Top 10 businesswomen to admire in 2021. Read more: https://ciolook.com/top-10-businesswomen-to-admire-in-2021-may2021/

1. ISSUE 05 | VOL 01
2021
ANNA
NAVARRO SCHLEGEL
BUSINESSWOMEN
TOP
TO ADMIRE IN
2021
THE GLOBAL RENAISSANCE WOMAN
Women and
World
Doing the
Right Thing
Photo Credit- Isabelle Schlegel

4. From Voicing for
Herself to Leading
the World
rom creating opportunity, breaking down barriers of
Ftraditional norms, to paving paths for new generation,
women have proved themselves in every arena of the world.
Throughout history, women have achieved many milestones; they
have been participating in every big or small movement of change
to bring positive and lasting impacts for others as much as men.
Today’s women aren't only businesswomen but founders. They are
focused to change their ideas into a reality and spending
tremendous amount of time, effort, and money into it. Also,
women business leaders of all around the world despite of their
field have shown support for other women. Whether its friend or
colleague, women leaders are helping each other to get stability
during the difficulties; like starting a company, or change their
dream into a reality.
Women continue to make significant advances in the business
world. They are founders of innovative companies, introducing
ground-breaking new ideas and building a path to bring positive
work culture and workforce equity.
With an intent to acknowledge their inspiring work and efforts and
praising these women leaders who are making both large and small
changes every day, CIO Look has curated list of “Top 10
Businesswomen to Admire in 2021”. These business women are
exponent of excellent careers and present a great lesson for
emerging business leaders.
The cover story features a truly global expert Anna Navarro
Schlegel. She is an embodiment of proficient leadership, and
believes in lead by example. Her journey to becoming probably one
EDITOR’S NOTE

5. of the best globalization experts in the world started in 1992, when she was living in San Francisco and
founded her first start-up. She had a goal to aid local Silicon Valley companies in their quest to go global.
No doubt, she has achieved it with her visionary thinking and strong commitment towards the goal.
Over the past 30 years, Anna has helped international organizations like Xerox, VeriSign, VMware, and
NetApp. She has developed and executed their very first global strategies to enter international markets,
hundreds of times. She has also presented for hundreds of institutions, including the Haas Institute at UC
Berkeley and the Think Global Forum. She has consulted for Google, Stanford University, and the
Monterey Institute of International Studies. Anna is also one of the Co-Founders of Women in
Localization; 2016-2018 president. Women in Localization (W.L.) is the leading professional organization
for women and their allies in the localization industry with thousands of members globally.
Delve into more such inspiring stories of such avid women leaders. Lastly, never stop learning with our
CXO standpoints written by the industry experts and the creative articles by our in-house editorial team
which will help to improve your skillset.
Let’s Start!
Rohit Chaturvedi

6. Anna Navarro
Schlegel
The Global Renaissance
Woman
COVER STORY
08
ARTICLE
Women and
World
Doing the Right Thing
22
38
Leadership
Insight
An Intrinsic Way of Leading

7. 18
26
30
34
40
44
Megan Capriccio
Using Modern Tech Advancements
to Improve Women Healthcare
Lisa Jones
Innovating Without Restrictions
Judi Wineland
Sharing Passion for Travel with
other Adventurers
Hui Wu-Curtis
Delivering Value and Innovation
to Clients
Annabel Thomas
Forging One's Own Path by Being
Uninhibited by Tradition
Amy Hedrick
Leading with Courage and Confidence
C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S

8. CONTENT
Senior Editor Alan Swann
Executive Editors Rohit Chaturvedi
Alex Spellman
DESIGN
Visualizer Dave Bates
Art & Design Director Kartik Balapurkar
Associate Designer Shubham Dali
SALES
Senior Sales Manager Kshitij S.
Customer Success Manager Jack Ryan
Sales Executives John, Kane, Sanket, Maneesh
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Aditya K.
Technical Consultant Victor Collins
May, 2021
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SEO Executive Nikita Khaladkar

9. Brief
Company Name
Nicole Heimann
CEO
Trina Gladwell
DVP
Annabel Thomas
CEO
Judi Wineland
Owner
Nc'nean Distillery is an independent, organic whisky distillery
that exists to create experimental spirits and pioneer sustainable
production
Nicole Heimann & Partners AG is committed to this central
question. With high quality coaching, she helps high level
individuals (VR, CEO, GL) and their teams to effectively adapt
their thinking and actions to the requirements of the digital age.
Bealls Inc. is a privately held company, rich in tradition, still
owned by the founding family. Founded in 1915, Bealls
includes over 500 stores and BeallsFlorida.com. Bealls is the
destination of choice for casual lifestyle and priced-right
apparel and home merchandise.
After more than 40 years operating in Tanzania, Thomson
Safaris name has earned its place as one of the top safari
outfitters in the world with awards from National Geographic
Adventure, Condé Nast and Travel + Leisure.
Anna Schlegel
VP
NetApp is a leader in hybrid cloud data services. It helps the
customers ensure their data and applications are in the right
place at the right time with the right characteristics and
capabilities in order to achieve new insights and accelerate
innovation.
NetApp
netapp.com
Nc'nean Distillery
ncnean.com
Thomson Safaris
thomsonsafaris.com
Amy Hedrick
CEO
Cleanbox Technology Inc. is a premium, eco-friendly, smart
tech hygiene company, specializing in UVC surface
decontamination for frequently used products.
Cleanbox Technology
cleanboxtech.com
Lisa Jones
CEO
Founded in 2004 by Lisa S. Jones, EyeMail Inc. is a multi-
patent pending email communications technology company. It
is the only company globally, to enable true instant play of full
video & audio across all email, webmail, and mobile platforms
in less than 15K in size with no download required.
EyeMail
eyemailinc.com
Bealls
beallsflorida.com
Cathleen Kelly Rebar
Managing Partner
Rebar Kelly was formed upon the principle that long-term
relationships flow naturally from recognizing that its clients are
its true partners. The organization understands that problems
come in all shapes and sizes.
Rebar Kelly
rebarkelly.com
Nicole Heimann
nicoleheimann.com
Hui Wu-Curtis
President
World Connection is a mid-sized, bi-lingual contact center and
BPO with locations in Guatemala City, Guatemala, and Boise,
Idaho.
World Connection
worldconnection.com
Megan Capriccio
Co-Founder
FemTech Collective offers products and services that help
female focused health technology startups overcome barriers to
success.
FemTech Collective
femtechcollective.com
Featured Person

10. ANNA
NAVARRO
SCHLEGEL
The Global Renaissance Woman
“ The most important thing you can do is to take care
of yourself as well as you can. Just like they teach
people in airplanes: look after yourself first before
trying to assist others! “
COVER STORY

