Sally Bowden - Top 10 Most Empowering Women Leaders to Watch in 2026

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Women Shaping the Future of Leadership

Therewillalwaysbeleaderswhoredefinedtheconceptofprogressin their time, and now, many of these leaders happen to be women changing the face of the global business scene.Their influence is felt far beyond the confines of boardroom politics since they spearhead innovation and inclusiveness in fields where such practices were previously met with resistance. Not only are these leaders ensuring that profits are being made, but they are also making sure that companies have a higher sense of purpose, showing that success can be sustainable. The unique feature of such female leaders is their ability to turn any obstacles they face into opportunities. They are creators of corporate cultures where diversity and mentorship are a partoftheecosystem,ensuringthattheirpositiveinfluenceonothers multiplies exponentially. While these leaders are concerned with immediate success, they have a long-term perspective, focusing on creating the conditions necessary for the future generations to succeed.

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AtCIOViews,wehonortheseempoweringleadersbydedicatingthis issue titled “Top 10 Most EmpoweringWomen Leaders toWatch in 2026” to them. Featuring as the cover story, we have covered the successful&motivatingjourneyofSallyBowden,PartnerandCoFounderofTheP3AccelerationGroup.Wehavealsoincludedthe inspiring stories of Janet Schijns, Founder & CEO of JS Group; Karen Finch, Founder & CEO of Legally Yours; Julia Carlson, Founder & CEO of Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group; Mona Ataya, CEO of Mumzworld; Mandy Janzen-Westerburgen, Managing Director of Envoy Global; Ms. Mel Lim, Founder & CEO of Chateauz; Lyn Duncan, CEO of CO2Analysis; Pamela Saechow, CEO of Ellit Groups; andAlexandra Sock, Founder and Group CEO ofSockManagementofSockConsultingGroup.

CIO Views is a business magazine that mainly focuses on business leaders,theirjourney,viewsoncurrenteconomicstates,andallother relevant subjects that refer to the business world. Our goal is to be a leadingsourceofinformationdedicatedtoprovidingourreaderswith detailed perspectives and views of successful business leaders who aretransformingthebusinessoutlookandredefiningtheirgoals.With exclusive editions on various industries like software, education, healthcare, technology, real estate, and many more, CIO Views is driventopromoteexcellenceintheworldofbusiness. HappyReading!

medical technology industry sits at the intersection of science, regulation, innovation, and human need. Every new diagnostic tool, device, or treatment must travel a long and complicated road before it ever reaches a patient. Researchers develop the ideas, scientists and engineers refine them, and investors help fuel the journey. Yet one of the most challenging parts often lies in navigating the systems that ensure safety and effectiveness. Regulatory pathways, quality standards, compliance frameworks, and market strategies all must align before breakthrough technologies can move from concept to clinical reality. In an industry where lives depend on precision and trust, the process demands both technical expertise and steady leadership from people who understand how to guide innovation through complexity.

Sally Bowden has spent three decades working inside that world.As Partner and CoFounder of The P3 Acceleration Group, she helps companies bring medical technologies to market faster and with greater confidence.

Her career began in roles focused on quality systems and regulatory compliance, the backbone of the MedTech sector. Over time she built a reputation for understanding not only the rules that govern the industry but also the practical strategies that help organizations succeed within them. Seventeen years ago, after serving in corporate leadership at Roche Diagnostics, Sally stepped away from the executive track to build her own consulting firm. The decision opened a new chapter that allowed her to share what she had learned through years of hard lessons, long hours, and real-world problem solving.

Today her work centers on helping innovators turn promising ideas into real solutions that reach patients. Sally often says she is never the smartest person in the room, and she prefers it that way. Her strength lies in guiding conversations, asking thoughtful questions, and helping teams see possibilities they may not have considered. Scientists and engineers understand their technologies

better than anyone. What they often need is a partner who can help them evaluate risks, weigh benefits, and choose the path that makes the most sense for their goals. That mindset has shaped the way she leads. Rather than pushing her own answers, she works to create an environment where people feel supported enough to think through difficult choices. The work is demanding, but it is also deeply rewarding. Each new technology represents the possibility of improving or even saving lives. Helping innovators reach that moment is what continues to drive Sally forward.

In a field where innovation moves quickly but regulations demand careful navigation, that balance becomes essential. Her role is to help teams step back, look at every option in front of them, and make decisions that will stand up to scrutiny while still moving their work forward. Sally views empowerment in leadership through a grounded lens. She does not believe the leader must be the loudest voice in the room, but someone who guides capable people toward their own answers by educating, coaching, and asking the right questions.

Navigating Bias and Proving Value

Sally's career began at a time when women leaders were far less common in technical and operational roles. Early on, she faced moments that tested her patience and resilience.As an operations manager for a medical device company overseeing the electronic circuit board and wiring harness department, she led a project that solved a long-standing scrap problem and reduced costs by six million dollars each year.

When she presented the results during a staff meeting, the reaction from leadership stunned her. The plant manager addressed the team, made up entirely of men except for Sally, and remarked that none of them had solved the problem but that she had. The comment was crude and dismissive. There were no congratulations, no bonus, and little acknowledgment of the achievement.

Later, Sally helped establish a company built around advanced technology combining artificial intelligence with diagnostic markers to predict disease states.As the only woman in the Csuite, she worked with the team to navigate a complex regulatory strategy with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration while balancing investor expectations and commercial goals.

She proposed a path that would allow the company to submit its product and reach the market efficiently. The CEO showed interest, but the CTO resisted the idea because it differed from his own vision. The delay proved costly. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, regulatory reviews halted and the company lost valuable time and resources. Eventually the organization submitted the same product Sally had originally suggested, only years later and at a much higher cost.

Looking back, Sally believes experiences like these build character and shape leadership values. They also reinforced an important lesson for her. Quiet success, she says, speaks louder than anything else.

ALeap that Changed Everything

One turning point in Sally's career arrived during her time as anAssociate Professor at Purdue University. She was developing a quality curriculum for engineering technology students and wanted to move beyond traditional automotive manufacturing principles.At the time, the early 2000s were bringing major changes to the U.S. job market.Automotive

manufacturing roles were declining while opportunities in medical technology were expanding.

During a business trip, Sally visited former colleagues at a company in Tucson,Arizona. Her goal was simple. She hoped to gather case studies and practical material that

could bring real-world MedTech challenges into her classroom.

While there, she met with the company's CEO, who invited her to spend time discussing the regulatory and compliance hurdles the rapidly growing business faced. The conversation stretched on for hours.

Sally filled a whiteboard with ideas and potential solutions while they explored different approaches to working with the FDA. It was the kind of conversation she loved. Problem solving. Strategy. Collaboration. Soon after she returned home, the CEO called with an unexpected offer. He wanted her

children. The decision felt overwhelming. Yet the CEO believed strongly in her abilities and kept urging her to take the leap.Accepting the role became one of the most frightening decisions she had ever made. It required courage on both a personal and professional level. The move brought new challenges, but it also opened doors that reshaped her career.

Today, Sally looks back on that moment as the turning point that changed everything. It redirected the course of her professional life and helped shape the leader she would become.

Mentorship as a Force that Shapes Leaders

Mentorship has played a defining role in Sally's own journey. She speaks openly about the people who helped shape her career and the impact they had along the way. TJ, Tiffany, Michael, and Chris stand out among the mentors who believed in her early on. Each of them saw potential in Sally that she had not yet fully recognized in herself. They challenged her, pushed her to grow, and supported her through both victories and mistakes.

has become an important part of her philosophy.

One colleague once told her that she has a talent for pushing people right to the edge of the cliff while making sure they never fall. Sally considers that one of the greatest compliments she has ever received in her professional life. She is quick to point out that the credit belongs to the individuals who put in the work and had the focus to succeed. In her mind, she simply provided the lift they needed at the right moment.

Finding Balance Between Personal and Professional Growth

Sally believes personal growth and professional development are closely connected, and balance plays a central role in making both possible. Her son once described her as an octopus, a description that still makes her smile. When she first launched her consulting business seventeen years ago, her daily routine often looked exactly like that. She remembers rocking a small baby under her desk with one foot while leading a conference call and answering several other questions at the same time.

to move to Tucson, take on an executive role, and lead the company's compliance and cultural transformation.

At the time, Sally's personal life was in upheaval. She was in the middle of a divorce, had just moved into a new house, and was raising two young

Their guidance was not always gentle.At times they were direct and even tough when the situation called for it. Sally values that honesty because it came from a shared goal of helping her become the leader they believed she could be.

That experience shaped how she approaches leadership today. She often recognizes strengths in others before they see them in themselves. Helping people realize that potential

Moments like those taught her an important lesson about selfawareness. When life grows quiet late at night and sleep refuses to come, the thoughts that keep returning usually point to the areas that need attention. Those thoughts might signal a problem that needs solving, a subject that requires deeper understanding, or simply the need to pause and recharge.

