The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019

1. Volume 09 | | Issue 02 | | 2019 Judy Davies Pushing Boundaries and Instilling Entrepreneurial Style The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019

4. It’s all about Leading by Example! R Though, women are not new to the sphere of leadership, but were undercounted since past few decades. The essence of entrepreneurship and drive to bring a change can be seen in the leading styles of some profound leaders such as Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, who has taken social media channel to the next level, Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, who being a first female CEO of a major automobile manufacturer perfectly exemplifies grace under pressure, and the list is long. Many such women with their exemplary leadership skills have broken all the myths about women’s inborn limitations and serve as models for emerging women leaders. ecent years have marked a tremendous paradigm shift in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The wind of change finally seems to have arrived after women are been witnessed making a remarkable progress in heading companies. I have never doubted the power of women to bring the change. From the experience I have gained on leadership, the leaders’ attribute of being creative has fascinated me the most and I have inculcated the same into my professional world too. I believe that I have got this trait of creativity from my mother. By just her actions, she has taught me how to be simple yet creative in doing things. This quality of women of inspiring others with just their actions has been the foremost reason for milestones women-led businesses have achieved. Be it business, technology, administration, education, healthcare or government, women have gradually made their mark in almost every sector at regional, national, and global levels. By walking an extra mile, they have been at the helm of every field.

5. “ “ Hitesh Dhamani With an intent to admire and acknowledge the contributions of women, who are shaping the future of unbiased entrepreneurial ecosystem, Insights Success has curated a list of "The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019". These women are not only bringing the reformative solutions to the business world, but are also setting an example for other upcoming women entrepreneurs. Inspiring business leaders stimulate the minds and hearts of co-workers, cultivate corporate intelligence and encourage optimal performance while directing the overall growth of the business. Judy Davies is one such inspiring businesswoman and thus, features on the cover of this edition. She is contributing through the role of Vice President of Global Marketing Communications at Advantest. During her more than 20 years in the semiconductor industry, Judy has been responsible for various aspects of marketing communications, from PR, IR, M&A and customer and employee communications to product launches, brand management, trade shows and digital marketing. Active with several non-profit organizations, Judy serves on the Boards of Raphael House of San Francisco as well as the San Francisco SPCA. Delve in to more such inspiring stories and lessons from many such significant entrepreneurs in this issue and reap the fruits of motivation. Also, make sure to scroll through the articles written by our in-house editorial team and CXO standpoints of some of the leading industry experts to have a brief taste of the sector. Happy reading!

6. Articles 38 08 Women Empower Dynamics of Women Participation in the Ever-changing Modern Workforce 50 Changing the Status Quo isruptive Technology and Changing Trends Inuencing Business 62 From Editor’s Desk JUDY DAVIES Pushing Boundaries and Instilling Entrepreneurial Style The Journey to Self-Discovery Inspiring Women of The Year ROSE BENTLEY 20 Combining Excellence with Prociency to Achieve Success

7. CONTENTS Assertive Leadership Tipe for Millennial Women in Business 24 Industry Intel Rethinking the Products of Today for Better Tomorrow 30 Unbaised Future Establishing Gender Equilibrtum 36 Tech-Know Insights What a tech CEO con teach your business about digital 44 Expert’s Outlook Balancing the Needs of Business 54 Stellar’s Vision Successs in the Venture World 60 Intergated Apporach How to do best work when you’re not Actually working! Maintaining a personal and Professional life balance 66

8. Cindy Hollar Committed to Improving Student Achievement 28 Kirsten Bay A Trailblazer in Cyber Security 32 Nicole Martin Empowering Businesses with Astounding Human Resource Management 42 Trina Watt Providing Technical Marketing for Technical Companies 48 Victoria Lennox A Management Doyen with Exceptional Entrepreneurship Skills 58

11. Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal Executive Editor Hitesh Dhamani Assistant Editors Jenny Fernandes Rohit Chaturvedi Managing Editor Anish Miller Co-designer Visualizer David King Art & Design Director Amol Kamble Associate Designer Sanket Zirpe Mayur Koli Senior Sales Manager Business Development Manager Co-designer Kshitij S Peter Collins Sales Executives David, Kevin, Mark, Sagar Marketing Manager John Matthew Business Development Executives Technical Head Jacob Smile Steve, Joe, Alan, Sanket Digital Marketing Manager Marry D'Souza Technical Specialist Aditya Research Analyst Frank Adams SME-SMO Executive Prashant Chevale Database Management Stella Andrew Technology Consultant David Stokes Circulation Manager Robert Brown sales@insightssuccess.com July, 2019 Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ We are also available on : www.twitter.com/insightssuccess Copyright © 2019 Insights Success, All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission from Insights Success. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

13. Photography: Achille Bigliardi www.achillephoto.com Hair and Make-up: Patrick Evan Salon, San Francisco Judy Davies Pushing Boundaries and Instilling Entrepreneurial Style

14. Judy Davies Vice President of Global Marketing Communications Advantest Photography: Achille Bigliardi www.achillephoto.com Hair and Make-up: Patrick Evan Salon, San Francisco B this, one has to tap all available talents, skills, abili?es and resources. Inspiring business leaders s?mulate the minds and hearts of co-workers, cul?vate corporate intelligence and encourage op?mal performance while direc?ng the overall growth of the business. Judy Davies is one such inspiring business woman, contribu?ng through the role of Vice President of Global Marke?ng Communica?ons at Advantest. During her more than 20 years in the semiconductor industry, she has been responsible for various aspects of marke?ng communica?ons, from PR, IR, M&A and customer and employee communica?ons to product launches, brand management, trade shows and digital marke?ng. Ac?ve with several non-profit organiza?ons, Judy serves on the Boards of Raphael House of San Francisco as well as the San Francisco SPCA. eing an exemplary entrepreneur is about going beyond the normal thought process and leading by example. To do Broad Scope of Responsibili?es Judy’s educa?onal background is in communica?ons. Her early career experience includes working in adver?sing on the agency side and communica?ons work within technology companies. In 2006, she joined semiconductor test equipment

15. supplier Verigy. Then in 2011, Verigy was acquired by Advantest, the world’s largest provider of IC test and measurement systems. Over the past eight years at Advantest, she has striven to push boundaries by applying what she has learned in other areas while also ins?lling an entrepreneurial style in Advantest’s marke?ng, branding and communica?ons ac?vi?es. To get visibility for Advantest in the technology-driven, rapidly changing semiconductor industry, Judy’s Communica?ons Group has leveraged marke?ng communica?ons approaches that are well beyond the scope of tradi?onal corporate and product marke?ng. While her responsibili?es include a broad range of both internal and external communica?ons, she also manages impac?ul programs ranging from the recent refining of Advantest’s Core Values to the company’s annual VOICE Developer Conference, which is a?ended by more than 500 customers and partners around the world. A good leader takes a little more than their share of the blame and a little less than their share of the credit. Leveraging Skills and Experience Advantest’s communica?ons are inherently diverse because its audiences are so varied. They include not only its semiconductor- manufacturing customers around the globe, but also outsourced assembly and tes?ng companies (OSATs), technology partners, market researchers, financial analysts, shareholders and company employees at its facili?es throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. Advantest’s communica?ons are designed to meet targeted marke?ng objec?ves, but also must convey the company’s technical acumen and project its integrity to people across different cultures. To accomplish this, Judy has implemented an entrepreneurial structure in the Communica?ons Group that she leads. This approach allows her to leverage the skills and experience of both in- house and independent marke?ng communica?ons professionals, some

16. Photography: Achille Bigliardi www.achillephoto.com Hair and Make-up: Patrick Evan Salon, San Francisco Be the type of leader that you’d want to follow.

