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The 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech April 2022

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Leveraging Technical Expertise and
analytics to Improve Financial Health for All
TimConroy
VOL 04 I ISSUE 03 I 2022
The
Mo...
A Guiding Light
for the
Noble Future
ave you ever imagined how our lives would be different if
Hwe didn't have computers o...
"The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world changing quickly, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not taking
...
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The 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech April 2022

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In this edition,"The 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech,2022" CIO Look has identified influential individuals in disrupted tech sector with expertise.


In this edition,"The 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech,2022" CIO Look has identified influential individuals in disrupted tech sector with expertise.

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The 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech April 2022

  1. 1. Leveraging Technical Expertise and analytics to Improve Financial Health for All TimConroy VOL 04 I ISSUE 03 I 2022 The Most Influential Business 2022 Embracing Changes How is Technology Shaping the Leadership for the Future? Tech to Top Innovative Leadership in Tech Space
  2. 2. A Guiding Light for the Noble Future ave you ever imagined how our lives would be different if Hwe didn't have computers or smartphones? It isn't easy to fathom life without them. When I wonder what keeps us hooked is that the technology provides a better user experience with consistent updates. The tech industry is evolving at a breakneck pace, considerably changing our way of life. With the rapid growth of tech professions, everyone opts to study tech to stay in the race. It gives us the impression that technology is here to stay and will continue to change how we live. As a result of this progress, the number of technology leaders is growing. There are tens of thousands of digital companies worldwide, and many entrepreneurs are leading them by giving it their sweat and blood to stay relevant in the tech world. When we look at the leading tech companies, their founders are some of the most influential leaders. A prime example of such leadership is Elon Musk, a well-known entrepreneur who branched out into various industries, taking the business world by the storm with his innovative tech ideas. What is it about leaders like him that makes them so noteworthy? They have several characteristics that set them apart from the crowd. With their tenacious and deliberate approach, they inspire people around them. They face challenges head-on, looking at the big picture, paying close attention to the details, and looking out for everything that can help them achieve their goals. EDITOR’S NOTE
  3. 3. "The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world changing quickly, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not taking risks," says Mark Zuckerberg. When great leaders take chances, they build confidence in themselves, and confidence is the key to winning people over. And if you're a leader today, you must take opportunities to produce something different than the rest. In this edition of "The 30 Most Influential Business Leaders in Tech, 2022," CIO Look has identified influential individuals who have disrupted the tech sector with their expertise. Explore more similar and intriguing stories to learn more about the achievements of such exceptional leaders in the tech sector. To acquire insight into the area, read the articles of our editorial staff and the CxO viewpoints of some of the industry's leading executives. Happy reading! Sonali Dhiwar Sonali Dhiwar
  4. 4. Leveraging Technical Expertise and Leveraging Technical Expertise and analytics to Improve Financial Health for All analytics to Improve Financial Health for All Leveraging Technical Expertise and analytics to Improve Financial Health for All TimConroy 10 ARTICLES How is Technology Shaping the Leadership for the Future? Embracing Changes 20 Innovative Leadership in Tech Space Tech to Top 38
  5. 5. 16 28 22 36 32 44 40 52 48 60 56 68 64 72 Angela Alvarez A Proven Leader in the Corporate Finance Space Daniel Hofmann The Visionary IT Whizz Jay Pasteris The Heart of a Technologist with the Vision to Transform Organizations Kris Rao Driving Remarkable Shifts in the Transformation Space Nick Miletich One of a Kind Innovative IT Leader Committed to Delivering the Best SAP Solutions with Technical Expertise and Business Acumen Rahul Bhardwaj Building Security and Privacy Conscious Culture Zac Schindler Assisting Clients in Reaching their Business Goals Rocco Pellegrinelli Bringing Real Value to Fund Managers with Innovative Solutions Pat Jerding A Reliable Leader Pioneering Disruptive Solutions Lily Ley Driving Business Growth with Adaptive Leadership Kevin Steer A Pioneering Leader Revolutionizing the Finance Space Ina Behrendt Engraining Innovation for the Next Generation Carey Smith A Visionary Trailblazer with Focused Approach Tim Hardcastle Leading with Awareness and Innovatively Bridging the Gap in the Insurance Industry
  6. 6. Brief Company Name Angela Alvarez Founder & Executive Chairman Aglaia Capital aglaiacapital.com Aglaia Capital is an independent Corporate Finance advisory. Featuring Person Ajit Prabhu CEO QuEST Global quest-global.com QuEST Global has been a trusted global product engineering services company. Amir Arooni CIO Discover Financial Services discover.com Discover Financial Services strive to be the leading digital bank and payments services company. Aaron Gwinner CIO Reynolds American Inc. reynoldsamerican.com Reynolds American Inc. is a world-leading manufacturer that’s transforming the tobacco industry through innovation Carey Smith CIO Orchid Insurance orchidinsurance.com Orchid is a Program Administrator and Wholesale Broker that is dedicated to serving property and casualty agencies. Cindy Hoots CIO AstraZeneca astrazeneca.com AstraZeneca is a global, science-led, patient-focused pharmaceutical company. Daniel Hofmann CEO Hornetsecurity hornetsecurity.com Hornetsecurity is a leading global email cloud security company. Dennis Cahill CTO Wolters Kluwer wolterskluwer.com Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in information services and solutions company. David Reid CTO NOV nov.com NOV delivers technology-driven solutions to empower the global energy industry. Frank Weishaupt CEO Owl Labs owllabs.com Owl Labs is building the most revolutionary collaboration technology the world has ever seen. Gint Grabauskas CTO Offerpad offerpad.com Offerpad, the new way to buy and sell a homes. Ina Behrendt CIO Miami Ad School miamiadschool.com M.AD, prepare students to face that reality and thrive. Jay Pasteris CIO & CISO GreenPages greenpages.com GreenPages plans, implements, and manages secure, high- performance digital operating environments for leading companies nationwide. Justin Foster CTO Cysiv cysiv.com Cysiv 24/7 security operations center-as-a-service helps reduce cyber risk. Kevin Steer Founder & CEO 121advisor 121advisor.com 121Advisor is a visionary technology solution and consulting services company.
  7. 7. Brief Company Name Kris Rao CIO & CTO HNI Corporation hnicorp.com HNI is a leading provider of workplace furnishings. Featuring Person Lily Ley VP & CIO PACCAR paccar.com PACCAR is a global technology leader in the design, manufacture and customer support of premium light-, medium- and heavy-duty trucks under the Kenworth, Peterbilt and DAF nameplates. Larry Cates CEO Global Learning Systems globallearningsystems.com Global Learning Systems provides security awareness, anti- phishing & compliance training programs for employees. Loris Degioanni CTO Sysdig sysdig.com Sysdig is driving the standard for cloud and container security. Nick Miletich CTO Managecore managecore.com Managecore is a certified SAP Partner and the leading provider of SAP Technical Managed Services. Pat Jerding CIO & Senior Vice President Univar Solutions univarsolutions.com Univar Solutions is a leading global chemical and ingredient distributor and provider of value added services. Rocco Pellegrinelli Founder & CEO Trendrating trendrating.net Trendrating is a global leader in the field of advanced analytics and portfolio management technology. Rahul Bhardwaj Global Privacy & Data Security Kroll duffandphelps.com Kroll provides proprietary data, technology and insights to help clients stay ahead of complex demands related to risk, governance and growth. Shamim Mohammad CIO carmax carmax.com At CarMax, our commitment to innovation and iconic customer experiences have made us the nation’s largest retailer of used cars. Steve Palmucci Global CIO Covetrus covetrus.com Covetrus is a global animal-health company dedicated to empowering veterinary practices. Sandy Rapp CIO TravelCenters of America ta-petro.com At TravelCenters of America, we invite everyone to make themselves at home. Steve McGovern CEO Dubber dubber.net Dubber is the world's leading provider of cloud-based call recording and voice AI. Tim Conroy CTO Experian experian.com Experian unlocks the power of data to create opportunities for consumers, businesses and society. Tim Hardcastle CEO & Co-founder INSTANDA instanda.com INSTANDA operates exclusively through Software-as-a- Service and is a radically different approach to insurance product innovation. Zac Schindler Director doeLEGAL doelegal.com doeLEGAL provides advanced information management tools and elevated support designed to provide corporate legal departments and law firms.
