Exclusive Interview Archives

Karen Mangia: Helping People to Amplify Their Voices

Meet Karen Mangia, a WSJ Best Selling Author and one of the most sought-after thought leaders on the planet, sharing her thoughts on leadership with more than 15000 organizations during her entire career. She is an author of four books and a prolific blogger. She has also been featured in Forbes, and she regularly contributes to Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, and ZDNet.

As the Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, Karen engages current and future customers around the world to discover new ways of creating success and growth together. Giving people a platform and helping to amplify their voices have been Karen’s constants throughout her entire career. She helps shape the strategy for the workplace of the future globally. Before Salesforce, she held a variety of leadership roles at Cisco in sales leadership and customer experience.

Staying Close to Customers

During her college days, Karen’s university professor, Bob Papper, inspired her love of storytelling. Karen was a student in his Telecommunications news classes and worked for him as a research assistant. Karen’s job was to administer the annual survey her professor sent to members of the Radio & Television News Directors’ Association (RTNDA). Karen would call non-respondents to administer surveys over the phone. Then she would correlate responses, analyze trends and search for the storyline.

Professor Papper authored six articles each year based on their findings for the RTNDA magazine. Both co-authored an article about trends in television internships. It was Karen’s first professional publication. Beyond storytelling, Karen’s career at North star is staying close to customers. And choosing jobs nd bosses who enable her to live and work well.

When Business is the Platform for Change

Karen says, “At Salesforce, we believe business is the greatest platform for change. We are passionate proponents of stakeholder capitalism, committed to doing well by all our stakeholders – our customers, employees, partners, communities, the planet, and society as a whole.” She adds, “We lead by example, spearheading initiatives in philanthropy, racial equality and justice, climate action and advocacy, and the ethical and human use of technology.”

“There’s no reason for you to play small anymore. The universe has big plans for you, and it’s time to claim them.”

Salesforce’s founders launched the 1-1-1 model, which commits 1% of Salesforce’s equity, technology, and peoples’ time to improving education, equality, and the environment for everyone. Today, more than 15,000 companies worldwide have joined Salesforce in its Pledge 1% movement.

The Pandemic Presented Challenges

Karen believes the pandemic presented challenges for all of us individually and collectively. What Salesforce discovered and shares now, as a result, is how to succeed from anywhere. Salesforce created platforms and programs to make it easier for everyone in their ecosystem to discover how to to release old ways of working and welcome flexibility, connection, and productivity from home, the office, on the road, or anywhere in between. Karen and her colleagues are empowering everyone to be a Trailblazer with their culture of Success from Anywhere. By creating new ways of working, connecting, and delivering customer success in their digital-first world, Salesforce is redefining the future of work — together.

Contributing to a Balanced and Equal Industry

Salesforce offers programs that make it possible for every organization to become an equitable organization. Each program includes a playbook and a community for support, • Pledge 1% invites all entrepreneurs and their companies to commit important resources (product, time, and resources) to support integrating philanthropy into their businesses at any stage. • Salesforce shares its annual review, results and a playbook to enable every organization to ensure pay equity. • As an organization, Salesforce unequivocally stands against racism, violence, and hate. And it will continue working to effect systemic change in communities by driving inclusive business practices, investing resources, empowering minority-led organizations, cultivating partnerships, designing technology with everyone in mind, and advocating for policies for racial equality.

Future Roadmap

When it comes to Salesforce, Karen believes, the company will continue to redefine success. With that said, Karen believes success is service.

Listening with a beginner’s mind is service. Acting with pure intentions in the best interest of its customers, ecosystem, stakeholders, and planet is service. Reconsidering beliefs that may no longer serve us or others is service. And that’s the kind of service that leads to sustained success. In this vein, Karen aspires to continue to be of service to others and, in so doing, make it possible for everyone to succeed. “Together we rise” is one of her mantras.

Karen Mangia is excited about her new show, Success from Anywhere! The premise is: What would happen if we could change the game of life together? The series shares strategies to unlock success from unlikely sources of inspiration. Karen Mangia feels success is not a destination or a location. Success is available to anyone, anywhere at any time if you know where to look. She hopes to help people discover sustainable strategies to live well and work well. And to ultimately realize success moment by moment.

Leadership is All About Listening

Karen Mangia feels leadership is listening. The three most powerful words in leadership, according to her, are, “I hear you.” Be curious. Ask great questions. She always suggests listening intently to the answers and being willing to revisit your perceptions and beliefs based on what you discover. Above all else, Karen Mangia suggests not to sacrifice your life for your work. Work will take what you are willing to give – whether that’s your exercise time, your family time, or your holiday time. Create routines, rituals, and boundaries to start work and stop work in a healthy way that supports a great life.

Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff: A Lifelong Advocate of Quality Education.

Born in a traditional Royal family in Odisha, Dr. Manjula Pooja Shroff had a very conservative upbringing. Due to this approach, girls at her age had the privilege of attending modern schools and receiving a good education; still, higher education for them was considered unimportant as they were expected to get married at a very young age. However, Dr. Manjula was always passionate about higher education, and she finally convinced her parents to pursue her dreams. Now she holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Commonwealth University, London, a Post Graduate Degree from the York University, and is an executive alumnus of the London School of Economics. Dr. Manjula also holds a Post Graduate degree from Utkal University has completed her Management Education Program at IIM, Ahmedabad. She is also an erstwhile recipient of the ‘Secular India Harmony Award’ by the former president of India Shri Shankar Dayal Sharma.

