admin, Author at Tycoon Success

Towerwall: Pioneering Cyber Security Consulting

Established by Michelle Drolet, Towerwall helps its clients by providing them with continuous monitoring and protection against current and evolving cyber threats. As the industry’s leading data security preparedness partner, Towerwall’s end-to-end solutions help to bridge the gap between plan and action to ensure its clients’ security.

Michelle also co-founded the annual Information Security Summit in partnership with Mass Bay Community College, with the purpose of creating an open forum for knowledge sharing between cyber professionals, vendors, and students. Additionally, the summit also serves as a vehicle to raise funds to provide academic scholarships in the field of cybersecurity for MassBay students in their Cyber Program. Till date, more than $55,000 has been raised for scholarships. Michelle also serves on the college’s advisory board to help shape its cybersecurity curriculums.

Recently we got a chance to sit down with Michelle to learn more about Towerwall and how the cyber security company is safeguarding its clients from modern-day cyber threats.

Below are the highlights of the interview.

Please tell us about your professional journey.

Michelle: In college, I studied criminal justice, so from an early age, I’ve been interested in stopping the bad guys. In 1993 I was hired to run the US operations for an IT consulting business that was making inroads into cybersecurity. The company was acquired by a public entity, but I grew disenchanted with its direction and found a way to buy the company back. Since 1999 we’ve been offering customized cybersecurity preparedness and end-to-end solutions that bridge the gap between plan and action to ensure resiliency for organizations of all sizes.

Please throw some light on Towerwall and its services.

Michelle: Regardless of company size, almost every modern organization struggles with cybersecurity. Our clients trust Towerwall to provide them with continuous monitoring and protection against current and evolving threats. We learned early on that there is no single piece of technology or system that will keep any organization completely secure. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution. That’s why Towerwall developed an operational security approach that distinguishes our services in the market. A methodology that is not only consistent, repeatable, and measurable but also flexible enough to adapt to the changing threat landscape. We call this customizable approach the “7 Dimensions of Cybersecurity,” which all organizations, regardless of industry or security maturity, should adopt to establish a multi-dimensional, multi-layered, proactive security defense.

Services include establishing a program and developing policies, conducting security audits and risk assessments, threat detection and response, guidance on abiding by compliance and regulations, penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, vendor questionnaires, employee awareness training, and many other security services. Our customer engagements last for several years, and these include Foundation Medicine, Middlesex Savings Bank, Dean College, Milford Regional Medical Center, Perkin Elmer, and local SMBs.

What are the primary challenges of the industry?

Michelle: The primary challenge facing our cybersecurity industry has really been about the glaring shortage of professionals who are well-versed in security, risk management, and compliance. To meet this high demand for skilled talent, Towerwall launched an innovative service called virtual CISO — a personal service to take on the responsibilities and duties associated with the Chief Information Security Officer (vCISO), the virtual Data Protection Officer (vDPO), and the virtual Chief Privacy Officer (vCPO). These roles are brought in-house for client engagements on a fractional or interim basis. These fractional services roles also act as a huge competitive differentiator and advantage.

How is Towerwall disrupting the entire industry for the better?

Michelle: Cybersecurity is multi-dimensional. Organizations need a partner who can deliver a coordinated end-to-end solution response. We like to guide our clients through all the phases of cybersecurity. That’s why we developed a unique security approach (the “7 Dimensions of Cybersecurity”) that is not only consistent, repeatable, and measurable but flexible enough to adapt to the changing threat landscape. As a market leader, our content marketing focuses on sharing the latest in active threats, vulnerabilities, and tactical steps our clients can take. Each month we hold webinars and in-person events to keep our clients and prospects informed and engaged.

Please explain the effect of the pandemic on Towerwall. How did you overcome it?

Michelle: Because we are a security tech company, most of our staff were already working remotely, having been set up with secure VPN connections long ago, ensuring business continuity in the face of the pandemic. We were fortunate to have hired people who are truly self-motivated. Also fortunate to have had 70% of our staff working remotely before Covid hit. We didn’t miss a beat. Today we support a hybrid work week with limited staff who do come into the office. This is what we believe creates a proactive, positive corporate culture that make our team deliver to the fullest.

What are your priorities for 2023?

Michelle: Towerwall plans to continue to grow and expand both our customer base and consultants globally. Our business model is all about partnerships. Recently we forged new vendor partnerships with Pentera and CyberSaint (adding them to our stable of 50-plus cyber-tech partners) to help our customers manage their cybersecurity programs as well as assist our consultants when conducting risk assessments. Other partners include Alert Logic, Varonis, LogRhythm, KnowBe4, Tenable, Sophos, and many other recognized brands.

Give us a piece of advice that you would share with entrepreneurs just starting out.

Michelle: For young entrepreneurs just starting out, it’s important to state your values clearly and upfront. We believe in finding the right balance between work and family. Our values are about having focus, determination, and compassion. We all face challenges in our personal and business life, but the ability to persevere is the difference between success and failure. Particularly in business, nothing is more important than solving your customer’s needs. We often compete and win against larger players because our team has a ‘run through the wall’ attitude. Make teamwork a priority.

Mehul Mahicha: An Illustrious Film Director Personality creating Engaging Creative Content for Brands

Mehul Mahicha is an Animation Film Director, Producer, and Co-founder at Vivi5 Studios. He is an exceptional film designer in the business of storytelling. Along with his partner, Co-Director Rita Dhankani, the duo aims to help growing brands reach their true potential by connecting them with their audiences, through engaging-impactful film communications!

The Initial Journey

Animation is something that interested Mehul since childhood. It was magnified after his post-graduation in Animation Film Design from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in 2002. He started working in the industry as an Animation Director and worked as a Content Creator for Kids’ Channels in India. During this period, he also worked under some illustrious mentors like Sir. Rammohan at Graffiti Multimedia, Prakash Moorthy at Miditech, and Eeks Suresh at Famous Studios.

