Dana Achartz: Making the Roads Safer, One Driver at a Time
Digital Version Safety in the Trucking Industry Transportation has always been a key element in moving America forward. If all of the trucks in the United States stopped for just one day, we would all feel the impact. According to the “Transport Services Global Market Report 2022: By Purpose, By Destination, By End-Use Industry” report, the transportation industry values up to billions, expected to grow by $7,210.41 billion in 2022. Commercial Transport Inc. is a family-owned industry-leading motor carrier with outstanding safety records and customer satisfaction. In its early years, Commercial Transport Inc. operated as a coal and gravel enterprise before moving cement, rock, and now food-grade dry bulk goods and petroleum products. Where It All Started Commercial Transport Inc. (CTI) is a unique family owned operation. Started in 1940 by Alfred White and his brother Robert White. The business evolved and has been passed down to many generations. Talking with Dana Achartz, the Director of Safety for Commercial Transport Inc., the company has flourished in terms of its policies and procedures, growth and employee base. Climbing the Corporate Ladder to Success Dana Achartz first started in the trucking industry almost 20 years ago. Through her journey, she has seen multiple changes within the industry from regulations, technology and experienced many obstacles drivers face moving freight across the country. Throughout her career, she advanced her roles and positions embracing change and improving safety in transportation. She climbed her way up the corporate ladder starting off as a log auditor, supervisor, management, as a director, and even as a safety consultant for a reputable insurance company. As someone in her 20s, she paved her path and won several national safety awards and honors. As she approaches her 40s, she has shifted her sights to a mentoring role to help the younger generations who will be the future leaders of the industry. The trucking industry offers many opportunities. You have to always be on top of your “A game” as trucking is constantly changing. Being passionate about what you do truly makes your career enjoyable. Being part of a great team and sharing the same vision will bring the company and its people success. Dana empowers her team and together they make things happen. Leading with her motto, “My passion is my superpower”, she truly enjoys her line of work. What she values the most is through her safety training and awareness, she believes at some point throughout her career, at least one life has been saved. We all value life. What more could you ask for? Not All Hero’s Wear Capes The world felt the power of the pandemic. The one good thing (if any) that came out of the pandemic is that it taught everyone just how important the trucking industry is. Stores had empty shelves. Shortages across the country, nationwide. Trucker’s couldn’t stop and they didn’t. They had to move America. Truck drivers became the hero’s. They got in their trucks every single day, moved goods across the country so our families had what we needed to survive. Dana personally believes that everyone is essential and they just have to find their way in the work world and discover something they enjoy doing. When you enjoy what you do, most days will come easy to you. Working isn’t about making money. It should be about passionate and daily happiness. Making a difference in the world. Enjoying what you do for a living, makes daily events fun and almost like a hobby. Trucking can be a very rewarding career. I’m thankful for every single driver out there moving freight. I’m thankful for the farmers for getting food ready to put on our tables. Not all heroes wear capes, some drive a truck. Facing the Driver Shortage The trucking community faces a driver shortage. We need drivers. That’s a common concern in our industry. If it wasn’t for the drivers, we wouldn’t be here. You need to always be grateful for your front lines. They’re the reason you have a job. Transportation as an industry has been facing a driver shortage for years. There’s plenty of freight out there, but not enough people to move it. Trucking is such an exciting profession. You can do so many things in this industry. The opportunities to advance are endless. It’s also a great way to see our amazing country and see the beauty of Mother Nature. Dana’s solution to this is to work on driver retention. Strengthening employee culture and morale is the best approach in today’s market. Treating your employees as your work family keeps the culture positive. We spend so much of our lives with our work family, we need to appreciate everything they do. People feel more encouraged and loyal to the company when they are appreciated for their hard work. Culture plays a vital role in the company’s success. If everyone is working together and shares the same vision, you’ll be successful. Who doesn’t like the feeling of accomplishment? Working hard and achieving greatness with your team is an amazing thing and should be celebrated. Unity in the Workplace Dana feels strongly about keeping her team united. Your team will experience each high and low the company will go through together. The team shares the same goals and achieves their milestones simultaneously. Hearing and giving attention to every opinion your team has is important. It allows everyone to speak up and communicate. It allows out of the box perspectives. A good team collaboration solves problems and difficulties. Everyone contributes and feels like part of the solution. Aww, and there’s the feeling of accomplishment for all. A person’s quality or character matters greatly when you want to expand your team or work family. We spend a significant portion of our lives with those we work with. You’re not always going to agree on everything and that’s ok. That’s great as it allows growth. When a disagreement happens, you should always handle confrontation as soon as issues arises to avoid further
Colin Brown: Serving Best Vehicle Insurance Against Eventualities
Business is booming and for the first time in two years an Underwriting Agency has made huge advances with many new auto products and services with great ideas, solutions, and technology. The growth in the last 24 months has defied the pandemic restrictions and Colin Brown, CEO & Founder of Stratford Underwriting Agency Inc. shares the same story. There are very few people with as deep an understanding of vehicle insurance as Colin Brown. From emigrating to investing 22 years of his life in a company, Mr. Brown claims to provide services against monopolies in the industry. Please tell us about your educational/professional background. Who inspired you to become a business leader? Would you like to mention some of the highlights from your journey? I emigrated from Ulster in October 1973. I had a degree in Geology and Geography from Queens University Belfast. I started my career as a management trainee at the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) in January 1974 and the Corporation opened for business in March 1974. I worked at ICBC for 22 years and resigned as Chief Underwriter