12. F
or businesses, going global is no simple feat. It is
not only about expanding to international
markets; Globalization entails all aspects of any
company. To be successful, company executives need to
clearly understand their company's global business
goals, believes a truly global expert, Anna Navarro
Schlegel, who has driven global market growth of many
large Fortune companies. She asserts, “Wherever I lead
a globalization, a content team or an engineering group,
I see it and treat it as a business, with funding, values,
goals, an executive team, metrics, trainings and support
to drive that global growth we are after.”
An embodiment of proficient leadership, Anna Navarro
Schlegel leads by example. Her journey to becoming
probably one of the best globalization experts in the
world started in 1992, when she was living in San
Francisco and founded her first startup. Her goal was to
aid local Silicon Valley companies in their quest to go
global.
One of Anna Navarro Schlegel’s first clients needed
translations and technical reviews of their products
before they were able to enter the Brazilian and
Russian markets. Another client was Silicon Graphics,
who recommended that Cisco Systems approach her to
start their first localization team, globalization was not
even a word back then. Anna Navarro Schlegel was in
her mid-20s and it was a true crash course in product
and enterprise globalization. That rotation in strategy
teams, product groups, marketing and engineering has
made her a sough after leader to consult with for
anything related to global innovation.
Since then, Anna Navarro Schlegel has helped Xerox,
VeriSign, VMware, and NetApp develop and execute
their very first global strategies to enter international
markets, hundreds of times! Over the past 30 years, she
has presented for hundreds of institutions, including
the Haas Institute at UC Berkeley and the Think Global
Forum. She has consulted for Google, Stanford
University, and the Monterey Institute of International
Studies. Anna Navarro Schlegel has contributed to
countless books and courses on the subject and even
helped develop the industry-standard Localization
Certificate. She has also spent time testing speech
technologies and training some of the first Machine
Learning tools for translation. Anna is a member of the
Global Council for Common Sense Advisory and is one
of the 3 founders of Women in Localization. The list
could go on.
It is this unique combination of experience that has
enabled Anna Navarro Schlegel to become both a
businesswoman and one of the world's leading
executives in the globalization field. When you ask her
colleagues, who comes to mind when you need a
globalizer, Anna Navarro Schlegel name comes up, all
the time.
CIO Look recently caught up with Anna Navarro
Schlegel to discuss her entrepreneurial journey and her
book, Truly Global.
Below are a few highlights from the interview:
What are your thoughts on the necessity of a positive
work culture? How do you implement it at your
organization?
A positive work culture is everything.
I have hired organizational psychologists, corporate
strategists, and a number of professional firms to advise
me on all kinds of strengths and gaps. One of the main
components was teaching me how to become a values-
based leader. And always go back to how I grew up in
Olot, and Girona in Catalunya, and what I owe to my

13. parents and my family. My strategy is to take it from the
top before moving down into the organization. As a
leader you must work to create the environment you
want.
In any venture or organization, I have founded, we have
always spent time up front thinking about the values we
want to live by. We never start with our goals. Instead,
we start with who we want to be, what we will and will
not allow, and how we will work together.
It's not enough just to set your values, print them out,
and stick them on the wall. You have to put in the hard
work. Make time periodically to review your values and
to understand how you're upholding them. Without
doing so, it is impossible to progress.
A key value for me is trust, which isn't something that
comes easily. Spend time listening, understanding, and
collaborating. I try to celebrate big achievements and
small progress alike.
We need to make it a priority to lift each other up and
to stay mentally healthy. In order to do that, we must
rethink the way we work. For example, my team does
not schedule meetings on Fridays. I am a huge believer
of having a day to read, do research, respond to emails,
clean up your inbox, and work on long-term projects.
Having a “quiet day” enables my team to catch up.
Another way to promote a positive work culture is to
engage in mentoring. I see more people doing this now
than ever. My own calendar is filled with people who
just want me to listen to them. They don't really want
my opinion, they just want me to feel their pain, or
mirror their ideas, and from there we dialogue if that is
what they need.
Folks feel positive when they know they are growing,
can speak openly, take time off when they need it, and
feel that they are contributing to the success of the
organization. Positivity, transparency, trust, clarity, and
open-door policies are key to healthy teams. Take the
time to celebrate and elevate people. Schedule
meetings to check in on people's personal lives or
thoughts. Take 5 minutes to ask somehow how they are
before diving into work.
Anyone can lead with this mentality inside a positive
work environment. It's not only up to the managers or
leaders. We are all in this together!
How do you focus on global growth to reach higher
global revenues by adapting products?
In order to focus on global growth, you need executive
alignment starting at the very top of an organization.
Having agreement between Product, Sales, and Finance
leaders is key and is the very first step to achieving
higher global revenue. For example, you cannot create a
product and then fail to train the sales team. To
succeed, all company leaders must be working together.
It is a team sport. Companies or product teams who
understand that win big!
Once you have clarity and alignment, the real work can
begin. It is often helpful for companies to have multiple
transparent models to follow that will indicate the level
of corporate involvement as the process of going global
and earning international revenue requires everyone to
be on board. For example, a company can't have a
Product Manager who wants to take their product
global and fails to localize the product's user interface.
That happens often, as many product managers who
are not globally savvy will not be “global customer”
obsessed. Globalization requires seamless
orchestration. Every department in an organization
must understand which products will be sold where in
order to support that roadmap to the best of their
abilities.
What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses
to align their offerings with newer technological
“Tune out the noise. Don't
listen to idle gossip or
naysayers, that only serves to
derail your purpose. Wait it
out and hold onto your
dreams.”
COVER STORY
-Anna Navarro Schlegel

14. developments, especially when it comes Digital
Transformation?
My experience is largely in the world of high-tech, so I
cannot speak on behalf of other industries. However, I
can tell you that if you want to engage with a Fortune
500 company then you need to have a rock-solid digital
platform, alignment among content teams, a shared
vison, and constant communication. When you talk
about digital transformation you must consider
concepts like data capacity, product simplification,
enterprise content strategy, and the simplification of
the buyer's journey. Customers do not have a long
attention span, nor the time to guess how to interact
with your services, solutions, or offerings, especially for
products that are not necessarily something that brings
them joy!
Businesses also need an impeccable digital
presentation of their offerings and services. You do not
want to simply satisfy the customer; you want to
delight the customer with anticipated moves to make it
easy for them. You want to simplify the experience, and
at the same time you need to give that customer trust
that your site will not go down, or that a confirmation
email will indeed make it into their inbox. Or you will
confirm the service via text or resolve their potential
issue overnight. My advice is to always think
backwards, to start by creating a customer empathy
map. Find out who your customer is and what they
want, where is this person? Why are they coming to
your site? How can you give them the best experience
possible?
How do you bring Information Management in
establishing strategic direction and delivering results
globally?
Information Management is key. I like to call it
“Enterprise Content Strategy”. Companies produce
daily vast amounts of content, from tag lines to demand
generation campaigns, support websites, training
materials, emails, SEO strategies, online help, upgrade
guides, data sheets, the list goes on and on. This
proliferation of content needs to be proactively
managed. To do so, companies need a team or a guiding
coalition to administrate and align all their content.
Without one it is impossible to provide a simplified
experience for the customer. A complex experience will
cause customers to drop out mid-cycle and the
company will end up losing revenue.
I encourage any organization that I consult with to
create a steering committee to decide some very basic
frameworks. Ask yourselves: How many websites do
we really need? How do we train all the content authors
inside our organization to align on authoring and
brand? What languages are we going to be localizing
into? How will we go about making old content
obsolete? What are the typical paths our customer will
go through, etc.
A great information management team will know what
to promote, where to apply search engines, how to get
old content out the way, and how to launch all that
information around the world on the very same day.
Another way to think about information management is
by mapping potential customer scenarios. Take a look at
what that customer may need in various situations. Do
they want to return the product? Where does this client
go to report a product defect, or to get a new quote?
Always begin from the customer's perspective. I am not
into “customer delight” or “customer centric”; I am into
customer obsessed. To be the best you must start from
the global customer's perspective. If it doesn't answer
to what the customer needs, it has to go!
In what ways have you contributed to the community?
COVER STORY

