Ciolook come up with the edition"The 10 Most Inspiring Business Women Making a Difference, 2021 "to celebrate female business leaders and Deanna Latson is the inspirational leader chosen to feature in our cover story.

1. 10
MOST INSPIRING
BUSINESS WOMEN
MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2021
THE
DEANNA
LATSON
CHANGING LIVES ON A GLOBAL SCALE
EMPATHETIC
APPROACH
The Essence of
Effective Leadership
VOL 03 | ISSUE 01
2021

4. Creating a Better
Tomorrow
ately, the status of women in business has changed drastically.
LIt does not come as surprise anymore how women have
changed the landscape of the corporate world.
There was a dire need of leaders with different perspective and way of
managing people. Women has brought same thing to the table. They are
thriving in the business space on their own terms.
From shattering the glass ceilings, breaking records, to blazing the
trails, women have weathered every storm that questioned their ability
of being at the helm. However, they have brought a significant
paradigm shift in the entrepreneurial ecosystem by wearing the hat of a
leader or an entrepreneur. Be it academics, technology, politics,
administration, or social work or any field, they have been performing
exceptionally well in almost every sector.
Now, all the efforts of women are in the direction to bring a drastic
transformation in the business world and make this world a better place
for everyone. These leaders of today are creating a better tomorrow for
upcoming businesswomen.
This International Women’s Day, which is celebrated annually on
th
March 8 , CIO Look came up with the edition “The 10 Most Inspiring
Businesswomen Making a Difference, 2021” to celebrate female
business leaders who influence positive change throughout the world.
And, Deanna Latson is the inspirational leader we’ve chosen to feature
in our cover story. When you meet Deanna Latson, you know you’re in
the presence of someone exceptional. A phenom. A phoenix. An
incredible, inspiring force.
EDITOR’S NOTE

5. The only female corporate officer in NewAge, Inc., an internationally recognized social selling health and
wellness company, Deanna embodies confidence, competence, and ingenuity. As NewAge’s Chief Product Officer,
Deanna’s knowledge of and dedication to the purity and potency of the company’s products are unapparelled. A
wellness authority and fearless nutritional pioneer, she has been the keynote speaker at almost 1,000 colleges,
including Stanford and NYU, and regularly works with major companies on issues of health and nutrition. In
2019, Deanna logged more than 200,000 miles traveling the world to educate and support customers,
representatives, and communities. She continues, amid this worldwide pandemic, to spread her message, and in
2020 Deanna has held empowering webinars in more than 50 countries.
Delve into more alike and inspiring stories of such inspiring women leaders and spread the word about their
contribution in making this world a better place.
While flipping through the pages, make sure to scroll through the articles written by our in-house editorial team
and CXO standpoints of some of the leading industry experts to have the know-how about the industry.
Have a Fruitful Reading!
Hitesh Dhamani
MOST INSPIRING
BUSINESS WOMEN
MAKING A DIFFERENCE 2021
THE

6. DEANNA
LATSON
CHANGING LIVES ON
A GLOBAL SCALE
08
COVER STORY
ARTICLE
Empathetic
Approach
The Essence of
Effective Leadership
26
Leaders
Viewpoint
Stepping for Global
Leadership
44

7. Alicia Carroll
Maximizing Various
Socioeconomic Sectors
16
Linda Grasso
A Lifelong Learner Making
Exceptional Strides in Industry 4.0
30
Nancy Zeffman
Making a Difference through
Fresh and Effortless Fashion
40
Elizabeth Thrailkill
Setting a Striking Example of
Resilient Leadership
20
Marietta Robbe
Groskamp
Grateful & Contribution-
driven Leader
34
Nin Desai
An Avid Leader, Investor
and Tech Geek
48
CONTENTS

8. CONTENT
Senior Editor Alan Swann
Executive Editors Hitesh Dhamani
Alex Spellman
DESIGN
Visualizer Dave Bates
Art & Design Director Kushagra Gupta
Associate Designer Kartik Balapurkar
SALES
Senior Sales Manager Kshitij S.
Customer Success Manager Jack Ryan
Sales Executives John, Kane, Irfan
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Aditya K.
Technical Consultant Victor Collins
March, 2021
Copyright © 2021 CIOLOOK, All
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Research Analyst Eric Smith
SEO Executive Nikita Khaladkar

