The 10 Best CEO’s to Follow in 2023

Cover Story

Editor’s Note

An Intriguing ‘Edition’, Featuring the Top-notch CEOs

Being a CEO is one of the hardest jobs in the world. This position is full of challenges as well as responsibilities. However, just a handful of top CEOs worldwide are performing exceptionally well at their jobs. They are at the top of their company. They always have to ensure that the company is performing at its best.

In our latest edition, we are going to talk about the best CEOs of 2023. These CEOs are the ones who build a strong brand and steer their businesses toward success. In business circles, a wide variety of CEOs have found great success. While some CEOs have built their empires, others were born into wealth. Our edition features the top CEOs who have achieved great success in their industries and will keep doing so. As you involve yourself in the inspiring stories of these CEOs and business owners, appreciate the hard work and efforts of these leaders. We assure you that this version will take you on an amazing and worthwhile journey.

As you turn the pages of this special edition of the magazine, allow yourself to be motivated by the remarkable achievements of these CEOs as well as their determination to overcome the obstacles that life presents. If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, we hope these stories serve as a valuable resource in your entrepreneurial journey.

The Inc Magazine wishes you a year filled with achievements, accomplishments, and triumphs. Finally, I leave with a quote by Steve Case, former CEO of America Online. "It's not about how to get started; it’s about how to get noticed."

The Inc Magazine wishes you a year filled with achievements, accomplishments, and triumphs. Finally, I leave with a quote by Steve Case, former CEO of America Online. "It's not about how to get started; it’s about how to get noticed."

Let’s Read ...!

Naveen Rajkumar

CEO

| ISOutsource

An Impactful and Authentic Leader

In our issue, "10 Best CEOs to Follow in 2023," we are highlighting CEOs who are difference-makers and have taken their businesses to new heights while remaining undeterred by macroeconomic fluctuations. Naveen Rajkumar is a well-known personality in the league of new-age business leaders. He is a thought

leader on purpose driven leadership and has a track record of having a positive impact on businesses he has led and the communities he has been a part of.

Naveen stands out as a notable inclusion in this special edition because of his impactful leadership,

successful track-record, strong techno-business skills, and an unwavering commitment to developing other leaders.

Naveen’s Leadership Journey

Naveen is a great example of purpose-driven leadership. His incredible career growth demonstrates a combination of visionary thinking as well as impeccable execution. He has a reputation for being an inspirational leader who builds high performance teams and successful businesses.

Naveen has over two decades of experience as a seasoned C-level executive with a good blend of business and technology skills. He started his career in 1999 at Aditi Technologies, a specialized software services company that worked with some of the biggest technology brand names to solve complex software issues and create top-tier products. He played a key role in promoting business growth in his role as General Manager, which in turn helped raise the company's market value.

In the year 2009, Naveen joined Onvia Inc. as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer and made an immediate impact in turning around a declining business. Naveen worked with the board of directors of the publicly traded company and created a technology platform that helped thousands of businesses thrive by finding business opportunities with the federal, state, and local governments in the USA. The technology and data related IP eventually enabled the company to triple its market value while helping thousands of businesses survive a tough recession.

After Onvia’s successful exit, Naveen joined iLink Systems as their Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer in 2018. In just over 30 months, Naveen built global teams and instituted processes and systems that helped the business more than double its revenues while also building the foundation that enabled inorganic growth in the future.

Having developed a reputation for turning around flatlining or declining mid-sized businesses, Naveen was asked to lead ISOutsource in their journey to take the next big step.

Naveen also serves on the board of multiple organizations. He serves as a business and technology advisor for such organizations and advises them on go-to-market strategy, tactics to achieve high client satisfaction, assembling scalable systems, and building high impact teams.

ISOutsource at a Glance

ISOutsource is a Modern Technology Consulting Firm for small and medium-sized businesses in the states of Washington, Oregon, and Arizona. They have been in operation for more than 30 years and currently have over 550 active clients.

ISOutsource offers end-to-end IT services and technology solutions to help businesses simplify their IT infrastructure, reduce their IT spending, and stay safe from cybercriminals. They are proficient in IT managed services, business intelligence, collaboration and productivity, backup and recovery, and cybersecurity solutions and services.

CEOs who are driven by purpose and who are intrinsically motivated by the positive impact that their business creates inspire their teams to work towards a greater purpose.

