Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
INNOVATING SPACE
Innovative Companies
in the Space Industry
EDITOR’S CHOICE
Disruptive Technology
and Changing Trends
Influencing Business
REVOLUTIONARY
CEO’s
2019
BE CREATIVE
AND BE FLEXIBLE.
ROBBIE
ANTONIOGLOBAL LEADER OF
TECHNOLOGY-DRIVEN
START-UPS
EDITOR’S NOTE
You Might Call them
H
“ ere’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The
troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The
ones who see things differently. They're not fond of
rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can
quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the
only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change
things. They push the human race forward. And while some may
see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people
who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are
the ones who do.” —Rob Siltanen
Here is the Cover featuring, Robbie Antonio, the Founder and CEO of Resident Holdings who
understands the current market landscape and identifies possible trends. The global reach of
technological-driven start-ups has opened up many new frontiers for organizations across the
globe. For any leader having a clear vision to thrive in this disruption is vital for businesses. Leaders
must be comfortable and should be open to various new ideas and innovations and they should
communicate them to their employees and peers. At the core, no company or leader is immune
from the force of technological shift. He has achieved success in the fields of property, fintech, edu-
tech, e-commerce, home accessories, beauty, fashion, jewellery, food, electronics, and gaming. His
experience in brand marketing reached new heights when he launched his umbrella company:
Resident Holdings.
Let’s unveil such alike, inspiring interviews and stories of many such significant business leaders in
this special edition and spread a word about their contribution in making this world a better place.
Also, flip through the CXO standpoints presented by some of the leading industry experts to taste
the glimpse of industrial revolutions.
Bhushan Ghate
Articles
22
Innovating Space
Innovative Companies
in the Space Industry
44
The Art of Leading
Attributes of a
Good Leader
54
Editor’s Choice
Disruptive Technology
and Changing Trends
Influencing Business
08
Robbie
Cover Story
Antonio
Global Leader of Technology-driven Start-ups
IN THIS ISSUE
24 30
Joshua Hebert Kiran Bhagotra
Flight, Finance, and Changing Hearts and
Forward Thinking Minds in Cybersecurity
18 40 50
Augusto Mitidieri Marina Tognetti Tigran Haas
Rejuvenating the Redefining Urbanism
Globally Recognized Leader Entrepreneurial Spirit for the Future
in Pharmaceutical Industry
36 46
Tech Outlook Stellar's Vision
Coricraft: Transforms Customer Thoughts on AI
Delight and Delivery with “What shall we do
Trackmatic Solution with all this speed?”
K. Roy
Editor-in-Chief
CONTENT FOLLOW US ON
Alex Spellman
DESIGN
k.roy@ciolook.com
sales@ciolook.com
August, 2019
Cover Story
Robbie Antonio
Global Leader of Technology-driven Start-ups
connects the business units is the celebrity partnership DNA. the CEO to always check the
All of these companies are completely celebrity curated. He market landscape and think out of
believes that by partnering with celebrities, reputable the box to come up with new
personalities and companies, it instantly elevates the image, projects, products, and solutions
perception, and value of any product. that people will patronize... things
that will improve their lives. In the
Resident Holdings Group is a Southeast-Asia based global first place, he came up with the
holding company of technologically-driven startups with a idea of Resident Holdings to
strategy of global expansion and interests in the fields of social introduce new businesses outside
media marketing, franchising, tech-based legal, medical, and of the real estate sector, which he
accounting services. Its flagship company is unicorn startup has been involved in for so long.
Revolution Precrafted, a supplier of traditional and Indeed, the CEO needs to create a
prefabricated homes and structures with a footprint in spark that will drive the revolution
31countries in Asia, Middle East, Europe, North and South within the company.
America, and the Caribbean Islands. Resident Holdings traces
the roots of to the formation of its flagship company, Revolution Robbie is recognized as “20 of the
Precrafted in December 2015. At the time, there was very little World’s Most Innovative Art
awareness and preference for prefabricated homes. A lot of Collectors,” in 2014, and also “12
people have misconceptions about what prefab homes are. So Young Art Collectors to Watch in
the company came up with an idea to partner with some of the 2016.” He wants to surprise the
designers and architects in the world to curate transportable, market with new offerings and
modular homes. Since its launch, Revolution Precrafted has don’t like to rest on laurels. He
become the only unicorn company in the Philippines, valued at also tries to incorporate a new
over $1bn. Robbie considers his experience in Revolution as an element to every business unit to
important highlight of his leadership path. He was able to form be different. CEO always faces the
and lead a team committed to succeeding in a space that was toughest task. His team
previously not as celebrated and talked about. introduces new concepts and new
ideas all the time to create new
Robbie has received several awards from different revenue streams and sometimes,
organizations as one of the youngest and most prolific these ideas face questions and
collectors of international modern and post-war contemporary challenges from the board or the
art. He has always believed in continuously improving to drive management committee. His
his team and company forward. He believes that it is the role of game plan always breaks from
“Creativity, Flexibility and Determination. “
convention and break new concepts.
In a very competitive landscape, the
first one who introduces new takes a
sizable chunk of the market. He
always wants to be the one to change
the game by introducing something
new.
T
he pharmaceutical industry discovers, develops, Sintetica SA, the oldest pharmaceutical company in
produces, and markets medicines for use as Ticino, has undergone a period of extraordinary growth
medications to treat patients to cure them, heal and entered international markets with its high-quality
them, vaccinate them, or alleviate a symptom. The products in the sector of local anaesthesia and pain
contribution of the pharmaceutical industry is therapy.
extremely essential to the people in the world so as to
improve the life expectancy and overall health of the Able to implement a real strategic vision which places
people. the individual at the very centre of corporate decisions,
Augusto Mitidieri, together with the whole of Sintetica
CIOLook recognizes the leaders contributing in the SA, has earned important international awards and
Pharmaceutical industry. One such proficient leader recognition. Participating in the international research
contributing to the pharmaceutical industry is Augusto project called Ideals of the Politecnico di Milano for
Mitidieri. He is the Corporate CEO of Sintetica. He has creative leadership, innovation and design as
been awarded Best Manager of the Year for high leadership, Augusto Mitidieri is one of the
achievements and professionalism in the company pharmaceutical industry’s leading CEOs.
management. He is awarded by The Socrates
Committee of Oxford; this award recognizes Sintetica SA, a Swiss pharmaceutical company founded
exceptional human-centric leadership and the global in 1921, hospital market leader for analgesics and local
success of Sintetica. This award was presented at the anesthetics, with offices located in Germany, Italy,
Socrates Award Ceremony of the Achievements Forum England and two national production and development
2019, Institute of Directors, London. sites in Mendrisio and Couvet, with 300 employees.
18
| August2019 |
CEO of the Year
Augusto Mitidieri
Corporate CEO
Sintetica
We are fully
committed to innovate
therapies and drugs in
local anesthesia and
pain management.