9. Brief
Company Name
Pamela Wiggins
Owner
Karolina A. Dehnhard
Managing Director
Mariëtta Robbé
Groskamp
Country Director
Lindabury, McCormick, Estabrook & Cooper, P.C., is a mid-
sized general practice law firm, located in Central New Jersey.
Wiggins Management & Consulting LLC provides
personalized business solutions to meet their needs.
Velti is a leading provider of innovative mobile marketing,
customer retention and content solutions, trusted globally by
hundreds of mobile operators, brands and media groups.
Deanna Latson
Chief Product Officer
NEW AGE is a Colorado-based organic and healthy products
company intending to become one of the world's leading social
selling and distribution companies.
NewAge
Inc newage.com
Lindabury, McCormick
Estabrook & Cooper,
P.C. lindabury.com
Velti
velti.com
Alicia Carroll
President
Tech Innovation Global provides Project Management and
Business Administration for individuals, organizations,
businesses, nonprofits, youth, and professionals.
Tech Innovation Global
Incorporated
techinnovationglobal
incgov.com
Nancy Zeffman
Co- Founder
Cucumber Clothing makes luxurious clothing for everyday.
Cucumber Clothing
cucumberclothing.com
Kelly Bagla
Attorney At Law
Bagla Law is a Law firm overseen by Kelly Baglas, a dynamic
powerhouse of an attorney.
Bagla Law
baglalaw.com
Wiggins Management &
Consulting, LLC
wmc-llc.org
Linda Grasso
Chief Operating
Officer
Digital Business Innovation is a digital business
transformation consulting firm.
Digital Business
Innovation Srl
dbi.srl
Nin Desai
CEO
NIN Ventures LLC (or NIN.VC) is a first of its kind technology
venture capital fund to be raised via world wide web.
NIN Ventures
nin.vc
Featuring Person
Elizabeth Thrailkill
VP of Global
Marketing
GDS Link is a global leader in credit risk management,
providing tailored software solutions, analytical and consulting
services.
GDS Link
gdslink.com

10. Deanna Latson
Chief Product Officer
NewAge, Inc.

11. Deanna
Latson
CHANGING LIVES ON A GLOBAL SCALE
We set our limitations in our mind and
commitment is a mind game. I never stop
learning. I never become complacent.
“ C
O
V
E
R
S
T
O
R
Y

12. nternational Women's Day, celebrated annually on
IMarch 8th, is a global day celebrating the social,
economic, cultural and political achievements of
women. This month’s CIO Look Issue celebrates female
business leaders who influence positive change
throughout the world, and Deanna Latson is the
inspirational leader we’ve chosen to feature in our
cover story.
When you meet Deanna Latson, you know you’re in the
presence of someone exceptional. A phenom. A
phoenix. An incredible, inspiring force.
One of only two female corporate officers in NewAge,
Inc., an internationally recognized social selling health
and wellness company, Deanna embodies confidence,
competence, and ingenuity. As NewAge’s Chief Product
Officer, Deanna’s knowledge of and dedication to the
purity and potency of the company’s products are
unapparelled. A wellness authority and fearless
nutritional pioneer, she has been the keynote speaker
at almost 1,000 colleges, including Stanford and NYU,
and regularly works with major companies on issues of
health and nutrition.
In 2019, Deanna logged more than 200,000 miles
traveling the world to educate and support customers,
brand partners, and communities. She continues, amid
this worldwide pandemic, to spread her message, and in
2020 Deanna held empowering webinars in more than
50 countries.
Well-Earned Accolades
Among her other accolades, Deanna is the recipient of a
total of 20 professional awards, having been named
Woman of the Year, Female Executive of the Year, and
Innovator of the Year from the prestigious Stevie®
Awards, One Planet® Awards, Golden Bridge®
Awards, and Women World® Awards. In addition,
Deanna has received another 20 awards from the same
award organizations naming her a contributor to the
success of the company in her role as an executive
leader in categories such as Executive Team of the Year,
Management Team Achievements, Most Innovative
Company of the Year, Best Company of the Year, etc.
Man or woman, her list of accomplishments is
impressive.
But it is her personal story and uncompromising
commitment to her beliefs that are truly extraordinary.