17. of whom are based in other ?me zones. fact of life in the always-shi?ing semiconductor industry – by working closely with brilliant and innova?ve business leaders. Judy has been given opportuni?es to succeed and grow professionally, but she also knows how to create her own possibili?es and realize what she envisions. services and strategic vision to provide details that otherwise might be overlooked. In this way, everyone at Advantest works together to tell the most interes?ng stories, showcase the advantages that the company offers to its various audiences and ul?mately deliver the best results. To be successful, an entrepreneur needs to be resourceful and open to new ideas, consider uncommon op?ons and bring a posi?ve a?tude to work each day. Exploring the untried and unknown is required. Judy firmly believes that, no ma?er how daun?ng the challenge, a solu?on is out there to be discovered. She believes that nothing is impossible with resolute efforts. Delivering the Best Results In addi?on, Judy’s Communica?ons Group is con?nuously advising and training company spokespersons on topics such as talking with the media, product posi?oning and overarching corporate messages. Advantest’s communica?ons efforts draw from and affect many different groups within Advantest – from product development to customer service to strategic partnerships – with the common goal of conveying the company’s value to customers and its overall market leadership. As head of global marke?ng communica?ons, Judy frequently coaxes content owners in charge of Advantest’s products, Naviga?ng Tough Times Being Commi?ed to Goals In work, Judy has dedicated herself to staying focused on the objec?ves at hand and the possibili?es that lay ahead. She has learned how to navigate turbulent ?mes – which are a Being a female in the male-dominated semiconductor industry presents both challenges and opportuni?es. Judy feels the lack of female role models and the underrepresenta?on of women in execu?ve leadership posi?ons speaks to the need for inclusion and diversity. Within her job, Judy remains focused on her commitment to being true to herself. She embraces the quali?es of op?mism and confidence, tenacity and grit, passion and purpose, and most importantly authen?city. The abili?es to be a good storyteller, be open to change and – a characteris?c that she admi?edly has struggled with – be comfortable with ambiguity are important as well. These quali?es have helped her maximize her capacity for leadership and be more impac?ul for her company, community and family. These traits also have helped her navigate through the world each day – direc?ng how she approaches challenges as well as opportuni?es, and reminding her to make conscious efforts to shape not only what she does, but who she is as a leader. Judy observes that society – both publicly and in the corporate world – is growing more accep?ng and encouraging of women in leadership

18. Being a Role Model posi?ons. She has faced hurdles in her day-to-day work environment, but she focuses on learning from those around her and ac?vely mentoring within Advantest and beyond. She enjoys working with like-minded people who are commi?ed to mutual goals and to achieving posi?ve results. As vice president of global marke?ng communica?ons, Judy has the opportunity to serve as a role model and guide for the next genera?on. She strives to help others grow and move up in their careers, especially women who are just now entering management roles. She tells them to dedicate themselves to understanding their companies and industries from all angles, to develop their technical and business acumen, to work hard to exceed expecta?ons, to welcome feedback and do something with it, and to volunteer for addi?onal responsibili?es. Throughout her working life, Judy has learned much about the keys to successful collabora?on, and she draws upon that knowledge and experience in dedica?ng herself to mee?ng whatever objec?ve is at hand. Always do the right thing. Ambi?ous and Passionate Judy has the same ambi?on for advancement and passion for her job as when she first began working in the global semiconductor industry. She wants to con?nue to help drive Advantest forward and posi?vely impact the work of other groups within the company as well as foster growth in society overall. As for Judy’s personal goals, she wants to remain ac?ve on the Boards of Raphael House – the largest privately- funded homeless shelter for families in Northern California – and the San Francisco SPCA – a privately-funded and na?onally recognized leader in animal welfare. Both of these charitable causes are dear to her. There are two quotes, both from Audrey Hepburn, that best describe Judy’s philosophy in life. The first is “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands: One for helping yourself, the other for helping others.” Charitable work keeps Judy grounded, and she believes that there truly isn’t a be?er feeling than doing well while you are doing good. The second quote is “For beau?ful eyes, look for the good in others; for beau?ful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” The nega?vity that a person projects will very likely come back to them in an even bigger dose so it’s important to see good and beauty in everything. Judy offers three precious ?ps to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Never complain. Never over-explain. Never let them see you sweat.”

19. The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019 Photography: Achille Bigliardi www.achillephoto.com Hair and Make-up: Patrick Evan Salon, San Francisco

