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The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022.pdf
1. VOL 03 I ISSUE 01 I 2022
Leader's Tech
For a better future
Beginning of
Greatness
Going Beyond Normal
Janet Schijns
Utilizing InnovativeApproaches
to Deliver Effective Results
The Most
10
Admired
Women Leaders
in Business
2022
2.
3.
4. Redefining the
Norms of
Leadership
et’s admit that the leadership presence of women is felt
Leverywhere. Be it in entrepreneurship, administration,
education, engineering, healthcare, or politics, every
segment today needs women at regional, national, and global
levels for their distinctly different styles of leadership.
And why not? Women have made their marks in every sector. They
have erased the skepticism towards their ability to take charge.
Today, we see many women at the helm of organizations achieving
remarkable milestones. The quality that stands out to make all of
this happen is their hard work and belief in the work they do.
There is no field where women are not impacting, and the future
looks very promising for the upcoming women leaders. Women in
business are shaping the business world; their contribution has
been immense. Their fresh ideas and innovation across a wide
range of industries are bringing real transformation in the world
and proof of some extraordinary work.
In this edition, The 10 Most Admired Women Leaders in Business,
2022, we at CIO Look have enlisted some exceptional
businesswomen who are bringing much-needed change in
different segments.
Featuring on the cover is Janet Schijns, a proven leader with a
leading-edge approach to managing challenges using her razor-
sharp problem-solving skill set and unique ability to see around
corners to deliver optimal business results.
EDITOR’S NOTE
5. With over two decades of experience building, optimizing, and evangelizing channel programs and go-to-
market strategies, Janet now brings her talents to her role as CEO of JS Group. Utilizing her extensive
expertise, she has infused a work culture keen on achieving results by implementing essential business
methodologies while pushing the envelope on the definition of fast and change. She is also a compassionate
advocate for the advancement of women in technology and telecommunications, leaving her with a strong
and very loyal following in her industry.
Read on to find more such stories of other women who are bringing something unique to the table. Also, do
not forget to read about the CXO articles by the industry experts, and the creative articles drafted by our
in-house editorial team. This will add to your knowledge about industry trends and transformation.
Have a Happy Read!
Sourabh More
6. Leader's
Tech
20
For a better future
Beginning of
Greatness
38
Going Beyond Normal
Articles
Cover Story
08
Janet
Schijns
Utilizing Innovative
Approaches to Deliver
Effective Results
7. C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S
Amy Buynoski
14
Curating a Robust Team
Delivering Accessible Solutions
Cecilia Repinski
18
Remarkable Leader
Promoting Sustainability
Emily Aklan
22
Nurturing Children and Young People
towards Safe, Healthy, and Fulfilling Lives
Jennifer Barnes
26
An Excellent Example of
People-Oriented Leadership
Jennil Salazar-Scott
30
An Unparalleled Depth in Experience
Miranda Mapleton
34
Improving Health by Accelerating
the Path to Diagnosis
Selina Neri
40
Giant Leaps in Leadership
9. Brief
Company Name
Cecilia Repinski
CEO and Founder
Amy Buynoski
VP Builder Service
Manager
Jennifer Barnes
CEO
Emily Aklan
Founder and CEO
Jennil Salazar
CEO
Sabrina Tharani
Vice President
Global Startup
Venture and
Crypto Partnerships
Sherry McNeil
President & CEO
Selina Neri
Dean and
Executive Director
Hult International Business
School Dubai Campus
hult.edu
Green Assets Wallet
greenassetswallet.io
Serenity Welfare
serenitywelfare.org
Janet Schijns
CEO
JS Group
jsgnow.com
Green Assets Wallet is an impact tech company with a mission
to re-direct capital flows towards net zero economies.
SouthState is one of the leading regional banks in the Southeast
– serving more than one million customers via 275+ locations
in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Virginia.
White Swan is a registered charity with a mission to improve
the health of society through technology and analytics.
Optima Office provides Outsourced Accounting, Fractional
CFO and COO services along with Human
Resources Support to close to 300 companies across
the United States.
Serenity Welfare is a unique organisation providing a wide
range of humanistic and caring services for children and young
people experiencing family and community exclusion who are
often either on the edge of care or looked after.
Jennil Salazar Private Client Group is a boutique real estate
group located in the Village of Westclay that focuses on
sophisticated marketing, luxury services and delivering the best
customer service experience possible.
Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments
industry.
The Canadian Franchise Association (CFA) is a national, not-
for-profit association of more than 700 corporate members
representing over 40,000 franchise business owners.
More than a non-profit business school, Hult is a dynamic
multicultural community that educates, inspires, and connects
some of the world’s most forward-thinking business talent.
JSG specializes in creating impactful indirect go-to-market
strategies for tech firms.
Jennil Salazar Private
Client Group
jennilsalazar.com
SouthState Bank Mortgage
southstatebank.com
Canadian Franchise
Association (CFA)
cfa.ca
Optima Office
optimaoffice.com
Mastercard
mastercard.co.in
Featuring Person
Miranda Mapleton
Founder and CEO
White Swann
whiteswan.org.uk
10.
11.
12.
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14.
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17. Buynoski
Curating a Robust Team
Delivering Accessible Solutions
Amy
H
ave you ever tried solving a jigsaw puzzle,
trying to place every piece perfectly to see the
complete picture that made you feel proud?
This is precisely what Amy Buynoski does, exemplifying
the qualities of a great leader, exceeding her goals, and
bringing positive impact with her team, going above and
beyond making SouthState Bank Mortgage a perfect fit
for its clients.
Being a vital part of the mortgage industry for almost
20 years, Amy loves helping people achieve their dream
of homeownership. She enjoys working with a team
that shares the same values. She expresses her
gratitude for a career that allows her to make a
significant difference in people’s lives.
As the VP Builder Service Manager, Amy brings a
distinct approach to make the entire mortgage process
easier for her clients.
Trusted, Committed, Banking Forward
SouthState’s mission is to make the mortgage process
easy. It cares about the customer experience and
ensures that loan officers will work closely with the
client every step of the way. The Bank’s mission is one
of the main reasons Amy and her team decided to join,
working with a bank that cared as much about
customer service.
Throughout the years, Amy has met many wonderful
people and is grateful for her friendships along the way.
What sets Amy and the BuyNowTeam apart from other
groups in the residential lending industry is that they
use their expertise to keep their borrowers informed
throughout the process, so they know what is
happening at each step. She knows that the home loan
process can be intimidating and overwhelming to
navigate. Amy and her team understand this and make
sure that they communicate with their clients every
step of the way.
The BuyNowTeam is excellent at problem-solving and
will think outside the box to achieve the best outcome
for its clients. The team offers complimentary second
opinions for borrowers to compare lenders, making the
best financial decision for the clients with a diverse set
of mortgage loan products to fit almost every
borrower’s needs. Amy and her team received
numerous positive feedback from clients and their real
estate agents, which is astonishing.
Amy and the BuyNowTeam started with SouthState in
December of 2019. SouthState provided Amy and the
team with the best support and reliable resources
needed to succeed and go one step ahead for their
clients during the pandemic.
Relationships over
transactions.
www.ciolook.com | March 2022 |
15
18. The Cherished Efforts
Amy Buynoski has been recognized as a top-producing
mortgage banker in the state of Georgia. She was also
named Loan Officer of the Year in the 2021 Agent’s
Choice Awards for Atlanta Agent Magazine. Being
professional and communicative to her clients and
partners is essential to Amy, and she will go the extra
mile to get her clients into their dream homes. Her goal
is to always end on a sweet note.
Amy and the BuyNowTeam do not consider themselves
a transaction team. For them, the client comes first, and
they will move mountains to get the job done. Their
combined years of experience allow them to
understand and navigate almost every situation. She
says, “We love connecting with people. We view it as being
a part of someone’s story and the impact it has on them,
their family, and their future.”
Technology has become a significant part of how
businesses function daily with every industry. As the
face-to-face aspect of the Financial Services industry
may be evolving, SouthState has embraced the change
and can offer personalized customer services to each
client. Personal connections are important to Amy and
the BuyNowTeam and are proud to provide that
personal touch in each aspect of their Bank.
The Brighter Future
Currently, SouthState Bank is in Georgia, Florida,
Alabama, and the Carolinas. Amy sees this growth in
the years to come and believes SouthState will become
well known throughout the south.
Amy shares, “I am excited about South State’s future. We
are constantly looking for the next direction in how to
better the Bank, and in the past year and a half, we have
already doubled.”
