Mary Tagliaferri
Chief Medical Officer | Nektar Therapeutics
ONUOHA-OBILOR
An Outstanding Visionary Entrepreneur Revolutionizing the Healthcare Segment with Highmark Health 16 28 32 22
ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES TO SCALE YOUR APP DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS AN EXPERIENCED THOUGHT LEADER SHAPING UP SECURITY IN EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
N T E N T S A R T I C L E A Catalyst for Change
As the healthcare industry continuously evolves, women leaders in healthcare are playing an increasingly important role. They are making remarkable strides in enhancing patient care, advancing medical research, and influencing healthcare laws.
Women leaders make several noteworthy contributions to the healthcare industry, such as leadership built on empathy, effective communication, and a patient-centered mindset. In the healthcare industry, women leaders have influenced practice and policy to enhance the health of countless people, including patients, doctors, and coworkers.
Despite the contribution women make to health systems and supporting the pursuit of health for all, women only make up 25% of the top leadership positions in the industry. Given that women make up 70% of healthcare workers, 70% of leaders in the health sector would be female if leadership positions had been given based solely on merit.
It has been found that major barriers to women's success in global health positions include gender discrimination, implicit bias, sexual harassment, and assault. The absence of regulations that support having children-such as more generous parental leave and flexible work schedules-complicates these.
The experiences of the female healthcare professionals who have broken new ground and genuinely changed the system by promoting creativity, empathy, and inclusivity are featured in this issue of ours, which we're calling "The 10 Most Eminent Women Leaders in Healthcare 2023."
Inc. Magazine is well known for showcasing exceptional executives and their initiatives that are bringing about positive change in any industry. Thus, here we are again with this mesmerizing edition filled with the stories of trailblazers who are paving the way for upcoming generations in the healthcare industry by bringing a variety of experiences and voices to the table. Please read through all of the incredible tales, consider how they are changing the world, and ultimately find inspiration.
Finally, I want to express my gratitude to every one of you for your support and appreciation. We hope that this edition will enrich your life even more and inspire you to overcome obstacles to achieve your goals.
Let’s Read...!
Mary Tagliaferri Chief Medical Officer | Nektar Therapeutics
Dr. Mary Tagliaferri, a breast cancer survivor, mother, and amazing business leader, heads Nektar Therapeutics, a global biopharmaceutical company, in pursuit of clinical excellence. She boasts over two decades of professional expertise in pharmaceutical medication development, including substantial regulatory skills in the fields of oncology and women's health.
In the key position of Chief Medical Officer at Nektar, Dr. Tagliaferri directs clinical strategy, clinical operations, biometrics, pharmacovigilance and oversees the company's medical affairs, significant clinical investigator contacts, medical writing and publication tasks. She has provided strategic development leadership for the company's immuno-oncology and immunology portfolio since joining Nektar in January 2015.
Nektar Therapeutics: At a Glance
Nektar Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical firm with a strong, entirely owned R&D pipeline of experimental drugs in oncology and immunology, as well as a portfolio of authorized partnering medicines.
They plan to start a global Phase 2b clinical trial this year for people with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AtD) whose condition cannot be effectively controlled by topical anti-inflammatory
drugs. AtD can have a substantial negative influence on patients' and their families' quality of life because it is a chronic skin condition. Due to the obvious eczematous patches on their skin, patients may experience social shame. Additionally, the severe itching and constant scratching can severely disrupt sleep. With ongoing symptoms and numerous restless nights, AtD can negatively affect emotional health and result in depression.
Rezpegaldesleukin (Rezpeg), a novel chemical from Nektar, is the company's main immunology medication that is currently undergoing clinical testing. It targets the underlying immunological dysregulation by restoring T regulatory cells in both quantity and function to tame the excessive effector T cell response. We think this therapy has the potential to improve the lives of patients since it has a completely different mechanism of action from the atopic dermatitis medications that are now approved.
Rezpeg in AtD recently exhibited early efficacy results that showed greater efficacy than presently approved biological medicines and provided a long-lasting impact for up to 9 months without treatment. Because of these encouraging new data showing remarkable efficacy, safety, and persistence, the company is enthusiastic to move Rezpeg into a Phase 2b trial in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.
