Category: Exclusive Interview

Kamales Lardi, Moving Businesses into the Digital Age with Brainchild Endeavour Lardi & Partner Consulting

Kamales Lardi, a Digital Business Transformation Expert & Thought Leader successfully contributing top-line growth of businesses, their operational excellence and capabilities development through digital transformation. She combines over 21 years of deep cross-industry experience with the latest digital and technology solutions and is presently leading Lardi & Partner Consulting in the key position of CEO.

In academics, Kamales did B.Sc. in Computing & Information Systems where she found her interest in technology, programming, and business strategy. The inspiring lady began her career at Accenture (Andersen Consulting back then) after graduating in 1999. Then, she enrolled in MBA at Durham University Business School in the UK (2003). Kamales worked in Zurich Insurance for a while, and then at Deloitte Consulting. In the year 2012, she decided to start her own consultancy.

Further Kamales shared about her journey, “I became a parent and found the consultancy business model not conducive to a balanced lifestyle. This became the premise for my ‘modular consulting’ business model, a term that I coined to combine high-quality solutions with a flexible and agile delivery model. This approach has resonated well with many business leaders and has helped my company stand out in the digital space.”

In addition to consulting, Kamales Lardi is active in teaching as well and has lectured at several higher institutions like ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business, and Durham University Business School. She is the Chairperson of the FORBES Business Council Women Executives group and a dynamic and influential speaker.

Lardi & Partner Consulting, Transforming Traditional Business Models

Lardi & Partner Consulting GmbH is a boutique consultancy specializing in digital business transformation and emerging technologies. We enable organizations to transform traditional business models, processes, and operations to meet the needs of the digital economy and customer experience. We help companies define their customer’s needs and identify the best ways to utilize digital and emerging technologies across the business value chain to gain sustainable returns.

The firm provides advisory services to mostly multinational companies across various industries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. In addition, over the years they have also advised SMEs, start-ups, and the public sector.

Kamales’s focus on creating value in business enabled by technology has helped the Lardi & Partner Consulting firm stand out. She often says, ‘technology is not a silver bullet solution, a clear value proposition should drive any transformation effort’. This approach resonates well with many business leaders and has helped her stand out in the digital space.

The Impacts of Covid-19

COVID-19 has shifted mindsets towards greater adoption of technology and digital platforms. As experts in Digital Transformation, Kamales and her team have extensive implementation experience in this space and actively support companies in driving. They have taken a people-first approach that focuses on team wellness and prioritizing clients in their work. This works well as they have strong personal relationships with their clients and understand their personal and business challenges. In addition, their capabilities in business transformation and emerging technology solutions are exactly what companies need now to create business continuity and resilience.

From the CEO’s Desk

When asked about her views on challenges faced by women entrepreneurs and advice to overcome them, Kamales Lardi said “I do believe there is still a certain level of bias, conscious or unconscious, in the field of tech, entrepreneurship, and business. This could relate to a range of challenges such as women getting fewer opportunities in the field, struggling to gain funding, not receiving the credibility or recognition that they deserve for their work, or even manifest in the technology solutions being developed because of the lack of diversity in the development teams. This challenge should be addressed at various levels to be effective, including education, support, and deliberate actions and policies to enhance diversity – not just across gender but in every area.”

What Fascinates You the Most about Running your own Business?

“I take an active role in every client engagement that we deliver. I like working with clients and each company is unique, bringing new experiences, challenges, and opportunities. I find this fascinating and exciting. Also, the best part for me is seeing our solutions and advisory moving from vision to action, driving transformation in the company, and delivering real business results. This brings satisfaction and motivates me to keep doing what I do”, shared Kamales Lardi while disclosing the fascinating part in her business role.

“By running my own business, I have full control over the types of projects we do, who we work with, and what kind of results we can bring. For example, we usually work with multinational corporations, however, if there is an interesting project with a small company or start-up, we could still take it on. I am also excited about exploring new capabilities and skills. For example, back in 2016, many clients asked about the impact of blockchain and crypto in their business. This led me to deep dive into the topic, including understanding the technology and programming in this scape and eventually designing and building a blockchain-based traceability solution for the agriculture supply chain”, she further added.

Awards and Milestones on the Way

The company has hit the 10-year milestone for the business this year and they are still going strong. This is a big achievement considering the competitive market. Lardi & Partner Consulting has been honored with the 2020 Global Corporate Excellence Award from Business Worldwide Magazine in the category ‘Digital Business Transformation Firm of the Year’.  In addition, Kamales Lardi has received numerous awards including:

  • “Top 10 Global Influencers & Thought Leaders in Digital Transformation” (Thinkers360, 2021)
  • The Top 50 Women in Tech – Influencers to Follow (2021)
  • Top 20 visionaries of the media and technology industry (Adello Magazine, 2021)
  • First-ever Forbes Business Council Women Executives Chair (2021)
  • Women in Fintech Powerlist (2017)

Lardi & Partner in The Next Five Years

Lardi & Partner Consulting aims to flourish into a globally recognized brand and expert partner in digital business transformation in the near future. Also, the team is planning to work on more technology projects that deliver towards sustainability and climate change solutions

Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

Don’t limit yourself to what others or society or even you think you should be doing. The possibilities are unlimited, as long as you are bold and take a leap of faith in yourself. Build the right capabilities and experience required to succeed, but remember you do not need to be 100% ready, leverage teams that can help you build the right capabilities.

Jane Stevensen: Woman Behind JS Global Advisory Resolving Environmental Issues

Finding the path to motivation and purpose is uniquely carved by every individual. Jane Stevensen, Founding Director of JS Global Advisory, is leading by example as an inspirational woman leader with over 20 years of experience advising businesses on sustainability strategy and practice. She is an expert in the creation of global engagement programmes to achieve consensus and drive visionary change.

Understanding the need for robust solutions for fragile ecosystems with enormous environmental challenges, Jane established JS Global in 2018 after holding senior executive roles in both corporate and  not-for-profit organizations .

JS Global brings together an industry-leading team of advisors in climate-related policy & regulation, sustainability strategy, and practical ways of enhancing ESG – Environmental, Social and Governance – performance. Experienced in working across sectors, with particular expertise in oil & gas, shipping, mining & metals, and financial services, they have deep understanding of the new technical, regulatory, commercial and digitalisation challenges confronting Boards, CEOs and executive management teams.

Prior to setting up  JS Global, Jane led Grant Thornton LLP’s Sustainability Advisory Practice, is a former Managing Director of the highly influential Climate Disclosure Standards Board, was Chair of the Oil & Gas Advisory Group at CDP – the global climate information disclosure specialists (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project) – and headed CDP’s engagement with the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (or TCFD) set up by Mark Carney, ex-Governor of the Bank of England and now the UN Special Envoy on Climate and Finance. She has advised the UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative and the UK-City of London Green Finance Initiative.

Jane began her career in the Oil & Gas industry – as an exploration geologist, her working environment encompassed the oil rigs of the North Sea, the rare Jarrah Forest of Western Australia, the rainforest of Papua New Guinea, the Apennine Mountain home of the European Brown bear and the cities of London, Milan, and Paris.