13. ‘Staying Power’ Philosophy
After witnessing the power of the human body through
her own journey overcoming an eating disorder and
watching family members suffer from serious illnesses,
she became interested in nutritional education. A
certified nutritionist consultant with a master’s degree
in health communication, Deanna worked as an
educator at San Francisco State University for a
number of years. Through lectures and trying to reach
students, she realized her message for well-being could
best be spread through a career in public speaking.
Discouraged by others from pursuing her topic of
health and wellness and told public speaking was a
“man’s world,” she refused to be dissuaded. “Nothing was
going to rock my boat,” she said. It is that fierce
determination and strong sense of self that forms the
basis of Deanna’s “staying power” philosophy. And it is
that staying power that created the wings that have
carried her to soaring heights in her professional
career.
The way Deanna explains it, all professional endeavors
have ups and downs. She says many people quit and
give up on their dreams right before they’re about to
make a breakthrough, usually because they feel
unworthy or not good enough. She says staying power
means you can’t falter or give in to those feelings, which
are a normal part of the process. True staying power
means the difference between a 99 percent
commitment and a 100 percent commitment. That even
a one percent chance leaves too much opportunity to
give up. Your goal must be “non-negotiable.”
In her journey, Deanna has encountered others who are
smarter or more talented. But she succeeded when
they didn’t because she stayed 100 percent committed
to her goal. Deanna says this level of commitment is
scary because, But one
“It’s a big jump. The biggest jump.”
she believes can be achieved by anyone.
Helping Other Women Find Success
While Deanna’s message for success through tenacious
commitment has no gender bounds, she has advocated
this belief, and her story, in a tireless effort to teach and
empower other women.
As a C-level executive in a major company, Deanna is
well aware of the disparity in the number of women in
high-level positions. Yet, Deanna never felt obstacles

14. being a female. From a young age, she learned to thrive
in male-dominated industries. Her father worked in law
enforcement, and her family also owned several paint
and wallpaper stores. By age 12, she knew how to fix a
pressure washer and worked daily with contractors
who were almost exclusively men.
If these unique experiences gave her an edge, she has
made great efforts to share it by becoming a trailblazer
in helping other women find success.
As a NewAge executive, Deanna regularly speaks with
women from all over the world. She views these
experiences as a privilege and embraces them with
great passion and responsibility. In her observations,
women, unlike men, often hesitate to display
confidence or express their wins. To this end, she has
organized a multitude of global empowerment and self-
improvement events for women, including leading
firewalking and arrow-breaking ceremonies, board-
breaking activities and other events in many countries
such as China, Australia, Indonesia, Bali and others.
These activities offer an element of danger if the
participant isn’t fully committed and are designed to
help women work through the perceived threat,
thereby conquering their fears and limitations. The
results are nothing less than miraculous as women are
shocked by their own strength and perseverance. It’s
the successes the women experience that teach them
that they CAN overcome limitations, objections and
male-imposed barriers. The trust Deanna inspires in
her audience allows their participation in these
powerful events that help them overcome obstacles to
create lasting change in their lives.
Deanna encourages women to let go of their doubts
and to be themselves. She explains that being a woman
in a powerful position doesn’t mean you have to act like
a “tough guy.” She is adamant that leadership doesn’t
require you to hide your emotions. On the contrary, as a
woman, your authenticity and empathy are powerful
tools.
Finding Balance
Deanna says the biggest challenge women confide in
her is balancing family and work. In speaking with
women from hundreds of countries across most of the

15. major continents, this concern of work-life balance is
universal regardless of culture or upbringing. Yet,
fascinatingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, she has
never once heard this concern from a man.
As a single mother, Deanna is no exception to the worry
of balancing family and career. From her own personal
and understanding viewpoint, she advises women that
her approach to effectively straddling those two worlds
is to be fully present when she is home and with her
children. Deanna explains there is a difference between
being physically present and making the most of every
moment with her kids. Whenever possible, she brings
her children with her on her travels, including them in
as many avenues as possible in her professional life. She
says, “I want them to know what I’m doing.”
Building Connection is the Key
In her vast experience speaking with women, Deanna
has also learned that many assumptions are made
about women in leadership positions. “A lot of women
look at me and think I’m so strong. But I’m not good at
everything in life. I struggle sometimes. I have personal
hardships.” She explains that what links us as human
beings is that regardless of who we are and where we
come from, we all experience hardships unique to our
own lives. Even if you are perceived as successful or
seem like you have it all together, there’s always a
backstory. It’s this kind of transparency and
vulnerability that Deanna shares about herself and her
difficulties that give her strength and help her make
connections with others.
Connection is a key ingredient in Deanna’s efforts to
empower women. In addition to helping them face their
fears and claim their powers of empathy and
authenticity, Deanna teaches female brand partners
how to tap into their naturally social natures to connect
with NewAge’s predominantly female client-customer
base. This woman-to-woman connection has helped
countless female brand partners find a path to financial
success and security through social selling. With
Deanna’s passion and continuing efforts toward helping
other women, she is on track in assisting NewAge meet
its goal of becoming the number one social selling
company in the world!
For Deanna, the future will continue to include her
efforts to help women (and men!) realize their true
potential. It also means working hard to continue
creating the best products on the market and
continuing to get to know the people in NewAge’s social
network of brand partners, which she considers the
best part of her job. “I actually feel the world is small,” she
says. “We’re all dealing with our own stuff and trying to
learn and grow from the hardships we face. And while each
person’s experience is individual, we all share the same
human story of wanting to be the best person we can be, for
ourselves and our families. In this, we are all the same.”
EMPATHY
HAS A BIG ROLE
IN EXECUTIVE
LEADERSHIP.
“