in 1995. During that time, I became a Chartered Insurance Professional, a Chartered Arbitrator, and also received an MA in Liberal Studies from Simon Fraser University. In 1995, following my resignation, I founded Canadian Direct Insurance (CDI). CDI was the first direct writer in Western Canada and sold optional auto insurance coverage by phone and internet in competition with ICBC which is a quasi-monopoly. At the outset, CDI was a wholly-owned subsidiary of HSBC. It turned profitable in its fifth year and 2005 was sold to Canadian Western Bank (CWB) for $25 million, or 1.25 of book value. CWB were great owners and after a change in leadership in 2015, sold CDI to Intact (Canada’s largest insurer) for $200 million, or 2.5 times book value. CDI had additionally previously issued dividends of $35 million to the bank already to protect CDI’s capital ratio. It was a massive success. I was appointed Executive Officer of Intact, but I retired in 2016 at the age of 66. Please brief us in detail about the current scenario of the business. How have the customer preferences changed over the years? The auto insurance business in BC is dominated by ICBC. They have a monopoly on “the basic” which is the minimum cover that you have to buy to put a vehicle on the road. They also sell almost 90% of “optional” which are the add-ons for collision cover, comprehensive, etc. That optional market is worth $2.5 billion in BC. CDI had been the largest seller of optional. Following my retirement, I did a little consulting but was approached several times to start another company. I finally did so in 2018 and founded Stratford Underwriting Agency Inc. We are a Managing General Agency (MGA), essentially a wholesaler of niche products that are otherwise hard to find. Stratford started in 2020 with its own BC auto product (CDI 2.0), underwritten by a major reinsurer that I had worked with for 20 years. Customer preferences have not changed in this regard, they still want a viable option to a government monopoly. A better product, more bells and whistles, and a lower price. We sell through a network of 200 independent brokers. What are the prominent products/services offered by the company? How are they different from your competitors’ offerings? Stratford’s two current products are differentiated in price. Both offer products very similar to our competitors but priced better. Our products have better coverages in key areas that make them more attractive and in addition offer better features. This is achieved through smarter underwriting. Our primary product is designed to save 80% of BC motorists on their purchases. Currently, Stratford offers a full-service BC auto optional product and a replacement cost policy for the loss of value on new cars that may become a total loss. In 2021, we wrote a total of $27 million in premium, had revenue of $7 million, and lost $170,00 in our second year of business. We are very happy with that. We will write about $38 million in 2022 and make $1million+ in profit. We are developing two other non-auto products at this time. They will broaden our scope and spread our risk base. What are the unique challenges your company is currently facing? How have they affected your company? At the time we entered the marketplace, ICBC have declared BC to be a “no-fault” jurisdiction. Essentially cutting out the need for third-party liability cover and reducing the average premium available from $800 a policy to $500 a policy. This was effective May 1st, 2021. Stratford was forced to find a product to replace the lost premium. This was done in short order and a replacement cost policy was added in February 2021 and we sold $10 million worth of policies for the premium product in 2021. Opportunity and agility melded together on that one. What measures do you incorporate to ensure motivation and productivity within the workspace? How do you respond to criticism and disagreements? As a company, our system was designed to be flexible. It is in the cloud and supports working from home. We encourage attendance at the office as needed. Staff who can influence key indicators are incentivized appropriately. All staff is bonused on the corporate performance. We have an open office plan which encourages open discussion and deals with any issues as they arise. We have a complaints officer who responds to any customer complaints. What measures do you undertake to ensure optimum customer satisfaction? How much impact does the customer feedback have on the company’s strategies? We do have a complaints officer who is charged with dealing immediately with any issues that arise. As we sell through independent brokers, there are few complaints directly to us. Most would be claims disputes and there are formal procedures in place for dispute handling. If there is a consistent valid issue, we are quite at ease
Blaze Your Trail: Robert “Bob” Mong’s UNT Dallas, Pathway To Social Mobility
Digital Version Education is a dynamic industry. With constant developments, discoveries, inventions, and interventions, students need equally passionate leaders and universities that not only keep up with these changes but also implement them for the well-being of the students. The University of North Texas at Dallas is one of those places that broadens students’ perspectives while positively impacting the community. The University’s graduate and undergraduate degree programs have the lowest tuition rates in the Dallas area. UNT Dallas works to provide its students with practical professional experience in a variety of industries, including business, counseling, education, human services, law, and more. UNT Dallas is led by President Robert “Bob” Mong. He has served UNT Dallas since 2015. As a 1971 Haverford College graduate, he attended Stanford University’s Executive Program in the Graduate School of Business. Under his leadership, UNT Dallas has achieved greater heights including enrollment growth. Mong started his career and spent most of it as a journalist at The Dallas Morning News. As the paper grew in popularity, he gained experience as the paper’s Editor and Revenue General Manager. Bridging as a journalist, Mong was passionate about education and the industry. He developed udint appointment for higher education between The Dallas Morning News and various universities. He was chaired the National board of visitors at the Manship School at Louisiana State University since 2000. Under his new leadership the paper won nine Pulitzen prizes. In 2015, he was recruited as the President of UNT Dallas by the Former UNT System Chancellor, Lee Jackson. He was awarded various honors like the National Empathy Award for his contribution to making their community a better place to live. Choosing Colleges: How To Make The Decision? Choosing a college can be an overwhelming decision. Knowing that your future academic life depends on this one decision, making the right choice seems so difficult when many choices can please students. As someone with first-hand experience in the education sector for years, we raised the question to Bob Mong. Number One- Education is the single best determinant for future lifetime earnings premiums for those who achieve a bachelor’s