Technology is constantly changing, and Tracy Ring, MD, Accenture Applied Intelligence, works in the dynamic field of Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Over the last 20 years, she has been engaged as the workforce has evolved, from technology to organizational models, delivery programs, and how the C-Suite embraces new tech. In this constant change, Tracy believes that AI technology is sustainable in offering fulfilling careers impacting clients’ businesses. She strives to support individuals in their career journeys and provide mentorship to help them achieve proficiency in the field of Data and AI.

For many years Tracy was the only female in the room, and she has worked relentlessly to bring other women along – and even “make the room bigger” by embracing a mindset of growth and inclusion. While much of her work guides the C-suite on how AI and Data are critical parts of their plan, Tracy’s passion projects are working with women in mentorship programs. “For example, I’m a founding member of the Women CIOs/CDOs and allies’ group in Women Leads in Data and Analytics (WLDA),” she says. “WLDA is not only centered on networking and career growth at the executive and rising management levels, but WLDA Academy is helping those that are in college or in their first five years out of college. I am very passionate about making time to mentor and I find that through every mentorship I’m also continually learning from my mentees.”

One of Tracy’s most significant role models is her aunt Katrina. She’s always been the one who instilled that one should never limit themselves in the art of the possible and that no dream is ever too big. “She’s extremely creative and helped me tap into my skills of creativity. When I was in the first few years of being a new manager, she talked about how important it was to really “get curious.” Tracy adds, “I also found that being curious was an excellent way for me to grow personally, and it showed my teams that being curious and not always knowing the answer to the question is not only acceptable but often encouraged.”

According to the steadfast leader, representation is one of the essential things that younger generations need to see and need to have. While everyone isn’t as fortunate as Tracy to have mentors who fearlessly cheers for their success, there are many ways that one can work to increase the diversity in every organization’s agenda. This can be when a younger girl sees a woman in the boardroom, sits as Vice President of the United States, or knows that a job title doesn’t reflect a specific gender. “We live in a time where unconscious bias can be a reality and having diverse teams can be one of the most effective solutions to closing that gap.”

One of Tracy’s most significant achievements is launching a women’s networking group five years ago. She had planned to invite 50 women in senior data leadership roles to a prestigious event at a technology conference. As her team put together a compelling panel of women leaders and secured a location that would foster networking and learning, they came to face a complex reality. There were barely 50 women attending the conference (of 3000+ in attendance), and many were in the early stages of their careers. “I was faced with a difficult decision, either cancel the event and avoid the lack of attendance or have a small event that didn’t deliver on my anticipated goals,” elucidates Tracy. “I distinctly remember thinking that this seemed like a no-win situation, and then I realized that I needed to think about what advice I would give myself. I realized I needed to celebrate progress over perfection.” She hosted the event with 14 women attendees, but that intimate gathering led to vibrant conversations and relationships that she maintains to this day. “What’s more, within my own organization, women heard about the program and boldly demanded we start the same group. As of today, my work around women in data has reached more than 2500 women. Reflecting on this success, I realize this may have never occurred if I wouldn’t have had the courage to proceed; sometimes the smallest endeavors can ultimately have the greatest impact.” IEWL

Estate planning: Why this media article should inspire you to engage and act now

An article has been shared a bit lately, likely because, simply said, it is tragic beyond words and, to many, absolutely unbelievable and unfathomable.

Nursing is one of the most rewarding, yet challenging, professions in health care. During a 12-hour shift, nurses may take on a demanding workload due to staffing shortages; endure workplace stress; risk exposure to infection, and still lose patients despite all their professional experience. These challenges were especially prevalent during the height of COVID-19. During the pandemic, a survey of health care workers, including nurses, reported that 93% felt stressed, 82% experienced emotional exhaustion, and 75% felt overwhelmed. Furthermore, more than 30% of nurses who left the profession cited burnout — mental and emotional exhaustion — as the cause.