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24. What strategies do you undertake to make your employees resourceful? They say everything you need to know about life you learn by age 5 – well, with a mother as bold and beautiful as mine she instilled in me the curiosity, I needed to always find a way forward, she use to say “where there is a will there is a way.” between. We call this pervasive data intelligence. It's the answer to the complexity, cost and inadequacy of today’s analytics. Everybody defines leadership differently, but I really like the way John C Maxwell defines leadership, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Regardless of how you define a leader, he or she can prove to be a difference maker between success and failure. A good leader has a futuristic vision and knows how to turn her ideas into real- world success stories. What was your life changing event/ incident that changed your life? Moving to Silicon Valley put me on a new and rewarding course. Not only did I get to work with and meet the man of my dreams, I suddenly found myself in a place that took no prisoners. When I recently ran into an issue of how to help an employee become resourceful I leaned on a few of the truths I was taught – First, if you want someone to believe they can do it you have to give them the tools to be successful, whether that is structure to work within, a playbook, or even basic training. From there you need to empower the person to be resourceful. Let them know it is ok to fail, and that you expect it and can't wait to hear about it! To become a good leader, you will have to set a good example for others to follow. That is where your commitment to the business, passion for learning, and empathy come into play. I also believe good communication skills and decision- making capabilities play a vital role in the success and failure of a leader. You need to be able to communicate effectively and call the jump balls. If you don’t like carrying the weight of the hard decisions it can be very hard to lead. Every leader needs to feel comfortable making decisions with what data they have in front of them, because you don’t always have the complete picture. Growing up in Montana and through school in Utah I was always seeking the best and brightest minds to learn from and when I landed in San Francisco I realized I was a small fish in a big pond – and it thrilled me! Never did I think my childhood of playing in creeks, floating rivers, watching breakfast club over and over on snow days and arguing with my adoring brother regarding what camping games we were going to play over the Summer– would ever leave me with the desire to live in a big city and swing for the fences but it did and I am a better person because of it. And last you need to create the environment for them to be resourceful – guide them into the questions that help them solve the problem without you. When someone presents you with a problem ask them “what have you done so far to solve for this?” “Or what would you recommend we do?” Then give them the space to bounce ideas o ffyou but help them realize they are on the hook for finding a solution. How necessary is it to align business with technology and what are its outcomes? Business and technology alignment are vital for market impact and growth. Aligning the two means as business goals pivot, technology can more readily respond with necessary solutions to support and maintain enterprise momentum. In turn, technological advances and improvements are hardwired into existing and future strategies and initiatives. Lastly, leaders need to be able to know when to set aside time for innovation and creative thinking, as well as the futuristic vision – having a North Star gives you the ability to set the right roadmap for success and then support your teams to get there. What are some of the vital attributes, in your opinion, that every leader should possess? I will say though “Technology is designed to accelerate a business outcome. Don’t expect technology to fix a business problem – expect technology to help you drive the process forward and enable best practices you need within your business to be successful.” 22 insightssuccess.com September 2019

26. Co-founder 24 insightssuccess.com September 2019

27. Assertive Leadership W Washington Post CEO back in 1972. Here in Australia, women now comprise 42% of all employees and more than 30% of all business owner-managers. In the large Australian corporations, the story is quite different; women hold the reins at only 10% of today’s companies and 14 of our Top 200 firms. omen in business have come a long way since Katharine Graham, the first female to lead a Fortune 500 company, assumed the role of Has my journey always been easy? Far from it. A lot is expected from an expat like me. Or from any woman in business, for that matter. If we want to get promoted at work, we need to appear assertive, confident, and even dominant. We become chameleons and adjust our behaviour, according to what the situation requires, as we navigate our way from the war room to the board room. How to Be an Assertive Leader Below, I share some lessons I’ve learned along the way, to help other young women navigate the different challenges and demands that a leadership role requires. To be more confident and decisive but also constructive and empowering, incorporate these five habits into your daily conversations and interactions, and learn how to fine-tune your ability to adapt. The data suggest that it’s becoming more difficult for women to make the jump from key executive to chief executive. Macquarie Group founder Mark Johnson believes it might take another 20 years for the scales to tip again in our favour. It’s the story of many of today’s women CEOs. Being Chameleon-in-Chief As a founder of the Australian company WeTeachMe, I can’t say I agree with Mark. After all, today’s world and business climate look nothing like they did 20 or 30 years ago. I hope that my own story will inspire courage and pave the way for others to create businesses that will create value, especially for other women. Listen for cues. To be a good leader, at times, you will need to be a psychologist, a counsellor, an expert, a sister, a mentor, a friend. At WeTeachMe, I have worked in sales and in marketing. Both roles required me to master the art of active listening and hone my ability to quickly read the room. To be aware of what a customer or stakeholder is thinking or feeling is crucial to building trust and rapport, and helps foster the creation of long-term business relationships. Before founding WeTeachMe, I had barely just arrived in Australia from Greece, to complete my masters in global media communications at The University of Melbourne. I had no background in business, and some may say I had no “business” entering into the arena of entrepreneurship. And yet, through sheer grit and desire to pursue our passion for education, my team and I grew WeTeachMe into the largest school in Australia, with thousands of classes available and even more learners enrolling every day. Mind what you say, and also how you say it. Assertiveness doesn’t mean being overbearing or abrasive. Be direct and communicate respectfully so that the other person can focus on what you’re saying, instead of how you’re saying it. Getting the message across is half the battle. 25 insightssuccess.com September 2019

28. Express ideas from your own point of view. Starting your sentences with “I” can spell a world of difference. Instead of saying “you’re not listening”, put it in your own words: “I think what you’re saying is...” Rather than instructing someone to “work this way” say “I’d like your help with...” Convey your feelings and let your empathy come through. Learn how to say no. In the early years of WeTeachMe, I wore multiple hats. Most days, I took on more responsibility than was physically possible. Because that’s what a founder does; you go above and beyond the call of duty. From cold calling one minute to providing customer support the next, juggling tasks requires flawless execution. As WeTeachMe grew, I had to give up some of my hats. This was not an easy lesson to learn! Today, with a better understanding of the value of focus, I pick three important things to accomplish every day and then, delegate the rest. Photographer: Nathalie Saruhashi Maintain a professional demeanour. If you’re entering into a negotiation, present your case with confidence, without getting argumentative or emotional. Create a win- win situation for everyone, and they will see you, not as an adversary, but as a partner. Leadership That Inspires Being in business is not always about cut- throat competition, winning at everything, and having it all; it’s also, if not more, about creating personal connections and nurturing the relationships that get us to where we are. In and out of the workplace, we need to be effective and diplomatic, not just goal- oriented. Lead through trust and respect, not through fear. Teach, don’t micromanage. And never stop learning. Leadership is about having the ability to influence those around us, to rally everyone around a shared vision, to inspire people, and to get those who follow us excited to come to work day after day. Leadership means celebrating our victories. But it’s also about forgiving ourselves for our failures, because that is how we become wiser and better. Failing is the best way to learn, and a good leader never stops learning. 26 insightssuccess.com September 2019