15. If given a chance, what change would you bring in
providing growth opportunities to women?
When I was a young girl living in Catalunya, my father
founded his first non-profit. His goal was to unite 1,000
community members once a month to go and clean up
rivers, mountain areas, and marginalized areas of the
city. Giving back to the community was a huge part of
how I was raised and is something I try to instill in my
own children. And he met his goal… it was so fun!
When I was 24 years old, I joined my very first Board,
which was for the Northern California Translators
Association. It has been one organization after the
other ever since!
One of the organizations that I am most proud of is
NetApp's Women in Technology (WIT) association. I
was trusted to restructure the organization at a key
moment in its development and went on to serve as
Chair for over 5 years and add about 1000 new
members. I continue to be an active member of several
WIT organizations and I am a proud to act as the
organization's Global Executive Sponsor.
Several years ago, I co-founded a non-profit called
STEM Mentors Silicon Valley to support
underrepresented kids in the Bay Area by exposing
them to STEM. In order to do so, we put together yearly
events with doctors, scientists, dentists, and various
high-tech corporations to show them what they could
be when they grow up. It was wonderful to see so many
people giving back to our community during the events.
We are hoping to continue the program after the
pandemic. I co-founded that organization with Karl
Welch, Lori Silverman and Duaine Pryor.
My real pride and joy is Women in Localization, an
organization that I co-founded with Silvia Avary Silveira
and Eva Klaudinyova. Our mission is to serve as a global
community for the advancement of women and the
localization industry. Growing this organization has
been a been a daily project for the 3 of us for the past
13 years. Today, we are proud to have over 6,000
members worldwide across 30 sites. It is also the
largest platform of content around all aspects of
globalization and its full orchestration. If you would like
to learn more, please go to
www.womeninlocalization.com
My latest adventure is serving as the President of the
Advisory Board for Aula Magna Business School. Aula
Magna is Catalan company that offers executive
training programs for professionally active women to
companies that believe in diversity as a strategic line to
meet their objectives. Many women stop learning after
college, but in order to remain competitive you need to
keep educating yourself! Taking classes also enables
you to network and form your own support community.
Every single one of the organizations I have founded or
joined have focused on supporting women and children.
One of the major issues that I see in large corporations
is the lack of diversity, especially at the top. The
organizations that I am part of are working to address
this inequality through models, frameworks, and
strategies that women and underrepresented children
can use for upward mobility.
I encourage everyone to get involved in a cause that is
important to them. Imagine the impact we could have if
everyone were committed to at least one cause! I am
very proud to have spent the past four decades of my
life in service and look forward to continuing to do so. I
do have to spend a good amount of my day saying no to
wonderful opportunities, not enough hours in the day
and my family is a huge priority!
As an established global business leader, what would

17. be your advice to the budding women entrepreneurs
aspiring to venture into IT & Services Industry?
You need to remain healthy, centered, and rested.
Especially if you are a mom! Prioritize sleeping and
finding time to exercise. Take time to be out in nature. If
you need to rest, rest. If you are not feeling your best,
talk to your health care provider. Never place your
health in the backseat.
Take the time to make an informed decision about
which industry you want to join. Interview people who
already work in industries that interest you. Do you see
yourself there for days, months or even years? Do you
feel the passion?
Making the decision to work your way up inside a
Fortune 500 company is tough for everyone, men and
women included. However, women tend to bear the
majority of the household and childcare
responsibilities, we take care of our parents in higher
percentages, we have miscarriages, we go through
fertility treatments, we give birth, we fall behind our
work if we decide to stay home to raise our kids when
they are so young. It's so very important to sit down
and talk to your partner about equity, how are the two
of you going to be a team? The further you progress in
your career the more support you will need inside your
partnership. Whether you are single or in a
relationship, you will need support from friends and
family, or any help you can get! There are no super-
sheroes.
Choose a few great leaders to follow and work for a
long time, that is precious. Interview your boss and take
the time to understand who they are. Ask around to
ensure you are entering a high-functioning,
collaborative team where you can be your best and
they will respect you.
Continue to develop your skills and never stop learning!
In the world of high-tech, the landscape is constantly
changing. Create a learning map to help guide yourself,
and your team. Another thing you can do is to become a
savvy business reader. Read The Economist, HBR, you
get the gist!
Tell us more about your book, Truly Global. Why did
you write it?
I published the first edition of Truly Global: The Theory
and Practice of Bringing Your Company to International
Markets in 2016, and the second edition just released in
April 2021 with more chapters and learnings. When I
decided to write the book, I had already led
globalization teams at multiple companies and
continued to learn more and more about the practice
with each subsequent move to a new enterprise.
However, I could not find a book that adequately
explained the globalization profession. Most executives
have the title “global' in their title, yet there is no book
to make you think how to prepare your org to go global.
This is not for globalizers. This is for any leader who has
the title international or global.
I was approached literally weekly to speak on panels
and give keynotes explaining all aspects of the field, but
I would google “globalization”, and all sorts of different
explanations would pop up. I decided to simplify the
profession and provide people with all of the content a
great globalizer needs to know in one place.
You can learn more about the book at my website:
www.trulyglobalbusiness.com
A few words about Truly Global: We know that today's
economy is increasingly borderless. Every company
that seeks to grow beyond its national boundaries
needs a globalization team to help develop, translate,
adapt, and promote products to international markets.
This team is vital to ensuring that customers receive
product information and support in their own language
in a personalized and seamless way. From a company's
website to product interfaces and documentation, to
telephone and online support, providing this culturally
specific experience is essential to building a brand
across international borders with a solid enterprise
approach.
Ideal for global corporate leaders, board members,
employees, and senior managers, Truly Global provides
an insider's look at how large companies move into
international markets to successfully deliver their
product to customers across different cultures and
languages. It covers everything you need to know, to
globalize your company from start to finish, including
who to recruit as members of a globalization team, how
to integrate globalization in each department, and how
to use the team's research to build your brand's
presence in new markets.
This book will help your company succeed in an
increasingly competitive global economy and lay the
foundation for your growth from national company to
international household brand. If your title has the
word “global” in it, this book is for you!
COVER STORY

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20. Amy Hedrick
Co-Founder and CEO
Cleanbox Technology, Inc.
| May 2021 |
18

21. Amy Hedrick
Leading with Courage and Confidence
omen entrepreneurs should not hide their
Wtalents in the name of modesty and grace.
They can lead with awesome combination of
courage and grace. It is essential for women
entrepreneurs to be bold, be confident and not back
down even in a male dominated field. Those women
who have blazed their path till now have made their
path by being bold, courageous and proving that it is
not just a man’s world but a woman’s world, too. Amy
Hedrick is one such female leader who states that one
can be bold, confident, skilled, and that combination
inspires admiration, respect and confidence from men
and women alike. Amy loves that women benefit from
the efforts of other women. She considers it is
important to remember what women are bringing to
the table and should be admired for that.
Amy is the Co-Founder and CEO of Cleanbox
Technology Inc. Amy’s background as a content creator
and thought leader in the application of new
technologies as industry disruptors provided the
building blocks for Cleanbox as a business. Over the
past decade, she has led multiple teams from project
inception and funding, to planning and execution.
Cleanbox Technology is focused on providing the tools
businesses need to operate safely and give customers
peace of mind. Its biggest motivation is to provide
products that actually work, as public safety and
business health is always top of mind.
Providing Opportunities for Women
One thing that brings Amy great fulfillment is that
Cleanbox has in its mission statement, a goal to provide
opportunities to women. Amy believes that women are
both great leaders and great strategists, and generally
have unique skill sets. Cleanbox works hard to keep
women front and center from its executive team to its
regional staff.
Valuing Positive Work Culture
Amy considers it is critically important to have a
positive work culture. The average worker spends the
majority of their life working for someone else.
Cultivating, building, and maintaining a positive work
environment and sustainable culture is critical for
individual fulfillment, which in turn has a butterfly
effect on the entire business model. While this is more
apparent in smaller companies that cannot absorb
“negative” influences that may be inevitable in a larger
work force, Amy believes that a company’s culture
plays strongly into their overall brand trust and value.
Integrating Technology with Business Goals
Amy loves cutting edge technology, and those on the
inside know the value of the tech they are introducing
to marketplaces. She says that business decision
makers must first create a balance of understanding the
range of what the tech can offer, while thinking about it
in ways its integration will bring value to a company.
Amy states that successful execution of new tech
means that a business has not just added “Tech for tech
value”, but has first spent the energy to determine all
the ways the new technology will benefit their business,
and has a plan on how to implement it broadly across
the company.
| May 2021 |
19

