Category: Leaders

Ms. Maurya is a renowned leader in the field of education. With a rich experience of more than 25 years in the sector, she has been leaving no stone unturned in making education more multifaceted and inclusive. In the past, she has contributed as a faculty member at the physics department at NES College, Mumbai.

BRIDGING THE GAPS IN LEARNING

Ms. Maurya has made pedagogy her strength, and with the same tool, she desires to meet bigger aspirations. She stepped into the world of entrepreneurship by helping students find out their passion. For 15 years, she has been passionately following her beliefs by imparting education. She understood the lack of educational resources and their reach, and therefore, envisioned a digital learning ecosystem to bridge the gaps in learning. For Ms. Maurya and her adept team members, the objective was to make learning easily accessible to all students irrespective of their backgrounds.

THE DAWN OF STUDI.LIVE

Following her vision, Ms. Maurya established Studi.Live in Mumbai. Her decades of experience as a teacher helped her come up with a step by step plan to facilitate learning digitally and to make it affordable for students. She brought the best teachers on board, emphasized content quality and lucidity, and deployed the latest technology for seamless delivery of lectures. Studi.Live became a ground for an excellent and innovative learning experience. With live and interactive sessions, the platform has provided sundry preparatory courses for prestigious competitive exams like IIT JEE, NEET, and Olympiads. It also offers online live lectures for middle and high school students. Her long-term goal has been to reach the lengths and breadths of the country by supporting the students in achieving their goals. Tutoring the students across the states with less cost has been the challenge taken up by her and the team. Studi.Live also offers free lectures, demo classes, and study material to ensure participation of students from underprivileged backgrounds.

LEADING EFFORTLESSLY

Ms. Maurya believes that a good leader always focuses on growth, communication, adaptability, and team members. She has always endeavoured to create a sense of unity and belongingness among the staff, teachers, and students. Her leadership skills were put to test during the pandemic, which has pushed teachers to adapt to newer ways of imparting education, however without any preparation. Keeping her promise to creating a change in society by supporting education, she provided ample job opportunities for teachers to enhance and support their careers through her venture. To sail through the lowest point of her career in the pandemic, Ms. Maurya wanted to generate employment opportunities for those who had lost their jobs.

BEATING THE ODDS

With time, Ms. Maurya had to face numerous challenges to achieve her goals. However, she not only overcame the odds but also thrived amidst them. To start Studi.Live, a new training format had to be developed to make teachers adapt to digital teaching and learning. Besides, a robust technical infrastructure was essential. These were money-intensive requirements that proved to be a challenge for her. However, her spirit to work harder and conquer the hurdles made sure that the resources were available. Today, she is immensely proud of herself and her team, who moved heaven and earth to achieve empowering goals. Thus, she has been creating learning opportunities for not only students and but aspiring teachers as well by setting up examples.

Marcus is the innovator of MiRA.OS, an industry-first passenger-centric technology that provides for seamless, personalized and secure experience through a network of Laureti vehicles. Very soon, the business world may adapt to Laureti’s way of travelling, which will make our journeys to be productive, connected and secure. His London-based company is currently developing an electric vehicle driven by passenger-centric technologies for a personalized and productive journey experience.

THE PRICE AND PRIZE OF INNOVATION

Marcus had experienced his share of hardship in presenting an innovative product whose market hasn’t yet existed and those challenges can never be underestimated. “From as early as 2017, the company met a number of legacy companies to explain its vision and the ultimate product experience it envisioned to create. Nonetheless, very few happened to grasp the vision. Being a lone voice on this topic, at times, people thought it was a crazy idea. Being steadfast in anchoring his vision to what he calls “a common sense, a foresight and a deeper understanding of where things are going’’, has given him a necessary paradigm shift to drive innovation. Marcus’s efforts have ultimately paid off as a number of dominant players are appearing to focus on passenger-centric technologies in recent months. InnovateUK’s recent whitepaper, Vision 2050, on connectivity and future transportation, has resonated a lot with Laureti’s business model which clearly validated their thought-leadership.