Sometimes the answer is as simple as stepping away for a day, spending

time with family, or taking a moment to breathe. Other times it means diving deeply into a new regulation, law, or industry topic that demands careful study.

Another belief guides Sally's approach to growth. Failure only becomes failure when nothing is learned from it. One of her mentors often reminded her to fail fast. The sooner a mistake happens, the sooner the learning begins and the faster a better solution can emerge.

Creating Space for Ideas to T

Innovation, in Sally's view, begins with people. Surrounding yourself with talented individuals who bring different perspectives to the table creates the foundation for new ideas. Within her work, she focuses on building environments where questions are welcomed and honest conversation is encouraged. Listening carefully and allowing people to share their ideas without fear is key to making collaboration work. She also finds great inspiration in the younger generation entering today's workforce. Sally often remarks that many young professionals are far more worldly and informed than she was at their age. That reality excites her. She sees tremendous creativity, energy, and fresh thinking coming from this group.

Despite the negativity that sometimes dominates headlines, Sally remains optimistic. She believes the next generation carries enormous potential and will drive many positive developments in the years ahead.

TheAchievement That Matters Most

While Sally has built an impressive career, the achievement she values most has nothing to do with business. Her greatest pride is her family. She speaks about them with deep gratitude and often says they are the reason behind everything she does. Family has a way of keeping life grounded. They are honest in ways few others are. They celebrate your wins, call out your flaws, and keep you humble.

Sally jokes that family members have a special talent for pointing out every weakness you might prefer to ignore.At the same time, they are the ones who remind you what truly matters. Often it is not the big milestones but the small, everyday moments that mean the most. Those lessons, she says, continue to shape her both as a leader and as a person.

Inspiring the Next Generation of Women Entrepreneurs

Sally hopes her journey sends a clear message to women who are considering entrepreneurship. It is possible. She knows firsthand that building a business can feel overwhelming. Entrepreneurship often comes with sleepless nights, a constant knot in your stomach, and moments of panic when you question every decision you have made. Those feelings are part of the process.

Even so, Sally wants women to see that a fulfilling life does not require choosing between career, family, community, and personal interests. In her experience, it is possible to build a business, raise a family, stay

connected to your community, and still pursue the things that bring you joy.

If her work, experience, or courage can help other women believe that path is open to them, then she considers that a meaningful contribution.

Leadership as an Everyday Choice

When Sally thinks about the future of leadership, she believes the concept will continue to move away from titles and hierarchy. Leadership is not limited to CEOs or executives in the C-suite. It shows up in everyday actions.Anyone, at any level, can demonstrate leadership through how they treat others, how they approach problems, and how they support the people around them. This idea resonates with her deeply. Sally believes the future will increasingly recognize this truth. Organizations will thrive when they encourage individuals at every level to think and act like leaders.

Her own role in that future is straightforward. She plans to continue working with innovators who are developing technologies that improve and save lives. Outside of work, her goals remain equally clear. She wants to continue being the best mother, daughter, grandmother, neighbor, and friend she can be.

In the end, Sally sees leadership not as a destination but as a way of showing up every day.And that, she believes, is something anyone can practice.

Founder &CEO | JS Group

Janet Schijns

Setting high goals for women in the tech industry

Being a firm believer in the saying of Thomas Edison, “Opportunity is missed by most because it's dressed in overalls and looks a lot like work,” Janet Schijns, CEO of JS Group, knows that the road to success is long and full of twists and turns. She believes success is not measured by money or power. Instead, it is a perfect combination of fulfilling one's promise to the team and customers while staying true to one's morals and living the best possible life.

The golden recipe to achieve success is to have a clear and concise plan, talent to fulfill the plan, and willingness to outwork one's competition to get to your goal.A person has to perform against all the odds to achieve victory and be willing to change when conditions change to achieve their goals.

Long journey to success

Janet stepped into the tech industry by accident. In the early phase of her career, she was working in the cosmetic industry. She was working at L'oréal and was involved in an early CRM project for her sales team where she helped the technology vendor better translate their product to business-speak. The company then asked her if she would be interested in consulting for them to help them win more deals and expand their business share. She took the offer and never looked back. This way, she pivoted away from marketing to the technology sector.

Before JS Group, Janet served as a CVP and EVP at several large firms. She mentions, “I was the Chief Channel Executive for Motorola, Chief Channel Officer for Verizon, and Chief Merchant and Services Officer for Office Depot.

During my tenure in these firms, I launched and grew multi-billion dollar businesses that were key to the transformation of the company.”

Leading JS Group is a dream come true for Janet. She is able to disrupt the technology industry working with a highly talented team and create winning game plans that produce rewarding results.

She adds, “As we have built the company, we stay driven by a simple mission to #savethechannel; in other words, to ensure that the routes to market for technology are strong and capable of driving the needed technology adoption that drives the needed change in our world.”

Tackling the battles upfront

Janet believes, “Leaders are not born; they are carved out of their life-long experiences making mistakes,

learning from the mistakes and finding a way to win.” Thus, she takes all the obstacles coming her way as a way to learn valuable lessons and advance towards new opportunities.

She quotes, “What does not destroy us propels us to growth – it is our ability to see this and act on this belief that separates successful people from those who just desire to be successful.”

Being a female in the technology industry came with its own challenges. Janet was all alone, forced to quit or create her path. Having a

strong will and determination, she structured her own path and tunneled through all her roadblocks.

To help other women in technology, she designed and created Tech Worlds Half, a safe space for women in technology to discuss their issues, career needs, and project needs and come together to keep women in the industry. She offers a piece of advice to all of us trying to navigate challenging times “be kinder than the situation calls for, show empathy and understanding in every situation, once you listen and learn the real reasons for change you can innovate”.

The tech industry is always changing and evolving, and as a leader, one needs to bend that change to one's will. Besides being focused on the change, it is necessary to take a course of action that will lead to the desired outcome.

During her leadership tenure, Janet has evolved the channel approach for several Fortune 500 firms, taking slow and low growth via traditional routes to market and finding new routes to market that led to double and triple-digit growth.

She adds, “Shifting the industry towards recurrent revenue, as-aservice solutions sold and marketed digitally has been a huge undertaking for our industry.

JS Group has developed and designed services to ease the journey for distribution, partners, and vendors. “

JS Group is a leading technology goto-market consulting firm. They offer services for channel evolution, marketing innovation, and sales enablement. Their industry-leading programs include their PartnerExpert program designed to equip organizations with the skills and tools to sell via an indirect channel, their MarketAction Planning Process (MAP) developed to accelerate revenue and growth, and their 40x ROI Social Selling Program that helps firms get leads and close business in a location independent work environment.

Maintaining a perfect balance between Work and Home

Working as the CEO of JS Group, she has to wear multiple hats to ensure high company growth. She firmly opines, “Results are what matter. No amount of progress matters if the end result is not what was desired.” She leads the team towards their responsibility of delivering the results that they commit to for their clients while maintaining the team's wellbeing.

She states, “My regular day starts with reflection: What do we need to achieve? How are we progressing on our goals? How can I better support the team? My day then moves into a

hectic schedule of client, industry, influencers, and mentees meetings as I look to ensure we are relevant and strongly positioned in the market.”

Janet is a team-oriented leader and knows that her team is a driving force in the industry as the technology sector faces unprecedented changes in sales, marketing, and channel. They work in restructuring the company's go-to-market, proffer innovative programs to capture share as well as open doors to the growing market. Capturing the growth that is inherent in the current market while building long term value is a key focus for the team.

Being a tenacious leader, she never gives up and always keeps moving ahead with her head held high and a sense of humor. For her, the best recognition comes from her daughter, who takes her mother as an inspiration and has recently joined the technology space with great results building a successful digital practice for clients.

However, in giving her best efforts, she sometimes has to make sacrifices at home. Nonetheless, she feels there is no such thing as work-life balance, it is a myth. As a leader it's more about a successful work-life blend in which she needs to ensure a healthy lifestyle that includes all the things that make her the person she is. To achieve this, she believes discipline is the thread that helps her in prioritizing herself both at work and at home.Also, when she makes a personal commitment she sticks with it, keeping her word is especially important. Her persistent efforts help her gain self-worth, which enables her

to prioritize what is important without any guilt or FOMO.

Charting the Future of JS Group

The world is on a new path as we exit more than a year of isolation and remote work. Growth is now the name of the game and Janet and her team have evolved their offerings to ensure channel acceleration in the market while simultaneously being a good partner and excellent member of the industry. For that, they are on edge of innovation, building creative new ways to maximize channel capacity while maximizing growth and crafting new ways to generate high margin revenue for their clients.

Personally, she looks forward to continuing mentoring women and supporting the cause of diversity in the industry. Helping others is a cornerstone of her leadership in the industry and one that she wants to ensure is her legacy in the technology space.

