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THE 10 BUSINESS MINDS DEFINING THE NEXT ERA OF LEADERSHIP, 2026

www.cioviews.com

DECEMBER 2025

William Rathinasamy CEO Diggibyte Technologies

For Diggibyte's William Rathinasamy, Success Isn't a Roadmap—It's the Drive to ‘Do Better Than Yesterday’

Voices Steering the Future of Business

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There is now a new generation of leaders making their mark in boardrooms all over the world, and they are using a very different approach to influence than has been traditionally used. This new breed of leader is guided by a vision that combines purpose with agility rather than tradition alone. They have redefined “authority” and view leadership as much as collaboration as command. The strategies that these leaders use, and the decisions that they make, go far beyond profit margins; they are focused on building resilient, innovative companies. They have developed a culture within their organizations where adaptability is valued, and they have created a safe environment for employees to experiment with bold ideas, allowing for the possibility of failure. They view technology not only as a means to accomplish work but also as a tool for unlocking human potential. Their decisions will impact multiple industries, and will, in turn, create the culture of tomorrow's economy. They have shown us that leadership is no longer about who has the most power; rather, it is about helping other people gain, or unlock, their own leadership potential. At CIO Views, we honor these empowering leaders by dedicating this issue titled “The 10 Business Minds Defining the Next Era of Leadership, 2026” to them. Featuring as the cover story, we have covered the successful & motivating journey of William Rathinasamy, CEO of Diggibyte Technologies. We have also included the inspiring stories of Victoria Jenkins, Founder & CEO of Unhidden; Sarah Neill, CEO and Founder of Mys Tyler talks; Brent Kruel, CEO of BioFunctional Health Solutions; Somphob Rodboon, Managing Partner of ILAWASIA CO., LTD; Julia Carlson, Founder & CEO of Freedom Wealth Management Group; Marc Rippen, CEO of Alertgy; Raffi Jamgotchian, President and CTO of Triada Networks, LLC; Nin Desai, CEO of NIN.VC; and Dr. Meritxell Vila-Fontes, Founder and CEO of MERYT Chemicals. CIO Views is a business magazine that mainly focuses on business leaders, their journey, views on current economic states, and all other relevant subjects that refer to the business world. Our goal is to be a leading source of information dedicated to providing our readers with detailed perspectives and views of successful business leaders who are transforming the business outlook and redefining their goals. With exclusive editions on various industries like software, education, healthcare, technology, real estate, and many more, CIO Views is driven to promote excellence in the world of business. Happy Reading!

Mousmi

Mousmi N.

COVER STORY

10.

William Rathinasamy

CONTENTS

22. Victoria Jenkins 26. Sarah Neill 32. Brent Kruel 36. Somphob Rodboon 42. Julia Carlson

46.

Marc Rippen

52.

Rafﬁ Jamgotchian

56.

Nin Desai

62.

Dr. Meritxell Vila-Fontes

William Rathinasamy CEO Diggibyte Technologies

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COVER STORY

For Diggibyte's William Rathinasamy, Success Isn't a Roadmap—It's the Drive to ‘Do Better Than Yesterday’

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Today, on our cover story, is William Rathinasamy, the venerable CEO and Co-founder of Diggibyte Technologies. In the modern business world, the deﬁnition of success varies from person to person. To William, success evolves as they do. When he and his partners started Diggibyte in 2021, there was no concrete grand roadmap. Yet, there was only one belief: do better than yesterday. That very drive to push the envelope has been their compass. A perspicacious leader, he believes, "success today is collective. When leadership and teams move forward together toward a shared purpose." The market is vast, like space. It is full of possibilities and frontiers. The sole mission here is to keep exploring together.

How it All Started? Getting into the tech industry was never a matter of chance. From his early education, William was very intentional. He was driven by a desire to create meaningful solutions that could positively impact society through technology. Such a mission requires more than mere ambition; it demands an erudite approach to every challenge. His professional journey spanned India and Sweden. This cross-cultural odyssey has played a major role in shaping who he is today. Working in India taught William adaptability, hands-on problem-solving, and the value of perseverance. His time in Sweden reﬁned that foundation. It added structure, longterm thinking, and a deep respect for collaboration and integrity. The result

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is an incontrovertible expertise in balancing ambitious growth with ethical leadership. Together, these experiences have guided his path into leadership. They've helped him build organizations that are innovative, inclusive, and purpose-driven, fostering a deep sense of camaraderie and trust, united under a shared vision between leadership and the people. Responsibilities as Diggibyte Technologies' CEO As a boutique Data and AI company, Diggibyte Technologies' distinction comes from an ethos built on customer-first thinking, uncompromised quality, and mindful efficiency. As a boutique Data and AI company, Diggibyte Technologies' differentiation lies in customer-first thinking, quality, and cost efficiency. As CEO, William's role is polyhedral. His daily focus is to ensure excellence in delivery and strengthen customer trust. The main undertone runs in nurturing their "One Diggibyte, One Vision" culture. It's a space where every individual and leader takes ownership of both the company's and the customer's success.

Sweden, building a global business. It requires a lot of grit and clarity of purpose. To William, this journey itself is a proud milestone. In a short span, Diggibyte Technologies became one of the top Databricks partners in Sweden. Simultaneously, one of the fastestgrowing in India. This recognition reflects not just hard work and resilience, but the strength of a shared objective. William explains, "Our growth comes from a unified vision between team and leadership." The Primary Roadblock It's unrealistic to expect climbing the stairs of success without skinning your ankles. Challenges are bound to surface. William's role in his company is no exception. At first, he thought building a business would be the hardest task. But reality shifted faster than he imagined. He soon realized that creating the right culture is even tougher. In business, every setback is a blessing in disguise. It's either growth or a lesson. Building a workplace where people share the vision, celebrate wins, and learn from failures together is no easy feat. It demands constant effort.

Milestone That Speaks Volume William is a humble entrepreneur who never forgets his roots. Upon being asked what one achievement in his career stands out as a milestone moment, he amazes us with his answer. Such a refreshing sense of humility. He came from a rural part of India. A self-made visionary who made it all the way to

Every day, William keeps learning how to strengthen that culture. He works to ensure leadership and teams stay aligned around one uniﬁed vision. The Balancing Mantra In the early days, balancing work and life felt simpler for this C-suite executive. As the organization scaled,

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COVER STORY

he had one epiphany. True balance comes from the strength of the team. He realized that his personal bandwidth was, in effect, the company's collective ceiling. Surrounding himself with passionate individuals who share the same vision allows William to delegate effectively. It also lets him focus on strategic priorities and maintain equilibrium between personal and professional responsibilities. All of this happens while driving growth. This tenet is why he is among"The 10 Business Minds Defining the Next Era of Leadership, 2026." Something we commemorate. The Anatomy of Decision-Making When Complexity Strikes Integrity, empathy, and long-term thinking are his guiding values. With years of experience and a calm demeanor, it's not William's first rodeo.

“success today is collective. When leadership and teams move forward together toward a shared purpose.”

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“Culture isn't built "Our growth comes by words; it's built by from a uniﬁed vision shared belief and daily between team and alignment.”

leadership."

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He knows how to navigate market turbulence and complex decisions. When the path ahead feels unclear, he stays imperturbable and returns to these anchors. He asks himself three soul-searching questions. Does this decision create genuine value, not just short-term profit? Does it serve our clients and people honestly? Will we be proud of it five years from now? These principles ensure that every choice aligns with purpose and unity. They reflect a leader who is as focused on legacy as he is on the next quarter.