22. Daily immersion in business, technology and global
news events allows her have insights into future
opportunities that will reform and drive her vision. The
same vision will determine the strategies she builds to
execute on the opportunities. The understanding of
collective value addition of the company to the world
will form goals, benchmarks, and timeline to meet those
strategies; and Amy’s success will be determined by
how capable she and her executive team are at
providing Cleanbox Technology’s staff a clear path to
those goals.
Serving the Underprivileged
When it comes to the community, Cleanbox has made a
point to set aside certain products that can be made
available to non-profit organizations and underserved
communities. For example, the company worked with
the St. Francis Dental Clinic, a non-profit driven to
improve dental healthcare across their state and tribal
land, which offers services for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe
as well as other local South Dakotans. Cleanbox is
proud to have donated a CleanDefense to help them
continue their important mission safely.
Expanding Market on a Global Scale
2020 introduced Cleanbox Technology to new markets
and industries by escalating the timeline of certain
products it already had in development, so that it could
meet the immediate needs of businesses. In 2020,
Cleanbox grew from one product line with clients in 10
countries to 3 product lines in over 36 countries and 41
states in the US. Cleanbox also expanded its domestic
and international sales team and offers products to any
size business across healthcare, education,
government, entertainment, and enterprise.
Meeting Real Business Needs Across Industries
The people at Cleanbox Technology are innovators at
heart. The company anticipates tomorrow’s needs
while they plan for today. The company seeks to
understand real business pain points and solve them in
a meaningful, complete way. Amy sees Cleanbox
Technology continuing to grow as it integrates its
proprietary technology into multiple form factors to
meet real business needs across a plethora of
industries. And it will take that same technology to the
home market.
Being Conscious of Value Added Products
Amy in her role as a CEO considers that it’s important
that she understands broadly the opportunities of
global markets and how those opportunities are
impacted by daily local and global events. Concurrently,
she thinks that she must also be deeply ingrained in the
collective “value add” her company, team and products
can bring both right now, in a year, and in five years.
Cleanbox
Technology is
uniquely positioned
as a company in
terms of its ability
to quickly pivot and
respond to current
market needs.
‘‘
‘‘
| May 2021 |
20

24. DOING THE
RIGHT THING
T
he ongoing pandemic outbreak is devastating, as
it has severely impacted our lives and businesses
worldwide. To give a thought, if only this virus
would’ve come 15-20 years ago, when we just entered
the digital age, the results would have been much more
heartbreaking, as we did not have much more relevance
on the digital and IT world than compare with today.
Anyways, thanks to the IT and the leadership of such
people with whom we are able to connect worldwide
even in these turbulent times. Today, we live in a world
wherein these technological developments and
innovations are part of our day-to-day lives. Technology
has found innovative ways to enter into our lives. For
businesswomen, it is much more than that.
Raising the Bar
Over the years women in businesses have built a
culture of commitment towards the clients, customers,
employees, and in every industry wherever they go.
They are well aware that motivated people are the key
to the success in the organization. The positivity
women leaders bring into the team makes it possible to
have a pleasant working environment. The opportunity
technologies are bringing, has helped to uplift the
business and businesswomen as well. Their quality of
building a personal connection creates the shared
vision and strategic belief across the industries,
ultimately reaching the company goal.
In such unforeseen situations, businesswomen have
accelerated the digital transformation. Their
experiences and understanding of the leadership have
recognized the requirements of the current situation.
They have quickly adapted to this, which is the most
important thing for a leader. Taking time to understand
and act upon it sets the priority for the team.
Businesswomen have this quality to reflect on
themselves, and it allows to see how there are growing
as a leader and to bring the best out of themselves.
The Butterfly Effect
As they say, it is about the journey, not about the
destination and one has to enjoy the experience. In the
same way, women in business learn from their mistakes
and do not give up when it gets hard. One thing that
businesswomen bring in their mission to leadership is
to support and provide opportunities to other women.
There can be many leaders out there with great
strategies, but only those who are leading along with
others stay ahead of the curve.
Just like the butterfly effect, where every small
beginning leads to a big change – the same is the
| May 2021 |
22

25. journey of the businesswomen. The majority of their
life is spent cultivating, building, and maintaining a
positive work environment for others. In the same way,
they create a culture of trust and value in the overall
working of the business.
Changes in the Women Leadership
Businesswomen are evolving and looking ahead, as the
market and the clients are constantly changing as well.
That’s the way to stay ahead of the competition –
knowing how and where to bring value.
Besides, these cutting-edge technologies are being
introduced more and more into the market. But there
needs to be a balance between the technology and the
integration of its processes. The ultimate goal is to
benefit the business and the people. Women in
business are innovators at heart. They have a strong
sense of perception and consider other ways to achieve
the same goal.
Businesswomen are great listeners to the stories of the
people or to attend conferences that can spark a new
idea in them. One of the great things about
businesswomen is they are always willing to share their
lessons learned and help others to be successful.
Stay Focused and Stay Together
The future roadmap will redefine the businesswomen,
as they are the one to take the human species to the
next level with their continuing efforts in the
professional and personal life.
We all are together in the covid situation. We need to
lift each other up and stay mentally healthy. For
businesswomen, they have to rethink the way of work
by promoting a positive work culture and engaging in
communication. Sometimes, just by listening to people,
employees feel positive and can contribute to the
success of the organization.
For example, if you do not feel your employees' pain,
you would fail to increase sales. Because, be it
companies or leaders, they can only make it big if all are
working together. This clarity helps the businesswomen
to evolve everyone from local to global.
| May 2021 |
23
Women and World

28. ‘‘
‘‘
Annabel
Thomas
Nc'nean Distillery uses organic
Scottish Barley in a distillery
powered by renewable energy and
recycle 99.97% of its waste thereby
contributing to Sustainable
Production.
Forging One's Own Path by Being Uninhibited by Tradition
| May 2021 |
26