Dr. Tagliaferri highlights both her work in immunology and the significant clinical advancements in oncology. The primary objective for enhancing the effectiveness of cellular treatments has been to improve the function or fitness of CAR T cells. We think their treatment, NKTR-255, could have a wide range of applications to boost cellular therapies, including CAR T cells, TILs, engineered T cell receptor therapies, and NK cell products.
Dr.Tagliaferri’s Roller-coaster Ride
"Much of my inspiration and commitment to finding new and improved therapies for patients is fueled by my own journey with cancer", said Mary Tagliaferri.
Dr. Tagliaferri’s story truly began when, at the young age of 30, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. She faced major precancerous breast disease in her 40s, which necessitated a bilateral mastectomy. In her 50s, Dr. Tagliaferri was diagnosed with a new type of cancer. She and numerous other patients were forced to come around to new clinical procedures during the COVID pandemic, which made obtaining care more challenging and impersonal.
Having endured long periods of treatment, side effects, and recovery, the heroic physician was reminded over and over of the importance of discovering new cancer medicines, especially ones with low toxicities, so patients can have the highest chances of a cure and the fewest life-disrupting side effects.
Throughout her three decades of experience in drug development, the magnificent woman led clinical research in a broad range of fields, including oncology, immunology, pulmonology, infectious disease, and women’s health.
Prior to Nektar, she co-founded Bionovo, a biotech business specializing in the research and development of cancer and women's health medicines. She also co-founded the Mt. Zion Carol Franc Buck Breast Cancer Translational Research Program in Botanical Medicine and the first traditional Chinese medicine
clinic at the cancer center early in her career at the University of California, San Francisco.
What Makes Dr. Mary Tagliaferri a Healthcare Pioneer?—The
Curiosity, being a quick learner, being extremely flexible to the shifting biopharmaceutical landscape, and attention to the company's goals and purpose are just a few of the qualities that have benefited Dr. Tagliaferri's career advancement. She also places a high priority on ethical behavior, success being acknowledged, receiving constructive criticism, and rolling up her sleeves to get the job done. These principles help put the visionary approach into practice.
Dr. Tagliaferri works hard to create an inclusive and equitable atmosphere. As the mother of two black children, she has had a personal and distinct perspective on racial discrimination. She has frequently witnessed inaccurate assumptions being made about her children based on the color of their skin. The entire Nektar team upholds a zero-tolerance policy with regard to prejudice, and Dr. Tagliaferri highlighted that the workplace fosters a culture of respect for one another.
Dr. Mary Tagliaferri has tremendous professional success with numerous memorable accomplishments. She garnered two honors from the San Francisco Business Times in 2019, including Women Who Lead in Life Sciences and The Most Influential Women in Business. She received the Woman of the Year award from the State of California's Assembly District 14 in 2012 for her dedication to women's health, particularly breast cancer awareness, and for her mentoring of young women in the biotech industry.
Dr. Tagliaferri’s Take on the Gender Pay Gap
I strongly believe in leading by example and providing a roadmap to success. Regarding pay, I serve on the compensation committees for two
publicly-traded companies, RayzeBio and Enzo Biochem, and there are simple and equitable approaches to evaluating fair compensation that address salary, equity allocation, and benefits by using a third-party consultant specializing in compensation to create an objective process for establishing equitable compensation regardless of gender. Leveraging objective data to support pay equality is my strong advice for bringing about meaningful change.
It would be incredibly satisfying to see Rezpeg approved for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and other autoimmune indications. A significant life achievement would be NKTR-255, a new polymer-conjugated human IL-15, being approved, which would demonstrate the efficacy of a cytokine for the treatment of cancer.
Serving on the Board of Directors for two companies, including as Chairperson for one, Dr. Tagliaferri is looking forward to new opportunities to serve as a Board member for emerging companies in the next few years.
On a personal level, she wishes to continue to be very physically active. As someone who has reaped numerous personal benefits from years of meditation and community building with a network of like-minded people, she relishes the idea of teaching meditation classes.
Parting Words by Dr. Mary Tagliaferri
Keep a good balance of work, rest, and play; keep strong connections to your community of family and friends; and don’t forget that laughter is some of the best medicine.
The 10 Most Eminent Women Leaders in Healthcare 2023.