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COVER STORY

“Take bold risks early. If you fail, you gain experience. If you succeed, you inspire others to dream even bi er.”

The Business Turning Point The turning point in Diggibyte Technologies' journey came when the team stopped seeing itself as just a service provider. They began positioning themselves as a true transformation partner. William recollects, "Our partnership with Databricks became one of those defining moments." Databricks is a renowned cloud-based data and AI platform. It helps organizations process, analyze, and derive insights from massive datasets efficiently. This seminal collaboration aligned Diggibyte Technologies' leadership and teams around a single vision. It is to create a meaningful, measurable impact for its customers worldwide through one unified technology platform.

lives by. Cultivating a culture of innovation and adaptability in his organization is no passive pursuit. Empowerment and trust are key. He ensures that every voice is heard because innovation starts with openness. He notices each and every nuance. If someone hesitates to speak, it signals a gap they need to close. Encouraging collaboration, experimentation, and cross-learning keeps Diggibyte Technologies adaptable in the fast-moving world of Data and AI, where change is the only constant.

Collaboration as a Cultural Currency Equally important to them is collaboration. They use every opportunity, William shares, from cultural celebrations to tech hackathons, to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing. Diggibyte Technologies' "Tea Talks," global tech sessions, and innovation challenges do a dual job. They promote both technical excellence and team bonding. Here, conformity has no place. They believe in openness, joy, and a shared vision

That shift in mindset deﬁnitely unlocked business growth. At the same time, it opened the belief that Diggibyte Technologies could lead digital transformation on a global scale. Nurturing a Culture of Progress "Culture isn't built by words; it's built by shared belief and daily alignment." This is a creed William

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between leadership and employees. These practices are what drive real collaboration. Digital Transformation in a True Sense Many leaders misunderstand digital transformation. They focus either only on technology or only on business impact. William feels none of them are suﬃcient. True transformation comes from mastering both. To make it count, one needs to understand technology deeply. And align it with real business value. Only then will transformation be meaningful and sustainable. Inspiring The Generation Next William ﬁrmly believes in leading by example. His journey so far is a manifesto. A lodestar for many aspiring entrepreneurs. It proves that it's possible to build and scale a business from the ground up, with zero investment. Driven purely by passion, vision, and courage. There is only one thing that never wanes. It's his allegiance. Because he feels, "Great companies aren't built by capital; they're built by conviction."

"Great companies aren't built by capital; they're built by conviction.”

William aims to show the next generation that leadership isn't about resources. Instead, it signiﬁes resilience and belief. For young entrepreneurs, his message is simple and precise. William advises, "Take bold risks early. If you fail, you gain experience. If you succeed, you inspire others to dream even bigger."

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“If my journey inspires others to dream fearlessly and lead with purpose, that will be my true legacy.”

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What William Aspires to Leave Behind? It is neither something grand nor momentary. He wants to show that with high ambition, hard work, and the right people, any idea can be brought to life. It's even possible to build a multimillion-dollar global company from a humble beginning.

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William's mission is no less inspiring. His avowed intent is to build a worldclass Data and AI company across the globe that empowers customers to make smarter decisions. All while nurturing a culture of unity, trust, and shared ownership.

and lead with purpose, that will be my true legacy."

William concludes, "If my journey inspires others to dream fearlessly

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Creating Sustainability and Style for Disabled Communities

ou may be wondering what adaptive clothing is. The fact is that this is a question for many people since it generally stems from a lack of integration with others who are non-disabled. In other words, if you are not a member of the disabled community, you will never comprehend the signiﬁcance of adapted clothes. While adaptive clothing is not for everyone, it is critical for people who have diﬃculty dressing independently or who have access needs. Although corporations still have a long way to go in terms of understanding inclusion on a larger scale, several brands are taking the lead in this area. Victoria Jenkins is a garment technologist with 14 years' experience in the fashion industry who became disabled in her 20s. She started Unhidden after a hospital meeting with a cancer patient that changed the path of her life. This is the narrative of Unhidden. She is a multi-awardwinning adaptive designer, disability advocate, author, and speaker. Victoria also has experience in luxury goods, men's and women's tailoring,

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wovens, jersey, outerwear, fashion illustration, and textiles. She is a solid professional with a BA in Fashion Design from Istituto Marangoni and accessible testimonials from speaking engagements. Starting Entrepreneurial Journey Victoria had always been interested in fashion, but the transition from working for other brands to starting her own came from meeting someone in the hospital who inspired her to think about adaptive fashion—and then the transition came when she did more research and just wasn't seeing what she felt was needed. So Victoria decided to take the plunge herself. She says, "I had lived experience. I had years of garment construction knowledge that I ﬁgured could be put to better use!" Victoria's ﬁrst paid job after university was as a pattern cutter for an online eCommerce brand—being able to pay rent and survive independently in London felt pretty amazing and was something she did for a number of years before going freelance and continuing that work

until the pandemic hit. She says, "It's been incredibly varied, which I think has ultimately proved to be better for me in the long run." Before Unhidden, Victoria was a garment technologist who had worked with some wonderful companies and labels. However, due to her own health concerns, it became more about survival with no plan for her own future other than paying rent—not a nice place to be! She had always wanted to be a designer, but the path to that involved internships and working for free for far longer than she was able to aﬀord-she graduated in 2008, and the landscape was diﬀerent then, not to mention a recession. But Victoria made it work and met some wonderful individuals along the way, proving that the profession isn't always as awful as people believe. As per her, the best recognition for her was probably doing her TedX talk; being accepted to do one was terrifying but proof that she had the knowledge and the voice to really say something.

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Founder & CEO, Unhidden

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Victoria doesn't accomplish, but she is ﬁnally assembling a team to work with her! Victoria usually begins her day by checking her daily journal, her to-do list, and then social media. She then attempts to follow up on leads, develop content, or write copy. She is going to use the word some very good friends and peers use to describe her because it does encapsulate how tirelessly she has tried to work to help as many people as she can—unstoppable. Redeﬁning the Industry

Not Just a Brand Unhidden is currently made-to-order. The core range addresses a variety of access demands, including dexterity, stomas, wheelchair users and cancer patients. Everyone, regardless of size or ability, may wear the range, excluding no one. Victoria is switching to a standard model with modest adjustable choices to reduce the price because her community (1 in 5 people in the UK) is 50% more likely to be poor, and she is well aware that she is still too expensive for the majority of people.

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Victoria has numerous amazing collaborations in the works, some of which will be released towards the end of this year. Victoria serves on a variety of boards and committees to increase awareness and transform the narrative on disability inclusion from one of pity to one of creative, happy positive portrayal, and to urge other companies and sectors to make better decisions regarding inclusion in the future. Victoria's current responsibilities include design, social media, networking, pitching, postman, and customer service. There isn't anything

Unhidden is the first adaptive brand to join the British Fashion Council, was the first to sell in multiple retail outlets in London and Cambridge, has had global press coverage and has tried to ultimately do as much as possible in as many places to make people stop and think about what inclusion means and how to achieve it. Victoria is currently preparing for her first full runway show, which will be showcasing an array of disabilities (both visible and non-apparent) in September and hopes that it continues to change the narrative going forwards as well as championing other designers, brands, and people who fight for the same thing-equity. Staying Motivated and Connected For maintaining space between work and life, Victoria does have boundaries with other people on engaging with her, but she often sits and works or scrolls or contacts people outside of her self-imposed office hours. Her motivation never really wavers-until adaptive and inclusive design is normalized and on the high street and accessible, she has all the motivation she needs. She shares, "With my new team, it's trying to keep open and honest