In 2009, he started his journey as an entrepreneur Co-Founding “Vivi5 Studios” with fellow NIDian & partner, Rita Dhankani. And in the past 14 years, they have partnered with some of the renowned Advertising Agencies, Corporate houses, Startups, and NGOs; in the country and across four continents.

Unicef India, UNDP, Ashok Leyland, Dentsu Webchutney, McCann, Leo Burnett, DDB Mudra, Tata Sky, Tata Elxsi, SBI Card, Amazon India, DataShurbs, Razorpay, are some of their esteemed clients over these years.

Mentoring is Mehul’s second love after filmmaking and he is ever ready to guide his team at Vivi5 Studios, film students, and aspiring designers in this domain. He is also an External Advisory Board Member for MIT Design Institute, Pune, and a frequent External Jury member at Srishti School of Design.

About Vivi5 Studios

Think, design, create, and connect to bring impact!

Vivi5 Studios is an award-winning one-stop Film Content and Design Agency building stellar Brand Stories for growing businesses.

“When I say stellar brand video content, I mean we do what it takes to grab your audience’s attention, make them pause and hear what you have to say, and ultimately take action to bring you results. How do we do that? By blending storytelling mediums, and design thinking,” states Mehul.

Both Mehul and Rita, come from multidisciplinary backgrounds such as animation, film, art, design, advertising & film-making. And as avid design thinkers and mentors, they make sure they cultivate the same in their teams and help them develop as design thinkers first and then as designers or animators. They nurture a creative team to cater to varied sectors but also multiply the studio’s expertise as a multidisciplinary film and design agency.

Apart from a good quality product/service, every growing business needs a good story to communicate its ‘brand’ value to the customers. Vivi5 Studios help them to do so by designing and developing unique custom-made engaging stories to build up this brand awareness amongst their users for greater returns.

Their USP is a varied story-telling palette such as 2D & 3D Animation, Stop Motion, Motion Graphics, and live action. In short, they do what it takes to help their clients sell better when it comes to creating promotional and awareness films in the most effective ways across varied platforms and geographies.

Their main offers include Content creation from Concept to Screen, Brand Identity, Advertising Films, Brand Films, Corporate Videos, Promotional Films, Explainer videos, Education Films, and Brand Design Consultancy; for both Broadcast, Digital Platforms and at times for print media, as well.

As brand communication experts, their job is to get an in-depth understanding of the brand/client, their requirements, and their target audiences; and bring them the right kind of film and design solutions.

Mehul is proud to share that his partnerships with clients are for the longer run, and his client’s success is his success “What helps us create unique solutions is our design thinking process. It is the magic mantra to building success stories for our clients,” adds Mehul.

Wall of Achievement

FOXGLOVE Awards 2022 – Best use of Animation for PSA ‘BHOOK’ The Hunger
ANN Awards 2022 – Best use of Animation for PSA ‘BHOOK’ The Hunger
FOXGLOVE Awards 2020 – Best CSR Film for ‘HAPPY EARTH DAY
FICCI Award 2017 – Best Animation Ad for Y K ORGANICS MYNTRA, INDIA
FICCI Awards 2016 – Best Animation Film (nomination) For ‘Wahga Time’ I Khalifa University, UAE
TASI Awards 2015 – Best Animation Film (nomination) for Right to Education I UNICEF, India

Cherishing a Collective Growth-Driven Environment

One thing that keeps team Vivi5 going is their common love for storytelling for brands. The company works for diversified industry verticals such as Automobile, Fintech, Healthtech, Lifestyle, E-Commerce, Fashion, FMCG, Health, E-learning, Telecom, Electronics, Consumer Products, Banking, etc. Their primary aim is to create content that touches the hearts and ignites the minds, of all their stakeholders.

Vivi5 Studio’s vision is to empower collective growth for all its Stakeholders: Clients, Teams, and companies. That’s their 3-win formula.

The Studio believes in collective growth and that’s what keeps Mehul motivated. His studio provides consistent in-depth design knowledge, why-s & how-s, and practical experience while unparallel scope on upgrading creative skills for its employees through day-to-day learning and knowledge sharing that is at par with any international design institute.

Current Market Trends

Today’s content has become more user-specific. It’s not simply limited to one celebrity using a product that influences many buyers. Rather it’s the buyer, who is now a celebrity influencing the sales. Personalised content has taken over center stage as there has been a remarkable sales increase of 20% when brands nurture individual customer relationships. Nearly 92% of the buyers trust individual recommendations.

Influencer marketing is the most evident trend and has grown multifold, especially during the lockdown. B2C and D2C communications seem to have a great scope when it comes to content creation and business generation. It is in fact, responsible for the fast-growing technology solutions that are equally influencing marketing and advertising strategies. When one sees nearly 4000+ apps being created every day globally, one knows it’s an internet swaraj.
Reels are on fire. It’s one trend that every brand is leveraging. Unscripted or scripted, polished or crude; these reels are welcomed by audiences who are content creators or are aspiring to be one. Live videos are helping brands attract leads, get rich customer data, and generate new businesses, and most stay future-ready.
Interactive storytelling content is yet another promising format that works well for the current shorter-attention-span criteria for effective communication. More and more brands are building interactive and immersive storytelling content, as they don’t want to lose their audiences amidst many brand promotions, where each is working on bringing more impressions with every post. Brands are moving to bring an immersive storytelling experience.

“If you observe any of the content today, it’s within the first 2 to 3 secs of the video you see the CTA appear to hold the viewer’s attention from clicking the ‘skip ad’ option. Hence, businesses are moving towards more engaging and immersive storytelling narratives now more than ever,” states Mehul.