Having taken inspiration from her own learnings, Dr. Manjula is a lifelong advocate of good quality education. She is the MD and CEO of the Kalorex Group, which is well known for providing quality education. The name of Kalorex Group symbolizes professionalism and excellence in schooling. It is often recognized as a leading group focused on innovation and technology in education.

The Brand

Dr. Manjula’s professional journey started at a young age when she moved to Ahmedabad. She was the first person to bring DPS to the State of Gujarat under the aegis of the DPS Society. With DPS, Ahmedabad’s wait for a good CBSE school ended, and it soon received wholehearted acceptance from society. Currently, Kalorex has two Delhi Public Schools in Bopal and East Ahmedabad areas and Calorx Public Schools at Mundra, Ahmedabad, and Bharuch under its umbrella. The group also runs the Calorx Olive International School, a full spectrum IB school. On the other hand, the Kalorex Pre-School chain is a fast-growing preschool chain, making its presence felt in many cities of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

“The far-reaching, life-changing impact that teaching as a career can make is incomparable to any other career. So, we need students to look at teaching as a challenging and rewarding career and aspire to become teachers. If you wish to make an impact, you must aspire to become a teacher.”

The group’s other offerings are an e-learning platform named eKal Academy, which helps learners of all age groups to subscribe to online courses for live and self-paced modules. Lastly, the Yali Adventure animation series for preschoolers and preschool kits are the latest addition to the Kalorex Group’s product offerings. Standing by her promise to cater to every section of the society, Dr. Manjula started projects like Visamo Kids Foundation and Kalorex Prerna, which work for the welfare of underprivileged children and students with learning difficulties respectively. Additionally, the Kalorex group works towards uplifting unskilled women by providing them with vocational training from VEDIC, a Vocational Educational Development Institute of Calorx.

Keeping it Going

Dr. Manjula says, “The business I am in, engages my stakeholders for 12-14 years, and it is a big responsibility to deliver quality.” When she sees some of her students getting placed in the best companies across the world and others starting their own enterprises, Dr. Manjula knows she is in the right space. This wholesome feeling of contributing to the success of her students and giving them a secure future through a sound foundation keeps her motivated to reach out to more learners of all ages and demographical locations. Dr. Manjula thinks if she can shape even a single young mind and instill proper values with integrity, she would feel her purpose has been fulfilled.

Thinking Ahead

With the emergence of the pandemic, Dr. Manjula believes people need to think ahead and be prepared for all kinds of emergencies. She says, “It is the teacher who delivers, and all transformational work is done by them. They have to stay one step ahead all the time. They have been a challenged lot, and during pandemic times, they have been the most stressed, having to cope with home, family, and students all under the same roof.” She also explains up-skilling and upgrading are extremely important for everyone in each area of their work. So, giving teachers the needed opportunities for professional growth has been a vital aspect for Kalorex Group.

As the MD & CEO of the Kalorex Group, Dr. Manjula is connected to her staff through ‘Me-Time sessions,’ where she helps her staff by giving tips to elevate them to a higher level of energy and consciousness. Kalorex also empowers its employees to make decisions in their own work area with complete autonomy.

Future Roadmap

Kalorex group has been a progressive organization and has been ahead of its times in incorporating the latest technologies and methodologies in its systems. The organization is looking to expand in the digital learning space in a much bigger way over the next few years. It is also tapping the preschool products market and might dive much deeper to create preschool content.

Buddha Teas: Enriching the Lives of Tea Lovers

With a wide range of wellness products, including single herbal teas and wellness blends that focus on specific elements, Buddha Teas is a platform for, health and wellness. The firm has also started a new line of CBD teas, which are quite popular amongst its clients. The CBD industry is well known for managing pain, and other health issues. However, Buddha Teas decided to step up the tea game and paired some amazing herbs with its water-soluble CBD. So far, the product is well received amongst the users. Overall, the company is true health and wellness-oriented company.

The founder of Buddha Teas, John Boyd, moved to the US from England, where tea is the drink of choice. Since his relocation, he commonly found that the US lacked the diversity and quality he was looking for. John wanted something healthy, organic, and geared towards people, who are seeking relief from certain health issues. What the entire industry lacked, became a motivation for John. He knew that he could fill the void, which eventually led to the foundation of Buddha Teas.

The Steadfast Leader John went to Leeds University for civil engineering but only after real consideration and some life experiences. For instance, John worked for a seismic surveying company when he was just 18. It eventually helped him to afford the luxury of being able to travel to other countries throughout Europe, meet all sorts of people, have some insane food, and drink some phenomenal wine. Gaining that cultural element of food and drink during his travels was a big reason why John felt like he could start a business that was based on customers’ wants and needs.

John likes to keep a few consultants on hand and he visits lots of trade shows specifically for tea companies. He feels, they’re up to date on all the latest packing equipment and various methods to produce products quickly and efficiently. Otherwise, Buddha Teas just likes to keep to its norm. Like the old saying goes “Why fix what isn’t broken?”

How the Pandemic Affected

The pandemic was a trying time for Buddha Teas’ business. Employee safety was of the utmost importance and the firm implemented a lot of new cleaning and sanitizing procedures. Buddha Teas’ employees were truly the main concern for the firm and it was able to navigate the pandemic without any unnecessary stress on its workers. Buddha Teas as a whole didn’t take too much of a hit because people started to investigate alternate methods of medicine.

So, some of its teas, such as Elderberry, and Mushroom Wellness blends became even more popular than before. John hopes this sort of thing never happens again but Buddha Teas will be more prepared this time around, as will everyone.