Dr. Lipi Singh
Vice President | Advancells Group
They are fearless and clever and know how to break into the market by reinventing the wheel of an established industry. Women are not only flocking to the economic sphere; they are also paving the way. Whether in the retail, technology, educational, or social enterprise sectors, women are stepping outside their comfort zones to become change agents and leaders. And Lipi Singh, Vice President of Advancells Group, is an excellent representation of female leadership in the healthcare industry.
Paying homage and recognizing the talent seeping within the nation, “The 10 Most Eminent Women Leaders in Healthcare 2023” tries to encapsulate the great vision of the inspiring lady and the impact she is creating. In an exclusive conversation, Lipi Singh shared various aspects of her journey. Here are the edited excerpts:
The amazing and inspiring female leader, Lipi Singh, is a competent professional with over 15 years of experience in stem cell biology, regenerative medicine, banking and consulting for stem cells, business and research development, and clinical research and study. Additionally, she is a fellow in anti-aging through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine's fellowship program to be eligible for the American Board of Anti-Aging
Health Practitioners (Florida, USA) and an active member of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.
She became part of the organization as vice president in 2021. Prior to joining Advancells Group, Lipi held the positions of Chief Technology Officer at Saffron Naturelle Products Pvt. Ltd. and Laboratory Director at Cryoviva PTE Ltd. in Singapore. She assisted the company in establishing itself, generating stability for commercial success, and expanding with technological improvement and innovation in the healthcare industry during her time at the previous healthcare companies (all three).
Lipi has a doctoral degree from Post graduate institute of Medical education and research , chandigarh , india and postdoctoral fellowship in Regenrative mediicne from california institute of Regenrative Medicine (CIRM), Los Angeles , USA. She has extensive training and expertise in medical device quality management systems certification, including QMS ISO 13485:2016, MDR 2017 (IVD), and QMS ISO 9001:2015. Internal Auditor QMS Certified ISO 9001:2015
When asked to brief about the idea to join the company, she explained her journey quite vividly.
Chronic diseases are the major causes of disability and untimely death among the older population in India. This is what motivated me to join Advancells. After completing my education, I have been motivated to join the effort by my desire to "make India chronic disease free" as perceived as a worldwide burden (require attention!).
Advancells Group and Companies: At a Glance
Advancells Group, a research-driven business founded in 2014, is largely focused on providing services and cellular products for effective therapeutic applications of precision medicine. Being a pioneer, the company is excited about adult stem cells' boundless potential to treat a number of degenerative disorders that are currently classified as "orphan diseases."
A part of Advancells, Cryoviva Singapore is one of the top family cord blood banks in Singapore that provides cord blood and cord tissue stem cell banking services. The leading lady, Dr Lipi, helps in technology development in different sister companies of the Cryoviva group like, Thailand, Vietnam, and India.
Their GMP-compliant lab is at the cutting edge of research and innovations and acts as a platform to introduce the newest technologies to their affiliated hospitals and medical professionals, ultimately benefiting thousands of patients each year with all-natural, risk-free, and efficient therapeutic modules to manage a variety of life-threatening illnesses. Using their superior technological capabilities, they also hold the top spot in the market for preventative healthcare solutions, such as cosmetic treatments, orthopedic treatments, anti-aging therapies, and immuno-boosting wellness programs.
A broad variety of medical applications have gained favour with regenerative medicine's capacity to replace worn or damaged tissue with new, healthy tissue. The "Advancells Group, Noida, India," has excellent facilities for research in regenerative medicine as well as a wellness program.
"We have reached a stage where we are able to put what we have learned in the lab to use in the clinic, influencing the future of medicine, networking, and educational goals to raise awareness throughout the world. According to the leading lady, this includes creating awareness of a new era of well-being through regenerative medicine" and promoting general health and endurance.”
A chronic disease or sickness is one that is persistent, does not go away on its own, and is rarely totally cured, such as diabetes or a heart condition. The current healthcare system's "one size fits all" philosophy only works well for some people and circumstances. Why? One major query! Genetics, environment, and lifestyle are all unique to each person.
Precision medicine is a cutting-edge strategy that takes into account the unique variations in individuals' environments, habits, and genetic makeup. Further, Lipi Singh took the initiative with her consultancy program "Aging and Healthcare" and worked with Advancells Group, Delhi, to address the numerous unmet needs in preventive and predictive healthcare and offer precise, innovative, and regenerative health solutions for individuals and communities. This is referring to the prevention and reversal of chronic disease, diabetes, cancer, and cardiac health, which will be a global burden. Aging and healthcare cover a broad range of consultancy services and programs in connection with genomics, microbiomes, point of care, and regenerative solutions.
