Established in 1980 providing data entry services to Fortune 500 companies, SPi Global was termed a pioneer in the outsourcing industry. Today, SPi Global is the market-leader in providing end-to-end content technology solutions for the extraction, processing, and enrichment of structured and unstructured content. “SPi Global can help companies make better decisions with their data assets by our suite of transformation, enrichment and analytics solutions,” says Ratan Datta, President & CEO of SPi Global.

Headquartered in the Philippines with 19 delivery centers spread across six SPi Global provides data services and subject matter expertise to companies involved in deeply specialized domains coming from various industries such as research, scientific, technical and medical publishing; education publishing and digital learning; and secondary data aggregators to include fintech, legal, risk, media, retail and corporate.

” SPi Global can help companies make better decisions with their data assets by our suite of transformation, enrichment and analytics solutions. “

SPi Global has culminated into an industry leader and the biggest in terms of revenue and employee headcount because they have been strategically leveraging their people’s deep domain expertise and knowledge in content workflows for structured and unstructured content. Their skills are also maximized by channeling those to developing new and better solutions for their clients that anticipate and address their growing needs. “We have also placed significant focus on innovation and technology development allowing SPi Global to strategically build enterprise-level solutions scaled to the business needs of our clients,” adds Datta.

With the onset of digital meant that businesses needed to store their content and find them easily. This demanded content transformation and processing for which SPi global developed sophisticated tools over the years. According to Datta, the digital economy is becoming a data economy and content extraction combined with SME knowledge to enrich and curate the content can add multidimensional layer to the data which can derive unique service experiences. “For example, let us say you were just strolling in the mall, the location data from your mobile phone combined with Geolocation data of the stores and your previous purchase data can enable smart notifications on the types of stores or deals of most interest to you,” explains the steadfast leader.

SPi Global’s specialists and data experts enable global information companies to optimize their content systems through technologies that are scaled and adaptable to their business needs. They have adopted techniques like Machine Learning, NLP and Robotics Process Automation in their technology suites applied across the value chain. In an instance, SPi assisted one of their clients’ to identify and extract Chemistry and Medical Concepts reading research articles and patents and ingesting into Client’s database. The Concept Classification Tree has over 75K terms and SPi have enhanced the manual task by incorporating an AI based Recommender Engine to identify concepts automatically and suggest a classification to the operator.

SPi Global is the market leader in its space in terms of revenue and headcount. Their goal is to triple the company turnover in the next 4 years leveraging their huge pool of subject matter and technology experts. With their recent acquisition of Scope e-Knowledge Center (from the Quattro Group) and the opening of a 500-FTE facility in Noida, SPi Global is in a trajectory of growth. This growth trend will continue, coming from organic and inorganic expansion initiatives bringing in new and complementary services, new clients, including an additional batch of subject matter and content experts. “Another driver of the company’s future growth is its aggressive and constant pursuit of technology innovations and we will continue to work towards giving our clients the best solution possible,” adds Dutta.

SPi-Global

Management

Ratan Datta
President & CEO

Description

SPI Global delivers an effective data intelligence experience with software and service that can improve workflow, engagement, and overall content design.

Marina Cvetkovic, Chief Commercial Officer, The NextGen Project, is a visionary – thinking big and empowering others into their “bigness” is in her DNA. She believes that the culture of the organization is set at the top. Therefore, her mission is to help executives and boards have better conversations and stronger leadership alliance culture, as the ripple effect of such shifts at the top is enormous. Each leader casts a shadow – the more senior and influential the leader, the stronger the shadow. In this case, transforming one means essentially transforming thousands who operate in the shadow of that leader every day.

“The NextGen Project has tremendous potential, and Marina is proud to be co-writing its story with the rest of the team. “

Today, her work is two-fold: on the one hand, she coaches executives and top teams on authentic leadership and leadership alliance culture. On the other hand, being a millennial herself, she is a next-gen advocate. She leverages her influence at the top of the organization to open doors for transformation through better cross-generational dialogues.

As executive advisor and coach, Marina has noticed that one of the important voices missing in the boardroom is the next generation’s voice. “I find it fascinating that while everyone is talking about gender diversity at top levels, generational diversity is still not quite at the forefront – although we live in the world in which the average age in the boardroom is still 64+,” adds Marina. “At times when the pace of change in the market is unprecedented and when disruption is the only constant, I believe that traditional “legacy” expertise is losing importance while the relevance of “fresh” and different thinking that new generations are bringing is increasing.” So this is how the idea to start a movement was born – a movement that advocates for stronger cross-generational dialogue and collaboration in the boardroom to successfully lead organizations into a sustainable and prosperous future!