With SouthState’s mission to put their customers first
and offer a variety of home loans to fit almost every
borrower’s needs, South State is striving to leave its
mark for the long-term in this industry. The way people
are treated and their service are the most important in
this business. Amy asserts, “People will want to work with
people they can trust, and they know care about them, and
their future and customer service and experience will win
every time.”
Amy anticipates the best for South State Bank and is
excited to be a part of such a great institution.
| March 2022 |
www.ciolook.com
16
19.
20. Cecilia Repinski
Remarkable Leader
Promoting Sustainability
A
chieving sustainable development in the world
is possible with economic growth,
environmental protection, and inclusiveness.
Contributing to every field, women leaders play an
important role in environmental protection by
promoting a sustainable world. Many surveys also
prove that women leaders are better at resolving
sustainability issues. They are fighting against the
challenge of climate change and want to create a better
world for everyone. Cecilia Repinski is one such
remarkable female leader who is putting her energy
into facilitating sustainability-related agendas. As the
CEO and Founder of Green Assets Wallet, she has
always been passionate about a sustainable trajectory
for life on Earth.
Recognizing Finance as the Catalyst for Real Change
Cecilia is an innovator and series entrepreneur. She is a
well reputed sustainable finance and investment
professional with 20+ years of experience from the
finance and investment industry worldwide. She sees
capital as the driving engine in the global economy.
Cecilia believes that by directing capital flows towards
real impact we can solve the USD100 trillion challenge
Cecilia Repinski
CEO and Founder
| March 2022 |
www.ciolook.com
18
21. to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals.
That is why she founded Green Assets Wallet, to
unleash global capital at scale for more prosperous and
sustainable societies on Earth.
Mobilizing Capital Towards Decarbonized Economies
Green Assets Wallet is an impact intelligence platform
for sustainable investors. It provides solutions that
power the best user journey, enable high impact and
provide societal returns through mobilized capital. Its
platform serves issuers, investors, and validators of
impact assets to generate quantifiable real at-scale
impact. Green Assets Wallet acts as a catalyst to drive
capital flows towards decarbonized, sustainable, and
just societies and economies.
Contributing to a Better and Prosperous World
As a company that is in a phase of scaling up to the next
level, Green Assets Wallet needs to be agile and adapt
to the changing needs of the market. The space in
sustainable finance comes with complex challenges
such as changing regulation, market expansion, and the
need for transparency and harmonized data. It
originated from a collaboration of key leaders in the
space, and its efforts have been directed towards
establishing a link with key issuers, investors, and
validators of impact assets.
On the awarded Green Assets Wallet platform, these
actors can meaningfully interact as trusted partners
around impact and data. Green Assets Wallet
originated as a collaborative project with key leaders in
the field of sustainable finance. Its impact intelligence
platform is a win-win, as it helps market participants
handle complex data, visualize impact, and
communicate this to their stakeholders while remaining
transparent and avoiding greenwashing.
Allocating Capital to Sustainable Projects
Green Assets Wallet is an impact-tech company. Its
platform is a true fintech innovation that sets a new
standard in impact reporting. It provides a collaborative
space for key actors to engage and build trust around
impact. It also provides the innovation required in areas
such as finding sustainable projects, allocating capital,
and reporting on impact for true, at-scale, net zero-
aligned climate impact. Green Assets Wallet provides a
complementary but dramatically different approach to
how it reports on impact from the one taken
conventionally by institutional investors and issuers to
date. It saves time for everyone and injects the quality
and trust needed for making more impact assets
investible. Essentially, Green Assets Wallet is the
world’s first digital platform for validating labeled
bonds and reporting on societal impact.
Ensuring Investments Lead to Real-World Positive
Results
The world faces unprecedented challenges such as
climate change, population growth, and resource
scarcity. Climate change is the defining challenge of
current times, closely interlinked to other global
challenges. The need for governments, financial
institutions, and corporations to address climate
change is well-known. However, current disclosure of
climate change strategies, the incomplete assessment
of climate risks, and inconsistent corporate data on
transition paths raise questions about whether current
efforts are enough to halt the crisis. Significantly
improved transparency is key to building the trust
needed between impact projects and investors to
support market scaling and ensure that the investments
lead to real-world positive results.