“Hopefully, this move will increase understanding of the value of precision medicine and contribute to India becoming chronic disease-free,” quoted the leading lady.
It has a compounding effect that results in a woman's reduced earning capacity over her lifetime. On average, women are less likely to progress as far as
men in their careers and accumulate less money for retirement. Women are more likely to work all their lives and care for their families and homes. Therefore, eliminating the gender pay gap is crucial.
Women's pay gaps have decreased as a result of more education, a shift to higher-paying jobs, and increased labor market experience. Companies must keep working to close the gender pay gap, confront gender prejudices and preconceptions, and encourage diversity and inclusion in the workplace if they want to close the gender gap. Reforms should prioritize boosting the minimum wage, respecting women's work and skills, and expanding employment possibilities in order to advance equal pay.
1.Raising the wage floor
2.Improving the valuation of women's work
3.Improving access to employment and advancement
The Prestigious Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam Inspirational Award at Plenary Hall, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi (23rd June 2023) by a world-renowned Indian amateur boxer, Mrs. MC Mary Kom, for Outstanding contributions and Innovative research in Biomedical/Regenerative science over the past two decades, both nationally and internationally.
VISIONARIES AWARD RECOGNITION” IN HEALTHCARE, at the Health 2.0 Global, Dubai 2023, on 16 – 18th December 2022 at Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, UAE on Diabetes Care.
ATAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS 22 “ICONIC WOMEN IN HEALTHCARE” AT ATAL SAMMAN SAMAROH 2022, 21st December, Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, India.
"BEST WOMEN IN NATION BUILD IN HEALTHCARE AND WELLNESS" award
under ICONIC HEALTHCARE SUMMIT & AWARDS 2022 Ceremony with News 24 as Media Partner and Magazine Partner, OUTLOOK &
MedgateToday” as Print media Partner on 08th October 2022, Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai, India.
Global Excellence Award in Healthcare for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector GLOBALLY, presented by " TopnothcFoundation” in Association with #News 24 as Media Partner and Magazine Partner, OUTLOOK & MedgateToday” as Print media Partner on 29th June 2022, Hotel Shangri la Eros, New Delhi, India.
Nation Woman Pride Award 2022 “Global Women Inspiration Award, 2021 for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector GLOBALLY, presented by " TopnothcFoundation” in Association with “IndiaNews” and “AajTak” International” as Telecast Partner & Magazine Partner “MedgateToday” on 29 th March 2022, Delhi, India.
Outstanding Leadership Award Recognition” at the Health 2.0 Dubai 2022 on 23rd - 25th March 2022 at Intercontinental, Dubai Festival City, UAE.
Awarded as "WOMEN INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE INNOVATOR OF THE YEAR" under INTERNATIONAL HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARDS 2021 for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector GLOBALLY, presented by " TopnothcFoundation” in Association with “IndiaNews” and “AajTak” International” as Telecast Partner & Magazine Partner “MedgateToday” on 23rd December 2021, Goa, India.
Awarded as "WOMEN HEALTHCARE PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR" for outstanding service & contribution to the health sector, presented by "Top-gallant Media the Iconic Healthcare Summit & Awards 2021, in Association with News 24 and AajTak” International as Telecast Partner & Magazine Partners are OUTLOOK & MedgateToday” on 29 September 2021, New Delhi, India."
The primary causes of death and disability in India are chronic diseases and injuries, which are expected to contribute significantly to the burden of disease during the next 25 years. Examples of chronic diseases include cardiovascular disease, mental health disorders, diabetes, and cancer. The majority of chronic illnesses are equally common in poor and rural populations and often occur together. Although a wide range of cost-effective primary and secondary prevention strategies are available in routine medical practice, this chronic illness increases with time and becomes a burden on the healthcare system.
To meet the gaps in preventative and predictive healthcare, which provides individualized and ground-breaking health solutions for communities. In addition, studies on stem cells and aging seek to comprehend how stem cells preserve tissue health, what factors ultimately cause stem cell activity to deteriorate with age, and how the regenerative potential of somatic stem cells might be improved to support healthy aging.