degree or more. Go to college and complete college. Number Two- Believe in your growth potential and maintain a lifetime learning mindset. The world has never changed faster. The best way to keep up with it is not to be intimidated by change but to embrace it. Number Three- Learn self-care techniques to adapt to the inevitable stresses you will face in college and beyond. Too often, the most talented people fail to take care of themselves and let their physical and mental health slide. University Foundations/The Journey The University of North Texas at Dallas provides affordable education accompanied by innovative, high-quality academic programs that include opportunities for rich experiential learning. Created by the Texas Legislature to serve under-resourced markets in North Texas, It has been 12 years since UNT Dallas became independent. UNT Dallas offers its students the most cost-effective tuition plans in the Dallas area, enabling them to pursue a bachelor’s, master’s, or Juris doctoral degree while carrying the least debt possible. Thanks to the Office of Student Life, students can learn more about themselves, their peers, and the world we live in. UNT Dallas provides students with an environment that is innovative, holistic, and instructive Students will always be the priority and the heart of every initiative taken by the university. They aim to provide educational access and give students a variety of learning experiences. There is a range of partnerships with non-profit organizations, school districts, community institutions, and local business partners for students to benefit from. UNT Dallas has its main campus in Southern Dallas. The area has relatively low college graduation rates. A point that UNT Dallas is working to change. The UNT Dallas College of Law is located in Downtown Dallas. The current building was originally the Dallas City Hall from 1914 to 1978. Campus Environment UNT Dallas works towards making an environment where everyone feels accepted and welcome. UNT Dallas’ undergraduate, graduate school, and law school are campuses where diversity is fostered by our vision to be a pathway for upward economic mobility. The UNT Dallas leadership team proudly is among the most diverse cabinet in American higher education with a remarkable minority cabinet. More than 60% of the staff are diverse with four out of six deans being scholars of color. According to a national survey released in 2022, UNT Dallas was number 1 in North Texas and number 15 nationally among 1300 accredited colleges and universities for fostering upward economic mobility among graduates. The university opened its first residence hall in 2017 and a new $63 million student center in 2019. They work to create a community that values students and encourages both academic success and personal growth. The residence hall is built with the needs of the students in mind, providing a distinctive experience while residing on campus. The University’s GPS UNT Dallas’ GPS- Guided Path to Success is a 5-Year Road Map to continue advancing the university’s mission of empowering students and transforming lives. The plan focuses on 5 principles to be followed while decision-making. By aligning their efforts with these principles, they hope to transition to their growth phase. The plan also includes being in sync with the newest technological or academic advancements as they come. This will make the trajectory move forward in the next few years in a holistic way. Academia And Programs A university’s faculty determines how strong it is. At UNT Dallas, you won’t find teachers who aren’t involved in the community. In reality, UNT Dallas is home to professors with expertise in various subjects, including business, counseling, education, human services, law, and more. The faculty members are dedicated to instructing, and they are each available to their students inside and outside of the classroom. Additionally, offered peer and professional counseling, tutoring, and advice services. Extracurricular Life Of Students UNT Dallas believes in offering students a range of activities, including involvement in student government,
Benjamin Talin: Embracing Digitalization More Than Just Digital
Like all successful businesses, MoreThanDigital.info was also founded in response to a market deficiency. Benjamin Talin was inspired to start his journey in this industry as he observed gaps and issues in it. He realized the importance of digitalization in his 20’s, started advising governments and ministries about SME challenges and other educational needs. With years of experience as a businessman, publisher, and international guest lecturer Benjamin established himself as a digital expert. He had already begun his journey when he started his first business at the age of 13. Not a boy but more a man he lived in the United States for a short period and settled back to Europe to study Business and Economics in Zurich. Building Knowledge Benjamin sought out challenges and even did not wait for challenges to confront them. This behavior distracted his attention from study and he became famous for never being at the university. Rather he chose to build more businesses without caring about failures. He even failed his first two start-ups in Switzerland and landed doing over a dozen of internships. Now, here is the catch, nothing goes in vain — he created his agency that turned into a company group including a consultancy company and other start-up projects. He did not stop there and opted to do a bachelor’s degree at Zurich University. With gained knowledge, he started teaching at different universities about entrepreneurship, new business models, and digitalization. The days got shinny when all these led to having lots of publications, keynotes, and guest lectures internationally. Inception And Challenges The first brick for MoreThanDigital was founded in 2017 when it started as a blog out of frustration. Now, it grew as the leading digital initiative in Europe and spreading arms across the world. Before formalizing strategies, the company provides yearly 2 Mio executives access to knowledge that is easy to understand and free for everyone. Being customer-obsessed fanatics they are winning the world with business knowledge services. While interviewing Benjamin he explained the current scenario of the businesses. According to him, within the last few years especially the last decade, there was an overwhelming flood of new technologies, new business models, and new challenges occurring in the market. Many entrepreneurs could not hold up with the speed and the dependence on good consultants, external freelancers, and partners. However, these uncertainties opened doors for lots of marketing and BS within the business world which were exploited because of ignorance. These opportunities changed customer preferences too for good. Benjamin believes that the Covid-19 pandemic was not too bad for them. He and his team kept their focus on things with optimism and hope attached. At a time when many businesses were trying to survive, the need for neutral information accelerated MoreThanDigital’s business and its platform. It was although hard as a lot of partners and supporters