OUR SUCCESS WILL DEPEND ON FUTURE INNOVATION

He believes that the success of his role and his company will be determined by his ‘inescapable obligation to deliver continued innovation’. The 37-year old entrepreneur reveals that the path to his innovation success is paved with three key factors. ‘Understanding the future YOU’, (referring to future consumer base), deeper and broader view for achieving sustainability and being able to think outside-the-car (generally auto industry). Today, the company is leading a long pipeline of patent applications in various indiscernible areas such as women’s safety in fleet cars, multiverse applications for in-cabin use, and secure software platform.

LEADERSHIP& PERSPECTIVE

At a glimpse, Marcus is someone who looks to the future with a sense of optimism and a deep commitment to making a difference in the world through entrepreneurship. But what makes him unique? “It’s the ability to engage right people to right causes” he says. “I pay close attention to understand people’s hunger (motivations). I seek to establish from the start if and how our purpose could empower them to achieve their own success. Because managing people’s expectations while directing their efforts to deliver business goals is the most delicate matter in building a world-class team which I am constantly learning.”

THE WORLD VIEW

Marcus argues that the past century’s innovations that made cars being household products have benefited the markets that invented and produced them in the first place. It wasn’t until the last decades that cars have reached millions of people in emerging markets. In the future of mobility, an electric car should not be a household product, but an intelligent mobility must be. It must be global, productive, connected, secure and should be accessible’.

The mission of CPT International is to create a community that appreciates convenience, inclusivity, and information exchange to empower traders and introducing brokers to achieve maximized value. Years of experience have enabled Mr. Lakhwani to create a safe and transparent trading environment for investors interested in global financial derivatives with CPT International.

He believes in focusing on achieving the goals that are clearly outlined by the organization’s innovative activities for long-term success. CPT International provides easy access to global financial markets and a truly international team of experts. The company gained its competitive advantage through strong performance and ethical and professional business practices. Over the years, under the guidance of Mr. Lakhwani, the company has built and maintained a strong relationship with its clients and business partners. His integrity, and positivity have become the guiding principles of the company.

ALL ABOUT PEOPLE

In a short period, Mr. Lakhwani has managed to build strong brand visibility and an amazing international team for CPT International. The contribution of each member of the team is commendable. Combined with experienced industry elites and a high-level IT service team, CPT International aims to provide a safe, and stable trading platform for traders to achieve innovative quantum leaps. The company has a team, of industrious employees, that is self-motivated to render high-quality services through the best-in-class expertise in the industry. CPT International continues to strengthen its leadership team and hire new talent as part of the growth strategy.

It is continuously adding new asset classes and products to provide its clients with the best-in-class technology. Through CPT International, Mr. Lakhwani is building an ecosystem where everyone of the team members feels that they belong. During COVID-19 lockdown, the company managed to establish a very effective working-from-home policy while maintaining a close relationship with its clients and focusing on delivering exceptional customer support.

FUTURISTIC APPROACH

CPT International is looking to expand geographically and is in discussions with multiple regulators. The company is currently focusing on India, the UAE, Pakistan, and the rest of the GCC countries. Africa and Latin America are part of the company’s long-term agenda.

Mr. Lakhwani is working towards making CPT International a broker that empowers its clients and partners worldwide. In its attempt to provide excellent trading experience without time difference and language barrier, CPT International has officially established an Asia-Pacific Customer Service Center, providing traders with weekly 5*24 hours of excellent & uninterrupted service.

SERIES OF ACHIEVEMENTS

Under the exemplary leadership of Mr. Lakhwani, CPT International has been honoured with numerous awards, most recently the ‘Best Broker for Introducing Brokers’ at the Forex Expo Dubai (2021).

Mr. Seth graduated from Stern School of Business with a Bachelor’s degree in science. He then decided to join his family business – Pearl Global. Even though it was his first professional experience, he had big plans. He harbored a strong passion for innovation and took that with him when he joined the company in 2002. Mr. Seth wanted to reinvent the business and lead with a next-gen mindset. He was strongly driven by the vision to totally transform the apparel industry and that is exactly what he went on to achieve.

A Fresh Outlook

Pearl Global was established by Deepak Seth in 1987. It is one of the few Indian apparel export houses that are listed on the Indian Stock Exchange. The company’s USP is that it offers multi-country manufacturing and a whole range of products all under one roof. Many of the company’s milestones can be accredited to Mr. Deepak, under whom the business has grown by leaps and bounds.