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18. Alicia
Carroll
Maximizing Various Socioeconomic Sectors
with public health officials, health care systems, states,
regional to medical experts in the three-phased
approach based on public health experts to help state
and local officials reopening economies.
Integrated Supply Capabilities to Data Analysis
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated provides
telehealth services, consultation services which
includes best practices, integrated supply capabilities
to data analysis. Alicia has a broad and comprehensive
responsibility in translating policies since January to
ordering procedures, procurements, tool box training,
PPE, medical records, best practices, and metrics under
the Department of Defense (DoD) Afwerx National
Response & COVID-19 JAFT to slow the spread of
SARS CoV-2 in healthcare setting and general
population. For this effort, a scientific to technical
background is required with certification in FAR52.
Alicia’s background and previous role in working
Department of Defense (DoD) provided essential data
analysis reviews, training and requirements to
organizations in order to achieve the following
accomplishments:
Ÿ Integrated Supply Capabilities February 2020
Ÿ Industry Qualitative Profiles (SBA) and Capabilities
Ÿ Certified WOSB/MBE Minority Business Enterprise
117446586
Ÿ Verified Vendor
ood leaders have clear definition of tasks,
Gidentifiable output that can be readily
measured, exceptional performance standards.
They are able to make a difference in the industry by
their competitive, exemplary, and professional
approach. They surround themselves with experts. One
such competitive leader in the world of business is
Alicia Carroll. She surrounds herself with experts, and
industry leaders with an exceptional past performance
work history and capabilities with measurable
improvements (i.e., safety, statistics, outstanding
leadership medals, certificates, skills, awards) to
achieve success.
Alicia Sheree Carroll, is an American engineer,
technologist and President of Tech Innovation Global
®
Incorporated , a company founded for community
initiatives, COVID-19, analysis; mandatory mask
recommendations and the environments’ biodiversity
to connect science to earth and overall well-being. Tech
Innovation Global Incorporated is a Small
Business/Minority Business for community service,
improvements, charity and overall well-being. Alicia
Carroll is an award-winning technologist of 18 years.
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated is to maximize
various socioeconomic sectors. Alicia has diverse life
experiences that involve public safety. Alicia considers
it is imperative each month to have weekly meetings,
measure performance, discuss performance analysis,
monitor performance, resource allocations coordinated
| March 2021 |
16

19. http://www.techinnovationglobalincgov.com/
Ÿ Reopening COVID Analysis and mandatory face
mask recommendations on April 13, 2020
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-04-veil-
coronavirus.html
Ÿ Face Mask Recommendation April 2020
Ÿ Training February 2020 to May 2020
Ÿ COVID-19 Best Practices July 2020
Ÿ COVID-19 Symptoms Screening & Additional Safety
August to 2021
Ÿ Tech Innovation Global Inc. encouraging companies
to support mask/face coverings, economic initiatives
to promote flatten the curve, US Industry from
various socioeconomic categories
Ÿ Communicating health literacy, wearing a Mask,
Face coverings, Maintain at least 6 feet distance,
Positivity rates, and Wash Hands slows the
transmission of COVID-19 foreign and US reduced
transmissions April 7, 2020 in Certified WOSB/MBE
Minority Business Enterprise 117446586
Ÿ Tech Innovation Global Inc.®, Tech Daily Life®
ISBN-13: 978-1-7344654-0-2 (2019)
Ÿ Developed a Quarantine site Questionnaire and
Reviews October 2020
https://www.webtechdailylife.net/
Ÿ Web Tech Daily Life® for initiatives, environmental
improvements, charity and overall well-being
https://www.techdailylife.net, techdailylife.app
Environment Friendly Procurement Offerings
Safety, Sustainability, Infrastructure, Performance and
Operational Planning have a important role in
diversification of organization’s offerings. Tech
Alicia Carroll
President
Tech Innovation Global
®
Incorporated
| March 2021 |
17