Many of these places comprised fragile ecosystems with enormous environmental challenges, and indirectly led Jane Stevensen to ultimately setting up her own business. With an early understanding that the planet was a stakeholder in all operational activity and a belief that business has the potential to be a real force for good, Jane’s journey has brought her to where she is today, advising global companies on environmental risk and opportunity, governance, climate strategy and across the whole spectrum of ESG.

More about the Company and its Distinct Offerings

JS Global works across sectors and brings particular knowledge, insight, expertise, and understanding of the natural resources and energy industries – often called the “hard-to-abate” sectors. Their bespoke approach to sustainability consulting and climate change strategy and engagement is built on a unique understanding of the diverse perspectives that influence the way governments, businesses and financial market participants address the mega-trends affecting our planet and society.

The key areas JS advisory work encompasses consist of:

Engagement programmes – the company specialises in the design and delivery of engagement programmes to bring together key influencers with often conflicting viewpoints to catalyse real change.

Sustainability strategy – JS Global helps clients address key issues related to sustainability strategy, environmental and social impact across operations, stakeholder engagement, sustainability-related growth, and cost opportunities, and understand the reputational implications.

TCFD Advisory – the recommendations of the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures (the TCFD) provide a vital catalyst to enable companies to achieve climate-related targets in line with the Paris Agreement, and in particular map out a route to Net Zero carbon.

ESG services – Environmental, Social and Governance – ESG – criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments. JS Global works with businesses to support them in the development of ESG policy and strategy and strengthen understanding of the rapidly evolving regulatory environment.

Clientele & Corporate Ethos 

The JSG clientele ranges from global FTSE 250 companies to small independents. Climate change and the need for a sustainable business strategy affect every business and everyone in it. They all receive the same care and attention to ensure that each consulting project is bespoke, tailored to their objectives. Above all the team builds relationships, and their clients trust them.

Major Impacts of Covid-19

Covid-19 brought the whole world to a standstill, and some clients were unable to continue with the advisory work they had commissioned. The philosophy of JS Global is to engage with the clients and build trust to give the team the confidence that once the crisis abates, they will be back, and that is already proving to be true. The practical implications of the pandemic for the business have meant travelling to clients’ premises and working alongside them has stopped completely and they have all had to work from home, and so building those relationships has meant working much harder as it’s all had to be done over Zoom and Teams!

From the Founding Director’s Desk

“Having started my career in the Oil industry, being the lone woman is something I’m very used to! Once you’ve been in charge of an oil drilling rig in the North Sea or remote Western Australia there’s not much that phases you”, asserted Jane Stevensen while discussing her biggest challenges as a woman entrepreneur.

Jane’s Approach towards Entrepreneurship

The sheer unpredictability of the business world is something that fascinates Jane Stevensen the most!

Jane’s style is collaborative, thoughtful, she likes to listen to all the viewpoints, and determine the facts. She is able to draw on a whole career in business and industry, has run multidisciplinary teams around the world, and worked in difficult and dangerous environments where it was essential to be able to think on your feet and anticipate multiple outcomes. She has also spent time as Managing Director of a highly influential global climate NGO and sat on the Boards of charities as well as commercial entities. Furthermore, she has a wealth of experience to draw on, and as an entrepreneur she is able to deal with whatever comes up – the key is always to expect the unexpected.

A Day in the Life

“I’m an early riser – a lark not an owl, so usually up well before 6.30, cup of English breakfast tea as I stroll around my garden (weather permitting) with my dog. Then I will start the day with the 5 Tibetan Rites, an ancient yoga practice. Then it’s usually time to check the emails, work on client pitches, and respond to requests. During the pandemic with working from home I will have a daily morning Zoom call with my senior business partner where we touch base on what’s needed for the day, review new opportunities, discuss the current projects, and generally catch up”, said Jane Stevensen when asked about her daily routine.

“Lunch is a sandwich, and I will have a break and take my dog for a walk. Then back to it for the afternoon, often with client calls and reviews. I enjoy cooking and dinner is usually around my kitchen table with whoever is at home from my family”, she added. “As the world opens up post-pandemic I’m looking forward to getting back to the theatre and opera which I love, and supporting the arts again”.

JS Global in the Next Five Years

The foundation of JS Global Advisory was to support businesses in their sustainability journey, tackling the most pressing issue of the current time – climate change. The vision of JS Global in the next five years is to be able to provide the toolkit for businesses, regardless of sector or size, to address both the risks and opportunities of climate change and be part of the global solution. Moreover, they want to be able to inspire organizations to believe they really can do it and radically increase ambition to achieve much greater targets than they thought possible.

A Piece of Advice

Stay focused, have a target in mind, but don’t be inflexible. Stuff happens along the way, and being too rigid will not help you. Accept help whenever it’s offered – if you can find a mentor you really like who supports but also challenges your thinking that is enormously helpful.

Above all – keep calm and carry on!

Ritche Evidente, An Ardent Leader Steering the Philippines’ Leading Medical Laboratory, Singapore Diagnostics

Serving the laboratory requirements of up to 300 different institutions nationwide, from the hospitals to the largest clinic chains, to free-standing physician clinics is  Singapore Diagnostics, one of the largest laboratories in the Philippines and the current project of  Ritche Evidente, President and CEO of Singapore Diagnostics.

Under the able leadership of Ritche, Singapore Diagnostics has made rapid strides and is the only CAP Accredited tertiary laboratory in the Philippines. It all started in 2015 for the healthcare executive, seeking to bridge the ascending disparity of healthcare access in the Philippines, Singapore Diagnostics was founded.

Aside from owning a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, the  Healthcare Chief Executive has a background in Political Economy and spent most of his early professional life in financial services. He joined healthcare a little over a decade ago. While in the healthcare industry, he has worked in 4 start-ups: 2 became market leaders, 2 led to successful exits for early investors. He was previously connected with a Financial Services conglomerate, built a strong foundation in new business ventures and start-up environments. “It has been a continuing journey filled with challenges, the greatest of which is the ongoing pandemic”, said Ritche.

The Inspiration

Marrying a physician allowed Ritche to become familiar with the various struggles in Philippine healthcare. He saw that high quality often equated to high-priced healthcare. This made it difficult for most Filipinos to experience world-class diagnostics. he also saw an industry where the basic principles of economic theory were often misunderstood and misapplied. From there, one opportunity led to another until he found himself building what is arguably among the biggest laboratories in the Philippines.

Singapore Diagnostics, The highest standards of quality, competence, and safety

A noteworthy name in the healthcare segment is that Singapore Diagnostics is operating out of the Philippine capital and has grown to be one of the largest and most respected laboratories in the Philippines. It started out as a laboratory for other laboratories, a laboratory outsources provider if you will, serving the requirements of over 300 hospitals and healthcare institutions in the Philippines. Now they are pivoting to a more direct-to-patient approach, reaching as many Filipinos directly and providing them with the high-quality laboratory testing that they deserve. “This pandemic has taught us that every Filipino deserves high-quality, world-class diagnostics at affordable rates. No longer should high quality be equated and be exclusive to expensive healthcare institutions. It should be available to as many as possible.”

Clients & Unbreakable Faith of Clients

Today, Singapore Diagnostics serves 50,000-70,000 patients monthly. Half of these patients are served directly, while the other half are through the many hospitals and clinics with whom the firm is partnered. In both cases, Singapore Diagnostics’ commitment is to deliver world-class services at affordable rates.