Mr. Seth brings to Pearl Global a strategic outlook with which he has led the entire business transformation. He is now the Managing Director and Vice Chairman of Pearl Global and under his guidance, the company has grown to be a $300 million venture with a workforce of over 32,000 people. By redirecting the company along a new path, Mr. Seth has also carved a name for himself and has played a vital role in the company’s growth journey. With a futuristic eye on sustainable fashion, he strategically created an operations model that would benefit the world and give way to a circular economy.

He has led various initiatives at the company to build new-age processes that promote the use of sustainable technology and innovative business practices. His focus has always been on sustainability. From establishing solar panels at the factories to starting processes like ETP (Effluent Treatment Plant) and STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) that conserve and recycle watermark. Seth has led some path-breaking initiatives that were unheard of in the industry. Almost all the processes in the company are automated and worked on with the help of a skilled taskforce.

His sustainable approach has assisted the organization in creating the herculean output of over 70 million clothing pieces annually, with a key focus on sustainability in all aspects of the business. He vehemently stresses upon operational excellence. Under his exemplary leadership, the team offers complete supply chain solutions, ensures timely deliveries, and stays focused on customer satisfaction.

Marching towards a glistening future

Mr. Seth’s vision and hard work have won many accolades for the company. Pearl Global has received various awards like the ‘Highest Global Exports’ by Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), Three Star Trading House Certificate of Recognition from The Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Authorized Economic Operator Certificate from the Ministry of Finance among many others.

At a young age of 41, Mr. Seth has built an empire that stands tall not only for the sheer numbers but also for the distinguished business values it exudes. His commitment, perseverance and unmatched efforts have ensured that the firm enjoys steady growth. With this kind of resolve, the future looks good for Pearl Global. Mr. Seth believes that the journey is just getting started. There are many opportunities still waiting to be explored and he can’t wait to scale new heights.

Throughout his career, Mr. Ravi has delivered value across multiple dimensions. He believes that abilities to lead business and people together is key to success. As a business leader and entrepreneur, he has led large global teams and processes, created centers of excellence and expertise, and transformed businesses, putting into practice his E5 approach to success – Entrepreneurship, Energy, Engagement, Execution, and Excellence. The inspiring leadership and selfless mentoring he provides, have helped many leaders reach the CXO level. Mr. Ravi’s business services and capability development offerings under RvaluE are based on nurturing team-expertise, innovative solutions, business outcomes and collaborative partnerships. His value addition approach has immensely helped him cultivate and build long-term relationships with people and leaders across the globe in his 40+ year career. To date, the leader has delivered over US$ 400 million in potential savings from 130+ transformation engagements in India, overseas, and global centers.

Mr. Ravi serves as an executive coach for business services, finance and technology leaders, both to CXOs and fast-track leaders. The well-versed leader is a Certified eSCM Consultant & Evaluator from Carnegie Mellon University, USA as well as a Chartered Accountant, Cost Accountant and Company Secretary.

A SEASONED LEADER WITH WEALTH OF EXPERTISE

In 2005, Mr. Ravi founded RvaluE after 25 years of business and financial leadership experience in renowned companies. He embarked on his career with Hindustan Unilever Limited in 1979 post which he served as Commercial Leader at Murugappa Group and subsequently as the CFO at Eicher Group. His journey in Global Business Services (GBS) commenced when he became a Business Leader at American Express in mid-1990s to establish the company’s pioneering offshore operations in India as a key member of the global leadership team. The RvaluE Group consists of 4 lines of business (LOB) –Business Transformation & Advisory Services, Capability & Learning Services, Industry Association Shared Services Forum (SSF) and New-Age venture offering Dedicated Captive (D-Cap) operations under Quintes Global. Through these LOBs, Mr. Ravi with his team provides lifecycle spectrum of services in the Business Service space, covering enterprise functions and services strategy, process and technology transformation, captive operations and end-to-end solutions across the globe. Clients in 30+ countries have been serviced covering all major countries and continents like US, UK, Europe, Japan, Asia, Australia, India etc., and have gained full value from Shared Services,Business Process Management (BPM), and Outsourcing solutions. Being a pioneer in the Shared Services industry, the leader has established 15+ Shared Service Centers (SSC) in India and overseas, serving over 20 industries. Given his depth of expertise,he is regularly invited to speak at national and international conferences.