All in all, it’s a chain effect. With a focus on personalised advertising, there’s a change in the way content is being designed, optimized, and showcased. Storytelling for brands is changing to a concise format to engage the audiences of today, in the quickest way possible.

Getting Future Ready

Vivi5 Studios aspires to assist more and more businesses on their potential growth path through its expertise. “Storytelling has always been as immersive but translating it into a physical space experience is something we are aiming to do,”– explains Mehul. The company is currently in talks with brands to collaborate where its designers, animators, and visualizers can work with programmers, engineers, and data specialists to come up with immersive storytelling solutions for its clients and audiences. With a symbiotic association as such in the upcoming times, Vivi5 Studios aims to expand its horizons and reach a wider audience base.

“As a creative content agency, we will always face new challenges while keeping up with the latest trends in the marketing and advertising industry. We also need to bring more awareness of the importance of capitalising on immersive storytelling video content to growing businesses. And how can they make the most in their social media and the digital marketing campaigns to enhance their brand positioning and generate more value.”– says Mehul.

To bring this awareness, Vivi5 Studios is actively talking about creative storytelling and its need for the hour, through its publications on LinkedIn Vivi5 posts.

They are also developing IPs to help create effective yet affordable video content for brands, who want to engage with their users on regular bases but find it tough to test the waters at a cost that is way beyond their marketing budgets.

A Promising Time

“As we move from the Internet of Things (IOT) to the Internet of Place (IOP)and the Internet of Ownership (IOO), we foresee a paradigm shift in all sectors. Metaverse and Web3 will transform every aspect of the business narratives. Challenge it that it’s going to change how you interact with customers, how we work, products and services we offer, how we make and distribute them, how we run and operate our business/es, everything in-between and beyond.”

Vivi5 Studios is excited to take up this new challenge as it is working towards building content that will be easily adaptable to this versatile, evolving, expanding continuum. Being a multidisciplinary creative agency that is known for creating excellent content in the past amongst its partners, and where information can seamlessly be transformed from 2D to 3D to Live action, Mehul is sure that Vivi5 Studios is ready as it already has the expertise and tools to hone the upcoming new trends of communication of the future.

As an executive director of the studio that offers creative content, design, direction, and production, Mehul aims to explore new ways to ‘immersive storytelling’ in the Metaverse that will shape the future of content in the coming years.

Words of Wisdom

“These are exciting times for all of us as we see 5G on a rollout in India, leading Metaverse & Web3 to come into play. There will certainly be more competition and more challenges, and we all will be part of it. But in the end, a good-story will always be at the core of it all. And it will be our focus, all the time.” – Mehul.

Melanie Kossan: Cultivating Happier and Healthier Souls through Natural Remedies

A lifelong entrepreneur, natural wellness Aadvocate, leader, mother, and innovator, Melanie Kossan is a woman of many virtues.

Professing the significance of self-care, she knew a little about CBD and dove into research further to benefit the community in that area. “If you don’t see a clear path for what you want, sometimes you have to make it yourself”, Mindy Kaling said, and Melanie Kossan perfectly fit in this picture.

The aspiring woman leader has always loved learning, but she has never been able to focus long enough to attend college or acquire a degree beyond high school. She asked questions, read, and listened to podcasts and audiobooks.

Her Initial Journey to Start Mtn Mama, LLC

With a supportive family and her zeal to make an impact, Melanie took to building the foundation of Mtn Mama.

The company manufactures all the products they market, and they are now manufacturing for other companies. Their B2B offerings range widely and include White Label, Private Label, and Wholesale. Essentially, they can create anything you want, label it with your name, and support you in marketing it.

To ensure maximum safety, I tried all the products extensively on my family, my dogs, and myself during the product research. I had a good feeling about the outcome. I’ve since developed all of my own formulations. Product creation is still one of my favourite areas of my job, and I still do it now. She added, “We develop topical and ingestible products for people and their dogs.

With Mtn Mama, Melanie’s mission is to: “Cultivate happier, healthier souls through the production and sale of natural remedies that relieve pain, anxiety, and other ailments which interfere with the lifestyle you DESERVE!”

Stillwater Hemp – The Renowned Montana-based CBD company

Incorporated in 2017, Mtn Mama produces, distributes, and retails all-natural CBD, CBG, and CBN topicals and tinctures for people and animals. Stillwater Hemp is a renowned CBD firm with headquarters in Montana. Here, products are prepared with only natural, organic, and premium cannabinoid extracts from hemp farming in the United States.

Additionally, they are providing business opportunities, Private Labeling Services, CBD School and CBD School 2.0, and training individuals on how to start their own CBD businesses. They also accept speaking engagements and have established the first CBD Distributors Association.

Melanie’s Definition of Success

Melanie believes deeply that when her clients are successful, she is too!

“When my clients and consumers share their success stories with me, I can see that I am doing something right. I enjoy listening to people’s tales since they are unique, and everyone has one. When someone tells me a story about how working with my company has impacted their life for the better, to me, that is success”, she further apprised.

Achievements Along the Way

Sharing accomplishments has never been easy for Melanie. Because it isn’t about her, it’s about her customers. Some of her clients have fur, but others don’t. In any case, she does this so she may watch them accomplish things they previously couldn’t.

The Enigmatic Future of Mtn Mama

Mtn Mama has grown from being a one-woman show in a home office to now having a skilled workforce, a manufacturing and retail facility in Columbus, Montana, and other locations. Their future plan is to accelerate their growth and boost sales.

“My aims are never time-bound because they can turn out to be just that. I’ll be ready to sell much sooner than I anticipate”, shared the inspiring leading lady.

Words of wisdom

I have learned a lot in this business. I’ve learned a lot of lessons the hard way, and I promise you – that is expensive! Always have a mentor or advisor—someone who has done this before. Don’t choose someone who is too encouraging. A mentor who will tell you when you are wrong, your new idea is garbage, or you are wasting your time on a particular project will be far more valuable than someone who only speaks in rainbows. Get a mentor.