  8. 8. CONTENT Senior Editor DESIGN Visualizer Associate Designer Shyam Sonawane SALES Senior Sales Manager Kshitij S. TECHNICAL Technical Head Amar Sawant April, 2022 Copyright © 2021 CIOLOOK, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from CIOLOOK. Reprint rights remain solely with CIOLOOK. FOLLOW US ON www.facebook.com/ciolook www.twitter.com/ciolook WE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE ON Email info@ciolook.com For Subscription www.ciolook.com CONTACT US ON Hitesh Dhamani Editor-in-Chief sales@ciolook.com SME-SMO Research Analyst Eric Smith
  9. 9. 1 Year 12 Issues $250 6 Months 6 Issues $130 3 Months 3 Issues $70 1 Month 1 Issue $25 CHOOSE OUR SUBSCRIPTION Stay in the known. Subscribe to CIOLOOK Get CIOLOOK Magazine in print, and digital on www.ciolook.com
  10. 10. Tim Conroy Chief Technology Officer Decision Analytics Experian UK&I C O V E R S T O R Y
  11. 11. Leveraging Technical Expertise and analytics to Improve Financial Health for All Experian unlocks the power of data to create opportunities for people, businesses, and society. “ “ TimConroy
  12. 12. T oday,manybusinessleadersbelievethatdata isthemostimportantassetandmostvaluable resource. Data can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of businesses and help make informed decisions. Passionate business leaders believe in the power of data and are experts at tapping the potential of data for achieving their organi- zational goals. Tim Conroy is one such leader who believes that data has the power to change lives. Seeing an idea becoming a reality fascinates Tim, marking his 25th year in the industry. With Experian UK&I, Tim implementshisexpertiseasCTO,UKDecisionAnalytics. BreakingtheModelofTraditionalLeadership Following an unconventional route, Tim spent seven years studying Civil Engineering in Sheffield before joining the UK's largest postal and delivery company as a graduate software developer, focusing on Cobol, CICS, andDB2.Timtoldhisparentsitwasaconsciousdecision, and the synergies between construction and IT were there for all to see - both include products being built. However, the real reason was that Tim wanted to continueplayingfootballforalocalteam. Tim spent two years coding, realizing he wasn't the best at it, but he managed to create an environment where people worked well together, as told by several col- leagues. Fortunately, he then did a role swap with the team leader who wanted to go back to the technical side of things, and with that, his obsession with working with techteamsbegan. Tim undertook seven years with the postal company before being part of a large outsource to CSC. He was fortunate to land his first prominent managerial role in 2003, never looking back. Tim actively looked to take leadership roles across various domains as he wanted to understand the pressures across the entire supply chain –Sales,Technology,Delivery,andOperations. One of the most significant challenges Tim faced was probablytryingtobreakthemodelofatraditionalleader in a corporate company. His primary advice to anyone is thattosucceed,"Youmustbeyourselfandhavealaserfocus onyourgreatestasset-thepeopleyouworkwith." Timbelievesthattechisjusttechwithoutagreatteamto turn into a product the industry craves and helps solve solutionstheyface. At Experian's inaugural Careers Week Tim was asked howhemanagedtosucceedinthisandhispreviousroles. He said, "It's a combination of things – having confidence in yourself, recognizing I worked well with people, and building onthatexperienceallhelptogetmetowhereIamtoday." Enabling People to Thrive by Unlocking the Power of Data Experian is a global organization playing an important role in the worldwide economy. Its mission is to unlock the power of data to create opportunities for people, businesses, and society. Its strategy has been to improve financial health for all through its core products, social innovation, and community investment schemes. By investing in its people, technology, and innovation, Experian responsibly harnesses data to transform businesses, help communities prosper, and enable peopletothrive. We believe data has the power to change lives. By helping people and organisations make the most of their data, we can make a positive difference to our society and communities.
  13. 13. EmpoweringConsumerstoTakeControlofFinances The world is built on data. It's all around us, growing in power and influence every day. But only by understand- ingthatdatacanitbedeployedcorrectly.Experianworks to turn that data into something meaningful. It gathers, analyzes, and interprets data to help organizations of all shapes and sizes achieve their goals – whether that meansplanningforasecurefuture,gettingtoknowtheir customers better, or helping them understand the suitabilityoftheircustomersforfinancialproducts. Experian empowers consumers to take control of their finances and meet their ambitions, such as buying their firsthome.Asanexample,intheUSandtheUK,Experian haslaunchedExperianBoost,givingpeople–forthevery first time – the chance to improve their Experian Credit Score by adding additional regular payments to their reports. By helping people and organizations make the We unlock the power of data to create opportunities for people, business and society.
  14. 14. most of their data, Experian makes a positive difference tosocietyandcommunities. LeveragingTechnologicalAdvancements Experian currently has 110 million consumers using its free platforms to help them understand and manage theircreditreports;since2013,Experianhasreached61 million people through its social innovation program. In 2021, it volunteered over 21,000 hours, focusing on financialeducationandotherrelevantcauses. Experian believes it is its responsibility as a leading player to help consumers and organizations leverage its expertise to improve financial wellbeing for all. Tim says four key areas of focus where Experian is leveraging technological advancements are: API & Microservice, Comprehensive Automated Testing & Deployments, AdoptingDevOps,andCloudMigration. BeingMoreDiverseandInclusive Tim would like the industry to be more diverse and inclusive. He would like to see an industry accessible to everyone and provides opportunities for people of all backgrounds. Experian is 20,000 people across 44 countries, compris- ing94nationalitiesandspanningfivegenerations.Itfeels it is vital that everyone feels supported to grow and succeed. In 2021 it launched its first global Diversity Equity and Inclusion reportto increase transparency around its progress and goals. Tim would like to see that become an industry standard, certainly for the largest playersinthemarket. Experian continues to invest in innovation, specifically in leading-edge technologies where it can add additional value to its customers. It is working with its wider ecosystem of partners to bring this to life, sharing its resourcesandexpertisetoinnovatetogether. EnablingGreatThingstoHappenwithGreatCulture It's hard for Tim to believe, but this year marks his silver jubilee year in IT, and while he has always had support, Experianisdifferent. The culture of learnability, togetherness, and environ- ment Experian operates in enables great things to happen.Assuch,andit'sprobablynosurprise,hedoesn't lookbeyondExperian. In terms of future goals, two broad domains that come to Tim's mind are obsessing about delivering value to market by raising the bar in product development, and constantlyhiringbrilliantpeopletojoinExperian. Tim says, “We have an abundance of talent in Experian and I’ve always felt it crucial when your fortunate to be in a position of influence, that you make time for those who are looking for support with their careers. Personally, it’s hard to beatseeingcolleaguesunlocktheirpotential.” SuccinctAdvice Tim advises aspiring entrepreneurs in the innovation sector, "Go for it! If you are passionate about what you do, are driven to succeed, and believe in your cause, then the world is your oyster. There has never been a better time to be innovative due to the rate of technological change and the global reach social media platforms are giving us. Surround yourself with good people, work hard and grab the opportu- nitywithbothhands.”
  15. 15. Angela Alvarez t was the mission of mixing traditional Corporate IFinance and the Financial industry with the new digital world that inspired Angela Alvarez to found AGLAIA CAPITAL. Her belief that technology and human sciences can go together to face this new technological world without losing humanity has taken Angela to great heights. Her work reflects her passion for decentralised technologies and cooperation business models. Angela envisages Aglaia Capital as a tool for a change in the financial industry from the business and technology perspective and also to imprint some codes of values that are more present in technology. Inspired by her virtues, we at CIO Look caught up with Angela to learn more about her journey and how she is contributing to the finance space through Aglaia Capital. Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at AGLAIA CAPI- TAL. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today? The path towards leadership can be various. Some traits are present in you since you are a child, and those traits appear when something triggers, and that type of leadership is the most powerful because it comes from the inner essence. It can be followed and copied, but is unique in the essence, as it has a purpose that drives it. I identify myself with that type who does not intend to do what I have believed that has to be done; that belief has also converted into a purpose, in a business, in a mission. I have faced many challenges, and I am still facing them. Some are related to what implies innovation and the creation of new infrastructure, and others related to the values and interests around the business. I think that this century should be a predominance of the fairer business in finance and the alternative investments world, and likely sooner or later will make a difference for the preference of the consumers as it happens in other industries. Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision. Aglaia Capital is a new generation of corporate finance and alternative investments. It has a holistic approach covering a traditional corporate finance discipline, focused on Hotels, Real Estate, and Alternative Financing, from lower to big deals, from simpler to more complex deals. It is focused on digital assets as well, considering them as a more evolved way of the same reality. We cover the whole life of the digital asset, advising on the full token generating event, also covering the technological and legal part through affiliates teams, also providing services for structuring the funds and fund management through our trusted providers. Besides, we cover the functionalities of the cryptoassets through my newly developed Defi Permissioned Platform Aglaia Capital DeFi Platform, a new compliant financial infrastructure focused on security tokens. My vision is continually developing a new financial infrastructure with blockchain, taking advantage of the discipline of the investment banking world, but with the efficiency, speed, and automatic trust, that provides the blockchain, and with code of values based on consensus and values behind that are the ethos of the company, such as integrity, sustainability, diversity, and impact for creating a better world. Our mission is to transform and continue making evolve our industry applying blockchain, to make it more scalable, and imprint a code of values that we consider that will make a difference also in our industry. A Proven Leader in the Corporate Finance Space www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 17
  16. 16. Aglaia Capital is a new generation of corporate finance and alternative investments. Angela Alvare Founder and Executive Chairman AGLAIA CAPITAL