19
| August2019 |
Augusto is of the opinion that Managers, therefore, Augusto also considers it is essential to select proper
shall move from a role of command and control to a talent and then develop it.
more coaching one, in order to manage people, enhance
talents, through delegation and accountability for Responsibility and Merit
results, and to reward their merit. He is of the opinion Augusto values responsibility and merit. He considers
that managers should act as a driving force to transmit that the merit must be recognized at all levels with
the organization’s values. Augusto emphasizes human feedbacks (on work) and rewarding (recognition of
centric leadership. He believes in having strong merit). The merit of each manager is the “enriched” sum
corporate values and ethical behavior. He considers it is of the success of every single member of his team. The
important that leader should be passionate to perform received delegation must be used by every person of
his role diligently. He strongly believes in involvement the organization with responsibility and autonomy and
of all individuals in the organizations. He considers must be oriented towards achieving the objective.
confidence and autonomy as important qualities of Augusto considers that conscious use of the feedback
leader. He prioritizes respect in the organization in tool is fundamental in order to improve oneself in a
terms of corporate and individual priorities. He values clear and honest way. He says that if one makes a
authenticity. He believes in constructive feedback for mistake, apologizing to the people concerned and
the improvement of the employees. Augusto is assuming one’s own responsibilities, is the fairest and
calculative and believes in culture based on results. He most appreciated way.
values skills and knowledge in employees and he
focuses on enhancing them. The last essential element The Digital Transformation
he considers in the organization is smiling. He says, “A Augusto believes that “human-centered” organization
characteristic of our DNA is the research for quality without will lead to digital transformation. He thinks that only if
compromises, which is measured, first of all, by enjoying the human resource play a central role, then digital
togetherness. A true smile is contagious and is the identity revolution be useful to us and will take us into the
of Sintetica and its concept of “great place to work”.” future with the following pivotal paradigm:
Ÿ Transforming data into information
Peripheral Decisional Autonomy Ÿ Organizing information
Augusto believes that Managers shall move their Ÿ Using information in order to improve, innovate and
mindset from the control of activities and how these compete at a global level.
activities are carried out, to an approach based on the
control of results and accountability for results, so as to The IMR Model of Strategy-operations Management
create peripheral decision-making autonomy, based on The company’s dynamic, innovative and growth-
the conscious risk assumption. He emphasizes that oriented corporate environment, combined with the
managers should use active listening techniques. corporate strategy based on the global diffusion of
innovation, requires deep focus in order to build a
20
| August2019 |
management model able to be “dynamic and targets and to monitor progress in macro-projects
innovative” and to help the company in the difficult task IMR Digital Transformation.
of balancing its strategy with operations. If, on the one
hand, the human-centered organization ensures the Purpose: to direct, coordinate and monitor the
effectiveness/efficiency of the processes, thanks to its identification of new business processes, up to the
strong managerial cultural connotation oriented digital company with the related expense and
towards responsibility and merit, on the other hand, the investment plans.
new management model has to ensure continuous
consistency between operations and strategy. Ÿ IMR World Markets
Purpose: to direct, coordinate and monitor
Inter-functional Management Routines (IMR) have international divisions and broad strategic marketing
been created, which consists of groups of people whose projects.
level of responsibility is not necessarily homogeneous,
coming from heterogeneous functions, able to Ÿ IMR from Control to Integrated Management
harmonize operations with the strategy in the hinge Purpose: to address and guide the integral process of
sectors for the development and growth of Sintetica. forecasting, budgeting, controlling and action
Basically, IMR pool which, thanks to the exchange of IMR Switzerland Global Innovation Lab
critical information, decides and acts “easily” by Purpose: to address and monitor the efforts to develop
continuously combining strategy and operations, and and search for new national opportunities in a global
maintaining a live coordination throughout the entire key perspective.
organization. They reach a horizontal dimension
thanks to interfunctionality and the exchange of
decisive information; but also a vertical dimension,
thanks to the multilevel composition and the
mechanism of the peripheral decisional autonomy
present in the organization.
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| August2019 |
Innovative
Companies
in the Space Industry
W
hat do we call an area that is not limited to a original space race began from the ideas and skills of
single planet and has no physical boundaries? visionary theoretical engineers like Robert. H. Goddard,
We call it the era of the emerging space Wernher von Braun, and Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky, etc.
resource industry. As humans, we became a spacefaring Today, space endeavors are propelled by a new generation
species 60 years ago when Russia launched Sputnik, the of entrepreneurs including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and
world’s first artificial satellite. We are the only species to Robert Branson. There are some more major players and
achieve this milestone in the 4.5 billion year history of the innovative companies with the vision of space exploration
earth. Later, the space industry began to develop after and are as follows:
World War II, as rockets and satellites later found civilian
purpose. SpaceX- SpaceX was founded in 2002 and has reached
worldwide popularity with their historic milestones in
Today, companies around the world are in transportation, space exploration. It is already the world’s most high-
energy sector, construction, hospitality, real estate, etc. profile commercial spacecraft company. The aim of SpaceX
and they are looking for their next growth opportunity. is to revolutionize the space technology, with the goal of
Space is quickly becoming a place where the industries enabling people to live on other planets. Its success has
that power our global economy have started conducting been worth appreciating. Falcon 9 launch vehicle and
business. Future developments in the space industries Dragon Spacecraft are some of its milestones. Dragon
include space tourism, satellite manufacturing, and the Spacecraft has helped with regular resupply missions for
launch industry. In recent years, however, private NASA space stations.
spaceflight is becoming reality in the space industry.
Blue Origin- It was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the
Of course, these private companies also compete against technological retail entrepreneur and CEO of Amazon,
each other and it could be argued that a new space race aims to launch people in space. It is fully reusable, vertical
has begun. But while with an element of competition, the takeoff vertical landing (VVTL) space vehicle. Though its
success of the past decades shows that is possible to goal is different from that of SpaceX, it targets the Space
collaborate in space. For example, NASA a major tourism industry. It is focusing on commercially available,
government agency has relied on privately operated suborbital human spaceflight and has developed a vertical
launch services like SpaxeX for its satellite launches. The launch vehicle (new shepherd) for it. New shepherd is
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| August2019 |
Innovating Space
named after the Mercury astronaut Alan Shepherd, the Observatory and it continues to produce data that enables
first American Astronaut to go in Space. It is designed to astronomers to make extraordinary discoveries. Launched
take astronauts and research payloads past the Karman in 1999, Chandra has found evidence for a significant new
line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. class of supernova. It has also uncovered evidence of a
powerful outburst from the giant black hole at the Milky
Boeing- Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company Way’s center.
and leading manufacturer in space and security systems.