were struggling too, many personal objectives changed in the inner circle. They needed to develop a big project and MoreThanDigital Insights platform within these difficult times. Engage, Just Not Sell MoreThanDigital refrains from believing that everyone is a target. This behavior of attempting to appeal to everyone results in failing to connect with true potential customers. The company has a different approach, they engage their customer base and communicate the company’s central “why.” Working against the mainstream with limited resources is always hard for them because the circumstances put a lot of pressure on the team, partners, and everyone involved. The company’s common vision and mission statement #bethechange prove to be a cornerstone that dictates the important part of who they are and why people love to work with them. This helps to deal with challenges on daily basis but it hits hard to go where nobody has gone before. Constantly evaluating the path, where need to go, and what other decisions need to take care of are crucial as criticism plays its part. It is prevalent every single day and there are a lot of disagreements as they do not follow the rituals. Staying true to the ideology is critical no doubt but the result makes it worth investing time and energy. Identifying Customer Needs Taking a broad view of customer satisfaction benefits a business. Being at the center, the company always tries to communicate as much as possible with the members of their community. The most effective way is having 1on1 meetings including getting feedback from partners, members, and of course haters. They constantly align with the needs but always try to differentiate between the “greater good” they want to achieve and single biased views who want to take only advantage. The marketing model these days is undoubtedly 360 degree in nature as well as informed, up-to-date, targeted, and revolutionary. Adapting this principle as the backbone, MoreThanDigital helps as many members as possible to better deal with the future. So they keep trying to expand the platform for better information sharing. The company will soon launch MoreThanDigital Insights as a new powerful platform for companies to identify their weaknesses. In the future, TechValley and Academy are further cornerstones that will help grow the Company as a digital ecosystem which will eventually give more people access to the future. Benjamin’s Message To this end, no strategy would work if marketing is weak. Platforms and especially digital ecosystems are tough and indeed demanding. When someone wants to build multi-sided platforms and especially an ecosystem then they should brace themselves for a long ramp-up phase. They are not just by coincidence a difficult business model to manage as one has to manage the chicken-egg problem and needs to factor in many more stakeholders in the long run. Benjamin has a message for entrepreneurs seeking careers in the industry. “Starting with your own funds, bracing for years of hard work and little income, and also try to build the platform from point to point without sacrificing your values. Many outsell their vision and values for some investors and are then surprised that it didn’t work out. Sometimes staying
Arungalai Anbarasu: Delivering Breakthrough Technology and Digital Transformation
Journey and Inspiration As a child, the curiosity of questions like where we came from, how things are built, how the earth was formed among others kept Arungalai Anbarasu awake at night. This made her want to be an astronaut. However, she grew up not knowing that her poor eye vision would never let her pursue that path. Therefore, she went to study the closest thing to it, engineering. She has her master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Science. And her master thesis was on Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), that’s what her employer Waygate Technologies specializes in. After university, she joined the famous conglomerate General Electric (GE) into their graduate program called Edison engineering where she learned how technology is used to build and sell solutions that solve different problems in the world like energy, healthcare, transportation, and communication. Therefore, driving a strategy & business from wing to wing became a passion which made her take different roles in GE & Baker Hughes in the areas of finance, strategy, operations, technology, and business leadership up to her current role of Chief Technology & Strategy Officer for Waygate Technologies, a Baker Hughes business. She and her team look at the overarching strategy for Waygate Technologies while delivering breakthrough technology innovation and digital transformation. She also led the industrial X-ray and computed tomography (CT) business in the past few years at Baker Hughes (BH). Every role, every experience, every country Arungalai has lived, taught her something new and contributed to shaping her career and personality. The diversity of roles and global nature of her roles before has really helped her look at the strategy for the company in a very balanced yet with an exponential growth approach. Her experiences have also taught her the power of being able to flex from the strategic view to the tactical view to operate the business at best which she very much leverages in her current role. Not only to dream about the future but also to enable the operations to make it real! Opportunities Against Difficulties As with any company in this age – COVID has thrown at Waygate Technologies a really large wrench. Its key customers were impacted, and that is clearly affecting them – it does no one good to ignore that fact. “There are opportunities even in the difficult moments.” With that in view, COVID has also posed a positive aspect where the digital transformation is accelerating in every industry…It is the new beginning for the Digital Revolution! NDE4.0 in Waygate Technologies’ case. Overall, if anything good has come out of COVID, it is the fact that drove us further away from each other physically and brought a lot of people much closer together virtually. The manifestation of this in industrial inspection is the drive to data and the drive to a larger level of, remote, collaboration. This coincidentally is precisely what is enabled by the suite of Waygate Technologies’ digital products called InspectionWorks. What are the main challenges to achieving the transformation from a device-centric inspection company to a data-centric inspection company? – both internally and externally? Transformation exists throughout the process; not just technology. Sometimes, digital transformation is seen as a technology problem only. Waygate Technologies is a company with a great heritage – the team traces its lineage back to Krautkrämer and Seifert – people who discovered the technologies and invented the techniques. However, with this heritage also comes a lot of tradition that tends to get up-ended in this world of, quite literally, data-driven micro-second decisions (if you don’t believe in the time scale, just look at the micro traders on Wall Street). ‘Waygatians’ try to address these challenges along with multiple fronts: Women Softening Economy Making decisions after considering multiple viewpoints ensures the probability of success from the outcomes is higher & the probability of approach with balanced emotions is higher. Women bring unique perspectives to research and scientific conversation, reduce the skill gap, and foster economic growth. Focusing on Digitalization Arungalai Anbarasu, the Chief Technology & Strategy Officer at Waygate Technologies, is driving strategy & innovation for the company. In addition to pushing the technology & business models boundaries on industrial inspection solutions, Aru and her team are also focused on the digital transformation of Waygate Technologies and the spearheads of the firm’s evolution into a Digital Inspection Solutions (DIS) provider, taking customers from inspections to insights and from insights to innovations. The key enablers that drive strategy, technology, business, security, etc are the team. In this time of the pandemic, it’s extremely important for each one of them to make an extra effort to care about the team, employees, peers. Challenges with the hybrid or home working are different. Addressing the challenges is better solved together. “We are stronger together than alone!” The key is empathy and authenticity. This builds a trustful relationship which then breeds into a fruitful partnership when the team undertakes challenges and fulfills transformational activities successfully. And practicing what they preach. Not encourage your team trying to build a kingdom but create a leap for humanity. The goal is always bigger than power and position–its transformation, innovation, and advancement. Lastly, giving the freedom for the team to create and develop within boundaries of compliance, ethics, and safety. People make a business; Business does not make people. So, a business will be successful only if it focuses on the people. Leading Breadth of Portfolios Waygate Technologies (WT) has the biggest breadth of portfolios and enjoys a leadership position in a large majority of them. They are world leaders in industrial X-ray and CT equipment and are leaders in professional video borescopes among others. The company proudly received the Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Award for the Global Industrial Computed Tomography Solutions multiple years in a row. WT’s combination of breadth – visual, ultrasound, X-ray, CT, Eddy current, portables, handhelds, testing machines, cloud services, etc have them placed in a unique position to deliver market-winning cross-modality insights to their customers. The world is moving away from data
Andy Khawaja: Creating a Better Future for Generations to Come
Digital Version Visionary leaders form a vision and motivate people to work towards a goal. The qualities these leaders share are charisma, high IQ level, and persuasion. A visionary leader gets inspired by their environment and works to create a better future for the upcoming generations. Andy Khawaja says, “I’m inspired by the things that I see happening in the world, and I’m driven by the change I envision for the `future.” Introducing Natural-Born Entrepreneur Dr. Khawaja is a world-renowned entrepreneur whose objectives are to construct, invent, prosper, and give back. He is a well-known philanthropist and businessman. He has also participated in many interviews with thought leaders such as Larry King and received many acknowledgments for his achievements from leaders, politicians, and public figures globally. Fluent in five languages, Dr. Khawaja was recently named the “Master of Innovation” for his achievements in global technological developments in the previous ten years. His contributions to technology, society, and economic advancement have been chronicled in over 100 magazines. Forbes, Time Magazine, Bloomberg, Digital Transactions, Fortune, INC, LA Business Journal, Finance Monthly Global, Start Your Business, Lux, New Business, Sunday Telegraph, The Green Sheet, The Guardian, and Wired Magazine have all highlighted Dr. Khawaja. Thanks to his philanthropic ideals, Dr. Khawaja continues to make sizable donations to charities like UNICEF, Wounded Warrior Project, Eagle and Badge Foundation, After-School All-Stars, Star Team for the Children, Brent Shapiro Foundation, ASACP, Action Innocence, From the Heart Productions, LAPCA, United Service Organizations, Hope for Change International, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and others. Dr. Khawaja and Allied Wallet – “Messiah of Digital Payments” Dr. Khawaja is an e-commerce pioneer, who created Allied Wallet in 2005 to link global buyers and dealers. He offered payment tools to people of different cultures and continents, focusing on aspects like cyber security, fraud prevention, and virtual wallets. For almost 10 years, Dr. Khawaja and Allied Wallet led the payment industry in innovation and progress. Every year, the company expanded – spreading its services to different countries. He expanded Allied Wallet from its Los Angeles headquarters to other operational centers in Germany, India, Macau, Hong Kong, and London. Allied Wallet served approximately 150+ million customers in 190 countries, supporting 164 currencies worldwide. INC Magazine and the LA Business Journal have named it one of the “Fastest-Growing Private Companies” many times. Dr. Khawaja proceeded to lead Allied Wallet to the top while also executive producing and directing many ambitious projects, including the reality television series “Model Turned Superstar.” Andy says, “I built a multi-billion dollar payment processing company that connected merchants and consumers in over 190 countries. I built the finest solution for online payments so that I could help entrepreneurs all over the world accept payments in nearly any currency.” Artificial Intelligence Defence Platform At the beginning of 2019, Dr. Khawaja left the payment services sector to innovate and develop new technology that would revolutionize the world. He established the Artificial Intelligence Defense Platform, or AIDP, intending to develop new AI technology for machines and systems that would work together to provide a more secure and sustainable future for people. He is now committed to making life better for people now and in the future. Committed to improving the world, he founded the Artificial Intelligence Defense Platform. Although it had been a notion for a long time, the Artificial Intelligence Defense Platform (AIDP) was officially established in 2020. AIDP is building the future and transforming how tasks are completed. With the aid of artificial intelligence, AIDP developed its groundbreaking program “ISABELLA.” ISABELLA can read and retain what it reads. ISABELLA is open-source, Wi-Fi-connected technology that can monitor, learn, and take action online. ISABELLA’s processing mind will be used by new technologies and machines to conduct labor and perhaps provide military functionality. The capacity of the human mind to store knowledge is limited. Humanity is limited in its capacity to withstand stress and carry out work. ISABELLA’s artificial intelligence system will be able to study and interpret multilingual data from the internet, encyclopedias, and