Unlike other players in the industry, Singapore Diagnostics’ laboratory services are CAP Accredited. This means that their team’s competence, processes, and testing results are measured and are at par with some of the world’s best hospitals and reference laboratories.

Passing through the Pandemic

As the company was pivoting to a direct-to-patient model, the world was hit by the Covid-19 Pandemic. Asia was hit harder than most. While people will generally think that healthcare would be the first to benefit from such a pandemic, the truth is that more than half of Ritche’s customers shut down their businesses – the out-patient clinics, the industrial medicine providers, even a few of the health insurance companies – they all closed down. The industry and the entire economy were in total disarray.

They saw the real healthcare heroes shine amidst the disarray. They had team members who walked 3 hours just to come to work. They had team members sharing every last piece of surgical masks with each other, ordering and preparing food for each other, delivering groceries to colleagues who were in quarantine. In a town hall meeting, they all accepted that this will be the biggest challenge the Philippines will face since the war, and probably the most difficult time the generation will ever experience.

“One long forgotten virtue of the Filipino is the spirit of volunteerism. It is called “bayanihan.” Regardless of the challenges ahead, with the right ingredients, that spirit of volunteerism shines bright,” according to Ritche Evidente. While competitors and customers shut down, Singapore Diagnostics brought out the virtue of “bayanihan” in the team.

As their way of expressing their gratitude, they have given away thousands of Covid-19 tests to healthcare workers. They have provided health and life insurance coverage for all their employees. Ritche Evidente Evidente has doubled, and in some cases, tripled the income of healthcare workers who go the extra mile to serve their fellow Filipinos.

The Driving Force behind the Successful Journey

Two things stand out. First, we all contributed to the organizational culture. Second, I have been blessed with coaches and mentors in my professional life”, stated Ritche.

Most new employees hear this on their first day here- Second place is the first loser. It is something Ritche Evidente and his team in the organization embrace and apply. It is their culture. They do not aim to be mere survivors, but rather, they want to be winners. This mindset, along with teamwork and competence, has led the whole team to where they are now – the laboratory market leader in the Philippines.

Besides, Ritche Evidente has also been blessed with brilliant mentors. It is something that he hopes he can emulate as they build a new generation of leaders for Singapore Diagnostics.

A Day in Ritche’s Life

Sharing his daily routine, the leader said, “I am normally up at 6 am and I review various metrics while having my morning coffee. From feedback reports, census and sales metrics, KPIs of each of our facilities, I have the opportunity to review these before I get to the office. At work, we rarely have meetings. We have huddles and stand-up discussions, but rarely do we have long meetings involving multiple participants. As we all collaborate and communicate with each other regularly, we all know what is happening and there is hardly a need for meetings.”

He continued, “Because of the pandemic, we rarely sit down as a team to share a meal. In the past, lunchtime would be spent with a few teammates to discuss concerns in a more informal setting. As we operate in 23 sites, I would often spend part of the afternoon visiting these sites, speaking with members of the team. If not, I would spend this time face-to-face with key customers. Then, I would spend the early evening running around the city or working out in the gym.”

Awards & Milestones

Singapore Diagnostics was cited as among the Philippines’ Growth Drivers in 2020 by market research firm, Statista, and news publication, Philippine Daily Inquirer. It is a testament to the company’s growth and achievements in its short history. It was also the first tertiary laboratory in the Philippines to receive accreditation from the College of American Pathologists in 2019.

Favourite Quote 

Second place is the first loser.

Dr. Wendy Liew, The Award-Winning Entrepreneur & Certified Consultant Building Organizational and Personal Brands with The Image Creator

In a rapidly transforming virtual world, Dr. Wendy Liew, Director & Founder, The Image Creator, is a growth partner carving the path for success. She is the woman with multiple hats- Certified Image & Brand Management Consultant, Keynote Speaker, Trainer, Author, and an award-winning entrepreneur.  Wendy is also recognized as a Trailblazer of AsiaBizToday, Inspiring Women of Malaysia by Malaysian Business Magazine under the class of 2019 MB’s Notable & Successful Women, accredited as one of the personalities in the First Edition of Human Encyclopedia (Britishpedia) titled “Successful People in Malaysia” by British Publishing House Ltd and featured in the 3rd Edition coffee table book titled “50 Influential Women of the World”. Furthermore, Wendy Liew has been listed as one of the LinkedIn Icons & Influencers in the article “Power of Persuasion” on Social Media Influencer by “TheSunDaily”.

While sharing her business journey, Wendy Liew apprised, “I’m running 4 different companies, from Image & Brand Management in Education & Training, Branding & Marketing content development to IT & infrastructure and lastly into Trust & Integrity building for businesses. With TIC, we started on conducting personal branding in the areas of image, colours & style workshops a decade ago and it slowly moved into mostly conducting corporate training to Multinational companies, Government Link companies and Fortune 500 companies.”

More about the Company

TIC is one of Asia’s Best Brands 2019 and Malaysia’s leading training providers of image and skills consulting services, specializing in helping clients develop a strong impression, desired perception, and brand identity, through image and brand management, communication, etiquette, and protocol skills.

Almost 90% of TIC’s clients are corporate companies that include MNCs, GLCs & the Fortune 500 companies. To date, it has trained more than hundreds of companies and over 70, 000 corporate people ranging from lower-level all the way to the C-Suites level and the VVIPs in the areas of Professional Image Branding, Protocol & Business Etiquette.

Hurdles on the Way

The toughest time so far was last year when the pandemic started where everything was put to a halt. As it dragged on for months and months with low business, Wendy Liew said, she struggled a lot in sustaining the business and maintaining all employees. They are trying their best not to reduce their salary and to retain all employees with the company. Fortunately, she made it happen.

However, Wendy Liew believes, everything that happened is like the flip of the coin. The impact of the pandemic isn’t that bad after all. Instead of moving downhill, they are maintaining and what’s most precious to us is that they see clarity, they feel the unity and they manage the urgency in pivoting.

What Helped You along the Way?

“Being a trainer/educator, I believe strongly in continuous education regardless of the level or position that we are in. When we stop learning, we stop growing”, shared Wendy Liew.

“I set aside a fund for at least 2 new courses every year overseas. This helped me tremendously in my journey in building my business. It’s so important to learn from the people or industry that is totally out of our own industry and finding relevancy on how to bring our existing offering from different perspectives and to different levels. In each of the courses, we can see what have we done well here in our country, and what are the things that work in other countries, and how to close the gap in solving current challenges with the new input that we learn from the new learning and the other countries”, she further added.

Creating a more Balanced and Equal Industry

In the goals of achieving diversity in having a greater proportion of women and ethnically/culturally diverse individuals) especially in the leadership of large companies and financial outperformance, some of these contributions and efforts What can companies do in order to achieve a more balanced and equal industry:

  • Commit and cascade from top-down to convey the importance of I&D as part of the company culture and values, especially during onboarding.
  • Link I&D as a part of the growth strategy. The I&D priorities must be explicitly defined based on what will drive the business growth strategy.
  • Craft an initiative journey or roadmap in pursuit of the I&D goals. Companies should go for programmes and training to build the culture of I&D.
  • Tailor for impact. I&D initiatives should be tailored to the relevant business area or geographic region context to maximize local buy-in and impact. There are no one-size-fits!