Rebecca Love saw these challenges and wanted to address them by putting nurses first. Rebecca is the Chief Clinical Officer of IntelyCare Inc., a firm that offers a leading tech-enabled nurse staffing platform for healthcare organizations in the United States Through its AI-based platform, IntelyCare schedules and matches nursing professionals with open assignments at 1,600+ organizations across the country. In doing so, the company provides nurses and nursing assistants with unprecedented flexibility in their work lives while at the same time empowering healthcare organizations to take control of how they manage full-time, part-time, and per diem nursing staff.

IntelyCare is revolutionizing the future of work for the nursing workforce with its app and platform. While the healthcare industry is slowly changing with the times, it’s hard to move quickly. However, there is no turning back. The pandemic has pushed every workplace to change, and the nursing workforce wants to work differently. Rebecca believes that her fellow nurses are striving to work smarter and better without sacrificing themselves “for the profession that we love, and that we must do everything we can to afford this to nurses.” With Rebecca leading the charge to put nurses first, IntelyCare as a partner is building trust with nurses and empowering them to have control of their work their lives in a field that they love.

Rebecca spends a lot of time supporting women on their nursing career path. She is always looking for ways to mentor and coach nurses looking to start their businesses or revolutionize the nursing industry. She started the Nurse Hack program with Johnson & Johnson, the first nurse-specific hackathon. She also sits on multiple boards and volunteers as a mentor for underprivileged youth looking to move their career paths forward.

Rebecca strongly encourages interdepartmental growth and pushes people onto more prominent roles. Everyone on her team is encouraged to develop their brands, build their credentials, write thought leadership pieces, attend and speak at conferences, and put themselves out there. She wants what is best for her team, and if that means taking the skills they learn from her and applying them to the step in their careers, she will be happy. And while career trajectory is important, she believes it is equally important to seek work-life balance. If her colleagues value their external lives, she believes you’ll see them thrive in the office.

For Rebecca, the biggest achievement for IntelyCare to date is its latest funding round. “It’s a testament to the fact that the founders here had a strong vision and stuck with it, no matter what. That hard work resulted in a $115 million series C investment and a valuation of $1.1 billion, giving IntelyCare official unicorn status,” says Rebecca. One of IntelyCare’s long-term goals is to be available in all 50 states. “There is no clear leader in the Long-Term Care space and we want to take that mantle. We strive to be the partner nurses go to in this industry,” says Rebecca. It’s important to remember that the greatest generation, and one of the largest generations by population, is aging and will need care. “On top of that the average age of our nursing population is 50 years and older. The need for healthcare and for nursing professionals will not diminish and we need to make sure that there is a workforce going forward. People deserve to be taken care of.”

IntelyCare is doubling down on expansion across the US and its technology offerings to work better for nurses and healthcare facilities. “We are also starting to lean into the continuing education space so that there is a trusted resource for people looking to advance in their careers,” adds Rebecca. WL

Harnessing the power of people, technology, and science to bring new ideas to life — this encapsulates the strategy of Elena Velikova as she propels her company towards growth and success.

Elena heads AirDesigns, a digital innovation agency that she founded with her partner in 2013. According to her, it is the ever-changing technology sector that continues to fuel her desire to seek new knowledge and test out new ideas. This industry leader is definitely a believer in transformation and evolution.

Anchoring the Business

The heart of the business lies in their innovative, entirely new approach to building software and the constant effort to enhance their knowledge and methodology. It is with these key values that Elena differentiates the company from their competitors. These naturally translated into growth and a number of industry awards for AirDesigns over the years.

“Our mission is to lead the development industry in adopting a scientific and data-driven approach to building websites, apps, and e-commerce platforms that consistently deliver results,” Elena shares. She further reiterated her strong drive in serving startups and enterprises to help them achieve exponential growth and operational efficiency.