Ensuring Accountability, Compliance, and
Transparency
The main challenges ahead are compliance and
transparency. First, how can companies, investors,
issuers, banks, and others comply with sustainable
regulations such as the EU Taxonomy for sustainable
finance? Second, how can companies move away from
ESG (environment, social, and governance) as a
buzzword to actual measurable and transaprent
impact? The industry needs to walk the talk. It all comes
down to quality, magnitude, and timeliness of impact.
Cecilia thinks financial access for positive value
creation will be unlimited and powered by technology
in the future.
Seeing Failure as Learning Experiences
Cecilia advises budding entrepreneurs to listen to
themselves and believe in their ideas. “There is no failure
in mistakes; they are learning experiences. And remember
to celebrate your successes, these small celebrations are
important too!”
Green Assets Wallet is an impact
tech company with a mission to
re-direct capital flows towards
net zero economies.
www.ciolook.com | March 2022 |
19
25. Emily Aklan
Nurturing Children and Young People
towards Safe, Healthy, and Fulfilling Lives
T
he saying goes, “when life gives you a lemon,
make lemonade.” In the case of Emily Aklan,
when life handed her a lemon, she turned it into a
business plan in hopes of helping others.
Following the tragic event in her personal life, Emily
discovered that children and young people in the care
system are regularly transported in handcuffs or caged
vehicles similar to a police van. This is what she wanted
to change. As a result, she founded Serenity Welfare
with the dream of providing a high-quality transport
and welfare service for children and young people
dealing with challenges in their personal lives.
Inspired by her vision, we at Insights Success caught up
with Emily to learn more about her journey.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at Serenity
Welfare. What challenges have you overcome to
reach where you are today?
I began my career in the property sector –
first as a real estate agent, then working my
way up to director level in construction. I
can tell you this wasn’t an easy journey –
women are still massively
underrepresented in
construction today; it was
even harder to get ahead in
such a male-dominated
industry in the 90s.
Our Ethos is
based on our
passion for
nurturing young
people.
Emily Aklan
Founder and CEO
www.ciolook.com | March 2022 |
23
26. I was the only woman on the board – which was, of
course, a challenge, but one from which I learnt so many
valuable lessons. Whilst I firmly believe that many
underrepresented sectors need to do so much more to
encourage women at all levels, being the only woman
on the board of the company meant that I had to push
hard for my ideas and contributions to be heard – to do
this, I had to truly believe in myself and trust my
instinct.
In my 30s, I used my experience to start my own
international construction business, working for myself
and reaping the rewards of success. However, all that
changed when my sister Faye tragically passed away
young, leaving two young daughters. Her ex-husband
suddenly came back into the picture and kidnapped my
nieces to Cyprus – everything in my life was then put on
hold as I started a lengthy custody battle to bring them
back home.
Tell us something more about Serenity Welfare, its
mission, and vision.
During this legal battle, I inevitably learnt more about
the UK’s care system – I discovered that, should they
have been taken into the system, my nieces would most
likely have been split up and potentially subjected to
archaic practices like handcuffing.
This is why I started Serenity Welfare – I learnt that
private transport companies hired to move vulnerable
looked after children not only were legally allowed to
use handcuffs and other such physical restraints on
these young people but there was no requirement to
report it for the practice to be monitored.
This utterly shocked and disgusted me to my core –
how could it be standard practice (and it is, many
companies even advertise that they use handcuffs and
caged vehicles) to treat children like animals. You
wouldn’t ever dream of using handcuffs on your
children, no matter how they were behaving, so we are
allowing children who are frightened, vulnerable, and
traumatized to be treated this way?
So, I founded Serenity Welfare – a transport company
for vulnerable children which places kindness and
empathy at the core of all we do.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the
welfare niche through your expertise in the market.
In our years of operation, we have never had to
physically restrain a young person. We employ child-
centred techniques which de-escalate high-stress
situations, so a young person willingly comes with us.
We have proven that there is – despite public and
political opinions about ‘dangerous’ and ‘violent’ young
people in the care system – in fact, absolutely no need
to physically restrain a child during transportation.
Does it sometimes take more time to quietly and
empathetically understand why a child may be
unwilling to be transported by strangers? Yes. Is it
worth every single minute to ensure we don’t
traumatize them further and treat them like criminals
despite the fact they’ve committed no crimes?
Absolutely.