Throughout the last 50 years, Boeing has been integral in NASA has a long tradition of utilizing Northrop
every major endeavor to escape earth’s gravity. The Grumman’s spacecraft, including the Spirit and
satellite industry has made the headlines since the launch Opportunity rovers that landed on Mars in 2004. The
of its first Mercury capsule to the current ISS rovers will help guide the Mars as it investigates the
(International Space Station). viability of microbial life on the planet now or in the past.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is the most powerful NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will play an
rocket ever built. Boeing is the prime contractor for the important role in studying planetary systems. NGC is the
SLS design development, test, and production of the prime contractor for building the dreams of Webb
launch vehicle. SLS is the world’s only super heavy rocket technology. The telescope will be sensitive to infrared light
capable of transporting astronauts to deep space. NASA is which will enable it to understand an era of the universe
setting its eyes on the exploration of Mars with the help of just a few million years after the Big Bang.
Boeing technology. Boeing has successfully launched all of
NASA’s Mars probes and rovers aboard Delta 11 launch Made in Space- MIS is the space-based manufacturing
vehicles. Recently Boeing engineer designed a spacesuit to company, dedicated to making of reliable Additive
protect astronauts from dust, radiation and other hazards manufacturing equipment and fiber optics (MIS Fiber) for
when exploring the surface of moon and mars. Space. Additive manufacturing is also known as 3D
Printing and is transforming the industry. It can
Sierra Nevada Corporation- Selected by NASA, SNC’s manufacture larger and more complex objects faster, with
Dream Chaser spacecraft is a multi-mission space utility finer precision and with multiple aerospace grade
vehicle. It used for transporting crew and cargo to LEO materials. MIS Fiber Optics, on the other hand, is
(Low Earth Orbit) destinations such as ISS (International produced without crystals that affect signal loss. Later,
Space Station). The system is designed to deliver up to these crystals provide superior data transmission
5,500 kg of pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the capabilities, high-speed internet as well as enhancing
space station under the CRS (Commercial Resupply technologies in space.
Service)-2 contract. It will carry supplies like food, water, &
science experiments and returns to earth with a gentle Virgin Galactic- Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight company
runway landing. The spacecraft is selected by NASA to founded in 2004 by British entrepreneur Sir Richard
provide a minimum of 6 cargo missions to and from the Branson. It is developing commercial space crafts and aims
space station by 2021. Sierra Nevada Corporation is to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists. VG
making solid progress and likely to stay a key player in the uses a larger, four-engine jet plane that carries passengers
private space company. into space. It is similar in design to a private plane. These
private space firms seem to have different interests in the
Northrop Grumman Corporation- NGC is a leader in space race, but actually, these companies share the same
science and exploration in space for more than 60 years. goals.
Thiokol Chemical Company, now part of NGC developed
the world’s first reusable space shuttle program in the late Looking at the future, there will be a need for laws,
1970s. regulation, and controlling authority to govern space
exploration. It will be necessary to have firm and well-
Contribution to NASA: July 20, 1969, was a historic day understood protocols in the event space crashing, while
when the world watched, astronaut Neil Armstrong took there are serious issues around the safety of astronauts as
mankind’s first steps on the moon. The success of NASA’s well. At the moment, the UN’s Outer Space Affairs is
Apollo 11 mission is still remembered and celebrated. responsible for promoting international cooperation in the
Several heritage companies of NGC are recognized for the peaceful uses of outer space. Perhaps, the entry of the
vital role they played in the achievement of the Apollo 11 private sector into space exploration will contribute to the
mission. NGC designed, assembled, integrated and tested growth of the economy as valuable targets for investment.
the Lunar Module (LM) of the Apollo program. However, it will be interesting to see how healthy
competition opens up in the development of the Space Era
NASA’s Northrop Grumman built Chandra X-ray for Citizens.
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| August2019 |
Joshua Hebert
CEO
Magellan Jets
24
| August2019 |
Magellan Jets
Joshua
Hebert
Flight, Finance, and Forward Thinking
I
n an interview with CIO LOOK, Joshua Hebert discusses his impeccable journey,
achievements, and many milestones en-route to his success today. His unique ideologies and
vision helped him take his company, Magellan Jets, and soar to new heights.
Joshua entered in aviation business in 2000, when he co-founded Jets International with his
business partner, Nate, and thus paved the way to customer success and revenue in operations
within the company. His expertise in business start-ups and transformations, combined with his
extensive track record in growing businesses through creative new solutions, have culminated in
a team that have increased sales at Magellan Jets by 35% a year for more than a decade.
CIO LOOK admires such leaders and appreciates their contribution in the transformative
evolution of this respective sector: Aviation. We are pleased to feature Joshua Hebert in our
special edition issue: “Revolutionary CEOs, 2019”.
I co-founded Magellan Jets with my business partner, Anthony Tivnan, in 2008. My expertise in
business startups, transformations, search engine optimization, and marketing has enabled me to
grow the company into the brand it is today.
As the Founder and CEO of Magellan Jets, I consider myself a visionary in the industry, and am
extremely fortunate to work with an incredibly bright and talented team every day.
How do you describe your company’s purpose and entice your target audience to gain benefits
from your organization’s offerings?
Here at Magellan Jets, we strive to develop long-lasting relationships with our customers (or
clients?) What sounds better? In doing so, we develop loyalty and trust with both current clients
25
| August2019 |
“
and prospects. We strive to position ourselves as
experienced advisors and resources for all of our clients.
Our highly experienced team made up of pilots,
Here at Magellan Jets, we love consultants and other top leaders in the industry provide
learning, constantly improving, and value and credibility to our business. We stand out
amongst our competitors because of the personal
growing meaningful relationships with relationships we have developed with our clients over the
clients & colleagues. last twenty years. Our goal is to provide top-notch service
both when things are working, as well as when they are
not. Our objective is to thoroughly educate our
customers, through our website and other forms of
communication. By doing so, once our clients reach us
here at Magellan Jets headquarters, they have a solid
understanding of the services we provide.
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| August2019 |
spend time leading and growing the vision of the company. My advice to emerging leaders would be: “Have control
Two of the best pieces of advice I have ever received are: over your destiny. You need to be comfortable continuing to
“Reputation takes years to build and only seconds to ruin”, and educating yourself in order to improve. If you are somewhat
“If it swims like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it is flexible and are willing to take risks, be honest about that
probably a duck!” you do and don’t know, you will surely succeed. Turning
your beliefs and passions in life into a business is the most
The key to Magellan Jets’ success has been hiring great gratifying thing a person can do.
people but also understanding how different people with
varied backgrounds and personalities add tremendous How do you cope up with never-ending technological
value to a company. disruption to boost your personal growth?