- Naveen Rajkumar

The 10 Best CEO's to Follow in 2023

ISOutsource takes a proactive approach to assisting small and medium enterprises to leverage the power of IT in a world of MSPs where reactive service is the norm. They have a team of a hundred people who are laser focused on client satisfaction. Consultants work with clients to map out their technology journey while engineers help build the IT infrastructure and tooling required to achieve the required level of technical sophistication to help grow the client businesses and to keep them safe from cybercriminals.

In the near future, ISOutsource aims to revolutionize the IT services industry with BlueVault®, their proprietary platform, and toolset. BlueVault will be established as the gold standard for delivering IT as a service.

The ISOutsource Impact

At ISOutsource, Naveen and his team strengthen their communities one business at a time. They do this by empowering hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses to succeed by providing innovative and strategic technology solutions. Successful small and medium-sized businesses create jobs in the local community and make them thrive. The work done by ISOutsource makes businesses feel happy, productive, and supported.

Naveen’s Advice for New CEOs and Entrepreneurs

We asked Naveen to share some advice for new CEOs and Entrepreneurs. Here’s what he has to say:

“As CEOs and business leaders, the first and foremost thing to remember is that we are all in the business of serving people. We serve our clients, our team members, and our shareholders. The industry we work in defines who we serve and how we serve them, but people are at the core of everything we do. A laser focus on delighting clients and inspiring team members helps build a great foundation for the business.

A CEO who sees success through the lens of creating a positive impact is more likely to make the vision come alive in an organization.

- Naveen Rajkumar

Secondly, a CEO is required to be a visionary. Understanding the evolving needs of clients (current and future) is important to develop the right vision for a business. Understanding what makes client businesses thrive, what makes client business leaders successful, and how technology can disrupt all the above is very important for a CEO. An effective CEO does not develop business strategy in a vacuum. Listening to the right set of people is important in this process – clients, team members, industry leaders, peers can all provide insights into developing the right strategy.

Thirdly, a CEO is required to inspire. Setting a vision and hiring the right people is only one half of the job. Execution of the strategic plan and achieving the vision needs inspiration. The CEO needs to be an inspirational leader who can get people excited about the vision, bring about alignment, remove roadblocks, and make sure that there is consistent communication at all levels in the organization.”

Leaving a Lasting Impact

Naveen wants to be remembered for making a difference in the lives of people. He hopes that his actions as a leader will inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more (quoting John Quincy Adams).

Bruce Decaster

President & CEO| Crescentia Global Talent Solutions

Empowering People to Achieve Their Full Potential

Meet Bruce Decaster, the President and C.E.O. of Crescentia Global Talent Solutions, which provides recruiting services and Human Resource solutions to organizations worldwide. Bruce is a Global H.R. Executive with a Global M.B.A. Degree from Thunderbird School of Global Management. With over 15 years of professional experience in H.R.

operations management, Bruce has worked for various multinational companies throughout his career, overseeing strategic and tactical H.R. transactions for approximately 4,000 employees worldwide, spanning ten countries. He has also worked with small companies, assisting companies with a small population of fewer than ten employees internationally. Multilingual and

multicultural, Bruce is proficient in five languages, including English, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and his native language, Papiamento.

Bruce's initial exposure to international H.R. occurred during his tenure at a global language translation company. When the company decided to expand into the European market, Bruce jumped at the offer to supervise the merger between the two companies. Having spent over 17 months at the headquarters in the United States, Bruce was selected to serve as the Coordinator of Operations for the newly established European office in Munich, Germany. In this role, he was tasked with harmonizing the procedures and practices of both companies and aligning the German company with the current corporation-wide standards. Through this experience, Bruce understood the importance of being a "cosmopolitan manager," as both groups had different goals and expectations.

Today in his current role at Crescentia Global Talent Solutions, Bruce has an exceptional opportunity to offer strategic H.R. guidance to several companies across the globe. In this position, he leads a team of H.R. consultants and international recruiters, serving as an H.R. leader. Bruce's responsibilities also include providing consultative recommendations to clients on all facets of H.R., guaranteeing that H.R. programs, policies, and procedures are administered uniformly and align with organizational objectives and requirements.

Leading the Charge

In a book he recently co-authored, "The Art of Serving Two Masters: A Simple Guide to Maximizing Your Performance While Working Two Jobs," Bruce shared an anecdote called "The Man from P.C.V." The story portrays his encounter with an intoxicated man who taught him an important life lesson, which remained with him throughout the years. The lesson learned was to avoid making hasty or harsh judgments. One cannot predict what

another person is going through at a given time. As a leader, one can either lighten someone's burden or break them down.