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communication and working out how to support each other—as it's so new and exciting, motivation isn't what we lack—it's time to get it all done!" Valuable Lessons Victoria shares that having faith in her own abilities and ideas has taken a while—having mentors from a variety of people helped with that. Choosing to start trading during a pandemic, after Brexit and targeting an audience that has been left out globally whilst trying to maintain sustainable and ethical manufacturing processes-she couldn't have thrown more obstacles in her own way-but there was no time like the present and her hope is that it will get easier. She asserts, "Getting non-disabled people engaged is one of the hardest roadblocks still, but thanks to a growing interest in social impact brands and better DE&I awareness, staying the course and having faith has worked for me." Views on Success While discussing her perspective on achievement, Victoria admits that defining success is difficult for her. She recalls that, because of the unpredictability that comes with freelancing and running a small business as a disabled woman, there is no disputing that success for her is predicated on financial remuneration, which she does not believe she has attained. Victoria does however also define success as knowing you're making a difference and having your work or voice recognized, shared, and impacting other people's perspectives and lives. She states, "Being happy in your work and being excited to work is

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also a good barometer of success-I feel very privileged to do something I adore." Plans for the future of Unhidden Victoria's future plans include workshops teaching people how to adapt their own clothing (80% of the disabled and chronically ill community were not born that waythat's a lot of clothes going to landﬁll) as well as expanding the range, having their own brick and mortar store that is fully accessible and beautiful and a place for people to hang out in as well as shop. There are some partnerships she'd love to see come to life—the sky is the limit. There is not an area of the retail world that doesn't need an adaptive and inclusive update. Word to Woman Entrepreneurs

and has the faith to try themselves too then that is the best thing she can achieve. She asserts, "It is harder, there are challenges- big ones- but that doesn't mean your ideas and voice aren't worth trying to put out there." Victoria's message for women entrepreneurs is to listen to your instinct and question where the unsolicited advice comes from. She also adds, "Make sure you have some savings, invest in learning parts of what you don't know- for example, I paid to do a PR course and that has hands down been one of the game changers for Unhidden and continues to be helpful. Finally- have mentorsmore than one." She advises everyone to accept people who ask if they can help but also approach people you look up to and ask them as well- it is always worth asking and trying, shoot your shot!

As a disabled woman, Victoria does face challenges ultimately thanks to the people in charge and the stigma around disability- but she has hope that if even one person sees her trying

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At the intersection of fashion and technology

arah Neill, the CEO and Founder of Mys Tyler talks about personal and professional success. For her, personal success is happiness - being healthy and feeling optimistic about the future, feeling connected with her friends and family members, and contributing to the world in a positive way. Business success on the other hand is about creating opportunities for others, solving a real problem, and providing a return on investment to stakeholders. The path to entrepreneurship: Sarah describes her journey to entrepreneurship starting with her career in marketing and advertising where she would dive into insights of the target audience to understand how the thought, what they felt and what problems they were looking to solve. Back then, this allowed her to best communicate to this audience the relevancy of the product or service. As the years shifted, and she better understood problems out there, she describes shifting into more intrapreneurial roles, and eventually encountered an opportunity to create

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her own business, Doodad while living in New York. This dates back to 2012 and after 12 months of building a business, she was forced to shut down the business with 2 weeks' notice. She moved back into corporate life but, and joined the fastest growing private company in America, but during this time developed the concept for Mys Tyler, and spent the next few years developing the idea until 12 months ago when she packed her bags, leaving her corporate role, salary and America to return to Australia to build Mys Tyler.

conventional (or any) resources!” Says Sarah. Take Mys Tyler for example, the app which helps women see clothing on similar looking women (height, size & shape), requires a diversity of fashion inﬂuencers, Mys Tyler calls them “Contributors” to be successful. Without resources to “buy” this side of the market, they got scrappy and scrapped the body data of nearly 400 fashionable celebrities so they could launch a product faster, get traction, and then have something to pitch to stylish women to bring them on board organically.

Constraints bread creativity:

Iterate and improve over perfection:

Sarah mentions that majority of the companies she worked with were “Challenger” brands, the companies have relatively smaller teams, smaller budgets and less awareness to work with. As a result, they have to punch above their weight to get traction. In these environments, you can't throw money at a problem, you have to get creative and work smarter. “They say constraints bread creativity, and I completely agree. Some of the best ideas have come from not having the

With the strong belief that “done is better than perfect” the common question the Mys Tyler team asks themselves when making decisions is “Is it better than it was yesterday?” Sarah describes herself as the furthest thing from a perfectionist. Having said that, she and the team have ambitious goals and are committed to constantly work at getting closer to those. Her vision for Mys Tyler is to create a space where all women feel

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CEO and Founder, Mys Tyler talks

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represented, and can be inspired with fashion content relevant to their body, budget, and style. Sarah believes that the clothes we wear can make us feel confident, they can be the difference between trying to blend in and feeling able to step up and say yes to opportunities. We want fashion to be more accessible and enjoyable for all women, at the core of Mys Tyler is body-positivity and community. And if women find better fitting clothes through Mys Tyler, than they can also significantly contributor to reducing return rates and reducing the huge cost to the industry and more importantly the environmental. The hero's journey: The startup journey is not easy, doing

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things that are new requires storytelling and education. There are constant hiccups and distractions, so it's a clear vision and unwavering resolve required to forge through to bring a startup to life. If you look back, you can easily find dozens of failures that each entrepreneur encounters. The successful entrepreneurs can trade in these failures into learnings and find a positive way to move forward. As quoted by an anonymous philosopher, “Life won't always go my way, but I will always find a way,” similarly Sarah understands the hard journey ahead - “it's hard work, it's terrible pay, it's a high risk, high stress, and highly personal - but I wouldn't want to be doing anything else”. Her advice for aspiring entrepreneurs “Just start. If you have an idea, start building,

start collecting data, just move it forward, and you'll learn things, or opportunities will open up as you go that will guide you for the next step”. Women have a tendency to think “I know I can do ABC, and I think I can do XYZ, so I'll stay doing ABC as I don't want to over-promise and underdeliver - I'm telling you, you can do XYZ better than anyone, so get out there and do it”

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Revolutionizing Occupational Health Through Technology-Enabled Solutions

he modern healthcare sector must widely adopt information technology to survive in the current digital era. To prove their mettle, outshine others, and lay a solid foundation for the adoption of contemporary, eﬀective and customized digital technology in the rapidly expanding healthcare sector, leaders must step outside of their comfort zones and grasp the rapidly changing environment. Brent, the founder, and CEO of BioFunctional Health Solutions, has a passion for technology. His extensive experience over the past three decades has given him a keen understanding of how to operationalize solutions into the lives of just about anyone. Although he performs these roles, he spends most of his time developing and implementing, tech-enabled, health and wellness solutions. Brent openly admits that both his formal training and work in healthcare administration have given him a passion and special aptitude for ﬁnding the best health and wellness goods and services.

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“Legacy is only secured in people that are nurtured by an empathetic leader. All other success is meaningless and temporary.”- Brent Kruel

healing and the possibility of making people the best versions of themselves."

A typical day in Brent's office includes discussions with other executives of big businesses about how to attract and keep the best talent by looking out for all workers. He also devotes a lot of time to looking into the health and wellness sector for new goods and services that can considered and including in the service offerings of his own business. He has discovered that although there are a staggering number of softwarebased options available, getting people to use them effectively necessitates a hands-on approach. This is something his company accomplishes by utilizing registered nurses as coaches to increase compliance and help close the gaps that may come from a lack of knowledge and understanding.