AirDesigns’ scientifically proven methodology and extensive knowledge base have multiplied growth and performance for their clients. Elena cites that “5x improvements have become the norm.” Naturally this achievement evolves into a company’s promise to their clients: 5x better digital products launched on time or they get the code for free. Consistently meeting this promise pushed AirDesigns’ growth figures up at 67% YOY in 2019. Not a small feat in today’s highly competitive web development space.

The company has maintained a deliberate and conscious approach towards ensuring that their methodology and knowledge base remain updated and relevant. Elena reveals how they examine and evaluate their performance at the end of every project. Doing so pinpoints vital activities and mistakes so they can tweak and improve their methodology accordingly. This and their strong company culture of delivering their brand’s promise are the keys to success.

Success Formula

AirDesigns started with the mission to overcome two industry challenges: first, most websites do not deliver the expected results and fail to contribute to the company’s bottom line (with the failure rate pegged at around 75%); and second, web development projects are notorious for overshooting their budgets and timelines (usually 3x budget & timeline overrun) and never launch on time.

AirDesigns changed this. Company’s success formula put together an entirely new approach to building custom websites and e-commerce centered around the power of people, technology, and science. Their new approach involved hiring only highly trained digital strategists, designers, and developers, combined with a powerful modular development methodology, a lot of automations and extremely efficient processes engineered for speed, simplicity, and transparency.

While many companies cannot justify the cost of hiring great talent and investing in processes and automations, Elena believes the opposite. For her, “one great person could replace three good ones, and we proved this in practice.” Thus, AirDesigns remain competitive providing reasonable pricing without sacrificing quality,” she added.

Unlocking Opportunities During Lockdown

Nobody was prepared for the global pandemic in 2020. AirDesigns faced uncertainty like most of the companies all around the world. Elena had to quickly think on her feet and act to respond to the situation.

She recognized the need of a new, flexible business model that would allow them to boost profits in times of rapid growth and stay profitable even when revenues go down. They made quick pivot transforming AirDesigns into a virtual agency and took advantage of two global trends: remote working and the growing army of people who want to work on their own terms. Thus, the company overcame one of the biggest industry challenges – the “talent deficit.”

Opening doors to the global talent pool of developers and keeping their monthly fixed costs low led them to greater profitability despite the global challenges. At the rate things are going, it looks like yearend figures for 2021 will show quite an impressive growth. Third quarter financials show that they’ve already hit their projected yearend growth of another 34%.

Women in Business

To succeed as a business leader, Elena shares valuable lessons she learned through her entrepreneurial journey:

1. Be persistent in pursuing dreams and goals through deliberate action.

2. Accept change as something natural and know that to achieve something different, you have to try a whole new approach.

3. Knowledge is the new currency. Never stop learning.

4. Be curious about new methods, models, and concepts.

5. Be in constant contact with colleagues and clients.

To Elena, “female leaders have the unique ability to see the whole picture, to improvise, to do several things at once, and to see the purely human qualities of the people they work with.” These make women leaders most powerful. “The world is demanding more authentic companies and the business of the future will insist on work that is meaningful,” she concludes. IEWL

AirDesigns

Management

Elena Velikova
CEO and Co-founder of AirDesigns

Description

We’re called “Air” designs because we give a breath of fresh air to every project we work on. Fresh air for the people and organizations we collaborate with, fresh air for their customers, fresh air for us, and fresh air for our planet.

Trudy Bourgeois, Founder & CEO, The Center for Workforce Excellence, is passionate about unleashing the most significant potential in everyone she meets. She is a compassionate leader who sees the role of leadership as a coach and teacher. Trudy also believes that the best leaders are lifelong learners. She has superb interpersonal skills, which has enhanced her ability to serve as a trusted advisor to CEOs and C-Suite leaders across multiple industries.

“I have devoted my career to helping global organizations implement and maximize the value of their diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives. In 2001, I founded the Center for Workforce Excellence with the mission of partnering with business leaders to create inclusive cultures in which employees are treated fairly and afforded equal opportunities.”