20. Innovation Global Incorporated has FLS Medical
training providing translations in 7 different languages
local to global. Green engineering industry provides
greener processes flowing from requirements
documents to support in areas of wind turbines, non-
renewable resources etc. Diversification is to perform
market research and look for 2 or more. The function of
the procurement offerings process is not only to define
what is to be performed, but allows for effective
management, maintains security, performance and
enhances competitive procurement for best
performance in tracing and tracking in health care
settings, public settings and challenges.
Promoting Sustainable Future
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated is in collaboration
with the Department of Defense in COVID-19,
companies and industry during the next five years
products to market. Tech Innovation Global
Incorporated also offers science, socioeconomic
businesses, and a sustainable future. Several companies
currently perform green purchasing to green solutions.
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated and others
provides assessments to benefit humanity, community
service and technology.
Being Encouraging and Empowering
Alicia considers that every leader should possess values
such as measurable achievements, respect and
processes for compliance; knowledge of new
technology and should know the difference in policy,
and she considers improving communities is very
important in measurable standards. According to her
leader should be encouraging in the heart (i.e. attitudes)
as she considers empowerment is the net effect of
enabling others. Empowerment is whereby you make a
plan with positive intention. Others vital attributes she
considers important are being intuitive, listening (gut),
purpose, motives, motivation, intensity and stability.
Alicia and her team communicate based on various
methods such as emails, meetings and lunch as words
may be measured 7% in the communication percentage
vs. higher if you are utilizing electronic procedures
(workflows, electronic authorizations) in the
percentage breakdown in industry. In innovation, for
example, percentages are 35% Product development,
Sales Marketing 25%, Finance 15%, Talent training
10%, IT 8% and Customer Quality Assurance 7%.
Essential Planning Services
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated was one of the
first in January 01, 2020 to provide essential planning
resources at https://www.webtechdailylife.net to help
reduce the spread with COVID-19 screening
symptoms. It also provided 1, 2, and 3 phased approach
in planning health concepts that includes 4
socioeconomic factors highly driven by health,
collaboration with other to maximize efforts to physical
environments. It consists of concept of
operations/guidelines, along with implementation and
measuring performance in a physical environment led
by the Department of Défense (DoD) in response to the
WH guidelines April 16, 2020. Ms. Diana Phillips in
COVID-19 screening is HIPAA compliant with
Think of solution-driven original
perspectives for progression as
you improve humanity.
“
| March 2021 |
18

21. registered RDNs, doctors; and collaborative
developments in screening, planning and vaccinations
are essential priorities in corporate planning and public
(interpreters can be arranged in advance) to reduce the
spread of COVID-19 SARS-CoV-2.
Comprehensive Experience
Creative leadership spirit is sustained in this changing
technological age by people from different walks of life
and backgrounds. Comprehensive experience working
with various backgrounds, skill information and
technical competence is essential to ensuring best
performance and measuring progress to developing
new technology to benefit the public sector, consumer
goods, medical, safety and transportation as discussed
in Tech Daily Life and Tech Innovation Global
Incorporated.
1 Tech Innovation Global Incorporated
https://www.bookwire.com/book/USA/tech-
innovation-global-incorporated-business-
community-technology-ecommerce-integrated-it-
solutions-environment-health-9781734465426-
alicia-carroll-74202677 USD $43 ISBN 978-1-
7344654-2-6
2 Tech Daily Life
https://www.bookwire.com/book/USA/technology-
for-daily-life-9781734465419-alicia-carroll-
74101162 programs, skills and businesses USD $43
ISBN 978-1-7344654-1-9
3 Children’s Developmental plans with illustrations
https://www.bookwire.com/book/USA/the-abc-s-
of-life-9781734465440-alicia-carroll-
78417346_69/ $14.95 Proceeds benefit charities
Alicia possesses creative leadership and
comprehensive experiences that helps her to lead Tech
Innovation Global Incorporated more effectively which
in turn creates more positive impact across America
and countries, such as, United Kingdom, Canada and
France. She is currently working with FLS, Inc.
established in 1979 for translations serving 80
languages in medial and technical interpreting. You can
give today at https://www.techinnovationglobalinc.com
and https://webtechdailylife.net.
Flattening the Pandemic Curve
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated provides global
COVID-19 safety in collaboration with the Department
of Défense, FAR52 and Public safety. Tech Innovation
Global Incorporated also provides services for private
industry to global. and products to marketplace with
many companies in the marketplace including NGOs,
the BBB, private industry, non-profits, commercial, and
security WINTRIO DEVSecs Ops IT
https://www.wintrio.com. As COVID-19 cases continue,
Alicia encourages everyone to continue to wear a mask
and face coverings; keep people safe and healthy at 6
feet distance; and wash hands for at least 20 seconds
and test, which all reduce the spread of COVID-19 in
health care setting and the general community.
Tech Innovation Global Incorporated is a Registered
Alabama (CERT#117446586) Small Minority Business
Enterprise Vendor and it can fulfill requirements for
vendor/supplier diversity. It is a a ONE STOP PORTAL
for all business needs. At Tech Innovation Global
Incorporated
https://www.techinnovationglobalinc.com Tech
Innovation Global Incorporated performed
commendable data analysis to lift the veil, COVID
integrated supply capabilities assessments February to
March 2020, and best practices to flatten the curve. It
practices Wearing a mask. Washing hands for at least
20 seconds, and maintaining 6 feet distance.
| March 2021 |
19