The NextGen project is all about enabling the cross-generational dialogue at leadership levels by bringing in external, independent top-class nextgen voices from across all industries and geographies. This is why an organization like The NextGen Project is needed – cross-generational dialogue can be rather ineffective when it is not focused, structured, or even moderated. “We foster this dialogue in two ways: one – ensuring the next generation speaks with a louder and more powerful voice – by developing them into future executive advisors and board members through our nextgen leadership development programs,” explains Marina. “On the other hand, we are also making sure executives allow the next generation to contribute and listen better when they speak up – by engaging them in structured, focused dialogue through nextgen advisory sessions.”

The reverse mentoring sessions held between the nextgen leaders and executives of one of the world’s largest family-owned private banks is an instance to remember for Marina. The goal was to strengthen the entrepreneurial mindset and collaboration within this organization. “We have organized multiple advisory sessions between the leadership team and the next-gen leaders and have been told that these have been the most productive sessions this leadership team attended in a while!” This client has been extremely pleased with the nextgen project concept’s effectiveness and the immediate positive impact it has had on the business.

The NextGen Project has tremendous potential, and Marina is proud to be co-writing its story with the rest of the team. The reverse mentoring sessions between their next-gen leaders and executives used to be in person – with the pandemic, have shifted to a fully remote model. “Our focus at the moment is on strengthening long-term partnerships with corporates, offering multiple opportunities to exchange with nextgen leaders throughout the year, publish co-branded social media content and white-papers, run nextgen surveys, etc,” she says. “We believe that our mission of tearing down the barriers to facilitate a powerful, effective cross-generational dialogue will best be accomplished by growing the number of our long-term corporate partnerships as the longer duration of collaboration allows not only innovative insights but also a profound impact on the whole organization.” For the days to come, Marina and her team are hoping that through this work, corporates will shift the approach to their nextgen talent internally and learn how to attract, develop, and retain them effectively. IE

The history leading to the establishment of Moldova based ADD GRUP and transforming Elena Turanskaya into one of the most influential leaders—who has not only taken the company to new heights but also transformed lives globally—is worth mentioning.

ADD GRUP was founded in 1992 in the city of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. At this time, Elena was 12 years old. It was a difficult time as USSR had just ceased to exist, and the Republic of Moldova was one of the smallest and weakest countries. The country inherited a large number of talented engineers, but the economy was destroyed. One of the main problems at that time was that people trying to do something had no idea about the rules of doing business, and did not understand how companies functioned and, in fact, studied the same from scratch.

” ADD GRUP helps Utility Companies increase their economic efficiency by reducing electricity losses and minimizing operational costs, therefore protecting their revenue by providing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solutions. “

At this time, Elena was maturing and studying while ADD GRUP looked for its way. Elena began her work at the ADD GRUP in 1998, having a year of studies at a US school in Alexandria, Minnesota through a student exchange program and one university year behind the shoulders. Elena got the opportunity to study abroad due to her dedication and ability to accomplish tasks from a younger age. It is important to note that the competition in the student exchange program was extremely tough: six thousand people for just four places, Elena, however, managed to deal with the tough challenge and was successfully selected.

For the further development of the organization, it was necessary to enter the markets outside the former USSR. People of the new generation, with new opportunities, with a new vision, were required.

Elena turned out to be the person who, despite her age, was able to create a team of young, educated people and bring the company to an entirely different level. Becoming a Marketing Director, Elena began to establish partnerships with leading companies in the field of electricity supply (DSO). A firm from a small country with the real population of 2 million people slowly culminated into one of the leaders in a complex, conservative and high-tech market.

As time went by, Elena’s leadership qualities and ability to arrange and efficient working process assisted her in scaling up with career and take over the management of production and finance. Today, Elena continues to successfully combine hard work and studies at several universities at the advanced stage of her career. Her resume proudly shows the faculty of Political Studies and Administrative Management from Moldova State University, Faculty of Economics from Free International University of Moldova and MBA from Newport University, USA.

Today, ADD GRUP managed by Elena counts for 6 million smart electricity meters in more than 30 countries which include regions as Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Central, and South-Eastern Asia and Latin America. The primary goal of ADD GRUP in the field of quality is creating the image of a reliable supplier of high-tech products characterized by excellent condition, complying with world standards and their customers’ expectations. The primary means to achieve this goal is an effective Quality Management System (QMS), which the firm is applying in each division of their organization. A clear distribution of personnel authorities, efficient interaction of business processes, the existence of the necessary instructions and methods assure the successful quality management on each stage of the production cycle.

ADD GRUP helps Utility Companies increase their economic efficiency by reducing electricity losses and minimizing operational costs, therefore protecting their revenue by providing Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) solutions. The interoperable Smart Metering system named ADDAX IMS, developed by ADD GRUP helps Utilities automate data reading and speed up data processing, improve energy management and enhance the quality of electricity supply and energy efficiency, become environmentally friendly.