A Day in Wendy Liew’s Life

Here is Wendy’s schedule after Covid-19:

  • 7.00 am: Wake up
  • 7.30 am – 8.30am: Physical Activity
  • 9.00 am: Salad breakfast with hubby
  • 9.30 am: To-do list (meetings, coaching, training, speaking, and meeting clients)
  • 12.00pm: Lunch
  • 1.00pm: continue working
  • 5.30 pm: Family leisure time
  • 7.00pm: Dinner
  • 8.00 pm: Will continue to work if it’s urgent, else, that will spend with family
  • 10.00 pm: Supper time
  • 11.00 pm: Reading/ preparing on tomorrow’s schedule/to check with any unfinished work or catching up with backlogs if any.
  • 12.00am/1.00am: Sleep

Favourite Book

“How Women Rise” – Marshall Goldsmith & Sally Helgesen

Future Roadmap

Dr. Liew is pivoting her business needs to integrate the essential touch of humanization with the full fledge of digitalization that eventually promotes a sustainable future!

Her whole team is super excited and looking forward to the whole completion of their digital ecosystem that can be fully automated from e-learning in training & education to Image Gamification system, 100% Online Certification Programmes, Sales & Marketing Vault Funnelling system, Image Apps and finally to an award giving platform. Meanwhile, they are in the midst of coming out with a few implementation programmes for SMEs/start-ups that will eventually also be converted into digital/automated systems.

Jewels in the Crown

  • Award Recipient of “Malaysia Most Fabulous Training & Development Leaders 2020” – World Federation of HR Professionals
  • Award Recipient of “Women Super Achiever 2020 & 2019” – Women Leadership Congress Award
  • Award Recipient of “Content Developer of The Year” under the category of Asia Training & Development Excellence Award 2019
  • Award Recipient of “Malaysia Women Leaders 2019”
  • Award Recipient of “101 Top Global Training & Development Minds 2019”
  • Award Recipient of “Distinguished Trainer 2019”
  • Award Recipient of “Coaching & Development Leadership 2019”
  • Award Recipient of “Asia Best Brand 2019” – CMO Asia Singapore
  • Award Recipient of “Women Icons Malaysia 2018”
  • Award Recipient of “The 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneur 2017”

Advice for Female Entrepreneurs

  1. There’s nothing wrong to be ambitious as ambition is for everyone, not just for men.
  2. Never short-change yourself as a woman.
  3. Demand for your value as you know what’s the value that you can bring to the table.
  4. It’s okay to be vulnerable and seek support. The support system is your strength.

Favourite Quote

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are from. The ability to triumph begins with you, always! – Oprah Winfrey

The Technopreneur who Introduced XaaS Ltd to Strengthen the Cyber Defense, Matt White

In support of companies seeking to enhance their cybersecurity, an eminent transformation strategist and technopreneur, Matt White, laid the bedrock foundation of XaaS Ltd to provide excellence and innovation in the protection of digital data and empower everyone on their cyber transformation journey.

The driven, rock climbing author, and father of 2 girls began his career fixing computers and giving businesses support when he was in his early teens. From then he moved to development in the dot com boom, covering infrastructure, resilience, and leading into consultancy.

The Life-Changing Incident

When Matt was 12, he injured his wrist and when 13 was diagnosed with a chronic pain condition, Complex Regional Pain syndrome (CRPS).  CRPS is a poorly understood condition where a person experiences persistent severe and debilitating pain.  As a result Matt gets little sleep and is fueled by adrenaline.

Matt now sees his condition as both a gift and a curse, having learnt over time to reframe it as a superpower.  The pain fuels him, giving him the ability to push himself harder and further, whilst driving him to keep fighting.  He is inspirational living proof that any hardship and problem can be turned into advantage, with willpower and a positive attitude.

More about the Venture  

XaaS helps companies improve their cybersecurity, removing the ‘witchcraft’ and subjectivity by helping define and then guiding them through their transformation journey.  XaaS has two products, ‘Advance’, the enterprise product designed for companies who want to undertake a full transformation, and ‘Evolve’ the cutdown solution aimed at helping improve the cybersecurity of small businesses by guiding them through a much more simplified journey to be secure, in line with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and CyberEssentials.

Matt explained further, “Our platform allows you to assess yourself against our baseline model, mapped to the industry standard control frameworks such as NIST and ISO 27001, taking into account your constraints (time, budget, resource and risk appetite) and then delivers you a step by step dynamic roadmap, tracking progress and offering reporting.  Using an analogy, we offer turn by turn navigation like modern day SatNavs, rather than the traditional, static line drawn on a map route.”

The Inspiration of Becoming an Author

Matt has been fortunate enough to meet a lot of different characters along the way.  In particular, he has met many people at the top of their field, and they all had one thing in common… they were giving back.  They mentored, they helped their colleagues and acquaintances, not out of expectation, but because they felt it was the right thing to do.  The help and guidance he was given made Matt want to pay it forward.  When the opportunity with NY Times Bestselling Author Neil Strauss came up, it felt like a book was a way to support even more people than he can in person, hopefully preventing them from making some of his mistakes.

Clients & the Unbreakable Faith

The clientele of XaaS includes businesses of any size.  Whether a global enterprise going through a planned transformation or a sole trader, the team helps make cybersecurity easier.

Matt ensures the unbreakable faith of his clients by being pragmatic, open, and honest.  If he does not know or cannot do something he is upfront about it, then where possible he puts them in touch with the people that can.

Challenges & Learnings on the Way

Jim McKelvey defines the Innovation Stack as “a series of inventions that differentiates a company and allows it to completely dominate a market”.

Initially, Matt and his team did not understand that was what they were building with XaaS, they just had a proven idea and methodology.  As they realised the extent of what they were doing, it quickly became a question of, “How do you find the time to build not just a product, but an entire innovation stack of solutions, whilst getting to market quickly?”

The team knew the big things that needed to be done, everyone has those large milestones in their start-up plan, but the journey so far has taught Matt that those big things aren’t the important ones, it’s the hundreds of ‘micro-challenges’ that each needed solving and how they drove XaaS down the path as the team built what had become not a single innovation, but a combination of innovations all working together symbiotically, their own XaaS Innovation Stack.

Who Helped Matt in the Journey?

Matt’s dad was the single most influential person in who he is today.  Matt’s gift for innovation is in great part from his perception of how to handle challenges in the world.  Through Saturday nights watching MacGyver and weekends repairing items around the house, his father taught him a couple of key lessons that have served him well…  that anything can be fixed with enough duct tape and superglue and that no problem is unsolvable.

Daily Routine

Matt shared his daily routine, “I tend to get up between 06:00 and 07:00 depending on whether I’m travelling to London.  My breakfast is usually a protein shake and a bulletproof coffee, with my first call between 07:30 and 08:00.  Then I answer emails and do my ‘admin tasks’ until 09:00. Next is 15-30 minutes for me to do that day’s Power MBA session.” 

“09:30 – 18:30 is the core of my day with our team or our clients.  My time is spent doing anything from administrative paperwork needed as you build a business, to product workshops, client meetings, strategy sessions, or interviews. During 3 of the days I slot in a couple of hours to climb at my local bouldering gym”  

“Assuming I’m at home, at 18:30(ish) I spend some time with my daughters and put them to bed at 20:00. Then, I take my meal and spend some time with my wife. At about 22:00 I’m back out in my office working or writing.  If I haven’t wound down, I’ll read for an hour before going to bed at about 02:00.”