22. Elizabet
Th
Setting a Striking Example of Resilient Leadership
“Often times, organizations do things the
way they do them simply because that’s
the way it’s always been done. The key
qualities in being a disruptor is to have the
spirit of an entrepreneur and a knack for
seeing past what exists to what could
exist. The art of disruption as an executive
really comes to life when you can focus a
team around something new and
embrace a shared vision.” It is this belief
that keeps going ‘on’.
Elizabeth Thrailkill,
Elizabeth is serving as the VP of Global
Marketing GDS Link
at . She is setting a
striking example in the marketing arena
through her expertise ranging across the
entire marketing discipline.
Being a highly strategic leader, she often
finds herself reaching into nearly every
area of the business due to her
collaborative and execution driven
approach.
| March 2021 |
20

23. th
hrailkill
START
WITH THE
ASSUMPTION THAT
THE BEST WAY TO DO
SOMETHING IS NOT THE
WAY IT'S BEING DONE
RIGHT
NOW.
- Elizabeth Thrailkill
VP of Global Marketing
GDS Link
| March 2021 |
21

24. Challenging the Norms
Elizabeth spent the first 20 years of her career with
IBM, primarily in marketing roles. She traversed a few
different IBM categories as a marketer but spent the
second half and her executive years leading strategic
marketing for its consulting and business services
where she worked directly with the C-suite, both
internally and externally. It was during this time that
she began honing her craft and elevated herself as an
executive. She left IBM in 2017 seeking an opportunity
to build something new, to test herself and what she
learned at IBM, and see her impact on an organization
in a much more tangible way. In the discipline of
marketing the purpose is to cause change, but that
philosophy can extend into other areas of the business
as well. Elizabeth has spent the last 4 years practicing
what she calls “collaborative disruption” where she
takes a very collaborative approach within the company
and challenges the norms.
Understanding the Needs and Delivering Accordingly
A diverse customer base and an aligning portfolio is key
in protecting one’s business and GDS Link serves many
different types of lenders across the globe. What is
most important is to understand the different needs of
the lending verticals we serve. For example, banks and
credit unions are still making the move to digital, while
marketplace lenders that started online are native to
digital. GDS Link recently launched a new offering to
help banks and credit unions attract borrowers and
offer a complete online digital solution from the loan
application to origination. And across all lending
markets, its client’s need new sources of data to make
smarter lending decisions, fight fraud and protect their
existing portfolio while still driving growth. The
company’s best asset in attracting new clients is
demonstrating the value it is delivering to its clients
today, with a deep understanding of their business.
Innovation for the Future of Lending
At GDS Link, its vision is straight forward: innovation
for the future of lending, for both clients and citizens.
| March 2021 |
22