30. The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019/ Cindy Hollar Cindy Hollar Committed to Improving Student Achievement C that acquired TE21 in April—Cindy became an educa?on entrepreneur at the age of 34, following a business career at IBM. Having also been a kindergarten teacher in her early years, Cindy has always looked for ways to posi?vely impact the lives of children. indy Hollar, former CEO at TE21, spends her days thinking about children. Now a vice president at Cer?ca Solu?ons—the company students. Cindy and her team created assessments that evaluated what students were learning in the classroom—and gave all students the opportunity to improve throughout the school year. educa?on and a culture of outstanding customer service. It was a good match. Accountability is Key Cindy observes that accountability is a key theme in K-12 educa?on today. Teachers are searching for tools and methods to improve student performance in their classrooms. "Our team at TE21, now Cer?ca Solu?ons, is dedicated to developing high-quality assessment solu?ons to help teachers verify that learning mastery is occurring in the classroom," she adds. TE21's benchmark assessments follow each state's blueprint but are customized to the instruc?onal scope and sequence of each school district the company partners with—this differen?ates the TE21 benchmark assessments from other assessments. The TE21 team works to both prepare students for the rigor and type of assessment they will take at the end of the year and gives data to teachers with a rapid turnaround ?me, to guide instruc?on and interven?ons. Acquisi?on of TE21 TE21 grew to a mul?-million-dollar company with 58 employees and school district customers spanning 6 states in the Southeast. The company was known for its excep?onal assessment products and support organiza?on, but TE21 lacked the technology and processes to scale its assessment products to a na?onal level. As CEO, Cindy and her leadership team felt it was ?me to either bring in growth capital which would enable them to take the company to the next level or consider an acquisi?on by a complementary company which could help them expand. Cindy and her team engaged with Cer?ca Solu?ons, a na?onally recognized K-12 provider with both educa?onal content, So?ware-as-a-Service, and data and analy?cs offerings. The addi?on of TE21's assessments with Cer?ca's analy?cs applica?on deepened the value of both company's products. The combina?on of high-quality student assessments and rich data visualiza?ons have resulted in a powerful classroom offering that provides teachers with meaningful, immediate, ac?onable student data. With her business background, Cindy knew she could have the greatest impact by providing products and services that would help teachers and students. Her first educa?on-sector venture was a drop-in day care business housed in a store front. Cindy sold that business in 1995 and then worked as a consultant, mee?ng her future business partners—most of them corporate trainers. TE21 was launched in 1999 as training company, thus the name "TE21, Training and st Educa?on in the 21 Century." Over ?me, Cindy narrowed the company's focus to K-12 educa?on, offering products from educa?on publishers (such as curricula and instruc?onal programs), as well as developing new products for K-12. Most state summa?ve assessments today are given to students at the end of the school year and reveal that students either learned what they should have or that they did not. By the ?me that data is available to educators, it is too late for teachers to make course correc?ons and modify instruc?on to meet the needs of students. With the company's benchmark assessments, TE21—now Cer?ca Solu?ons—tests what is being taught in a school or district every nine weeks and gives data back to teachers within a 72-hour window once the assessments are completed. As a one-?me teacher, herself, Cindy understood the needs of teachers and students and wanted to develop products that would help students achieve their full poten?al. Cindy learned from her school and district customers about the need for high- quality assessments that would not only guide the teaching process but could ul?mately change the lives of Further, although the acquiring company, Cer?ca, is based in the Northeast, and TE21 is based in the Southeast, the two companies share a strong commitment to excellence in 28 insightssuccess.com September 2019

31. “ As a leader, I must listen, learn, what I do. and love “ Communica?ng with Teams Cindy consults and strategizes with her teams daily in order to stay current. She is a believer in being a player-coach, so she's on the road with her sales team and customers con?nuously, listening and learning from them. She reads as much as possible to keep her hand on the pulse of educa?on news and trends. All in all, she believes that her outstanding products and customer service have been the key to her success. Don't Underes?mate Funds Cindy asserts that one of the biggest challenges at the ?me of business incep?on is monetary support. In her words, nobody wants to lend small business and start-ups any money un?l they are making money. She went into the ini?al phases of the company's development underes?ma?ng how much money would be needed and learned along the way. She is thankful for her "angel investor" who worked with her to provide the necessary support in the start-up years. In her words, "he has been a true angel." To all those start up leaders who seek her advice, she suggests doubling or tripling what they think they will need financially. Cindy Hollar CEO Future Aspira?ons Cindy is excited to be back in the field as vice president of Assessment Sales for Cer?ca Solu?ons. She believes the strong opera?onal founda?on and vision of Cer?ca will help take their business to new heights. Cer?ca has embraced all the TE21 staff and is commi?ed to con?nuing—and expanding— TE21's important work. Cindy's commitment to educa?on is evident in her aspira?on to serve on boards of small businesses and con?nue to work with small business owners and other entrepreneurs in growing their companies and reaching their goals. 29 insightssuccess.com September 2019

32. Rethinking the Products of Today for a Better Tomorrow Celia Pool Co-Founder DAME 30 insightssuccess.com September 2019

33. Industry Intel T created more plastic than the whole of the last century combined. Half of the plastic we create is used just once, and then thrown away, taking 500 years to decompose. By 2050, the oceans are predicted to contain more plastic than fish. The plastic crisis is now too big for recycling alone to fix. “ he world is finally waking up to the single-use plastic crisis. Over the last 10 years we have keeping habit change to a minimum, consumers are much more likely to adopt a new idea. unconscious bias in the robots of tomorrow. Amazon had to abandon an AI recruitment tool that was discriminating against women, instead favoring prospects who mirrored Amazon’s existing male engineer workforce. At DAME women have been involved in every stage of the journey, not as a token gesture but as an absolute necessity. This was our philosophy at DAME when we created the world’s first reusable tampon applicator. We ensured the design was familiar and intuitive, so women did not have to compromise on their convenient, established rituals. We knew that hygiene could be a significant barrier to entry, so we worked with leading micro-biologists and medical engineers and used the best medical grade, anti- microbial materials on the market. As a result, the consumer only must rinse the applicator in cold water after use to keep it clean. Simple steps, minimal habit change. However, our overarching business strategy goes beyond issues of inclusivity to incorporate a wider mission. DAME was founded on the belief that business can be used as a force for good. We use this core value to guide every decision we make in the business, bringing great clarity to our route forward. By communicating our genuine and authentic commitment to this mission, we hope that our message will quickly be picked up by those eager to join a movement for change. To date, we have seen this happen not only with our consumers and the press, but with employees. People are increasingly drawn to companies doing good. 75% of millennials would take a pay cut to work at a socially responsible company. Global governments, businesses and consumers need to collaborate quickly to make impactful change before it’s too late. However, change is difficult when environmentally damaging habits have become so entrenched and often appear more financially appealing. Technology is helping in this fight. Reusable water bottles are now widespread, and apps that help you locate drinking water refill stations are now emerging. At the same time, reusable coffee cup technology is addressing the half a trillion disposable coffee cups discarded every year. Such items are gaining increasing social currency with consumers, who are keen to display them as markers of their environmental conscience. This revolution is encouraging, but what about the products that people aren’t so willing to talk about? However, it is challenging to tackle an issue that has such little awareness. Menstruation has historically been shrouded in shame, fear and discretion. It is not a topic openly talked about. This is a problem with feminine care as a whole: it is frequently dismissed and the women trying to address it are critically underfunded. In 2017 female founders got 2% of the $85 billion VC investment pot. About 8% of partners at the top British VC firms are women. According to Harvard Business Review, stereotypes about female entrepreneurs persist: women are overly cautious, shy away from growth, have insufficient resources and consequently their ventures underperform. Yet there is no performance data to support these stereotypes. All this strengthens our resolve at DAME to continue to tackle critical problems that are not openly acknowledged, that are significantly underfunded, and that have historically been controlled by giant monopolies. Today we are focusing on menstrual products, but our vision is to revolutionize the entire bathroom. These are big mountains, but having strong guiding principles makes the navigation much easier.” 100 billion menstrual products are thrown away globally every year. These are single-use, mostly made of plastic and cannot be recycled. You can choose not to have a coffee, you cannot choose not to have a period. Reusable options (e.g. menstrual cups, cloth pads) have been on the market for decades, yet the adoption rate has been slow. The primary barrier to entry is the fear of habit change. How are products used by women supposed to change in line with human and environmental needs, when they aren’t given appropriate recognition or have women involved in all stages of the process? Women need to be given more of a voice if we are to create meaningful change. The world of AI is already highlighting the need to diverse away from male, white, Western coders if we are to avoid -Words by Celia Pool Co-Founder of DAME So how do we bring about a revolution? The answer is keep it simple. And take time to consider consumer psychology. As humans, we abhor change. We are creatures drawn towards the comfort of the known. By For more information visit wearedame.co 31 insightssuccess.com September 2019