Though Brent was a standout wrestler and track athlete in high school, he declined college scholarships to join the Air Force. He served in the military as a combat communications specialist and ﬁnished his ﬁrst combat deployment during Operation Uphold Freedom in Haiti. Thanks to his exposure of the most cutting-edge computer and communications technology while serving in the military, he developed and mastered a foundation for success in leveraging technology to improve health and wellness.

In a word, Brent deﬁnes himself as loving. He says, "I am empathetic, love people, and am passionate about

Years of Transformation

Brent was selected to attend the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in Colorado Springs and quickly distinguished himself as a four-time, Western Athletic Conference (WAC), student athlete of the year. While at the academy, he suﬀered a fractured spine during jump qualiﬁcation training, which was a

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CEO, BioFunctional Health Solutions

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formative experience for him and led him to develop a passion for health and wellness. His injury threatened not only his performance on the track, but also his career in the Air Force. Brent graduated from the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), in May 2000. He held the title, Distinguished Graduate, the highest honor bestowed by the Academy. Soon after graduation, Brent began his career as a healthcare administrator. As a young lieutenant in the Air Force, he was privileged to be given a lot of responsibility. He was immediately given the role of managing a $30 million construction project, along with supply and logistics. This was a huge accomplishment and honor for him as he was the youngest chief information officer in the Air Force. Brent was commissioned in the Air Force as a medical officer. He further distinguished himself by being honored with an Air Force-level award as #1 of 23,000 officers named the Information Systems Officer of the Year. He also was selected as the Air Force's lowest-ranking and youngest Chief Information Officer (CIO) of the largest VA/DoD hospital in Las Vegas, NV. During his second combat tour, Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was chosen to oversee the largest hospital in Iraq. He left the Air Force in 2007 and started working as a corporate executive in a range of healthcare and technology settings to pursue a career in commercial health and wellness. As a second lieutenant competing against officers with over 20 years of experience, Brent was named the Air Force's top information systems officer of the year for 2001, making him the youngest and most junior officer to ever receive the honor.

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Making Every Step towards the Success There were many small steps leading up to Brent's personal leap into being an entrepreneur. In 2007, when he retired from the Air Force, as a medical service corps officer, he joined the upper management of the nation's largest healthcare payer technology company. He was promoted quickly and as he adjusted to the commercial sector; he became more comfortable with the increasing responsibility of the roles he was entrusted with. He recalls, "Within four years of separating from the Air Force, I had my first 8-figure P&L that I was responsible for." This grew rapidly, and Brent learned how to grow companies by investing in and trusting quality people. He was always drawn to physical and mental health and made this a passion in every role he was in. Brent's perspective on success is centered on leaving a lasting legacy, which can only be realized by people. He focuses his energy on helping people become the best versions of themselves through physical and mental well-being. His hope is that the BHS will help others do the same. BioFunctional Health Solutions, Inc. BHS is comprised of seasoned health professionals who are innovators, inventors and personally devoted to their own physical health and mental wellbeing. They are passionate about helping EVERYONE feel and look as good as they do. BHS uses a tried-and-true, proprietary process to integrate the top health and wellness solutions which enables an individualized (customized) approach

to meet each employee where they are. Highly skilled and motivated registered nurses are BHS' secret weapon. The company's nurses are specialists in health and wellness and focus on building relationships with every client, leading to successful lifestyle changes that make people healthier and happier. Below is a summary of the company's offerings: Brain Function Optimization- In partnership with Millennium Health and Dr. Mark Gordon, a recognized world-leading neuroscientist, the team uses an AI-supported system with lipotropic supplements that cross the blood-brain barrier to improve cognitive brain function. It is also proven effective in resolving longterm COVID symptoms, including brain fog, insomnia, depression, anxiety and many more. Lifestyle & Wellness Personalized Programs - Optimize lifestyle, learn how to make the best decisions based on individual biology and create easyto-implement, life-changing, habits. The world's best and most caring nurses are specially trained in BHS' technology-enabled solutions to customize a program for anyone, regardless of current lifestyle and conditions. Pain & Musculoskeletal Health BHS is the leader in resolving pain and musculoskeletal conditions with the least invasive, least expensive and most effective treatments available anywhere. A combination of patented technology and the most efficacious hands-on treatments enables the best outcomes for employees/patients. •

Functional Occupational

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Massage (FOM) - Evidencebased and technology-enabled, hands-on treatment system to resolve pain associated with musculoskeletal issues/injuries. Eﬀective for common conditions like carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, back pain, migraines, and many more. Considered ﬁrst-aid by OSHA and nonrecordable. •

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Patented 3D Mobility Health Assessment: Patented and clinically validated, digital mobility health assessment to identify and prevent musculoskeletal injuries. "The only lab test for mobility health.” Medical Doctor Pain & MSK Specialist Consultations: BHS' medical director is a medical device inventor and recognized world leader in musculoskeletal health and pain resolution. Oﬀering expert 2nd opinions and accurate diagnosis services; surgery consultations; and acute and chronic pain evaluations.

Building: BHS will guide clients through a transformational process that will change their mindset forever with simple tools and life hacks proven to work for everyone. •

Mental Wellbeing & Stress Management RN Consultation - A preventative and restorative process for creating a sound foundation for mental health resulting in lower anxiety and tools to manage stress better.

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Psychological Strength Building Program: An exclusive online program developed by BHS' partner, best-selling author, Dr. Tony Kern. The team states, "Be able to manage your life and diﬃcult situations through preparedness and proven, simple, error reduction mechanisms."

Becoming Better to Do Good Adversity has a lot of positive side eﬀects if one chooses to persevere and grow through it without allowing seeds of resentment or anger to take root. The business world can be challenging to navigate, with many bad players who are willing to compromise their integrity to get their way and/or sell something. Brent reveals that his biggest struggles and obstacles were also crucial in propelling him down an entrepreneurial path where he was driven to build something better, something enduring, and where everyone who interacts with BHS is awestruck by its culture of integrity, respect, and empathy. Pioneer in Wellness Sector

Leading with Elite Solutions

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Ergonomics and Biomechanics Analysis: Observe individuals in their work environments to identify and mitigate risk factors at the lowest cost possible.

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Customized Mobilization Programs: Stretching can be risky to musculoskeletal health if not designed and performed properly. BHS will develop a program to meet individuals where they are at and enable them to safely perform their jobs. This includes and especially, oﬃce/desk workers.

BHS' innovation is a result of likeminded, passionate leaders in health and wellness coming together and partnering on how to do the most for as many people as possible. The company stays ahead of the competition by partnering with world leaders in the health and wellness space to bring the most elite set of solutions at the most competitive pricing available. The team shares, "Our secret ingredient is our team of highly trained registered nurses, world leading medical director, and partnerships with other globally recognized physicians and scientists. Our medical team is able to support anyone in their wellness journey and assure adoption of technology to support ongoing improvements."

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Mental Wellbeing and Psychological Strength

At BHS, the team focuses on individual relationships resulting in

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revolutionary changes in its customers' lives.

BHS is a pioneer in their approach to wellness and treats everyone as a unique individual requiring a customized health and wellness plan to meet their goals. In March of this year, BHS is launching its TRANSFORMATIVE WELLBEING INNOVATIONS ™ services speciﬁcally directed to individual consumers. The goal of this launch is to reach as many individuals as possible who are not privileged to work for companies that employ their services. “The more people we can reach, the faster we can heal the world. This is a big goal, but someone must have it if we are ever going to make a diﬀerence in the declining health and wellbeing of the population”.