  17. 17. Enlighten us on how you have impacted the corporate finance and alternative investment niche through your expertise in the market. We have extensive experience and knowledge in our industry as well as on the players, which makes a difference for the investors and sponsors, and being independent we don’t have the conflict of interest that may have other firms. Besides, my vision was to apply the discipline of traditional corporate finance to the cryptoassets world. We have a unique approach as we cover the whole life of the cryptoassets since inception or conceptualization, covering the whole token generating event, the legal structuring, and, during its life, through my newly founded Aglaia Capital DeFi Platform. It is an authorized platform for cryptoassets using a protocol of smart contracts for security tokens, and with several functionalities. We advise in the whole process of the token generating event, covering also the legal and technical areas through an affiliated team. We also cover the creation of the legal structures and asset management, if that is the case, through our trusted providers, or companies under the same umbrella, as well as all the tokenization process and the functionalities of the cryptoasset, through Aglaia Capital DeFi Platform. Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization. The ethos of Aglaia Capital is around integrity, innovation, sustainability, diversity, and impact for making a better world. The work culture is based on these values, in consensus, and in a code of values based on maximizing the unique qualities of the team to contribute to the others. I consider uniqueness and diversity as well as integrity a competitive advantage in this new complex world and what is making the difference. Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful? We have been pioneers in the industry using blockchain technology for transforming our industry. My newly founded Permissioned Defi Platform has been created with a view of including the functionalities needed for operating with cryptoassets as a more advanced way of operating with the assets that are in the real world. What, according to you, could be the next significant change in the corporate finance and alternative investment industry? How is your company preparing to be a part of that change? The financial sector is experimenting already with a transformation of its financial infrastructure driven by blockchain, and digital assets. I have been envisaging that for years, and Aglaia Capital surges as an expression of my vision on the evolvement of my industry with blockchain, and with digital assets. The new Aglaia Capital DeFi Platform is a tool to help in using that new infrastructure and cryptoassets. We are already one of the active actors in the transformation of our industry contributing what we are doing, and have made so far. Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals for AGLAIA CAPITAL? I have already contributed to transforming and creating a new paradigm for my industry. The future goals for Aglaia Capital are the consolidation of the traditional lines of business, the launching and growth of the new Permissioned DeFi Platform, which is focused on security tokens, and qualified investors. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the corporate finance and alternative investment sector? Resilience, and to help in creating a new generation of business, supported also with values that facilitate a more cooperative and fairer ecosystem. www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 19
  18. 18. U nprecedented time calls for unprecedented, innovative, creative, strategic, and thoughtful solutions, and uncertain challenges and contingencies require an innovative approach to solving the problems. Today, an innovative approach in the leaders is the most fundamental quality to sustain the competency of their solutions in the market. In times of unprecedented circumstances and rapid globalization, the success of businesses is dependent on keeping pace on a global scale by coming up with innovative solutions. Technology trends in cloud computing, social media tools, mobile devices are driving global growth. Leveraging technology changes for availing competitive advantage is essential in an uncertain future. Business leaders need to observe and realize the needs of customers and end-users and deliver solutions accordingly using innovative technologies. Innovative business leaders strategize about creating a culture that facilitates innovation. They recognize ways to create an impact in the industry by coming up with innovative ideas and innovative technologies or products to meet the evolving needs of users and customers and enhance their reputation as a reliable solution provider. They responsibly plan to build and deploy the technology to serve the needs of the users and customers. They don’t want to stay behind in any way that may hamper the business growth. Instead, innovative leaders have a forward thought approach, and their insights help them think ahead of the time and be prepared to deliver innovative products to meet the needs of the changing times. Leaders are an extremely important part of any business as they set the tone for the functioning of the business. The right kind of leaders inspire employees; they keep everyone focused on the right direction and ensure that they overcome common challenges for the sustainable growth of the organization they are leading. While every leader has to face challenges from dealing with conflicts in the office to supporting people from different generations in the organizations, technology leaders have to face additional and unique issues. In the technology space, leaders have to be very up-to-date, precise, innovative, clever, and move continuously at a rapid pace to suit the changing marketplace trends. They also have to ensure high levels of reliability, speed with accuracy, and deliver continuously good performance. Technology leaders have to manage many more things than conventional leaders. Today’s technology is changing rapidly, and because of that technology, leaders have to face new challenges related to managing their teams and supporting staff effectively. They need the support of staff that is competitive in understanding the need for upgraded technology. They have to train their staff in operating the latest software as well as hardware efficiently. Leaders with special skills and expertise can help them be more creative and more innovative in making sure that they are leveraging technology effectively for the growth of the businesses. Succeeding in the technology sector means grabbing opportunities as they appear and be prepared to convert opportunities into success. Tech leaders should be able to recognize and evaluate all the opportunities related to their business, especially with a more keen sense of optimism. They should install the latest technologies for meeting regulatory and compliance issues for organizations. They should be able to deal I N N O V A T I V E LEADERSHIP IN TECH SPACE Tech to Top | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 20
  19. 19. with a rapid rate of pace and should also ensure precise accuracy. They should be able to handle the pressure, explore new concepts, and come up with innovations to increase the affordability of their solutions. Technology leaders should have confidence and decisiveness to take clever decisions in the interest of the businesses. They should have an empowering and collaborative nature to promote the cooperative spirit in teammates for delivering good results to all stakeholders. Innovative leaders should also have excellent communication skills and be willing to continuously learn and grow. Innovative business leaders in technology can be highly successful if they have great technical abilities, innovative approaches, and shrewd business acumen.
  20. 20. Carey Smith Chief Information Officer Orchid Insurance
  21. 21. CAREY SMITH A Visionary Trailblazer with Focused Approach rtificial Intelligence continues to advance Athrough remarkable milestones that can be utilized to change the way we do business. AI can solve several business problems, and technologists leverage it to prepare for the future. Carey Smith is one such technologist and an evangelist of the democratization of technology. He believes that placing the power to make digital product changes into the hands of the customer and internal business teams is the significant change that can be an industry disruptor. As the Chief Information Officer of Orchid Insurance, Carey strives to deliver personalized, intuitive, simple yet powerful digital solutions that allow easy self- service no matter when, where, and how the customer wants to engage. The Initiation With nearly 30 years of experience building and delivering technology solutions and a reputation as a progressive IT leader, Carey Smith has a long history of driving transformational change at organizations within the insurance, financial services, and manufacturing industries. Carey focuses on developing technology strategies and delivering digital solutions that amplify the business, which drives the achievement of the enterprise vision. Instead of being constrained by the traditions of legacy IT, Carey champions the use of emerging technologies and modern delivery practices to transform business models, drive extreme growth and achieve industry- best results. Carey began his technology career developing digital solutions and expanded his roles covering all aspects of technology. As a leader, Carey focuses on unifying technology and business so that IT teams operate as business units with accountability to business outcomes. Carey has delivered transformational change to enterprises large and small, established market incumbents and startups spanning public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. Cultural change is the biggest challenge Carey always faces, regardless of the organization. Changing institutional IT mindsets to think strategically is key to success from a business perspective. Instead of focusing on traditional IT metrics and KPIs to measure outcomes, Carey's technology organizations focus on value delivered to the customer. Measuring value and holding technology teams accountable to business outcomes helps shape a different perspective and build a stronger, trusting partnership between technology and business. The First Choice Orchid Insurance is a unique and rapidly growing Managing General Underwriter specializing in distributing and underwriting residential and commercial property. Orchid is committed to being "The First Choice" for catastrophe property insurance for thousands of independent retail agencies from coast to coast. For more than two decades, Orchid's products, processes, and people have consistently delivered outstanding coverage solutions in the insurance industry by offering customized solutions www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 23
  22. 22. with distinguishable ease of use and expertise. Orchid's proprietary underwriting capabilities and strong carrier relationships have led to a best-in-class historical underwriting track record. Carey asserts Orchid IT is pivotal in executing the digital business transformation strategy delivering innovative digital products, and improving enterprise operational efficiency. Due to its recent technology modernization, Orchid IT has achieved 32X efficiency improvement, a 14X progress in delivering platform configuration for new revenue-generating business opportunities, and a 9X improvement in time-to-market for delivering new digital capabilities. Allowing more digital capability to be delivered significantly faster with fewer resources has resulted in new digital product delivery measured in days VS. months/years, allowing for a substantial increase in value delivered to the business. Most importantly, these significant improvements were achieved while also reducing the technology operational expense run rate. Orchid IT has achieved the seemingly impossible by delivering We need bright, courageous entrepreneurs, and you are never too young or too inexperienced to bring creative, tech-based solutions forward. “ “ | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 24
  23. 23. significantly more products, quicker to market, and higher quality while reducing expenses. Carey states that the contribution that technology makes to Orchid is multi-faceted. Technology delivers the digital business transformation, enabling the achievement of the enterprise goal of tripling in size, driving top-line growth, delivering an Excess & Surplus marketplace, and re-imagining the digital customer experience. These objectives are being achieved through the technology organization's integral engagement in top-line growth initiatives, new ventures, and new emerging technology solutions delivery. Additionally, bottom-line efficiencies are being achieved through significant technology optimization due to a comprehensive technology modernization. The Technological Impact Orchid understands its customers' needs and delivers innovative products that meet those needs. The insurance industry has traditionally been a laggard in embracing technological change. At Orchid, leveraging modern technology is a strategic cornerstone of digital business transformation. Orchid's aggressive enterprise goals require technology to build a new digital ecosystem to support the continuance of its strong growth. It fosters a shift in its business model, supporting new consumer products, national programs, market expansion, acquisitions, partnerships, and new corporate ventures. Additionally, Orchid is delivering a new industry-leading digital experience for its agents that strengthens their ability to focus on the needs of customers easily. Constructing the new digital ecosystem required modernizing a legacy technology organization while delivering the digital needs of a transforming business. Orchid is leveraging modern technology to amplify its enterprise value-driving revenue growth, expanding Orchid's scale in the marketplace, improving profitability by optimizing how technology products and services are delivered, and most importantly, better serve its customers. Leveraging advanced analytics in risk analysis, AI-based proprietary algorithms for rating, customer experience bots, contactless digital engagements, and intelligent automation are just a few of the methods Orchid will leverage technology advancements. The Long Run Carey asserts that the future is incredibly bright for Orchid as it continues its journey as a market leader, creatively solving the needs of its customers. Carey will lead with continued unification of technology and business, leveraging emerging technologies to solve customer and business needs, driving a digital culture across every enterprise facet, and accomplishing strategic objectives. Exploiting the opportunity to expand the deployment of modern technology, such as the utilization of blockchain and behavioral analytics to drive value to the customer and Orchid stakeholders alike, are exciting opportunities. With data continuing to be the new currency of business differentiation, using AI to drive informed decision-making at the point of impact is a challenge that keeps Carey motivated. Valiant Advice Carey advises budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the technology sector, or leverage technology to address a consumer problem is to think big, be bold, rage against the status quo, and most importantly, be customer-obsessed. He says, "We need bright, courageous entrepreneurs, and you are never too young or too inexperienced to bring creative, tech-based solutions forward. Focus your sights on solving the needs of the consumer and your internal business partner.” www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 25