even intelligence sources, giving it access to an infinite amount of knowledge. ISABELLA is future-oriented and limitless. Vision of AIDP Dr. Khawaja is dedicated to working with artificial intelligence because he believes in his vision. He and his team work from their hearts to create solutions to save lives. “What is more important than saving lives? What is more important than creating better living conditions for future generations? What we do is important, not just for us – but for the children – for tomorrow,” says Dr. Khawaja. Being a visionary leader, he is inspired by what he sees in the world and is driven by the change he envisions for the future. His vision can make the world a better place. It is one thing to want something and another to actively take steps of action to do it. He is very passionate and excited about creating better living conditions. Artificial Intelligence Defense Platform is striving to create, improve, innovate, and design. Its goal is to bring Dr. Khawaja’s goals, dreams, and vision to reality. The goal is to make the world a better place for all. Services provided by AIDP 2.6 million years ago, stone tools were created. In 4000 BC, the world created the wheel. In the 19th century, it created the lightbulb – then in the 20th century, it created vehicles, nuclear technology, and the internet. In the 21st century, it created biotech, nanotech, and fusion. God created mankind. AIDP is creating AI technology that will save the future of mankind. Dr. Khawaja and his team will continue to expand and grow AIDP for the sake of finding new ways to improve living conditions for mankind. Since the beginning of AIDP, innovation has not stopped, and it never will. It is continually creating new departments to innovate different aspects of life and society, integrating new technological advancements into every industry. Dr. Khawaja and his team will continue to expand and grow AIDP for the sake
Amanda Bailey- Putting The “Human” Back In “Human Resources”
Digital Version Education, including its human resources function, is closely linked to the social, political, and economic factors of its time. A history of education has contributed to the advancements made in the development of human resources administration. The use of human resource management in education is essential, and underrating the role could have detrimental effects on the workforce nationally and globally Organizations must be prepared to adjust to legislation changes at the federal, state, local, and regional levels as well as other changes impacting employers because educational objectives must be met. The availability of human resources is essential for both good service delivery and rapid socioeconomic growth. To help the business achieve its goals, human resources focuses on discovering, developing, controlling, and utilizing the skills that employees have exhibited. A company’s human resources office is in charge of this task and is there to establish the ideal work environment for its employees to support their personal growth and the growth of the business. The human resource role of a business, an entire sector, and the global workplace, in general, extends much beyond what takes place at the office in the modern world. There needs to be some form of assistance in the educational system to prepare applicants for the entire process, even while the human resources department will do its fair share of educating employees, developing career development plans for them, preparing for their success, etc. Amanda Bailey, vice president for human resources at Boston University, is an executive human resources leader with more than 25 years of experience. Over the previous ten years, she held top human resources leadership positions at secondary and post-secondary educational institutions. Journey From The First Step As a B.A in English college graduate in English Literature, Amanda took business administration courses from Florida Atlantic University. She later graduated from the University of Rhode Island with an HR Management and Labor Relations degree in hand. Amanda then went ahead and became a certified national board member of three organizations dedicated to HR in higher education. She is regarded as a thought leader in human resources and serves as a board member of several organizations dedicated to human resources in education and workforce development organizations. Amanda personally seeks inspiration from her father who ran his own business successfully for nearly a decade. From her father, she learned to appreciate and value relationships, the experiences of customers, and the significance of financial compliance. Professional processes like legal practices and HR operations that are essential in any business were exposed to Amanda at an early age. Through her journey, she has encountered multiple milestones, achievements, and experiences. She has seen people- of diverse experiences and careers who have been knowingly and unknowingly contributors to her journey. She is grateful for her mentors who have been executives in senior positions who have guided her through hardships and offered critical analysis and counsel throughout her career At Boston University BU is a university that belongs to Carnegie’s Research 1 (R1) category of higher education institutions. More than 130 countries are represented by the 36,000 students who enroll in one or more of the 300 programs offered by BU’s 17 institutions and colleges. At BU’s reputable medical center, an estimated 10,000 faculty and staff personnel work every day. Physically, Boston University is dispersed throughout the whole city of Boston, although its main campuses are around the Charles River, Medical, and Fenway boulevards. Amanda oversees Human Resources at the system level for Boston University. The system governs talent acquisition, talent development, benefits operations, labor and employee relations, HR DEI programs, service center operations, performance management, compensation, data analytics, HRIS, HR communications, Children’s Center, and Faculty Staff Assistance services. At BU, Amanda’s responsibilities include leading HR strategic priorities, meeting with peers from the university’s large community to learn how her team(s) can support them in furtherance of their strategic priorities, communicating regularly with HR leaders on her team and across the community to address existing or new challenges and working with colleagues at other higher education institutions to learn how they are addressing key challenges. Women In Business Amanda is one of the many women who have paved their path through multiple struggles and personas to get where they are today. It is no sob story that women have it differently in the industry facing stereotypes and hurdles. Making a place for themselves in fields that are traditionally “male dominating” is a hard nut to crack. But business leaders like Amanda take that challenge happily and continue making a place for themselves and their dreams. Amanda has her own set of thoughts for women in business. Women offer insights that are driven by their experiences in and out of the workplace. Their leadership advances business