29. reat leaders don't yield to the degrading
Gimpotence of giving into the opinions and
prejudices of the people. They forge their own
path by going beyond traditional norms. Great leaders
destroy the prejudices of people and change their
wrong perceptions. That makes them admirable.
Annabel Thomas is one such admirable leader who
started Nc'nean Distillery to change the way the world
thinks about whisky from Scotland. She is the CEO and
Founder of Nc'nean Distillery. Her mission was to
create a whisky which would exist in harmony with this
planet we call home.
The inspiration for Nc'nean Distillery's name is from
Neachneohaoin who was an ancient Gaelic Goddess.
She was known as the Queen of Spirits and a fierce
protector of nature. She was strong and independent;
she was never afraid to walk her own path. Annabel
tries to follow her ethos in everything she does at
Nc'nean Distillery.
After leaving her job in London in 2013, Annabel spent
four years raising funds and building the Nc'nean
Distillery from the ground up on the west coast of
Scotland. Nc'nean Distillery has been distilling since
2017 and it has just launched its first ever whisky.
Sustainability runs in Nc'nean Distillery's veins.
Nc'nean Distillery believes in responsible and
sustainable production.
In an interview with CIO Look, Annabel Thomas shares
her journey and about her contribution through
Nc'nean Distillery.
Below are the highlights of the interview between
Annabel Thomas and CIO Look:
What were the challenges you came across prior
launching the organization in 2017?
2017 was our first year of distilling, but before that we
had two years of fundraising and two years of building
the distillery from the ground up. These were definitely
the most challenging years so far! Fundraising was
tough because we need to raise £7.5million from a
piece of paper and building was equally hard because
we had this complex build project (old buildings, high
tech equipment) in a very remote location.
| May 2021 |
27

30. Being an experienced business leader, what is your
opinion regarding the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the Food & Beverages Industry? And how
has Nc'nean managed to overcome this significant
challenge?
I think it is hard to generalize as the impact has been
very varied depending on your type of business – from
catastrophic in hospitality, to transformative if you sell
in supermarkets. We have been pretty lucky, and whilst
many of our original plans were thrown up in the air, by
being adaptable, focusing on digital and routes to
market that continued to operate, we've had a hugely
successful 'first year of whisky' launch.
What is your thought on the necessity of a positive
work culture? In what ways do you implement it at
your organization?
I think it's absolutely essential, I really want my team to
be happy at work. Without that, why would you come
to work? There are lots of different elements to this I
think – it ranges from having fun on a day-to-day basis,
to making sure everyone feels supported in what they
are doing, to trying to get as much socializing and fun in
as we can (not something we've achieved much in
Covid, it must be said).
What Truth everyone needs to know about organic
barley, experimenting with different yeasts and longer
mashing times?
Organic barley is part of our sustainability strategy.
Creating a distillery (and a whisky) that was really
pioneering in its approach to sustainability has always
been at the core of my mission, and we aim to not only
hold ourselves to the highest standards but lead the
industry at the same time. As for experimentation, it's
in our DNA and it is fun! There is not enough attention
paid to yeast in whisky distilling, and exploring these
flavours continues to be one of my favourite periods of
the year.
Annabel Thomas
CEO and Founder
Nc'nean Distillery
| May 2021 |
28

31. In what ways have you or Nc'nean contributed to the
community? If given a chance, what change would you
bring in sustainable and imaginative approach to
distilling?
We aim to support our very local community as much as
possible, by providing investment and jobs and
supporting local charities where we can (we raised
nearly £20k for the local community trust through
auctioning our first 10 bottles in 2020).
What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging
women entrepreneurs in the Food & Beverages
Industry? Have you in any ways contributed towards
the cause of women empowerment?
I think my advice would be go for it! But go for it having
done your research and with your eyes open –
entrepreneurship in any industry is not for the faint
hearted and you need to be both clear in your mission
and with a lot of perseverance to succeed and enjoy it!
At Nc'nean we have run an internship for women to
understand more about the distilling industry (which is
perceived to be very male dominated). Whilst we were
unable to run it in 2020, or likely in 2021, it is
something I would like to continue when the world can
operate a little more freely again!
What is your vision for the company for the next five
years?
Well really, we are only just beginning as our single malt
launched just last year. Over the next five years I'd like
to see the number of people who have tried and love
Nc'nean to continue to grow, for more people's eyes to
be opened to Scotch whisky and for the industry as a
whole to undergo a sustainable transformation.
| May 2021 |
29

32. T
here have been numerous studies and articles
published on how a positive workplace culture
improves teamwork, raises morale, increases
productivity and efficiency, and enhances retention of
the workforce. Job satisfaction, collaboration, and work
performance are all enhanced and, most importantly, a
positive workplace environment reduces stress in
employees. Leaders that promote the positive work
culture are admirable. Hui Wu-Curtis is one such
admirable business leader who believes that a positive
work culture is not only a necessity, but imperative to
organization's continued growth. She is currently the
CEO at World Connection. She truly believes that
everything begins and ends with people. She says, “The
talent that you attract to your organization, the talent that
you grow within your organization, and the talent that you
retain — all add to your overall success.”
Leading Successfully Even Through Tough Times
Hui joined World Connection in January 2020 as the
President/COO to provide leadership, management,
and vision to help grow and evolve the organization.
Shortly after she joined, COVID hit, and the world
changed dramatically. Like everyone else, the pandemic
forced World Connection to pivot quickly in this
environment but, being a business process outsourcing
company (BPO) that handles the customer service,
sales, technical, and back-office support for other
organizations, it was imperative that it paid special
attention to the needs of its employees, as they
represent other company brands. World Connection
worked quickly as a team to get all its employees
working from home at both its Guatemala City,
Guatemala and Boise, Idaho contact centers before
either of the governments created mandates. The
Hui Wu-Curtis
CEO
World Connection
| May 2021 |
30

33. Hui Wu-Curtis
Delivering Value and Innovation to Clients
organization was fortunate to have had the
infrastructure in place to move over 700 people home
in a matter of three days. The biggest achievement in all
this shuffle was that Hui's leadership team managed to
do all of it with little to no impact on its clients'
business.
As many industries were hard hit by the pandemic,
World Connection was diversified enough to have fared
well during this turbulent and uncharted time. At the
end of 2020, though World Connection lost some
clients due to COVID's negative impact on their
industries, the company still managed to grow
compared to the prior year. The company had a strong
2020 with many achievements and, in March 2021, the
board of directors made the unanimous decision to
promote Hui into the CEO role for World Connection.
‘‘
Leadership is about
making others
better as a result of
your presence and
making sure that
impact lasts in your
absence.
| May 2021 |
31

34. Creating Positive Work Culture
In its culture at World Connection, the company
ensures that there is a strong alignment with its core
values of empowering its employees, creating a safe
environment to fail and learn, and providing a
judgement-free zone. Hui is often involved in many
elements of the operations, so it is not uncommon for
her to be a part of meetings at all levels, whether it be
listening and learning or providing feedback and
support. She also observes her leadership team to
ensure that they are promoting a positive work culture.
World Connection partners with Human Resources,
Marketing and Communications, and Talent
Development/Training to showcase accomplishments,
promote health and well-being for its employees, and
review/change its policies and procedures to ensure
that it is employee-centric, and it always looks for ways
to evolve as a company. It also conducts surveys and
focus groups at all levels of the organization, in addition
to doing regular Q&A sessions with the executive team,
and thus, provides open channels of communication
and transparency. It is through all these elements and
activities, and many others, that World Connection
promotes its positive work culture. Hui strongly
believes that — regardless of your position in the
organization — each person matters, every person
deserves respect and equal opportunity to grow and
learn. It takes every person rowing in the same
direction for all of us to succeed.
Exceeding Expectations of Clients
Hui is very operations-focused, and she works closely
with her leadership team to ensure that their
approaches to and management of their clients meet
and exceed their expectations. “Meet and exceed” has
become a soundbite, and may sound a bit trite, but
knowing what she wanted when she WAS the client,
she proactively works with her leadership team to
deliver value and innovation for their clients.
Another aspect of management skill of Hui is to keep
abreast of what is happening in the business, verticals,
and markets of their clients. By learning and truly
understanding their business, she develops stronger
business acumen amongst her leadership team. World
| May 2021 |
32