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A Highly Notable Litigation & Dispute Resolution Lawyer Who Deals With Corporate And Commercial Issues

omphob Rodboon is an experienced and highly notable lawyer, whose practice focuses mainly on litigation and dispute resolution involving intellectual property, and corporate and commercial issues. He is currently a Managing Partner at ILAWASIA CO., LTD. - a new-gen, full-service, Thai law firm based in central Bangkok with regional offices in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. From his years of experience as litigator in criminal case, intellectual property management, international trade transaction, as well as labour disputes and bankruptcy case, Somphob now emerges as an eminent lawyer in real-estate and construction dispute resolutions, representing highprofile clients in multi-million-dollar cases. He has also represented major local, international and multinational clients in numerous commercial transactions, intellectual property and dispute resolutions.

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ILAWASIA – its growth under Somphob's leadership and guidance Under Somphob's leadership as Managing Partner, the firm expanded the office to Yangon, Myanmar (ILAW Myanmar) in 2018; Phnom Penh, Cambodia (I.L. Asia) in 2019; and Vientiane, Laos (ILAW Laos) in 2021, which made the firm grow quickly into a medium-sized business law firm. The teams at ILAWASIA CO., LTD. are individualistically experienced in legal practice and always combine cutting-edge understanding with a unique sensitivity to international clients' business needs. They take their ethical standards seriously and are proud of the care and respect they show in all aspects of their operations. The firm is well placed to service the requirements of clients across regional and international, in all fields of laws.

Success and roadblocks go hand-inhand Somphob believes that in order to measure reaching success, we should be evaluated on how we ourselves reach the destination or the level that we set at the beginning of our journey; and assess this without comparing ourselves to anyone else. As the Thai business and legislation dynamics keep changing from time to time, lawyers have to keep moving along with the current economic and political changes. This is a challenge that needs to be confronted to reach a goal and achieve a target - either to boost the firm's business or for personal career growth. Somphob states that he always delivers their firm's service promptly and in time for their client's optimal benefits. “Every advice is based on careful reflection on current legal and business situation to provide consultation and legal advice that

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Managing Partner, ILAWASIA CO., LTD

Somphob Rodboon C I O V I E W S

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keep our client on top of any business game,” he further adds. Work life before and after becoming Managing Partner at ILAWASIA Somphob founded his own business as 2003, establishing a company named S.S. Inter Corporation Co., Ltd. which is still in operation even today. The mission of this company is to provide a legal service focused on banking and financial institution dispute cases, where they first provide a research process for a certain level, proceed and then present it in court; asset searching, legal execution, and seizure by the court judgements. “Some of our key clients are wellknown public finance companies who have trusted us for many years,” says Somphob, who defines himself as an extremely 'professional' person. Somphob has been responsible as the Managing Partner of ILAWASIA, in Bangkok, Thailand and all their affiliated offices overseas since 2011. He also set up local subsidiaries which provide services in various industries such as asset management, and debt collections, associating it with his core business. Staying motivated and maintaining a work-life balance An interesting aspect of Somphob personal life is that he had formed a Thai alternative rock band along with is musician friends in the 90's. “I performed as a guitarist back then. I still practice guitar nowadays which is my hobby and relax on vacation or at any time free,” he states. With regards to providing motivation at the workplace, Somphob believes in the concept of showing

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appreciation and rewards of achievement by appointment of new positions and fair remuneration, because employees love to be recognized for their accomplishments. “This increases employee incentive, boosts employee morale, and empowers them to do even better the next time,” he explains. Somphob future plans for the growth of ILAWASIA Somphob says that he has a lot of things to do and self-motivate himself for the same. He is also in the pursuit of knowledge for personal and professional reasons.

Samui Island, Surat Thani province, where he envisions that most foreigners and investors require legal professional services and there is a solid potential. Somphob's advice to the aspiring new generation of lawyers is: Be a problem solver which is one of the root skills of any attorney. Not all problems are the same, so it is a skill that requires an attorney to think creatively, research, and ﬁnd solutions that are tailored made to meet a client's particular needs.

His future plan is to expand the branch of ILAWASIA business to the provincial business zone, such as

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On a Unique Path of Freedom

inance 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

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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

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Founder/CEO, Financial Freedom Wealth Management Group

Julia Carlson C I O V I E W S

DECEMBER 2025 | 43

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.

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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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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

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Providing life-saving aid to diabetic patients with Alertgy

limbing the ladder of success is not easy. One has to cross several hurdles while finding the next step to climb up. Marc Ripper, CEO of Alertgy, realized that only hard work, conviction, and resilience could create a difference between the two extremes. There is no substitute for making mistakes along the way and, most importantly, learning from them. He expresses, “Success in life is refining your failures because they are the constant in business and life in general. But one has to have fun along the way because it's all about the journey. If one can't cry about it, one has to have the ability to laugh about it.” Journey to success Prior to Alertgy, Marc handled different roles that allowed him to gain valuable experience and several arrows to his quiver.

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He pivoted to the healthcare industry because of a personal tragedy. He found his wife nearly slipping into a diabetic coma and became unresponsive due to being in a prolonged low blood sugar state. No doubt, he managed to normalize the condition, but this incident sparked a ﬁre in his mind. To protect his wife in the future and help others tackling the same situation, he took the matter into his own hands and marked the dawn of Alertgy. Fighting diabetes with Alertgy Alertgy provides the ﬁrst noninvasive wearable continuous glucose monitor and alert system to measure the true blood glucose. It sets people with diabetes free from thinking about taking glucose measurements by allowing for fully automated, continuous monitoring with pre-set alerts for low or high glucose levels, as set by the user. The medical device and diagnostic industry are constantly growing and changing, with new

technologies being introduced to the market all the time. Marc adds, “We are entering a new era of medicine that will be signiﬁcantly impacted by the incredible growth and breakthroughs in wearables, cloud-based IoT sensor systems, application of AI 10, and digital health. Our vision is to provide a product and service to save and improve the quality of life for diabetics and help those that are borderline diabetics from becoming diabetic.” Tunneling through every challenge on the way In the initial phase of growth, the team encountered some roadblocks. Initially, they had to determine the correct placement of their device to maximize their accuracy and reliability over a long-term period. After this was established, they have focused on sensor development in

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CEO, Alertgy

Marc Rippen C I O V I E W S

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order to get the highest quality data and stability within their device. Marc mentions, “It is an everevolving process inside our research and development team. We will continue to improve our device to deliver the highest quality product to our customers when we begin manufacturing.” Then COVID-19 pandemic disrupted everything at a global level. However, Marc and his team smartly tackled the pandemic. Everyone has learned that COVID 19 forced us to change the way we live, communicate, consume, and do business. Nowhere is this more evident than in healthcare. From the healthcare provider perspective, digitization of services has come to the forefront through the use of IoT,

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wearable diagnostic devices, and enhanced use of AI. The advent of telehealth with a focus on prevention is the real game-changer. Marc states, “We feel that Alertgy is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the post-COVID-19 world. Our product DeepGluco is perfectly positioned at the crossroads of digital health, wearable diagnostics, IoT, and AI that can save the lives of millions of patients and, more importantly, help control the onset of diabetes among billions of people worldwide. “ Deploying smart strategies during the pandemic to push forward Rather than ﬁghting COVID-19, the team took advantage of the change. The diabetes monitoring industry is behind the curve and is ripe to

implement Alertgy's technology to address a major unmet need in the mature market, a non-invasive, costeﬀective digitally-enabled continuous blood glucose monitor and alert system. Millions of diabetics throughout the world need an easier and simpler way to manage and monitor their blood sugar without the pain and hassle that today's products bring. In the future, they believe they can reach new industries and customers by applying our patented technology to many other forms of diagnostics. They focused on raising funding for their further development and clinical trials. The team feels that their technology continues to garner a lot of attention among the investors. Marc states, “We were asked by NIH to submit a proposal to develop a