25. This is a constantly changing industry and there are a
lot of factors and trends impacting lending as a whole.
A couple of examples include the rise of non-banks
entering the lending market, as we’ve seen with
Amazon offering small business loans and Apple
offering credit cards. At the same time, traditional
banks and credit unions are struggling with Gen Z
expectations and increasing pressure to offer top notch
user experiences. And the borrowing needs of citizens
are experiencing change, leading to an increase in
lenders that offer specialty financing, such as medical.
At GDS Link, its software and analytics offerings serve
lenders across all these markets. The company not only
looks at the needs of its clients, but also has a deep
understanding of the borrowers they serve. Elizabeth
believes that with its innovative culture, deep industry
expertise and client-centric approach to the market,
GDS Link will continue to successfully grow its client
base, offering, and hold its market leadership position.
Adapting Quickly with Technological Trends
Elizabeth mentions that during her time with IBM,
technology changed so fast that she had to adapt
quickly to keep up and of course that trend continues.
She takes that same approach within her specific
discipline and the leadership roles that she has held. In
many ways, technology has further enabled and
enhanced her ability to sustain her creative leadership
spirit. But time erodes all advantages so staying in tune
with what is changing, best practices, etc. is part of how
leaders evolve and even in some cases remake
themselves along their career journeys. “Technology
might require you to reinvent yourself. As they say, evolve
or die,” she says.
Building Something from a Blank Canvas
Elizabeth always wants to be growing along with people
around her. She is most inspired by the opportunity to
build something from a blank canvas. She thrives on
roles where she can create strategies that don’t exist,
stand up functions that have not been areas of
investment, and create growth. According to her, her
future, near and beyond, will also be in a role where she
can build. Her last 2 roles have been in companies that
had not yet made the leap to invest in a marketing
executive or high-level marketing function. Building
that was very rewarding for her.
Enlightening Emerging Businesswomen
In the opinion of Elizabeth, resilience is one of the most
essential traits every leader should possess. According
to her, leaders must have the confidence to take risks,
challenge the norms, and have a willingness to fail. But
most importantly, they must have the resilience to get
back up and try again.
In her advice to upcoming businesswomen she says, “Be
more confident. Lose the uncertainty. The easiest way to
begin practicing this is to drop the SOFT words and phrases.
We are undermining ourselves in the way we write and
speak. Women do this much more often than men.
Examples of soft words include inserting ‘just’ into a
sentence: I just wanted to check on the status of the
project. Instead, we should state we need to check on the
status of the project. Another example is asking ‘Does that
make sense?’ That phrase screams uncertainty. Instead ask
with confidence ‘Do you have any feedback’. There’s quite a
bit written about this and I would encourage women to
research and learn about the other soft words we use that
undermine ourselves.”
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28. The of
ESSENCE EFFECTIVE
LEADERSHIP
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29. If you consider yourself a leader, go all the way. Real
leaders are those who lead and move forward along
with the team.
Insights on Leadership
Leadership is a ‘term’ and a ‘journey’ of no return. It
demands traits like awareness, decision-making ability,
and sacrifice. Although it is a challenging position,
leaders are ready for every part of it. Any team’s
success depends on a leader’s skills and talents,
indirectly affecting the growth of the company. The
company is able to perform well only when the
requirements and needs of the team are met. Hence,
understanding the team members, motivating them,
and bringing the best out of the team, leads to success
for any company.
To Lead is a Journey
On a leadership journey, one has to continue to invent
and reinvent himself. He/She has to walk his own path
creating his/her own leadership style. The image of the
leader is very important in any form of leadership.
He/She has to stay out of the clutches of mediocrity. To
stay updated about the latest technological
developments is also equally important, as we are in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution – Digital Revolution.
Being self-taught in life and leadership is also a must.
There will be situations where the knowledge will be
limited about the specific field. The ability of self-
learning will help to cope up with this aspect. Learning
from Mistakes and not repeating them is as crucial as
well. Leadership comes with Risks, and Risks means
Success. So, taking calculating risks and even if failed,
learning from it and overcoming them, makes you a
good leader.
Important Chapter of Leadership
Change is often considered good and accepted with
more or less critics. The same goes for a leader, change
in the personality, tone, hobbies are considered good as
long as works in the favor of the team and the
organization. Basically, continuing to improve
throughout as a person is a good quality any person
should hold.
It is always good to grow along with the people you
work with. This inspires the team members and a leader
to build strategies and plan growth for the team and the
company, as the team develops the understanding
among them. A leader is insightful of knowledge about
innovation, digital transformation, sustainability and he
indulges in sharing it with the team. Lastly,
implementing innovative methods for the development
of the team.
What Defines a Leadership?
When you are a leader, you are involved in business
meetings, conference calls, appointments, and
agreements. So, setting the terms and agreeing upon it
becomes challenging. This is where Empathy works.
Being empathic about the people around you, and
caring about them helps to agree on the terms set by
the leader. Empathy defines the leadership.
It is upon the team which makes a good leader. So,
trusting the team members and showing
concern/empathy for them is considered an important
quality above all. It builds connection. And the