Besides, we have promoted strong external leadership
and advocated the promotion of social mobility beyond
our organisation. In 2020, we were awarded the Best
Practice Representative Award for the parliamentary
review, and in November 2020, our first campaign
article 'Hope instead of Handcuffs' was featured in
Social Work News. In 2021, I was overwhelmed to be
nominated and win the Best Business Women of the
Year award for Children and Families category , it’s a
privilege to win this category .
| March 2022 |
www.ciolook.com
24
27. If given a chance, what change would you like to bring
in the welfare industry?
There are so many changes needed in the children’s
welfare system – it needs a complete overhaul. But, for
me, it would be the banning of the use of handcuffs. It is
a barbaric practice which only creates further
problems. A quarter of the prison population is made up
of care leavers – but what do we expect when we treat
them like criminals from the off? I have been
campaigning for the end of handcuffing by private
transport companies through the ‘Hope Instead of
Handcuffs’ campaign, which has been receiving great
traction and response from parliamentarians.
What, according to you, could be the next big change
in the welfare industry? How is your company
preparing to be a part of that change?
In a word: transparency. A disturbing number of
alarming practices and processes happen to looked
after children in the British welfare system, which have
been allowed to continue simply because there’s no
requirement to monitor them. The handcuffing of
children during secure transportation is just one
practice – from where young people are allowed to be
housed to the medications they are unnecessarily
prescribed, so many whistleblowing stories are hitting
the press that I think the next big change will be making
the children’s care system completely transparent and
monitored. On our part, we will support and campaign
for this, and be there as a model of best practice.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run
and what are your future goals for Serenity Welfare?
Serenity Welfare started off as purely a secure
transportation company that placed children’s dignity
and respect at the heart of what we do, but since then,
we have grown to provide more services which looked
after children and vulnerable young people need from
mentoring services to 24/7 supervision. I envision
Serenity growing to accommodate and meet the
expanding needs of the children we work with –
whatever they need, we’ll work on to provide.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the business sector?
Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, but don't work yourself
senseless. When you're running your own business, it's
really easy to forget to clock out. The days of 9-5 are
long gone for you (if you're successful), but remember
to separate work and play. Don't let your business take
over your life. If you believe in your product and idea
never give up, even if you fail dust yourself and start
again. Resilience and focus is the key!
www.ciolook.com | March 2022 |
25
32. An Unparalleled Depth in Experience
Jennil
Salazar-Sc tt
R
eal estate is one of the appealing businesses to
many. On the one hand, the business does not
require the technical expertise of doctors and
engineers. On the other hand, the business can promise
gains similar to highly-paid professions. This is what
attracts millions to the real-estate business. However,
very few manage to make an impression and remain on
top of the game for years. A businesswoman who has
achieved this feat for over 18 years straight is Jennil
Salazar-Scott.
Jennil started her career back in 2004 in Pennsylvania.
She got her lucky break and her most treasured
experience in building relationships from her mentor
Jeri Bedard. She was one of the top real-estate luxury
realtors in PA and taught Jennil some key lessons about
the business. Jeri took Jennil on a tour of all the homes
she visited and gave her the opportunity to represent
one of the top luxury builders in PA at a young age.
Jennil quickly learned the ropes of the real estate
business and formed her own company 4 years later.
Looking back at this experience, Jennil notes, “Jeri was a
great mentor, and friend. She was the first one to open the
door of real-estate opportunities for me, and her
contribution to my journey is priceless.”
We provide our
clients with an extra
ordinary customer
experience with a
focus on care,
compassion, and
expertise.
| March 2022 |
www.ciolook.com
30
34. A Promising Road to the Future
Jennil believes the real-estate sector is witnessing a
boom unlike any other in the past. She says that her
phone, along with her many real-estate colleagues, is
constantly ringing. She notes, “Due to the pandemic, the
demand has hit an all-time high, particularly for single-
family homes.” She believes people like her have a real
advantage as properties keep moving on and off the
market at a rapid pace, and rates keep climbing above
the asking price in most cases. Only time will tell how
the pandemic has really affected the real estate market.
As expected, the pandemic will likely bring about major
shifts in real estate trends.
The growing demand for real estate is likely to bring
about major shifts in the fortunes of people like Jennil.
However, it is also her years of experience that will
likely set her apart in the near future. Jennil has toiled
to build a company that is uniquely enriching in the
personal touch, mentorship, and experience.