INNOVATOR AND A RESULT-ORIENTED LEADER

Mr. Ravi is an innovator par excellence. Being a thought leader in Business Services, he has created path-breaking models, frameworks, key business outcome mantras and converting ideas into innovative businesses. At RvaluE, ‘Realizing business value’ is his mission. Two notable business innovations are SSF founded by Mr. Ravi and D-Cap venture. SSF brings together global/ India corporations and GBS/SSC centers for knowledge capture and sharing of best/ next practices. The Group launched D-Cap, a unique, differentiated operating model for Business Services under QG as a growing venture to achieve $100+Mn revenues over the next 4-5 years! Signing a 5-year contract for Rs 120+ Cr to launch D-Cap is the latest high point in his career. Mr. Ravi believes in setting achievable goals and taps into all his resources to achieve the same.

Under Mr. Ravi’s leadership, RvaluE Group Core Team has created a holistic vision for growth to make the Group “the industry’s most reliable and respected business services organization, co-creating value for all stakeholders by implementing end-to-end process solutions, best practices, technologies and new ventures.” Designing for scale is the immediate focus for all LOBs. As a result-oriented leader, Mr. Ravi is resilient to go through rough waters to accomplish business outcomes. He is adept at looking at the big picture and the details and connecting the dots to spot future possibilities to drive effectiveness and performance. His concern for others and ability to help others succeed on a personal and professional level are remarkable. He commits to the motto of ‘unlearn, learn and relearn’ to stay relevant to ever-changing world.

VALUES-BASED LEADERSHIP

Mr. Ravi upholds a values-based approach to leadership. To that end, Mr. Ravi makes sure his company adheres to three best practices to achieve business growth and sustainability – Three-tiered governance structure across operations, leadership and the Board, pyramid of compliance-control-discipline ensuring integrity of processes and reporting, and finally, the three pillars of corporate governance- transparency, accountability and security.

The leader believes that these practices have helped him manage the RvaluE Group successfully. The humble leader is proud of his middle-class upbringing, which enables him to recognize and deliver value across multiple dimensions – family, individuals, teams, stakeholders, organizations, and businesses. He believes that value extends beyond quantitative elements to encompass qualitative aspects, such as humility, integrity, credibility, etc.

COMMITTED TO SOCIAL WELFARE

Mr. Ravi thinks that entrepreneurship is not only about business but also the foundation for creating a better tomorrow. He firmly believes it is his responsibility to give back to society, and hence, is committed to focus on education, healthcare, and environment.

GARNERING GLORY

A multitude of honors and awards have been bestowed upon Mr. Ravi for his exceptional leadership and entrepreneurship skills. Insight Success & Consultants Review Magazines have hailed the visionary leader as a ‘Pioneer, Thought Leader, Guru, and Game Changer in Business Services.’ Additionally, the CFO magazine recognized him as a ‘Visionary CEO’ based on his commercial acumen and extensive experience in business and process management.

Mr. Satyan’s father owned a restaurant back in the day and as a kid, he used to spend a lot of time there. That was when his foundation of human values was laid. He believes that success is measured in terms of how many lives you affect and for him, the biggest assets were the people he worked and interacted with. It is with these set of values and beliefs that he ventured into corporate world at the age of 18.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Back in 1992, Mr. Sumesh started his career as a salesman. Over time he excelled in all the roles, but he also realized a thing or two about the working of many organizations. He learnt that majority of the small-scaledorganization leave very little room for the personal and professional growth of their employees.

The stakeholders of these companies were neither interested in the growth of the company norallowed their employees to feel fulfilled.While he did grow in ranks, he was often chastised for going out of his way to help his teammates or provide them with opportunities to grow. He soon realized that all of these companies disregarded the people they worked with.

The last straw came when he was ousted by a company where he had contributed through every high and low. It was that moment when he realized he would start his own company where people would never be undervalued.

A DREAM IS BORN

Mr. Sumesh had an agreement with his wife Ms. Suchi Nair that both of them will retire at the age of 45 and follow their passion from then on. The events of his job career timed perfectly with this plan and they both decided to start their own company in 2014 – Leisung Technologies.