objectives by allowing them to offer their perspectives which broadens brainstorming and innovative thinking through to implementing strategies and initiatives. Women certainly have been overlooked as competitively able to advance business strategic objectives to positively impact economic conditions and social change, however, women have accepted challenges along the way and succeeded. While there remains much growth for improvement, the selection of women leaders must be incorporated at the highest level of leadership and responsibility in any organization to ensure that organizations are incorporating selection criteria that require women to be competitively considered for senior and executive leadership roles. While women have been commonly associated with nurturing leadership styles and higher in empathic and compassionate-informed decision-making, both men and women have these leadership traits in varying degrees. These traits define higher emotional intelligence for leaders, and research continues to show that, of particular interest, leaders with high emotional intelligence listen more, are better at self-awareness servant leaders, and are agile learners. Challenges And Management Just like every profession, Amanda’s also has its struggles and hurdles. Overcoming them while not disrupting any existing or potential climb is what a business leader does. For Amanda, ensuring adequate resources are offered to consultative and administrative services is one challenge. Managing both
Albin Kaelin: Demonstrating Leadership With Cradle To Cradle Certified Businesses
About Albin Kaelin Albin is a true pioneer of sustainability in manufacturing and an accredited assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified™ registered trademark and Certification Standard. His innovative approach earned Rohner Textiles 19 awards and impacted the textile industry globally. He shared the formula for the Cradle to Cradle processes with the entire textile industry. He helped Wolford to create a biodegradable polyester (PET) that is 100% toxic-free, which is safe for the environment and human health. Industry from the very beginning has treated natural resources as essentially infinite, and the world’s capacity to accommodate waste with the same regard. As the economy becomes global, we now understand this is not true – so the way we make products also should change. EPEA Switzerland has developed ‘Reference Model Cradle-to-Cradle Design Innovations’. Their reference model works for every product in every industry. It can be used to create products in a way that aims to close the loop on the cradle-to-grave economy – whether that’s by using safe chemicals and materials, or designing products so their resources can be used across multiple lifecycles without loss of quality. We at Fortunes Crown got into conversation with Albin Kaelin, Founder and CEO of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) to learn more about his journey and how he is changing the landscape of doing a business. Please tell us about your educational/professional background. Would you like to mention some of the highlights from your journey? “I’m actually left-handed. When I got to school, I was forced to write on the right. Back then I asked why, but I didn’t get an answer. This experience has taught me not to accept anything whose sense I do not understand. I want to shape my life so that it makes sense for me and for the community. In doing it becomes visual how I take responsibility. I work professionally to enable innovations to develop new concepts of production that no longer produce waste, but become ‘nutrients’ for other products. By showing new ways to the old system, I find my track of interface, where I am neither saying yes nor no and I am confident to bear my responsibility.” “Innovation and Leadership are the only surviving strategies” “If you compare, you start to compromise” “This process never ends, if you never get this point, you never go to survive” 1981 to 2004 Albin Kälin was Managing Director of Rohner Textil AG in Switzerland. Since the 90s, under his leadership, the company won 19 international design awards. In 1993, he stimulated the development of the product line Climatex ® (www.climatex.com) and thus the first Cradle to Cradle ® products worldwide. Albin Kälin was awarded in 2001 UBS Key Trophy as the “Rhine Valley Entrepreneur of the Year.” Please brief us in detail about the current scenario of the business. How have the customer preferences changed over the years? “We all have been educated to think linear, all the systems we are living in are based on linear thinking. e.g accounting, GDP, recycling, landfill. There is no future, Cradle to Grave. We are losing resources, and their quality and most of them are even toxic. What we need is Cradle to Cradle. Enabling a positive perspective for future generations and the environment. Legislation is taking this up rapidly within the EU Member States with the “New Green Deal”, forcing companies to transform into circular businesses and products designed for a toxic-free environment. When was Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency established? Please tell us about the services/products your company is offering? EPEA Switzerland was founded in 2009 to support businesses to innovate and become safe and circular. It is a different way of thinking; this is why it is so challenging. We need many lighthouses who can prove the different way of thinking is a success. How can we reach the tipping point soon.” EPEA Switzerland GmbH supports companies in different areas of activities in the development and implementation of Cradle to Cradle ® design concepts. With an experienced, internationally oriented and interdisciplinary working management team, Cradle to Cradle ® projects are implemented in all industries worldwide. EPEA Switzerland is an accredited general assessor for the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Certification. www.c2ccertified.org What are the unique challenges your company is currently facing? How have they affected your company? Building a Network of Trust “To be honest this is a real challenge. Trying to transform linear systems into circular ones is demanding and challenging. Mindset, Management and Integrated Systems need to be transformed into a new way of thinking. This can only be created through innovation and strong and reliable partner networks. Over the years we were able to build a Network of Trust with hundreds of clients and thousands of suppliers on a global scale. Please mention some of your achievements. 2021 2022 What measures do you incorporate to ensure motivation and productivity within the workspace? How do you respond to criticism and disagreements? “For 25 years I experienced headwind and was considered a rebel. Now the time spirit touches the surface and you are recognized to be innovative. To receive tailwind is making it moving faster with less energy. Remain firm and never give up your principles.” Changing a mindset is challenging and causes many contradictions, discussions and often criticism and disagreements. As Albert Einstein mentioned: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” A lot of time needs to be invested until the point of understanding is reached that “it makes sense”. After that and not before everyone is motivated to support and start the innovation process. We do not look back to the existing products or systems, we design everything new. Creating new perspectives for companies in the future for coming generations and the environment. What measures do you undertake to ensure optimum customer satisfaction? How much impact does the customer feedback have on the company’s strategies? All our projects are based on innovation, a high-risk environment with many hurdles to