Motivating Creativity

With experience managing two businesses or jobs simultaneously, Bruce has become proficient in balancing his professional responsibilities and family obligations as a husband and father to three busy kids. To manage these competing priorities, Bruce prefers prioritizing critical items that provide genuine value. As his book highlights, Bruce uses the well-known "jar of time" analogy to illustrate this point. In the analogy, a business teacher fills a jar with building blocks until it reaches the top and asks if it is full. The students respond affirmatively, but the teacher proceeds to add marbles that fill the gaps between the blocks until the jar is full. Next, the teacher fills in the remaining spaces with sand before adding a glass of water, which fills in the final gaps, thus emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the most critical items first, leaving room for other tasks that require attention.

Bruce believes the purpose of this "jar of time" exercise is often misconstrued as merely being able to fit more tasks into a given period. However, the true essence of the analogy lies in understanding the order of priorities for tasks. The blocks represent the most significant tasks that need to be accomplished, while the water is the least important. By putting the blocks first, followed by the marbles, sand, and water, everything fits. Conversely, if one were to put the water, sand, and marbles in first, the blocks would not fit. Thus, it is essential to determine which tasks are critical and prioritize them accordingly. This approach ensures that the most important responsibilities are addressed first, leaving time and energy for less important ones.

Bruce recounts, "Many years ago, I was hosting an H.R. conference where I flew in members of my staff from different countries. The day before my full-day

training and presentation, I noticed that a member of my staff seemed a bit down. I asked her what was wrong, and after a short "I am fine," I could still tell something was not quite right. I asked her manager, who then told me that her husband had won tickets to a Ricky Martin concert but that the concert was in a faraway city where she would need to skip my day-long presentation to make it to the concert. I went back to her and told her that ten years from now, she would not remember anything about my presentation but that she would certainly remember the time she went to a Ricky Martin concert with her husband. I can still see the thrill of excitement in her eyes even today. Ironically, after all these years, I cannot even remember the details of my own presentation."

Mission and Vision

Crescentia Global Talent Solutions is addressing the evolving needs of its clients by providing global talent solutions that cater to multiple countries. With clients recognizing the benefits of having one partner who can cater to their needs across borders, Crescentia has stepped up to provide a comprehensive solution. The company operates with a "think locally, act globally" approach, which enables it to cater to clients' needs across multiple countries. Regardless of where a client requires support, whether in Australia, Peru, or Canada, Crescentia delivers the same expertise and service to all locations.

Looking Towards the Future

In his recently published book, Bruce details his experience in H.R. and shares those experiences with readers who want to have a roadmap on the pitfalls they should avoid if they are wanting to start a side business or work a second job.

Bruce is currently engaged in two projects. The first is authoring a book aimed at helping managers and employees effectively navigate a multicultural work environment. This book seeks to equip readers with the knowledge and tools to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds. Bruce is also working to establish a non-profit organization that aims to address the issue of affordable housing in multiple countries.

CHRIS LEGER

A Tech-Enthusiast Leader Offering Top-notch Demand Generation Solutions at Bython

Kick-starting his professional journey as a customer service coordinator, Chris Leger transformed into an inspirational business leader, CEO, hands-on entrepreneur, and industry veteran, empowering Bython to continue its trajectory and metamorphosis in the market as a full-service, full-funnel, Tech-Enabled Demand Generation partner.

Like a classic inspirational story, the innovative, passionate, and focused Chris Leger joined IDG (now Foundry) after graduation and worked at Computerworld on their events team. He eventually became an expert in custom events and sales after managing attendance, golf events, and marketing throughout his career. In addition to working on major events in mobile and wireless, business intelligence, and the Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference, Chris was a successful business development specialist for Storage Networking World, the largest global conference on the subject.

Chris became part of Bython in May 2022, and shortly after he did, he invited marketing agency partners to the platform. He continued expanding Bython by entering the UK and Asia. Recently, Chris was included in Forbes' list of the "Top 10 Innovators Shaping the Industry in 2023." Chris has been a notable figure in the international marketing and sales sector for more than 20 years.

Chris is renowned worldwide for his role as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Merkle B2B, where he established the Austin office and quickly built it into a dominant agency in the technology sector. Chris also contributed to Merkle's placing second on LinkedIn's list of the best marketing and advertising organizations. Merkle DWA was also recognized as the "Fastest Growing B2B Agency in B2B Marketing’s 2020 US Benchmarking Report."

Chris' involvement in the tech industry sparked his interest in learning about the industry and technology itself. Notably, he secured a significant event sponsorship deal with Research in Motion (RIM), recognized by Pat McGovern, founder of IDG, a renowned publisher and tech industry advocate.