connection is a key ingredient as it brings the
goal/vision together of the team and the company.
Empathy is something that comes from the heart, it
builds confidence and brings everyone together and
most importantly it develops the attitude of never give
up and get back again. Moreover, the future belongs to
the one who is adapting to apply all the above traits
according to the situation demands.
Mean it Like you Do
Just like any other person, leaders have their good and
bad times. There are leaders who fail to keep courage
during their turbulent times. That is why dedication and
commitment are part of the leadership process. It is this
trait that gives a competitive edge over other leaders.
Ultimately, being a leader does not mean you are a
‘tough guy’. It is just the position where a leader needs
to be tough. Having concern and empathy for the
people is why a leader is loved and respected.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the fourth industrial revolution is driving
the workforce transformation and leaders are involved
in building the future of work. The real progress will lie
in our efforts to bring a change in improving the quality
of humanity and create a better world to live in.
Because this is the question which we need to ask
ourselves,
After all what will we do if this transformation and
growth are not for the betterment of society &
humanity?
Empathe c Approach
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46. Steppingfor
There are some industries that are still
predominately comprised of men, and this
includes all transportation related careers. From
driver to CEO, women are still a minority in trucking,
rail, airlines and maritime.
For this reason, the Women In Trucking Association
was formed to encourage the employment of women in
the trucking industry, address obstacles faced by
women in the industry, and promote the
accomplishments of our members. Simply, the goal is
to increase the ranks of women working in the
trucking industry.
Currently, women comprise about ten percent of
professional drivers, less than two percent of diesel
technicians and about one quarter of women in
leadership roles. While these number have increased
considerably over the last decade, we are still in the
minority in all roles in transportation careers.
Warren Buffet once said, “The closer that America comes
to fully employing the
talents of all its
citizens, the
greater the
output of goods
and services will
be.” Even the
Organization for
Economic Cooperation and
Development has found that if we
close the global gap in workforce
participation; the Gross Domestic Product
worldwide would grow by nearly twelve percent by
2030.
Increasing the ranks of women in leadership roles has
been shown to elevate business success, outperform
industry medians with overall profits much higher and
| March 2021 |
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47. r Global
Leadership
create a better return on equity than male dominated
firms. However, according to the Global Gender Gap
the United States still ranks only 51 out of 149
countries for gender equality.
Women are increasingly gaining board seats and
currently occupy over 26 percent of director
positions in the United States. However, in the
trucking industry, women create only 22 percent of
all board seats at publicly traded carriers, but
there are still some with no women as directors.
Women comprise about seven percent of CEOs
in the Fortune 500, which is an all-time high of
37 women in 500 companies. In trucking,
women
comprise only nine percent of the executive
suite (in publicly traded companies) with seven
carriers having no women in leadership.
Why do we care? Why do we want more
women in leadership roles in transportation
careers, or any career that is traditionally
male? There are numerous studies that show how
diversity increases the bottom line, but women actually
help retain employees through greater engagement.
Since women have been proven to be more
collaborative and team oriented, the environment with
female bosses is more inclusive, which encourages
engagement and employee retention. Are there
challenges in hiring, promoting and retaining women in
leadership roles? Yes, most definitely. First, Hewlett
Packer research proved that women won’t even apply
for a position unless they have one hundred percent of
the qualifications, as opposed to men who feel that
sixty percent is enough to feel qualified. It’s about
expecting perfection and wanting to check all the boxes
before submitting a resume.
Additionally, women are less likely to negotiate their
salary or benefits from the start. Negotiating anything
is more uncomfortable for women who don’t want to
take an adversarial role, when men just assume the
interaction is part of the process.
Women also tend to avoid power structures and
hierarchy and appreciate a more collaborative and
team orientated approach according to Deborah
Tanning in “Talking at 9 to 5: Women and Men at Work.”
A Proctor and Gamble study found that men typically
oversell their abilities, while women, who are
sometimes more interested in being liked, often
undersell their abilities. A study at Yale found that men
who spoke more often than their peers were reported
Leaders Viewpoint
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48. to be more competent than their peers, while women
who spoke more than their peers were rated lower in
competence by both men and women.
Women are often expected to display high levels of
social qualities and when they demonstrate more
aggressive qualities, they are viewed as less credible.
Likeability is often more highly valued when women are
part of a team.
So, how do we counter these concerns that might keep
women from entering or succeeding in transportation
careers?
As women, we need to have positive affirmation. We
can do it and we can succeed. We need to learn to
handle criticism, take credit for our accomplishment
and speak up when we have success at work. Take
credit and accept praise and stop deflecting a
compliment. Enjoy it, you deserve it. Ask for raises and
promotions and take risks. By the way, be sure to
refuse unnecessary requests and don’t expect
perfection.
Women add a different perspective to any industry, but
especially to make dominated ones such as
transportation. We can make a difference and that it
the goal at the Women In Trucking Association.
Join us at www.womenintrucking.org
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50. her
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