The husband-wife duo bootstrapped this company from scratch. They decided to build an organization where financial achievements were only the result of a team that is inspired internally. In their organization people would always be supported. Under his leadership, Leisung Technologies has been growing from strength to strength. The firm is an AV Design, Integration & Solution Company headquartered in Dubai.

Their core expertise is Audio, Visual and Digital Signage systems for collaborative spaces like meeting rooms, conference rooms, auditoriums, retail spaces, innovation centers, BGM systems, control centers, and home theaters. Leisung Technologies has grown to have 40 top vendor brands in the UAE and has been supporting AV Integration and Digital Signage projects in UAE, KSA, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Bahrain & Kuwait.

Leisung Technologies was started with the underlying mission to be the easiest company to work with for employees, customers, and partners and to create for customers the most compelling technology in meeting spaces.

BUILDING A NEW CULTURE

Since his personal experiences at all his previous jobs had been demotivating, Mr. Sumesh wanted his company to be a place where nobody felt undervalued or taken for granted. For him, it isnot just an entrepreneurial venture but a change movement. He wanted to build a company where all team members respect each other and the customer.

The customers’ needs are understood in depth and solutions are provided based on what they want and not what the company is trying to sell. Mr. Sumesh started out looking to forge lifelong relationships, not just business transactions. It is a thin line to walk for a CEO since sometimes a profitable step is staring at you in the face but if that doesn’t align with your core values, you need to let it go. But that doesn’t bother Mr. Sumesh because he is here to build “the easiest company to work with.”

He leads his team with utmost sincerity and that’s what makes a true leader. Integrity and innovation form the everyday culture at Leisung. Mr. Sumesh doesn’t believe in policing his employees. Every day he works to build and sustain an environment which inspires all of his employees to learn, prosper and support each other.

As a leader, he tries to keep an ‘open door’ policy where his team members can come up to him to discuss professional or professional challenges and new ideas or even an improvement that they think will help the company be better. “We try to solve all problems together,” he says. His journey as a CEO has been one with many hurdles. Like every new company, he has had to prove their quality.

In the initial days there also were major cashflow issues, but he persevered and tunneled through those challenges to stay afloat and keep building his dream. Today, Mr. Sumesh proudly shares that his company supports 28 families; he has some of the top minds of the industry working with him and bit by bit he is building a workplace that will always value their employees and customers alike.

MARCHING TOWARDS A BRIGHT & GLORIOUS FUTURE

In the next 5 years, Mr. Sumesh aims to ensure a business that can support at least 1000 families. He plans to keep working on his vision of being the “easiest company to work with for employees, vendors, and customers.” It is his innate desire to ensure that everyone he and his company interact with is touched by their human spirit of oneness and helpfulness in every single task they undertake.

His future plans and goals are a refreshing change from the usual numbers and figures that most CEOs have for goals. In his endeavor, Mr. Sumesh’s family also supports him wholeheartedly. His wife heads the sales vertical at Leisung and his daughter handles the marketing function. With the help of an objective and open culture that he is building at his company, work-life balance has not been a problem for Mr. Sumesh ever. He has full faith in his employees and doesn’t believe in keeping tabs.

Mr. Sumesh is a new-age leader who is not building a company but a culture. He is bringing about a slow but steady change in how the whole employer-employee equation is viewed. He is setting the bar high when it comes to building an organization. He took it upon himself to create something he never got as an employee. His foundation and core beliefs are what set this leader apart from the rest.

Aproven leader with grit, determination, and a strong desire for success, Mr. Sharma is consistently focused on developing and implementing Petrocontracts International’s strategy and future growth. Having grown up as the son of an Army Officer, Mr. Sharma takes inspiration from his father, Mr. Chander Prakash Sharma, whose life experiences inspired him to live a disciplined, honest, and fulfilling life. He learned early in life that the army faces many hardships, but the soldiers remain strong and continue to serve. This lesson has continued to inspire him to this day.

A WELL-ROUNDED LEADER

Mr. Sharma holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) degree and a Diploma in Business Management. Additionally, the well-versed leader holds Fellowships of the Chartered Institute of Management, UK, and the Institution of Engineers.