Preparing for the Future

As the founder, John believes, Buddha Teas will always strive to stay on top of the latest and greatest but it will also focus on making the products it already has even better. Buddha Teas certainly is planning to launch more products for even more specific health reasons. Customers can expect a few new and interesting products to launch soon. Ideas that were brought to life by feedback from its consumers.

John adds, “Challenges in business are always there and the tea industry is no different.

The tea business has been around for ages and now, it’s quite saturated.” There are thousands of brands out there to choose from. However, setting itself apart is the key. Buddha Teas has to make sure stores want to pick up the product and then it has to ensure customers want to pick up its boxes of tea and take them home. John thinks the packaging is attractive and eye-catching. Of course, the best part is when customers pick them up and see that all the products are organic with only the best ingredients.

Advice for Younger Self

When we asked John for suggestions, he said, “To be successful in any business, you have to be super passionate about what you want to create. Surrounding yourself with supportive people and being a strong and inspirational leader is a must, also. It doesn’t hurt to have some kick-ass employees, too.”

Rehab 2 Perform: Redefining Physical Therapy

Born and raised in Montgomery County, MD, Dr. Josh Funk grew his interest in becoming a physical therapist when going through Physical Therapy as a D1 lacrosse player at Ohio State.

Through the rehabilitation of his torn labrum and rotator cuff, Dr. Josh successfully avoided surgery and played at his peak performance for the remainder of his college and professional lacrosse career. After avoiding his surgery, Dr. Josh got entrenched in the world of physical therapy and sports performance. Since then, he has continually developed his expertise and knowledge base as a physical therapist and as a business owner.

A lifelong athlete, Dr. Josh earned his B.S. degree from the Ohio State University and a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of Maryland-Baltimore.

During the rehabilitation process, Dr. Josh noticed that the sports rehabilitation and physical therapy environment for Division one athletes was completely unique compared to what was available to the masses.

Because of this significant difference, he established Rehab 2 Perform in 2014, which provides. Division One Athletics experience for competitive athletes, active adults, and those looking to be more fit and active.

The firm helps by providing fitness-focused physical therapy, sports rehabilitation, concussion care, and wellness services to competitive athletes, active adults, and those looking to increase their activity. Rehab 2 Perform is now present at 7 locations across Maryland, planning to open its 8th location in Virginia.

Understanding the Pulse of the Industry

As the CEO, Dr. Josh believes being connected to people and companies who are constantly innovating is the key to being on top of something new. The firm does its best to keep a pulse on the thought leaders and high achievers operating in the same industry or being incredibly impactful in other sectors.

Adding to his physical therapy expertise, Dr. Josh is entirely committed to the growth of his firm. Since the company’s inception, he has made sure that his personal development is not just reserved for the clinical side of things. Instead, he made Rehab 2 Perform one of the most well-run and well-known health care companies in its area. Dr. Josh has also made significant efforts to ensure that the customers and employees receive everything they need to perform at their best.

Tackling Challenges

The biggest challenge for the firm is the overall distaste and distrust of the U.S. healthcare system. Especially in the U.S, many view healthcare as a grudge purchase. Dr. Josh believes the way care is being provided and communicated, the cost, and the overall perception of value make sure that Rehab 2 Perform needs to create an environment of trust. He believes the firm still needs to climb a significant hill in order to introduce a ‘Get To’ environment where people are genuinely invested in the health and wellness system and feel that by interacting with the healthcare system and getting a good return on their investment.

Since the emergence of the pandemic, most countries have imposed strict lockdown measures to keep their citizens safe. Social distancing was made mandatory, which heavily impacted firms that are dependent on physical interaction.

Rehab 2 Perform is no different; the pandemic caused challenges for the people interacting with the business in person. So, it shifted its focus towards virtual visits and ensured the team and patients felt comfortable while interacting.

However, Rehab 2 Perform quickly realized that the pandemic would not be here forever, so it focussed on improving its processes, which would help the firm build a better business post-pandemic.

Mission and Vision

With a mission to lower the risk of re-injury, Rehab 2 Perform empowers its clients to stay physically active and achieve performance in areas that matter to them. Focused on providing education and physical competency, the firm caters to athletes irrespective of their background. It also offers a hybrid solution between traditional physical therapy and personal training to improve movement and increase physicality.

Advice for Young Leaders

Dr. Josh advises young entrepreneurs to find their tribe. He says, “The right people in your corner personally and professionally will make or break you. They will keep you moving forward during the trials and tribulations you go through and keep you grounded when you are doing well.

Future Roadmap

In the future, Dr. Josh aspires to transform his company beyond the physical rehabilitation space. He feels the firm should expand as a lifestyle and performance company, not just as a physical therapy and sports rehabilitation company. The leadership team already has the ideas and initiatives internally to make that a reality.

More Info:- https://rehab2perform.com/

Mouna Abbassy: Bringing Moroccan Beauty Secrets to the World

Meet Mouna Abbassy, who grew up in Morocco, a country where beauty rituals take the form of social affairs, where her mother, sisters, and friends would bring their own natural recipes prepared at home with the finest ingredients.

For female members, it was a time of joy, sharing, and celebration, the joy of being with loved ones, sharing beauty secrets, and the joy of celebrating femininity.

In her words, “The beauty recipes were judged for the experience they provide as much as for the final result thus, the ingredients were chosen for their capacity to exalt all our senses and create that unique moment where time and space don’t matter anymore, a moment where we focused solely on our well-being.”

