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Chad Dion Lassiter, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC), graced the cover of Worldu2019s Leaders Magazine as one of the Worldu2019s Most Influential Black Corporate Leaders Making A Footprint in 2024
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World’s Most Inuential Black Corporate Leaders Making A Footprint in 2024 Leading Globally A person from anywhere in the globe may become a business leader in any part of the world, and the C- level board is no exception as diversity and inclusion have emerged as the key components of organizational success. With no restrictions on their ability to lead, we can now observe that a large number of black executives are revolutionizing the corporate environment. The unusually growing success in the corporate sector in recent years is a testament to their vision and commitment to improve the workplace and put boldly original ideas into the pipeline. work spans various countries, including the U.S., Africa, Canada, Haiti, Israel, and Norway, where he has addressed issues related to race, peace, and poverty. Lassiter is often sought after by media outlets for commentary on race relations and potential solutions. The PHRC, which Lassiter has led for the past five years, holds legislatively delegated authority to investigate complaints involving unlawful discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, commercial property, education, and public accommodations. World's Leaders latest edition “World's Most Influential Black Corporate Leaders Making A Footprint in 2024” has featured leaders from a variety of sectors who are exceptional vision in leading while using best practices and methods to put their ideas into action. Also, while you flip through the pages, don't forget to read the articles created by our in-house editorial staff and industry experts. The cover has Chad Dion Lassiter, currently serving as the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). Lassiter is a distinguished figure in the realm of American Race Relations, recognized nationally for his expertise. His Have a lovely read!
CREDIT PAGE Editor-in-Chief Steve Sanchez Managing Editor Jagdish Chincholikar Executive Editor Nicole Williams Assistant Editor Gayatri Bhujbal Art & Design Director Jack Anderson Business Development Manager Mia Oliver Business Development Executive Natalie, Jerrey Associate Designer Kevin Rust Digital Marketing Manager Victor Clarke Sales Manager Megan Morgan, Irfan Shekh Marketing Manager Tom Swann Technical Specialist Barry Jones Circulation Manager Danny Parker February 2024 3296 Westerville Rd #250, Columbus, OH 43224, USA Copyright 2024 WORLD’S LEADERS, 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 WORLD’S LEADERS Reprint rights remain solely with WORLD’S LEADERS. Follow us on :
08 y Chad Dion Lassiter Pioneering the Global Influence on Race, Peace, and Poverty
Apostle Fred Osei Annin 18 Dr Emmanuel Lamptey 22 Dr. JoAnn Ajayi-Scott 26 Jay Richards 32 Malik Mcintyre 36 40 Mamela Luthuli 44 Melinda Emerson 50 Sam Wanekeya 54 Sharon Leid
Founder & CEO APOSTLE FRED OSEI ANNIN A Man of God with the Vision 'Good Health and Better Life for All' 18 | February 2024
A worldsleaders.com | 19
Dr Emmanuel Lamptey Striving to be a Niche Player and Household Name in Environmental Consultancy Industry What if you showed up for work one day only to find that half of your clientele had switched to your rival? If the thought of revenue declines, acquisition costs, and the year's KPIs on declension has just given you cold sweats, then your disregard to clients' satisfaction, will make you run the danger of a victim. Customers who are satisfied and loyal to a brand are a key growth lever. Business and product decisions are influenced by customer satisfaction. It makes you stand out from the competition. Meet Dr. Emmanuel Lamptey, founder and CEO of Envaserv Research Consult (ERC), as he focuses on providing environmental solutions to clients and ensuring their optimal satisfaction. 22 | February 2024
Inception of Envaserv Research Consult (ERC) I Essentially, the lack of state-of-the-art tools/equipment, lengthy duration in the acquisition of primary environmental data due to non- availability of the toolset/equipment, the lack of all-encompassing environmental consultancy firm, coupled with the need for accurate data and information for critical environmental decisions lent impetus to the formation of Envaserv Research Consult. macrobenthic faunistic analysis, & photography); aquatic ecological studies (e.g. fisheries surveys & biodiversity studies); water quality & aquatic plume modeling; air quality & emission dispersion modeling; climate impact assessments; geospatial analysis; agriculture research and soil testing; quality testing for exported & imported products;; petroleum PVT analysis/studies; and facility inspection & material testing. Services with Additional Value The company provides these services in an environment that values professionalism, safety awareness, high-quality results, prompt service delivery, with high ethical standards and excellent performance culture. Envaserv Research Consult Ltd. is a multifunctional environmental management consultancy and laboratory testing company that provides cutting-edge solutions and services with high quality bespoke products and results on time and within budgetary requirements