In a medical and technical environment, stem cell technology can have a significant impact on cosmetics that are both beautiful and functional. With technological and Anti- aging excellence, Lipi and her team hold the leading position in the field of preventive healthcare technologies. such as Cosmetic treatments, Orthopaedic treatments, anti-aging therapies, and immuno-boosting wellness programs.
Lipi's long-term goal is to employ iPSC technology or stem cell technology in novel and creative ways to enhance the drug discovery process (humanely and cruelty-free) and lessen the burden of failed clinical trials on academia, biotech startups, and big pharmaceutical companies.
Stella Onuoha-Obilor
Vice President | Highmark Health
The healthcare sector has constantly given rise to exemplary value providers who have contributed to the recovery of numerous lives. The progress of medical science pushed the healthcare sector to its breaking point. Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor has gained recognition for her services to the healthcare business together with many other doctors and other healthcare professionals. This astute public health physician's efforts are recognized and honored in "Eminent Women Leaders in Healthcare 2023."
She was initially humbled and blessed for being a part of a noble profession and earning success on the right path after getting the rare title, which was bestowed upon her. Her 20 years of dedication to the fields of population health and clinical quality seem to be paying off. She is a Quality Champion, Results and Data-driven health Care Senior Leader. She is focused on continuously enhancing the quality of healthcare programs, conducting investigations, research, and root cause analysis to guarantee high-quality patient care, patient safety, and accuracy in billing-related issues, as well as clinical appeals and medical & usage management.
Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor earned her medical degree from Nigeria’s University of Calabar College of Medicine and her master’s and PhD degrees in
public health from Walden University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is certified in the areas of Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ), Certified Case Manager (CCM), Lean Six Sigma Healthcare Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Healthcare Green Belt, Meeting the Leadership Challenge from Walden University, and Measurement, Design, and Analysis Methods for Health Outcomes from the Harvard School of Public Health.
Before joining Highmark Health, Dr. Obilor served as the department head for measures management at the New Jersey Innovation Institute Healthcare/ Garden City Practice Transformation Network. With a $50 million grant-funded practice transformation project, she worked with a team of more than 50 clinical and non-clinical employees to reach a goal of over 10,000 physicians in specialty and general care practices, saving $15 million.
Dr. Obilor Become Leader in Healthcare
“As a child, I always wanted to be a part of solutions to the world’s challenging and complicated problems”, quoted the magnificent woman.
She observed a single doctor attending to more than 500 individuals (a crowd of sick people). Before seeing the doctor, they would often spend the entire
day at the clinic. She recalled telling herself during one of the visits that she would study to be a doctor so that she could help in the care of the sick. Therefore, seeing people live healthful lives fuels her passion. For her numbers in healthcare are not just mere numbers, they are people, and the inspiring lady tries as much as she can to be a part of improving their health outcomes and allowing them to live their best lives.
Because the future is inclusive, only businesses with diverse and welcoming environments will endure. Because of the various perspectives and experiences of the diverse population, diversity and inclusion in the workplace encourage growth. As a result of the fact that not everyone views the world
through the same cultural lens, diversity and inclusion also lead to cultural intelligence. Because a varied thinking team is stronger than the sum of its parts, diversity and inclusion in the workplace foster strong collaboration.
Highmark Health’s vision is a world where everyone embraces health! The goal is to reinvent health and Highmark Health will achieve this through Living Health, a new model of health care.
The healthcare system in the United States is overly convoluted, frustrating, and expensive. In order to help its clients live their best lives, Living Health is a proactive, well-connected system of care and support. Each person is informed, empowered, supported, and freed to be their best with Living Health at its core. As part of its distinctive blended health strategy, Highmark Health created the Living Health Model to take advantage of the skills, knowledge, and insights of payers and providers of healthcare. This new experience has the advantages of frictionless convenience, simplicity, cost, and beneficial health results.
With the aim of making the finest treatment available for members at the lowest cost while providing the greatest patient and clinician experience possible, Dr. Tony Farah, EVP Chief Medical and Transformation Officer, and his team are reinventing health care.