For aspiring business leaders, her special message is, “Write a plan, and document what you want. Then, go work on the plan changing it when needed but always keeping true to the plan's purpose. You will never achieve what you don't plan for, so this is the way to personal growth.”

Karen Finch Reinventing the Delivery of Law Services

Lawyers typically bill by the hour, frequently delivering the bill after their services are complete or, worse, sending you a "surprise" invoice you weren't expecting since they weren't forthright about the fees they were charging. In a society that is constantly evolving, Karen Finch thinks there is a more progressive way to do things. She founded Legally Yours to provide access to a variety of lawyers that offer agreedupon upfront pricing and deliver their services in a fashion that is simple, easy and convenient for their clients.

Karen is the CEO of Legally Yours, a Board Member of theAustralian Legal TechnologyAssociation (ALTA), and the Committee Chair of the Women ofALTA(WALTA) AnotherALTAlegal technology member, Pro Help LegalAustralia, also counts Karen as a co-director.

Karen has committed her career to enabling quicker, easier, and more

transparent access to fixed-fee lawyers throughoutAustralia by fusing together her legal training, recruitment expertise, and her passion for shaking up the legal industry and the way they deliver their services.

Legally Yours

Legally Yours was created to fill the gap between those in need of transparent and fixed priced legal services and the reputable, knowledgeable fixed-fee lawyers who want to provide them with legal services. The "fixed fee" revolution evolved from there as more and more lawyers began to see the advantages of progressive pricing and cuttingedge business strategies. The demand for a network where like-minded professionals interact and share knowledge has grown as its lawyer membership has grown, culminating in Legally Yours' launch of their online member community portal, the LY Hub in 2021.

Today, Legally Yours is a leading online legal marketplace that connects clients (both individuals and businesses) to fixed-fee lawyers acrossAustralia, combined with a thriving online member portal where legal professionals, law students, law graduates, legal technologists and businesses who support the progressive legal industry, can connect, support and educate each other in a secure and private members-only online community.

Services that make Legally Yours an exception:

Ÿ When one connects with a lawyer through Legally Yours, the lawyer will provide the client with an upfront quote detailing exactly what the client will receive for the money he or she spends. This will be a "fixed-fee" quote, which means the lawyer will deliver the agreed services for a set price.

Ÿ Legally Yours lets clients choose

Ÿ from a range of lawyers and law firms so they can select the right lawyer for their needs. Its online marketplace makes it easy to browse, select, and connect with a lawyer wherever clients are; no travelling, no waiting in the foyer, it's simple, fast, and convenient.

Ÿ When it comes to the lawyerclient relationship, trust is paramount.All the lawyers in the Legally Yours marketplace have a minimum of five years' experience and have been personally vetted to ensure they meet the firm's high standard of client care.

Enabling Growth of Legally Yours

Originally manual "legal matchmakers," Legally Yours, under Karen's direction, has grown into a preeminent online provider of legal connections between clients and fixed-fee lawyers. She says, "We have also created an online member community that enables legal professionals (including law students and law graduates) to connect with each other, to ask questions and seek support from businesses and experts to help them build, grow and scale their firms and their legal expertise, and provides professional development education as part of their membership fee too." Legally Yours is now a thriving online legal marketplace and online member community that is known for its progressive lawyer members and service delivery, creating greater access to justice for allAustralians and enabling more lawyers and law firms to transition away from the billable hour model towards a progressive, transparent, fixed pricing model.

The Passion for Legal Sector

Since she was a teenager, Karen has been passionate about access to justice. She had first-hand experience with the highs and lows of beginning a business through her father, who in Karen's words is a 'serial entrepreneur'. However, when she was 16 years old, her father became involved in a commercial litigation matter. It was from this experience that she saw the devastating impact that hiring legal counsel who fail to disclose charges or instruct their clients on the procedure can have on families and businesses. Karen made the decision to pursue a career in law after her father lost his business and the family home so she could assist clients in avoiding circumstances like the one her family had gone through. Karen rapidly learned, however, that the legal profession's billable hour model makes it exceedingly challenging for lawyers to have honest, open relationships with their clients since they are "on the clock" every minute they interact with them. Her interest in assisting lawyers in transforming their law firms to ones that promote trust, openness, and certainty was sparked by this.

Recognition for Being the Best

The best recognition Legally Yours has received so far was a finalist nomination in the recent Victorian iAwards. This nomination was noteworthy because the team was recognised for its platform outside of the legal/legal technology industry. Karen shares, "To be nominated alongside a huge Australian corporation and a medtech company was amazing recognition for how far Legally Yours has come"

However, the best recognition Karen has received personally as a leader are the numerous testimonials and feedback she receives every day from Australians who have used the Legally Yours platform to connect with a lawyer and build a trusted and valuable relationship with them in their time of need.

Bring into Line Work and Life Responsibilities

Karen, who describes herself as a determined individual, is in charge of strategy, expansion, and partnerships at Legally Yours. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to forge solid relationships with organisations and business groups that require legal content and information for their networks, promote Legally Yours in the media, and offer thought leadership in the area of innovative legal service delivery and legal technology within theAustralian legal sector.

Instead of focusing on a work-life balance, Karen aims for a "total balance." This implies that she doesn't work the typical daytime hours; instead, she prioritises family responsibilities each week and fits her business obligations around them. Karen largely works remotely, so as to cut out travel time to and from an office space, and sometimes she spends a couple of hours on the weekend setting up her week ahead. She always tries to fit in exercise at least 4 times a week too.

Seeing Challenges as a Career Booster

Karen totally concurred that the biggest business lessons are often

Ÿ learned through problems rather than accomplishments. When Legally Yours was first introduced, theAustralian legal sector wasn't nearly ready to accept a new method of providing legal services. In the early years of Legally Yours, they invested a lot of time in educating the legal community about why moving away from billable hours was a better economic model for their clients and their law firms, as well as how doing so would foster a healthier and happier law firm culture. The company's objective and vision, as well as how the team might assist clients and law firms in developing dependable partnerships, had to be made very obvious throughout this educational phase.

What Success 'Means'

Karen's definition of success is the ability to be able to pursue a career based on one's passion, vision, and values and be able to generate revenue and profit from it at the same time. She feels very lucky and privileged that her career and source of income are derived from her passion to enable greater access to justice for allAustralians, and she is able to live her personal mission, vision, and values through her business, Legally Yours. She asserts, "I'm so fulfilled in my role at Legally Yours, but we are only part way through our mission of creating access to justice for all Australians!"

Plans for the Future

The BHAG (big hairy audacious goal) of Legally Yours aims to take its platform global and increase the

availability of other professional services in both its marketplace and online member community. In the future, Karen envisions a single online marketplace where customers will be able to easily and conveniently get all the professional services they need.

There has never been a better moment to work in the legal field, Karen tells aspiring lawyers. She believes that the current state of the industry is one of innovation, technology, and

collaboration, and that if one is considering a non-traditional legal career, this is the time to be inventive and curious. She also thinks that there are a lot of unique and varied ways to practise law, and that the legal profession is just now beginning to recognise the value it provides clients—value that doesn't require selling time—and is looking into creative delivery methods.

Julia Carlson

On a Unique Path of Freedom

Finance and business have been her passion since a very young age.As a young girl she would set up lemonade stands with her brother, mow the neighbor's lawn and had her own babysit club. These small businesses fueled her passion and led her to become one of the leading businesswomen today. Julia Carlson started her journey at an amateur age of 23 in a male dominated industry, however her determination has steered her steps on the path of success that she always dreamed of. Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group founded by Julia is a well-established company thriving amidst a competitive industry.As we share Julia's story, we are certain that her journey will be an inspiration to all the aspiring businesswomen who need the motivation to get started.

She Knew Her Path

Julia's passion for business and finance started young. In high school, she had an amazing teacher who taught her about business and finance.After her first mock stock portfolio, help from her Dad to set up her first investment account and hearing about stocks from her Grandpa, Julia was hooked on figuring out how to make this into a career. She knew entrepreneurship, personal finance and investing was just what she wanted to do. When Julia was 19, she moved to a small town on the Oregon Coast and got married. She started working at a local bank. It only took about four years to hit the glass ceiling realizing she didn't have much opportunity if she stayed there. In 2000, at the age of 23, Julia left the bank and married her entrepreneurial spirit with her passion for helping people with their money and started what is now Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group.

Initially, what stood in Julia's way was her own lack of confidence. She was 23 and didn't have a lot of experience, it was hard for her to convince people to trust in her and hand over their investments for her to manage. Client by client Julia built her confidence and capabilities which led to win the clients trust and the referrals started to flow. In the beginning, she learned resilience as she heard a lot of no's and had to keep going. But Julia's dreams were bigger than the rejections.