Once a gathering was over, everyone would look forward to the next one. Mouna moved to Dubai in 2005, and she immediately fell in love with the growing, multicultural, dynamic city that is full of energy and opportunity. Soon she joined one of the largest beauty corporations in the world, where she fed her passion for beauty care.

However, Mouna soon found herself longing for the connection with mother nature that would reveal her inner beauty. She always wanted the feeling of being beautiful inside and out; above all, Mouna missed the boost of energy to shine as the woman she wanted to be. So, this hunger eventually marked the beginning of IZIL.

“The world ‘IZIL’ was derived from the ancient Amazigh language. It means ‘Pure,’ which is the brand’s foundation.”

izil is an all-natural skincare line entirely inspired by the ancient recipes of Moroccan women. These recipes are made from purely natural ingredients that provide pure moments of joy and happiness, just as they did for Mouna, her mother, her grandmother, and a countless generation before them.

Diversifying Products

Thanks to her educational background in marketing and a successful career behind her, Mouna realized a gap in the beauty market for a natural, chemical-free brand that works and merged it with the secret beauty recipes from her Moroccan heritage. She feels modern women nowadays want to feel beautiful inside and out without compromising their time or exposing their skin to harmful chemicals. These women are comfortable in their own skin and want to become the best version of themselves; that is what izil offers them.

Along with skincare, izil also has its range of body care, hair care, and man care products, as the organization believes self-care is not gender-specific. It also offers premium hammam and spa services at its bespoke spa facility, where it only uses izil’s premium products to provide the best experience possible.

The flagship store in The Dubai Mall is all about the experience. The company has built it in such a way that as soon as a client steps in, that individual feels completely immersed in the world of izil and disconnected from the outside world, as the person has instantly been teleported to Morocco.

The beauty product brand grabs the best nature has to offer and mixes it with Moroccan beauty rituals and secrets in order to offer it to the world.

Greatest Accomplishments

At the age of 10, Mouna was diagnosed with a very rare syndrome named Guillain Barre Syndrom, which affects all the muscles and leaves people completely paralyzed. It also affected her breathing, leaving her hospitalized for several months. She had to learn how to walk all over again. Surviving that was like a rebirth for her. This experience has made Mouna what she is today, a person who genuinely believes ‘Nothing is impossible’ and ‘miracles do happen’ as long as you put your mind, heart, and lot of hard work to realize your dreams.

As a female entrepreneur, Mouna feels proud and humbled to have been the first in so many awards. In 2015, she was the winner of Hadafi Women’s Entrepreneurship Season 3 and received Cartier Women’s Initiative Award. Later, she was also featured in several articles and news.

“However, my greatest achievement, as a Founder of izil, is building a beauty brand from scratch and with limited resources and making it one of the fastest-growing natural beauty brands in GCC and making it the 1st reference for Moroccan beauty, a brand endorsed by biggest celebrities and influencers, with customers from all over the world.”– says Mouna.

This has also earned her recognition from various channels and magazines of the region, including Forbes Middle East.

Preparing for the Future

Izil’s strategy for the future includes many objectives that will eventually help the brand drive its business forward and set the foundation for international expansion in the coming years. The brand’s primary objective is to streamline the processes through fully integrated ERP and IT infrastructure, enabling accelerated growth in GCC and outside of the GCC.

The brand has further planned to drive online growth through direct and consumer in GCC, Europe, and Asia through e-tailers distribution.

Izil also plans to obtain various brand certifications and further expand offline by opening new concept stores and spas in the GCC market.

On the other hand, the launch of multiple izil products are lined up, and it plans on investing more in ‘hair care’ and ‘face care’ range to cater to wider skin and hair concerns, backed by scientific and clinical research.

Liliane Mubanga: Solving Cllient’s Legal Issues

Meet Liliane Mubanga, a result-oriented and passionate lawyer spearheading Thambwe-Mwamba & Associates in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Liliane completed her education in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which makes her a prime example of DRC’s world-class educational system. She holds a law degree from the University of Lubumbashi, majoring in Judicial and Private law.

After obtaining her law degree, Liliane applied for a registration as a lawyer to join the Bar Association of Kinshasa/Gombe as a trainee lawyer in Law firm BOKUMA & KENEM. Once Liliane earned her aptitude certificate for a lawyer, she renewed her registration and obtained the inscription to the Roll. Then, a law firm named John Claude Crespy and Associates recruited her as an associate, which acted as a stepping stone for her to enter the world of real estate law and other real estate contracts. Later, when the partners of the said firm decided to separate, Liliane moved to Thambwe-Mwamba & Musafiri Law firm.

With time Liliane has obtained her certificate of competence in production sharing and oil rent law, a certificate in Insurance and public procurement, and a Master’s Degree in Commercial law from Robert Kennedy College, Zurich, and Salford University, Manchester. She has also taken a course in leadership and personal development. Liliane is currently training in Financial Analysis at ICCF (HEC- Paris online courses).

A Law firm with Human Face

In 2005, when the partner Thambwe-Mwamba decided to create his own firm under the name “THAMBWE-MWAMBA & Associates”, he asked Liliane to manage the firm, since at the time, he held a ministerial position in the government.

Thambwe-Mwamba & Associates combines the ability to leave a personal mark in its relationship with the client and professionalism when it comes to handling businesses. With the ever-changing complex world of legal matters, the law firm’s members keep increasing their knowledge base in different matters, maintaining a multidisciplinary vocation. The synergy of its skilled members, reinforced by external consultants recognized for their specialties, enables the law firm to master a broad area of law.