35. Connection mentors and coaches its leaders, not only
to consistently perform, but to understand the business
so they can run their operations like it is their business.
Creating Growth Opportunities for Women
World Connection loves to coordinate volunteer events
and give back to the communities in which its people
work and live. Since the pandemic has (mostly) halted
those efforts, it has had to be more creative in terms of
its sponsorship and contributions to the community.
World Connection is a sponsor of the CCWomen Meet-
Up series through CCWDigital, and Hui provides
support in these types of panel discussion or meet-ups,
with both women and men, to discuss topics such as
gender and race in the workplace. Hui sees hearing and
sharing stories in this CCWomen network as a way to
give back to the professional community.
In terms of providing growth opportunities for women,
under tenure of Hui Wu-Curtis, this has become a key
initiative for World Connection, as she has always been
a huge advocate. For this year, she is partnering with
various support departments to build a comprehensive
approach to creating these opportunities through
support and preparation. This includes bringing to light
education on unconscious bias, barriers for women,
perceptions, and the importance of mentorship and
coaching. World Connection will measure the results
versus baseline as each initiative is rolled out and in
progress. Hui feels it is important that one should come
full circle on growth opportunities for women, first by
understanding the movement of women in one's
organization. What positions are they are moving into?
Is there a lack of movement in certain positions and, if
so, why? With these insights, one can craft programs to
lessen the gaps that are identified and measured
before/after for overall effectiveness.
Continuing Trajectory for Smart Growth
Hui Wu-Curtis believes that World Connection has a
unique opportunity to continue to develop its
differentiation and find its niche. She is incredibly
competitive and love doing what most people think is
impossible, so she looks forward to this adventure with
her team at World Connection.
In the next five years, World Connection will continue
its trajectory for smart growth and expand the diversity
of its portfolio. Internally, World Connection will
continue to develop business-savvy leaders at all levels
and build upon its bench strength of talent. World
Connection will also continue to be creative, innovate,
agile, and forward-thinking in its space. She often tells
her leadership team that you don't have to belong to a
large corporation to come up with good ideas.
Innovation and creativity comes in all different shapes
and sizes.
Invaluable Advice
In her advice to upcoming women entrepreneurs, she
says “Find yourself mentors upon whom you can call for
advice, brainstorm with, or use as a sounding board. That
personal coaching, and gleaning off their knowledge and
experience, is invaluable for one's own learning and
development. And never stop learning!”
She adds, “Don't be afraid to fail. Just fail fast and move on.
Be concise in your communication. Be genuine and
transparent. Have the courage and grit to do the right
things. The right things are never the easiest, but the
rewards will follow. Lastly, surround yourself with people
smarter than yourself and strong leaders who compliment
you. Collectively, as a team, you can make anything
possible, and do some pretty amazing things along the way.”
| May 2021 |
33

36. Judi
Wineland
Sharing Passion for
Travel with Other Adventurers
Judi Wineland,
Co-Founder and Board Member,
Wineland-Thomson Adventures
| May 2021 |
34

37. ife without adventures is pretty much like a
Lmonotonous routine. The adventurous moments
are creative, experimental, and joyous. When
traveling, we get to see how big the world is along with
all of its diversity and variety. New experiences help us
realize how tiny our problems are. It makes us more
compassionate, more mature, and more knowledgeable
people with amazing experiences. In this way, what
makes life more interesting is an opportunity to live
adventurously and help others to live it more
adventurously by traveling the world.
At the age of 28, Judi Wineland became the world’s
first woman to found an adventure travel company in
the US, when she launched Overseas Adventure Travel
back in 1978. Since then, she has spent her career
making space for women in a male-dominated industry.
In 1981, with her husband Rick Thomson, she started
Thomson Safaris, offering luxury safaris in Tanzania. In
the 40 years since, they have founded nine successful
adventure travel companies and organizations, all of
which operate globally, including Thomson Family
Adventures, Thomson Treks and Thomson Collections.
Over the years the company grew; today Wineland-
Thomson Adventures runs both Thomson Safaris and
Thomson Family Adventures, a company devoted
exclusively to hand-crafting extraordinary travel
experiences for families. In 2017, Judi and her two
daughters acquired AdventureWomen, a company
offering adventure travel as a medium for
transformative journeys throughout the world. Judi
finds that it is gratifying to have the opportunity to
share her passion for travel with other adventurers.
Sustainability, cultural enrichment, quality adventuring,
and a belief that travel is transformational have always
been important to Judi. It is her foundation for good
travel and good living.
Recognizing the Potential of Technology
The pandemic has proven the irrevocable relevance of
the digital economy in the modern world and how much
everyone relies on those who work in IT and the
Services Industry. Technology’s ability to connect an
individual to the people he or she works with around
the world makes IT a fixture at the heart of Wineland-
Thomson Adventures’ business model.
Providing Personalized Services
Technological developments and digital transformation
are part of the nature of the world we live in. Wineland-
Thomson Adventures fully embraces these changes. It
has found that staying agile keeps it sharp and
adaptable for periods of uncertainty. In many ways, it
also allows Wineland-Thomson Adventures to provide
more personalized service to its guests.
Uplifting and Positive Business Environment
Over the years, Wineland-Thomson Adventures has
built a culture where its commitment to its guests, staff,
and each other is central to what it does. Engaged and
motivated staff is key to its success. The company is
committed to making it possible for all staff to have a
pleasant work/life balance. They also believe that work
can and should be fun! They regularly share meals and
make memories together in person (when and where it
is responsible to do so) and online. The opportunity to
forge lasting friendships while working is a testament
to the uplifting and positive business environment
Wineland-Thomson Adventures shares.
Valuing Collaboration and Transparency
As an international company, it is critical to align one’s
vision across countries and culture. Wineland-Thomson
Adventures believes personal connection provides the
opportunity to create a shared vision and strategic
direction. The staff believe that transparent and clear
communication results in collaboration, ultimately
reaching the organization’s goals.
| May 2021 |
35

38. Empowering Women with Opportunities
As a Co-Founder and Board Member, Judi is committed
to providing opportunities to women through
Wineland-Thomson Adventures’ philanthropic
organization, Focus on Tanzanian Communities
(FoTZC). FoTZC is dedicated to women’s
empowerment, education, community, and health in
remote Northern Tanzania where women have limited
educational and economic opportunities. For example,
in one of Tanzania’s most remote Maasai communities,
only five of the 270 women had a primary school
education.
Wineland-Thomson Adventures has also provided
professional opportunities such as beekeeping
programs and job training for these women. With staff,
the organization coaches women to grow and assume
managerial responsibilities. The executive team of
Wineland-Thomson Adventures is female, and it has a
solid family plan in place so women may take of their
families without jeopardizing their professional lives.
Creating a Supportive Community
Judi advises to aspiring business leaders to pursue their
dream with passion. She advises them to create a
community that can support them, and always look to
create relationships with people who have something
to teach them. She suggests to never, ever, stop growing
and learning.
Remaining Committed to Values
Wineland-Thomson Adventures will continue to grow
by remaining committed to the values it has had since
its beginnings: a commitment to excellence, respect,
and community. The staff values its guests, each other,
and the world equally. The company is agile and able to
transform as the world and the market transform, so it
can provide consistently outstanding experiences for
its guests.
From the beginning, local
employment and advocacy
have been absolutely
central to the way
Wineland-Thomson
Adventures was built.
‘‘
‘‘
| May 2021 |
36