As her business grew, Julia had to learn to let go and fire herself in several areas of the business. She was trying to control too much. As they added more employees and clients, business got more complex and Julia could not manage it all by herself. Staying in her strengths and hiring to her weaknesses ultimately led to the amazing diverse team they have today and more growth than she could have ever imagined.

The Expansion of Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group

Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group is a comprehensive wealth management and planning firm committed to helping their clients improve their long-term success and pursue financial freedom. They offer Wealth Planning & Investment Services, Retirement Income & Distribution Planning, Tax Reduction Planning, Family Wealth Planning, Educational Events & Communication, Personalized Attention and Consulting and Exit Planning Services for Businesses.

In the past 5 years their revenue has grown 26% each year and their staff has doubled. The plan for the

company is to continue this growth path and look for acquisitions that are aligned with their core values and vision.

Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group believe in their vision and are driven by it to provide the best to their clients. Their vision as a team can be explained as follows:

Our Commitment to care deeply about you and your financial life.

Our Core Values: Treat all people with respect, never compromise our integrity, delight our clients and embrace our team culture.

Our Focus: To create a plan for your dreams and inspire you to pursue financial freedom.

Our Niche: Love

Leadership is Her Distinctive Attribute

Julia is the Visionary at the firm. She has an amazing team that takes her good ideas and integrates them into the company. Her role as the CEO of the company is to inspire and lead the direction of the firm. She also works with clients one on one who need complex business exit planning, tax strategy and advanced estate planning.

Julia lives a freedom filled, abundant life without apology and wants the same for you. Through her journey and courage, she has learned to live a passion filled life. Julia started her business at age 23 in a male dominated industry with a much older demographic.At that time, she felt trapped to fit in for acceptance because she cared about what other people thought which sabotaged her growth and success. Eventually she learned to free herself from the judgement of

others by ridding the scarcity and fear mindset and built a business around unleashing “her” spirit. Her passion is inspiring others through coaching disciplined strategies to create a life of Freedom. She has a thriving business and enjoys disrupting the industry as a thought leader. She is a frequently requested keynote speaker, an author and super mom to three amazing kids.

The Future of the Company

The employees of the company have regular, FUN team retreats and events woven into the year. They also have strong team principles that keep them united and aligned. They understand that individuals will make mistakes, but the team can be perfect.

They currently have clients in 29 states and are continuously expanding as the needs arise. They plan to be a nationwide trusted brand and serve the

needs of mass affluent and business owners. They grow organically through referrals and they also have a marketing strategy around their digital platform to build clientele throughout the nation. (They are governed to only do business within the US)

Lastly, Julia asks the aspiring businesswomen an interesting question and sends out an inspirational message through her thoughts

“Freedom! What Does This Word Mean To You?” When you focus on one area, the focus and discipline show up in all areas. In that discipline you find FREEDOM.

Freedom of TIME

Do what you want to do just because you want to do it. We all have 24 hours a day, are we living those hours by doing what we desire?

Freedom of PASSION

Be authentically you and do what you love without fear or judgement of yourself or others.

Freedom of RELATIONSHIPS and COMMUNITY

Choose who you spend time with, ensuring they help and support the life you want, creating the best version of you!

FINANCIALFreedom.

Create an abundant mindset no matter how much money you have.

Making Motherhood Wonderful with Mumzworld MONA ATAYA

Being a mother is the most wonderful feeling that every woman experiences in her life and undoubtedly, once she is a mother her responsibilities never seem to end. In the bargain of providing the best for her child, a mother makes small sacrifices that have great impacts. Hence, the bliss of motherhood needs to be celebrated with the gift of comfort and luxury. With this thought in mind, MonaAtaya a mother to three wonderful boys and a proud CEO of Mumzworld set out to bring about a change in the moms' lives. She realized that a shop that offers all products for mothers and babies from birth until their pre-teen is the need of the hour. Times are changing and so is technology. Using this to her benefit Mona established Mumzworld, a one stop shop for all mom and kids

products which is the pioneer and leading e-commerce shopping destination for mothers in the MENA region of Middle East.As we put together the successful story of Mona Ataya, we wish you bring forth an inspirational tale of a successful mother of the modern age.

The Beginning of a Wonderful Story

Mumzworld was born when they identified key consumer need gaps amongst the mother consumer that were not being addressed. Mona had been an entrepreneur for years and already had experience in building leading brands. When she became a mother in Dubai, she experienced firsthand the many frustrations mothers in the region were facing. In 2011 this was the ecosystem: 1.Access to quality

choice of products for mothers was limited 2. Prices were significantly higher than global averages in a distributor led market. 3. Information about these products especially in Arabic was very limited which was not allowing this time starved, information hungry consumer to make informed decisions 4. Easy and quick access to these products was difficult and finally, a tight knit community of mothers who can engage together and share and learn from one another did not exist.

This very important consumer was deprived of luxury products that was not being addressed and so Mumzworld set out to solve these problems. They set out to provide the regional mother easy access to a wide range of quality products, at the best everyday low transparent prices,

Mandy Janzen-Westerburgen

Leading Smarter Global Mobility with Integrity, Insight, and Human-Centered Immigration Expertise

As Managing Director of Envoy Global in the Netherlands, Mandy Janzen-Westerburgen helps companies manage global immigration with smarter, more transparent solutions. An expert in international labour and immigration law, she builds practical, compliant strategies for businesses and their global talent. Known for her collaborative approach, she's been recognized by Lexology Index (formerly known as: Who's Who Legal) as Highly Recommended and multiple client-choice awards in Dutch corporate immigration and other awards for leadership and advisory.

How Relationships Shape Practical Immigration

Outcomes

Mandy realized early on that immigration law in the Netherlands is easier when you build strong relationships with authorities through an established network, show genuine interest in people, and have a consistent approach rooted in kindness, understanding, and trust. “That moves cases forward faster than pressure ever will,” she explains.

She recalls a legally impossible case in

which she lobbied both the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) and the relevant Ministries to create a path forward as the situation according to her clearly aligned with the purpose and intent of the applicable laws and regulations, even though if it was strictly speaking, not an option. That experience taught her how to navigate the subtle space between what is legally codified and what is practically achievable.

“Do not judge me by my success; judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”

–

Nelson Mandela

Another example, involving a family whose legal status depended on reconciling conflicting rules between IND procedures and municipal requirements, deepened that understanding. It showed her that with patience, precision, and diplomacy, even contradictions in the system can be resolved. “There's a difference between legal truth and practical truth, and learning to walk that thin line with patience and

diplomacy makes solutions possible,” she reflects.

Leading with Clarity and Curiosity

As Managing Director, Mandy balances strategic leadership with the complexities of immigration work by staying close enough to the operational side to understand the real challenges her team faces, but not so involved that she becomes a bottleneck.

Her balance comes from clear priorities, empowering specialists to own their expertise, so she can focus on strategy. “When priorities are clear, and specialists are trusted to lead in their fields, the right structure keeps strategy on track without losing sight of what clients need every day,” she notes.

Mandy's personal discipline is simple: prepare early if possible, stay curious, keep relationships well-maintained,

“Perfection is the enemy of progress.”

- Winston Churchill

and take time for people. She never assumes she already knows the answer, recognizing that immigration is too dynamic for fixed thinking. “Curiosity keeps you sharp, adaptable, and humble, and helps me consistently excel,” she reflects.

“Perfection is the enemy of progress.” - Winston Churchill. Mandy often relates this quote to Florent Frapolli, President, Visas & Consular at Envoy Global, who showed her firsthand that this principle truly holds true.

Calm Leadership Rooted in Integrity and Trust

Mandy believes in doing what's right, even when it's inconvenient. She leads by example, valuing transparency over shortcuts and consistency over quick wins - building trust and giving teams the confidence to do their best work. “In uncertain situations, people need steady decisions and honest communication so they can move forward with confidence,” she notes.

Mandy explains complex issues in a way that even a smart first-time listener can follow - no jargon, just clear reasoning, warmth, and language tailored to each client's

culture. “When clients feel heard and well guided, work becomes smoother and more productive; clear, considerate communication makes collaboration easier and more effective,” she observes.

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” - Sheryl Sandberg.

Building Smarter Tech & a Better Experience

At Envoy Global, recent app updates have focused on elevating the user experience for both clients and employees. Enhancements include improved date formatting to support regional presentation standards, as well as more intuitive country selection when initiating visa

requests. Updated workflows make visa submission forms easier to navigate, while strengthened reporting capabilities enable HR teams to track live cases and application milestones with greater clarity. “Every update is designed to make the process more intuitive for HR and employees,” Mandy explains.

The introduction of advanced document-scanning technology further improves accuracy by identifying inconsistencies in uploaded supporting materials. Continuous innovation is driven by Envoy's annual hackathons, which prioritise practical, high-impact improvements. “We're never satisfied with the status quo; a better way is in our DNA,” Mandy affirms.