to clients in the oil and gas, mining, agriculture, transportation, construction, manufacturing, and telecommunication industries, and we thus create a shared value beyond compliance. The company offers client-focused and environmentally sustainable solutions to clients in the public and private sectors. The company is a leading ISO certified (ISO 9001:2015) environmental consultancy and ISO accredited (ISO/IEC 17025:2017) environmental testing laboratory within the sub-region. In September 2011, Envaserv Research Consult (ERC) acquired the necessary legal documentation to function as an entity. The necessity at the time to have a comprehensive, multifaceted, and all- encompassing environmental organisation that would provide customised services and environmental solutions to clients in the industry necessitated the establishment of ERC. The need for quality research and accurate data that might help customers make decisions about policies and plans of environmental stewardship was crucial, coupled with an emerging field and the exigency for a stop-shop environmental solution service provider supported with cutting-edge environmental laboratory were the motivating drivers for Dr Lamptey in the formation of Envaserv Research Consult. Responsibilities and Roles As the company's founder and CEO, Dr. Lamptey is primarily focused on the company's overall growth, profitability, and sustainability. Creating a strong, committed, innovative, and motivated workforce; ensuring that the corporate performance culture is optimised ; giving customer satisfaction a top priority; and creating strong market penetration and buoyancy strategies are the activities that ensure realising the CEO's goals. Additionally, he communicates with his customers to make sure their needs are met on time and within their set budget. His responsibilities as a CEO also include overseeing regular corporate operations and provision of technical help to key departments. It offers multidisciplinary, one-stop environmental services in the following fields: environmental assessments (such as ESIA, SEA, ESMP, and PER); social consultations (such as RAP, community/stakeholder engagements); marine geophysical/hydrographical surveys/research (such as SBES, MBES, SSS, and Metocean); marine geotechnical survey/research (such as vibro-coring); marine sediment characterization (e.g. sediment grab, Back then, the rental requisition for a piece of environmental monitoring equipment were only available by a week or two thereby disrupting a planned usage for field assessment/research for primary data collection, which outcomes frequently are information preceding or required for clients' advisory services. Dr. Lamptey states, "Ostensibly, the success of the company will inure to my success as an innovative and transformational CEO.” worldsleaders.com | 25
Designing to Create Something New and Enticing alik Mcintyre began his career as a designer in M proved to be a difficult task, and he soon realized that he couldn't finance his passion. To overcome this challenge, he joined the military in 2015 with the aim of earning enough money to relaunch his design business. Despite the demanding schedule, he persevered and continued to design while serving as a full-time sailor, which was quite challenging due to his unpredictable work schedule. After a seven-month deployment, he found that his brand had lost much of its momentum. Recognizing the need to rekindle interest, Malik designed his most popular piece, the chaos puffer, which went viral in 2019. military right after graduation and saved enough to release my first collection at 19 years old. 2014 under the moniker Kass Kouture. However, juggling the business and his studies Tell us about the inception of Mcintyre. How did it all start? I actually just rebranded to McIntyre last year; prior to that, the brand was called Kash Kouture. I started KK when I was 18, and it appealed to the audience that I grew up around (Chicago). After leaving the city and spending time to truly find myself and my style, I realized that I was tailoring my designs to fit an image that I didn't embody. I wanted my brand to reflect me and my art, so I created McIntyre. The designs are out of the box, colorful, and fun, but not for everybody. After years of creating for everybody else, I decided it was time to start just creating for myself. Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World's Leaders and Malik Mcintyre: Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace. I'm the same person everywhere! The military has definitely instilled discipline and leadership in me, but I've always maintained a fun and charismatic energy. I can be very serious when it's crunch time, but I'm still very easygoing and approachable. I feel like true artists don't create for other people; their art comes from them, and they simply wait for like-minded people who love and respect their craft to tune in. A perfect example of a true artist is Lady Gaga. When she made her debut, many people were confused. Who is she? What is this sound? I never want to make people feel like they're working FOR me, but WITH me. It's very important for me that all of my assistants, models, photographers, etc. feel like they're a part of my team. Nobody had ever seen anything like it; she brought drama and art back into music. To me, that's a true artist. Artists don't just make songs with a catchy hook that they know people will like; they put their soul into their work. Describe your background and what did you do before you started Mcintyre? I've had a job ever since I was legally allowed to work. I started off bagging groceries at Jewel-Osco when I was 16, and then I picked up a second job tutoring kids after school. I discovered my love for design when I was 17 and quickly discovered how expensive the craft can be. I joined the What has made you successful? What do you value? Persistence. I will never quit; I'll exhaust every option before I give up on my craft. Which are the major services of the company and how does Mcintyre get ahead in the competition? What value-added services do you provide? 36 | February 2024