“Deconstruct, Destroy, Defend”- Judith Mitchell Shares Biotech Solutions At Next Science
Digital Version When it comes to tackling bodily viruses or parasites, it is quite a risky job. One little mistake and the previously efficient part can get damaged- temporarily or permanently. The Medical sector, after combined with some tricks of science and technology, has been developing to new heights. Various advanced and quite accurately working solutions to microorganisms or viruses of the likes of biofilm are being effectively cured. Biofilm formation is a process whereby microorganisms irreversibly attach to and grow on a surface and produce extracellular polymers that facilitate attachment and matrix formation, resulting in an alteration in the phenotype of the organisms with respect to growth rate and gene transcription. Solutions As Beginnings Established in 2012, Next Science is a medical technology company headquartered in Sydney, Australia, with a research and development center in Florida, USA. The Company’s primary focus is on developing and continuing commercialization of its proprietary XBIO Technology to reduce biofilm-based infections’ impact on human health. Sitting down with the Managing Director, Judith Mitchell, the company’s journey ever from when it was founded by Dr. Myntii, their experiences and experiments with biotech, was discussed. As someone based in the biotech industry, Dr. Myntii founded the company with the challenge of resolving the way biofilms cause implantable medical devices to fail by harboring infections. The mission is to offer the world a solution to biofilms, and the difference can be seen only recently. Biofilms-a natural phenomenon frequently causes 80% of human chronic infections. The aim is to impact that and make many chronic infection illnesses more manageable and eradicable. Next Science began with the infection of prosthetic joints and persistent wounds. Over 8 million Americans have chronic sores like leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers, although most individuals are unaware of this. These are crippling illnesses that, if the chronic infection is not treated, might result in amputation events, which increase mortality. As a result, this is a pathway that clearly calls for intervention. Healthcare With Technology- XBIO Technology Unaware of a solid solution, going ahead with matters as serious as biofilms can be risky. Nobody knew the solution to the issue, and like many good scientists, Dr. Myntii couldn’t sleep because of it. A crucial technological platform created by Dr. Myntti allows for the dispersal of biofilms and the creation of conditions that cause bacterial cell lysis and death. This technology can be used for a variety of purposes in our daily life, including food preparation, crop health, animal health, air conditioning, and water purification. The business has begun to concentrate on healthcare since NextScience thinks it will have the biggest immediate impact on people’s lives. In order to address the issue of bacterial biofilms, XBIO Technology uses a novel strategy. By eliminating the metal ions that keep the EPS together, the special, non-toxic technology targets and disassembles the biofilm’s structure. The bacteria inside the biofilm are exposed as a result, making them easier to kill. As a result of a surfactant and strong osmotic imbalance across the bacterial cell wall, microorganisms that are encased by the XBIO Technology are then eliminated. With a 100X reduction in the rate of recurrence, XBIO Technology’s broad spectrum efficacy aids in protecting against biofilm reformation. There is no known resistance to XBIO Technology due to its distinctive mechanism of action. Biotech And Society XBIO Technology is going to fix problems that have caused people to endure constant misery. It can significantly alter the course of the disease for infections in prosthetic joints and chronic wounds by eliminating biofilms. When those factors cannot be changed, the final result is frequent amputation and early death. That process can be stopped, ending the patient’s pain and allowing them to recover and return to their regular life. “Our technologies are used to prevent infections or help remove the biofilm and bacteria for those who are being treated for an infected prosthesis. Our early data is showing us we are providing significant changes in both preventing infections and improving the outcomes for those patients who have had an infected prosthesis that is re-operated on to remove the infection.” By 2050, it is predicted that bacterial illnesses will claim more lives than cancer. The XBIO Technology from 2 Next Science is altering this course and enhancing the lives of patients. Even their most at-risk patients can have better surgical outcomes because of XBIO’s revolutionary technology. Judith Mitchell is someone who has spent over 40 years in a community of biotech solutions, one gets humbled by seeing fellow humans suffer. And the joy of seeing them feel better and get healed through something you had a hand in. “I have always felt it was a privilege to serve the medical profession, as they served the community at large. When serving the community in this way, there is one simple question you can lead with – how can I help – and whether this leads down a pathway for more training for healthcare support staff, faster product delivery, or the development of a completely new product you are constantly being challenged on how to make improvements that ultimately benefit the patient and improve peoples lives.” Biotech Solutions In Multiple Sectors Modern techniques are used by biotechnologists in a variety of biotechnology fields. Working with biological organisms, biotechnologists do research, develop, and improve new technologies and products. These researchers try to address global issues by developing innovative medical treatments and sustainable energy sources. Sectors like Agriculture, Biofuels, Biomedicines, and Medical Technology, In order to maximize productivity, the BioTech sector is implementing trends like automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI). As a result, consumer biotechnology and biotechnology products that are marketed to consumers rather than bio-pharmaceutical or healthcare companies have increased. While businesses are working on solutions ranging from food and materials to environmental monitoring, the industry is still mostly focused on healthcare. Working for biotechs in Med tech and novel companies like Next Science you get the chance to really make a difference in lives and a