StayingAhead With Perspective

Mandy stays ahead of fast-changing immigration rules by monitoring new developments, maintaining a strong global network of specialists, and engaging directly with ministries and immigration authorities through her established relations and roundtables on regulatory changes. She also contributes to Dutch policy development by participating in research conducted on the effectiveness of immigration laws and potential legislative improvements. “Staying connected with experts, authorities, and policymakers allows me to anticipate shifts long before they affect our clients,” she explains.

Mandy focuses on patterns and political signals, understanding the direction of policy to help guide clients proactively instead of reactively. She looks beyond immigration law to include other legal fields that may affect it, along with economic trends, social change,

political sensitivities, and relations between countries and leaders. “When you understand the direction of policy and the wider context around it, you can guide clients with confidence before issues arise,” she observes.

Immigration never sleeps, but Mandy knows she's more effective when she does. She admits that working in immigration can be chaotic and is

comfortable when her to-do list is not finished at the end of the day. “I trust my team, accept the chaos of the field, and give myself the same understanding I offer my clients so I can keep going with energy and focus,” she reflects.

“A good leader takes a little more than their share of the blame, a little less than their share of the credit.”Arnold H. Glasow.

AI, Talent Needs, and Smarter Mobility

Mandy expectsAI-driven decision-making to play a major role in immigration processes by 2026,

helping speed up case handling and reduce backlogs. However, she stresses that this must be balanced with strong human expertise, which is increasingly essential for managing atypical cases that don't align neatly with policy guidelines. “AI may speed up decisions, but without nuance it risks overlooking complex human realities that don't fit neatly into policy frameworks,” she cautions.

Mandy also observes a global shift toward stricter rules, more streamlined pathways, increased digital processing, and ideally a closer alignment between immigration policy and economic needs to help address labour shortages. “Mobility should become less about paperwork and more about aligning immigration policy with workforce needs,” she emphasizes.

With Envoy Global expanding through the acquisition of Smith Stone Walters, IBN and Offer & Mastmann, Mandy sees an opportunity to reinforce the company's role as a trusted mobility partner. By leveraging deeper global expertise, Envoy can broaden its reach into complex jurisdictions and better support organisations scaling across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. “They allow us to support clients in more jurisdictions with deeper expertise and a stronger global network,” she reflects.

Advocacy Rooted in Insight and Empowerment

Mandy uses her platform as a thought leader to offer constructive, practical recommendations while understanding political needs and sensitivities. She believes policymakers need clear operational

insights rather than criticism, shares real-world case patterns, advocates for transparency, and highlights the business impact of immigration policy for employers and talent. “Policymakers need practical insight from people who see the real impact of legislation, and that's where I focus my voice,” she explains.

Mandy's advice to women building careers in immigration is to own their expertise and use their voice early, aiming it at people willing to listen. “If no one listens, remember you cannot change the people around you, but you can change the people around you,” she quotes. It took her time to grasp its meaning, but she now firmly believes this: if you are surrounded by people who limit your growth, seek out those who want to see you thrive.

She encourages women not to wait for permission to take space, not to minimize achievements, and to be proud of who they are, even if they do not fit expectations. “Own your expertise, use your voice early, surround yourself with mentors who challenge and believe in you, allies who champion you, and teams who inspire you, and stay human and kind so you can look in the mirror each day with pride,” Mandy urges.

Conclusion

Mandy Janzen-Westerburgen blends legal expertise, practical insight, and empathy to guide companies and global talent through complex immigration challenges. Her legacy is shaped by curiosity, kindness, and a commitment to creating lasting value for both people and businesses.

Ms. Mel Lim

Building Beyond Boundaries by Unleashing True Creativity

Ms. Mel Lim has had a remarkable professional journey spanning over two decades, culminating in the creation of Chateauz™. In an exclusive interview with CIO Views, Mel shares her incredible journey of passion and success.

Every leader has a unique definition of success. Tell us about your thoughts on success and why do you feel that.

For the perpetual seeker of personal growth, the term "success" often seems paradoxical, almost excessively definitive, as though it implies a finite endpoint. Life, however, is an ongoing odyssey. In my youth, it may have meant garnering professional accolades, delving into prestigious projects with renowned clients, and flourishing rather than merely surviving. Yet, at this juncture in my journey, success takes on a more profound, spiritual dimension. It's about living authentically, shedding the layers of pretense to reveal my true self, embracing, and embodying my core values in both personal and professional spheres. It's about having the freedom to pursue my passions without compromise, to express my creativity to the fullest, unburdened by the weight of external validation or the fear of judgment. In this sense, success equates to freedom.And it's

equally about the boundless love and unwavering support I receive from my two remarkable children, who have been the bedrock of my every endeavor as a single parent, weaving their presence seamlessly into the tapestry of my entrepreneurial journey.

What inspired you to take the step of faith to lay the foundation for Chateauz?

Chateauz emerged from my extensive experience collaborating with a global enterprise client during my design and strategy consultancy work. Over the past seven years, we've explored the potential of XR technologies to enhance various aspects of business, from hybrid work collaborations and cultural improvements to product demos and annual sales kick-off events. These experiences have revealed critical insights: For enterprises of all sizes to succeed and expand their XR initiatives, they must address challenges related to adoption, interoperability, and business intelligence. Every day, I wake up driven by questions like, "How can we create a scalable technology to enable this? How can we improve upon existing solutions, learning from both their successes and failures? What core values should guide us?" These questions have shaped Chateauz's foundational strategic priorities: (1) Design

Excellence, where we prioritize delivering captivating and straightforward designs and storytelling experiences; (2) Innovation, as we embrace technology as a means to enhance the human experience ethically; and (3) Premium Experience, committing ourselves to providing exceptional services, experiences, and products to our customers, vendors, partners, and employees.

Challenges make you stronger. What is your take on this? What were the roadblocks that taught you valuable lessons in your professional journey?

With over two decades at the helm of my own consultancy before the inception of Chateauz™, my professional journey has traversed diverse terrains. My earlier years were immersed in the world of commercial architecture, where I sculpted spaces that seamlessly blended form and function. Additionally, I embarked on an entrepreneurial adventure, birthing a product line that found its way into the hands of more than 500 retailers worldwide.

This odyssey has not been without its share of trials and triumphs, both material and emotional, navigating the ebbs and flows of multiple economic recessions. Through these

Founder & CEO | Chateauz

experiences, I've unearthed profound truths. I've come to understand that genuine creativity transcends the pursuit of external influences. True innovation demands a crystalline clarity of thought and an unwavering vision.

Yet, one of the most formative chapters of my life unfolded at a remarkably young age, establishing my financial independence at the tender age of 19.As an immigrant, severed from the safety net of family and friends, I was thrust into a world where every decision I made was an echo of my own resolve, reverberating across the spectrum of outcomes, be they good, bad, or downright challenging. This crucible of self-reliance sculpted my instincts, fueled my heart-driven creativity, and forged an unyielding resilience that propels me forward on this extraordinary journey. In essence, I've come to embrace the unequivocal ownership of my choices and the indomitable spirit that they've ignited.

Tell us more about Chateauz and its services.

Chateauz™ addresses three crucial challenges in spatial computing for enterprises: how to effectively integrate XR technologies into their operations, how to expand their brand experience, and how to determine the return on investment (ROI).

So, how do we accomplish this? Our recommendation engine is the key. It matches specific business needs with suitable XR spaces built on various XR platforms, ensuring that organizations can enjoy interoperable and scalable experiences.

Additionally, we provide a robust AI/ML data utility dashboard that offers real-time insights into user behavior. This dashboard answers essential questions about spatial engagements, including who is engaging, what they are doing, where they are doing it, when, how, why, and the ROI.

What sets us apart is our ability to achieve this at a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time it traditionally takes. We achieve this by placing business intelligence at the heart of our approach, allowing organizations to make data-driven decisions swiftly, with 100 times the cost savings and 10 times the speed of adoption.

Tell us about your life before Chateauz. What marked the beginning of your career?

My career journey in the United States began in 1997, marked by financial hardships as my parents faced bankruptcy shortly after my arrival due to theAsian economic crisis. Faced with two choices—returning to Malaysia or finding a way to support myself through college—I chose the latter path. This determination led me to juggle five teaching assistant jobs while interning at prestigious architecture and design firms during my studies at theArt Center College of Design.

After graduation, I immersed myself in commercial architecture for over

seven years before venturing into entrepreneurship with my own product manufacturing company. In 2003, I established my design and strategy consultancy, which evolved to collaborate with cutting-edge technology enterprises across various fields, from cybersecurity to neuroscience.

My dedication yielded numerous prestigious accolades, speaking engagements at esteemed institutions like Stanford, KPMG, and Microsoft, and the writing of a book titled “Turtle Design InARabbitAge” on creativity and mindfulness, and published by Routledge. I now proudly serve on advisory boards, embodying a transformative journey from adversity to accomplishment.