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them. While spreading the roots of the company, he makes sure that he makes ample time for his family. He loves to spend time with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Sometimes, he likes to travel on his own to refresh his mind and body and get ready for the upcoming challenges. Future plans for Alertgy Marc mentions, “We have a unique ability with our technology to significantly affect the lives of over 90% of the 420 million diabetics in the world population with a way to manage their disease easily and effectively.” The team provides them with an effortless means to measure their blood glucose continuously without the need for invasive and expensive systems. They will be pursuing an alert and surveillance application approval for this from the FDA.

device to allow for detection of Covid virus as this has been identiﬁed as a potential application for Alertgy technology. Alertgy can become a leader in diabetes care and diagnostics and monitoring for a plethora of diseases and ailments such as COVID 19.” Life as the CEO of the company Taking the onus of the CEO of the company, Marc handles several responsibilities. He adds, “I am responsible for ﬁnding each person's strengths, helping them

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achieve their professional and personal goals, and providing the vision that is needed to move the company in the best direction. “ On top of this, he is responsible to his investors for ensuring a reasonable return on their investment and providing the hundreds of millions of diabetics a system that will greatly enhance their quality of life and reduce the worry for their loved ones.

Given that 1/3 of the world's entire population are borderline diabetics, Marc believes that Alertgy can help them better manage their lifestyles to keep them from becoming diabetic. He expresses, “In the future, there is no limit to what our technology can provide in the way of monitoring and diagnostics. Published research indicates that our technology has the potential to track other metabolites and cellular markers within the body for other diseases that could pave the way for Alertgy to be a premier leader in diagnostic technology.”

Achieving work-life integration Marc values his family as he gets his constant dose of motivation from

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Protecting Small Businesses by Becoming Cyber Shield for Them

mall businesses in the financial sector face a growing threat from cyber-attacks that covers a wide range of channels. Cyberattacks are a modern world challenge for small Fintechs and other financial services organizations that harm both credibility and integrity of the business. For attackers, small businesses are easy targets. It occurs primarily due to insufficient funds for the IT infrastructure or security framework of the business that is not as strong as required. As cyberattacks are more likely to happen with any organization despite its size, it must be taken as one of the high priorities from starting of the business. With all the advancements and digital disrupting techs, this is high time for businesses to acknowledge cybersecurity as a significant element for business growth and not just considering it as an afterthought. Raffi Jamgotchian, President and CTO of Triada Networks, understands the potential effects of cyber-breach and believes having

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cyber-security is essential to protect the business that must be improved over time. Triada Networks started in 2008 to help small investment firms control and harness their technology and reduce cyber risk. The company uses pragmatic security practices and an ever-evolving framework which is the primary reason behind its apparent growth. At Triada Networks, learning is part of its culture. The team at the company, including Raffi, is part of a greater community of people. He says, "The technology space, especially in the small business world, is very giving. I believe the more we give, the more we get, and it has panned out." Understanding Client's Requirement The cybersecurity space is one of the fastest-growing competitive sectors where any new advancement and even a new threat can push the competition a step ahead. Raffi

reveals evolution is part of Triada Networks' process; it's baked in. The team is constantly re-evaluating the market to see if they can help with providing better security solutions without slowing their clients down. The critical part is to provide comprehensive solutions to understand the businesses the clients are working. The company states, "Because we focus primarily on one vertical, we can converse with them and understand where their risks are." Stepping into the Industry One can say, the only thing that is certain in the corporate world is uncertainties. So when the market crashed in 2008 and new funds were starting up, Raffi saw an opportunity and took a shot to create something. He started in cybersecurity as part of his work at an investment firm. He says, "We were getting online to the Internet and needed to build out firewalls to protect the environment. At the time, these were all done from

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President and CTO, Triada Networks, LLC

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The team makes sure that clients will always have an honest answer to their questions without pretentiousness. Small Breaks for Self Improvement To ensure that everyone gets align with the company's vision and feels motivated, Raffi has to tell his team to dial it back sometimes. He opines, "There is always some work to be done, but sometimes you need to take a rest. I have to tell this to myself this sometimes too." From his own experiences and practices, he shares that the more gaps and quiet time he puts into the schedule, the better ideas come out. He further adds, "We have our days where things get tough. But we all pull together on our Teams chat, and we throw jokes and memes around to keep the levity up." Capturing the US Market scratch. It wasn't something you could order and install." But, as per Raffi, the actual moment was when the Code Red virus popped up and started to spread. He asserts, "We were all scrambling trying to contain it. The situation fascinated me. Trying to figure out how the malware worked, how to stop it, and the motivations of people that would write it."

Raﬃ's vision to strengthen the ﬁnancial sector with advanced cybersecurity defense has come true in the form of Triada Networks. He asserts, "Success is a state of mind. It's about being able to enjoy life while enjoying the work you do. Being able to provide small business owners peace of mind gives us meaning."

Challenges and Success

At the company, Raﬃ sees himself responsible for two primary roles. The ﬁrst one is leading his team to the company's vision, and the second one is ensuring that his team has the tools they need to do the best job they can for the clients. Except for this, everything else is secondary. He further says that people deserve Cybersecurity and IT without compromise. At Triada Networks, the team knows the clients put their trust in the company, and the team has to keep on to that trust with humility.

Raffi had received an MBA while he was working at an investment firm. During that period, he didn't prepare to be a business owner. He recalled the time starting as a business owner and how he had made many mistakes along the way. But every mistake comes with learning. For example, Raffi says, "We learned how to hone our finances, and as we developed relationships with our peers, we got better control of our numbers."

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Ensuring the Promises get Fulﬁlled

There is exponential demand for Cybersecurity and IT services. With its years of experience and expertise, Triada Networks is focusing on providing comprehensive solutions to its clients and visioning to do the same in the future. The company states, "We aren't planning to build an empire. We do have clients that have overseas team members, but the nature of our work is wrapped up into the US regulatory market, so for now, we'll stay here." This statement clears the company's expansion plans for the future and appears expansion across the US is certainly in the cards.

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Transforming Venture Capial with Crowdfunding

IN Ventures or NIN.VC is a unique and first of its kind crowdfunded technology venture capital fund for accredited investors who can invest in the NIN Ventures Technology (QP) Fund with a minimum amount of $100,000 using multiple investment options like selfdirected IRAs, Defined benefit plan, or a regular checking / savings account. NIN Ventures invests in early / growth stage 3D printing, the 4th industrial revolution, cloud computing, virtual reality, financial services, education software, and other disruptive technology companies. Ms. Nin Desai is the, President and CEO, at NIN Ventures (or NIN.VC). She is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and is a B.B.A and M.B.A in Finance/International Business from Loyola University of Chicago. She recently attended a leadership program in Private Equity and Venture Capital at Harvard Business School. In this interview,

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Ms. Desai shares her success story and the achievements of her company with CIO Views giving us some inspiring insights that will motivate every business leader especially women in lead. As of 2017, 6% of the venture capitalists were women and only 2.7% women owned businesses received venture capital funding. How and why did you decide to pursue a career in venture capital? I started my professional career at Merrill Lynch with their private client group. At Merrill, we managed portfolios of high net worth individuals. While it was great to trade stocks and bonds, I was always curious about how these companies went public. Thus, after business school I joined Paciﬁc Crest Securities. PCS is a technology focused investment bank, with a global presence focused on software, communications, semiconductors, and Internet & Digital Media. In 2005,