Trudy is a spiritual person and sees her work more as a ministry than a job. She is an overcomer. Growing up in segregation, being a part of desegregation, living through Jim Crow and the Civil Rights movement, she is committed to equity and equality. Her constitutional rootedness in serving was shaped by her experience growing up as one of ten children. She knows what it feels like to do without and, as a result, is always in a state of gratitude.

“I have been facing gender and racial bias since childhood. Being born in 1959 in Mobile, Alabama, in segregation, there were only a few people who believed in me. I experienced lots of exclusion just for breathing. My sister and I integrated the Catholic school system in the city and experienced horrific roadblocks,” says Trudy. “Throughout my life I was frequently the only Black woman in the room. As I climbed the corporate ladder, I continued to face biases. But the blessing is that I have gained confidence in my ability to build high performing teams. I learned to trust myself. I also had to find the courage to be first. It is more than a notion to be a pioneer. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t be able to help others had I not gone through these fires.”

Trudy founded the Center for Workforce Excellence, a global leadership development company focused on building inclusive leaders and cultures to drive better business results, in August of 2001. The Company is now 20 years old. She runs the business based upon three critical pillars: customer centricity, people centricity, and future centricity. She draws on her lived experience as a corporate sales/marketing executive to build leadership development programs that are disruptive, impactful, and measurable. She is constantly studying workforce, consumer, and business trends, enabling her to stay engaged as a forward thinker. She is not afraid to challenge the status quo and speak the truth to power. She believes that leaders must be willing to be disruptive to make the shifts needed to gain a competitive advantage in today’s market.

Trudy has a hectic schedule but always makes time to mentor other female entrepreneurs. It is a person’s passion. “When I started the business, I was introduced to two ladies who had been in the business for a number of years. One was white and one was Black. I had a phone conversation with each of these women. The white woman told me that she didn’t think that I would be accepted by the dominant group so I should focus on my own community. The Black woman told me that she went to the school of hard knocks and suggested that I do the same. These experiences were the catalyst for a personal commitment to help as many women as possible launch their businesses or take it to the next level,” she explains. “I recommend that women understand their value proposition. To be successful, we have to be problem solvers.”

The Center for Workforce Excellence was formed in part because of experience in corporate America. Trudy climbed the ladder and obtained the position of VP of Sales in a large organization. “I also didn’t like the daily experience of feeling alone and of being subjected to microaggressions daily. I decided, after a long period of reflection, that I was either going to be part of the problem or a part of the solution. In the end, I decided to be a part of the solution to creating work environments where people could be embraced for their differences and afforded equal opportunities to experience success,” says Trudy proudly. IEWL

In the three years she has been in her role as Managing Partner/CEO of Briggs & Veselka Co., Sheila Enriquez, has helped the firm transform from a primarily Houston-based local firm, to a regional firm with additional offices in Austin, and The Woodlands. During that time, the firm also made it to the Top 100 CPA firms list in the U.S., debuting at #91 and most recently ranked at #86. In a world facing exponential change and disruption due to technology and innovation, not to mention the pandemic, Sheila is constantly scanning the horizon for threats and opportunities to ensure that the firm is agile and responsive and remains relevant and competitive. Sheila’s resilience trait has helped her lead the firm through crisis and change management, giving the firm the ability to take calculated risks, develop the agility to respond to new situations, and effectively manage crises or difficulties.

“Briggs & Veselka empowers people through diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, and encourages them to pave their path to bring satisfaction both in their professional and personal lives. When people are valued for their contributions and given the tools to succeed, they bring their best to the clients they serve.”

Sheila strives to be a true servant leader that helps create organizations and movements bigger than herself. She leads with her heart and believes in authentic leadership. Sheila fosters openness and transparency and always puts the best interest of the organization first. She leads by example and continuously empowers others so they can achieve their greatest potential. Sheila surrounds herself with the best and the brightest, believing that building a pipeline of future leaders ensures the organization’s long-term sustainability.