Prior to establishing Petrocontracts International Limited, Mr. Sharma was the Vice President of Petrofac International Limited. He has also held a variety of management roles at the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA OPCO), Abu Dhabi, now ADNOC Offshore (2007-2008); Qatar Petroleum, Doha (1995–2007); Colt Engineering, Abu Dhabi, now owned by Worley Parsons (1993-1995); Engineers India Limited, New Delhi (1983-1993), Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co Pvt Ltd, New Delhi (1982-1983); and Electrocom Industries, New Delhi (1981-1983). Among his other experiences, he has held various positions of responsibility at Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA OPCO) and other companies, such as Qatar Petroleum (1995-1997); Colt Engineering (1993-1995); and Engineers India Limited, New Delhi.

The opportunities he achieved and the things he learned about different industry sectors made him feel passionate about passing on his experiences and insights to the younger generation. To this end, Mr. Sharma established Petrocontracts International in London, UK in the year 2017. Using proven grass-roots strategies based on innovative solutions and services.

His mission is also to help multi-billion-dollar companies overcome multifarious challenges. He says, “Our comprehensive service offering comprises of Project Management, Claims Management, Commercial & Proposals Management, Contract & Sub-contract management and resource management, allowing clients to concentrate on their core capabilities while we handle their perennial issues.” As evidence of the company’s success, it has delivered more than 50 projects in consulting across numerous industries in the past four years.

The company, which the ambitious leader founded as a business consultancy firm focused on extending business support to domestic and international companies, now has offices in London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, as well as in Gurugram, India. Mr. Sharma is now in the process of expanding the company into the Far East and South America, where it can satisfy the individual needs of customers in the Gulf States, Asia, Europe, and Africa, where there are untapped opportunities in the oil and gas industry. The forward-thinking leader’s grasp of modernization and, more crucially, his personal views and ideas have contributed to Petrocontracts’ current global position.

A GOAL-SETTER

Mr. Sharma is known for his strategic thinking and planning skills. A strong business developer with extensive connections within the EPC industry, the visionary leader, has the skills, competence, and experience to handle any leadership role connected to Project, Business, or Commercial Management with utmost ease. In the long run, he wants Petrocontracts to be as multinational as some of the larger corporations, such as the UK’s Wood Group.

His continuous focus is on maintaining the firm’s high profits while reducing costs at the same time. He alleges that in order to realize this vision, the company hires core employees only when necessary. “Because we aren’t providing a product, but service instead, we can optimise our services by lowering overhead. This is how we remain competitive in the industry,” he explains.

ACHIEVING MILESTONES

With Mr. Sharma’s bespoke approach and proven strategies, Petrocontracts International has risen to new heights. The company has demonstrated a long-standing track record of providing high-quality results through world-class practices and modern technology. It’s no wonder that the company’s clients greatly rely on its innovative and customized solutions, whether it be to eliminate financial and operating risks, remove bureaucracy within organizations, optimize costs, or hire the best talent.

Under his outstanding leadership, Petrocontracts International has recently completed three big projects. It is also serving several organizations throughout the region.

The company is currently active in GCC Countries, Asia, Europe and Africa. Since its inception, the leader claims that his company has made significant breakthroughs.

He gladly says, “Even as a startup, we have achieved a lot of milestones by getting orders from customers and have already delivered a few of those orders successfully.” He adds, “That is a significant accomplishment for a young business like ours, as many contractors are approaching us for work.”

Moreover, following the pandemic outbreak, he restructured Petrocontracts’ business strategy to meet the demands of the industry during the lockdown, focusing on creating jobs as quickly as possible. Additionally, with his innovative ideas, he introduced new project management and claims management procedures, causing clients to file fresh COVID claims and maintain working capital, allowing their firms to stay afloat during difficult times.

GIVING BACK TO SOCIETY

Mr. Sharma is passionate about giving back to society. Specially abled individuals hold a special place in his heart, and he does everything in his power to help them. At the same time, the compassionate leader is an advocate of the green movement. He has chalked out Sustainable Development and Environmental policies for Petrocontracts International to reduce the company’s carbon footprint.