  24. 24. Daniel Hofmann CEO Hornetsecurity
  25. 25. T he IT industry worldwide faces continuous challenges in data storage and management, security, rising costs, and operational complexities. US-based cybersecurity solution provider Hornetsecurity - guided by the skilled leadership of their dynamic, visionary CEO, Daniel Hofmann - offers a wide-ranging portfolio of solutions. Daniel Hofmann correctly identified the industry's need, creating versatile, cloud-based solutions that offer robust email security and backup functionality, with a special focus on security for Microsoft 365 business users. CIO Look caught up with Daniel Hofmann to learn more about his exciting success story and the company’s future plans. Below are the highlights of the interview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Hornetsecurity. I spent the first few years of my career in various positions in the IT market, which gave me valuable insights into various aspects of both business operations and business needs. During that time, I identified the need for a low- maintenance solution that was easy to manage while being capable of handling large amounts of data so that it would be effective at detecting threats. I also wanted it to be cloud-based as I saw great efficiencies in having one central location from which to operate. A product that could cover all these requirements didn't seem to exist. That inspired me to start developing that solution myself. This is how Hornetsecurity was born. Since then, we have developed a comprehensive portfolio of cloud security services. Our solutions protect thousands of customers worldwide, thanks to our global team of more than 350 employees. And I'm proud to say we are continuing to grow and advance daily, with vision, innovation, enthusiasm, and energy. Tell us something more about Hornetsecurity. Hornetsecurity was founded in 2007 and is today a leading global cloud email security and backup provider. Daniel Hofmann The Visionary IT Whizz Hornetsecurity is a leading email cloud security provider, which secures companies and organizations of all sizes across the world. Its award-winning product portfolio covers all important areas of email security. www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 29
  26. 26. Our mission is to protect cloud-based communication ensure business continuity and compliance by deploying next-generation AI solutions for companies of all sizes so they can focus on their core businesses. Our product portfolio is not restricted to email security, although it covers all important areas there, such as spam and virus filtering, protection against phishing and ransomware, legally compliant archiving, and encryption. We also provide email, endpoint, and virtual machine backup, replication, and recovery. We focus especially on Microsoft 365, and we believe our flagship product is the most extensive cloud security solution for Microsoft 365 on the market. Hornetsecurity has ten worldwide offices and is headquartered in Hanover, Germany. Hornetsecurity Inc. is based in Pittsburgh, PA, with other North American offices in Washington D.C. and Montreal, Canada. We operate through a global network of 5,000+ channel partners and MSPs and 11 redundant, secured data centers. Our services are used by more than 50,000+ businesses and organizations of all sizes and across all verticals. Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the Cybersecurity niche through your expertise in the market. We've been in the cloud security environment since 2004, developing systems for the cloud before the cloud was recognized as such. We aim to make an impact with each of our services, identifying current and future customer needs and addressing them. We also publish monthly and annual reports about updates and trends in the cybersecurity world, as well as educational content. We use the specialization of our worldwide team members and in-depth research to keep at the forefront and protect our customers through our innovations. A recent example involves 365 Total Protection Enterprise Backup, the first all-in-one security, compliance, and backup suite for Microsoft 365 users. As businesses increasingly move to the cloud and to Microsoft 365, this offer satisfies that growing need. Our award-winning 365 Total Protection comes in different editions, which each provides Microsoft 365 users with a robust layer of security. To this, 365 Total Protection Enterprise Backup adds data loss protection for Microsoft 365 through backup and recovery for Microsoft 365 data in mailboxes, Teams, OneDrive, and SharePoint. It also backs up roaming and on-premises Windows endpoints. If our customers lose data due to system or human errors, malicious actions, or ransomware, for instance, this allows them to restore their data with ease. It's also convenient as customers can handle all aspects via a single platform and liaise with a single vendor. Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in almost every sector. How are you leveraging technological advancements to make your solutions resourceful? Yes, technology is always evolving and advancing. Unfortunately, this also means that cyberattacks are evolving too, becoming ever more sophisticated, with the aim of extracting valuable information and vast sums of money. Training your employees about cybersecurity is essential. However, that must be backed by the right infrastructure in place to ensure secure usage and safeguard the organization's data. This is essential. Our mantra is that we should enable our customers to focus on what they do best by providing the expertise and professionalism needed in handling their email security and data loss prevention. It is simply not possible for them to keep up with the never-ending developments in the world of cybercrime, be it in business email compromise (BEC), phishing attempts, | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 30
  27. 27. rights they have been granted. We're looking at monitoring, alerting, auditing, and so on in a fully automated way. We're truly excited about what we will be delivering here. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the cybersecurity sector? The software environment is unlimited, and there are so many spaces where you can be active, introducing new products and functionality and bringing great value. There is ample opportunity. Roll up your sleeves and go for it! CEO fraud, or ransomware and malware technologies. You need experts in using technology as a force for good to counteract those using it with nefarious aims, and those experts must always keep their eye on the ball. This is why our team incessantly conducts in-depth analyses to gain ongoing, comprehensive knowledge of current cybercrime trends. This is coupled with identifying business challenges and market changes. I also like us to question established approaches without taking things for granted. Both these approaches allow us to cater to emerging needs and develop trail-blazing services and solutions to do a great job and set our customers' minds at rest. What are your future goals for Hornetsecurity? We will continue building on our expertise in providing robust cloud-based email security in the B2B space, expanding our suite of services to meet evolving customer needs. Today's systems and setups bring many functionalities, providing new ways to work with greater usability and uniformity. This makes it easier for everyone to join in. This is very powerful. Single users now have massive rights to operate within a system, sharing files, folders, and processes with others both inside and outside the organization. From a security perspective, this needs to be audited. However, this is currently a blind spot – it is hard to tell which user has what rights. One response is to restrict this as much as possible, but this limits creativity and productivity. Our idea is to enhance this and make the whole thing more transparent. We will provide 360-degree protection around what each user is doing, whatever www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 31
  28. 28. Ina Behrendt H umankind has come a long way from lighting fire with stones to being a part of the digital world. The only aspect that continuously transformed our adaptability throughout the centuries is innovation. Today, much thought goes into innovation to constantly embrace the digital transformation to impact almost every industry worldwide. With such a distinct approach, Ina Behrendt implies her expertise to foster sustainable change by driving innovative change with a strong focus on creative marketing and mainly the education niche. As the Chief Innovation Officer at Miami Ad School Europe, Ina re-invents the educational system for the digital age, helping current and future business leaders, how to navigate, learn and stand out these days. She is also the Chief Executive Officer of the new brainchild of Miami Ad School Europe: Infinity Campus – its new e-learning platform (infinitycampus.online). Ina's thought leadership has always brought transformative shifts making her an influential leader. Her award-winning work over the last decades symbolize her excellence in digital advertising, working with world-renowned brands. Engraining Innovation for the Next Generation Ina Behrendt Chief Innovation O cer at Miami Ad School Europe & CEO at Infinity Campus Miami Ad School Europe & Infinity Campus
  29. 29. Let us dive into Ina's journey. Nurturing Impacting Innovation Since Ina became part of the management board, 6 years ago, she shifted strategic tides from traditional to more sustainable future strategies, encouraging three crucial aspects: Ÿ Listening, observing & learning, and using data to inform strategic decision making to see, understand and think. Ÿ Inspiration and fostering a culture of creativity and prototyping to do and make! Ÿ Collaboration & networking to gain more diversity in every kind of aspect to care! Ina understands the importance of innovation as digital has become the new norm. It drives organizations to change products and services, tapping into the new markets to stay relevant, further affecting the educational field. Ina is leading with responsibility, to create and design an educational system that breeds future creative innovators right from the start or uplift those, who are already professionals. She co-founded recently Infinity Campus, a new and outstanding e- learning platform, driving education and life-long learning to the forefront of contemporary education. Apart from being an innovator, Ina is skilled at solving problems and thinking like an entrepreneur. She often collaborates with numerous companies to bring the much-needed innovation to life. She is as well a frequent speaker at local and global tech/innovation conferences and summits. Becoming a Voice Addressing the gender imbalance in STEM fields, Ina co-founded the "Women in Technology" initiative in Sydney, Australia. It is a comprehensive and innovative program designed to nurture education and provide women employment opportunities. The program aimed to push for a culture change in the digital and tech field through addressing digital industry gender issues with a significant national program launch. The key pillars of the program are education and employment with young women in high school and tertiary institutions exposed to panels, experts, workshops, and mentors. Ina says, “It's important to give women more confidence and opportunities in the industry, particularly when it comes to knowing how to advance their careers.” Ina wants to push boundaries at the intersection of art, design, technology, and creative engineering. “I aim to turn the back towards too tech nerdy perceived roles with my goals to re-invent the definition regarding the needs in the industry,” says Ina. Real World Experience on campus Miami Ad School is a network of 15 schools around the globe and has built its reputation over 29 years as one of the world's most awarded schools in higher education in the creative and marketing industry. It is well known for producing outstanding creative graduates ready to work from the first day on the job. With Infinity Campus, Ina and her co-founders, brought I want to push boundaries at the intersection of art, design, technology, and creative engineering. I aimed to turn my back towards too tech nerdy perceived roles with my goal to re-invent the definition regarding the needs in the industry. www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 33