Tackling Organizational Challenges

As Liliane had no prior experience in managing a company, initially leading a firm like Thambwe-Mwamba proved to be a challenge for her. At first, there were several challenges like choosing competent and intelligent collaborators, creating a portfolio of confident and satisfied clients, and establishing/maintaining the reputation, which was already well established due to the founder’s reputation. Although her task was stressful and exciting, Liliane had confidence in herself from the start, which was further reinforced by the founder’s trust and support.

Solving Legal Issues and Staying Competitive

Thambwe-Mwamba & Associates offers the traditional lawyer services in criminal, commercial, and civil matters, with good expertise in: Labor and Social security law, Mining and hydrocarbons law, Business and Corporate law, Tax law, Real-estate law, Insurance law, criminal law, Family law, special procedures, legal audit, etc. As a senior executive of her law firm, Liliane’s main objective is to look after the firm’s growth and gain a competitive advantage over its competitors with great expertise in several areas of law.

With a small but competent team of seven attorneys, the law firm offer integrated services. This team of attorneys brings the needed experience from various verticals. Thanks to their knowledge and expertise, the law firm is now standing tall, with a solid reputation, and is well quoted on Kinshasa’s market.

“There are many changes to face, and for each area of life for each change, the law is present, and the need for a professional will also be present.”

Liliane Mubanga sees this as the result of years of sacrifice, sharing, and complementarity between the members. So, the client is entirely entrusted to the lawyer who is best equipped to give the necessary advice and appropriate opinions a case requires.

She feels that the area of consulting is very competitive, so it is extremely important to be armed with courage and patience to build yourself and your business in the long term.

Advice for Young Entrepreneurs

As per Liliane, one must have a love for him/herself, for others, and for what they do to achieve it. Liliane Mubanga makes her own what Saint Augustine said: “Have in your heart the root of love, from this root nothing bad can come out.”

Abdulla Najem: Redefining Water Deliveries

Meet Abdulla Najem, the CEO and Co-founder of Waterwa, which offers a variety of brands of beverages and water to be delivered to customers’ doorstep. Available on both iOS and Android platforms, the Waterwa app helps its clients to subscribe for weekly or monthly deliveries to their homes and offices.

Since his childhood, Abdulla was fascinated by the whole idea of starting his own company, which eventually pushed him to start network marketing at the age of 17. In a world still apprehensive of the internet’s power, people were surprised to see a young entrepreneur taking a route that was so out of the box. Later, Abdulla joined a college of business, where he fell in love with business once again and started his first startup with a friend.

Soon, they entered the world of media as a powerful force, and the humble agency eventually proliferated. However, Abdulla then transitioned into a corporate career, where he realized how a big scale company works. He started working with RedBull and then with a locally successful co-working space. Later he moved to start working for an incubator in order to stay close to the start-up world, where he learned every detail about starting a company, which eventually led to the creation of Waterwa.

Catering to a Demanding Market

Abdulla knows that the current market is very demanding and constantly changing. He says, “You need to keep an eye on what happens around you, so one of the things that keep us on track is to focus on the audience’s perspective.”

The human aspect of his organization’s strategy also helps him to understand better what drives the market and creates a new trend. Abdulla believes growing and standing out in a competitive market can be challenging, so following the already proven trends can be an effective tool.

As the Co-founder of his company, Abdulla now believes building a formidable team that led the company in its legacy journey is one of his most significant accomplishments. He takes pride in developing a team that can tackle any challenge at any point in time collectively and successfully. Also, by being the pioneer of the “drinking water delivery platform,” many of Waterwa’s suppliers successfully created their own e-commerce platform, which is incredibly rewarding for Waterwa.

Abdullah is a passionate businessman with leadership skills capable to create competent teams in different functions. His leadership in Waterwa proves his problem-solving skills and agility to create forward-looking enterprises and potential unicorns. Abdulla’s consistency is what every company strives for in their leadership.

Tackling Failures

Abdulla feels the most significant failure was when he first started Waterwa. He realized that he gave people the benefit of the doubt too often, which is a red flag for productivity. This caused him a lot of time and value that he could have used to grow his company. Now he follows a strategy of “three strikes, you are out.”

This new strategy ensures that Abdulla reaches out to everyone who has reached a second strike and collaborates with them to mitigate the challenge further.

When it comes to success, Abdulla says, “Success is when people recognize the brand you built even by its deconstructed elements, like a letter, a color, or even shape. That kind of potential for legacy pushes me every day to build it with Waterwa.” He also added, “But on a more personal note, success for me is to be able to be a serial entrepreneur that builds up multiple different brands that truly benefit consumer needs.”

Preparing for the Future

Abdulla explains that Waterwa is well on its way to building a legacy. As businesses depend on the constantly changing market, the team is razor-focused on making a brand that can stand the test of time and stay relatable in the market for a long time.

Abdulla and his team at Waterwa are building a brand that customers can depend on and feel genuine loyalty.

A Supportive Leader

Waterwa’s employees and clients love Abdulla for his authoritative and coaching style leadership.

They say, “You motivate us and give us the direction that helps us develop and utilize our abilities more to achieve not just our full potential but also work/company goals.” – Project manager of Waterwa.

“Every project I worked on with Abdulla, he made sure to give it his full support and attention. His teamwork is always inspiring, and he knows that he only works without ego and with a collaborative mindset. Working with Abdulla Najem is easy because he knows how to juggle all the tiny details while still being diligent of the bigger picture.” – Deena AlSaweer – founder of Dpro.