Then Chateauz™ was born…

Has it been difficult to thrive as a leader in this industry? Share with us your views on making an influential impact on the next generation of leaders and how you wish to do so.

Has it been challenging?Absolutely. Building a tech startup is an arduous journey, no matter who you are. Crafting a tech startup as a woman? Some might argue it's even more demanding, considering that just 15% 1 of tech startup founders are female. But here's the twist: I'm not just a woman building a tech startup; I'm a single mother raising two young boys

simultaneously. Many might say that's a recipe for the impossible; yet, in my vocabulary, the word "impossible" holds no sway.

Acknowledging the stark statistics and fielding questions that can range from, "Did you really build this?" to “Can you please smile more and talk less during your presentation?” is a reality I can't ignore. Many remarkable female founders have shattered glass ceilings, paving the way for entrepreneurs like me; however, letting these challenges rattle me would be counterproductive. I could mention that I was accepted

into Mensa at the tender age of 13 and that I can master a new scripting language or 3D game/CAD software in a matter of hours, or that I'm an ambidextrous polyglot, but that might come off as boastful. Yet, there are moments when such revelations keep the skeptics at bay.

At the core of my being, I carry two unwavering principles that not only guide my own path but may serve as a compass for nurturing the next generation of leaders. The first is the "beginner's mind," a mindset that allows us to explore and embrace the world with childlike curiosity, unburdened by the constraints of the "expert mind" that often stifles

creativity and growth. In the words of Shunryu Suzuki, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." This perspective empowers us to adapt, to be flexible when needed, and to stand firm when required. It creates space for creativity, playfulness, the lessons of failure, and the transformative encounters that shape our lives. It reminds us that the journey itself is where the magic resides, not in reaching a predetermined destination.

The second guiding principle is integrity, where our word is our bond. This principle is not just about the words we speak but the actions we take. In the realm of business and life,

it is the foundation of trust and the bedrock of reputation. It is through our consistent actions and unwavering commitment to our promises that we earn the respect of our peers, build trust within our professional networks, and attract like-minded individuals who share our drive, compassion, and commitment to excellence. In essence, it is the way we navigate this journey, and it's a lesson I impart to my young boys: that words matter, but actions speak even louder, forging the path to a life of impact and authenticity.

(https://startupgenome.com/articles/o nly-15-percent-of-tech-startupfounders-are-female)

What has been the best recognition that you received as a leader?

The notion of a single "best" recognition or accolade eludes me. I believe it's the culmination of meaningful moments that truly define leadership for me. It's about those instances when someone sets out on a two-hour journey from their Ohio farm to attend one of my speaking engagements, a person I've never met, waiting patiently in line to share how my life story inspired them to embark on a new career path. It's encountering fellow female executives at events, who approach me and earnestly request that I establish a coaching business to guide them in leadership, despite my reservations about my qualifications as a coach. It's the moments spent lecturing at an Ivy League MBAclass on innovation or standing before an audience of 2000 people, discussing design on a grand stage.

These moments resonate with me because they signify that I've touched a chord, that I've somehow struck the right note in my journey, inspiring individuals from diverse backgrounds to connect with me on profound intellectual and emotional levels. Their stories, shared failures, and triumphs have left an indelible impact on me, as they've felt safe enough to confide in me, entrusting their experiences to my heart in confidence.

What is your vision and plan for the future of Chateauz?

In the not-so-distant future, I envision Chateauz™ emerging as the preeminent leader in spatial computing analytics, poised to make a transformative impact analogous to

the revolutionary role Google Analytics played in traditional web platforms. Our bold vision propels us toward a 2030 where countless businesses seamlessly transition into the dynamic realm of spatial computing and extended reality (XR).

At the core of our mission is the streamlining of adoption processes, empowering enterprises to fully harness the boundless potential of spatial computing. This transformation transcends mere operations; it's a fundamental shift that reshapes how businesses operate, communicate, and innovate.

Our cutting-edgeAI and machine learning models serve as a lighthouse, illuminating the path to enhanced content and experience delivery across spatial computing platforms. These insights are the catalyst for a new era, revolutionizing how users engage with and consume digital content in spatial dimensions.

Our unwavering commitment lies in equipping enterprises with the tools and strategies needed to future-proof their businesses. We believe in sustainable, scalable, and profoundly impactful digital transformation. Chateauz™ isn't just a company; it's a catalyst for the evolution of businesses into the immersive, transformative world of spatial computing, driving innovation, growth, and resilience for the years to come.

What are your responsibilities as Founder & CEO of Chateauz? Walk us through your regular day at work.Also, define yourself in one word.

In the world of startups, resilience is my guiding star. With over 25 years

of experience under my belt, I've cultivated not only resourcefulness and determination but an unwavering resilience. Those who have had the privilege of working alongside me know that I'm the type to face any challenge head-on, maintaining a laser focus, uplifting spirit, and inspiring everyone around me to join in the journey. There's a prevailing jest among those who attend meetings with me: You'll either depart feeling invigorated and recharged, or you might just find yourself pleasantly exhausted from the sheer energy I bring to the table.

At Chateauz™, our startup status means that my daily routine is anything but routine. It adapts to our evolving milestones and immediate needs. However, if we zoom out, my focus generally centers around four key areas: product development, sales, fundraising, and operations. In each domain, I'm fortunate to have a dedicated lean team and a network of trusted advisors who share in our collective vision. Understanding my strengths and weaknesses early on has been crucial in shaping our advisory framework and hiring strategy. It's also vital to recognize that setbacks, experiments, and improvements are all part of developing cutting-edge technologies.As long as we have a team equally passionate about this journey, we'll keep gaining valuable insights and net positive on the learning outcomes.

Many days, you'll find me diving headfirst into coding and hands-on development, collaborating closely with our talented development team. On others, I'm engrossed in back-toback investor discussions or engaging with customers and partners, seeking ways to enhance our product.

My technical background and extensive experience in product development for tech companies, along with guidance from our tech advisors, empower me to chart a clear product roadmap and choose the most fitting tech stack. This knowledge allows us to maintain a lean budget, allocating resources precisely where they're needed. In today's economic climate, capital efficiency is a cornerstone of our growth strategy. We're in this for the long haul, prioritizing sustainability, and longevity over fleeting trends.

Establishing our strategic priorities and core values from the outset has been a game-changer. It serves as our compass, guiding us in forming partnerships and shaping our recruitment strategy. It also dictates the kind of individuals/investors we welcome onto our cap table. For us, it's not about chasing fast money or

jumping onto fleeting trends. We're here to construct a robust tech foundation, and we're here to stay, staunchly committed to building something substantial and enduring.

How do you maintain a balance in your personal and professional life? How do you keep yourself and your team motivated to deliver the best services?

Earlier in my career, I possessed a certain freedom when it came to networking and travel. I was a relentless road warrior, and my priorities were clear: professional career first, followed by my thenspouse. Consequently, clients, conferences, and opportunities took precedence, and I rarely hesitated to say yes. This approach opened doors to remarkable opportunities, from speaking engagements to exciting business ventures.

Fast forward to today, where I find myself a single mother, raising two young children since they were in diapers. Balancing the responsibilities of a CEO alongside the demands of their schedules forced me to become more discerning about how I allocate my time. Every moment spent away from them prompts a crucial question: Is this opportunity truly worth the time away from my children? Can this task be delegated or managed remotely?

In essence, single parenthood has transformed me into a better and more efficient leader while nurturing a deeper sense of compassion. During and Post-COVID, I've witnessed peers and team members grappling with similar challenges, not just as caretakers for their children but also for aging parents. While at Chateauz™, we're dedicated to crafting innovative technologies and

delivering excellence, we recognize that at the heart of it all, it's about the human experience. Our journey is about making each other's lives better.

The intersection of work and personal life can be an intricate dance, each with its own set of demands and challenges. To empower our team to show up as their best selves, we must create an environment and equip them with the tools and support needed not only to thrive but to flourish. This is the essence of our mission at Chateauz™: to honor the complex tapestry of human existence and provide the space for individuals to excel, both professionally and personally.

Tell us about your personal goals. What is your message to aspiring executive leaders?

I draw inspiration from the profound words of Kahlil Gibran: "Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it, take with you your all." This sentiment resonates deeply within me, shaping my philosophy of wholehearted commitment in everything I undertake. In the tapestry of Buddhism, we embrace the impermanence of life, recognizing its fleeting nature. Every morning, I awaken with a mantra that drives me: What can I do today that distinguishes itself from yesterday, ushering in new learning, growth, and a greater capacity to become a better, devoted mother, a steadfast friend, and a loving sister?

The answer might manifest in various forms, from delving into a profound book on quantum physics to the exhilaration of a boxing session. It

could lead to culinary adventures with my children, soaring high during a skydiving lesson, or even piloting an aircraft. The essence is to embrace every day as a canvas for exploration, an opportunity to evolve and enrich our lives in multifaceted ways.