Favourite Book

‘Trillion Dollar Coach by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, Alan Eagle”

Future Roadmap

When asked about his future plans, Matt said, “Whilst at the moment we might be focusing on cyber security, the methodology we developed for transformational journeys at XaaS can be applied to many challenges in the industry and in our personal lives.  This means that we are able to expand XaaS to multiple transformation themes, both in industry and for personal use.

We’re particularly excited to be working with Team GB Climbing coach, Belinda Fuller,  looking at applying our platform to improve fitness, ability and maturity for anyone who wants to climb.  As we see it sky’s the limit…”  

A Piece of Advice

Now more than ever there is a place for entrepreneurs.  Regardlesss of gender, race, ethnicity, or belief system, if you have a vision then go for it.  Don’t let ANYONE tell you it can’t be done or you can’t do it, but remember to make it true to yourself.

Just be awar that you’re going to get setbacks and you’re going to get blockers.  You WILL fall before you fly, but that is a part of the game. It’s those falls that teach you the best lessons.

Greentech Innovators AS: Developing Solutions for Circular Bio-economy with Innovative Minds Led by Ingmar Hogoy

“Success is to contribute to solving some of the great environmental challenges and produce healthy and sustainable food!” – Ingmar Hogoy

Greentech Innovators AS, a humble entrant into the landscape of Biotechnology, is the brainchild of Ingmar Hogoy. The story of the innovative success of ‘Greentech’ started on January 30th, 2018 by Ingmar and his partner to identify the needs in the market and collaborate with research communities, innovators, and industry to develop solutions for circular bio-economy.

Ingmar Hogoy, CEO and Chairman of the Board, Greentech Innovators AS/, is a business leader, visionary and expert professional within the aquaculture industry. He is an amazing project leader within the aquaculture industry in protein recovery, biotechnology, process technology, feed, hydrolysis, new aquaculture species, fish health, and project funding.  He holds expertise in fish farming, R&D, product development, process development, processing of fish by-products, marketing, and sales.

Working together with partners like researchers and employees to solve new and upcoming challenges within Aquaculture and sustainability has been a great inspiration for Ingmar. It has been an extraordinary journey since he started with aquaculture at the age of 12 up until today. And, his greatest achievement is to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse emissions by giving waste value.

The Beginning of a Business Leader

“My lifelong passion for fisheries and aquaculture started when I was a young boy. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents at their island home which gave me insights into marine life. At the age of 12, I started experimenting with microalgae in an aquarium using fertilizer for growth. I made a small pond and was catching wild trout fry for farming. When I was 15 years old, I began fish farming with rainbow trout in a homemade fish cage”, shared Ingmar.

“Later in my career, I have been dedicated to different parts of the aquaculture value chain in Norway, through research, product development, processing, and sales. In the early stage of the Norwegian salmon industry, I was working in a salmon processing plant when I realised that there was no waste management solution for the processed by-products like viscera and bones. This became an environmental problem. I found that the rest of the raw material from processing was a valuable resource containing high-quality protein and oil – left unutilised. I was hired at a pioneering company, built up a factory for processing the rest of raw materials from the salmon industry into fish protein and oil as feed. Ever since, I have been dedicated to the circular economy, utilizing waste from fisheries and aquaculture by developing new products as feed, special feed, and proteins for human consumption. The utilisation of the rest raw materials from fisheries and aquaculture is now a large and profitable industry in Norway”, he further added

Greentech Since Inception

Through his experience with aquaculture and by solving the challenges of by-products from aquaculture and fisheries, Ingmar realised that they still have environmental challenges with food waste. In 2018, he established Greentech Innovators and the subsidiary Algaepro. The idea was to find more sustainable solutions to organic waste like food waste. The environmental challenges with today’s waste management solutions became more and more obvious.

Food waste on landfills is contributing to 11 % of Methane emissions, a greenhouse gas 70 times stronger than CO2. Ingmar focuses on how they could develop more sustainable solutions and utilise the valuable resources in food waste? They found that the solution was using microbes and microalgae to convert food waste into highly demanded and valuable protein and omega-3. Since then, they have been working to develop our business idea and improve the fermentation process. One of their main strategic goals was a partnership with our local waste management company BIR which we succeeded within 2019.

Due to new EU regulations prohibiting incineration of food waste from 2023, waste management companies need to create more sustainable waste management solutions in partnership with start-up companies with new and innovative solutions. Ingmar and his team are acting as a service provider for waste management and producing feed ingredients for the growing aquaculture industry. They now have under construction a pilot plant for fermentation and like most start-ups; they are looking to raise capital.

The Challenges & the Driving Force

The leading man has always been fascinated by farming the ocean to increase food production. He has also been interested in sustainability and that they have to reduce the man-made negative impact of the climate. Combining these elements and improving utilisation of underutilised resources and reducing the negative impact on nature is fascinating and a driving force for me.

As a start-up, the challenge will always be to convince investors of what a “brilliant” idea this is. There are many challenges as a start-up but funding takes too much time and it would be better to spend time on developing products and markets.

Making the Solutions more Efficient & Sustainable

The goal is to grow microalgae on a large scale to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from food waste and capture CO2 in microalgae, at the same time as they are producing sustainable and healthy seafood. That is really a win-win situation.

Keeping the Team Motivated & Innovative

The employee must be enthusiastic in making a difference and Ingmar always tells his team that they are contributing to solving some of the main global challenges, namely reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing food production. That is a good motivation for the whole team working in Greentech Innovators & AlgaePro.

The Current Landscape of the Waste Management

The current landscape of waste management and feed sources is emerging at high speed. Greentech mainly operates in two markets; the market of improved waste management and the market of new protein and omega-3 feed sources. Most countries are looking for more sustainable waste management solutions as it becomes clearer that food waste results in large Methane emissions from landfills and biogas production. New regulations are supporting this market growth.

Global aquaculture production is growing exponentially and requires new sustainable feed sources. There is a need for new protein and omega-3 sources in order to continue the growth in global aquaculture production. The dominating protein sources like fish meal and soy have limited supply and face environmental concerns regarding overfishing and severe deforestation.

The Business World of Europe

Europe is on the right track regarding the focus on environmental challenges with new green solutions flourishing, However, the access to capital for start-ups is a limitation slowing down the development and scaling of green solutions. Generally speaking, the governments, finance institutes, and industries are talking too much and doing too little. Now it’s time to take action!

Future Roadmap

Ingmar Hogoy’s vision is to scale the solution of food waste management and microalgae production and give a substantial contribution to reduce greenhouse gases and farm the ocean. Further, he believes that they need to utilise the ocean in order to produce more sustainable food.

Ingmar’s Advice to Aspiring entrepreneurs

You have to fight for your ideas and never give up. You will face expected and unexpected challenges. Being an entrepreneur is not an easy walk, but you have to go uphill to reach the top. Now, go out and do it!