  30. 30. the advanced training and courses online, collaborated with new partners, and developed formats that did not exist. The platform aims to establish a unique campus for special courses, training, summits, and boot camps of an expansive network of mentors – available online regardless of one's physical location by mixing even more technology into its creative bloodstream, next to people’s jobs. Infinity Campus means Transformation – means Movement – a Development of yourself, your knowledge, and your Creativity. It means pulsating, moving, pushing boundaries, and yourself to the next level. It means to transform! Ina notes, "Be in a flow with other like-minded people and receive inspiration – take them, give them and evolve them. It's something with an individual touch as well as a timelessness. You'll feel it & you'll see it: a certain pulse – more than an impulse, which takes you further – continuous and infinite! Be yourself and express your power through knowledge, inspiration, intuition, and creativity. For that, you'll need a neighborhood – your neighborhood, a personal place to BE! WELCOME to THE HOOD!” With innovation, diversity, and mindset in its DNA, Infinity Campus addresses specific needs to impact people's lives positively and push their skills to the next level. Setting an Upward Curve for Future Future holds many opportunities, but it is uncertain, and innovation is the only effective way to adapt and stand out to upcoming changes. It is essential to enable creative minds to have outstanding ideas throughout constant change and transformation to create future leaders. With Ina's transformative ideas, Miami Ad School Europe & their Infinity Campus platform strive to instill the best for future creatives & marketeers, strategic thinkers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Ina shares, "Infinity Campus is a network of endless opportunities, where we foster collaboration and creative solutions for existing challenges. We want to inspire and push the boundaries, with passion for the inventor, rebels, entrepreneurs and the visionary." | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 34
  31. 31. Jay Pasteris The Heart of a Technologist with the Vision to Transform Organizations s the CIO & CISO at GreenPages Technology ASolutions, Jay is responsible for expanding GreenPages' intellectual property and services portfolio; overseeing systems security, compliance, and quality assurance; and leading the technical pre-sales and business advisory services teams. He is also an executive sponsor and security subject matter expert for the company's key enterprise clients. But when Jay first started out in his career, his passion was simply technology. “I got into tech originally because it was cool, fun, and interesting! Of course, it still is but along the way, I realized that to truly make technology work for a company, I had to pivot to become a business leader. While technology is at the core of how every business is run today, being able to translate technical concepts into meaningful business conversations is key because that's the only way to effectively grow and scale an organization.” Cybersecurity: Combatting the Threat at the Board Level One of the biggest challenges that every tech leader faces is making sure the business always stays modern and can evolve in the face of ever-changing technology. Says Jay, “It’s crucial not to let your tech become antiquated or even mildly outdated because tech debt is very expensive and hard to escape once you find yourself in that situation. Instead of being an enabler, technology can end up crippling a business—especially when it comes to cybersecurity.” Cyberthreats are a problem for every single organization. Jay explains that a big mistake companies make is thinking they don’t have anything hackers are looking for. The fact is every company is a target. “One thing—and I can’t stress this enough—is that there must be cyber expertise at the board level; that’s where the funding happens and where the big choices affecting the entire organization are made. Security is no longer one department in IT—it permeates every aspect of a business, inside and out, and should be top of mind at the board level.” A Programmatic Paradigm: Automation & AI In Jay's opinion, tech leaders need to stop looking at security from a remediation point of view and change their mindset towards a programmatic approach. And they must do it every day they are in business. Security is an inherent part of transformation, and automation is the solution to carry out transformation efficiently. Jay notes, "I was on a recent panel discussion and one of the top three initiatives CIOs and CISOs cited was Robotic Process Automation (RPA) which is fantastic because it performs repetitive tasks and minimizes human error while letting humans focus on higher- value work. The challenge is that, without proper security protocols and processes, RPA can be a target for hackers. So, tech leaders must have a comprehensive security program in place—ideally where machine learning and AI can help them achieve true observability.” Assess, Modernize, and Manage Digital Platforms GreenPages is a nationally recognized MSP focused on cloud, security, and digital enablement, offering its large customer base a unique set of modern IT services—not just technology toolsets. “Through assessment-led interactions we gain an understanding of what our customers are trying to achieve and where they are on the maturity curve from a digital, security, and risk perspective. Then we build a roadmap and create a funding model to put them on the path of cyber excellence.” Every modern CIO and CISO must juggle different pressures from all directions: to go faster, to do so securely, and to drive digital innovation. Says Jay, “As organizations move to the cloud, it’s hard for them to | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 36
  32. 32. find and maintain the technical talent necessary to successfully make that crucial transformational pivot. As an MSP with expertise in cloud and cybersecurity, GreenPages is purpose-built to provide these companies with that sought-after knowledge and experience enabling them to focus on other business priorities.” Multiple Points of View Lead to Better Solutions At heart, Jay will always be a CISO; it's in his DNA. And while he continues to provide thought leadership to clients and boards of directors, he also spends a lot of time with younger people coming into the tech sector, teaching them to be savvy and collaborative. “Some engineers want to go sit in a silo and master the tech. While that’s important they also need to be asking, ‘What business problem is this tech trying to solve and for whom?’ Not ‘Is the technology working correctly?’” Jay also advises aspiring entrepreneurs to engage with different people and understand their motives. He’s a firm believer that multiple points of view lead to better solutions. "Be collaborative and value others because at the end of the day; technology is a relationship business. Technology will always do amazing things but you can't create meaningful transformation unless you have good relationships and sharp perspective on what others are going through," Jay says. Since joining GreenPages, Jay is well on his way toward his goal of ensuring the company—and its talented team—is at the top of the list for any client looking for cloud or cybersecurity help. “In the end, this kind of work is my passion and what I love to do. It’s challenging and rewarding when you can build the kind of trust we have and get to work with so many smart people—our employees, our partners, and especially our clients.” For more information you can visit www.greenpages.com Extensive technology expertise in security, cloud, and managed services to enable clients to compete in the digitally- driven economy. “ “ Jay Pasteris CIO & CISO www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 37
  33. 33. T echnology plays a vital role in determining how we live, work, interact, and connect. It has become the most important part of all business processes. No business can flourish without the adoption of the latest technologies in its business processes. Technology is continuously gaining greater in most of the business processes. The use of evolved technologies in business processes improves the productivity and efficiency of the organizations' workers and leaders. Evolving technologies help leaders manage their businesses in a more organized manner and help them derive maximum profitability. The streamlining of business processes becomes easy and efficient with the use of technologies. The rapidly evolving innovation in technology is a boon to leaders for availing edge over others. As the role of technology is critical in all businesses, the leaders also need to be technically apt, smart, and capable of utilizing technologies effectively. Knowledge or awareness of the potential of particular technologies and the effective utilization of the technologies or leveraging technologies diligently are important traits business leaders should have in the technology-driven world. Successful business leaders succeed in their businesses because of their ability to tap the potential of the latest technologies for leading people by example and managing their overall business. The way solutions are delivered to the clients or customers can change drastically with the evolution of collaborative technologies, mobility, advanced big data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, etc. Leaders can maximize their capabilities with the use of all these latest technologies. They need to be more aware and be updated with the knowledge and utilization of these technologies. Evolving technology certainly demands the evolving capabilities of business leaders. The current digital era requires leaders who are capable of driving digital transformation. Technology helps business leaders build capable teams by training them and tracking their progress, even remotely. Business leaders can utilize technology to promote remote work culture. With the evolution of increasing connectivity with many connecting devices, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, and cloud services, there are increased possibilities for fragmented and remote teams to collaborate efficiently and drive profitable business results. Taking care of all stakeholders is possible for business leaders with the use of innovative technologies. Implementing the latest technologies is no longer an option for business leaders; it has become a necessity. Today, it is critical for them to adopt digitalization for the sustainable growth and development of their business and deriving maximum profitability. The evolving technology demands leaders to be more innovative, more skilled, and more tech-savvy. They should use the key tools and technologies effectively to strengthen the business potential of their organizations. In the current and future times, business leaders have to embrace advanced business analytics technologies to tap the potential of data to get better insights for taking the most important business decisions. Harmonizing understanding of data analytics with analytical tools and business context will give business leaders a huge edge over others. This will be the most common basic norm in the future for business leaders as this will become the most important aspect of businesses. Collaborative technologies are becoming the most important part of the business process more than ever since the pandemic has fostered the remote work culture. Business leaders should effectively manage the drawbacks of remote work culture for driving the productive and efficient use of all employees' time. In the future, they need to be sharper to take advantage of collaborative platforms to ensure that there is no communication gap with anyone. Leaders need to be more effective in understanding remote work culture and using communication tools diligently for effectively managing people and projects together. Technology can also be effectively used to empower leadership with more abilities, take the most informed business decisions, and have future insights to avail competitive advantage over others in the industry. Leaders should empower employees and communicate important messages succinctly and concisely to all stakeholders for critically aligning everyone to organizations' common goals. Business leaders who will make the best use of the right tools at the right time will be the most successful leaders in the technology space. Embracing Changes | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 38
  34. 34. How is TECHNOLOGY Shaping the LEADERSHIP for the FUTURE?
