo Re” which when translated in English means, If there is no-one responding to your call – then Go On All Alone.

    Drive for Humanity and it’s the Drive for Equality

    An initiative which is very close to her heart is that’s of Food Drive. It all started with a DRIVE, literally to do something worthwhile for those who are neglected. Just on a whim, a couple of friends decided to do something to feed their souls by feeding a few – thus Food Drive was born! Since then the Food Drive never stopped. The biggest challenge was to include / accept food from transgender community. They tried their best to change the mindset and they wanted people to sit down and have a meal with everyone without any gender / religion based discrimination. With a diverse team (which includes men, women and transgender) that they have, the Food Drive shows that this nation has a lot to offer in terms of love, respect, tolerance and hope. They know how to share, how to give and how to receive with gratitude! It’s not just The Food Drive, it’s the Drive for Humanity and it’s the Drive for Equality.

    Her Son, Her biggest Achievement

    Muniba is the first Goodwill Ambassador for UN-women Pakistan. She has been awarded with the “Go Excellence Trainer Certificate” by “Canada Global Consulting & Training Centre Ltd. (CGC)” in December, 2017. She has been presented with “The Humanitarian Prize” by “The Karic Brothers Award 2017” in Belgrade, Serbia. She is Forbes 30 under 30 for 2016 in Media and Marketing Category. She is BBC’s Top 100 Women for 2015. She is named in the list of “The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims 2020” (The Muslim 500), She is a Panelist for the high-level event on “Women in Power” at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), New York, USA in March, 2019. She gave a Motivational Speech to the people of Nicosia, Cyprus in the event “Repaint Your Life” and a Motivational Speech at Doha International Conference on Disability and Development (DICDD) by the Qatar Foundation for Social Work (QFSW) in Doha, Qatar and list is long but apart from other professional achievements she loved to add one more achievement and that she is blessed to have an amazing nine years old son. Even-though she was told that she won’t be able to be a mother because of spinal cord injury, she chose to adopt him and that was the best decision that she ever took. She didn’t give him the gift of life; life gave her the gift of him. So inspiring!

    The first step is always the hardest but also the bravest.

    We live in a world which tends to celebrate sameness & which unfortunately doesn’t shy away from labeling people. They call her disabled she calls herself differently-abled. They call her wheelchair her weakness and she calls it her strength. They see her disability, she sees her ability. But she is not the only woman who faces these labels. There are many like her all around the world who now have learnt to overcome their fears, they also have learnt to stand tall and to appreciate what has happened to them but they do want from those who are in the power to implement the laws of accessibility all around the world. They want them to ensure that nobody is left behind. Because disability is not in humans’ body, it’s in the environment, you make it accessible for people and you’ll see so many differently-abled women shining all around the globe. She was told that if she wants to achieve something in life it won’t be easy because she is a woman in a wheelchair. There’s neither accessibility nor acceptability. She will be labeled and judged at every step. She said she knows she might be the first one but she wouldn’t be the last. She will take the first step in her chair and the rest will follow! Today the world proudly looks at her and calls her an inspiration.

    Her journey as a public speaker

    Where we see these worldly borders separating us from one another; our words have the power to heal those who need the healing and it’s our responsibility to reach out those who want to be seen and helped. When Muniba became a public speaker she realized the power of words. Through her words, her art, her philanthropic work (Food Drives) and her television programmes, she has always aimed to spread the message of hope, kindness, resilience and humanity. She shares her story of gratitude and survival, she shares how your inner power can help us overcoming obstacles and fears, she tells the world that how our inner light can spread so much positivity & last but not least she reminds people that in their down moments they are not alone and that she truly feels what one feel!

    Never say Never

    Muniba’s story herself is a motivation for the world, when asked her how she being such an inspiration keeps her motivated, she replied motivation dies everyday so one has to nurture it. Those who motivate others are at times in the dire need of motivation. So, she looks at herself in the mirror everyday and reminds herself that she don’t know how her story will end but nowhere in her text people will ever read that she gave up!

    Kindness is free, Sprinkle it everywhere

    Muniba’s message for nation is full of kindness. She says, in a world where you can be anything, be kind! We all belong to just one race and that’s the Human Race! Let’s wholeheartedly accept this wonderful message coming from a person whose story is touching the strings of the heart.

    Her insight in future

    She sees herself doing exactly what she is doing right now but she doesn’t see herself alone in this journey. She sees many people like her lighting the candles of hope, courage, empathy and kindness around the world!

    Hey! You, the survivor and inspirer, we wish all the good and every success.