Eugen Lukas Gross: Delivering Enhanced Audio Content Solutions by Leveraging AI and Data Science at aiconix GmbH

A brainchild of Eugen Lukas Gross, aiconix GmbH has set a new benchmark for the analysis and processing of audio-visual content and positioned itself strongly in the market. Founded on 13th April 2018, the company has been working with a mission to improve content production by using data science in a meaningful way. With solutions such as automated live streaming transcription and subtitling, speech-to-text, facial recognition, or AI analysis of media content, the company allows people to add significant value to their AV content production processes, gain innovative data insights, and increase monetization.

The Man behind aiconix’s Unique Concept

Eugen Lukas Gross is the Founder and CEO of aiconix. He is a seasoned professional with over 29 years of expertise in different fields. He started as a camera assistant (feature film, commercials, magazine) in Vienna, quickly became a cameraman for news when he moved to Berlin. In the 90s he worked as an SNG operator and technical lead of an OB-van. But he was drawn back to the camera, shooting mainly live music and entertainment productions for TV. In the 2000s Eugen became a partner of a TV production company in Cologne and produced a long-term documentary in Northern Germany where he was a shareholder. In early 2010 he also worked as a producer and director before he took a master’s degree in media management and set the course for aiconix in 2016 with his master’s thesis.

In his master’s thesis, he didn’t only focus on AI, but primarily on the possibilities of predicting the user behavior of viewers when consuming media content. While researching AI providers, he noticed that the market is quite opaque and that’s when he came up with the idea of building a platform that curates and orchestrates AI providers and features. There is a lot of need especially in the Speech-to-Text space and they received an overwhelming market echo. With the pandemic and the resulting reluctance of media customers to invest, the government space has come into focus.

What Influenced Eugen to Start a Business?

It happened by accident. When Eugen moved to Berlin in the early 90th, as an Austrian not a member of the EEC, he did not get a working permit, so he had to work self-employed.

Again, after graduating, he initially wanted to work for a company. But he quickly realized that he might not be able to shape things there the way he would like to. Agile working, the courage to take risks and learn from mistakes, the joy of driving innovation. These are things that drive him. Due to his years of self-employment prior to his studies, it quickly became clear that he wanted to build something of his own.

Keeping the Team Innovative and Productive

The secret formula of motivating the team to stay innovative and productive by informing and educating them what they are working towards. Employees need to not only know the company’s vision and goals but also want to share them. This encourages everyone to work together to achieve better results. With clear and measurable goals that align with the vision, all employees can track progress and their success becomes tangible. In addition, fostering alignment and communication within and between teams is hugely important, as it increases productivity and can help employees feel valued and motivated.

Definition of Success

For Eugen Lukas, success is being able to earn a living by doing what he really enjoys doing. Success is being able to feed his family. Success is being able to determine one’s own life and being independent. Success is being able to constantly learn from people that you meet every single day. Success is finding your place in this world where you feel that you can make a contribution.

Eugen’s Views on the IT Industry  

The market is in upheaval. Everyone is talking about digitization and innovation management, but unfortunately, action is too slow in many areas. The larger the company (customer), the more sluggish it is in making decisions and implementing new technologies. This is usually due to the fact that too many stakeholders, who often do not have the technological know-how, have to be involved, and this delays decisions and the speed at which innovative technologies are introduced.

Current Business World of Europe

Many European countries still rely heavily on the “old economy”. Innovations are desirable and necessary, but the path to implementation is often too bureaucratic and full of legal hurdles. In general, digitization is also progressing far too slowly. But it is found that many, especially younger people, have an innovative mindset redefining entire industries. And, they are the future of a modern, high-performance Europe.

From the CEO’s Desk

The biggest challenge for me is to be patient. It never goes as fast as I want it to and focusing on just one topic is, for someone bubbling with ideas, just as big a challenge. A great team that pulls together with me keeps me motivated and positive feedback from satisfied clients is my daily ration of happiness.

Our platform aingine is the basis for all further products. My original idea of being able to predict people’s media user behavior with AI is still something I’m convinced could change the way media is produced and something I still want to implement. I want our AI solutions to empower people in all industries to work smarter. They should see AI as their assistant and not as a job killer.

Achievements & Accomplishments

Eugen Lukas Gross and his team believe their biggest success is their visibility in a European ecosystem and the inquiries from customers they didn’t know about before.

Eugen’s personal success was and is that he managed to come out of low blows, such as a sports injury that forced him to give up his old job, to reorient himself, and to have now embarked on a new professional perspective through a late master’s degree. Change as a drive.

Road Ahead

Discussing his future plans for the company, Eugen Lukas Gross shared, “We want to offer our customers the best AI solutions to facilitate, improve and monetize their daily work. We want to play a relevant role in our markets and strive for long-term, trusting customer relationships. Personally, I am satisfied when I get to lead a company that has motivated, happy and appreciative employees who enjoy going to work every day and believe in what we do aiconix and our products shall not be the last innovations I have worked on. More is to follow.”

A Piece of Advice to Budding Entrepreneurs

You need luck and perseverance. And it’s important to believe in your vision, but you also have to react, pick up and listen to what customers are saying. Products should always be in beta: you should constantly think about how to improve them. If you are personally balanced and have support from your family and environment, then you can excel professionally.

Closing quote

Experience only comes from taking detours.

Dr Milan Krajnc: The Business Expert, Helping Companies to Grow By Sorting Out Their Difficulties

Everything begins and ends in the mind of the individual. – Milan Krajnc

Dr. Milan Krajnc, a man with many hats, is an academic and university professor, author, mentor, business expert, and problem-solver. He is an expert in resolving the challenges that arise from the interaction of different personality types within a company or organization. He is skilled in personal advising, psychology, marketing, negotiation, and lobbying at organizations of any size and scope, from local to national levels. He is an expert on State psychology and local authorities. Mr. Krajnc is the creator of the Dynamic Leadership Model, an exceptional method for helping organizations and companies, using the laws of nature. He has written more than 300 books in the field of management and relationships.

In academics, Milan studied physics, at the Faculty of Education in the belief that one day, he would become a physics teacher at school. However, he started teaching during his studies and realized that this would not be his future, so at the end of his studies, he quit school and started working for various companies in the field of business process optimization, where he quickly realized that the problem was in the way of thinking, in leaders. So, he started studying psychology and psychotherapy while working and working on projects all the time. Present-day, Mr. Milan Krajnc is a Doctor of Science in Management Psychology and a University Professor of Public Management. However, he spends most of his time in companies where he teaches leaders a different way of thinking.

While talking about his successful journey from scratch Dr Milan apprised, “My company was in the beginning, a family business, but my wife and I were too young, for business and personal life, so at some point, we decided to continue only business cooperation. Today, I led the entire business group. It was named after the brightest constant star in our visible sky, SIRIUS, as I studied physics and earned a degree in astronomy. Astronomy and space have been my hobbies since early childhood. And this hobby also broadened my horizons in a way. The company is constantly engaged in the innovation, development of business solutions that allow users to easily manage the company. You could say we sell time to give our customers more time to live!”

Overcoming the Challenges & Staying Motivated

“I do not face any challenges, but I take it as a laboratory where we can develop solutions for all companies on our own examples. namely, we sell better communication, a better organization to other companies … Everything is based on the personality of the employees. Because we have a very diverse nationality in the company, we treat employees as our customers, they are kings for us. We try to understand their personal and business problems and create a business environment to foster their potential. Above all, we want to separate their personal and business lives, because that way they are happy and the company has more than their creation. Together we are getting stronger,” asserted Milan when asked about his major challenges.