From the CEO’s Desk – A Recent Case Study at Mtn Mama

I’ll close by sharing one of my favourite tales about a furry friend or client. Kota is a 12-year-old German Sheppard-Bull Mastiff mix. He is handsome and debonaire and dumb as a box of rocks. He has all heart and no brain. He will bring you a gift as soon as you walk in the door. You can admire it and express gratitude to him for it, but you cannot take it. He enjoys snuggling and being the “small spoon” as well. He was somewhat limping one day. He wouldn’t put any weight on that leg the following day. His ACL tore, according to Dr Vet. Kota would probably require both legs to be operated on, which would be incredibly expensive. He then started using the CBD/CBG/CBN supplement that Mtn Mama, LLC produces. He had previously taken it, but only sometimes. Now he took it in the morning and at night. Within days he was able to run around with his BFF Bea almost as well as he used to! His ACL will heal a little each day, and the pain will be minimal. But as long as he can play with Bea and bring me gifts, everything is right as rain.

Ms. Lubna Naeem: Director of Operations – Gargash Hospital

Ms. Lubna Naeem got her degree in Pharmacy from Jamia Hamdard University. Topped In both years and awarded for the same on state level by Delhi Pharmacy Council and has training from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (A.I.I.M.S); one of the biggest semi-government hospitals in India.

She is skilled in hospital operations, strategic planning, partnerships, business development, customer/patient care management, facilities management, crisis management, team development & leadership, and cost reduction management.

Ms. Lubna is a highly motivated individual with a positive and goal-oriented outlook. She has an analytical approach and is quite experienced in conceptualization. She has a proven ability to build and lead effective teams.

She is known with her excellent communication and presentation skills. Proficiency in listening and counselling ability as well. She also has the capability to prioritize and plan effectively within a hospital/clinical setting.

A true leader and recognized for her own merits by the management and patients for her sincerity in work and services provided (google reviews, emails, written and verbal feedbacks).

She has a demonstrated capability to bring out the best in others while creating a healthy and friendly work environment. Thus, enhancing operational efficiency and optimizing resource utilization and in-depth exposure across Hospital Management, Sales & Marketing Management, Projects Management, Customer Relationship Management, and General Management.

Moreover, she is known as a hands-on results-oriented professional who can identify problems, formulate tactical plans, and initiate change.

Here are some of Ms. Lubna Naeem’s honors, awards, and acclamations to name a few:

WOMAN AWARD WTF (Wellness, Technology, Fashion)

Awarded for Excellence and being Champion in corporate Non – Clinical Leadership role

MEDGATE TODAY

Received Certificate of appreciation and featured as one of the “Top Influential & Inspiring Women Leaders” in healthcare

HEALTH AWARDS

Nominated twice 2018 & 2019 in the category of “Distinguish women in healthcare” for health award supported by Dubai Health Authority

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Invited as a keynote speaker in Global women empowernment summit 2020 UAE. Topic- Journey of a courageous women leader

SHE AWARDS U.A.E

Theme: “The Made Woman” awarded in the category of “Top ladies in business category”

THE CHANGEMAKERS

Featured in The Changemaker magzine’s first edition under inspirational story- magzine is about those indians who are making their mark and achieveing success in different industries outside India.

WEHEIS AWARDS

Awarded for the unwavering commitment to outstanding leadership 2021

HEALTH Magazine Interview

Interviewed by HEALTH magazine- ranked among top 10 health magazine worldwide by feedspot’s survey and was Asia’s first health magazine to enter the league

WeTel Corporate Leadership Award

Awarded for excellent leadership and outstanding force in the corporate and healthcare landscape of the region.

EXPO 2022 Pakistan Pavillion Guest Speaker Panel Discussion

Guest speaker about the growth and progress of sustainability and business for a greener future.

Growth and Abundance Mentality in The Current World

Are we competing or collaborating? This a question that has been lingering on my mind a lot lately. What do you think? Look at yourselves on a personal and professional level. It came to my attention that we are faced with so many opportunities, that pass under our noses simply because we are looking in the wrong direction. Life is abundant as it is. Look at the grass, trees, forests, flowers, or anything surrendering to nature. They are all abundant. So, maybe we need to learn something here and stop interfering in the natural process of being.

As a leader in the business world for over 25 years, I’ve learned this lesson the hard way. I’ve always been a corporate person, with a secure job and secure income every month; moving across the hierarchy quickly and from one job to the other creating achievements. Or that’s what I thought at the time! I never moved jobs until I secured another one of course. Me being jobless!! No way. Till the day came in March 2014, when my stress level was at its peak. I was always on a plane flying somewhere to take care of the marketing function I was heading in a regional role. Then it hit me on one of those trips that I was not really living. I was just passing by, creating checkmarks of performance, but was I happy, fulfilled, or content? Actually no, on the contrary. I felt I was adding no value at all. So, I quit my job overnight! Here I am not advising people to do that especially, if they don’t have an abundance mentality, thinking that life will end after this job they have, or that the world is tough now with a bad economic situation, or that the job market is full of people. When I took that move something inside of me told me, life is OK. Everything will be fine and doors will open for me. Guess what? They did. The following day, I got contacted by the competition. I got several calls from friends wanting me to partner with them in business, and I settled down to launch my book “Life Outside Your Comfort Zone.”. So, I realized the author in me too. It was as if there was a magical force behind me. The magic was simply inside my own heart, brain, and gut, which all told me life is abundant.