  35. 35. Kevin Kevin Steer APioneeringLeaderRevolutionizingtheFinanceSpace e is a prominent name in the finance space. His Hunconventional approach to the challenges in InsurTech and FinTech industry has taken him to great heights. He looks at the emerging technologies and sees how they can be effectively applied to Insurance, Takaful and Financial services. "We don't follow trends, we pioneer them," he says. Meet Kevin Steer, a pioneering leader and the Founder and CEO of One Two One Advisor Sdn Bhd. He formed a team of innovative professionals across Financial, Insurance and Takaful sectors in the Asia region with a successful record of serving clients for the past 20 years to start One Two One Advisor. Now, their goal is to grow Disruptive FinTech and InsurTech solutions. Kevin Steer Founder and CEO One Two One Advisor Sdn Bhd | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 40
  36. 36. We at CIO Look caught up with Kevin to learn more about his journey at One Two One Advisor. A Visionary Approach One Two One Advisor was started with the mission to empower Financial, Insurance and Takaful providers with robust and innovative technology solutions enabling generation of quality leads, secure sales, building customer loyalty in a professional and regulatory compliant manner. The company struggled initially, but today, it has been grown to a team of 20+ people. Altogether, they have pioneered various revolutionary business solutions in digital technology, internet and mobile platforms, social media channels, and regulatory-compliant cloud solutions for multinational and domestic clients. Its broad range of solutions include: Predictive Analytics with Machine Learning The company is building Predictive Analytics Models (PAM) for Banking, Insurance & Takaful with a focus on predictive marketing & sales, customer service, new business underwriting, personalization and claims management. Multi-lingual Chatbot for Financial, Insurance & Takaful (FITbot) Its Multi-lingual Robo Advisor and a chatbot utilizes hybrid trees and natural language processing (NLP) to engage with customers to offer a more personalized customer experience and generate more referrals. Web Portal Solution for Sales & Servicing (WebPoS) Its Multi-lingual mobile responsive website and portal solution enable clients to experience a unified, personalized digital experience where content, sales, marketing, and work management are consolidated instead of siloed. Referral Management & Marketing Automation (ReMMA) This solution is used for banks to effectively and efficiently auto-assign leads, track and manage lead referrals and conversions based on user-defined workflows. Marketing automation results in personalized content delivery targeted campaigns and engagement. Sales Activity Mobile App (SAMA) This app allows agents to effectively plan and manage sales activity to ensure all leads and prospects are addressed, while managers can monitor real-time to render assistance where necessary. Community & E-worksite Marketing & Distribution (CeMD) Community portal solution allows organizations to engage with members of their community to nurture trust and create advocates thereby improving customer retention. Recently launched u12know knowledge portal. Choices Online Store (COS) This solution allows insurers and takaful operators to provide direct purchase of products online. It can integrate with Multi-lingual Chatbot for Financial Insurance & Takaful (FITbot) robo-advisor services as well as referrals via Referral Management & Marketing Automation (ReMMA). Takaful & Insurance Mobility Made Simple (TIMMS) TIMMS is a cross-platform mobile point of sales solution allowing agents to identify client financial needs via Customer Fact Find, recommend products, make presentations, generate quotes and e-submit applications, in a regulatory compliant process. Its solutions are available for IOS, Android & Windows. Customer Service Portal The Customer Self Service Portal is an on-demand access point enabling the customer to view their insurance/takaful account anywhere and anytime. This enables the policyholders to view their policies and certificate details via a simple internet connection. The portal provides a safe avenue for customers to update their personal information, pay a premium, switch funds, print documents, update beneficiary details, Weencourage state-of-the-art thinkingand encouragegrowth. www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 41
  37. 37. request policy changes and engage in filing claims and processing, which traditionally would take weeks to be executed due to siloed lines of business. The platform also supports automated workflows that are triggered by certain customer activities, which are routed to relevant departments, and customers are kept informed via emails or messaging. Providing a portal for your customers with the convenience of self-servicing, customers can enjoy the freedom of doing what's convenient for them when they want anywhere. Enterprise Product Configurator (EPC) It was built to rapidly set up product rates, illustrations, a validation engine as well as an automated testing module allows quick product deployment. It reduces the time to market for insurance and takaful products. Multi-channel Distribution Management Solution (McDMS) This solution is designed for general agencies, IFAs, brokers, Agency Leader Corporations (ALCs) to simplify operations by consolidating their diverse requirements. With built-in performance management and compensation computation, 121 Advisor's clients have seen improved sales with reduced administration costs. Bringing Much-needed Change During the pandemic, the team at 121 Advisor saw the need to offer financial services and health services online with lifestyle financial & health advice and thus, launched a knowledge portal called u12know ( ). The portal provides lifestyle financial advice for single, married, family, retired & their business. Kevin expresses, "As most millennials in the Asia Pacific do not understand financial planning and often max out their credit cards and get into debt; there is a need to help educate them on their lifestyle financial goals and recommend products that they can buy online.With the launch of u12know, we see that this will become a disruptive knowledge portal offering advice on lifestyle financial & (in future) health goals. This will help them understand their needs and create a plan to help them build their lifestyle & business financial plans. For each country, this will be translated into the local language." He further states that the portal will continuously evolve and include lifestyle financial goals with recommendations for financial and business products, including its multi-lingual chatbot & Robo Advisor (which provides advice on financial goals). Besides, in the future, u12know will also include health and wellness calculators. These calculators will advise people on their health and how they can get healthy. They will also include a "total health score", which will indicate whether they are very healthy, healthy, unhealthy, or at risk. Expanding Footprints Taking about the future, Kevin states that 121 Advisor plans to expand to Singapore, Indonesia, as well as to Europe & the USA. In his advice to emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in the insurance industry, he says, "Explore the Risks and evaluate the potential ones, and then expand your services into the Insurance Sector.” | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 42
  38. 38. Kris Rao Driving Remarkable Shifts in the Transformation Space rue leadership exhibits an inclination towards Tbuilding a learning culture that enables disrupting the norms and setting new benchmarks. A leader who has constantly demonstrated this, in reality, is Kris Rao. Kris is a business and transformation visionary who has led digital success for enterprises through his expertise in ideating, architecting, and championing digital initiatives. He has evangelized the adoption of new and emerging technologies— including Cloud, eCommerce, Agile Methods, AI / ML, IoT, Blockchain, and AR / VR, creating IT portfolios that deliver multimillion-dollars business value at speed, increased business agility, and competitive advantage. For over two decades, Kris has played multiple leadership roles in globally renowned companies, becoming a highly accomplished executive who has propelled both business and IT performance to the next level. Currently, he leads the establishment and execution of enterprise-wide IT & Digital strategy as the Chief Information and Digital Officer at HNI Corporation. HNI is the leading provider of workplace furnishing and residential building products. It has entrusted Kris to ensure digital alignment with the enterprise's business strategy and achieve business success. A Journey of Developing Broader Perspectives Starting his professional journey, Kris got into consulting and collaborating with professionals from the digital field. During his tenure at massive corporations like Oracle and Motorola, Kris gained various perspectives and enriched his learning curve about technology, delivering high performance at speed and building productive relationships. During his stint at Hospira, he led a total IT transformation project, considering the scope of improvement across the organizational pillars. Kris enhanced his knowledge of cloud, big data analytics, and IoT with each leadership position he held. This experience was applied aptly at Ricoh Americas, a 6-billion-dollar organization with operations spread across the US, Canada, and Puerto Rico. As the CIO, Kris drove digital transformation for the company, including the manufacturing operation space, visualization technologies for technical services, IoT, and Blockchain. For his current role at HNI, he is entrusted with the responsibility of driving an expansive digital transformation portfolio again that perfectly aligns with the organization's vision of exceeding customers' expectations. From lead generation, demand generation, customer engagement models, digital channels, visualization technologies, ERP transformation, migration to the cloud, cyber security effectiveness while helping people get into the agile methods across both business and IT. Emerging at the Technological Forefront Kris firmly believes that technology assists us in: 1. Understanding customer journeys, personas, profile propensities, gaining insights, and deploying HNI's digital engagement channels to improve the top and bottom lines. 2. Effectively penetrating the B2C and B2B markets while leveraging the deep understanding of customer behavior to integrate the upstream and downstream. This integration enables complete digitization for inventory optimization, ensuring availability at the right instance and reducing wastage and write-offs. 3. Creating an impressive pipeline and enabling its promotion, sales forecasting, and connecting it to the supply chain and Sales and Operation Planning (S&OP). www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 45