Magellan may not be ready for the Jetsons’ “Rosie”, but it’s
One of our core values is: Develop, cultivate, and share a getting closer. Because the Magellan Jets model is purely
Prosperity Mindset. This is only successful when we private, we must continue to understand how AI could
communicate well with each other, and treat each other like affect the customers’ privacy. We have to spend a lot of
we would want to be treated. time making sure our customers are protected. We are
constantly aware of the dangers AI can pose, and are
We value memorable experiences that build trust and adamant about protecting our client’s personal data. We
loyalty. We truly strive to make this a reality for our don’t ever intend to replace the human element of customer
employees. We are lucky to have a very cool office located service, whereas a lot of our competitors are using apps and
in Quincy Center with a view of Boston, hold fun events and other technogical platforms as the only method of
parties, volunteer as often as we can, and encourage open communicating with clients,
dialogue and communication within the company. Also, if
you haven’t been educated on the importance of Due to the early stages where AI and machine-learning
Generation Z, which makes up a large number of our currently reside, there are some risks involving the amount
company, you are doing yourself and your company a great of data, data sources, and vulnerability of these systems.
disservice. Their generation is going to revoluntionize the The thought of a “security second” mindset makes us pause,
workplace as we know it today. and remain vigiliant and cautious when unrolling these new
technological platforms, ensuring they are secure and safe
Humility is key—CEOs need to easily read people’s for our clients.
emotions, be kind and warm, easy to approach, trustworthy
and uplifting on a daily basis. I love to learn from mistakes We are constantly seeking out top notch technology, and
and will work to turn a bad situation around. technological partners who acknowledge AI is the indeed
the future. At the same time, we are cognizant not to
What are your intakes on roles of a Revolutionary CEO expose our clients’ information to partners who don’t value
with regards to make a difference in the customary security the same way we do. The value AI currently brings
system? to both our company and our clients is minimal in
I am comfortable running a non-hierarchical organization, comparison to the risk that is constantly growing in this
and am always looking to make improvements both world.
incrementally, or drastically. I’m willing to stop projects that
have huge momentum if it is brought to my attention that As technology develops and becomes more secure, we will
there is a technological solution that can do it more continue to explore uses for it. Ensuring each and every one
efficiently. Technology has opened the doors in aviation to of our clients remain confident their personal data is safe
more possibilities. and secure with us here at Magellan Jets is one of
paramount to our organization, and our company values
As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges are and practices. Magellan Jets is truly an all-inclusive travel
faced by CEOs whilst emerging as a leader? And what is solution that keeps private travel purely private.
your advice to overcome them?
A lot of people have problems within an organization, and In the future, I see us steering the vision of the urban air
the CEO needs to be the solution. It’s very easy to point out mobility evolution with e-VTOL, merging with traditional
issues, but it’s much harder to solve them. Keep it simple, aviation. I’m able to integrate these two concepts. Because
but also explain the “why” behind the task, giving someone a of our experience with clients, we are able to identify a
clean explanation of what is expected out of them will result technological solution to underserved clients. I feel there is
in a drastically improved product. Think of every decision. more to be done, personalizing the experience, technology,
First, think of how you would do something if you didn’t and communication we provide on a daily basis.
have a budget, then work through it with a budget.
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| August2019 |
Kiran Bhagotra
Founder, CEO
& President
ProtectBox Ltd
30
| August2019 |
ProtectBox Ltd
Kiran
Bhagotra
Changing Hearts and Minds in Cybersecurity
I
n an interview with CIO LOOK, Kiran Bhagotra—Founder,
President and CEO of ProtectBox Ltd, emphasizes her unique
approach towards cybersecurity, her impeccable vision and
passion forchange that has made her start-up standout amongst
the rest.
‘‘
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a leader.
“Changing hearts and minds” describes my leadership journey well.
As one of a handful of ethnic minority (Indian) girls in my school
Others believe in YOU (every year) I never entertained the notion of being picked as Head
because you believe in Girl. Little things like my mother’s samosas (& my father’s jungle
juice) being the best seller at the Summer Gala & my holding
YOU, or as my father assemblies sharing the stories behind my family’s & others ethnic
said “if you don't ask, religious days, made that happen and laid the foundations for my
leadership style. Later careers in PR, international metals mining,
you don't get.” raising private equity/venture capital funds, governments
/international relations plus stints as a scuba diver and selling
lingerie in Selfridges, show how this “core” grew from strength to
strength. In many of them, I either achieved something not done
before or was often the first woman or ethnic minority or both to
have held the roles I held. Thanks to the innate confidence from
school that I could do it.
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| August2019 |
What do I mean by that? Despite being criticized, in the As well as making cybersecurity buying quickly, we are
past, for having a busy CV, I couldn’t have got ProtectBox also making it simple and affordable too! Simple, with
as far as I have done today, 25+ Awards’ finalist & media, features such as info icons on each question to explain the
by myself if it wasn't for that busy CV. jargon and letting you delegate questions to your team,
inside or outside the company, all of which can be
I am no one special, I was lucky enough to find my way managed through your account. Or letting you pull
early on, lost it & re-found it many times. So, there is no answers from partners such as Sage & Xero. Affordable;
right or wrong path, there’s just a path that’s right for you with lots of ways to pay, including spreading the cost over
& it doesn’t matter how or when you find it. Hence, I often a year, or with grants/subsidies from governments.
answer these sorts of questions by saying, “Life is hard. I've But what we care about the most is “changing hearts and
got through it by looking forward, accepting my fears, minds” about selling cybersecurity to SMBs. I regularly
surrounding myself with people who help me do that. Growing hear horror stories from our customers about how they've
by giving back, sharing, listening, and smiling or making been messed about by consultants & there’s not much
someone else smile everyday as it'll make you smile back!” they can do. We champion SMBs within the cybersecurity
market, getting the market to be more user-friendly for us.
How do you describe your company’s purpose and entice
your target audience to gain benefits from your What are the crucial traits which every CEO must
organization's offerings? possess?
Right now, when we – small & medium businesses (SMBs) My answer of Courage, Communication & Clan is well-
– buy cyber security we either spend thousands of pounds documented.
and waste weeks paying a consultant. Or, if we decide to
do it ourselves, we have the headache of swathes of jargon Courage to accept your fears/weaknesses and seek the
& solutions. right helps to overcome them. I explored the world alone
for a year & took up scuba diving across Asia Pacific &
How much easier would it be to go online & in one hour, fill South America during a difficult time in my life & was
out a simple questionnaire with customer services on helped by the kindness of strangers. My journey setting up
hand, get 6 comparisons of technology, training & ProtectBox has been strewn with problems but I refuse to
processes that can be personalized using filters & sliders let them stop me.
before buying with a single click? Well now you can with
cybersecurity comparison website & marketplace Communicating clearly, concisely & consistently which I’m
ProtectBox. still mastering the art of. For anyone that knows me I could
compete for Britain on talking! Being lucky enough to
meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu whilst I worked for the
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| August2019 |
South African miner Lonmin, showed me the huge power intelligence to navigate these challenges, as I said before
of not just words but actions, like smiles or empathy or it's finding the right path for you. As well as finding the
forgiveness, in empowering others. right collaborative support to help you do that.