IPO's were at the peak and it was amazing to take number of companies public, but that led to another question, how do VCs know what companies to invest in and which ones to take public? Thus, I joined Alpha Capital Partners, a private equity ﬁrm based in Chicago, after which is launched NIN Ventures (or NIN.VC). Necessity is the mother of all inventions, was there a reason to crowd fund your venture fund? The 2008 Financial Meltdown led to a liquidity crisis for entrepreneurs, companies, LPs, & VCs. Fewer IPOs means no exits for VCs, no returns for LPs, and as a result venture funds were on a decline. No new funds meant less startup funding, low employment, and slow economic growth. Thus, on April 5, 2012 The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act (the JOBS Act) was introduced which enables crowdfunding for all

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CEO, NIN.VC

Nin Desai C I O V I E W S

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If you could give advice to founders who want to raise venture capital funding, what would it be? Every VC has a sweet spot when it comes to investing. At NIN Ventures, we like to invest in disruptive technologies. A disruptive technology is an innovation that changes an existing industry and also helps create a new market and value network, displacing an earlier technology or a way of doing business. At NIN.VC we are not afraid of investing in ﬁrst time industry movers and are also founder friendly. We stand with our Entrepreneur(s) through thick or thin. If all VCs have a sweet spot, how does one choose the right VC for their start up?

Americans and that's how NIN Ventures came into existence. “Not only NIN.VC taps into a new investor pool, we also provides diversification, take a board seat on all our investments and lend the necessary support that an entrepreneur needs to build a business, like they would get at a traditional venture capital fund. And the most IMPORTANT part that investors cares about is the ability to direct invest and enjoy direct returns, which is not the case with a traditional venture capital fund.” VCs always ask entrepreneurs what is different about your company, so what is unique about NIN.VC or how do you differentiate yourself from other VCs? A typical investor base in a venture

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fund would be institutions, pension funds, endowments, etc. NIN.VC is a unique and first of its kind crowdfunded technology venture capital fund for accredited investors who can invest in the NIN Ventures Technology (QP) Fund with a minimum amount of $100,000 using multiple investment options like selfdirected IRAs, defined benefit plan, or a regular checking / savings account. *An accredited investor is an individual with an income of more than $200,000 per year, or a joint income of $300,000 in each of the last two years OR has a net worth exceeding $1m either individually or jointly with his or her spouse, excluding the primary residence. For an Entity, any trust, with total assets in excess of $5 million qualifies.

Unlike popular belief all VCs ﬁrms are the same. Find a VC that sees value in you and your product. Read the partner bio and the industries they like to invest in. Pick a partner you want to work with over the ﬁrm. Generally, VCs tend to take a board seat on their investments and often lend their advice in order to maintain good governance and achieve a successful exit. Thus, pick a VC you share a good rapport with and the one that is willing to back you through thick and thin over the next few years. Do personal characteristics matter when picking a VC? Often VCs invest in a company because it is a “hot deal.” Avoid those investors and instead go for the one who genuinely believes in you and has a deep conviction in you, your company, your market, and your team. Startup journey is full of upsand-downs and a VC plays a key role in lending a steady hand during those turbulent times. While it is important

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How do VCs add value to a ﬁrm? What is NIN.VC's competitive advantage?

that your VC is upfront and direct with you, keep a look out for yellow / red ﬂags for VC partners who are rude, have high egos, and are disrespectful. What are some of the questions Entrepreneurs should ask Vcs? It is very important for an Entrepreneur to know what some are of the qualities VCs look for in an Entrepreneur or a Company. E.g. At NIN.VC, we start with an Entrepreneur. We invest in an entrepreneur because entrepreneurs build companies and not the other way round. Being an entrepreneur is the hardest job in the world and entrepreneurs face varied challenges when it comes to taking their disruptive technologies to market. The few attributes that we look for in an entrepreneur is the ability to dream big, experience and expertise in their industry, ability to communicate with

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the team and outside, ﬂexibility to adapt to a fast changing environment, and certain personality traits like being focused, dedicated, disciplined, and working hard to accomplish their goals. As long as the company has certain ingredients like a good management team, a disruptive technology, a viable product, and a revenuegenerating strategy that forms a basic foundation that leads to long-term success. We at NIN.VC like to invest in companies that are going to stand the test of time. From a technical perspective, it is important for an Entrepreneur to know the life cycle of the fund. Will the fund be able to write them a check or back them during their next funding rounds? How many other board seats the VCs has? Will he or she be able to devote the required time and attention to your ﬁrm? etc.

The market is flooded with various funding options from Angels to VCs to Crowdfunding portals. Entrepreneurs now have a choice when it comes to picking the right investor for their firm. I come from an Entrepreneurial family so I can speak on their behalf. Entrepreneurs are brave and courageous bunch that are determined to change the way an existing industry functions. On that journey they need lot more than just financing. They need guidance or domain expertise, help with PR/marketing, recruiting, viable exit strategy, more often follow up financing, etc., which Crowdfunding portals are not able to support. If you need someone to add value to your business, NIN.VC or Venture Capital is the way to go. However, on the other extreme, if you are an experienced or serial entrepreneur looking for capital, Crowdfunding is a good alternative as long as they can avoid a messy cap table. What is the best way to pitch you or NIN.VC? The best way to pitch us is to submit a business plan on http://www.nin.vc/ Ms. Desai's experience spans all facets of mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance including public offerings and private placements. Her industry knowledge and experience has driven the company to success which continues to grow rapidly under her proficient guidance.

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Catalysts of Growth: Dr. Meritxell Vila-Fontes' Journey to Business Leadership

n the ever-evolving landscape of the Middle East's business arena, visionary leaders are shaping the future with innovation and dedication. One such leader is Dr. Meritxell VilaFontes, the Founder and CEO of MERYT Catalysts & Innovation (Spain) and MERYT Chemicals (UAE). With a rich background in chemical engineering and a passion for catalysts, Dr. Vila-Fontes has embarked on a remarkable journey that has led her to the forefront of the region's business community. In this article, we delve into Dr. Vila-Fontes' inspiring story, exploring her professional milestones, leadership philosophy, and vision for the future. Dr. Vila-Fontes' career trajectory is a testament to her unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. Beginning with her doctoral studies in Chemical Engineering at the University of Barcelona, she laid the groundwork for a career focused on catalysis and chemical processes. Her tenure at the Repsol Research Center in Cartagena provided invaluable experience in

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developing pilot plant-scale catalysts studies, setting the stage for her transition to the Repsol Cartagena refinery as a process engineer and catalysts coordinator. This period marked the first of many milestones in Dr. Vila-Fontes' journey, as she honed her expertise and leadership skills in the dynamic field of chemical engineering. Dr. Vila-Fontes' Professional Journey Dr. Vila-Fontes' journey began with a profound fascination for chemistry, sparked by the remarkable legacy of Marie Curie. After completing her PhD in Chemical Engineering, specializing in catalytic processes, Dr. Vila-Fontes honed her skills at the Repsol Research Center before venturing into the realm of process engineering and catalysts coordination. Reflecting on her journey, she asserts, "My passion for chemistry started when I was 11 years old, after reading the biography of the extraordinary Marie Curie. Despite having no chemists in my family, her

inspirational story profoundly influenced my life." This early inspiration propelled her into a successful career where she could explore her interest in chemical reactions and develop her expertise in this critical field. Through each role, she built on her knowledge and experience, driving advancements and making significant contributions to the industry. Dr. Vila-Fontes' journey is a testament to the transformative power of passion and perseverance. From her early fascination with chemistry to her groundbreaking research in chemical reactions and catalysts, every step of her career has been guided by a relentless pursuit of excellence. As she navigated through various roles and challenges, Dr. VilaFontes remained steadfast in her commitment to making a meaningful impact in the field of chemical engineering. Her journey, marked by continuous learning and adaptation, showcases the importance of dedication and resilience in achieving professional success.