Robust Technology Adoption
After learning from Jeri, Jennil quickly moved with her
husband to Indiana. Four years after going solo, She
started her own company – the Jennil Salazar Private
Client Group. Jennil believes this time was crucial for
the growth of her career and her company. She also
notes that the relationships she built during this time
helped her carve the overwhelming success she has
today.
Jennil Salazar Private Client group has made major
strides in recent times with the aid of digitalization. Her
company, located in “The Village of Westclay”, offers
professional photography, digitalized designs,
Photoshop, custom designs, and internet optimization
for homeowners to make sure their properties receive
the best attention globally. Jennil notes, “Beautiful and
emotion-provoking images remain at the center of
attention for real-estate homes. We deliver services
that get the traction homeowners need to make sure
they are always ahead of the game.”
Intelligent Strategy to Negotiate Challenges
Thanks to her quick thinking, and strategic
technological adoption, Jennil is a familiar name on
Indiana’s top billboards in real estate. This includes
being a top producer for Compass and on the cover of
Indy Top Producer. However, Jennil has no plans to
slow down. She recently entered the real estate market
for the global listing of luxury properties. Today, she is
also a certified global marketing agent. However, things
didn’t always come easy to Jennil, and her husband,
who rode through a storm together before establishing
a name widely recognized in Indiana today.
When she started her own business, Jennil and her
husband needed to find an immediate office to kick-
start her operations. She applied all her real-estate
training to quickly find a small office and turned it
around within 8 months, renovating it from top to
bottom. She quickly turned her office into a real-estate
boutique for her clients. She notes, “I wanted to make my
clients feel at home. I wanted them to relax and converse as
if they had just come over to their friend’s house for a cup of
coffee.” Jennil mentions that despite the major
challenges in the renovation, kick-starting a new career,
building a new company – her dreams gave her the
strength to always pick herself up and tackle any
challenges that came her way.
| March 2022 |
www.ciolook.com
32
35.
36. uriosity leads to questions, and questions lead to
Canswers; however, inspiration leads one to cross
the difficult path towards a beautiful purpose.
Inspired by the story of Julie King, sister to Steve King
(Founder CEO of Black Swan Data Ltd), Miranda
Mapleton founded White Swan with a mission to
improve the health of society using technology and
analytics, accelerating diagnosis, improving the
effectiveness of treatment.
Steve and his team at Black Swan's efforts to find a
correct diagnosis for Julie, who had wheelchair-bound
with an undiagnosed condition for years, pushed him to
analyze millions of social conversations, spotting
patterns to identify two rare conditions she hadn't been
tested for. One of which was Parkinson's Dystonia.
Today, with proper medication, Julie is out of her
wheelchair, leading an everyday life, and even
competing in triathlons!
Steve wanted a person he could trust to set up White
Swan as a non-profit offshoot of Black Swan, and
Miranda was the one he entrusted with this
responsibility based on their years of personal and
professional friendship. Today, Miranda leads White
Swan as the CEO, and after a year operating as a not-
for-profit, it officially achieved charitable status for
White Swan in January 2018.
Miranda's passionate leadership spans over 20 years,
working across multiple commercial industries within
premier businesses, having a proven track record of
driving strategic transformation and innovation.
Uncover her inspirational journey!
The Marketing Miracle
Miranda started her journey in FMCG marketing,
working across the snack food and pet care industries
for 14 years, developing into senior Director positions
with PepsiCo and Mars. During this time, she led the
Walkers Crisps brand (a $1bn) and led Pet Care for
Mars in the UK (the 3rd biggest market in the world),
and also led multiple global and regional initiatives
including global communications for several multi-
billion dollars brands. Miranda then decided to move
into the eCom industry, taking a CMO position at
MoneySuperMarket.
As a person who has never shied away from challenges,
Miranda's most challenging career move was founding
White Swan. She shares, "I had neither a tech nor
healthcare background. It has required vision, drive, the
ability to engage others (often giving up their time for free),
strategic agility, and creating clarity from ambiguity."
From a completely blank sheet of paper, White Swan
has become the global organization it has become
today, with over 130 volunteers, in addition to
employees, Trustees, a Clinical Advisory Board, and
clients and partners, including world-renowned
hospital trusts and worldwide pharmaceuticals.