Clan, and by that, I don't necessarily mean your family, I How do you cope with never-ending technological
mean surrounding yourself with the right 'people' & I disruption to boost your personal growth?
would include in that customers, investors and My many careers show I embrace and thrive on change so,
stakeholders. Experiences like representing the UK I don't see technological disruptions as a challenge but an
government, promoting the UK's cyber-security strategy, advantage. Add to that my curious mind and it doesn't take
on visits to South Korea, or hosting Japanese PM Abe in long for me to have found a way to introduce the
the UK, or supporting the Indian government with the technological disruption into my daily routine. In the same
raising of their first Indian Infrastructure Fund, all way technological disruptions are always a part of
reinforced the impact of collaboration in making the ProtectBox's future development and scaling. For
impossible possible! example, ProtectBox is already looking at how it will do
business in the Quantum era, which I see as the future of
A Revolutionary CEO is one that lives and breathes the not just cybersecurity but society too. I recently predicted
adage “the customer is always right”. We're already seeing in an article in Wired that we will start to see material
customers wanting new technologies to go beyond being impacts commercially in the coming year and are already
Simple, Quick & Affordable—ProtectBox's value seeing those. So, I believe Quantum Computing's impact
proposition to choice—rich customers wanting to buy needs to be taken seriously now and I am lending my voice
from those who know them, care about them and will go to promote that message
that extra mile. (eg https://www.wired.co.uk/article/blockchain-quantum-
security & https://panelpicker.sxsw.com/vote/104534.)
Investors argue about the value of this latter experience- Just as the internet, grew in dog years, compared to
centric approach versus their preferred profit-centric human years so too will Quantum's growth.
models. But we at cybersecurity comparison marketplace
ProtectBox are keen advocates of the experience-centric What will be your future endeavors and/or where do you
approach, so much so that we only work with partners, see yourself in the near future?
government or corporate, and suppliers that embody the We will be launching ProtectBox as an internationally
values of our customers. Just like our small & medium successful product that helps businesses throughout the
business customers, we don't see bootstrapped, lean, world, in the next month. In the same way that banks sell
outsourced, diversely skilled teams as “un-investible”. We insurance as an add-on, we can be sold/joint-marketed as
see them as the blueprint of the tech unicorns of the an all-in-one cyber add-on by accountants, telecoms,
future. banks, lawyers, consultants or any data-related service
provider to SMBs, even governments, whose marketplace
As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges are capabilities can be extended by plugging us in. Plus
faced by CEOs whilst emerging as a leader? And what is ProtectBox's all-in-one bundles can be subsidized by
your advice to overcome them? government grant schemes. We've signed 4 (corporate,
Having the capacity to deal with all sorts of problems, for distributor & government) partners, with another 10
example I switch between CEO, CTO, and whatever else, across the world in the pipeline. But always open to more!
regularly. This happens for a whole host of reasons
including at one end some tech people not delivering on As a leading cyber-security company, what is your
promises just because you're an SMB (& so not important contribution in enhancing cyber security systems in small
to them) and at the other end the challenges of being a and medium sized businesses?
female or ethnic (or just underrepresented, for a whole ProtectBox is all about empowering SMBs. As an online
host of other varied reasons) in your industry. This is cybersecutity comparison website it allows busy SMEs to
compounded by Cash, which even though “is King”, isn't make the right choice quickly, simply and affordably. But
always in abundance for emerging (or underrepresented) we're as much about “changing hearts and minds” as about
leaders. Control is another challenge emerging leader's making the process easier. We champion SMBs within the
face, with competing opinions & agendas to manage cybersecurity market, getting the market to be more user-
amongst stakeholders. Strategies, I find useful in tackling friendly for us. We also challenge norms of who can work
these are focusing on your confidence & emotional in cybersecurity to make it more inclusive.
33
| August2019 |
Coricraft: Transforms Customer
Delight and Delivery with
Trackmatic Solution
C
oricraft, South Africa’s premium quality home leave empty handed. We needed to refine our delivery
furniture and furnishing design and element which is one of the most difficult things for a
manufacturing company, contracted with business to do successfully and profitably.”
Trackmatic to help tackle the challenges it was facing
around fleet visibility and customer satisfaction. The Prior to its implementation of the Trackmatic Driver-
company wanted to reignite the magic of the last mile, Led Visibility® solution, Coricraft was experienced
transforming how customers perceived their roughly 45 Hello Peter complaints a month. The
performance and delivery efficiency. Today, Coricraft complaints were all centered around one specific issue
has reduced its delivery window to less than two hours, – customer service on delivery. The delivery window
reduced customer complaints to a record low, sat at a lengthy three hours and customers were left
increased delivery drops per route, and has uncertain as to when their furniture would arrive, what
transformed the customer experience, all while cutting service they would receive on delivery, and timing
costs. around the re-delivery of any incorrect or damaged
items. In addition, it was impossible to proactively
Last mile logistics is becoming increasingly difficult to respond to failures in the field in real time.
perfect and is evolving at a rapid rate due to the growth
of e-commerce. There is a growing need to get goods to “When we started working with Coricraft the first challenge
customers faster and more cost effectively. Customers was to address the visibility of their fleet,” says David
are willing to pay a premium for faster delivery Slotow, CEO, Trackmatic. “They needed a tool that would
fulfillment and companies like Amazon are raising the allow them to communicate more clearly with their
bar and raising customer delivery expectations. customer service team by developing richer engagement
According to McKinsey, last mile logistics have been with their operations team and their drivers.”
identified as the cornerstone to driving growth and
profitability, and companies like Coricraft are under For Coricraft, it was essential that delivery fulfillment
increasing pressure to create logistic strategies that be transformed in such a way as to revolutionize
align business and customer expectations. customer experiences. In addition, the company also
faced challenges around address capturing. Customers
Last mile logistics are troublesome, especially in South often provided incorrect location details or left out
Africa. There are challenges around infrastructure, critical delivery information. Coricraft needed
addressing accuracy and security that impact on technology that helped their drivers get to the right
delivery timing, fuel costs and efficiency. This is further place at the right time. The solution had to ensure that
compounded by the complexity of delivering irregular when they delivered, the destination was location-
size furniture items that requires skilled unpacking and perfect to meet faster, tighter delivery windows.