So, what lessons here can we apply in business? Through work with several business people, I came to admire those that collaborate. In fact, in one of the mastermind discussions that I ran, I came across a business owner who has been running kid’s theme parks, a family business for years. She has been short of cash during covid when her business had to pause its operation. When we brought to the table 12 other business people from different industries, she instantly got over 30 solutions to implement to be able to still run her business and generate cash. She has survived that tough time and has a profitable running business now. Therefore, the power of belief mixed with collaboration and support has played a huge role here. So, simply the way we look at business in today’s world needs to change into a more holistic model.

In my capacity as CEO and Founder of Presence Business Coaching, and has been in the human development field for over 15 years now, I always come across friends/competitors (as some may call them). When we get together as trainers and share notes or coach each other, not only do we elevate our performance, but that of the people we train as well, creating a ripple effect. It doesn’t stop here. I can simply refer you to clients, even though you might be providing similar services as mine. I will continue to do that. In fact, just passed a referral a while ago. I do sound weird to some business partners. I totally understand where they are coming from. Yet, I believe in Karma and what goes around. If I support you, then by default someone or some entity will provide the same for me. A growth mentality allows us to see beyond ourselves creating a much bigger impact.

I think, what’s needed especially these days in tough economic situations, is to start seeing areas of collaboration rather than points of competition. We can all add value and complete one single picture; the one that is meant to be created, without us interfering in the process or resisting it. Flow and let others flow. We will all be able to grow and thrive

– By Marwa Saleh, Founder and CEO of Presence Business Coaching

Gehad Hamdy: Supporting Egyptian Women from Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is a serious problem in Egypt and has become increasingly pervasive in recent years. The country has one of the highest sexual harassment rates in the world, with nearly 99% of Egyptian women reporting experiencing some form of sexual harassment.

Sexual harassment often takes the form of verbal or physical harassment, including catcalling, unwanted touching, and even rape. It is often seen as a normal part of everyday life in Egypt, and many women feel powerless to do anything about it. Even if they report the harassment, they are often met with indifference or even denial from the authorities. Although the Egyptian government has taken steps to address the issue, much is still to be done. Many laws have been passed to protect women from sexual harassment, but they are rarely enforced. So, in 2020 Gehad Hamdy, a 27-year-old dentist, founded the Speak Up initiative against sexual harassment and gender-based violence in Egypt. Speak Up is the number one destination for the victims of gender-based violence in Egypt, looking for perpetrators’ exposure, psychological support, legal guidance, and solidarity. In 2022, BBC recognized Gehad as one of the 100 Most Influential Women in the world. She is also a winner of two Women SME Leaders 2022 awards, including The Change Maker and The Humanitarian. Additionally, she was a finalist for the Women Empowerment Award by Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum 2021 and the current finalist for the International Humanitarian Award by Women4Africa 2022.

Establishing Speak-Up

Since its foundation in 2020, the Speak Up movement has gained immense momentum. With its followers increasing each passing day, Speak Up has filled a much-needed gap for women in Egyptian society.

“Speak Up expanded widely and has been a direct cause of female-empowerment legislation issued by the Egyptian parliament. Also, we have initiated various campaigns against harassers and rapists, many of which resulted in their arrest and accountability,”– states Gehad.

Women from all backgrounds have found refuge in the Speak Up community for perpetrators’ exposure, legal guidance, and psychological support. Since the initiative’s inception, Gehad has witnessed an unbelievable rise in the number of women coming out and reporting their harassers, despite the threats made against every woman in Egypt who does so. After gaining unbelievable support from the majority of Egyptian celebrities, Speak Up also exposed many male public figures for promoting rape culture in their work and became widely feared by the harassers.

Bringing Perpetrators to Book

The most prominent example of Speak Up’s commitment to this cause is the famous campaign against a serial child rapist, Michael Fahmy. Gehad launched, managed, and mobilized all her resources for this campaign until the perpetrator was behind bars and tried for severe charges that eventually ended in a life sentence. Gehad was so devoted to the process of seeing these victims get justice that she had to quit her profession as a dentist in order to focus on the case.

“We also pushed for public figures to be canceled after promoting rape culture in their work, such as singer Saad Lamjarred who was accused of rape and whose shows in Egypt were canceled after a collaborative feminist campaign in which Speak Up played a big role,”– explains Gehad.

Gehad also spearheaded Speak Up’s viral campaign against the iconic Egyptian singer Amr Diab who took part in a Citroën advertisement that promoted non-consensual photographing of women. This viral campaign eventually resulted in the cancellation of the advertisement and an apology from the car manufacturer.

Bringing an Immense Societal Change

Under Gehad’s Leadership, Speak Up worked on more than 400 cases, bringing justice to victims. Through its vast network of connections, the organization has provided free legal and psychological assistance to more than 14,000 victims by connecting them to volunteering professionals.

Speak Up advocated for amendments to Egyptian law that criminalized Female Genital Mutilation, which the Egyptian House of Representatives adopted, and the law came into effect in march 2021. In response to its campaigns, Speak Up has collected over 15,000 sexual harassment testimonies and 20,000 testimonies of domestic violence, marital rape, bullying, virginity tests, female genital mutilation (FGM), violent obligation on religious rituals, and medical bias against women. Also, a viral campaign by Speak Up has ensured the provision of free sanitary pads in more than 80 schools and 11 cafes across Egypt.

Looking at the Future

In the future, Gehad will continue to advocate for creating a special unit at the ministry of interior trained to handle female blackmail and extortion. She also plans to scale the initiative to get higher reach in all governorates of Egypt with professionals addressing local issues in each Egyptian governorate and launch a professional blog to increase awareness on various topics related to sexual and reproductive health, legal issues regarding harassment, and general awareness.

Being the initiative’s founder, Gehad envisions Speak Up solidifying and officializing its role as the primary actor and channel of communication coordinating between the victims and the authorities.

“My vision for a better world is one free of gender-based violence in all its forms, where women and minorities are empowered to speak up for themselves and not be shamed by their societies,”– Gehad concludes.