Sheila is a first-generation immigrant who came to the United States on a scholarship to pursue higher education. Through the power of education and the relationships she has cultivated with people who have helped her along the way, she was able to rise and achieve a fulfilling career that allows her to positively impact other people, her clients, and the community. Sheila encourages those she mentors to detect and articulate their “WHY,” i.e., their life’s purpose, and define the values that matter the most to them. She also believes in nurturing a growth mindset, being open to possibilities, and embracing opportunities that come your way. Sheila believes in “work-life integration,” and practices it every day. She believes that the key is finding the right organization that will appreciate you for who you are and what you bring to the organization, much like how Briggs & Veselka did for Sheila.

One of the things that makes Briggs & Veselka so successful is its ability to create a pipeline of future leaders who find a place in the firm to hone their skills and pursue their respective passion while filling needs within the firm. “In a sense, we are an entrepreneurial firm that provides opportunities for professionals to pursue a practice within the practice,” says Sheila. “As an example, we have many service lines in the firm that were developed by individuals that discovered a passion for a particular work and took it upon themselves to develop and grow that specific practice, such as our Employee Benefits Plan, Forensic/Valuation/Litigation Support, International Tax, and many other practices.” The firm empowers its associates and encourages them to pave their own path to achieve satisfaction both in their professional and personal lives.

The company’s 5-year strategic plan lays out a goal to hit $80 million in revenues by 2023, and its objectives include: protecting firm culture, becoming an employer of choice, setting the right governance to support growth, implementing firm efficiencies and innovation, and an M&A strategy that will give them a presence in each of the major cities in Texas. “We have made significant strides in each of our strategic initiatives and by the end of 2019, the firm surpassed a milestone by hitting $50 million in revenues and landed us on the Accounting Today’s Top 100 Accounting Firms nationwide, where we debuted at #91. In the most recently released 2020 ranking, we rose to #86, which is a major milestone in the 47-year history of our firm, and one that we are very proud to have accomplished as a team,” adds Sheila. IE

Briggs & Veselka Co

Management

Sheila Enriquez
Managing Partner & CEO

Description

Briggs & Veselka has provided audit, tax and consulting services to individuals and emerging middle-market businesses since 1973. Our over 300 employees and partners provide a high level of client service—in fact, our net promoter scores are four times the industry average.

Jessica Babila, Vice President, Digital Marketing of STAMPEDE, has a great passion for film and tv; being a fangirl is her secret weapon. “I’ll wait in line for hours at Comic Con to watch a panel about my favorite tv show, buy the collectable action figure or countdown the minutes to a trailer release,” she says. “While I consume, I’m also studying and applying those learnings to our campaigns.” With her immense industry experience and curiosity, Jessica has taken the company to new heights. STAMPEDE is an award-winning marketing agency focused on delivering bold and intelligent creative campaigns. Whether it be Trailers, TV spots, Broadcast, EPK, Creative Content, or Social/Digital, the company prides itself on telling fresh, innovative, and unforgettable stories.

“STAMPEDE CREATIVE is an award-winning marketing agency, totally focused on delivering bold and intelligent creative campaigns. Whether it be a Trailers, TV spots, Broadcast, EPK, Creative Content, or Social/Digital, we pride ourselves on telling stories that are fresh, innovative, and indelible.”

By championing and amplifying women and their voices, Jessica has been inspiring and empowering women entrepreneurs across industries to become great tomorrow leaders. “As women we can feel like we’re struggling instead of thriving at times, so I constantly encourage others to turn that self-doubt into self-confidence,” she says. “Become unstoppable and don’t forget to enjoy the journey. Really take the time and appreciate all the fruits of your labor.” Being a steadfast woman leader, she advises, “Last but not least, do not let anyone take you back to a level you’ve already leveled up from. By collaborating with people of diverse backgrounds, embracing different perspectives and intervening when someone else is being marginalized become the true leaders you are.”