“Abdulla Najem has always been great at developing the needed structure and direction no matter what his role was. He creates a culture of mutual trust and care by always acting with integrity, accountability, and transparency.” Robetra Dsouza – Head of Country Logistics of TExpress – Talabat

MAIA Biotechnology: Addressing the Unmet Needs of Cancer Treatment

Globally, cancer is the second leading cause of death just behind cardiovascular diseases. With more than 15 million cases each year, the cancer burden continues to grow globally, pushing individuals and families towards mental, emotional, and financial strain.

Particularly the health systems in the low and middle-income countries are not prepared to manage the extra burden of cancer, and many cancer patients do not have any access to timely diagnosis and treatment. On the other hand, where healthcare systems are robust, survival rates are growing up due to early detection and better quality treatment.

Cancer is a group of diseases highly correlated with aging, and with the continuous increase in human life expectations, the incidence of cancer increases dramatically. Although the world has seen therapeutic progress in recent decades, not nearly enough has been accomplished. The unmet medical need still remains vast, and with the objective of addressing it comprehensively, MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. was founded in 2018.

The organization is a targeted therapy, immuno-oncology company entirely focused on developing first-in-class drugs with novel mechanisms of action intended to improve and extend people’s lives with cancer meaningfully.

With more than twenty years of experience in oncology, Dr. Vlad Vitoc is the Chairman and C.E.O. of MAIA Biotechnology. Curing cancer has always been a calling in his life. With the mission to find curative effect therapies to improve and extend the lives of cancer patients, he has managed and supported more than 20 early and mature stage compounds, which have included targeted and immune therapies across more than 25 types of tumor, including lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate cancer, and renal cell carcinoma.

Dr. Vitoc has received an M.D. from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hatieganu,” Cluj-Napoca, Romania, and his M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

The Fundamental Source of Innovation

Dr. Vitoc believes the BioTech industry is the primary source of innovation for various modern medicines. Historically the R.O.I. has been substantially exceeding other industries. Over the last six months or so, the market has undertaken a substantial amount of correction, creating opportunities for another episode of high growth.

With high levels of unmet medical needs and a relatively price-sensitive market, Oncology has become a very important sub-sector of the BioTech industry, resulting in very profitable operations and robust R.O.I., better than any other sub-sectors in the BioTech industry.

On the other hand, MAIA has developed THIO, a first-in-class telomere targeting agent with a very effective immunologic anticancer effect. Currently, the firm is advancing THIO in Phase 2 clinical study in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. This will be the first study to test THIO’s immune system activation followed by administration of the checkpoint inhibitor cemiplimab, allowing for the immune activation and PD-1 sensitivity to take effect.

Tackling Challenges

MAIA is a virtual operation, and the leaders have the advantage of using the national and international resource pool to attract and employ talents from all over the planet. So, with employees operating remotely, the pandemic had minimal effect on the company.

However, the pandemic impacted the global supply management chains in unpredictable ways, delaying the firm’s manufacturing process by a few months due to vial shortages.

Dr. Vitoc also believes that one of the most critical challenges is the weak capital markets. He and his team have already prepared MAIA for its I.P.O. and are now waiting eagerly for the reversal of market trends to price and execute.

Mission and Vision

MAIA’s vision is to become the first BioTech company to commercialize telomere targeting agents and develop a franchise of increasingly more effective agents, which will eventually help it evolve into a fully integrated global BioTech company.

As the organization’s leader, Dr. Vitoc says, “Our mission is to research, develop, and deliver innovative medicines to improve and extend people’s lives with cancer. Our focus is on telomere targeting agents, a therapeutic class in which MAIA are leading the field.”

Future Roadmap

Thanks to THIO’s vast applicability and ability to work on telomerase-positive cells, MAIA plans to develop THIO for multiple tumor types.

The firm’s THIO-101 trial is in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, the largest tumor type market in the world. MAIA is currently planning for its approval and commercialization in the U.S. by 2025. The organization also plans to partner with large international pharmaceutical companies.

While THIO- 102 trial is in a salvage setting in Colorectal Cancer, Liver Cancer, and Small Cell Lung Cancer. On the other hand, the THIO-103 trial is the first line of therapy in 9 tumor types.

MAIA is also developing the next generation of telomere targeting agents. The first two agents provide an incredible amount of efficacy in preclinical models and will be following THIO to the market in the next 3-5 years. Also, in 2022-24, the firm’s entire emphasis will be on building its Research and Development capabilities. In 2025 the firm plans to add commercial capabilities to become a fully integrated U.S. BioTech company.

Dr. Vitoc says, “With THIO, we have a tremendous opportunity in front of us: we have launched an exciting clinical pipeline, including a well-known strategic partner in Regeneron. THIO is the only telomere-targeting agent in the world.”

The best part of THIO is the ability to use it in a sequential combination with existing immune therapies. It has a novel dual mechanism of action, which provides direct telomere targeting and immunogenic effect, making existing drugs far more effective. With its accomplished management team navigating, MAIA Biotechnology direction and development of assets, the firm is developing next-generation candidates to complement its platform.

Visit MAIA Biotechnology.

DeepPsy: Using Technology to Personalize Psychiatric Treatment

DeepPsy is a Swiss startup that was founded in 2021 with the goal of bringing technology developed by the psychiatric scientific community into the everyday routine of clinicians. Indeed, one of the main problems in psychiatric treatment is that, opposite to most other fields of medicine, treatment decisions are mainly based on information obtained at the symptomatic level, with little consideration for the biological mechanisms of individual patients. As a consequence, patients often go through a prolonged trial-and-error process in order to find an effective treatment.