Working with various stakeholders and notable figures across functional teams is challenging when some people are change-resistant. It is hard to ignite the emotions of other people to get them into seeing the value propositions of new ideas. Change is inevitable and getting people to challenge the status quo is very challenging. In addition, what people have is not knowledge deficiency but behavioral issues. Therefore, there must be a cultural shift in getting to get people’s buy-in and ensuring that a
culture of continuous performance improvement is cultivated. Also, it is vital to mold the organizational culture in a way that encourages individuals to perform at their highest level and feel safe.
It was not an easy achievement to return to school for a Master's and a Doctorate in Public Health while working a full-time job and caring for four young children. The amazing woman exclaimed, "I am very pleased with what I have been able to do, and I am completely grateful to God.
"We will keep coming up with new ideas because we do not yet have all the solutions to reinvent health, and once we do, we will miss opportunities. Therefore, we'll keep thinking, questioning the status quo, and acting differently," she added.
Please always combine strategy with empathy. You can never be wrong when you lead with empathy, passion, and mutual respect. Most importantly, build resilience by always lifting others because you are lifted while lifting others. Always practice childlike courage. Hope, grit, and determination are all must-haves.
“My passion for improving numbers stems from the fact that every data point in the healthcare industry has a human narrative behind it. For me, numbers are not just numbers. People's spouses, siblings, friends, and relatives make up this group.”– Dr. Stella Onuoha-Obilor
Starting the process of expanding the development of your app business is like setting sail into a sea of endless possibilities. With the app development market poised to reach a whopping US$230.40bn by 2027, you can imagine how much money you can make with the right growth strategies in place.
It is critical to arm yourself with practical tactics that will propel you forward and weather the shifting tides of the technology sector. Scaling is more than just expanding. It is about adjusting your operations, leveraging innovation, and capturing a larger audience.
So, prepare yourself to investigate feasible, revolutionary strategies that will take the app creation company to new heights.
Establishing an experienced development team is critical for succeeding in the fast-paced app development space. You can think about your team as the creators of the digital future. Hire people for their expertise in technology and also for their enthusiasm and willingness to work together.
You can create a culture that promotes continuous advancement and creativity. It results in a powerhouse capable of meeting the ever-changing challenges of developing apps.
Time is of the essence, and effectiveness is on your side when you learn to achieve more in less time. The best way to do it is by streamlining your development approach. You should assess your workflows, detect bottlenecks, and implement agile methods. Divide complex projects into achievable sprints.
It helps you promote adaptability and allow the team to respond quickly to shifting requirements. Look for ways to maximize every aspect of the development pipeline for the greatest effectiveness during your growth initiative.
Using automation tools is your secret weapon when scaling your business. Automation reduces human error and shortens development cycles. There are several areas you can automate. It may range from deploying code to testing apps.
Accept continuous development and ongoing delivery (CI/CD) pipelines. It enables your team to concentrate on innovative thinking and solving issues rather than tedious tasks. Automating is more than just a time saver. It is an amplifier of force that boosts the effectiveness of your growth initiatives.
Investing in adaptable cloud infrastructure is the foundation for contemporary app development. You can think about cloud services to be rapidly evolving enablers rather than simply servers. Scalability, flexibility, and affordability make cloud platforms like Heroku indispensable for managing differing workloads.
There are also several alternatives to Heroku that can help you develop apps fast and align with your user base’s constantly shifting demands. You should select a cloud provider that shares your company’s objectives, ensuring an adequate basis for scaling.
Feedback from customers serves as a compass, directing your growth efforts on the right path. Customers are the
ultimate arbiters of your app’s achievement. You should actively seek out and respond to their input. It might be through polls, reviews, or personal channels.
Use this valuable feedback to fine-tune features, improve the user experience, and address issues. A mobile application that evolves in response to input from customers retains existing users and draws new ones through word of mouth. The best part is that customers trust you more when you listen to them and go the extra mile to implement their feedback.
Diversifying the services you provide is equivalent to growing your app development portfolio. Focusing on a specific niche can be beneficial for app businesses. However, expanding into neighboring markets or incorporating complementary features broadens your company’s horizons.
You can assess the current market trends, detect unmet needs, and carefully diversify your offerings to attract new customers. This strategy increases the sources of income. It also protects your company from industry shifts.
Creating strategic alliances is a mutually beneficial approach that can drive your app development company to new heights. Determine potential collaborators in the market, such as other technology companies, advertising firms, or industry leaders.