Jessica considers herself lucky to have strong female leaders influencing her career who have taken the time to uplift and push her to be unstoppable. “Someone who has always championed my endeavors is Bettina Sherick. She is consistently making waves in the digital space and I’m constantly learning from her,” she adds. “Fortunately, she is someone in my life that I can call if I have any questions or advice without judgement. She listens and helps in any way that she can.” With great leaders guiding Jessica, the pioneering leader has been able to bring about a transformation in the entertainment industry.

Along with her team, Jessica is serving the entertainment industry relentlessly with marketing material, social/digital content, production/original programming, and post-production finishing. “I embrace the reality we’re facing day-to-day and leverage it in my campaigns. I stop and think will this piece of content enhance the lives of our community positively?.” She adds, “The world has so much going on with it already, I strive to have my content at least bring a smile to someone’s face. Anything more is just a bonus.”

STAMPEDE brings high-quality sound and video to the digital space, along with a wealth of experience in creating original editorial content. Every asset they create goes through arduous amounts of processes for it to be perfect. At STAMPEDE, they treat each asset the same because every piece that goes out represents them. “For the days to come, I see Stampede growing immensely, even within the year. We’re already looking for more office space because of the growth,” says Jessica. “A lot of big projects are happening at the moment, which will be showcased later this year. Eventually maybe we’ll add more services, we’re just taking it one day at a time. The entertainment industry can provide a really exciting career. Make sure to take the time to listen, inspire and grow.”IE

STAMPEDE

Management

Jessica Babila
Vice President

Description

STAMPEDE CREATIVE is an award-winning marketing agency, totally focused on delivering bold and intelligent creative campaigns. Whether it be a Trailers, TV spots, Broadcast, EPK, Creative Content, or Social/Digital, we pride ourselves on telling stories that are fresh, innovative, and indelible.

Manning & Co celebrates its 13th anniversary this year, a remarkable achievement in a world of ongoing disruption and constant change. This alone is an example of how Gemma Manning’s visionary leadership has kept Manning & Co constantly ahead of the curve and sister company Gemstar. Her agility and ability to navigate changing market circumstances have helped ensure that the brands she has created are always relevant to its clients.

Further, Gemma’s ability to execute her vision with precision and ethics at the core form part of the business’s sustainable success. Manning & Co continues its strong growth trajectory because of an above and beyond ethos. Gemma, as a founder, maintains a high standard and expectation from not only herself but also the brands she keeps. Her reputation has received attention from leaders at the highest levels.

Gemma has created not just one but two businesses with international reach in traditionally male-dominated industries. Manning & Co operates in B2B marketing and Gemstar in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. She challenges the status quo in both of her ventures, paving the way for female leaders’ next generation. For example, one of Manning & Co’s main specialist industries is IT and technology, which historically has been male-dominated. Manning & Co is highly respected and recognized in this sector, recently getting the nod by industry analyst Forester as one of the world’s top 85 channel marketing and PR companies.

In contrast, most of the other companies recognized in that same list are male-led. Gemma is a believer in opening doors for others by not being afraid to break the glass. She also is committed to leading by example and showing future generations of women who want to start their businesses that anything is possible and that you can dream big.

Manning & Co was born out of adversity. When Gemma had her first child, her male boss told her that she couldn’t be a new mother and hold down a demanding corporate job. This led her to essentially starting her own business. At the same time when Gemma started Manning & Co, she also identified several significant pain points in the marketing consulting industry that she wanted Manning & Co to address. As a Head of Marketing in her previous corporate role, Gemma had first-hand experience working with marketing and communication consultancies and was often unimpressed. She also recognized that the market was quite limited at the time, and marketing agencies only focused on briefs provided to them rather than coming up with ideas from scratch and working collaboratively with clients.