  39. 39. he modern world needs businesses to be Tconstantly upgraded to serve their clients with evolved solutions with new and improved technology. Understanding the needs of the modern world especially that of an SAP customer by incorporating business acumen and technical expertise, Nick Miletich dedicates his unmatched efforts to leading Managecore to the next level of success. As the Chief Technology Officer of Managecore, Nick is approaching nearly 20 years of IT, SAP, public cloud, and infrastructure experience. Since joining the Managecore team in 2017, Nick has led the emerging technology efforts for Managecore, including being the innovator and master mind of Managecore Watchdog – the one-of-a-kind monitoring platform and client portal. Managecore Watchdog gives Managecore customers full transparency into their SAP landscapes in real-time. His background in SAP technologies, infrastructure services, and operational leadership empowers him to lead the Managecore delivery team to consistently provide the highest level of customer service with customized, scalable, and secure solutions. Staying Up to Date with Latest Technologies Nick holds the innovative leadership role he has today because he always kept learning and thinking ahead of what is to come next. Technology moves at lightning speed, and if he did not stay up to date on the latest that the cloud, SAP, and IT technology has to offer, he would have been left behind and not obtained to a C-level role. Nick feels that its vital in IT leadership continue to pivot in the IT industry, or you will be left behind. First, he learned how to optimally manage SAP systems on- premise, he then built a thriving private cloud practice. Now shifting his talents to build world-class architecture to host SAP applications in a hyperscale public cloud environments. This innovative mind set has led Managecore to be at the forefront as one of the first managed service providers (MSP) globally to migrate and manage an SAP S/4HANA production environment in Google Cloud. Managecore Providing Transparent Delivery Model Founded by partners with over 20 years of experience in the SAP managed services market, Managecore was created to disrupt the way Managed Service Providers operate. Managecore is proud of its transparent delivery model whereby all information related to the support of customers is provided on its client portal - Watchdog. Managecore's key strength as an MSP is accountability, which is one of the most important traits that set Nick and its delivery team apart from other SAP technical consulting firms. Managecore was founded specifically out of a desire to restore accountability in the IT industry and put customers back at the center of everything they do. Nick Miletich Miletich Miletich One of a Kind Innovative IT Leader Committed to Delivering the Best SAP Solutions with Technical Expertise and Business Acumen Managecore was created to disrupt the way Managed Service Providers operate. www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 53
  40. 40. Nick embodies this mantra in everything he does, from leadership to delivery; he provides the very best in customer service, which is proven time and time again by Managecore's 100% success rate and 100% customer satisfaction. Consistently Delivering Best SAP Managed Services Nick's expertise in the SAP technology space is bar none. He approaches customer support with both technical and business acumen, which helps him build, architect, and deliver SAP solutions like no other technical leader in the industry. With close to two decades of IT experience, primarily focused on SAP technologies and his sound knowledge of infrastructure services, paired with an intuitive business mindset, Nick is the ideal leader of Managecore's delivery team and advocate for SAP customers. Nick is always up to date with technology and understands how to adapt the same decades-long methodologies traditionally used to manage SAP systems – differently by delivering innovation and transparency. For example, Managecore was one of the first mid-market SAP consulting companies to support SAP on Google Cloud. Nick says, "No one wants to pivot, but as an IT leader, you must be able to, and have the knowledge to do so for your customers this is the only way to deliver the best SAP managed services consistently.” It is important to understand that Managecore's unique approach towards business relationships manifests itself in three significant ways: focused on relationships built on trust, and a deep understanding of clients' business needs; delivering services transparently enabling customers to see precisely what they see-so clients understand what is being recommended and why; and exceeding every aspect of what the clients expect from an MSP. Leveraging Technology to Its Fullest Potential Nick states that technology plays a huge and vital role in how Managecore differentiates itself as the number one Managed Service Provider. It leverages technology to its fullest potential, hiring the very best SAP, cloud, and IT talent to implement and maintain enterprise technology for its customers. Nick notes, "One way Managecore does this is via its client monitoring platform Watchdog. Watchdog is a deeply Nick Mile ch Chief Technology Officer Managecore | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 54
  41. 41. customer-centric solution and is the backbone of Managecore's service model: a cloud-based monitoring solution that integrates with customers' SAP environment to give them full visibility into their own IT landscape." Managecore believes that complete transparency provides efficient long-term SAP and IT managed services support. Openness isn't a just choice it makes – it is part of Managecore's DNA, just as much as its SAP expertise and years of IT experience. Accelerating the Digital Journey of Customers Nick believes the next big thing for SAP customers will be hosting their SAP workloads in the hyperscale cloud platforms, and one such option will be SAP's solution RISE with SAP. With Nick's strategic leadership Managecore has prepared for such change as it has its Managecore iQ+ RISE with SAP companion solution offering to help customers attain instant value and long-term success on RISE with SAP. Nick's continuous focus is always in tune with what SAP customers need in the market. Today Managecore's RISE with SAP companion solution is one of the most innovative services available in the industry. It helps accelerate customers on their digital transformation journey like no other MSP can. Most importantly, Nick and Managecore are dedicated to always staying abreast of the SAP industry to help lead and navigate SAP customers to be prepared for the next big thing in the SAP technology space. Being at the Forefront of Technology Nick envisions himself as a dedicated IT leader with the ability and technical knowledge to connect all of the available technologies for the customers' best interest and acutely apply technology to business goals. Nick wants Managecore to always be at the forefront of technology and its approach to delivering SAP and IT solutions by being recognized as providing the very best support in the industry. Thinking Outside the Box Nick advises aspiring entrepreneurs to always think outside of the box. He says, "To be successful, you MUST stay ahead of learning the curve. Don't be afraid to be innovative and forward-thinking for your business and your customers. Clients always expect and look to you to know and provide technical advice, so it is imperative that as an IT leader you alway stay abreast of technology." www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 55
  42. 42. The Rise Through Hard Work Pat believes that every journey consists of unique routes that will quickly teach you that sometimes a step sideways is the best way to move forward. When he started his professional journey as an IT developer at Lyondell, he climbed up the ladder through multiple disciplines. He learned to expand his expertise within different subject areas, realizing the importance of having both depth and breadth of experience to be successful. But what really made a difference in his career growth was relationships. Developing and nurturing relationships with other leaders allowed Pat to land the role of Director of Technology at Nexeo Solutions before eventually taking reigns as CIO. The Above-Board Approach Pat has made his mark in the tech space niche by focusing on reliable operations and emphasizing the total cost of ownership without sacrificing performance. He was taught to do more with less during his early career, which he made central to establishing a framework to keep IT cost-efficient and reliable, while uplifting performance at Univar Solutions. Pat utilized his expertise in multiple systems to harness and unlock the value of the latest digital technologies to help serve customers, suppliers, and employees, thereby delivering shareholder value. Pat employs a straightforward approach to career growth in the tech space; learning to move up by knowing his strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. He surrounds himself with smart people who are cutting-edge in the tech space, combining it with his strength of implementation and reliability to impact the company and the overall team positively. T he digital revolution drives significant change, making itself a new norm of modern times; embracing these changes is an essential part of any forward-thinking business's capabilities. Understanding the potential of the digital world, Pat Jerding applied his experience in anticipating significant growth opportunities to the opportunities presented following the merger of two industry titans. As the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer of Univar Solutions, Pat has influenced an innovative and collaborative culture, mapping a framework to pave the company’s upward path of success and development as it navigates the digital revolution. Univar Solutions is a global leader in chemical and ingredient distribution with a vast supplier network and a world-class formulation with unparalleled logistics know-how. It is focused on climate action, resource use, release prevention, sustainable supply chain, and sustainability solutions. A Reliable Leader Pioneering Disruptive Solutions | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 56
  43. 43. Pat Jerding Senior Vice President & Chief Information Officer Univar Solutions Enhancing Your Growth Univar Solutions is on a mission to Streamline, Innovate, and Grow. It envisions redefining distribution as the most valued chemical and ingredients distributor globally. After 97 years of experience in the niche, Univar Solutions' team serves as a global partner and committed ally to its customers and suppliers by supporting innovation, development, and distribution of a massive portfolio of ingredients and specialty chemicals. Touching upon every industry, Univar Solutions leverages its expansive network, deep bench of experts and high level of service and technical expertise to help businesses in the industries it serves run smoothly, while also assisting them in recognizing and influencing meaningful growth opportunities. A Safe & Sound Work Culture Pat states that Univar Solutions values safety above all. Not only does it strictly adhere to all global laws and regulations that govern its operations, it embeds a safety mindset into the culture by sharing a safety tip at the start of every meeting. In this way, its teams consistently work to prevent accidents before they occur. Univar Solutions also values people, striving to create an empowered environment for its personnel, highlighting working together to achieve common goals. It also emphasizes accountability for meeting business partner commitments, which the company sees as a way to earn and maintain trust. Pat notes, "We understand that we are more than a distributor and are committed to a forward- thinking and holistic