Smart Electricity Meters

Smart electricity meters—one of the most important products that ADD GRUP develops and manufactures for the Smart Grid—with ADDAX brand name, are installed in numerous cities around the world. They allow power companies to solve problems related to control over power grids, fight theft of electricity, promptly provide bills for consumed electricity, to name a few. The projects that the firm is currently implementing affect a large number of consumers since everyone has a meter. Hence, ADD GRUP pays particular attention to product quality. If the meter fails, the consumer may be left without electricity, which cannot be allowed in any way.

ADDAX IMS represents a set of solutions for the challenges facing the modern electricity metering technology in the framework of the AMI concepts. ADDAX Metering Solution provides meter reading, data collection, data processing, communication and specific functions of the data analysis. ADDAX System offers credit and prepayment mode of meter operation, load control and load shedding, multi-rate metering, fraud protection functions, and energy quality control. The system provides all the necessary data for meter-to-cash business processes.

The main features of the ADDAX IMS include an open standards-based solution which provides interoperability and interconnectivity with measuring devices and compatible components (hardware/software) of the AMR/AMM/AMI systems produced by other manufacturers. The product also applies open stacks for both the communication and application protocols. ADDAX IMS uses DLMS/COSEM standards allowing manufacturers and communication technology the much-required independence. ADDAX IMS also offers scalability that is being a flexible and easily scalable metering solution that can be seamlessly expanded from a small project to a large operating system. The feature of easy deployment which enables quick and seamless deployment based on “plug & play” connection that radically decrease installation and maintenance costs. Auto-discovery function makes it easier to manage the newly installed equipment. It gives security that enables the secure access, storage and management of information based on the data encryption and key management. Business-oriented solution offering all necessary data for utility needs and billing purposes and enabling optimization of the distribution systems by minimizing the distribution network losses, improving the quality of the electrical power, and eliminating the peak load.

ADDAX IMS also gives a real-time metering function which permits both scheduled and instantaneous remote metering of electricity/water/gas/heat. Implements a flexible TOU tariff, which promotes the electricity supply to markets with different customers’ capabilities and functional requirements. It is tamper-proof allowing detecting and ceasing the electricity theft and fraud. ADDAX IMS also offers credit and prepayment flexibility and supports both credit and STS-based prepayment modes, which can be changed during the meter operation.

Elena takes special care and responsibility in quality, reliability and full compliance with international standards demanded by the industry. Thus under Elena’s management, the company achieves ISO9001, ISO14001, ISO17025, ISO27001, ISO45001. Accreditation Certificate is proof that the parameters of smart meters’ accuracy class can be measured directly in their testing laboratory. ADD GRUP is technically competent and able to produce precise and accurate test and calibration data. Nowadays, the firm’s testing laboratory is used just for the purposes for testing and confirming the accuracy class of products, but after the firm has proved that it fulfills the international requirements, it can also be available and attractive for the third parts in the future.

It is pertinent to mention that the firm invests heavily in equipment for checking and controlling of the manufactured products, using the quality control system, developed within ADD GRUP, which meets the most serious requirements for such systems.

Conquering New Markets

Presently, Elena is actively developing a new strategy for business expansion to new markets. Thus following smart metering market development trends, the decision was made to diversify the existing product portfolio with Smart Water Metering Solution “ADDRA” and Intelligent Irrigation Solution “ADDA.”

Alongside with consistent development of electricity metering markets and expansion of project geography to the Middle East, Africa and Latin America ADD GRUP’s strategy now adds a new target: leadership position in Smart Water Metering market segment. Therefore ADD GRUP has already started an aggressive tackling of new opportunities and managed to establish essential contacts that will enable the entrance of the new product to European water resources market thus helping the consumers to use the latter responsibly.

Freshwater saving and optimized use is an issue with continually growing importance. Be it a multi-story apartment building in a megapolis, a private houses area, a golf club, a park or a farm, and all consumers need an increased efficiency for the use of resources and cost reduction. Respectively the solution designed by ADD GRUP is focused on these two key considerations.

As projects get more substantial in size and geography, Elena adds new tasks and targets for ADD GRUP, which are becoming more and more global thus supporting ADD GRUP’s growth dynamics as well as a personal vector to challenge and conquer new horizons. “Consistency in pursuing the goals and achieving those makes the horizons broader while the competitors have to adapt humbly,” says Elena. To connect with ADD Grup and experience their value, visit www.addgrup.com

Sarah Bentley, Founder & Managing Director at FLUME Marketing is a goal orientated person by nature but also believes that these days, marketing is a “top of the funnel” sales role with targets that need to be achieved. “Separating marketing from sales, or a marketing department that doesn’t have a solid working relationship with its sales teams, is a sure way to set both teams up to fail,” she says. “Everyone responsible for the sales funnel should be aligned in terms of objectives and outcomes.” Armed with many years’ experience in tech marketing and sales both regionally and globally, Sarah incorporated FLUME— a full serviced, tech focused, outsourced marketing agency. “I believe a big factor in our success is the emphasis we put on the outcomes of our activities and campaigns. Setting client expectations on what the outcomes should be and then achieving,” adds Sarah. “In addition to this, we employ very experienced marketing professionals and people with vast regional experience. We are very much trusted advisers to our clients – they feel comfortable with us. We are a “safe set of hands” for them.”