Dr. Ani Atanasova: Harnessing New Technologies to Enhance Communication, Education, and Entertainment

As the CEO of Pixelhunters, a global leader in 3D content, Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality, Metaverse, and game development, Dr. Ani Atanasova is well-versed in animation, 3D design, anamorphic content, and user interaction. With a Ph.D. in Quantum and Optoelectronics, she has been involved in research, teaching, and various patented projects in the EU pertaining to lasers, laser amplifiers, laser applications, and magnetic field management. She is on the advisory boards of several universities in the UAE and is the UAE correspondent for the Young Business Leaders France and chairwoman of the UAE Chapter of the International Game Developers Association. Additionally, she has been a judge for the International Business Awards, Stevie Awards, and “A Design” Awards. Dr. Ani is also a frequent speaker at conferences focusing on technology, women’s leadership, AR/VR, innovation, game design, and gamification.

We recently got the chance to sit down with Dr. Ani to learn more about how she is leading Pixelhunters to exceed customer expectations by binding future technology to their accomplished artists’ visual imagination and knowledge.

Below are the highlights of the interview:

Q) Ani Atanasova, first of all, thanks for your time from the suitcase of your busy schedule. Enlighten us, as a businesswoman, what was your mission at the outset?

Dr. Ani) “Pixelhunters is not just a business for me, but my life.” It is a label of love, not just because am passionate about the work, but also, I run the business with my husband Iliya Atanasov.

I came from a science background before Pixelhunters. The reason for shifting to the creative field is actually my husband. We are 24 years together; for him creating digital art is a passion, he started in the CGI field as a hobby that he turned into a profession. Almost 14 years ago, he convinced me that we could have an exciting journey with Pixelhunters, and thus the story begins.

We merged our interests, and expertise to build Pixelhunters. A lot of people are curious about the name – we hunt pixels to create beautiful things.

I am a very tenacious person that doesn’t give up easily at obstacles; my mission was and still is to make Pixelhunters a recognizable brand that stands out with quality that brings value to our customers. In the beginning, I had to learn fast about the industry, but I was motivated to introduce science into the art, which we successfully did.

Q) Shine some light on Pixelhunters. What are its key services/products?

Dr. Ani) We create content in any format – 2D, 3D, films, games, combined with any latest technology available – AR, VR, motion captures, sensors, screens, holograms, and robots, empowered by Data and science to create digital experiences that matter.

Q) What is the change you are bringing with your brand today? Tell us about the clientele that can benefit from Pixelhunters.

Dr. Ani) We bring immersion to businesses and education. Our mission is to excite the audience’s interactions with brands, creating experiences that attract, educate, and entertain at the same time. We work for governments, large corporations, and SMEs.

Q) Please enlighten us on how did you build your team.

Dr. Ani) Teams are the essence of any business. Pixelhunters is a family-owned business. My husband is the CTO and the creative director. Our team is more than work colleagues – it is our family. We accept our team’s strengths and differences; we are trying to work in harmony while always enjoying the creative process. Most of our team members are many years with us. For our business, creative portfolios are essential, but they are something easy to build. We value most ethical skills and loyalty; this is what we reward in team growth.

Q) How did you deal with the challenge of acceptance? What were the other challenges you overcame?

Dr. Ani) My first challenge with Pixelhunters was related to conveying to the market who we are. We built a top team of recognized artists; we have been creating award-winning videos, but then you realize quality is not enough. Developing a business is building your reputation – everything is important – quality, leadership, production speed, understanding the values of the countries you work in, pricing, competition, customer service, flexibility doing changes, and working on last-minute projects. In the challenging economy nowadays, more stuff is added to this list. Business is not given; it must be earned. It is not guaranteed that if the company is old, it will sustain itself forever. We need to add value to it every single day.

Q) What has been the development path of Pixelhunters?

Dr. Ani) We started as an animation & VFX company; we became the first indie game developer in the UAE. We were within the first designing AR & VR starting with the early developer versions of these technologies; we experiment with every new tech on the market to see how to make more exciting digital journeys. We have developed a couple of VR & AR platforms related to education & training. We have done hundreds of experiential marketing projects, and lately, we have been very much involved in metaverses (for clients and with our metaverse platform). Creating immersions for every industry with proven engagement has always been paving our path to the future.

Q) How is your company synchronizing with the latest advancements in 3D designs & animation?

Dr. Ani) We must constantly learn and follow the trends and the latest innovations. Most of our team members are engineers, so R&D is the essence of our success. Improving the speed of production while increasing the quality is our top priority. We are proud that we often work on projects many others don’t dare to accept due to impossible deadlines.

Q) If you were to answer a young female executive’s question, ‘How can I be a good leader?’, what would you advise?

Dr. Ani) Most important is to know yourself well – your strengths and your weaknesses. Amplify your skills every day, and don’t be afraid to fail. Learning for life should be your motto, and keep going if you believe your actions are valuable for you, your team, and your customers. Success doesn’t come overnight. It needs persistence and hard work. Thus with time, all your weaknesses will turn into strengths.

Q) What is so exclusive about Pixelhunters that has brought so much success to the company? What business/people problems have it successfully solved?

Dr. Ani) Some people work to live, while we live to work. We love so much the creative process and seeing how our efforts turn into beautiful content and experiences. We do not perceive work as something we must do because it pays the bills. We accept every project as a challenge, and we always try to put ourselves into our client’s shoes, understand their pain points and align with their goals. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing our clients happy with the projects we did together and especially seeing our work in use for many years. Nowadays, there is so much content around us that sometimes it takes effort to focus. Must have outstanding quality, idea, something different, unseen before. Making the content interactive involves users in personalized experiences that they tend to memorize longer.