Chaitra’s curiosity in technology prompted her to choose technology as a career after almost deciding to begin a postgraduate music degree. Though it was a major shift, her love for technology led her to Microsoft, where she worked on billion-dollar ideas, which shaped her thinking and made her aware of the endless possibilities surrounding her. The experience she gained from working with high-powered executives Safra Catz, Jacqueline Woods, and Bronwyn Hastings was unique in that it made her aware that the sky’s the limit in technology. She worked at Microsoft for eight years before moving on in 2013 to co-found and lead marketing at Issaquah-based Meylah, Microsoft gold partner that help companies to transform their marketing and technologies with Cloud Solutions. She founded Women in Cloud in 2018 as an economic development platform to create $1B in economic access for female founders and professionals in the enterprise sector. The platform helps create access to business growth and alliances by partnering with innovative companies, such as Microsoft, Accenture, Hitachi, Insight, Teradata, M12 and much more.

BOOSTING WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN TECHNOLOGY FIELDS

Chaitra has been outspoken about the challenges she has faced in the male-dominated IT industry. There was a clear gender bias that was affecting many women business owners in the tech sector since women were underrepresented. Making decisions or contributing to shaping narratives around equity and access was difficult or impossible. To solve the problem, she founded Women in Cloud, a network of female tech entrepreneurs that aims to stimulate societal impact with the lofty objective to creating access to $1 billion by 2030. Inclusion, Collective Action, and Economic Access serve as the platform’s foundation, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

POWERING SOCIAL PROGRESS

Chaitra has always believed that giving back to the community has a far-reaching impact. Thus, the solutions and programs offered by Women in Cloud are all designed to foster a sense of community and achieve a broader social impact. The values-driven leader instills her principles and beliefs in the organization by personally conveying them to her employees so that they can grow professionally as well as personally. Collective action and inclusion are her guiding principles. Under her leadership, #EmpowHERaccess, the Women in Cloud team’s pandemic response campaign, successfully reached 1.4M women and focused attention on the disruptions faced by women in the early stages of COVID-19 and sought to offer access and opportunities for recovery. In addition, the Women in Cloud launched the #Fortune100 Initiative to bring together the top 100 Fortune Brands to combat the global crisis of representation and supplier inclusion during the pandemic. What’s more. The compassionate leader also leads #EmpowHERFamily, a cross-sector economic relief initiative to empower 1M women in India to have an effective future by curating actionable digital solutions to provide economic relief.

GLORIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS

Chaitra’s dedication has earned her several prestigious awards, including the Cloud Revolution Awards, Microsoft Supplier Diversity Award, and Q13 Women of Influence Award. The proactive leader also serves on the boards of several corporations and facilitates global discussions with the United Nations and major corporations. The Women in Cloud community has helped Ms. Vedullapalli accomplish ambitious visions and astounding missions that are set to improve the world. The visionary leader seeks to build an industry where everyone has equal opportunity to create a positive economic impact and build sustainable solutions.

Foundedby Mr. Shahdadpuri, 24 years ago, today Nikai Group is one of the top-selling electronics brands in the UAE. Over the course of two decades, the Group of Companies has grown from a modest trading operation into an internationally renowned operation under the stewardship of the ambitious leader. The company currently sells 400 million products across home entertainment, appliances, and whitegoods in over 60 countries, including Asia, the subcontinent, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, and North America. What’s more, it has over 5000 employees and 60 million satisfied customers worldwide.

Over the years, Nikai has successfully managed to maintain its prominence in the market despite cut-throat competition from major Japanese and Korean brands. Mr. Shahdadpuri attributes this success to three main factors: preparation, anticipation, and supply chain competence. The diplomat-turned-entrepreneur says having the ability to offer some of the best prices in the world gives his company an edge over the competitors. Furthermore, the company has its own unique process for determining quality, thus, its products are just as good as any Japanese or Korean brand. The vigilant leader is always ready with a backup plan in case of a crisis and difficulty.

Flexibility and managing a fully integrated supply chain are key components of his business model. He says, the company’s success is directly related to its supply chain as it is a fully integrated process.