Improving Health by Accelerating the Path to Diagnosis
We believe no-one
should suffer
unnecessarily not
knowing what is
wrong with them or
what to do about it.
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38. Striving with Technology
White Swan is unique in its proprietary technology
access and leading-edge data science capability,
combined with charitable status and mission. As a tech
charity, its solutions and work focus on leveraging its
proprietary technology for good. It is currently
developing a pioneering tech solution called Million
Minds, accelerating the diagnosis of the 500 million
people suffering long-term undiagnosed worldwide.
Miranda shares that Million Minds is a unique app that
combines collective patient experience with enhanced
symptom and lifestyle tracking, powered by proprietary
technology and leading-edge data science models, to
help those suffering and their doctors find a diagnosis.
She notes, "Our current models are showing incredibly
encouraging results, with 86% accuracy at predicting the
correct diagnosis, from our trial base of 600 conditions with
a long delay to diagnosis."
Transformative Tides
White Swan aims to accelerate the path to diagnosis for
patients. Suffering undiagnosed – not knowing what is
wrong with you or what to do about it – substantially
negatively impacts patients and their loved ones. Those
with rare diseases suffer undiagnosed for on average
eight years before receiving a correct diagnosis, often
being referred to multiple specialists during the
journey. White Swan wants to change that by helping
patients help themselves and their doctors to help
them achieve a faster diagnosis.
Miranda expresses that the patients are becoming
much more empowered in the healthcare industry.
With the rise of personalized medicine and genomic
sequencing, there are considerable opportunities to
improve patient care, outcomes, and quality of life. "Our
pioneering technology gives more power to patients to help
themselves and their doctors, leveraging the wisdom of the
world to achieve a faster diagnosis," explains Miranda.
In the process of creating Million Minds, White Swan is
creating a wealth of patient-centric insight that can also
be used by organisations across the healthcare sector
to improve treatments and diagnoses rates, particularly
for rarer conditions.
Well-Being & Beyond
White Swan envisions transforming the lives of the 500
million people suffering undiagnosed worldwide with
its pioneering tech solution Million Minds. It will be
launching a pilot utilizing its platform with patients in
2022, which will develop the tech into a medically
validated app available worldwide.
Miranda speaks about her personal goals, "I am a great
believer that we can achieve any goal we set our mind to,
whether that is multi-sport endurance race or a new role. I
have enjoyed every challenge I have had in my career as
well as the unexpected opportunities presented. As a mum,
dog-lover, and outdoor enthusiast, I intend to continue to
both seek and make the most of all opportunities, enjoying
life as a whole with my family."
Exhibiting Excellence
Miranda advises aspiring entrepreneurs to believe in
themselves and utilize their skill set to tackle new
challenges. She says, "Be your best self – live your values,
inspire others with your passion and vision, and you'll
attract great people to join you on your journey."
"Ask for help – if you're curious, humble, and generous with
your time, energy, and ideas, it's surprising how many
people are happy to help. Also be flexible – there isn't one
path but many to successful outcomes," Miranda
concludes.
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42. Selina Neri
Giant Leaps in Leadership
W
omen leaders are contributing to multiple
aspects of society through various means.
From politics to academia, business to social
causes, women are making their presence known to the
world. Their ability to adapt to any situation makes
them confident leaders who can come through every
challenge and opportunity they are entrusted with.
Akin to such leadership qualities is Dr. Selina Neri, who,
throughout her career, has upheld several leadership
positions and always has come through every challenge
she faced.
Today, Selina educates the next generation of business
leaders as the Dean and Executive Director at Hult
International Business School, Dubai Campus. She
drives campus leadership and cares for the impact and
wellbeing of its students, staff, and faculty. She
researches authentic leadership, corporate governance
and excellence in hybrid teaching and teaches
leadership and marketing courses.
Let us unveil her journey.
The Initial Roots
Selina started her education in the liberal arts, an
education that evolved from a BA in Economics, to an
MBA, and culminated with a PhD in Business
Management in 2019. Her professional journey began
in the USA in the tech sector in a junior, corporate sales
role. She adapted to learn about her job and industry
with an inquisitive mind and an appetite for learning
with a can-do attitude, garnering essential qualities for
excellent business leadership. She stayed in the tech
industry for over two decades, operating in various
roles with teams, clients, and suppliers scattered
around the world. She managed to work in different
industries such as tech, luxury, global travel, executive
management, board services, and finally, landed in
academia. Speaking about her journey, Selina says,
“These career moves demonstrate that industry changes are
possible and that careers unfold in loops, with many twists
and turns. Most importantly, I am the living example that a
“career” emerges through a life-encompassing set of
decisions that direct our educational, social, economic,
political, and spiritual endeavors and reflect our personality
and life values.”