“We are the full serviced, tech focused, outsourced marketing agency you can trust to grow your network and deliver real results…every time.”

Part of FLUME’s core business model is the ability to adapt from a full-fledged, marketing department that handles everything from events to digital marketing, down to a compact marketing team for ad-hoc project support. “We must be able to react quickly and flexibly to our client’s needs, the ever-changing marketing trends and regional/global changes,” says the steadfast leader. “Our business model enables us to scale up and down to fit the needs of our clients with precision and flexibility. We fill the gaps, inspire solutions and support when and where our clients need us the most – whether that’s for one day or one year.”

Sarah has been integrating and blending innovative technology solutions into the services she is offering. Many of FLUME’s clients are disruptive startups and we use their solutions wherever possible. Whether that’s using new apps and software to manage lead generation campaigns or using the most innovative solutions at an event. “Being in the tech field, we are ahead of the curve in terms of understanding the latest technology solutions and integrating them into our service offerings,” says Sarah. It’s so important for all companies to keep well informed and up to date as these days, things change remarkably quickly and if you aren’t looking ahead, you’ll easily get left behind.

The company prides themselves in offering clients solutions that enable them to quickly and effectively break new ground, build pipeline and drive business growth. As an example of the type of work they do, FLUME recently completed a project for an enterprise grade identity management software MNC who were unknown in the region. The company ran an Account Based Marketing campaign with the objective of generating awareness and booked appointments. The campaign ran for 6 months where FLUME built them a target account list and completed a contact discovery exercise to build out a database to use for this campaign. The activities to generate awareness included regional events, client own events, emailers, press interviews; all of which generated enquiries and leads which were qualified by telemarketing and nurtured to booked meeting stage. The campaign resulted in 60 booked meetings which in turn have so far generated 27 pipeline opportunities.

FLUME is agile enough to swiftly embrace new challenges and are looking at many innovative ways in which to help their clients continue to reach their audiences and get results in these troubling times. “We are also working with our partners to develop “virtual” events, which, in this digital era that we work in, is the future anyway,” says Sarah.

When we think about an accountant, we have always stereotyped them to be sitting in the office every day following the accounting standards and preparing reports. Being an accountant who loves exploring new opportunities and enjoys creative process , Sabrina Khan is the Chief Financial Officer and company secretary of Aptorum Group Limited. Aptorum is a Nasdaq and Euronext listed (APM) pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle unmet medical needs including orphan, infectious and metabolic diseases. Ms. Khan leads the company’s financial strategy and operations, such as the IPO and fund-raising activities, as well as investor relations.

” Aptorum is facilitating the development of medical innovations, particularly in those that able to meet current unmet medical needs and significantly improve clinical and surgical experience.”

Aptorum is facilitating development of medical innovations, particularly those that able to meet current unmet medical needs and significantly improve clinical and surgical experience. “We have a group of very talented and experienced clinicians, pharmaceutical executives and scientists with diversified strengths and specialty areas,” Sabrina. “We brought them together and provided Aptorum Group’s platform and resources to allow these specialists to have an opportunity to explore and work together in developing new therapeutic innovations to tackle current unmet medical needs.” Aptorum Group focuses on diseases that are currently considered as unmet medical needs or do not have effective treatment available. “We believe that patients with these diseases often suffer from the lack of choices of effective drugs and face limited therapeutic options available. On this basis, I believe that our company’s objective is simple – to bring effective drugs to these patients and tackle these diseases,” she adds.

One of Aptorum’s major therapeutic development is in “orphan diseases” (also known as rare diseases), an exciting emerging market that has a huge growth potential. In US, there are over 7000 orphan diseases have been identified (compared to over 2500 identified back in 2015), and approximately over 90% of these diseases do not have effective treatment. On this basis, Smart-ACTTM was set up to focus on screening our library of over 2600 existing approved small molecule drugs against the selected orphan disease targets, with the aim to “discover and repurpose” drugs that can work for other orphan disease indications and to shorten drug development from on average of 10+ years to 3-4 years and cut short the total cost of drug development in some cases up to 90%. Drug repurposing is well regulated and has had numerous successful precedents (for example, better known ones are Viagra, Trastuzumab, Minoxidil etc) and the US FDA has a reg 505b(2) approval pathway which we can fast track repurposed drugs to late human clinical trials, because all these drugs have established safety and toxicity records when previously approved. “Our first proof of concept drug under this platform is SACT-1 which targets Neuroblastoma, a common form of pediatric solid tumor, which is expected to reach clinical stage in Q4 2020 this year and we are extremely excited about this drug, especially because on average only 40% of neuroblastoma patients on respond to treatment during the 5 year survival period under existing therapies,” adds Sabrina. “Another therapeutic focus is on infectious diseases under our Acticule (ALS) platform, especially focusing on diseases that have risks of triggering pandemics in the future.”