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Founder and CEO, MERYT Chemicals

Dr. Meritxell Vila-Fontes C I O V I E W S

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Igniting Innovation: Dr. VilaFontes' Passion for Chemical Processes Dr. Vila-Fontes' dedication to the transformative power of catalysts stems from their pivotal role in driving energy efficiency and innovation. She describes catalysts as the unsung heroes of the industry, facilitating reactions that conserve vast amounts of energy. "Each day presents new opportunities to harness the potential of catalysts and enact meaningful change in the industry," she explains. With a porous structure, sometime with surfaces areas higher than a football field per only one gram of the catalyst; and a myriad of metal combinations, catalysts offer endless possibilities for transformative processes, making them a cornerstone of Dr. Vila-Fontes' lifelong dedication. Driven by an unwavering passion for chemistry and a deep-rooted commitment to innovation, Dr. VilaFontes has dedicated her career to unlocking the potential of catalysts. Her vision extends beyond the laboratory, encompassing a world where transformative processes revolutionize industries and pave the way for a more sustainable future. As she continues to push the boundaries of catalysts, Dr. Vila-Fontes remains guided by her passion and determination to make a lasting impact on the world. Dr. Vila-Fontes' Vision for MERYT Chemicals As the CEO of MERYT, Dr. VilaFontes envisions the company as a premier supplier of catalysts and adsorbents across the Middle East. With a focus on local manufacturing and technical expertise, MERYT aims

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to drive innovation and support the region's industrial growth.

growth and sustainable development in the Middle East and beyond.

"Our goal is to become a “catalyst” for progress, delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower our clients to thrive in an ever-changing market," she asserts.

Overcoming Adversity, Navigating Challenges and Seizing Opportunities

Driven by a commitment to excellence and a passion for innovation, Dr. Vila-Fontes leads MERYT with a clear vision for the future. She believes that by harnessing the power of catalysts, the company can play a pivotal role in shaping the region's economic landscape. With a focus on collaboration and customer-centric solutions, MERYT is poised to lead the way in catalyzing growth and development across the Middle East. Navigating the Business Horizon in the Middle East Dr. Vila-Fontes sees immense potential for growth and development in the Middle East's business landscape, fueled by strategic partnerships and a supportive infrastructure. With ambitious goals and a commitment to excellence, MERYT Chemicals is poised to lead the region's catalyst industry into a new era of innovation and prosperity. "The Middle East oﬀers unparalleled opportunities for businesses to thrive and make a positive impact on the global stage," she asserts. Dr. Vila-Fontes' forward-thinking approach to business underscores her belief in the region's capacity for innovation and progress. By harnessing the region's strategic advantages and leveraging its vibrant ecosystem, she envisions MERYT as a key contributor for economic

Dr. Vila-Fontes' leadership journey has been punctuated by challenges, from starting a business from scratch to gaining traction in a conservative market. However, her unwavering commitment to hard work, perseverance, and a positive outlook has enabled her to overcome these hurdles and build a resilient organization. Reflecting on her experiences, she explains, "Leading a company involves daily challenges. One significant hurdle was starting the business from scratch. We faced issues such as cash flow constraints, a small team handling numerous tasks, and gaining customer trust in a very conservative market." Despite these challenges, Dr. VilaFontes remained steadfast in her determination to succeed. She approached each obstacle with creativity and resilience, turning setbacks into opportunities for growth. Through strategic planning, formation of a great team of excellent professionals and a focus on delivering exceptional value to customers, she was able to navigate the complexities of the business landscape and emerge stronger than ever. Dr. Vila-Fontes' leadership serves as a testament to the power of perseverance and resilience in the face of adversity. Pioneering Innovation with a Quest for Excellence Innovation lies at the heart of MERYT' operations, with a collaborative approach to research

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and development. By partnering with research centers and universities, the company leverages specialized knowledge to develop cutting-edge catalysts and adsorbents, driving growth and diﬀerentiation in the market.

and inclusivity in leadership. Aspiring leaders who heed her advice stand poised to navigate the complexities of the Middle Eastern business landscape with grace and eﬃcacy, driving meaningful change and fostering a brighter future for all.

"Innovation is our driving force, enabling us to stay ahead of the curve and deliver solutions that exceed our clients' expectations," she emphasizes.

Pioneering Excellence - Legacy and Future Plans

Dr. Vila-Fontes' commitment to innovation extends beyond technological advancements; it permeates every aspect of the company's culture. She fosters a dynamic environment where creativity ﬂourishes, encouraging employees to think outside the box and explore new possibilities. By nurturing a culture of innovation, Dr. Vila-Fontes ensures that MERYT remains at the forefront of industry trends and continues to pioneer groundbreaking solutions. Nurturing Tomorrow's Leaders: Insights from Dr. Vila-Fontes Drawing from her own experiences, Dr. Vila-Fontes oﬀers valuable advice to aspiring business leaders in the Middle East. "Embrace the rich and diverse culture of the Middle East, we can learn so much from this culture, specially I admire their deep spirituality" she advises. "Integration and respect for local traditions are crucial." By embracing diversity and striving for excellence, aspiring leaders can make a positive impact and contribute to the region's continued growth. Dr. Vila-Fontes' counsel resonates with wisdom and insight, highlighting the importance of cultural sensitivity

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As she looks towards the future, Dr. Vila-Fontes envisions a legacy of excellence and innovation for MERYT. With plans for a local manufacturing plant and a dedicated research center, she aims to establish the company as a leader in the catalyst industry, leaving a lasting impact on her clients, employees, and the broader business community. "Our vision is to create a legacy of excellence that transcends generations, inspiring future leaders to push the boundaries of innovation and drive positive change," she concludes. Dr. Vila-Fontes' forward-thinking approach underscores her commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and sustainable growth at MERYT. Her vision for the company's future embodies a legacy of excellence that extends far beyond her tenure, inspiring generations of leaders to come.

journey of growth and selfdiscovery," she reflects. Now, with her children pursuing their dreams in five different countries around the world, Dr. Vila-Fontes dedicates herself fully to her business endeavors, finding fulfillment in her professional growth. Dr. Vila-Fontes' ability to harmonize the demands of work and family life exemplifies her resilience and adaptability. Through careful time management and a steadfast commitment to both her personal and professional responsibilities, she has created a harmonious symphony that resonates with purpose and fulfillment. Conclusion Dr. Meritxell Vila-Fontes' journey epitomizes the spirit of leadership and innovation in the Middle East's business landscape. From humble beginnings to pioneering achievements, her story serves as an inspiration to aspiring leaders across the region. With a relentless commitment to excellence and a vision for the future, Dr. Vila-Fontes continues to chart new horizons and redefine the possibilities of business leadership in the Middle East.

Harmonizing Life's Duet: Dr. VilaFontes' Symphony of Work and Family For Dr. Vila-Fontes, achieving a balance between personal and professional life has been a transformative journey. As a mother of ﬁve, she navigated the challenges of parenthood while pursuing her career ambitions. "Balancing personal and professional life has been a nice

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