assembly upon delivery. For Coricraft, these issues
were affecting its customer relationships and brand “We could not tell customers accurately when their
reputation. deliveries would take place, especially as we didn’t have an
accurate measurement to easily determine the time it
“In our industry, the journey doesn’t start and end in the would take between customer deliveries,” says William
store,” says Craig Schneeberger, Chief Operating Webb, Operations Executive, Coricraft. “We needed to
Officer of Coricraft. “The real magic is in the last mile find a way to manage the drivers to ensure that they
when we deliver to your home. Purchasing furniture is a adhered to the scheduled routes, stock on the
very emotive thing and, with us, you pay money and
36
| August2019 |
Tech Outlook
Craig Schneeberger
Chief Operating Officer
Coricraft
37
| August2019 |
truck was secure and the customer experience was Validation Tool (AVT). This allowed for a dedicated Data
pleasurable.” Integrity Team at Trackmatic to process the addresses
and resolve them into GPS coordinates in real time. Any
Any failures on route resulted in delays further down conflicts of address would be filtered through Google
the line. If a customer wasn’t home or if the driver took Maps and manually checked by a dedicated Data
longer than planned to find an address, the waiting Integrity Agent who could shift the pin to a more
times then had a knock-on effect until the last customer accurate or relevant location, when required.
had waited for far longer than anticipated and the
driver kicks into overtime. This often resulted in failed “A great example of where this level of manual control excels
deliveries or high overtime expenditure for teams is in gated estates,” explains Slotow. “The delivery entrance
returning late. could be different from the visitor’s entrance and the
vehicle has to then navigate back routes to get to the home.
“Those challenges of wasted kilometers and frustrated That level of discretion doesn’t come from GPS, it comes
clients were endemic, further impacted by unknown from human engagement, intellect and experience. We built
addresses, failed deliveries and drivers wasting time and an entire Address Validation Tool (AVT) for Coricraft and
fuel driving up and down a road looking for the right place,” delivered a highly targeted and elegant solution without
says Slotow. “For a company as aspirational and any delay in the delivery timeline.”
professional as Coricraft, these delays and challenges were
impacting on the way customers perceived their service and The AVT solution is cloud-based and fully integrated,
professionalism.” taking the address from point of sale to the front door.
It provides an incredibly high level of accuracy and has
Coricraft wanted a white-glove delivery process that transformed delivery operations. It has also changed
was as slick as its in-store experience. It needed the the way the drivers engage with technology.
same efficiencies at the point of fulfillment as it had at
point of sale. To start, Trackmatic integrated the “Getting drivers to take their mobile device into the vehicle
Coricraft point of sale system into their Address and navigate with trust and confidence was a major
achievement,” says Slotow. “When the shift happened, it
was magic. They felt empowered as they could now resolve
issues independently without impacting on operations
when there were delays on the customer side. The
integrated voice solution allows them to contact customers
and let them know they are outside or their estimated time
of arrival. Trackmatic’s solution also stores all recordings in
the cloud to use in the driver debrief process and in case of
any issues. This process of continuous learning and
improvement has had a significant and positive impact on
results.”
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| August2019 |
as most understand that there can be delays, but want
About Coricraft
these delays communicated clearly and on time.
For more than 20 years,
Creating a platform for real-time engagement and Coricraft has been the easy
communication has enhanced Coricraft’s relationship choice for exceptional value on
with its customers as customers trust that they will be top-quality furniture. From just
kept informed of the progress of their delivery. one store in Cape Town, we
have grown to a chain of almost
“Coricraft hasn’t done anything differently to achieve this
goal, they haven’t changed their manufacturing process or
50 stores in South Africa,
their product range,” adds Slotow. “All it took was them Namibia and Botswana.
knowing that a customer was unhappy and having a
strategy in place to deal with them. This could be as simple We have factories in Cape Town
as sending out a manager to look at the product or ensuring and Johannesburg, where we
that any missing items were delivered straight away. This manufacture all our couches
level of customer engagement has made an instant, massive ourselves. Beyond this large
difference.” manufacturing presence lies a
sophisticated retail
Coricraft can better plan and fine-tune deliveries, infrastructure, with Coricraft
optimize operations and redefine customer stores across all South Africa’s
engagement. Each challenge around visibility,
communication, control and timing has been addressed
major towns and cities. For
using Trackmatic’s innovative and disruptive customers, this means there is
technology solutions. always a Coricraft nearby.
39
| August2019 |
Marina
Tognetti
Rejuvenating the Entrepreneurial Spirit
B
uilding an entrepreneurial venture in distinctive It was when working as consultant on a project on
fields is also a novel art, in itself, to be portrayed. internet strategy that I first saw the potential of
Only those with unique ideologies and desire to internet to disrupt entire industries and change forever
bring out a change are able to pursue such art. One the way we buy, sell or interact. I had to be part of that!
such artist cum leader, Marina Tognetti, Founder & That was the driver to start an innovative company as
CEO of mYngle is effectively transforming the mYngle, as I knew I could make a real difference, putting
customary language education system proving herself in practice all I had learned from my corporate career to
as the perfect example of an entrepreneur. Her venture, make it a success.
a global language learning school, provides fully
integrated virtual classroom that facilitates students How do you describe your company’s purpose and
with an interactive, efficient and convenient way of entice your target audience to gain benefits from your
learning or improving a language. organization’s offerings?
mYngle offers customized language training programs
CIO LOOK admires such profound leaders and their through video conferencing in 45 different languages
contribution in evolving the business sectors. anytime, anywhere. Our lessons are one-on-one, with
highly qualified native coaches and related to the job-
Below are the highlights of an interview conducted between position of the learner. Our virtual classrooms enable
Marina and CIO LOOK: learners to take classes 24/7.
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a We are the solution for busy professionals who need
leader. language training to be successful in their international
I am a tech entrepreneur, founder of myngle.com, but business, and for Companies that want great learning
the passion for entrepreneurship came later on in my results and a transparent and controllable learning
career. When I graduated from University, it was an era process to make their investment a success.
when entrepreneurship was not very common for
academics. I started therefore by building a successful What are the crucial traits which every CEO must
career by large multinationals, Procter & Gamble, possess?
Philips, Sara Lee, The Boston Consulting Group and Have a strong Vision, to set the direction and anticipate
eBay; living and working in different Countries, and got and navigate challenges. That also means being able to
an MBA from INSEAD along the way. “Think out of the box’’.
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| August2019 |
mYngle
”
To lead is to make a difference.
Founder
mYngle
”
Marina Tognetti
41
| August2019 |
Be able to adapt and change, to keep the business changes—technology, volatility of the market, talent
successful, especially nowadays as the speed of evolution. This affects the role of a modern CEO,
technological advancement increases and there is a which must be able not only to adapt but also to ride
greater degree of uncertainty in the world. the positive trends. The challenges are similar in
many aspects to those of an innovative
Not be afraid of taking (calculated) risks, as great and entrepreneur.
sometimes unforeseen opportunities come from
taking risks. Embracing risk also helps overcome the A CEO must not be afraid of taking (calculated) risks
fear of failing. in order to anticipate trends and steer the company
also in turbulent waters. A leader must be able to
Have courage and decisiveness, to model the vision with adapt. Being agile is paramount. In mindset and
actions, making the tough calls and taking decisions approach, as well as strategic direction. Last, but not
that can have high consequences. least, must be able to build an organization that is
also agile. That requires developing people that
Attaining strong communication skills, to align and guide think and not only do “jobs”, employees that are
the organization as well as to inspire and motivate entrepreneurs, fostering a culture of
others in order to translate the vision into action. experimentation.