DeepPsy wants to change that: By giving psychiatrists access to the newest technologies developed, tested, and validated by the scientific community, they can better identify the treatment with the highest likelihood of success in a specific patient. The organization’s flagship technologies are algorithms that analyze brain waves (EEG) and heart activity (ECG). Those are made available to clinics and hospitals through a user-friendly web interface. DeepPsy processes its patients’ electrophysiological data according to the latest evidence-based research findings in this field, resulting in the computation of different features derived from patients’ brainwaves and heart activity. These parameters can be interpreted on which treatment options might be best for a patient.

Further, DeepPsy collects the anonymized data from patients (with their permission) and trains its Deep Neural Networks to identify even better patterns for the prediction of treatment response. This guarantees that DeepPsy improves its service with every customer!

Steadfast Leaders

DeepPsy was co-founded by Mateo de Bardeci and PD. Dr. med. Sebastian Olbrich. Mateo studied physics and data science at the ETH Zurich. He started doing research in psychiatry back in 2019. As there are few data scientists working in psychiatry, he felt that his background and work would allow him to create a lot of value in the field. It was also in 2019 that Mateo met Sebastian at an entrepreneurship workshop. Sebastian is a trained psychiatrist and the Chief of the Center for Depression, Anxiety Disorders and Psychotherapy at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich, Switzerland – one of the largest academic Psychiatry Hospitals in Europe. He has been conducting research on psychiatric biomarkers during the past 10 years, especially in the field of electrophysiology, with the goal of improving the treatment outcome in psychiatric disorders and thus decreasing the suffering of his patients. He told Mateo about his vision for the future of psychiatry, and both of them soon decided to work together to make it come true.

Founding Stone

During his research days, Mateo quickly realized that there is a huge need for innovation in psychiatric treatment. Indeed, while technology has changed our day-to-day life completely, these changes have not arrived to psychiatry yet. Furthermore, Sebastian understood that many academic research findings never made their way into everyday clinical decisions either. Usually, physicians choose treatments based on very subjective information, not considering objective markers that could guide and improve their decisions for a specific drug or other types of interventions, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or psychotherapy. Hence, both of them created the idea of DeepPsy to make the findings of biomarker research available for every psychiatrist and patient and to help to find the best individualized treatment. Now DeepPsy has a web-based framework that will help to improve treatment outcomes in major depression based on individual EEG and ECG data. This will shift the way in which psychiatric patients are treated and propulse psychiatry into the 21st century.

“Mental disorders are among the leading burden of disease worldwide. We, as a society, are building rockets to fly to mars and our cars will soon drive autonomously. Then why take psychiatric disorders such as depression as a predetermined fate? We have the knowledge to treat them based on objective information, and hence we should take this chance. DeepPsy is ready for the voyage.”

The firm’s goal for 2022 is to bring its first product to the Swiss and EU markets. In the coming years, the organization is planning to expand globally and increase its portfolio of solutions to include more mental illnesses and treatment options.

Data-Driven Solutions are Key

A major trend in the biotech industry is using data-driven solutions that have proven to be successful in other industries – especially the use of real-world data. These technologies have already proved to be a game-changer in oncology and imaging. DeepPsy is bringing it to psychiatry.

Tackling Challenges

DeepPsy believes that personalized treatment should be a global standard instead of only a research project. The firm’s mission is to bring psychiatry to the 21st century.

DeepPsy wants to help as many patients as possible. Therefore, it wants its solutions to be fast, accessible, and low cost. Simultaneously, the organization has very high standards of quality, data security, privacy, and scientific validity. However, creating solutions that fulfill both aspects was a challenge for the company.

Amaze Insurance Brokers: Solving Client’s Insurance Needs

Handling an insurance portfolio is not an easy job, it requires great professionalism, technical competencies, skills, and experience, which together are a rare combination. However, clients can now utilize these combinations through Amaze Insurance Brokers Private Limited, which in return provides amazing benefits in terms of coverage, savings in premium, timely renewals of policies, and expeditious & judicious settlement of claims.

Amaze Insurance Brokers Private Limited is an insurance broker licensed by the Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India. As an insurance broker, Amaze employs professionals with proven professional skills and technical competencies from the field of insurance and insurance broking with years of experience in managing insurance portfolios of clients starting from SMEs to big organizations.

The firm designs the most suitable insurance program (MSIP) for the clients duly meeting all their insurance requirements. It also makes a thorough analysis and evaluation of existing insurance covers and recommends definite solutions to fill up the lacunae, if any, in coverage. Additionally, Amaze Insurance Brokers sends recommendations to clients on ensuring proper and adequate coverage of assets, operations and liability areas.

The Skilful Leader

K. Muralidhara Reddy is the Managing Director and Principal Officer of Amaze Insurance Brokers Private Limited. k.Reddy is a professional with more than 3 decades of experience in managing various insurance portfolios starting from SMEs to big companies bringing in customer satisfaction. K. Reddy has a rich experience working in the insurance field as an MD and principal officer since January 2003. He is a team builder in multiple areas of operations including underwritings, claims, marketing, IT, client retentions, and finance.

Skilful in maintaining a cordial relationship with insurers, other organizations, and clients, K. Reddy is well known for a very high-level competency in underwritings and claims of all departments. Additionally, he possesses special skills in designing and implementing various rural insurance schemes by devising suitable procedures and involving software platforms.