To my fellow aspiring executive leaders, I humbly offer this piece of advice: Go forth and be unapologetically you, but venture where you are celebrated, not merely tolerated. Your journey should be a symphony of experiences that resonate with your passions and talents, enriching your life and the lives of those around you.

Lyn Duncan

Is Artificial Intelligence less than our Intelligence?

The value of an idea lies in the

execution of its implementation. It is often debated that if you bootstrap an already existing technology whose young chapters are yet to be experimented and brought into the light, the connotation reaps your mind in the ability to bring it faster. Lyn Duncan who is the CEO of CO2Analysis shares with us, her journey of a bootstrapped Information technology institute. She has spent her prism mostly in the field of technology throughout her professional career and has had scooped her next big discovery from the oil industry, telecoms, software development, and the hub of IT. Lyn shares that her experience as a CEO of cloudBuy Plc which she has had partnered with her husband was involved in generating the portfolios of developingAI wherein calculating the product level footprints. It was then in the year 2019, they discovered that they have through their portfolio of technology can measure the level of carbon footprints seamlessly with an inhouse practical tool that can assist in addressing climate change. This led to

taking a subtle decision to buy out the technology from cloudBuy and focus on launching it in the market as a startup in the year 2020.

The Digital Boulder of Data:

Keeping akin with the accuracy of Artificial Technology is a huge boulder since it lacks artifice and thereby intelligence. There were such a similar set of boulders that slugged the vision of wherewithal.As exclaimed by Lyn, the creation of the firstAI was a huge journey of 3 years that involved the KT joint venture between cloudBuy, Reading University, and Goldsmiths College, London with a gregarious team of 15 members. But, to illuminate the associates with the real-time data, the purchased data for 6 NHS Trusts spanning 10 different finance and procurement systems were the dirtiest data they have had encountered. The data took a span of approximately 180 days to produce clean and detailed research which finally welcomed a ray of hope for further action.

Purview from fresh pair:

The scale of mess we leave behind is proportionate to the level of respect we have for others. The ordeal outcomes that we are leaving behind each day may be intangible for our bare pair of eyes but are tangible as a

dark tornado for our future generations to witness and suffer. When major organizations witness the technologies revolving around carbon footprints, they just have ensconced their mind to these 3 scopes:

Scope 1: It is directly consumed fuel such as gas or petrol for a fleet.

Scope 2: It is electricity, steam, and other consumed energy.

Scope 3: It is everything else the organization buys.

If we trip down the focus one and two, that's the safe arena for Government mandated reporting since the level of carbon footprints are reported at a decreasing rate but when we just contemplate on scope three, it is a hub of its own that spews an approximate of 90% of the organization emission whose measurement is beyond capable in a meaningful manner. But, with theAI tool built by her institution, the private sectors and the organization of the public sector can have a clear cloud analysis across the three scopes of the level of carbon impact being emitted by the products and services. By contemplating on the visibility in a detailed manner, the decisionmakers are able to generate more ROI by taking actions on reducing them. Artificial Intelligence is almost a humanities discipline that is really an attempt to understand human intelligence and human cognition under the same roof. Upon reflecting on the barriers of competitors, Lyn states that they have discovered no competitors yet for their global solution but there is always a hungry clown ready to replicate something similar which can be a later definition.

The funnel of Prospects:

Data never fails to beat an emotion, it has been a similar rollercoaster ride with Lyn who believes that, in a startup, you get involved in every bit of everything wherein her major focus is concentrated on the sales and she looks forward to scratch the itch by boosting the bootstrap and develop her products and services in a fairly organic and reactive manner. In her pearl of wisdom, she expresses her joy by stating that interestingly during covid they have had the opportunity to directly engage with over 250 prospects in the UK and overseas and that has given birth to the creation of the foundation of the fast-growing business which she is forecasting to produce a pool of revenues in the

ballpark of six figures in the year 2021 from the groundwork of 2020.

The Sacred devotion of Team:

An individual who is quietly confident transforms into a great leader for the generations to remember. Start-ups are barely accustomed to work-life balance as the swarming tasks wave within the distance of your eye lens and your retina looks like a crowded bridge during the early commencement months. During the recurring days of Covid-19, Lyn used to be on non-stop zoom meetings with her team but post a few months, the psychological storm of lack of human touch commenced bewildering the present. But this didn't halt her process to march towards her vision and she claims to be practicing what she has preached intending to continue to do so.

Rewriting reality's restriction:

One should not limit oneself as it leads your abilities to be drowned without creating an impact. Upon reminiscing the future goals with her institution, Lyn shares the blueprint in

a subtle manner. She exclaims that many of her private sector customers are global with operations across the world, so she has been working to extend the solution to support different currencies. She also shared that her team is working with Health Care Without Harm and the WHO on a project to provide Carbon Footprinting to the BRICs and 6 other countries, largely based on the best practice work carried out with the NHS over the past decade.Along with this, her plan for global rollout is channel focused and she has her first partner aligned in NorthAmerica and the Middle East as well as in the UK and Europe. From her cloudBuy experience, she is going to take this steadily and consolidate her native market first, using the UK corporates with global reach as R&D and reference ability.

Pamela Saechow

Bridging the Gap between Healthcare & IT Solutions

AnAugust 2021 study by The Commonwealth Fund compared health care systems in eleven nations: the United States, Canada, Switzerland, France, Sweden, New Zealand, Germany, the United Kingdom,Australia, the Netherlands, and Norway. The study found the top-performing countries overall are Norway, the Netherlands, andAustralia. The United States ranks last overall, despite spending far more of its gross domestic product on health care. The U.S. also ranks last in access to care, administrative efficiency, equity, and health care outcomes, but second in measures of the care process." This is what motivates to build a Pamela Saechow company that will help the clients' focus on and invest in systems and high-value services that result in better outcomes.

is the at , a woman- Pamela CEOEllit Groups owned, minority owned, "World-class" healthcare information technology consulting services firm certified by WBENC. While being young as a firm, Ellit Groups is comprised of seasoned healthcare professionals with an average of 15 years' experience in healthcare operations and information technology. Pamela asserts, "We offer our clients with a wide range of services that span Advisory, (EHR) Implementation and Optimization. Our goal is to provide services and solutions to address the most pressing problems our clients are facing today. "

According to Pamela, as a female leader, it's still an uphill climb to break into the male dominated healthcare industry. On a global scale, women

account for only 25% of healthcare leadership roles despite constituting 70% of the workforce. She says, "I can't count the number of times I have been told that I should "stick to what I know" or "not rock the boat" or a hundred other cliches that were intended to dissuade me from reaching my goal."

One of the reasons Pamela founded Ellit Groups and works every day to ensure the company is inclusive and equitable is to prove that it is possible for anyone who has passion, drive and an honest desire to make a difference in the world to achieve success.

Early Life, Challenges andAchievements

Pamela was born in Laos and raised by her grandmother. She watched how she selflessly served as the medicine woman for a village in Laos to live healthier lives when there was no access to healthcare. This upbringing served as a catalyst for her, at a young age, to have curiosity and compassion, which drove her to solve challenges that would promote happier, healthier lives.

Pamela is the former hospital CIO who understands all levels of IT engagement within a hospital system and healthcare organization. With more than two decades of leadership experience, she is adept at building the bridge between healthcare operations and technology to enable healthcare organisations to execute critical patient care efficiently. She drives her team to know the difference between a good project and a great project.

She believes that she has been fortunate to have worked with some of the most prestigious healthcare organisations in this country. While serving as a healthcare provider, she was asked to join a new healthcare technology division at , Sutter Health a large California-based health system. Sutter's willingness to embrace new technology and her hospital operational expertise quickly began illuminating opportunities to improve the healthcare experience and outcomes across their vast network. Over the next 23 years, she held several leadership positions and helped a dedicated team transform Sutter's digital health offerings. She was instrumental in completing a 5year roadmap EHR roadmap across continuity of care + rationalized IT systems from "Best of Breed to Integrated."

While serving the residents of New York City, , the Cleveland Clinic world's second-ranked hospital, Pamela was offered the chance to expand exposure to a global community of patients and clinicians. She joined them asAssociate Chief Information Officer and helped launch a digital transformation strategy to revolutionise patient care and caregiver experience. She led a team that reshaped the IT department, launched the Epic Refuel initiative and the M+A playbook on a global scale. She emphasizes, "To be able to drive this kind of change in the delivery of healthcare has been one of my greatest achievements."

Success!

Pamela's definition of success is based entirely on the clients' success. How

Ellit Groups solves the clients' problems and delivers solutions that improve patient outcomes is the metric for the company and her success. She says, "We focus on three elements: ontime delivery, quality and cost to enable our clients to realize the full ROI on their IT investment and achieve the best possible patient outcomes and experience."