As a fast-growing biopharmaceutical company, Aptorum often faces new opportunities and new challenges. Hence, Sabrina motivates the staff to proactively participate in different projects, jump out of their comfort zone, take up the responsibility and be a key player. Aptorum Group has a rich pipeline of over 15 existing drugs under development and in addition.They are constantly investing in their drug discovery platforms to generate additional potential drug candidates for other diseases. For example, the Smart-ACTTM platform is currently developing 4 drug assets and we hope to generate 3-5 further clinical stage assets going forward, making Aptorum Group potentially one of the largest orphan disease pipeline company in the world and eclipse some of those in US. “Our metabolic disease platform which is called Claves has a very scalable macromolecule technology to target major classes of metabolic diseases such as obesity, renal, cardiovascular diseases (etc.) using the human’s gut microbiome as an extremely first-in-class approach,” adds Sabrina. IE

Aptorum Group Limited

Management

Sabrina Khan
CFO Aptorum Group Limited

Description

Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM, Euronext Paris: APM) is a pharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to tackle unmet medical needs. Aptorum Group is pursuing therapeutic projects in orphan diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases, woman’s health and other disease areas.

As Chief Operations Officer, Valeria serves in a position that a very small number of a woman, particularly women of color, hold in many non-profits. Her determination, tenacity, compassion, and optimism are the qualities that have moved the organization of 900+ who reports under Valeria into a very efficient and profitable social enterprise. Because Valeria is solutions-oriented, she can move quickly in problem-solving and keep everyone looking forward in an organization serving 6 California Bay Area counties with a population of approximately 5.2 million.

Valeria has been a true inspiration and pioneer in empowering women. “I am always available to mentor other women by teaching life skills and offering personal career coaching. My objective is to empower women to be their best selves by fostering a sense of purpose and belief in self,” says Valeria. “I provide honest advice and create a safe space and ‘no judgment zone’ which allows women to delve into creating personal and professional opportunities. I inspire through my servant leadership and in leading by example.” She treats everyone with dignity and respect. Being an adventurous individual – a go-getter, Valeria likes to win and doesn’t take defeat easily; that is why she defines herself as a fixer, creator, and implementor.

“If a door shuts, I always look for the open window,” elucidates Valeria, for whom success is a life-long journey. “I continue to learn and grow every day. The advice I would share is to “be a good listener” and show humility. It’s important never to judge and always lead from a pure place,” she says. “All of these elements foster trust and positively influence other individuals. It always allows me to be a change agent and show others how they can be their own change agents.” Valeria has learned how to navigate the stigma of being a woman especially a woman of color, in a role predominated led by men. “I’ve had a lot to measure up to, but highlighting a difference in perspective and using life skills such as my role as a single mother, an executive and women of faith, has allowed me to bring about lasting change in corporate culture,” adds Valeria.

Armed with a brilliant ideology, Valeria has been taking Goodwill to new heights. Goodwill equips low-income individuals and those with barriers with the skills required to succeed in the 21st-century job market. They also hire trainees to gain transferable skills and valuable on-the-job experience in their stores and warehouses. And for those motivated job seekers who want to pursue a sustainable career track, Goodwill helps place them in jobs at top Bay Area companies.

According to Valeria, today, the industry is focused on sustainability and the continuous search for efficiencies and new methods to improve the current processes. “We strategize on new technologies, such as e-trucks, to expand leadership in environmental sustainability. Goodwill is the originator of recycling and repurposing, and has always been at the forefront of the climate change problem,” explains Valeria. “Fostering a culture of safety, belonging and learning and staying true to those values always allows us to keep people as our priority. That culture keeps growth and allows us holistic community engagement.”

“My vision is to continue building Goodwill to be ranked #1 in our sphere of influence. This entails grooming leaders to be their best selves, teach them how to develop and expand partnerships in the community, thereby allowing us to serve more individuals.” WL

For nearly 15 years, Shelly Sood had the picture-perfect marriage, three beautiful children, lived in an affluent suburban neighborhood and was married to a high-powered executive. Shelly was suddenly yanked from this illusion: her loving husband, who had suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder for decades, transformed, filed for divorce, and became hellbent on her destruction. Shelly’s sanity, physical health, faith in humanity, and pocketbook eroded before her eyes.

Although draining and unspeakably painful, Shelly’s struggles led her to a life-changing epiphany. After saving her husband’s life and their marriage, Shelly discovered that the fulfillment gained from diminishing the pain of others is like nothing else. Shelly made it her life mission to help others combat the most devastating, debilitating illnesses known to man and launched a healthcare company (GIOSTAR* Chicago).