The Differentiator

Amaze Insurance Brokers offers its Insurance Portfolio Management Services to various corporate, small, and medium-sized organizations for their entire portfolio. Until there’s a reasonable ground to consider, the firm stays away from where clients appoint multiple insurance brokers. The insurance broker firm handles all insurance requirements of its clients and delivers the best for them. The firm is very experienced in handling the insurance portfolio of clients from every sector and insurance covers of all types.

Project Insurances: EAR/CAR//CPM/Marine Cum EAR (MCE)/Global WC etc. Operational Covers -IAR/ Fire &Special Perils Policy/Marine/MBD/ BPP/EEI/Money Insurance – Cash in Transit & safe/ Employee Crime (Fidelity Guarantee), Jewellers all risks insurance.
Business Interruption Covers: Advance Loss of Profits (ALOP), Marine Delay in Start-Up (Marine DSU), Weather Insurance, Fire Loss of Profits (FLOP), Machinery Loss of Profits (MLOP).
Liability Insurances: CGL/ Public Liability (Act)/E&O/D&O/Professional Indemnity/Product Liability/Clinical Trials/WC/ Cyber Liability Insurance etc.
Employee Benefits: Group Health (GMC) /Group PA (GPA) /Group Term (GTLI) /Group Gratuity/ Superannuation/ Leave Encashment/Group Overseas Travel (GTI) etc.
Other Insurances: Vehicle Insurance for company’s and employees’ vehicles/top-up health/unnamed PA/Special Contingency/Export and Domestic Credit Insurance/Rural Insurance and other insurances.

Currently, Amaze Insurance Brokers handles sectors like; IT &ITES, Pharma, Hospitality, Power Sector (windmills, solar, biomass, gas, thermal, hydro), Bio-Tech and Clinical Research Organizations, Manufacturing, Service, Various Government Departments, SMEs, Rural Insurance covers, etc.

The firm is also one of the first insurance brokers in the industry, which successfully designed, developed, and implemented a unique software platform in 2016 for implementation of sheep insurance. Amaze Insurance Brokers prefers to subscribe to various national and international journals. With well-trained employees, who have completed their Brokers’ Training and passed various examinations as stipulated by IRDA, the firm is solving its clients’ insurance-related problems since its inception.

An Industry on the Rise

Introduced in 2002, with the first batch of licenses issued in 2003, two decades are nearly completed for the concept of insurance broking in India. ‘Broking’ is still considered taboo in India, creating many hurdles for the companies. During the first few years, even the government bodies and big corporate houses were not inclined to avail the service of an insurance broker. However, since then, the industry has come a long way, and many of the clients have started to engage, the services of insurance brokers.

Though Mr. Reddy believes, still a majority of clients have not been able to realize the full potential of professional services from an insurance broker, and they still consider insurance brokers as a quote getters. Insurance brokers are also expected to educate clients and deliver value in their services. Internationally, clients chose one insurance broker for the entire portfolio or policy-wise. Eventually, the selected insurance broker will manage the portfolio by extending his/her risk management services and dealing with various insurers to arrange the proper cover and expeditious settlement of claims.

Interestingly, many Indian clients appoint multiple insurance brokers to get a quote from the insurance companies. However, this process does no good for the clients, as they often miss out on the loyalty from the insurance broker, who might limit his/her services only to obtain the quotes. Here IRDA has given orders to the insurers, that they have to provide the same quote when multiple insurance brokers approach them for a quote under the same risk/policy. This step was taken to enable the client to select the right insurance broker and avail of his/her services. A client should understand the benefits of the services of an insurance broker and should appoint them only after the due selection process.

As the MD of Amaze Insurance Brokers, Mr. Reddy says, “Insurance Brokers have garnered as high as 55% of total business underwritten by insurers in India, which is a great achievement for this concept introduced by IRDA. This growth would continue and may touch 70-75% over next five years.”

The services of an insurance broker to a retail client are the need of the hour. K. Reddy feels the areas of claims need to be the focal point for all the insurance brokers and IRDA to create and build the much necessary trust factor among the policyholders and common man.

Mission and Vision

Amaze Insurance Brokers aspires to;

Being an ethical, principled, and value base organization set a new benchmark in the industry
Cater to the needs of all sections of the society
Bring in customer delight by adhering to the TATs in underwriting and claims settlement
Deploy appropriate Risk Management practices across the clients’ portfolios

As an insurance broker, Amaze’s vision is to establish and emerge as one of the most preferred insurance brokers in the country. The firm provides innovative solutions and ensures complete client satisfaction. It also aspires to combine excellence, quality, and timely service delivery with the utmost professionalism in risk management, premium management, risk coverage, and insurance portfolio management services to all its customers. K. Reddy believes sustainability will be a key factor when it comes to earning a great reputation for great ethics and trusted services to all of the clients.

Picture of the Future

In order to keep up with the competition, Amaze Insurance Brokers have entered into the world of online sales of insurance products. The website offering online sales, is in its final stages and will be launched commercially in May 2022. The online portal has been named Bimastreet, and it has its uniqueness when it comes to claims service to the customers, which is a big differentiator in the crowded market.

Bimastreet meets the unique need of retail clients. The firm would also love to have its digital solutions for SMEs and Corporates with all the required features, which will be its next big project.

Additionally, the firm is also coming up with an onsite insurance audit for its clients. Thus enabling them to evaluate the portfolio being handled by Amaze Brokers to make improvements.