Selina learned to know herself better, understanding
what motivates and energizes her, learning to live and
work in foreign countries, adding new languages to her
portfolio, persuading internal and external
stakeholders that she was the right person for the job.
She learned to listen to her inner voice and relentlessly
pursue the purpose that she found in a leadership
position in higher education.
Selina also learned to brush off sexist, racist comments
and microaggressions. She did so with an incredible
amount of courage and resilience as she never let them
get in the way of what she wanted to do and thought
she was capable of. On a mental and physical level,
Selina also had to learn to take care of her health,
practice a daily balance of time for herself, find her “de-
stressors” (pilates, barre, and yoga), and make time with
her loved ones a daily priority.
To think in a
different way, you
need to go to a
different kind of
place.
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44. Experience to Excel
In her portfolio, Selina has been teaching courses in
marketing and society along with luxury marketing,
designing learning experiences that develop marketers
who care about commercial profit and value for society,
drive responsible campaigns, and demonstrate that
marketing has a broader call to serve society. She notes,
“In my technology days, I operated in the B2B space,
serving the largest accounts and enabling their marketing
machine to bring solutions to business problems through
the smart use of tech, whether in healthcare, oil and gas,
education, banking or financial services. In my corporate
days in the luxury domain, I have brought responsible
products and experiences to market when luxury was still
struggling with the concept of sustainability, and many
thought that the two were mutually exclusive.”
In higher education, Selina has continued to contribute
a new way of “speaking” to the market, making tailored,
impactful, personal connections with potential and
existing students through personal meetings and
events where students can meet the Dean and
experience campus life at Hult. As the saying goes: “To
think in a different way, you need to go to a different kind of
place.”
Where the Excellence Strives
Hult is the first triple accredited business school
(AACSB, AMBA and EQUIS) in the USA, with campuses
in San Francisco, Boston, London and Dubai. Selina
joined Hult in 2013 as a visiting faculty and her
collaboration eventually evolved into full time faculty in
London and Dubai.
In April ‘21 Selina became the Dean of the Dubai
campus. She mentions, “Hult is a place like no other, a
place of experimentation and innovation, and our campus
mirrors and amplifies these characteristics. We strives to be
the most relevant business school in the world. We are a
school for those made to do: our students join a journey of
creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship in the sense
that they learn to embrace calculated risks, to be
innovative, to scout opportunities in the marketplace and
anticipate market needs. They also discover the leader in
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45. themselves and learn to become authentic leaders who
contribute to sustainable growth, business success and
societal wellbeing.”
Personal growth is the cornerstone of Hult’s programs
across all disciplines. It also springboards students’
careers with a unique set of services tailored to career
development in the twenty-first century.
Technological Leadership
Selina states that even before the outbreak of the
COVID pandemic, Hult equipped its teaching and
learning capabilities with technology that offers
students “limitless learning.” Hult’s smart classrooms
are equipped with motion sensors that follow physical
and voice movement for seamless course production
and delivery to in-person and virtual students. It is
among the first business schools that understood the
opportunity that hybrid learning brings to students
regardless of location or timezone. Hult also uses
artificial intelligence-powered solutions to deliver
experiential learning and assist students with career
path options and CV creation/optimization.
The Long Haul
Selina has found her purpose in a leadership position in
higher education and sees herself in this space for many
years to come. Hult’s strategic development continues
to be built around relevance to practice, excellence and
innovation in teaching and rigorous, cutting edge
research for a global student population.
Bestowing Guidance
Selina advises budding entrepreneurs aspiring to
venture into business to dream big, work hard and
develop grit. “Do your homework and develop the critical
network of human relations that will help you launch and
scale your business as well as support you emotionally. Do
not give up, make grit your daily mantra. Admit that you do
not know and reach out for help. Keep a laser-sharp focus
on whatever you have put your mind to,” Selina concludes.
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