* Global Institute of Stem Cell Therapy and Research

Shelly is a speaker, mental health advocate, author, and podcaster with over two decades of corporate and entrepreneurial experience. She built the company from the ground up, to help alleviate the suffering of humanity with years of tireless determination. Prior to GIOSTAR Chicago, she worked at Sony Electronics, Accenture, and several other leading corporations.

The steadfast leader is in the process of launching her book, (Untethered), currently being drafted as a screenplay. This book is a true story of a female entrepreneur and mother of 3 who not only saved her husband’s life but embraced her most spectacular being by untethering herself from cultural expectations, gender roles, and mental health stigmas. This book captures how each element played a vital role in the near demise of their family and marriage. It depicts a South Asian family breaking the shackles of generational trauma in search of healing and redemption. It is an evolution of female empowerment, unconditional love, rediscovering yourself, and reclaiming one’s life. Together, they beat the odds and overcame these obstacles by untethering their lives through traditional and holistic approaches to healthcare and unconditional love for one another.

Shelly and her husband are also co-producers of their podcast, The Shelly Story. The overarching mission of Shelly’s company, book, and podcast is to offer hope to those suffering by stressing the importance of “owning your own health” and acquiring “mental wealth” through holistic and traditional healing modalities. “It is only through life’s most challenging obstacles that we can untether our lives and discover our true purpose in this world,” she says.

In 2018, after her long, arduous personal healing journey, Shelly became a founding partner of GIOSTAR Chicago. Based in Glenview, Illinois, this cutting-edge healthcare company is backed by over a quarter of a century of research as the pioneer in the field. GIOSTAR Chicago offers advanced cell-based options for patients suffering from joint arthritis, auto-immune, lung disorders and other degenerative conditions.

The Institute’s advanced regenerative medicine techniques and protocols have been extensively researched and developed by GIOSTAR’s leading scientists for over two decades. The facility’s team comprises world-renowned authorities in cell biology, protein biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, gene therapy, and clinical research. Patients at GIOSTAR Chicago can benefit from and depend on safe, extensively researched cell-based therapies designed to rejuvenate and improve musculoskeletal injuries, anti-aging, and several other degenerative conditions. GIOSTAR’s approach to stem cell therapy is not “one size fits all,” as often seen in other local clinics.

“I am honored to be part of the world-renowned leader that (with an evidence-based approach), provides the highest quality standards in health care,” adds Shelly. “We focus on the root cause of disease and treat the body as a whole, rather than its parts, ”Dr. Anand Srivastava is the pioneer in stem cell science, cancer research, and gene therapy, having authored more than 100 research publications over the course of two decades. He and co-founder Deven Patel launched GIOSTAR with the humanitarian mission to make this most advanced science affordable, available, and accessible to the masses around the world who are suffering from many genetic and degenerative diseases.

“Deven and Dr. Srivastava are not only my business partners, but a part of my family,” shared Shelly. “Through trials, tragedies, and triumphs, they have championed my journey to untether my life, and reach the greatest version of myself. Every day, I have immense gratitude that I was given the tools, resources, knowledge, and life experiences to share my wisdom with others for the greater good of humanity. It is through the mind-body connection that I open my heart to help others untether their lives.

Other noteworthy initiatives include GIOSTAR’s patented technology to create the most essential biological requirement on earth – blood – from stem cells. This innovation has the potential to eradicate blood shortage globally, and eliminate the need for blood donor matching with a universal blood type. GIOSTAR has exclusive patented rights to this disruptive technology to create and manufacture mass quantities of red blood cells from stem cells. In addition, Shelly will be partnering with Deven Patel on GIOSTAR’s skin care initiative, which incorporates thousands of molecules released from human derived stem cells into a portfolio of topical skincare products. Currently, there is no other comparable product on the market. This advanced technology has proven highly effective in combating the age-related decline in physiological functions for skin problems such as acne and fine lines and wrinkles, and other skin and hair related disorders.

To learn more, please visit:

For the book – shellysood.com

For the company: giostarchicago.com

For the podcast: theshellystory.com

For media appearances or speaking inquiries, email: [email protected]

Julia Martin might have lost her brightest leaders at ISEB Limited had she not put in place strategies to let them balance work and home. As a result, the pioneering CEO has a team of incredible women whose talent ISEB gets the benefit of just by flexing how they work. “I see my role as being the most prominent champion for my female senior team, helping and supporting them to go further than they think they can and have confidence,” says Julia. “It’s incredible to watch other women grow in confidence and fly. It’s sad that our first thought, often, is that we can’t. And when they realize not only that they can, but that they’ve delivered something incredible, it’s wonderful to see.”