Redefining the Healthcare Industry with a Progressive Vision

Ellit Groups helps leading organisations turn insights into actions. The team has a demonstrated record of supporting client partners in the provider, payer, and life science sectors with strategies and tactical executions. The company's services provide the best practises and lessons learned through industry experience that

improve outcomes and help achieve success. Pamela says, "We get to know our customers and understand their problems so we can turn those insights into action."

Ellit Group's very name is based on fostering change and advancing solutions in the healthcare industry:

Elle "She"

IT "Information Technology" –The company believes IT enables results by helping healthcare providers, payers, and life sciences realise tactical advantages.

Groups "Bringing Together" – It is deliberate in the company's methodology and practises in aligning people, processes, and knowledge to enable customers.

Elite "Superior talent and abilities" –It believes that quality relies on talent and culture to deliver a client's needs.

In the future, Pamela's vision for the company is to continue to drive Ellit Groups to be innovative, provide unsurpassed healthcare IT services, and enhance global healthcare through linking people, process, technology, and knowledge.

As a woman owned business, she will ensure that the company stays true to its mantra to "Get it done right". She finds that it's essential for the team to be inclusive and diverse to provide the clients with the best and brightest talent to design and deliver high quality, high value solutions.

The Passionate CEO of Ellit Groups

"I pride myself on being a CEO who not only has responsibility for developing Ellit Groups' short and long-term strategies, overseeing

quality, and setting goals for each of our service lines, but also stays relevant by working directly with our clients to understand and solve their problems," says Pamela.

On any given day, Pamela can be found mentoring executives on how to comply with CURES 21Act, working with them to build their governance model for organisational oversight and decision making, or leading a team to perform a business continuity assessment.

Pamela is passionate about helping clients provide the best possible care to their patients and about improving healthcare delivery. She says, "I am passionate about creating solutions to our clients' most challenging problems. I am passionate about life, as there is so much to be done in the healthcare industry that keeps me excited each and every day. “

Living a Joyful Life

Pamela always lived by the mantra "You can't assist others with their needs if you don't take care of yourself" . While her schedule is hectic, even chaotic at times, she always takes time out to enjoy outings and events with family, friends and work colleagues. This year, she has been fortunate to spend time, in small groups being mindful of COVID-19 protocols, celebrating birthdays, baby showers, and relaxing with family. She says, "My employees are family to me. Whenever we are working on a client site, we plan team events to celebrate our successes and collaborate to find solutions to the challenges we encounter. We work together and play together to form strong, cohesive teams."

Alexandra Sock

A Global Leadership And Executive Coach Passionate And dedicated To Increasing Emotional Intelligence In The Consulting Industry

When it comes to success in any area of your life, continuous improvement is part of the job. While intentions are great, it's the actions you take that decide your outcomes. George Sheehan said: Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be. Alexandra Sock, Founder and Group CEO of Sock Consulting Group; believes that we need to be content and happy with our life no matter where we are on the path to success.Alexandra has more than 25 years of global leadership and executive coaching.

Taking a leap of faith

“I never thought of founding my own company,” exclaims . She Alexandra started her career as a recruiter within Jenewein&Partner in Vienna. There she met one of her biggest mentors,

Jean Francois Jenewein. He very soon sawAlexandra's dedication to solving difficult situations and her ability to find solutions or at least options for stuck states and challenging situations and he let her handle all kinds of difficult search projects. H also very e soon gave her the feedback that she is at best her, if she had all the freedom to do what she thinks is the best solution and to be led with along leash. Jean offeredAlexandra exactly this kind of leadership. With him, she outgrew herself and when he decided to put his company under the umbrella ofAmrop Hever and only offered recruiting services anymore, he recommended her to found her own company and throw herself onto the market of consulting and coaching; which she did. With her clients from the search projects, Alexandra had a great start inher own company.

Challenges are an excellent opportunity for growth

Alexandra founded her company in 1999, at the age of 26. Being very young when she started out as a consultant for CEOs and senior leaders, she faced a lot of challenges. In the beginning, nobody inAustria took her seriously and in every meeting and interaction, she was tested way more than her older male colleagues. She took every challenge - which for her very often were opportunities that called out to her.

She strongly believes that challenges are opportunities to plunge into. She states that her kind of success tip would be: to believe in yourself, give every situation your best shot, and go all in and go to the end. We need to trust and understand that everybody has the best of intentions at their heart and everybody wants to be successful at the end of the day. The only thing

that makes interactions and situations difficult is that very often we do not see the good intentions of others or we do not always fully trust that others show their full potential. “I am a firm believer in the capabilities of others and if you trust them and create a safe and growing environment, nothing can go astray,” she says.

RecognitionAlexandra received as a leader

Alexandra claims her career started in a great environment. She had very encouraging parents, very able and dedicated teachers, great friends, and great bosses all through her corporate life. She always received valuable

critical feedback and therefore could always become more and more selfaware and more self-reflection. “I have been gifted with a lot of opportunities to get to know the motives and intentions of others and therefore adapt my behavior accordingly,” she says.

She has been rewarded with a lot of interesting and challenging projects in all the jobs she held before founding her own company. Being a project manager in the European Union, Alexandra was rewarded with projects that were only given to senior staff members before. Within Unilever, she was rewarded with a lot of international projects which were

not allowed before. Within Jenewein and Partners, she was rewarded with new customer projects and with a fast track record in career development, and more and more senior titles which also meant more and more impactful project ownerships.

“The best recognition in my daily business as a leader is long-lasting partnerships, customers that stay with us for various topics and loyal team members that have been with us for as long as we exist and still are highly motivated to give their best every day,” she states.

Responsibilities as CEO at Sock Consulting

Internally, as the CEO of the sock consulting group,Alexandra takes care of the strategy and the growth of the company. She is also responsible for the development of her teams. She takes a lot of time for 1:1 and feedback sessions and also discusses a lot about how to make the life of my team members better, easier, and more impactful for their customers. Alexandra has also created new programs and new designs for workshops together with her colleagues and her team members.

Externally, she is coaching CEOs and senior leaders all over the world and works with great leadership teams to have the biggest impact on their teams in their respective environments.Alexandra describes herself as a 'dedicated multiplier' who is 300% focused on energy to make her environment successful.

Plans for the future of Sock Consulting

Their plan now is to make emotional intelligence an everyday habit for leaders and to offer practical little tools to integrate emotions into the still very rational world of leaders.At the same time, they are growing their business in growing new target groups – they are now aiming to work for youngsters entering the professional world for the first time and doing vision quests and tiny habits training to help them find their place in their environments and grow their impact from the first day onwards.

Sock Consulting has a very good partnershipthe US, in Europe, Singapore, Levante, and EMEA. They are now expanding their business to

LATAM and JAPAC. They have started online toolboxes on emotional intelligence and while now enlarging this product to create unconscious bias online toolboxes and inclusive leadership toolboxes - very concise enugget training for everyday learning with immediate practical impact.

Balance in personal and professional life

“How to maintain balance and stay motivated is a very easy question for me as I believe I only have one life and every aspect of your life comes together like a puzzle,” says Alexandra. She started out alone, then grew her business by working with a great network of partners, then hired an accountant, then CFO, then an IT manager, and a graphics – designer then she had her first child, her daughter Vivienne, and after 2 years she had her. She states son Raffael that all of a sudden she felt like she had a family empire – with her parents and her parents-in-law traveling with her and taking care of the children as she worked in the most beautiful places all over the world.

Alexandra believes that we are all at our best when we can create a balance in all our areas of lifeAnd if you love what you do, you do not need to have clear private life vs. business life. But if you like the clean cuts, they have this in their company. Every team member decided that for themselves. They have transparent deadlines and everybody knows what needs to be done till when and she does not care when her team members carry out their responsibilities. “I fully trust them that they dedicate all their potential and capabilities to making

our clients happy and satisfied and help them grow and develop,” she says.

“I see myself as a – the multiplier more I create a frame where everybody can grow the better the results will be I have been working with part-time mums for the past 10 years and it worked out great for our clients, for me as a CEO, and for them and their families,” explains Alexandra. One of her assistants is based in India and this worked fine as she starts her working day at 2 pm their time and the handover is very smooth and her dedication to the business is as high as if she would be sitting in the office with them. Being understandable and giving freedom to organize private and business life as flexibly and openly as possible they have been super successful even before the pandemic.

Alexandra's biggest tip for motivation she thinks is - to walk the talk and be motivated yourself and be passionate and love what you do. She is deeply convinced she has the best job in the World. “Being a role model is easy for me and this energy multiplies with my team and with our customers,” she exclaims.

Her message to aspiring business leaders: Be 100% present in the here and now and stay focused on creating an impact in every interaction. Frequently ask yourself - How can I make the best out of this situation? How can I act as a multiplier or leverage the environment?