We are also well-known in the educational field, especially in game-based learning and gamification. The power of games is that they make people follow the rules voluntarily to achieve a game goal, so we use that as an advantage to make learning more fun, engaging, and lasting. We are leaders in multiplayer learning based on competition or collaboration to speed up studying, saving time and effort. We have our own game-based multiplayer platform, as well as our own metaverse, to experience learning and team interactions even better.

Q) What are your views on women’s entrepreneurship?

Dr. Ani) Women are less risk-takers, but women-led businesses are proven more sustainable in the long run. Women have more patience in achieving long-term goals, hearing often, and dealing with the “NO” word, and I believe this comes naturally from our motherhood.

I often speak worldwide about women entrepreneurs, women in technology, and women leaders, and I feel happy to witness and meet the growing number of great women professionals with successful businesses.

Q) Please highlight the achievements and accolades attained by the Company by far.

Dr. Ani) We have worked on several platforms that are worldwide innovations. For example, a VR platform for visualizing youth’s future; another is a unique hazard perception training and testing platform that evaluates driver’s performance to hazards in real-time; and the other is an AR-enabled multiplayer learning platform. We also created hundreds of game-based marketing & awareness tools, many immersive rooms & experiences, and we made a giant step into the metaverse last year for client projects and our own.

Dr. Nairouz Bader and Srini Pillay, M.D

“I Just Happen To Be A Woman” Effectiveness without Activism to Elevate Your Business Career

Being a woman in business can be a significant challenge. Extensive research shows that social biases exist against women getting a loan, getting paid, being a CEO, and a number of other benchmarks of progress and status in business. While there is a tremendous effort to seek gender equity and parity in business, most approaches emphasize identifying unconscious biases, seeking inclusion, or adopting an activist stance to advance the cause of women. While these all have distinct advantages, we believe that the issue of addressing gender bias must be more nuanced than this.

In this blog, we will address the psychological disadvantages of activism and an alternative approach to gender bias in the workplace. In so doing, we are not blatantly eschewing activism and inclusion. Instead, we are proposing that women take a more nuanced approach to advance their own agency and empowerment by considering the dilemmas in their actions

The other side of activism

Compromises individuality: Psychologically speaking, an activist identity is a collective one. It declares that one is part of an “ingroup”. On the surface, both of these ideas seem fine, except that they may obscure individual strengths and become self-defining.

Challenges of true inclusion: Also, activism sets up a polarized (us-them) framework that may slow down inclusion if it remains static. It may not suit some women to be seen as “women” in such an overt way that the recognition persistently excludes them. While the “us-them” mentality allows for confrontation and negotiation, it makes the genuine connection and loves more difficult

Extreme reactions and masochism: Research indicates that a feeling of “oneness” with a group makes people react more extremely. As a result, they engage in risk, self-sacrificing, and potentially life-threatening behavior. Self-representation as martyrdom is non-ideal in many instances. Rather than being courageous, it becomes unconscious self-sabotage.

Destructive anger: There are many prosocial forms of anger that are constructive. For instance, addressing injustices with anger may be an effective and authentic form of communicating. However, when people are angry, they are more likely to be perceived as unfriendly and incompetent. On many instances, anger is an ineffective instrument for persuasion. At a physiological level, destructive anger is associated with a greater risk of coronary heart disease too.

An alternative to activism

In order to manage the potential dangers of activism, we suggest that women incorporate the following ideas in their thinking.

The individual within the collective: When women are expressing their own views about injustice, it may help the listener to see the “group injustice” independent of the woman. For instance, it’s not fair for anyone of any gender doing the same work as anyone else to be paid less. Even if it were a man who was being paid less than the other men, it would not be fair. So, the issue that can be stressed is that the playing field should be levelled, rather than being trapped within a collective identity.

Also, it is relevant to include personal experience in a discussion. This is more likely to reach a listener. And shared collectives with a person (e.g. landscape identification) can be helpful to incorporate in the conversation too.

Form an “us-group”: Rather than asking the ingroup to include you as the “outgroup”, ask ,”What would it take for us to work together?” Sticking to that agenda sets up a proactive contemplation: What do I need to do to get promoted? What do I need to do to get paid more? Are these the same standards applied to everyone? Forming an in-group/out-group dialogue will just lead to more rejection pain.

Moderate and diversify your identifications: Look out for self-sabotage or self-destructive behaviors. Often, activism is traumatic to the activist, and this trauma may make it difficult to attend to one’s self. Caring about a purpose or mission starts with caring about yourself.

Keep anger constructive or seek other emotions: Rather than imposing an emotion on someone, ask them,
“What does it make sense to feel if you were in my position?” Moral anger can be helpful if it not threatening.
Otherwise, the other person will be in fight or flight mode.

BIO:- Rt. Dr. Nairouz Bader

Dr. Nairouz Bader, the CEO, and founder of Envision Partnership is a global career powerhouse with +20 years of market and business experience supporting management teams in corporations around the world through her leadership and board advisory consulting services.

She plays a major role in women empowerment projects, coaching female leadership in the META region. Among several initiatives, Dr. Nairouz is part of #Accelerate Her mentorship program, dedicated to developing female talents in #Fintech.

Her achievements were featured in an array of notable media gates and publications such as Arabiya, CNBC, Forbes, People Management, and Horasis.

Barbara Amerio: Helping Clients Sail Away to a World of Luxury and Adventure

Fernando Amerio founded the Permare Group in 1973 to provide marine services to the expanding Ligurian customers and the nearby Côte d’Azur. Later in the 1990s, the Permare Shipyard began producing boats under the brand name “Amer Yachts,” which would later become synonymous with quality and customization in the boats and ships segment. The Permare Group is a family business led by its founder Fernando Amerio and his children, Barbara and Rodolfo. In the last 40 years, the shipyard has created over 90 custom-built yachts for Italian and foreign customers. Amer Yachts have been exported to the United States, the Far East, the Middle East, and Arab countries. The shipyard also facilitates yearly training by partnering with several universities, including Bocconi, Istituto Marangoni, IED – European Institute of Design, and IAAD – Italian University of Design to stimulate growth, innovation, and research in design and, most importantly, educate upcoming designers about the significance of integrating environmental awareness into their designs. We recently got a chance to sit with Barbara Amerio, the SPP Ambassador of the Permare Group, to learn how the organization serves its clients with its luxury products.