Chris transitioned to Computerworld's digital team, where he experienced the early phases of content syndication, contrasting the ease of lead creation through the distribution of white papers with the current complexity of the demand generation sector. Chris has loved following the development of marketing strategies throughout the course of his 20-year career.

In 2012, Chris made a career move from the publishing sector to the agency sector, starting in Singapore with DWA (now a branch of Merkle/Dentsu). This signaled the beginning of a ten-year journey in the agency profession, which culminated in the formation and management of the B2B team located in Austin, Texas. The group quickly rose to prominence within the company, skillfully managing large-scale, prestigious client accounts.

Bython: Powering Businesses to Develop Successful Campaigns

The Inc Magazine had an exclusive chat with Chris Leger, a tech enthusiast, a seasoned expert with 20+ years of experience, and a visionary leader, who is continuously scaling the company with record growth. He shared about the company, the innovative solutions, future plans, and many other aspects. With the help of Bython's comprehensive set of highly tailored capabilities, marketing and sales can take charge of the results of demand generation

across all campaigns. Bython continues to strive to support you as you create and carry out campaigns in a completely transparent way.

Content Syndication Campaigns

Marketing Channels ABM

Intent Data

Form Fill

Interactive Content

Multi-Touch Campaigns

Target specific hardware & software

Buying Groups

Surveys

Events and Webinars

Telemarketing

BANT

Follow-up

Benefits

Improve your reach

Target high value, specific customers

Identify which customers are researching your solution

Track who has acted

Boost Engagement

Improve your chances of success

Install Base Technologies

Target influencers to sell more & faster

Get answers to important questions

Position you as an expert

Gain more insight into prospect needs

Additional qualification & verification

The Exclusive Service Portfolio

Bython is dedicated to directing effective demand-creation initiatives. They offer all of the operational tools required to run and sustain effective campaigns.

demand using 61+ M global contact records.

campaign effectiveness.

delivery. (multi-language staff)

through creative content design. 14-point quality assurance process.

speed up decision-making.

data delivery platforms (Integrate, Converter, FTP) as well as your CRM and MAP.

Edge Over the Peers

Bython plans to work with its clients to offer individualized advertising built on an omnichannel architecture. Additionally, Bython operates globally using their own first- and third-party data and procedures to produce campaigns on schedule and within budget. Every campaign is completely transparent in real-time because of the Byonic Platform, which belongs to Bython. Four multi-graph dashboards with real-time insights are included: Account Overview, Campaign Overview, Campaign Asset Documents, and Campaign Statistics.

By leveraging a business like Bython, which employs its own first-party data, technology, and resources, marketing, and sales customers are able to trust the outcomes, collaborate with confidence, and make the most of their expenditures. When you partner with Bython, you can rely on customer-centric outcomes that sell, a quick time to market leveraging data and technology, quality, and transparency with real-time analytics, as well as engagement-boosting experiences.

Overcoming the Obstacles Along the way

Generally, the primary challenges in the industry include conversations about quality, transparency, and accountability.

Quality: First-party and third-party data are owned by Bython. Naturally, they also uphold the highest standards for data cleanliness and enrichment and numerous other open sources. The data quality regime has machine learning features built in to help identify gaps, and with every touch, records are updated to give the most up-to-date and accurate view of the market.

Transparency: Transparency begins before Bython drops the first email. Marketers want a say in the procedure, but they also want to feel confident in their capacity to carry it out and stand out with their message in a crowded market. Customers can use the company portal after the Bython team has begun working to monitor demand generation marketing analytics in real-time and modify criteria based on the performance of the campaign or their own requirements.

Plans in the Pipeline

Chris successfully expanded the client and prospect base this year by bringing in agency partners. After adding EMEA last year, he is actively moving into Asia. In the upcoming years, Chris will keep up with this globalization. He will also actively update Byonic on a regular basis while working on our portfolio to fulfill regional needs. The company intends to keep up the current growth trajectory that Bython is experiencing.

Bython’s Vision and Mission

Brand proposition: Accelerating Performance and Growth

Value proposition: Bython provides B2B demand generation solutions that foster meaningful connections, drive tangible results, and create positive ROI for our customers.

HOW TO GET YOUR BUSINESS IT SOLUTIONS RIGHT THE FIRST TIME

Launching a new business is an exciting time, but there are also lots of worrying situations that might make you anxious. A good example of this is when you first launch your IT solutions. Virtually every business in the world these days uses some form of technology. Whether it’s a computer for recording your financial information, to take payment details, or even just to write emails, there’s going to be some kind of technology involved in your business.