Innovations on the Way

As a scientist, Dr Milan founded the new scientific method Dynamilogy. Dynamilogy is the active study of “living” processes and phenomena related to humans and nature! It is a new branch of science that he formed based on physics, psychology, and economics. It is decoding nature’s secrets of a sort. Only if we look at nature, we see that everything is simple, that everything works on its own. And we often say that it would be great if it was like that also in our lives.

Let’s examine a diamond as an example. A diamond is made of carbon. But graphite is also made of carbon. The difference between the two is only in the atomic structure. And if we transfer this fact to our economy, how much graphite would we have to sell to get a value that is equal to the value of one diamond sold?

The whole secret is therefore in the right order. The code of nature is in the right order. If we compare a business process or a process in personal life with natural processes, we quickly figure out what we are doing wrong. This way we will also quickly come up with a formula for success. All we need to do is to put the process in our personal or business life in the right order.

And in the end, you will realize that happiness is just a decision! Dynamilogy aims to put a person before work and to reverse the course of the current chaos in the world.

The following models are derived from dynamilogy:

  1. The Dynamic Leadership Model, a business methodology that puts people first.
  2. The Dynamic Leadership Model for Administrative Systems on a Local Level, which puts the potential of the environment and people first.
  3. The Dynamic Communication Model, which creates a refined flow of information.
  4. Sirius Personal Transformation, a psychological method of self-discovery.
  5. Sirius Business Transformation, a business methodology of process reform.
  6. Project Office, a form of enterprise organization with projects and project management as basic elements, representing a completely natural process.
  7. Dynamic Circle, organization of one’s own life in order to accomplish inner peace.
  8. Dynamic Leader, a New Age business profession.
  9. Dynamic Manager, a New Age business management profession.
  10. Dynamic Engineer, a New Age profession for personality-based process planning.

Dr Milan and his want companies to start operating like nature because only then we all be able to save the world and humanity.

This model (Dynamic Leadership Model) has saved thousands of lives, which has been recognized by the most influential intellectuals in the world and nominated for the Nobel Prize in Economics.

Future Outlook

In the near future, the company will be a public institute where new ideas for the future of the world will be developed.

A Piece of Advice

Be honest with yourself and keep your balance at all times.

Favorite Quotes

True power lies in awakening our own nature, returning to the source, and becoming aware of our calling.

Iman Pour Navab & Dynamise: Rapidly Emerging Global Leader in Manufacturing The Finest Quality Health Products

Together, let’s make natural products that are safe for everyone and the environment!

DYNAMISE is an endeavour initiated in 2002 by Iman Pour Navab, the pioneer in homeopathic healthcare, a visionary business leader, botanist, herbalist, and author. It manufactures natural health products with ethically sourced ingredients and is made under an environmentally sustainable system. With its heritage of serving the healthcare industry, DYNAMISE continues to be one of the leading Canadian custom manufacturers and exporters of herbal extracts, oils and liquid supplements on the global level, supplying all kinds of custom labelled herbs in liquid, oil and topical forms for Natural Health Products and Nutraceuticals.

Iman Pour Navab, Founder of DYNAMISE, hails from a humble, hardworking, and reputed background. He studied a six-year natural medicine program at the CCHH in Ontario. He is a registered homeopath healthcare provider and president of the Applied Research in Homeopathy Foundation of Canada (arhfc.ca), a not-for-profit research organization.

Aside from his business success, Iman is also a reputed author. He wrote two books, one is about “Miasma of Cancer”, and the other one is called: “An Interview with Dr. Samuel Hahnemann”.

More About The Brand & Its Exclusive Offerings

DYNAMISE is widely renowned for supporting people in converting their ideas into a final formula. Under the competent leadership and supervision of Iman Pour Navab, it is successfully delivering contract manufacturing, packaging, and labeling services for liquid natural health products, essential oils, herbs and mushrooms extracts, and cosmetics. In his headship, the company has introduced numerous innovative alternatives in Liquid Natural Health Products, Essential Oils, Liquid Herbs and Mushrooms Extract Tinctures, Liquid Homeopathics, and Natural Cosmetics.

Here is the list of services offered by the company:

  • Formulation: Discuss what you have in mind, the expert team will formulate and create your product.
  • Stability Study: They take care of stability-study needs for your finished product with several third-party laboratories to establish the product’s shelf-life.
  • Regulatory Affairs: The team helps in filling and submitting the application forms on your behalf to the NNHPD of Health Canada.
  • Manufacturing: They provide Extraction, blending, and filling services. They have production capability for the Liquid and Topical (from 5 mL and up) format.
  • Packaging & Labeling: They have different packaging and labeling solutions for your product. You can get the filling and bottling service here in different types and sizes of containers.
  • Bulk Materials: They have excellent solutions for offering items in bulk containers.

CLIENTELE & THE UNBREAKABLE FAITH

Faith and integrity are the essences of both Iman’s family and business. At Dynamise – the whole team believes in mutual respect for everyone, and as well as protecting the rights of animals and the environment. Thus, they strive to source ethical plant-based ingredients, and to manufacture products under an environmentally sustainable system.

DYNAMISE serves clients from different states and provinces in North America. Mostly, clients are brand owners that sell their products online through different eCommerce platforms, and also in stores nationwide. For the clients, the company offers custom formulations, product development, manufacturing, packaging, and labeling services. Our facility is in compliance with GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) and registered to the ISO 9001 Quality Management System.

HICCUPS ON THE WAY & THE SUPPORT SYSTEM

The primary challenges for Iman were to understand his own weakness and fears. He means to truly realize what are the areas of deficiencies, to do self-assessments and internal gap analysis, and to make continuous improvements.

When asked what helped him along the way to reach where he is today, Iman apprised, “First, God’s mercy and grace. My wife and my brothers are the force and strong engines who with their unconditional love supported me through every step. I am forever grateful for my family’s dedication, sacrifices, and for their hard work.” 

CREATING A MORE BALANCED AND EQUAL INDUSTRY

Iman’s suggestions are, to be mindful of your actions; be aware of the impacts that your policies have towards your personnel, environment, and customers. Don’t be afraid of change; improvement is a never-ending process.

A DAY IN IMAN’S LIFE

Iman’s daily routine begins early in the morning with a meditation around 4:00 o’clock. I start my work at 6:00 in the morning until 5:00 pm. After work, he loves spending time with his family, and then he reads books, which is his only hobby, before going off to sleep.

FAVOURITE BOOK

“I have a list of few books that always inspire me. However, my first favourite book is Physiology, which is the study of how the human body works. During my college years, when for the first time I was reading about the functions and physiology of the organs, I was fascinated. For example, it is mind boggling how the heart works and pumps continuously without resting, and doesn’t need to get plugged in for recharging. Think about it really, this is an utmost advanced technology, beyond words, designed and created by our Lord, and thankfully we don’t receive a monthly bill for the services that our organs perform”, asserted Iman while disclosing his favourite read.

ENVISAGING FUTURE GOALS

Iman said that he tries not to think about the future, he learned this the hard way; future is unpredictable and out of his hand. He can only take care of this moment, and he tries to be aware of his actions now. As his spiritual teacher, Ram Dass, says: Be Here Now.