Manning & Co is a hybrid of McKinsey & Co. and Ogilvy. They are a professional services firm where Gemma has bridged the marketing consulting industry gap and injects a high level of business strategy into the mix, extending the current typical industry offering. She filled the void in her first domestic market of Australia and Asia, the US, and the UK, which explains why Manning & Co is such a respected and well-established business even after 13 years. Gemma and her team come up with the ideas for their clients and provide them with best practice recommendations and strategic thinking, and complete execution capability ensuring that there is always a high level of transparency of results for our clients.

Although Manning & Co celebrates its 13th anniversary this month, it is just the beginning in many ways. They recognize that amid the global pandemic, companies need Manning & Co. more than ever. “So, we plan to continue to grow our team across the key international markets, including the US, where we have already begun to support several global projects. We think there are significant potential and opportunity in the US market, especially in thought leadership development and content marketing and, more broadly- integrated marketing as a service,” adds Gemma. “We are equally excited about our inclusive entrepreneurship education program, YoungGems and digitally scaling this business empowering communities across the globe.” IE

Manning & Co

Management

Gemma Manning
Founder and Group CEO

Description

Manning & Co. is a global integrated marketing, branding and PR company that helps businesses grow. We provide integrated end-to-end marketing solutions that support your business goals.

As Managing Director at DAVIDSON, Alexandra unites entrepreneurial vision with an imaginative eye for design. Her experience, passion, and drive complement her creative side—her innate ability to know what works, aesthetically, and what doesn’t. Just as important in a business leader is an open-minded and personable approach that understands what people want and need. Similarly, Alexandra’s positivity—even in the face of challenges—and her natural energy and dedication to what she does have enabled her to steer DAVIDSON through tumultuous times and ensure the company maintains its standing as the go-to destination for luxury British furniture design.

DAVIDSON is a family business. As a result, Alexandra’s role in the company is incredibly personal—it’s not something she can simply ‘leave at the office.’ This means that she pours everything into her work and strives to create a company culture that prioritizes both people and passion. What’s more, with two young children of her own, she has learnt how to effectively balance family and work life and keep everyone happy. Despite the challenges this poses, she has succeeded in navigating a path that allows her to be fully present both at home and at work, expertly juggling diverse commitments and developing the flexibility and strength of character to confront and surmount any obstacles that arise.

As a female business leader in a world where men have traditionally been the main players, Alexandra is an inspiring figure whose success serves to motivate other women to rise to the top, become directors of thriving companies, make an impact, and enjoy success on their terms. What’s more, she actively participates in the growing conversation about women in business, spreading awareness about the challenges that female entrepreneurs face and how to overcome them. These are the qualities she is imbibing to take the company to new heights.

DAVIDSON responded to a gap in the market when it came to high-end furniture designed and manufactured in Britain. “We wanted to showcase the expert craftsmanship here in our own country, supporting and highlighting the work of talented artisans who were creating stunning furniture using heritage techniques,” says Alexandra. Today, DAVIDSON is one of Britain’s pre-eminent luxury furniture businesses with designs that combine innovation with enduring style. “We work closely with clients to understand their vision, personalising designs to their specific preferences, whether it’s a particular finish or custom-made fitted furniture.”

Alexandra adds, “At DAVIDSON, our goal is to create furniture that lasts a lifetime. These are pieces that will accompany you throughout your life and be passed on to your children too. Our designs are timeless, transcending fashion fads and combining the best of contemporary style and traditional techniques.” She explains, “Our furniture evokes a low-key luxury. Our pieces are eye-catching without being over-the-top, allowing our clients to incorporate the best of high-end design into their interior without feeling as though they’re living in a showroom.”

Alexandra recently worked on a request from a high-powered business owner who wanted to create a study after lockdown and COVID restrictions prevented her from going into the office. She wanted to create a serene and inspiring working environment amenable to both productivity and creativity. “Many home offices are purely functional. We wanted to develop a space that was imaginative and beautiful,” she says. “The final result included DAVIDSON’s striking Deco-inspired Eclipse Writing Desk which is part of the Eclipse Collection with matching cabinetry and shelving in high-gloss figured anegre. Our client now had somewhere to work, somewhere to store essentials, and a place where she could display those treasured objects that would inspire and kindle her creativity.”