  44. 44. time deliveries and started addressing these goals throughout all aspects of the business to make itself available to the end-user through the front-end commerce space. Pat mentions that by using data as a strategy, Univar Solutions empowers its Shared Services Organization to help improve processes focused on the customer experience and metrics that its customers value most, such as responsiveness, inventory availability, and on- time delivery. Pat notes, "Achieving these objectives all while managing costs means we can keep innovation moving forward as we continuously improve our model while delighting our customers.” Prized Pointers Pat advises budding entrepreneurs aspiring to venture into the tech space to prioritize having a logical mindset, coupled with a good deal of initiative. He says, "Hard work is rewarded, so use your drive to show others that you want to be there." On a concluding note, Pat mentions that seeking advice from your senior leadership, and then following-through, will get you noticed. sustainability journey focused on our purpose to help keep communities healthy, fed, clean and safe.” Digital Amplifications Embracing the modern business world, Univar Solutions recently expanded its digital capabilities to create a more seamless and tailored experience for its customers. It launched enhanced e-commerce offerings that allow buyers to search, source, and self-serve on the products they need at the time that best suits them, thereby streamlining the customer’s ordering experience. Additionally, Univar Solutions uniquely positioned itself to maximize the leverage of its content and data, centralizing business platforms, enabling optimal front- end experiences and back-office tools, and improving the product portfolio and supply chain footprint to leverage digital for growth. Paradigm-Shifting Goals Univar Solutions aims to help the chemical and ingredient distribution industry transform into a digital sector focused on the ease of conducting business for suppliers, customers, and employees. It intends to focus on the Customer Experience through in-stock and on- | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 58
  45. 45. I nformation is a tremendous boon when protected in the digital age, but it can be exploited if it is not private and protected. Having a security and privacy-conscious culture is the most excellent shield for protecting the most valuable information of organizations. Building similar culture by solving the challenging and complex problems passionately in the information security industry is Mr. Rahul Bhardwaj. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Bhardwaj worked as an information security analyst for Vertex Computer Systems. He was active as a team manager for Capgemini (Fromely Patni Computer Systems) from 2006 to 2009. He began his tenure with FinTech giant FIS in 2009 as a security and governance manager, rising to the post of Director - Information Security Assurance Services in 2013; he also helped FICO set up the Enterprise Risk Management Program serving as Principal - GRC till 2019. In 2019 Mr. Bhardwaj joined Kroll (Formerly – Duff and Phelps), where he was tasked to design and implement a Global Privacy and Data Security program for the firms. Due to the business nature of acquiring mid to small-size global firms in different geographies, and some of these firms needed to upgrade their respective robust privacy and data security controls to meet the high standard of the firm. Ensuring Success with Clarity Mr. Bhardwaj was assigned to set up "Global Privacy and Data Security, " a challenging and complex problem to solve, but that is the only thing he has sought throughout his career. He was tasked to provide leadership, management, and strategy for all aspects of global privacy and data security and liaison with other executives. He also handled multiple functions like COO, CIO, Global CISO, CCO, CPO, and operational executives to have a unified strategy to set up a global privacy program for the firm without business distribution. His approach was to bake security and privacy into Kroll's core operations and practices and build a security and privacy-conscious culture. The clarity in thought process and efficient planning ensured success and brought in multiple accolades. Being a Renowned Data Security Leader Mr. Bhardwaj is renowned as an information technology professional with more than 15 years of specialty in data security and privacy. He has been recognized among many global awards and recognitions like: Ÿ "American Business Awards – Gold STEVIE," in IT Executive of the Year 2020 Ÿ Security Systems News' 20 Under 40 Ÿ Finalist for a 2017 Information Security Leadership Award. Fostering Faster, Smarter, and Sustainable Decisions Kroll delivers global organizations' coverage to anticipate and exceed the complex demands surrounding risk, governance, operations, and growth. The Kroll logo "Kroll Lens" represents the sharp focus, forward-thinking, and long-term competitive advantage to its clients through its proprietary data, technology, and insights. Kroll's unique perspective is forged by the diversity of its skill sets and backgrounds, coupled with the geographic reach and experience of being a market leader. It is a powerful filter that turns question marks into decisive periods. Across every shifting economic and regulatory landscape, the Kroll Lens allows clients to stay ahead by Rahul Bhardwaj Building Security and Privacy Conscious Culture | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 60
  46. 46. Kroll provides proprietary data, technology, and insights to help its clients stay ahead of complex demands related to risk, governance, and growth." Rahul Bhardwaj Global Privacy and Data Security Kroll www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 61
  47. 47. making faster, more innovative, and more sustainable business decisions. Kroll's six values are at the core of who they (team members) are and how they interact with the company's people, clients, and partners at work and within every community they serve. These six values include excellence, ambition, courage, inclusion, innovation, and unity. Democratizing Innovation and Automating Processes The only way to overcome the challenge of skilled resources in the information security industry is by proper usage of Technology. Mr. Bhardwaj believes that all security leaders must leverage advances in technology to future-proof their respective business or security programs. Meaningful digital transformation can be achieved by democratizing innovation, integrating applications, automating processes, and embracing the IoT. One of the most common objectives and targets Mr. Bhardwaj set for himself and all the leaders working for him is that a particular portion of their daily operations must be automated by applying solutions available in the modern era. He also works with many startups and problem-solving think tanks to find optimal solutions to real-life problems and challenges faced by the industry. He believes that as the competitive landscape continues to evolve and grow more intense, success will be driven by those who innovate by using technology to disrupt and reimagine business models. Identifying and Leveraging Innovation Earlier Mr. Bhardwaj is a huge advocate of building open and collaborating cyber security communities, which defend the ecosystem as one big team. Strength in number is key to hiring; retaining the best and brightest cybersecurity talent will always be difficult for many organizations, putting many mid to small-size firms open to attack. As a community, everyone can benefit if more people are working on a problem collaboratively, with a broader data set and context, the better the outcome. From threat detection to incident response, bad actors' tactics — and methods to thwart and resolve them — are constantly evolving. Drawing from the lessons learned and best practices of more than just a single organization enables security professionals to be more efficient with their time, reach maturity more quickly and identify and leverage innovation earlier. Staying Ahead of Challenges and Changes New directives and regulations are adding complexity to compliance operations across all industries every year. Navigating the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape is key to retaining a competitive advantage; Kroll is constantly working on advanced alternative approaches to compliance management to stay ahead of new challenges and changes. Based on the global trends building operational resilience is becoming important in the compliance industry. With the recent security incidents (like SolarWinds etc.), and vulnerabilities impacting large-scale industries, it is expected that regulators worldwide impose more requirements on firms to strengthen the industry's overall operational resilience when dealing with cyberattacks. Kroll has reviewed its plans and stressed testing the firm's cyber controls, educating boards and employees on technology and cyber risks, and reporting such incidents to the board. Continuing to Strengthen Cyber Defenses Mr. Bhardwaj will continue to challenge himself with new projects and challenges at Kroll and look to contribute to the overall firm's value by strengthening the cyber defenses. He is also very passionate about giving back to the community and is involved with multiple Not-for-Profits dedicated to education and skill development among students and disadvantaged youth, which he intends to continue. Being Focused and Dedicated Mr. Bhardwaj advises aspiring entrepreneurs in the Security Risk Management sector, "One must be passionate about the Security Risk Management field as it's constant learning. You must be focused and dedicated as it only takes one incident to make or break your firm's and your reputation. Know your business and its objectives, build your security risk program which is aligned to your organization's objective." | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 62
  48. 48. Rocco Pellegrinelli Founder and CEO Trendra ng | April 2022 | www.ciolook.com 64
  49. 49. rom starting as a portfolio manager to founding FTrendrating, Rocco Pellegrinelli, Founder and CEO has come a long way. He launched Brain- power in 1996 and established it as one of the top portfolio management systems globally. Later, it was acquired by Bloomberg in 2006. Then, he started a research and development project to design a superior model to capture price trends in listed equities. After a few years of massive testing of 350 indicators and thousandsofcombinationsacross25yearsofhistoryfor 20,000 securities he got what he wanted. It helped to have the support of a fantastic team of experts, now part of Trendrating, a leading provider of advanced analytics andleading-edgetechnologyforequityinvesting. “Many analytical tools make sense, but do they also make money? It is time to bring real value to fund managers.” Keeping this vision in mind, Rocco founded Trendrating with the goal to provide innovative analytics and first- class technology that deliver alpha in a measurable, actionable,repeatableandunquestionableway. Inspired by his unconventional thought-process, we at CIO Look caught up with him to learn more about his journey. BelowarethehighlightsoftheInterview: Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at Trendrating. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where youaretoday? I started my career as a portfolio manager, and soon, I realized the many pitfalls and traps of being human in a business that requires discipline and objectivity. There- fore, I decided to develop models and a pragmatic methodology capable of providing a sanity check to my investment decisions. After long years of hard work and having seen the benefits of this approach, I decided to leverage my know-how and become an entrepreneur in fintech to serve the asset management industry, which badlyneedstoevolveandadoptnewgenerationtools. What are the key challenges for asset and wealth managersintoday’smarkets? Performance is the main challenge. According to the SPIVA reports (S&P), a large part of mutual funds underperforms the benchmarks year after year. The resultsofmanyassetmanagersandwealthmanagersare not different. The stock markets dynamics changed and old-school investment methodologies cannot handle a fast-evolvingenvironment. The price trend of individual securities is influenced by new forces at work. Rapid economic developments, social media influence, investors sentiment evolutions, growingmomentuminvestingcontributetocreatingand accelerating up and downtrends, and reduce the rele- vanceoffundamentals. www.ciolook.com | April 2022 | 65
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