Be able to constantly learn to live at their growth edge. How do you cope up with never-ending
In order to learn, they must also have no ego and technological disruption to boost your personal
recognize what they do not know. growth?
Technology should be seen as an opportunity, as it
What are your intakes on roles of a Revolutionary opens directions that only a few decades ago
CEO with regards to make a difference in the seemed unattainable. It allows new businesses that
customary system? can disrupt entire industries. I am a business person,
I strongly believe that the key to success is not so do not need to be an expert in its implementation,
comparing with competition, but aligning with what but I must understand its implication for a business:
customers want. Constant focus on customers and how it impacts a company, the customers, and the value
their needs is one of our pillars and key strengths. chain.
Our goal is to be effective, on the best way possible Data Analysis and Machine Learning are making
for the learner. We want to value the learner’s time great improvements. Algorithms are getting better,
and place him / her as much as possible in touch with a products are becoming more accessible, knowledge
professional teacher that is why our lessons are about best practices are being shared and
primarily done one on one. We strive to be unique by collaborated at a very fast pace. Data analysis and
making sure we maximize results and learning to the machine learning helps triage new products better
fullest extent. understand clients and try to anticipate possible
issues, it also helps forecasting, funnel analysis, staff
This also reflected in our internal KPIs and how we coaching, and the list goes on and on.
assess our job, using adapted versions of NPS (Net
Promoter Score), which defines that only excellence Being a leading expert in offering language
counts. Our average lessons’ scores are 4.8/5.0. Thus education, what is your contribution in evolving
results speak for themselves! business educational sector?
Offline education was, and in large part still is,
As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges operating in the old traditional way, offering
are faced by CEOs whilst emerging as a leader? And learners what was available, not what they needed;
what is your advice to overcome them? but “One size does not fit all.” By understanding the
We are living in an era of fast and drastic customer and diversifying our offer in terms of
42
| August2019 |
teacher—content—methodology—frequen
cy, we can match each specific need.
43
| August2019 |
Attributes
of a Good
Leader
44
| August2019 |
The Art of Leading
L
eadership is about using the individuals require more detail business. As the level of hierarchy
power of a position to oriented managers to successfully elevates, the requirement of
empower a group of people in implement their strategies. communication grows. Especially,
order to attain a common goal. A Transformational Leadership is when it comes to leadership, there is
leader’s task is to implement the considered among the most no scope for lack of communication.
plans that usually look good on effective employees of the A Leader who fails to develop this
paper, through a delegated team, in organization. One of the examples skill is looked up as incompetent,
a specific time with an ongoing of this type of leadership is when a because it is his job to send the
motion. She/he may use the leader is assigned on a higher level message loud and clear. Although, it
traditional method or may think out for effective environment. is also important to listen as it is an
of the box. It depends on the leader integral part of communication.
as how to do it; the ultimate motive The Transactional leader
is to get the job done. Although, The transactional leadership, as the Ÿ Integrity
each and every individual has a name suggests, enables the leader C.S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the
different approach on leadership, to incentivize the team right thing, even when no one is
some might say it is about setting corresponding to their performance. watching.” Be it giving credit to one
examples, some might say it is about The team gets rewarded when it of the team members or be it
sharing the authority; what matters attains the goals and the Leader has admitting a mistake, a leader wears
is, taking the right decision when it the power to review the results and integrity as a badge of honor. They
is most needed. act accordingly when the team fails do what is right, no matter what.
to do the same. The goals and the
Leadership varies from one strategy to attain them are decided Ÿ Empowerment
organization to another. An by the leader and the team itself. As mentioned earlier, Leadership is
organization is a dynamic body and about using the power of one’s
creates new probabilities every now The Situational leader position to empower a group of
and then. And with new Situational leadership is a theory people in order to attain a common
probabilities, come new challenges. that the best leader will adapt to the goal. A good leader shares his
Although, it is impossible to required leadership style according authority with the team in order to
overcome every challenge, the to need of the hour. A Situational get the job done. By doing this, he
business environment has adopted leader may adopt democratic style shows confidence in the team and
certain leadership styles for the while discussion business with obliged by the gesture, the team
efficiency of business: senior executive, but may switch to works with full enthusiasm to
transactional at the time of team accomplish the goal.
The Participative Leader review. However every individual
Participative Leadership is the has a natural style of leadership and Ÿ Decision making
process of sharing authority with it may be difficult to switch roles at a There is risk in decision to making.
the work force in order to get certain point of time. Great leaders take great decisions
optimum efficiency. The team, after when the stake is high and it is the
getting access to certain powers, Qualities of a good leader success of those decisions that make
works responsibly to accomplish the There is an old proverb that says, them great. To add up, a good leader
goals set by its leader. The shared “Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him takes right decision at the right time.
leadership also helps in case of any for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You In conclusion, a good leader can be
requirement of change, as the Feed Him for a Lifetime.” So is the case defined by the dynamics of his style
employees adapt quickly in such with leadership. One of the basic in leadership, the values that he
environment. Incidentally, this style qualities of a Leader is to pass on the brings to the organization, the
of leadership fits best in a scenario leadership skills. methods he uses to make the best of
when there is a limitation of time. the resources, and the kind of
Following are some of the qualities decision he makes in the given
The Transformational Leader of a good leader: situations. At the end it is about the
A transformational leader inspires attitude of an individual to bring the
the team through effective Ÿ Communication Skills change for good.
communication and an intellectual Communication is the basic
environment. However, these requirement for efficiency in a
45
| August2019 |
Mark Rees
COO
Secucloud GmbH
46
| August2019 |
Stellar’s Vision
Thoughts on AI
“What shall we do with all this speed?”
47
| August2019 |
could have phrased the question as “what shall we do
About the Author with all this efficiency?” then I am sure that answers
would have been abundant.
48
| August2019 |
International Centre for the Future of Places
50
| August2019 |
Tigran Haas
Redefining Urbanism for the Future
Lessons for Management and Leadership
I
n an interview with CIO LOOK, Dr. Tigran Teaching Project and Strategic Management and
Haas—Director/CEO of the International Centre Project Leadership for over 8 years has help me
for the Future of Places (CFP), emphasizes on his understand some of these things much better and the
vision and achievements en route to success. He holds period of 5 years running a research Lab plus being
an expertise in current research and teaching focus on director of three educational programs has also helped
contemporary trends and paradigms in urban planning immensely. Getting things done from the team is just
& design, new urbanism, sustainable urbanism, social one part of the job of a leader and the team has to be
housing and urban transformations, and city assembled in the best possible way where the issues of
development and design. competence, equality and professionalism are crucial
but also the finesse to know where each person can
CIO LOOK admire such leaders and feels pride in contribute the most. At the outset of my leadership
featuring Dr. Haas in its special edition edition, role, I started to expand and build new networks.