Below are the highlights of the interview

Q) Please tell us about your professional journey.

Superyacht building is a fascinating work of creativity, innovation, and technology for a unique handmade good strong enough to survive decades at sea and under the sun. Italians are at the top of the industry, and our company is at the top of the list for semi-custom superyachts in composite and steel.

Q) Please tell us about Permare Company and how it is serving its clients.

They are exceptional, sophisticated, and talented businesswomen and men with previous experiences in yachting and with professional crews. Both want the best and agree with our theory to prefer a limited production for saving the high quality and the detailed finishes. This fact permits a plus value in case of reselling.

Q) How do you motivate creativity and innovation in the workspace while maintaining a healthy work environment?

With healthy competition, our shipyard incentivizes and invests in the human factor to grow our workers’ skills. It helps competent and specialized people become comfortable and ready to face new challenges and find unusual solutions and new ideas for Ameryacht’s product development and company strategy

Q) Please share the pandemic’s effect on the shipyard.

It was like an invisible war. We protected all the workers, giving assistance and free health insurance coverage just in case of covid illness for them and their families. We have worked for several months only remotely. Some activities have remained on for granting base services. Casually I have spent a few months living on board due to a home change, which has permitted me to discover the boat as a private and safe place. After the first covid wave, many people did the same thinking. Boat = freedom+ health place+ oxygen. This is the best explication for the new after covid boom in yachting, coming back to being close to nature and giving the right weight to actual values, like life, family, and a holistic vision, never seen the same in the past.

Q) What are the primary challenges of the industry? How are you tackling those?

Good question. In the past, profit was the primary factor used to assess a company’s performance, but now the focus has shifted in the opposite direction. Profit is viewed as a result of a company’s actions and ability to propose well-defined and targeted strategies toward stakeholders and shareholders. ESG goals serve as the roadmap for the future. Building a reputable image is crucial and cannot be purchased, as it can greatly impact a company’s ability to sell its products and services. Our clients adopt similar principles in their own companies, seeking to purchase ethical products with added value.

Q) What milestones and achievements are you most proud of today?

We are growing fast. We have obtained excellent multi-awarded results to be shared along 50 years of activity and more than 90 units sold and under construction. Thanks to our confident customers, we contribute to building their best time and holidays. We recognize that the time our customers spend with us is invaluable, and as a result, we hold a great responsibility to ensure their safety and sustainability while reducing consumption, emissions, water, and energy. We invest in various fields to bring innovation and collaborate closely with our suppliers to achieve this.

Q) What are your priorities for 2023 and beyond?

We are working on new projects and testing basalt fibers to create a new recyclable composite. We have nine semi-custom superyachts under construction, and we are actively pursuing several potential deals to expand the Amer community

Q) Give us a piece of advice that you would share with entrepreneurs just starting out.

To create a strong reputation is important to keep the word and create a smart team. Make your story a good example, and be part of the change by actions for a new sustainable world.

Top Productivity Secrets Of Successful Remote Teams

Remote work emerged as a savior for businesses amid the pandemic. But it continues to be popular after the virus is no longer a reason to worry. Many businesses have decided to run remote teams in the new normal. In fact, you will probably have a few members working out of the office because hybrid is the way to go for organizations. It is convenient and flexible for employees and saves money and space for employers. But productivity is one thing business owners stress about when people work from home. However, you can check these productivity secrets of successful remote teams and imbibe them to manage your workforce seamlessly.

Secret #1- Bring the right people on board

Running a successful business is about having the best talent with relevant skills and experience. But working remotely means you must check specific soft skills that make people capable of giving their best, regardless of the location. Typically, you should look for skills such as good communication, critical thinking, social awareness, adaptability, and emotional intelligence. Also, remember to prioritize cultural fits while hiring.

Secret #2- Set achievable goals

Another secret that successful remote teams swear by is setting achievable goals for employees. While you may want to push them harder to give their best, it can be counterintuitive from a productivity perspective. The best approach is to set realistic goals that keep them motivated. You can also define actionable milestones and timelines to relieve the stress and boost the morale of your workers.

Secret #3- Empower your team

Nothing is more crucial than empowering your team if you want them to be productive while working from out of the office. Start with essential training to help them access business data and systems securely and efficiently. Providing the necessary Remote Work Tools is equally important, as people need them for collaboration, teamwork, and time management. Another measure to implement for remote productivity is having a support team to resolve day-to-day IT issues.

Secret #4- Win with communication

Successful remote teams never fall short of communication, even if all employees work from different locations. You can win the communication game by ensuring good connectivity, setting up robust systems for emails and messaging, and creating an actionable protocol. Think beyond communication for work, and host virtual meetings to foster team bonding. Ensure that all workers are on the same page at all times, no matter where they are.

Secret #5- Keep your employees motivated

Motivation is another success factor that sets successful remote teams apart. Motivated people tend to be more productive and loyal. Fortunately, keeping your employees motivated is easier than you imagine. Check-in often, listen to their problems, and ensure an optimal work-life balance for them by establishing boundaries. Recognize and appreciate good work with creative incentives such as paid days off, gift coupons, and thank-you emails.
Managing a remote team is less daunting than it sounds. You can do your bit to keep employees ahead of productivity goals and expectations. Follow these actionable tips to make the most of them.