The main focus for the company in the coming year is the expansion of their Fitted service. “Our service serves to deliver furniture solutions tailor-made to the client—customised to their unique preferences and tastes,” adds Alexandra. “We are currently working on launching nine different fitted collections, consisting of three home studies, three home bars, and three media walls. Additionally, we are looking to expand our brand with stockists in both NYC and the Middle East.”IEWL

DAVIDSON LONDON

Management

Alexandra Davidson
Managing Director at DAVIDSON LONDON

Description

DAVIDSON has grown to become one of the most desirable interior brands in this country and worldwide. With an experienced team dedicated to producing excellence, the company has established a reputation for delivering impeccable service and design to private clients and many of the world’s leading interior designers.

Kathryn Wilson spent more than two decades in the pharmaceutical advertising business, rising the ranks one rung at a time. After 20 years, she looked around and realized that her entire career had been spent doing the work, making things happen, building relationships, and turning the profits over to a sea of middle-aged men that were in corner offices studying spreadsheets and calculating profit margins. “I wasn’t having fun anymore and I certainly wasn’t optimistic about my future. I was also 8 months pregnant with twins. I thought about changing industries, or just dealing with the status quo and focusing on my family, but I knew in my heart there had to be something more,” says the CEO, Managing Partner at VUE Health, who wrote the business plan while in labor with her now 4 year old girls.

She created a company focused on diverse and interesting senior-level people doing great work, setting boundaries, being partners, not vendors, and having fun. “We are smart, quirky, passionate people that like to solve complex problems and have a great time doing it,” says Kathryn. “We are diverse in background, culture, religion, language and many other areas that make our team a rich tapestry of life.” She adds, “We are fearless in our pursuit of greatness and we are always learning, always evolving and always finding new ways to solve a problem. That passion runs deep at VUE and it is what makes us so special.”

According to Kathryn, inspiration is the crossroads between knowledge and hope. “I spend a lot of time with women at various parts of their career, helping them to understand their value, shaking lose the fears that in order to be successful they have to avoid issues and conversations that make others uncomfortable,” she says. “It is about finding your confidence and your voice. Being the most prepared person in the room and standing in your strength. Early in my career, I was blissfully ignorant to any glass ceiling. Because I didn’t know it was there, I just took my seat at the table.” She adds, “In hind sight, I realize that there were many times that I was probably over stepping societal norms but in this instance, I think it played to my advantage. So now my coaching to women is to be fearless. To not apologize for a feeling, an opinion or for making other’s uncomfortable.”

Withing the pharmaceutical advertising space, Kathryn always starts with a foundation in science. What is going on with the disease, how does it behave, how the body responds, how do the medications work, and why they work. “All that work happens before it crosses my desk. I take that information and layer on human behavior…Why people do the things they do, what motivates them and I create a strategy for the brand to live,” she explains. “It isn’t the creative execution but it is the position and the stage for which the creative must play. And then the creative team goes to work to bring it to life.”

VUE’s next endeavor is one Kathryn has been working on for a bit of time and will be officially launching from the Florida office, which will focus on multi-cultural marketing. For years, companies have been segmenting their audiences, but more important than some of the traditional measures are the cultural and linguistic differences that impact decision-making and knowledge about things like health. “Our office will be based in FL but really serve to be a launching pad for changing how we address the beautifully diverse population in this country. From there, I have plans for a few other offerings that will come in time,” says Kathryn. “But the other big focus of this year is to launch a not for profit that will serve our local communities and help at a grass roots level to reallyhave a positive impact quickly. It’s so important because it is in dealing with real people that we can best serve them.”IE

VUE Health

Management

Kathryn Wilson
CEO & Managing Partner

Description

VUE Health: a very different full-service pharmaceutical marketing agency. We are a full-service pharmaceutical marketing agency who works on brands as early as Phase II clinical trials through launch, and beyond.