34. The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019/ Kirsten Bay Kirsten Bay A Trailblazer in Cyber Security irsten Bay is the CEO and Co-founder at K cyber threats. She brings more than 25 years of experience in risk intelligence, informa?on, and policy exper?se across a variety of sectors. Since its incep?on, Kirsten and her team took the Cysurance concept from deck to launch in 7 months and signed distribu?on partners who will begin co-marke?ng to over 200k customers. Cysurance. She has created Cysurance with the concept to change how small businesses think about and mi?gate against In her career, Kirsten has been appointed to congressional commi?ees developing cyber policies, ini?a?ves, and recommenda?ons for the intelligence community. She has developed recommenda?ons in partnership with the Center for North American Studies (CNAS) and Center for Strategic and Interna?onal Studies (CSIS) for the White House energy policy and collaborated on informa?on studies for MIT- Harvard and several federal agencies. She has gone before a parliamentary subcommi?ee on recrea?ng trust in the global economy, presented na?onal security and cri?cal infrastructure concepts at conferences such as Black Hat, Secured Americas, Enterprise Architecture Ins?tute, SC World Congress, and the Eurim Informa?on Management Commi?ee. She has also spoken on applied economics and its rela?onship to both cyber and na?onal security around the world. Strategizing Challenges Kirsten has worked in cybersecurity for over a decade, and has held a variety of roles that have allowed her to learn first hand the pain Kirsten Bay CEO & Co-founder 32 insightssuccess.com September 2019

35. points of the customers. Working for very large companies for the first half of her career afforded her a level of infrastructure to achieve milestones in an organized environment with a lot of resources. According to her, while the large corporate culture can be s?fling to many, there is a structure in place that allows one to know what is next. She le? that world to start her consul?ng prac?ce while developing a new professional network where she had to start from scratch in crea?ng her opportuni?es. Some of the ini?al roadblocks were being an unknown in the industry while simultaneously crea?ng her client pipeline and exper?se. Fortunately, she had a very suppor?ve group of colleagues who helped her through that ?me such that she became an important voice in cybersecurity. While she has a broad understanding of the cyber market, she con?nues to learn about innova?ons as well as staying in front of customers to understand how to help support them in solving a problem that feels infinitely complex. when trying to adopt a cyber insurance and risk program. The company sought to create a single product that addresses the key pain points in for an SMB – What insurance do I need? What technology do I need? How do I hire and pay for a team to help me in the moment of a breach? The Cysurance program was designed to iden?fy a breach, provide breach remedia?on, and supply a comprehensive insurance policy that covers the events that most impact SMBs. Cysurance was developed from the idea that there are not enough complete risk solu?ons that help customers contextualize and manage their cyber risks regardless of their size. Determining Organiza?on's Goals Kirsten's mission is to get strong market penetra?on with SMBs to support them in being protected against the growing risk of cyber-a?acks. Parts of this mission means helping to redefine how people think about and invest in cyber risk management by adding to context to how certain products can help them not only be secure but support their financial recovery in the event of the a?ack. In the longer term, she aims to bring be?er data to both SMBs and their financial partners to understand how their risk profiles differ from larger organiza?ons so that the company can be?er support their needs and vulnerabili?es. Important Quali?es an Entrepreneur Should Hold Kirsten believes that pa?ence and curiosity are the most vital a?ributes for an entrepreneur. Accordingly, curiosity is the fuel of the entrepreneur, as it is the desire to understand the complexi?es of the world and how to make them simpler. She has spent most of her life pushing herself beyond the comfort zone to see what she could achieve. Some?mes that resulted in a broken bone, but mostly it helped her accomplish most of her goals. This helped early in her career when she had roles with significant responsibility, and the desire to become an expert at her profession drove her to push harder despite some?mes feeling daunted by the challenge. Kirsten believes, "It is not the lack of fear that keeps me going, but the ability to harness that nervousness into the energy and vitality I need to keep pushing ahead." Shaping the Journey of Entrepreneurs Kirsten's advice- First, be very clear on what it means to be an entrepreneur. While it can be both personally and financially rewarding, it requires an incredible amount of sacrifice, hard work, resilience, and leadership in ?mes of scarcity before prosperity becomes a reality. Being an entrepreneur can be a lonely experience, find a networking group that focuses on the needs and the challenges that you will have as a leader of a fledgling company. The friendships and opportuni?es that you will acquire can make the difference between success and failure. Company's Contribu?on to the Society “ Cysurance's product was created to reduce the fric?on and complexity small and medium-size business experience Kirsten's View about Cyber Insurance Kirsten asserts that Cyber Insurance alone is complex and difficult for the average consumer to understand, as it is o?en unclear what is covered, how much coverage is needed, and whether there is a true benefit in adop?ng a cyber insurance policy. Cysurance has developed a comprehensive cyber insurance program in partnership with Chubb to cover the cyber events that most impact small and medium-sized businesses and their revenue. Unlike other insurance partners, the company sets out to ease complexity by elimina?ng underwri?ng and lengthy applica?on process. The intuition of faith, in the ability to rise through the difficulties of the day, is what connects you to be the best you can be. 33 insightssuccess.com September 2019