time that I couldn't do any of this without her hard work, I say her name in all of my interviews, and I take her with me to every red carpet event. A win for McIntyre is a win for everyone involved. What is the significance of innovative ideas in Mcintyre? McIntyre wouldn't be where it is now without my creativity. There are so many brands in the "fast fashion" era that we're in, you really have to provide something that people can't get anywhere else. When you're an upcoming designer, you can't rely on your name to make the sale. So I make sure that everything I release is something unique to the brand that people can't get anywhere else. Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes? Being in the military, commands rely on individual heroics. Working in the navy is not like most jobs because when you underperform, they can't fire you. You would think the right solution to that would be to hold them accountable and force them to change, but sadly, this isn't true most of the time. Commands will assign the most responsibility to those they believe are capable, while underperformers will be given little to no responsibility. Is it fair? Absolutely not, but normally it doesn't change until your achiever finally cracks due to all the pressure. What are your responsibilities as the Founder / Director of the brand? What is the happiest part of your daily routine? My job is to provide creative direction for the designing portion of the brand and oversight for the business aspect. Creative direction is my favorite because it doesn't feel like work at all; it's just me providing ideas and pulling designs from my chaotic mind. Customer service is something I take the most pride in. I make sure everything that comes with the brand is on par with high-end labels, from the packaging to the customer service to the quality of the clothes. When customers order something from me for the first time, they're always surprised at how high the quality is. What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time? Be kind but also firm. You want the people who work under you to feel like they can approach you but also respect you at the same time. What are the most important aspects of a company's culture? What principles do you believe in and how do you build this culture? Creating a work environment that everyone can thrive in I still have a very small team. I have one intern and one assistant, but I make sure that they get a lot out of working for me, not just money. I truly feel like if you want people to be excited to work for you, you have to make them feel as important as they are. Don't ask someone to do something that you couldn't or wouldn't do yourself. And lastly, treat people like people. People make mistakes, people need time off, people have feelings. Always take that into consideration when you make authoritative decisions. Everyone should be treated with the same amount of respect, from the top to the bottom. I tell my intern all the 38 | February 2024
Melinda Emerson “SmallBizLady" on her mission to End Small Business Failure! M PA. She also runs a second company SmallBizLadyUniversity.com, where she assists small businesses to start, grow and scale with her webinars, online courses, and coaching programs. She considers herself a fierce advocate for small businesses with her mission to End Small Business Failure. elinda Emerson, “SmallBizLady,” is regarded as America's #1 Small Business Expert. For more than 24 years, she has been the CEO of Quintessence Group, an award-winning marke?ng consul?ng firm based in Philadelphia, Through Quintessence Group, her firm advises Fortune 500 companies on marke?ng strategies to engage the small business market. Ms. Emerson's firm has worked with over 150 corporate partners including VISA, FedEx, Verizon, Google, Adobe, The Har?ord, American Express, Pitney Bowes, and Sam'Club. Quintessence specializes in customer acquisi?on and reten?on strategies to enhance customer growth in the small business market. She helps both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies u?lize social selling techniques including content, digital marke?ng strategy, email, and influencer marke?ng programs. Melinda Emerson draws upon a wealth of business knowledge and insights to inform her work. She has published more than 5,000 ar?cles on her highly regarded blog “succeedasyourownboss.com,” which reaches over 3 million readers each week online. Her bestselling book, Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months, is in its third edi?on through Simon and Schuster. In addi?on to being a former columnist for The New York Times, she is regularly featured in publica?ons such as Inc., Entrepreneur, Yahoo Business, Black Enterprise, and Essence magazines. She is frequently sought a?er as a media spokesperson for news outlets including Fox Business, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC News and NBC Nightly News, as well as in print publica?ons like The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Fortune. In fact, Forbes Magazine recognized her as the number one woman for entrepreneurs to follow on Twi?er. 44 | February 2024