40. AN INTRINSIC
WAY OF LEADING
"I Could, Should and Ought To Succeed; I Simply Had To!"
Leadership is all about navigating and overcoming the
various challenges on the journey to success. It is about
knowing when to be prudent and when to be bold, it's
about putting in the work needed to really understand
what you're dealing with in each situation, and it's
about respect—earning it and showing it alike. Indeed,
one of the biggest challenges—and virtues—in
leadership is composure, and it's practically impossible
to overstress the importance of having the respect of
your customers, the industry and the community you
operate in.
As straightforward as this all sounds, it can often be
challenging to put into effect—and that's why I'm
writing this, as an extra bit of support for aspiring
leaders on their way to success.
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your
bed.” - U.S. Navy Admiral William McRaven
At the beginning of my journey, it occurred to me that
there was no reason why the “impossible” should be
impossible—why couldn't I make it possible? So I
decided that I had to maintain that state of mind and
follow it through with my actions.
I started with cooking and decided to tackle some
intimidating basics, such as properly cutting a
pomegranate or pineapple. It may sound simple, even
funny, but it can actually take quite a long time to get
rid of the fear and decide that you can accomplish a
task if you just find the right technique and learn how to
do it. I long ago mastered exotic fruit, but to this day,
whenever I cook, I still tackle the most difficult task
first—and I've always taken the same approach with my
work. When I was starting out, I took on the most
difficult tasks first, and once I had successfully tackled
those, I could do anything. Everything is easy if you
know how to do it.
Of course, quite often, the challenge is not the task in
front of you but the mental state that keeps you from
going for it. So alongside undertaking all kinds of
entrepreneurial responsibilities and dealing with the
daily challenges of running a business, you have to also
consciously do the work of confronting yourself and
overcoming the obstacles within. There's no way
around it. Self-reflection and self-knowledge are both
essential and inevitable.
To paraphrase Pythagoras's Golden Verses, you should
never go to sleep before you have reflected on your
actions of the day: Before you go to bed, consider what
you have done wrong, so that you may correct it or
avoid it in the future; consider what you have
accomplished and how, so that you may continue to do
so; and consider what you ought to have done but
didn't, and make sure that you take care of it tomorrow.
This process of using reflection and understanding in
order to move forward and grow as a leader also
applies to developing and growing your business. To
effectively deal with any challenge or obstacle that you
find in your way, you must first seek to understand its
nature, to understand what it is, what factors into it,
and what it affects and how. The key to this is twofold:
research and knowledge.
By- Charikleia G. Stouka, Founder of ALMA Real Estate Hellas
Leadership Insight
| May 2021 |
38

41. Flexibility, adaptability and innovation are also
essential throughout it all. The way to success is strewn
with wins as well as losses, and at each step, you have to
be ready to use all the knowledge you have acquired
along the way to weigh the pros and cons and be
pragmatic about the situation and about your position
in it. It's important to neither underestimate nor
overestimate the sense of your potential.
“Good things are acquired through toil.” - Aristotle
Reaching the top takes a lot of hard and smart work
over the course of many years. You must maintain your
focus on your goals (both short- and longterm) and have
patience, perseverance and dedication. You have to be
willing to put in the work, and you have to be prepared
to make the necessary sacrifices that come with
building a successful business from the ground up,
which can include gruelling working hours, being on the
alert 24/7, sleepless nights, missing out on fun times
with friends, and giving up some of the freedom that
others your age might be enjoying. None of this should
be constant or permanent, but all of it will happen, and
you have to be prepared. And while the work may be
hard and demanding, every day is a next step, a new
journey and new inspiration to keep going. The
discipline required, the discipline you learn as you
progress on your path, allows you to become ever
better at managing your professional life and, with
every step, brings you closer to your goals. There is
something to gain from every challenge, and you should
stay alert and open to identifying the benefit in any
scenario and every situation.
That said, to be successful and meaningfully so, you also
need to ensure that you give back as well. For me, that
was my motivation from day one. I chose to not just be
good at my work but to also add value to the work to
the best of my ability and to leave the community
better than I found it. Because when it comes to
succeeding in business and leadership, you have to ask
yourself: What is the purpose of doing what everybody
else is already doing? Why should customers and clients
choose me if I'm not willing to go above and beyond?
What is the point of doing whatever we do if we do not
add value to it and strive to always leave things better
than we found them? This brings us back full circle to
the importance of learning and doing and pushing
yourself, always, to excel. So give yourself the gift of
lifelong learning and dare to adapt and innovate. And
read, read, read! I read voraciously, from novels to
treatises to the writing on restaurant napkins. You
never know where you'll find the spark that answers
that thought you've had on your mind all day or inspires
you to come up with something useful.
Charikleia G. Stouka
Founder of "ALMA Real
Estate Hellas”
| May 2021 |
39

42. Lisa Jones,
Founder and CEO
EyeMail Inc.
| May 2021 |
40

43. Lisa Jones
G
reat leaders have the courage to believe what
they can imagine can also become a reality.
Great leaders are audacious to pursue their
goals no matter what. Great business leaders go
beyond their comfort zone and refuse to stay on the
sidelines. Great leaders are aware that innovative
technology can be leveraged to support a change for
the better, and digital transformation can change what
we are today, to become something more tomorrow.
Lisa S. Jones, the Founder and Chief EyeMail Officer of
EyeMail Inc., chose not to agree with those who told
her ‘there is nothing wrong with email so why change it’.
She developed multiple patent-pending technologies
because she envisioned a better way to engage with
each other using email.
Lisa’s journey has certainly not been a direct path to
where she is today. She made the decision early to self-
fund her company and while that allowed her the
flexibility to truly innovate without restrictions,
educating the market on a technology that didn’t exist
before, and finding resources with the right skills to
support a future technological vision.
Bringing Emails to Life
The first electronic message was established in 1965
and the first email was sent in 1971. The foundational
concepts of Email have not really changed in the last 50
years.
EyeMail technology is looking to break that cycle
through the next generation of email engagement.
Founded in 2004, EyeMail enables automatic play of a
60+ seconds High-Definition video and audio across all
email, webmail, and mobile platforms in 15k in size,
Innovating without Restrictions
with no downloads or clicks to external websites to
view the full video. There is no limit to the value of
using EyeMail through internal and external
communications or event planning and execution,
every interaction with another person is an
opportunity to use EyeMail.
Facilitating Positive Work Culture
EyeMail’s culture is founded on its innovative
creativity and the development of a multi-patent
pending technology. Innovation is not restricted to a
specific age group or level within the company, the
youngest team member is 23 years and the most
senior team member is 75 years of age. This wide
range of age and the global diversity of its team
members, better equips EyeMail to foster the
exchange of new ideas. Creating this natural
collaborative community and knowledge sharing is
how everyone at EyeMail stays motivated and
engaged.
Building a Team with Varying Expertise
Lisa’s multi-cultural team has varying degrees of
expertise across different fields. Lisa learned very
quickly, her strengths versus opportunities for
improvements. She kept that in mind when building
her team because she doesn’t need three more Lisa’s
with her same skillsets. While collaboration is a key
to success, Lisa also has strong sense of her brand
and vision. If a decision was going to alter the
perception of the brand in an inconsistent or
negative way, she would ask the team to dig in
deeper, talk through it, and consider other ways to
be achieve the same goals.
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44. Lisa also listens to those she meets at conferences (i.e.
onsite or virtual). She listens to the stories people tell
and sometimes she will hear something that sparks a
new idea. Two years ago, she met someone at a
conference who said, ‘if you can fix this particular
problem that my life would be easier’. Lisa happened to
agree with him, and that conversation led to a product
EyeMail will roll out later in 2021.
Sharing Lessons and Helping Each Other
One of the great things about networking with women,
is women are all very much willing to share their
lessons learned and help others be successful. Lisa’s top
10 lessons that keep her going as a female
entrepreneur are:
1. When things get lonely, connect with images or
videos that motivate you.
2. Understand that every day will not be sunshine and
rainbows
3. Set aside time to celebrate all successes, even the
small ones.
4. Own it, and realize you are enough & deserve success
5. Seek mentorship from multiple and diverse sources
6. Tweak it, until you peak it
7. Talk less and listen more
8. Stay true to your vision
9. Increase your network
10. Find your inspiration
Remaining Relevant by Delivering Value
EyeMail is as a company that is always evolving and
looking ahead, as the team knows their clients are
constantly changing in how they best support their
customers. Remaining relevant is knowing how and
where to bring value. Lisa and the team recognize the
value EyeMail brought to a client last year, may not the
be same value its clients need this year.
What is on the future roadmap for EyeMail? By 2022,
EyeMail will redefine the industry standard for video-
in-email. In two to three years, EyeMail will be a
globally recognized brand, market leader, and perhaps
even in the oxford dictionary. In three years, EyeMail
will have successfully infused artificial intelligence with
its current technology to create something even more
magnificent, taking the everyday human interaction to
the next level and continuing to bring your email to life!
Greatness can
be born from
anywhere in
the world and
Significance is
not
geographically
defined.
‘‘
‘
‘
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46. | May 2021 |
44