ISEB’s core values include ACCEPT, TRANSFORM, and INSPIRE (they are Julia’s values too). Working in education, Julia and her team keep the learning process alive, ensuring they are growing and developing all the time and investing in that. “Great things happen if you believe in people, support them, and give them the tools to make work a rewarding part of their life and not just an obligation. It’s about living your values and doing the right thing,” adds Julia, who takes her role as a privilege and responsibility. For her, it’s a huge honor to be trusted to not only run a company but develop it for the future. She doesn’t take that lightly, and it shows in their work. If she’s willing to roll up her sleeves and do anything (and she does), then she demonstrates that there are parts of the business they are all responsible for. “I read once that leaders eat last, and if we don’t assume the masculine trope that leadership is about hunting, or fighting to be at the front, then what we’re doing is showing our employees that we care about them; we’re putting them first,” she explains. “You make people feel safe and valued, just as you would members of your own family (and she spends more time with them sometimes than her own family!), and then you’re letting everyone shine.”

As a leader, Julia has learned that “It’s not about you!” One of her core beliefs is about empowering her team. “It’s not my job to be great at everything, although I do try. I love learning. I’m a fully paid-up geek squad member; relaxing for me is learning something new and finding knowledge!” She adds, “being comfortable with uncertain spaces helps. I always tell my team, ‘we’re doing something new. Something is going to go wrong.’ And I’m not saying that as a naysayer. I’m saying that because it always does, and I want them to be unafraid.” Julia’s team knows she will always support them under any circumstance and situation. “In my team, people don’t get blamed if things go wrong – everyone flies in to help and support. That’s important because it means the team gets things done, and even a stressful launch can seem fun because problem-solving is far more fun than worrying!”

Armed with relentless energy, Julia celebrates the benefits of her neurodiversity. She uses creative thinking and problem-solving to see the bigger picture and create smaller steps to realize those ambitions. The dynamic CEO can fit double a normal workload into five days and motivate staff to achieve things they didn’t think were possible. She can see ways to do something quickly by breaking things down, which means her productivity is incredibly high. It also helps to love what you do and set a strategy you believe in wholeheartedly! She can trust staff to deliver and sees leadership as guiding and mentoring rather than micromanaging.

Julia brings foresight and forward-thinking to everything she does. She doesn’t want to run a company the way all others are run but constantly strives to improve. “Ensuring we stay ahead and at the forefront of organizational design, putting supporting staff first and making sure you do the RIGHT thing, not the done thing. You have to have different practices to ensure that women of all ages and all stages of their life can have a thriving career, so we offer working patterns that support mothers,” she adds. WL

Kandice Alcorn, Chief Clinical and Operations Officer, Frontier, is a hands-on leader that believes trust and communication are the keys to success. She is known for her strategic thinking and for working hand-in-hand with her teams and leaders in any capacity. As a result, Kandice has quickly established herself as a noteworthy role model and leader in the industry.

Armed with more than two decades of experience in Nursing Management and expertise in multi-facility operations, Kandice is not only an inspiration but is constantly empowering those around her. “I have many friends and co-workers both in and out of the Senior Housing Industry. I strive to be a role model for other women in business and my personal life. I have an entrepreneurial spirit and like to see everyone succeed and be their best,” she says. “I am a member of organizations and never hesitate to share experiences that others can learn from. Growing an organization and inspiring others to be their best daily is key. I have worked directly with students, leading them from direct care givers to nurses with a personal goal to help them grow within their own careers. I believe in leading by example and offering opportunities for advancement when possible leading towards success.”

However, for Kandice, success is a relevant term. “If defined as job satisfaction, that came very early in my career. I started as a caregiver at the age of 15 and looking back that was one of the most rewarding parts of my career journey,” she elucidates. “If success is defined as a position or title, then it was later in my career; however, for the beginning of my nursing career, I was in roles such as a charge nurse over a shift to where I am today and the Chief Clinical and Operations Officer.” Hence, one can say that success has been a constant for Kandice, and speaking from her experience, she advises everyone to speak up for themselves and be their own advocate. With such a steadfast mindset, Kandice has been taking the company to new heights.

With home offices in both beautiful Portland, Oregon, and sunny Dallas, Texas, Frontier Management provides guidance and ongoing support to senior living facilities across the country. They are proud to be part of the thousands of lives of those who call their communities “Home.” They are also proud of the incredible Ladies and Gentlemen who serve their wonderful residents. With more than 130 locations across 19 states, Frontier Management is one of the largest senior housing operators in the United States. While their portfolio includes a large number of senior living communities, providing quality care at each facility remains our top priority. Every location they manage lives up to Their Mission – To provide an enriched and meaningful experience to the residents, team members, and community partners. “It’s a mission we truly believe in, and one you can see in action for yourself by scheduling an introduction with a community near you today!” says Kandice. “Our company partners with and has implemented a few different technology platforms that all integrate together to help improve our staff efficiency, give visibility to all leadership and key performance metrics across the organization.”