In addition to running her successful businesses, she has a passion for teaching entrepreneurs. She is currently as adjunct professor at her alma mater, Drexel University and she mentors many young women business owners, “I want to help young entrepreneurs benefit from my hard-learned lessons in business. I love sharing my secrets to success.” Below are highlights of the interview conducted between World's Leaders and Melinda Emerson: family, my community, and my faith. I am involved in many community service organizations, and I sing on the praise and worship team at my church. I am a professional single mom and dedicated business owner on a mission to end small business failure. I am a coaching leader who is committed to helping everyone be successful around me. I believe in leaving people better than I found them. in top-rated television. I worked in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia markets. Tell us about the inception of the company. How did it all start? My company, Quintessence Group, started in 1999 as a video production company; later, we developed websites too, and in 2007, we completely pivoted to focusing on social media marketing and content strategy. In 2011, we morphed into a full-service marketing consulting firm that exclusively focuses on working with Fortune 500 brands that target the small business market. Some of our clients include Verizon, Google, VISA, FedEx, and American Describe your background and what you did do before you started the company. I have a degree in broadcast journalism from Virginia Tech; I started my career as a news producer Describe who you are as a person, inside and outside of the workplace. Outside of my workplace, I am extremely passionate about my 46 | February 2024
Express. We also have an online school for small businesses www.smallbizladyuniversity.com. of the small business community, which I leverage for my clients. at what your customers and employees will need to be successful in the future. What value-added services does the company provide? Nobody knows the small business market like we do. We also develop courseware and educational content for our clients. What has made you successful? What do you value? I am extremely passionate about what I do, and I am relentlessly consistent in my work. I value establishing lasting relationships. I value partnering with clients to build innovative strategies to get results. I value my team. Teamwork really does make the dream work. Give us your opinion on; do organizations rely heavily on individual heroics or team processes? Any business is only as strong as its team's processes. In a strong company, anyone can be empowered to be a leader, even an intern. What are the most important aspects of a company's culture? An ideal company culture is one that focuses on its employees and customers. I feel it's important to continuously improve and find ways to meet customers' needs while upholding company values. What are your responsibilities as the President of the company? What is the happiest part of your daily routine? I love it when someone takes what I taught them and turns it into success. I believe in celebrating small and big wins in business. Which are the major services of the company, and how does the company get ahead of the competition? At Quintessence Group, we develop customer acquisition, customer retention, social media/content strategy, and influencer marketing programs. Our competitive advantage is that we only do B2SMB marketing. Our secret sauce for helping our clients reach the small business market is our intimate relationship with their target customers. As the SmallBizLady, my personal brand, blog, podcast, social media, and newsletter reach millions of small business owners each week online. I have my finger on the pulse What principles do you believe in, and how do you build this culture? You want your workplace to be nurturing and fun, with a clear sense of purpose and a commitment to excellence. You need to be kind and thoughtful as a leader, and that will set an example for everyone else. What advice would you give someone going into a leadership position for the first time? As a new leader, when in doubt, focus on the needs of the client, ask lots of questions, and do more listening than talking. What is the significance of innovative ideas in the company? In any business, you need to be focused on the future needs of your customers. It's not about what they need today; it's about looking ahead worldsleaders.com | 47
Sam Wanekeya A Techpreneur with Years of Expertise in Software Development Sam Wanekeya is a full-stack software engineer with Eight years of experience working as a part- time and full-time software engineer. He is a high-performing technology leader. Technical strategy, corporate architecture, cloud computing, big data, blockchain software development, and machine learning are among his areas of competence. 50 | February 2024