38. 36 insightssuccess.com September 2019

39. Unbaised Future At the top “It’s all about finding someone’s strengths. Women don’t outperform men and vice versa. But I won’t deny that it takes a lot of discipline to stay at the top as a woman,” Ineke expresses. Just like men, women have a lot of qualities that match perfectly with a leadership role. It’s important that leadership comes from the heart. And you need to have the intention to help others grow and make them better through your role. I call it Servant Leadership. If you want to make your company a success, you need to be of service to the company and its people. This has nothing to do with gender or background. say “I want to be a director, but I still have children that I need to bring to school. Is that possible?” As if there are no male CEOs that bring their kids to school. The big difference is that men don’t ask these kinds of questions. They just do it! Balance It’s all about balance. Recently, I attended a forum on female leadership, where I talked about my role as a CEO. In the audience, were female students who were just about to graduate. When the moderator asked which of them wanted the same job as me, only three of the four hundred students raised their hands. The moderator was shocked, and asked the audience what was going on. “She works too much”, was the answer. “And we also want to be able to go to parties, exercise and have a social life.” That shocked me a little. It’s not that I don’t do anything else besides work. My downtime, social life and work activities are just one big mix. It’s true that I’m constantly thinking about work. But I also allow myself to go for a run in the morning or see my hairdresser during the week. To me, it’s just one full week in which I can do a lot. That’s why a quota for women at the top is completely nonsense, according to me. All women who really want to reach the top, will find a way to break through that glass ceiling. No bias in the world will stop a woman on a mission to reach that top position. But it’s wrong to think that anyone with the right capabilities – man or woman – can work anywhere they want. There should be a match between your personality, the company’s values and its culture. And sometimes it’s just a case of pure luck. Being at the right place at the right time. If this match doesn’t come naturally, it’s just not meant to be. Did I have this go-getter mentality as a child, since I already knew I wanted to one day reach the top? I think so. But, at the same time, all the things I hoped for as a child didn’t come true. What I got is a lot better. I definitely don’t regret the choices that I’ve made. I started a family, got married, and am the CEO of a young and ambitious company. I should therefore be the last person to decide whether or not one should have a leadership position based on a ‘home situation’. How you combine the two is up to you. And yes, that takes a lot of discipline. But if you have natural leadership qualities, I believe everything is going to be alright. But if there is a perfect match between you as a leader and a company, it’s the first positive step, in my opinion. It’s still a lot of work. Having all that responsibility takes a lot out of you. You shouldn’t be afraid to make choices, and that also means saying no to certain activities in your personal life. I am a mother of two and am not home every day. My husband and I have been able to make it work. I notice that a lot of women still find it difficult. But you can’t run a company part time. You need to dare to go full in. Those doubts often appear during the initial job interview. Women The key to achieving this? As a female – or male – leader, you need to learn to let go and prioritise. Just do your best and focus on making things better for other people. 37 insightssuccess.com September 2019

40. Dynamics of Participation in the Ever-changing Modern Workforce 38 insightssuccess.com September 2019

41. Women Empower G opportunities. Today, women have announced their arrival in many fields of the business world. Therefore, it seems more important than ever before to recognize female contributions in every profession. possibility can be attained by combining efforts from different resources, channels and departments. Further, collaborating products with consumer experience are enormously important. It leads to crafting the best solutions for customer’s pain points and compelling value propositions that reflect their overall business objectives. one are the days when women were stereotyped to a certain set of skills and professions, restricting them from exploring the world of endless Multiple studies have found that women prefer to work in teams, while men prefer to work alone. An unfaltering affinity towards collaboration primes women to garner success in different fields of business which gives them an edge over others. Fighting through biased work culture in favour of male dominance, women have conquered the unconquered on the account of their distinct calibre and predilections. In the times when the world female participation rate is to the dispiriting levels of around 67% and pay-off rate of about 63%, achievements by women go-getters are praiseworthy. Increased profitability can be a motivating factor for many firms to hire more pool of female talents as many studies support the fact. Statistical research shows that Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women on boards financially outperform companies with the lowest representation of women on boards. Moreover, gender- diverse teams have higher sales and profits compared to male-dominated teams, and a recent Gallup study found that gender-diverse business units have higher average revenue than less diverse business units. Listening capabilities is one of the distinguishing aspects of feminine species as compared to their male counterparts. Instilling and pursuing ones thoughts is undoubtedly important for effective working. But being a better listener is something that can make a difference as studies show that the customer values and trusts the firms if they perceive that they are being listened to by the firms. With inherent caring and affectionate traits, women outclass men when it comes to understanding critical demands of the customers. Trust over female leaders is an attribute which needs to be reciprocated while making the choice. More American workers perceive female executives as honest and ethical than male executives. Pew’s “Women and Leadership” surveyed Americans in 2015 and found that 34% say women are better at this, while only 3% say men are better at it (64% say there’s no difference). Emotional Intelligence (EI) - the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of others - is an essential skill when it comes to dealing with a diverse class of consumers. Women are naturally gifted with higher EI making them better suited for pressure situations and avoiding counter-productive decisions while keeping emotions in check. While it’s unclear whether this means women are actually more honest, it’s a subtle reminder of how tangled some business decisions can be. Leaders are often tasked with choosing between options that aren’t black and white, ethically speaking, and the capacity to lead honestly is important to the entire company’s success and job satisfaction. Emotional Intelligence encompasses two major dimensions – awareness of one’s self and awareness of others. Both the attributes are very much significant for the survival and success of any organisation. Self-awareness involves being familiar with trigger points and behavioural traits when put to the test. This, in turn, helps to modulate impulses avoiding conclusions which are harmful for the welfare of business. In addition to self-awareness, an awareness of others is equally critical in business. Analysing and decoding non-verbal communication – that amounts to 93% of the message – eventually benefits in convincing and converting a lead into a client. Not to mention, increased job satisfaction and organizational dedication to cite positive and meaningful business culture are the added advantages feminine employees carry to the organisation. However, the journey is not all merry go round every time. Hindrances – seen, unseen – are there to check the unrelenting zeal of women aspirants to thrive in the industry. These obstructions need to be pointed out and rectified to create an environment that fuels women empowerment. Collaboration, and not the cutthroat competition, is the modern era’s principle virtue to achieve success. Many endeavours which seem to be beyond the bounds of 39 insightssuccess.com September 2019

42. While proving value, women tend to overcompensate in order to demonstrate that they are adding value. Instead of doing it all alone, change the paradigm and track to encourage others to take on more responsibility, thus enabling them to scale and multiply their own impact. Lack of confidence, according to many experts, is one prime reason women tend to question themselves and doubt their worthiness. In order to advance, they must coach their inner critics. Out-speak and define what women want professionally if they want to get succeeded. Too often they don’t know or rely upon others to define it for them. Not to forget, biased work culture and regional barriers are the crucial obstacles in the road of women work participation. But, today women are breaking these shackles and coming out boldly to be a part of economic processes shouldering their male counterparts. There has been obvious progress in achieving gender equality around the world over the past two decades: more girls are attending school, more women are working and are being elected to public offices, more women hold management positions, and the situation involving women’s legal as well as social rights have also improved. “Building relationships with those in positions of leadership is critical,” Susan Brady, executive vice president of Linkage Inc. says. “Put down the to-do list long enough to connect with decision makers across the organization, and help them understand who you are and what you bring to the table.” Women are generally uneasy about asking for what they want. They must stop thinking about what they need as a self-serving request. They must develop the courage and fortitude to stand up and ask for what they want. However, a great deal still remains to be done to achieve equal outcomes for women and men. Recognizing women’s abilities, the values they bring to the organisation, the transformation they achieve as far as work environment is concerned, and considering monetary benefits associated with the female work participation, corporate sector need to welcome their emergence with open arms. No future is far where male- dominated workplaces will be a tale of extinct, we believe. 40 insightssuccess.com September 2019