Iman believes, if he focuses right now, works diligently, and does his best, then the future will surely take care of itself.

Obviously, I hope for the best outcome, God willing.

 AWARDS & MILESTONES

Executive Award for Excellence in Natural Medicine – Canada in 2017

FROM THE COO’S DESK

“My late father, who was a pharmacist, had an important influence on me to study herbs, nutrition, and natural remedies. As a registered health care provider, due to my clinical experiences, I observed and learned how effectively herbs can help us”, shared Iman while discussing his main inspiration of starting a career in healthcare.

“My advice to female entrepreneurs including my daughter is to understand and appreciate your vulnerabilities. In this modern society, we put on a social mask and suppress our human vulnerabilities. Truly, it doesn’t matter if you are a female or male.  We have to realize that as human beings, we have a vulnerable side, and that is absolutely okay. Don’t ignore it, just study yourself and love yourself. If you are planning to enter the business world, it is like entering a big noise show, so don’t rush – stay focused, have faith in your capabilities, and be keen about your business.”– Iman Pour Navab

FAVOURITE QUOTE 

Be Here Now. — Ram Dass

Educating People On The Importance Of Fitness, David Lyons Thrives as The Fitness Industry’s Trendsetter

Fitness enthusiast David Lyons, Founder, MS Bodybuilding Challenge and Co-founder, MS Fitness Challenge (MSFC), is globally renowned for his work in both the entertainment and fitness industries. The owner of the OPTIMALBODY fitness brand and President of Lyons Entertainment, David with his wife Kendra, has dedicated his life to helping people with MS understand and be educated on the importance of fitness in their lives. Besides, he is a sought-after motivational speaker and a faith-based author dedicated to helping others by sharing the lessons gained from his life experience.

The Inspiring Journey from a Survivor to a Successful Entrepreneur

In 2006, David Lyons was hospitalized and diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 47. David was a bodybuilder and health club owner, who exercised regularly and lived a healthy lifestyle. He was devastated by the diagnosis and frustrated by the physical limitations of his condition. His initial MS attack left him with partial paralysis, tightness, pain, and numbness in his extremities and back. These common symptoms of MS come and go without warning. The multiple lesions in David’s spinal cord made it difficult for him to coordinate movements and they affected his balance. The lesions in his brain caused cognitive problems affecting his concentration. And the lesion by his optic nerve, at times, caused vision impairment and blackness when seeing out of his left eye. David also lives in a constant state of fatigue caused by this disease attacking his nervous system. While in the hospital the doctors told David he would most likely leave in a wheelchair and would not return to his normal workout routine. They also warned him that MS is a disease that most often progressively worsens and to prepare for his limitations as he ages. So, what does David do?

At the age of 50 David Lyons decided to compete in the NPC Bodybuilding Competition! David’s doctors all told him that his pursuit of competing in a bodybuilding contest was sheer madness, especially at 50 years old…but if anyone could do it – he could. On august 22, 2009, David competed in the Florida State Bodybuilding Championship Where he was awarded an impressive trophy for the most inspirational bodybuilder! And, the victorious journey begins…

More about the Brands

MS Fitness Challenge aims to provide guidance and support to people with MS and fitness professionals worldwide in an effort to educate and train them in the benefits of exercise, nutrition, and mindset in winning the battle against Multiple Sclerosis. MSFC pays for these programs through the donations of its supporters. Here, the main focus is on fitness programs.

OptimalBody is a fitness brand that caters to the market of those “challenged in fitness”. Whether you have a chronic condition such as Multiple Sclerosis or you are over 40 and seeking to get in the best shape of your life, OptimalBody has a program that will fit your needs and goals.

Clients & the Unbreakable Faith

“My clients range from those battling MS to people over 40 wanting to exercise properly. The many awards such as Most Dedicated MS Fitness Expert the past 3 years and being voted as one of the Top 100 Healthcare Leaders in the world, coupled with my lifelong commitment in the fitness industry and my induction into the National Fitness Hall of Fame gives my clients the foundation of faith. And with thousands of success stories over the years and many testimonials, trust in me is never an issue”, asserted David.

From the Founder’s Desk

I believe my faith in God has enabled me to achieve all the success and acknowledgment I have received in the fitness industry, the MS community, and life’s entire journey.  It is by His strength, guidance, and grace I am where I am today. Aside from my faith, the support of my family and especially my wife Kendra over the years has kept me grounded, motivated and focused.

The biggest challenge I faced was inexperience with social media and the internet. I’m a dinosaur at 63 years old and the digital world has grown tremendously throughout my career in fitness.  Fortunately, my son, Deric, is my partner in my fitness endeavours and internet, social media, and marketing genius!

A Day in David Lyons’s Life

When asked about his daily routine, David shared, “I am up at 6 am (most days) and head to my home gym for my own workout. After that, it’s time to review the emails and messages that came in overnight and reply. Then I start my day of training private online exercise students, mostly those with MS.  After the 6-8 hours spent on the one-on-one students, it’s now onto reviewing social media and posting/responding to requests for both my MS Fitness Challenge charity and OptimalBody fitness company.”

He continued, “When there is time between students and management of the companies, I then shoot educational, instructional, and training videos for OptimalBody and do whatever writing I need to for blogs, books, and interviews. Most often that is left to Saturday when I keep my private student workouts to a short schedule.”

Favourite Book

The Reset Plan by Shanna Ferrigno

Future Roadmap

MS Fitness Challenge will continue to bring the most educational and worthwhile no-cost fitness programs to the MS community through its non-profit cause. OptimalBody will continue to develop and release the most comprehensive fitness and exercise programs available to the “challenged” market of chronic conditions and over 40’s fitness enthusiasts.

Accomplishments & Achievements

In 2013 David received the Health Advocate of the Year Award with Lou Ferrigno. And in 2015, at almost 57 years old, he was the only person with MS to receive the Health Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award from Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as the Lifetime Fitness Inspiration Award in Feb 2016, next to bodybuilding legend Mike Quinn at the Global Bodybuilding Organization’s International Fitness Expo.

In January 2017 David received the Special Recognition Award from the National Fitness Hall of Fame and later in the year he was honored as a Founding Partner of the organization’s Institute for learning. David is considered the face of MS and fitness worldwide and his fitness book, Everyday Health & Fitness with Multiple Sclerosis was a #1 New Release on Amazon while his MS Fitness Training Specialist certifications partnered with the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT) and MedFit Education Foundation educate trainers internationally on how to work with MS clients. David is the Creator and Director of the OptimalBody Training Program for MS and is the Vice President of Adaptive Sports for the United Intercontinental Bodybuilding Fitness Federation (UIBFF). David Lyons is a 2019 inductee in the National Fitness Hall of Fame for his work as a fitness educator. He has appeared on Good Morning LA, FOX News Orlando, and other TV and radio show nationwide as well as in print media.

A Piece of Advice for Aspiring Female Entrepreneurs

Female entrepreneurs should see themselves as equals despite the discrimination they sometimes face in the business world.  If they set their sights on the many very successful females in business who have far surpassed men in accomplishments and use those examples as their role models, there is nothing they cannot accomplish.

Favourite Quote 

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” Muhammad Ali

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