“Revolutionary CEOs, 2019”. Connection on all physical and virtual platforms was a
must and continues to grow; where the inner great
Below are the highlights of the interview: relationship with the team and employees is crucial and
is sine qua non for the sustainable longevity of the
Kindly take us through your journey on becoming a enterprise. Winning their trust, gaining honest
leader. feedback, achieving friendships and developing mutual
respect is crucial.
Leadership is definitely a complex journey of self-
transformation, a journey traveled by an individual who How do you describe your company’s purpose and
has been handed over the responsibility of guiding entice your target audience to gain benefits from your
people towards achieving a certain business objective. organization’s offerings?
51
| August2019 |
As an international research Centre, focusing on the
relation between urban form and human behavior with
a focus on public spaces, the audience is very much “Leadership is about PPP-III
academic but also practitioners, policy makers and the
civil society or general public. The Centre works on a
that is professionals,
few levels where the research findings are geared for a perseverance and passion,
pathfinding way into policy and also passing through
practice. The most important things are the highest
where you have to have the
quality outputs in research, publications, media events courage to follow your
and societal relevance as well as links to higher,
graduate and post graduate education. The pillars that
instincts, ideas and
the host institution of KTH has, those of sustainability, imagination to the fullest.”
equality and internationalization are deeply embedded
into the fabric of the everyday ad strategic activities of
the Centre. With a strong physical and virtual staff with challenges and competition and major issues on the
highest competences in the area, we believe that regional national and global level that influence the
through the four themes of sustainable urbanism, work and strategy of the place where one works.
housing and urban spaces, urban form and human Roadblocks will be many from personal choices,
behavior and urban transformations projects and communication, decisions and project and program
research findings of high quality can and are emerging, work that brings many knowables but also many
to which our annual report 2016/2017 and the 2018 unknowables. The key thing is a tight organization with
are testimonies and the 5 awards the Centre has good leadership and delegation of responsibilities
already received from its three year work. where the chemistry functions and all are onboard
towards a common goal and where mutual benefit must
What are the crucial traits which every CEO must prevail, nit individual gain and vanity.
possess?
What will be your future endeavors and/or where do
Ability to learn from the past and from mistakes; strong you see yourself in the near future?
communication skills and building sustainable
relationships on all levels; listening, understanding and After the five-year sequel of the Centre, we will see
doing; optimism and risk taking to a specific degree; what the future has installed for us, that is where the
reading people and adapting them to necessary task in next focus will lie in the coming five years, either
the organization; anticipating problems and thinking continuing in then path we have set or turning the ship
outside the box; eliminating threats and psychopathic into another, slightly less (un)charted destination. One
personalities. thing is sure, that in the next two years the focus will be
on the critical issue of rising smart and new
As per your opinion, what roadblocks or challenges experimental cities and issue of autonomous mobility
are faced by CEOs whilst emerging as a leader? And but still having the first 3-year theme of cities for all and
what is your advice to overcome them? who owns the city in the backdrop. The main issue is
that cities are getting more complex and the challenges
One of the hurdles is surely the environment one is at, are rising on a daily basis with multiple converging
the micro, meso and macro. Micro being the immediate crises that seek answers for new theories, tools and
one with all the challenges of competences, staff, tasks, approaches. The Centre will try to answer these calls as
immediate decisions, administration and leadership as it goes into the next period.
well as conflicts; the meso being the plane of projects
and partnerships and cases on the ground and the cities
where the work is being done but also the products, the
media, networks etc. and finally the macro with all the
52
| August2019 |
Disruptive Technology
and Changing Trends
Inuencing Business
Internet of Things
F
ew decades ago, reaching the moon was beyond
imagination. But not today, because technology has IOT has begun to change the world around us. It allows the
completely changed the world and made it possible. businesses to access their information virtually, creating a
Technological inventions were revolutionized in the 18th flexible and global way of accessing data, any place, and any
and 19th century with the steam engine, the telegraph, time. It reduces the cost by maintaining IT system, rather
fiber optics, typewriter, sewing machine, etc. Later, it than purchasing expensive systems and equipment. It also
changed the way we communicate on a real-time basis allows employees to be more flexible in work practices. Let us
with telephone, radio, and internet. see some fields where IOT must be adapted.
54
| August2019 |
Editor’s Choice
Renewable Energy
Will you like earning money on reducing
the use of electricity? Thanks to IOT
energy-saving tools, you can significantly
decrease the numbers in your bills. IOT
energy solutions are sensor-based
technology. It analyses weather and
environment condition, helps automate the
management of wind farms, optimizes
maintenance and thus reduces the cost
dramatically. People (both households and
companies) get a better understanding of
their usage habits and adjusts them Blockchain Technology
accordingly. These system collects data on
electricity consumption in real-time and Blockchain technology is changing the way we do our day to day
helps generate important insights for businesses. Companies are starting to work with Blockchain technology
environmentalists, researchers, and because it gives you privacy along with it is transparent. Let’s see how
conservation strategists. Thus, installing blockchain can help to deal with business.
IOT smart energy device can join the
environmental initiative, cut down on
energy consumption and lessen the Smart Contracts
greenhouse effect.
Contract is where consent of the parties is involved to agree and interact
with each other. Blockchain technology helps to guarantee the validity of a
Agriculture
transaction through a secure validation mechanism. Industries and
The global population is set to touch 9.6 institutions are heavily reliant on contracts, such as insurance, financial
billion by 2050. So, to feed this much institutions, real estate, construction, entertainment and, law. A smart
population, the farming industry must contract helps formalize the relationships between people, institutions
embrace IOT. Smart farming based on IOT and the assets they own. They eliminate the need for trusted third parties
technology will reduce waste and enhance and are self-verifying, self-executing and Tamper resistant.
productivity. Ranging from the quantity of
fertilizer utilized to the number of journeys Blockchain will be an important part of our financial and technological
the farm vehicles have made. In IOT based digital future. It is one of the incredibly creative inventions that
smart farming a system is built for technology has ever seen. So how we use it is up to us, it could indeed
monitoring the crop field with the help of transform the global scenario.
sensors and automating the irrigation
systems. It is highly efficient when Technology and changing trends in businesses is not something which is
compared with the conventional approach. going to happen in the future, it is happening right now. It has already
Thus, with the population growing rapidly, started affecting a lot of businesses. So businesses have tremendous
the demand can be successfully met, if the opportunity to benefit from such technological advancement. There is no
farmers implement agricultural IOT doubt that technological innovations are largely followed all over the
solutions in a prosperous manner. world and it will revolutionize the businesses.
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| August2019 |