Partnerships can open up fresh avenues of distribution, offer access to additional assets, and increase your brand’s reach. Choose partners who share your principles and objectives. It creates a partnership of mutual benefit that propels both parties forward.
Scaling your app growth business necessitates a multifaceted strategy. It includes talent, effectiveness, creativity, user-centricity, growth, and collaboration. Of course, you need to invest time and money in the growth initiative, but they are just half the work. By implementing these strategies, your app development company will grow and thrive in the ever-changing tech landscape.
EMEA Lead, Execu�ve Security Advisor
IBM
Meet Dr. Saritha Arunkumar, the EMEA Lead, Executive Security Advisor at IBM
Security X-Force Cyber Range. Dr. Saritha is a thought leader with over two decades of experience in the Cyber-Security space, leading and shaping up security in upcoming and emerging areas, including Biometrics, IoT Security, IAM, Blockchain, and Decentralized Identity. Building upon her deep technical expertise in security design, solutions, governance, and architecture, she has become an expert and trusted client advisor across several industries and account teams in emerging solutions for Decentralized Identity, IoT Security, Blockchain, Biometrics, and IAM
Dr. Saritha was a key contributor to the Biometrics Standards body SC37 and is a fellow of the British Computer Society. She is also an IBM Master Inventor, fostering and nurturing new inventors by guiding and mentoring them through several programs, leading the overall growth of IBM's patents. Over the years, Dr. Saritha has been recognized as the Winner of Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech 2018, Winner of TechWomen 50 2017, Runner Up of Women of the Future 2013, and Outstanding Innovation Award winner 2017 at IBM.
Dr. Saritha's journey started in a computer lab in India. At the age of 10, she spent several hours in her school's computer lab, where one of her favorite teachers led classes. The teacher initially showed her how she could create games and pictures with only a few lines of code. At first, Saritha couldn't believe it. However, her teacher then showed her how to write code, and she was hooked. Soon she went even deeper and learned about COBOL, Pascal, and other primary computer languages.
She says, "For pre-university, I specialized in computing. I dove deeper into the inner workings of a computer, learning about software and hardware. I took computer classes during my free time during my engineering years."
After graduation, Dr, Saritha enrolled in a master's program for operations research and joined one of the largest public sector companies in India, working as a security engineer. Initially, her role was outside the scope of her studies, as it focused on cryptography. The company also assigned Dr. Saritha a critical project, which reputed
government agencies would use. So, she dived deeper, following the teachings of her manager. Although the role was quite stressful, she enjoyed learning public key cryptography and symmetric and asymmetric encryption.
Dr. Saritha joined IBM in 2003, where she got the opportunity to work on several projects in a number of roles, including security specialist, security architect, security technical sales, senior and lead security architect, executive security advisor, and thought leader. Through these roles, she worked on technologies like identity, access, federation, single sign-on, Mobile Security, Biometrics, Blockchain Decentralized identity, and cyber security.
Later in 2020, Dr. Saritha moved to IBM Security X-Force Cyber Range, which offers simulated breach experiences for clients across the spectrum of roles. It also aims to help C-Suite leaders, the Board of Directors, and technical teams understand the risks of a cyber attack and identify and fix gaps in their response controls and processes.
Dr. Saritha feels her most significant achievement was getting her Ph.D. in Mobile Security. She says, "My father had always dreamed of his daughter having the letters "Ph.D." next to her name. To help him fulfill that dream, I enrolled in a Ph.D. program in mobile security at the City, University of London, and completed my Ph.D. in 2016."
Being a key person at IBM, Dr. Saritha is fully prepared for challenges. Throughout her career, she has constantly been challenged with new technologies; at first, it was mobile security, then biometrics, followed by Blockchain and Decentralized Identity. She also feels every client is different, and the requirements are different. So, every project is a new challenge for her, and she likes it as it allows her to learn and improve every day.
"I wouldn't call it the biggest failure but something that I would have done differently. I wish I had started innovating much earlier than I did."- Says Dr. Saritha.
She started patenting back in 2014 and has been a Master Inventor since 2016. Dr. Saritha spends a lot of time working on several patent jams and programs triggering innovation. She is very passionate about innovation and tries her best to educate and motivate every newcomer and get them on to the patenting community.