However, setting up your IT solutions properly the first time can be tricky, especially if you don’t have much information to go on. So in this post, we’re going to take a look at what it takes to get your business IT solutions right the first time around so you can save time, effort, and money.

Define what your IT strategy is

A lot of people get this first step wrong. You really need to define what kind of IT strategy you want as it essentially changes what kind of technology you use and the processes involved. Do you want to rely on computers for almost everything in your business? If so, then you’ll want to look at the types of software that you’ll use for those various processes. Are you interested in remote working opportunities? For that, you may need to hire or purchase specific types of equipment for remote desktoping or video conferencing.

So before you decide to invest money into your IT solutions, make sure everything is planned out correctly first.

Build a solid foundation

A strong foundation is necessary for growth. In terms of your IT solutions, you should focus on things that will always be around no matter how big or small your company is. For example, solid networking solutions are important to keep your business connected to both the internet and to its local network. Similarly, data backup and storage solutions can prevent disasters later down the road.

It’s a good idea to work with companies like CMIT Solutions to help you build these foundations. A strong base for your business will help ensure that you have plenty of room to grow and make mistakes.

Use cloud services when available

Cloud services are much more effective than older solutions because they can be scaled at any time and to almost any size. For instance, a cloud-based storage solution can be used to store everything from basic documents to important client products. It’s much easier to access than a local drive on your computer, you can

share the documents instantly, and you can scale the amount of storage you have based on your company’s needs without needing to reinstall any kind of hardware or shut something down.

From machine learning to accounting, there are loads of ways that your company can leverage cloud services. How you use them is entirely up to you and how your business operates. But if you want to save a lot of time and effort with your software solutions (and in some cases, hardware too) then you’ll want to use cloud services whenever you can.

SUSTAINING SUCCESS PROTECTING THE FUTURE OF YOUR BUSINESS

As a business owner, building a successful venture is an ongoing priority that is often focused on short-term goals. However, true success is defined by stability and long-term growth. Therefore, it’s equally imperative that you establish a culture geared towards a positive future.

While it does require an initial investment of time and money, the rewards will make it worthwhile. Better still, relatively small steps will generate huge improvements. Focus on the five below for optimal success.

1. Be prepared for the worst

Regardless of what precautions are taken, there is always a threat of things going wrong in business. Therefore, you must be prepared for all outcomes. After all, a quick response will limit financial and reputational damage, as well as disruptions. Experts like Tivly can connect you to the right business insurance plans. Aside from protecting your financial future, it gives you peace of mind and guidance about what steps to take if a problem occurs.

Even if you never need to make a claim, the knowledge that you can do it does make a huge difference. Not least to your mindset.

2. Prevent attacks on the business

The harsh reality is that attempted attacks on businesses are more common than ever. Aside from physical theft, you must now acknowledge the threat of cyberattacks as a single breach could spell the end. Outsourced IT and cybersecurity services like Dirox can keep you on top of the situation. Preventing false bad reviews, potentially

from competitors, is another valuable step. It protects your reputation and SEO rankings.

Meanwhile, preventing intellectual theft by copyrighting your ideas and brand identity is essential. Only you should profit from your brand and products.

3. Build a strong workforce

A strong workforce is the greatest asset at any company’s disposal. However, a strong recruitment drive is only the start. You must also cultivate a culture of continuous learning and growth. It will allow employees to develop new skills, which maintain relevance in an ever evolving landscape. Failure to do this can quickly see the company fall behind the competition, thus undoing the good work until this point.

Better still, a positive brand culture that’s also characterized by employees feeling valued will yield a low staff turnover. Stability can only aid your future.

4. Manage cash flow

While business success can be defined in many ways, making money is a non-negotiable factor. Keeping the profit and loss accounts in good health is one thing. However, it’s equally crucial to keep an eye on cash flow to know that you have the funds needed to run the operation. When offering repayment plans to clients, you must ensure that they deliver timely payments. Otherwise, you will be left in a cash flow crisis.

Tools like invoice financing can provide a safety net. In an ideal world, though, building a situation where

Finally, if you want the company to keep progressing, it will need new ideas. As already stated, business landscapes are evolving and client expectations continue to grow too. Tools like Kickbox can help turn your team into a group of innovators. An emphasis on creativity and looking for the next big opportunity gives you the best chance of long-term success. You may also want to use incremental innovation for continued progress.

You must always ensure that the short-term situation is under control. Still, moving towards long-term goals will strengthen your position.