The company has several goals they are striving to achieve. One of the biggest ones is to continue improving job satisfaction in the workforce, reducing contracted agency labor usage, and increasing occupancy to offer the seniors an empowered and enhanced lifestyle. “I would say that focusing on staffing, staff retention, and staff satisfaction has been a big achievement for us. Over the last 18 months, we have implemented a new proprietary acuity-based staffing module. Additionally, we have focused on our present and future workforce to enhance wages, implement a career ladder and offer ongoing education for our teams,” adds Kandice. “For our company, we will continue to grow strategically and enhance our offerings. We want to continue to be an industry leader for Residents and Staff. On a personal level, I am a lifelong learner. I will continue to enhance my knowledge base and focus on mentoring others.” WL

Elise Buckle, Co-President, Climate & Sustainability, is highly committed to making this world a better place for people and nature. She has been working in the sustainability and climate action field for over 20 years.

Elise is a smart, hard-working, passionate person with a rare level of intelligence. After graduating from Sciences Po Paris and the London School of Economics with Distinctions and receiving several awards and special scholarships, she chose to actively contribute to making the world a better place. Indeed, Elise is always aiming for the best for others; supporting them, coaching them and giving them the self-confidence they need to succeed. In her various projects and initiatives, she leads with empathy and compassion and sometimes forgets about herself when trying to help her team to make collective success possible for everyone.

Élise was born in France, married to Matthew (Canada) and is the proud mother of Lucas and Leïla (Switzerland). She is also passionate about mountain trail running and skiing.

Elise has initiated and developed several global alliances and campaigns to deliver positive impact for People and the Planet by working with a wide range of stakeholders, including the UN, governments, civil society, global trade unions, and the private sector. She has the rare quality of being able to quickly see through the various stakeholders’ lens, facilitate the emergence of alignment, and focus on unlocking the potential of collective action. This has led to being highly sought after. Indeed, she has advised several top-level UN diplomats, including Ambassador Khan and Dr. David Nabarro. More recently, she has specialized in systemic thinking and leadership, partnership building, and radical collaboration to address the planetary emergency.

In December 2019, after witnessing the massive bush fires with her family in Australia, she set up Climate & Sustainability as a collaboration platform for change-makers to facilitate partnership-building and accelerate climate action. The organization’s DNA is the spirit of “radical collaboration” and the imperative to go beyond egos, logos, and institutional boundaries, working as one on One Team for One Planet to address the triple crisis of climate, people, and nature. With a team of highly dedicated individuals, she works as a catalyst to allow the emergence of a systemic transformation of society.

Most recently, she coordinated the Planetary Emergency Partnership, which grew from 30 to 300+ partners and strongly influenced the G20, the EU Commission, and various Summits organized by the Secretary-General. Some of the positive outcomes included the adoption of the Leaders Pledge for Nature by nearly 100 Heads of States and Governments, and the massive sign-on (more than 1 million citizens) to the online petition for a green economic recovery. She worked with the EU Commission on the EU Green Deal as well.

Currently, she is working with the COP27 Egyptian Presidency to make the next climate COP a more inclusive process that values diversity and equity. According to Marie-Claire Graf – Swiss Youth Negotiators and Sustainability Week for Business, “Elise is a smart and eloquent strategic thinker and practical doer. She connects international high level political conversations with local actions and excites people with her radical collaboration approach. She is fully committed to solving the climate and biodiversity crises and has countless solutions at hand. Through her experience in different roles and positions, she gained so many insights; hence I see her as an incredible source of inspiration and wisdom. I adore her compassion and dedication.”

The raves don’t stop there. Owen Gibbons, UK Cabinet Office, states, “Elise is not only very professional, but an easy person to work with and a great team player. In working together, we were able to align communications and policy goals smoothly.” Yanli Hou, the WWF China Program Director, adds, “I worked with Elise for the G20 Summit in France. Elise was the team leader. I was very impressed throughout the entire time I worked with Elise by her intelligence, hard work ethic, commitment, professionalism, and passion. She led by example, working the longest hours, chipping in to do whatever tasks had to be done, and encouraged and brought the best out of others. I certainly benefited from her experience and willingness to coach.”

For 2022, Elise and her team are supporting many women leaders worldwide through the She Changes Climate; which is being hosted and developed by Climate & Sustainability, together with Bianca Pitt and Antoinette Vermilye, co-founders of the initiative with Elise. They will convene a Women Leaders Climate Summit on November 4th, during COP27. This event will allow many women to shine and share their vision for the most sustainable future by 2030. “We will connect women in power, with other women championing climate solutions on the ground who don’t always get the recognition for their work, or not yet. We will out them on stage, under the spotlight, to empower them, and connect them with key influencers and funders,” elucidates Elise. WL