47. Megan
Capriccio
Using Modern Tech Advancements to Improve Women Healthcare
M
egan Capriccio is the CEO & Co-Founder at FemTech Collective. As an entrepreneur, product manager,
and business strategist, she has dedicated her career to ensure that women have more control over their
realities i.e. health, education, and career.
Megan's various roles have helped gain her recognition as a champion for positive change for women. After her first
company' success that supports women's careers and education in the wine and spirits industry, she wanted to dive
further into researching women's roles on the international horizon. She went on to complete Masters of
International Relations with a focus in Feminist Theory from the University of Sydney where she became frustrated
with the conclusion that women's health can never be a substantial priority in a world where most countries and
companies are led by men. Despite the shortcomings of healthcare systems and governments, Megan turned to
technology as a solution for women's empowerment and equity.
In 2020, Nicole Dahlstrom brought Megan as a Co-Founder of FemTech Collective to commercialize the business
and develop the FemTech industry on a global scale. Through FemTech Collective, she is currently working with and
consulting for FemTech companies, investors, and partners to grow the global ecosystem, offer additional support
for women to manage their health with the help of technology, and re-educate the public on how healthy women
create a healthy society.
FemTech Collective is the world's largest network for entrepreneurs, innovators, and professionals in women's
health technology. “Our mission is to catalyze quality innovation by providing strategic opportunities for the FemTech
ecosystem and amplifying the acceleration of products and services for women's health,” says the company.
In an interview with CIO Look, Megan Capriccio shared her vision for improving women health globally through
advance tech innovations and what steps she is taking to bring this cause into a reality.
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45

48. “
Below are the highlights of the interview:
As a business leader, what is your opinion on the
impact of the current pandemic on the IT & Services
Industry and Digital Economy in general?
The pandemic has accelerated the digital economy,
which in many cases is a positive move towards a more
flexible workforce encouraging work/life balance,
especially for women. As a society, we have learned
that a remote workforce, of course depending on the
industry, can be successful.
In the healthcare space, we've seen significant
improvements and acceleration that allow patients to
access their providers digitally. We may not have seen
these improvements as quickly without a pandemic.
In the case of FemTech Collective, we are a fully remote
team, with staff around the world and yet we remain
tightly connected through digital means. We have seen
FemTech as an industry creating more accessible
products and services for women, and users quickly
becoming adopters of the technology because it offers
the support that otherwise wouldn't be available.
What is your thought on the necessity of a positive
work culture? In what ways do you implement it at
your organization?
A positive work culture breads innovative thinking,
encouragement, support, confidence, empathy which
leads to a happy staff, and ultimately greater
production.
At FemTech Collective, we foster a positive
environment by being flexible and understanding with
staff, engaging often, and encouraging innovative
thinking and ideas. Our team is committed to our vision
and supporting the members to help them achieve their
successes.
What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses
to align their offerings with newer technological
developments, especially when it comes to Digital
Transformation?
The pandemic has accelerated the digital
transformation, and we are seeing that in healthcare
from digital appointments, to at home prescription
delivery, to personal monitoring and tracking
applications and devices. It's unforeseen circumstances
like the pandemic that make digital transformation in
healthcare all the more necessary.
Newer technologies are always interesting to see and
exciting to evaluate. However, new developments will
greatly depend on the audience to which they are
targeting, the acceptance, and the level of market
saturation. Before the pandemic, patients were quite
wary to receive care in a digital environment, but when
it's the only medium possible, they quickly adapted.
Because of this, digital healthcare is going to be a major
component of the new norm.
How do you bring your management skills in
establishing strategic direction and delivering results
globally?
My achievements and experiences have shaped my
leadership style just as much as my failures have; it's
important to recognize this in your team as well. I think
the most important thing a leader can do is take the
time to understand how their team ticks and to learn
what a priority is for them. This has become an easier
skill for me to develop; the more I understand myself
and my own priorities.
The more I took the time to reflect on myself, the more
enthusiastic I became for the things I decided to devote
my time to. Great leaders are able to do this for
themselves and also take the time to understand it in
others. It allows you to see your team or community for
the humans they are while allowing them to bring their
full selves and potential to work.
Learn from your
victories and mistakes
and do not give up
when it gets hard.
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49. Thus, from there, it is just finding a team that shares
your enthusiasm and motivation for the work ahead.
In what ways have you contributed to the community?
If given a chance, what change would you bring in
providing growth opportunities to Women.
The ethos of FemTech Collective is such that we want
to amplify the success of innovators and founders in the
women's health technology industry. As a
predominately, female led ecosystem, we see it's our
responsibility to support the unique needs of leaders in
the space. May that be through strategic partnerships,
mentorship opportunities, coaching sessions, or
otherwise, we take our cues from the community itself.
We provide career development opportunities through
our internal roles, and provide company accelerating
programs to strategically support the global industry
more broadly.
As an established business leader, what would be your
advice to the budding women entrepreneurs aspiring
to venture into IT & Services Industry?
My advice to anyone, women and men, looking to
venture into IT and the Services Industry is: do your
homework, do the research, know your audience,
connect with other entrepreneurs to learn from their
journeys, learn from your victories and mistakes and do
not give up when it gets hard. This is a journey, enjoy
the experience.
How do you envision on sustaining your company's
competency in a cutthroat and volatile world of
business? Where do you see your company in the next
five years?
In the future, I see FemTech Collective as the leading
business support service and strategic global network
for entrepreneurs, innovators, and professionals in
female health. There's so much room for new
technologies, and we're still highlighting the gaps where
innovation is lacking to support women's health
journeys. FemTech Collective is creating the foundation
for the next generation of entrepreneurs in this space,
and catalyzing innovation to ensure personalization
and further accessibility in women's healthcare
products.
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