44. The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019/ Nicole Martin Nicole Martin Empowering Businesses with Astounding Human Resource Management n an interview with Insights I based on strategic HR leadership and the latest thinking in the field of human resource management. And she also shares her insights about the company's core competencies and its future and broadly discussed about her overall journey as a marke?ng aspirant. Considering these influen?al and inspira?onal aspects, Insights Success recognizes Nicole Mar?n as one of the most inspiring women in business 2019. How do you diversify your organiza?on's offerings to appeal to the target audience? and, in turn, created my perfect intellectual playground full of challenge. O?en it is the leap of faith grounded in belief that you are doing something greater than you, something for the greater good itself, and then you turn around one day and realize that you have people on your team as passionate about it as you. When that passion was transferred to my team, only then did I truly feel comfortable calling myself a Chief Empowerment Officer. Success, the CEO,of HRBoost, LLC., Nicole Mar?n,sheds light on the company's cu?ng-edge solu?ons We have diversified our offerings by allowing our clients to engage us on an ala carte, project, or retainer basis. This provides mul?ple ways in which my clients can choose to engage us. Essen?ally, it is our mission to meet them wherever they are on their journey to be a best place to work. Whether they are a small, growing business or a large, corporate employer, we can address their specific needs at a price point and service level that is customized for them to maximize their investment. What were the past experiences, achievements or lessons that have shaped your journey? Below are the highlights of the interview between Nicole and Insights Success: There are so many things throughout my life that have helped shape me, my choices, and my journey. For me it starts with childhood and being raised by a single mother. She taught me the value of hard work, the importance of tenacity and, she gave me uncondi?onal love and the confidence to follow my dreams. Importantly, all of them taught me that there is no place for complacency, if you wish to succeed. And, others have taken me under their wing and shared their experience as entrepreneurs and thought leaders, giving me encouragement and showing what it means to be a mentor. This has inspired me to con?nue that, so that I too can help shape the next genera?on of business leaders. “ Give a brief overview of your background as an entrepreneur. We strive to bring joy and purpose to people through their work. In 2010, I le? my corporate career to establish HRBoost, LLC. My ini?al vision was to find leaders who wanted to be the next Best & Brightest® employer, while providing support to growing businesses facing a myriad of workforce challenges. Within two years, I realized I was growing at an astounding rate and that I needed a team. With 50% growth year over a one-year period, it became clear HR outsourcing was not HR as I knew it and that with HRBoost, I had found a niche. “ Describe some of the vital a?ributes that every entrepreneur should possess. The real a?ributes of an individual at the helm of their business is curiosity. I never intended to build a business, I sought work that fueled my passion 42 insightssuccess.com September 2019

45. Nicole Martin CEO HRBoost, LLC How do you strategize your game plans to tackle compe??on in the market? I listen to my clients carefully as they are on the front lines of their respec?ve industries and, I stay abreast of what is happening in my industry. Researching and reading market trends, analyzing higher educa?on focuses, and tapping into the concerns of employees and job applicants, gives me great insights into the future of human resources. Because of this broad-based outlook, I have experienced rapid growth, and for this reason I have enjoyed the pace of word of mouth alone. rewarding. For our larger clients, I am excited to see them grow and reach their Best & Brightest™ recogni?on. For myself, I am excited to be sharing my knowledge through my books and speaking engagements. My next book, No Fear Nego?a?on for Women, is being released in August 2019. I am excited to share some of my successful nego?a?on methods to help other female entrepreneurs as they build their businesses. What were the primal challenges and roadblocks you faced during the ini?al phase of your career as an entrepreneur? I think the ini?al challenges of being an entrepreneur are many. One is needing human capital and the financial capital to source human capital. Some entrepreneurs do not grow because they are not inves?ng in talent or taking the financial risks that are necessary. I made a calculated risk to invest in my talent and invest in my bench strength. In the early years, I was reac?ng to my business rather than being proac?ve. What is your advice for budding and emerging entrepreneurs? I feel it is impera?ve to get hands on experience doing what you seek to learn. Make sure it brings you joy before inves?ng ?me, energy, and dedica?ng your life to it. Enjoy the journey and be prepared to learn, unlearn and relearn. Surround yourself with people who inspire and support you, but also don't patronize you. Remember, even if it gets harder, or takes longer, stay diligent. Anything you love will be worth it. Where do you see yourself in the near future and what are your future goals? For my business, I would like to expand our service op?ons and spotlight our Small Business Bundles for clients that typically do not have access to strategic HR day one, employee one. Helping small businesses to succeed is truly 43 insightssuccess.com September 2019

46. Pam Bateson CEO & Co-founder Thrive Partners 44 insightssuccess.com September 2019

47. Tech-Know Insights What a tech CEO can teach your business about digital About the Author Pam Bateson is an expert coach and mentor in business, training others to Masters level qualifications and supervising coaches. She has worked within the healthcare, retail, hotels, construction, media, agencies, education and public sector. She specialises in Coaching, Mentoring, Employee Engagement, Change Management, Learning and Development and Organisational Design. She has worked with all levels in organisations from graduates to the CEO. She has designed change programmes that connect projects, outcomes, training and coaching. The performance outcomes have been outstanding. She is CEO and Co-founder at Thrive Partners. P am Bateson set up Thrive Partners, an on-demand coaching company, three years ago. In this article, she shares her point of view on how important humans are in a more digital world, what she’s learned as a tech CEO, and what this means when you’re looking to use tech in a way that’s both disruptive and works for customers. In October 2015, I gave up a successful career as a management consultant and coach to set up Thrive Partners. Lots of people thought I was crazy. I was approaching 50, with two children still at home. But for the decade running up to that decision, I’d been thinking about a better way to deliver coaching – supported by digital, to share more widely the coaching tools I’d used to help clients for many years. This was the business I set out to build three years ago. Today, we’re working with 25 clients on five continents – delivering our own brand of on-demand coaching, backed with insights for the whole business. The learning curve has been steep – particularly for someone who, by their own confession, didn’t have 45 insightssuccess.com September 2019