CAREER TRANSITION & AN UNCONVENTIONAL START

Mr. Shahdadpuri, wasn’t always bent on a career in business. He began his professional career as a diplomat serving the Indian Foreign Services, but the prospect of a bureaucratic life and imminent retirement at the age of 58 did not appeal to the proactive leader. At the age of 50, he made up his mind to give up his thriving diplomatic career to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. He says that if he had continued in his position as a diplomat, he would have retired at the age of 58. The enthusiastic leader is now 75 years old and works 12 hours every day.

When Mr. Shahdadpuri started his venture, he did not have any idea about revenue growth and profitability. Therefore, when he founded Nikai, he had modest goals and expectations. He only desired a modest start, which he had in abundance. The leader’s entrepreneurial instinct gradually led him to find ways to grow efficiently and strengthen his business. He has labored hard to learn at every stage of his career, from how to overcome hurdles one by one to how to identify and maximize opportunities.

BUILDING A BETTER WORLD

Mr. Shahdadpuri is actively involved in community development programs in India and the UAE. Among the organizations he supports are the Dubai Autism Center, Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs, and Rashid Centre for the Determined.

GARNERING ACCOLADES

Mr. Shahdadpuri’s business acumen has earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the prestigious Bharat Shiromani Award. Moreover, several international awards and accolades have been bestowed upon the Nikai group because of the leader’s commitment to excellence. For instance, the Nikai group gained the ‘Superbrand’ status in 2011, and from 2016 to 2018 by the International Superbrands Organisation.

Omar Al Humaidi is a well-versed leader who holds a BBA degree in Business Administration and Management (General) from Franklin University in Columbus, OH. Additionally, the young leader has recently received a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence from Khalifa University. He is a seasoned business development professional with extensive experience in the education management sector. His proficiency in business planning, business management, business development, staff development, training, management consulting, and strategic planning makes him stand out in the crowd.

He embarked on his career in the year 2011 as a Graduate Manager at Etihad Airways. Soon he joined Abu Dhabi Education Council as a Business Development Specialist.

Before joining the Department of Ministry of Economy as the Director of Anti-Injurious Practices in July 2021, the visionary leader worked for the National Media Council of the United Arab Emirates, an independent federal body that aims to organize and develop an integrated national media sector. He joined the National Media Council in 2017. His first role at the organization was that of the Head of Training and Development, followed by that of the Director of External Communication.

A TECH-SAVVY LEADER

As technology continuously keeps evolving, Omar Al Humaidi believes that leaders should keep up with the latest technological advancements in order to stay relevant. According to him, in today’s world, leaders need a realistic understanding of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and the potential of robotics, and natural language processing. Furthermore, they should keep an eye on the newest devices and the latest updates.

In his opinion, without leveraging the latest technology trends, leaders cannot expect their organization to stay ahead of the curve. Thus, staying abreast of the current IT trends is crucial in order to remain a successful leader, he says.

CRACKED 58 CASES OF DUMPING AGAINST UAE EXPORTS

Omar Al Humaidi is constantly developing work mechanisms and services to combat harmful trade practices. Additionally, he is focused on developing smarter ways of automating procedures and investigations and addressing complaints pertaining to harmful practices.

Owing to his unceasing dedication and unwavering focus, he has efficiently enabled the Ministry of Economy in resolving 58 investigations and measures to impose anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on foreign markets. Next, he intends to expand the Ministry’s efforts in this regard, leveraging the dispute settlement mechanism in the World Trade Organization to settle 100% of cases in a way that would make UAE products and services more competitive in the global market.

As a result of his leadership at the local level, the Ministry was able to address dumping and subsidy policies and increase imports in order to gain and maintain fair competition, protect national production, and implement the best commercial practices in the local markets by adopting legal measures to combat dumped or subsidized imports or by increasing imports.

On behalf of the Minister of Economy, Omar Al Humaidi conducted investigations into this matter, which led to the imposition of seven anti-dumping and protection duties on imported goods into the UAE’s markets, most particularly: car batteries, iron plates, cardboard, ceramics, cement, chemical plastics, and aluminum sheets.

Additionally, the forward-thinking leader is also in the process of devising a proactive mechanism that will intelligently monitor imports similar to local industries and notify consumers when imports are dumped or subsidized or when their quantities increase.

Besides being a successful leader, Omar Al Humaidi is also an inspirational role model for aspiring leaders. The unifying vision behind his leadership is one of his strongest attributes.