48. a lot of experience in learning technology. So here, I wanted to share some of the things we’ve learned – and what it might mean for your business. Early on in the development of our MyThrive platform, we realised that delivering digitally would enable us to do more than just scale and facilitate coaching in global organisations; it would also mean we could spot trends and patterns within communities of users, in organisations or society at large. Just as carefully listening has a powerful and transformative role in one-to-one coaching conversations, carefully listening to and analysing anonymised version of the conversations we host has a powerful and transformative role within whole organisations. Dream big I didn’t really set out to build a business that would be considered disruptive, but my background as a lean engineer and coach did mean that we ripped up the rulebook when it came to the coaching industry. We scrapped the idea that you needed to meet face to face, and that sessions had to last an hour, or even two hours. And we made it a lot easier for people to access a coach to answer the questions they had there and then – increasing access so people could chat to an expert within an hour. The whole-system insights we produced has helped to make sales processes smoother, improved communications and created more opportunities for people to learn. Keep it human With suicide being the biggest killer of men under 45, loneliness sweeping through developed economies in epidemic proportions and a third of all young people suffering from anxiety, I strongly believe that we have a duty to keep talking to each other as a society. Working with my co-founder, we then rebuilt the industry by asking the biggest questions we could imaging. What if we could make coaching available to whole organisations? What if we could get listening as valued as speaking? And what if we could help organisations learn as quickly as individuals? I found these questions irresistible: I wanted to do for coaching what Uber had done for getting a taxi, Netflix had done for home entertainment, and Tinder had done for dating. It’s these big dreams that have galvanised our success in the last few years – and which has set us in the right direction for the future. We believe that keeping the art of conversation alive in this digital age is essential; only humans can master creativity, empathy, humour and imagination in a way that’s compelling. Information is everywhere, so we’re using technology differently – to offer real human experiences at scale, at any time of the day, whenever our clients need a conversation, for everything you can’t Google. Build for modern users Despite big dreams, we’ve also made our fair share of mistakes! A lot of them mistakes happened when we took our attention away from our end customers. It sounds obvious to see it there on the page. But it can be easy to lose sight of the customers that matter most, especially when, as a tech CEO, sometime we get preoccupied with a shiny piece of new technology. And what of the future? Curiously, even the structures of artificial intelligence and machine learning look set to mimic human patterns. It’s still early days, but leaders in this space talk of ‘deep learning’ with AI – by layering up different tools that connect in the same way as our brain’s neural networks. And so, the next three years? My recent experiences have led us to ask even bigger questions than we did to begin with – which I suspect will lead to our next irresistible set of adventures! What if we could transform learning management systems into learning ecosystems? What if any community of learners could connect with any community of teachers? And what if a better understanding of outcomes from learning could help both individuals, organisations and society to thrive? So, what to consider first when it comes to users? The main thing to bear in mind is that they expect experiences that are easy and fast to access – a shift brought about by what we call the ‘Amazon Prime Mindset.’ In this era, clunky user experiences reduce the chances of uptake of services. In short, if your technology can’t match or exceed the quality of digital experience people get in their everyday lives, then you’ll need to go back to the drawing board. Create wins for the many So, if users come first – who else can we harness the power of technology for? I for one believe there are exciting times ahead. Our answer? Everyone else in the system. 46 insightssuccess.com September 2019

50. The 10 Most Inspiring Women in Business 2019/ Trina Watt Trina Watt Providing Technical Marketing for Technical Companies B tes?mony to the fact that more women are playing an important role in business and inspiring others. One such inspiring businesswoman is Trina Wa?, Founder of Wa? Knowledge, a technical marke?ng agency providing a range of marke?ng services that address the specific needs of technology based companies. With a marke?ng background in global technology companies, Trina started Wa? Knowledge in 2015 so she could use her wealth of marke?ng experience to help start-up and scale-up technology companies in their early years. company has also moved away from focusing on all company sizes. Over the last two years it has focused more on the start-up/scale-up space where it can bring the biggest return during these cri?cal years of a company. Celebra?ng Good Stuff While explaining about the essen?al a?ributes every entrepreneur should possess, Trina highlights the importance of pa?ence, resilience, having fun, and having fantas?c group of people in the team. To begin with Trina found rejec?ons hard to handle. She had always been in large organiza?ons where losing business didn’t feel personal, but with it being her own company found it hard not to take personally. It took her a few years to work out that this can go both ways and that she can also reject working with companies that wouldn’t suit working with Wa? Knowledge. She strongly believes that as a virtual marke?ng agency it’s important to work well with your clients and for them to see you as part of their team, even though you’re not in the same office. usinesses run by women con?nue to be the shining light in the present market. The recent Global Entrepreneurship Summits are Trina has the rare ability to translate technical concepts into easily digestable marke?ng and business messages that are cri?cal to the success of technology dependent businesses. This enables companies to maximise their visibility thus gaining a compe??ve edge and maximising business impact. Most marke?ng/PR companies start at the marke?ng level, however Wa? Knowledge goes to a more technical level star?ng at the engineering level and building the marke?ng message from there. By doing this it translates the technology from the engineering level avoiding key features being lost in transla?on. As an entrepreneur, you need to have pa?ence as things don’t happen overnight, resilience as things don’t always go in the direc?on you had planned, and you need to find ways to get through the difficult ?mes. Trina advises celebra?ng the good stuff. She says, “It can be easy to overlook this but it is vital to celebrate – it helps to reassure you of why you are being an entrepreneur.” While men?oning about the challenges on the journey, Trina men?ons that one of the challenges many technology startups have is ge?ng experienced technical marke?ng people who can cover topics ranging from technical discussions through to PR. Wa? Knowledge fills this gap in a flexible way that enables companies to gain an experience marke?ng team at lower cost or supplement their exis?ng teams. Transla?ng Technology Having been in the technology industry for over 25 years, Trina had seen a lot of technologies fail – even with a really good product – and companies failing to understand why people weren’t ge?ng excited about their technology. This is especially true as technology is ge?ng more complex with more innova?ons at risk of failure before they get started. Another lesson she learned on her journey is that the people you work with are what makes it possible. She men?ons that her team at Wa? Knowledge are all at the top of their game and she trusts them explicitly. This means it doesn’t all sit on her shoulders as it did in the early days. She stresses that you have to have fun and works with “the most fantas?c group of people Focusing on Start-ups Trina men?ons that the UK is full of innova?ve startups and Cambridge in par?cular has both strong technology and biotech sectors. Ini?ally in just the tech space, Wa? Knowledge has diversified to include biotech bringing their wealth of marke?ng knowledge and exper?se to this growing area. The With her background in engineering and marke?ng, she knew it was o?en due to poor marke?ng messaging, not the technology itself. If the customer does not understand what your product brings to them or why it is be?er than the current products you will not be successful. 48 insightssuccess.com September 2019