CEO 100 2021 Welcome to this special edition supplement, CEO 100. This list has been created to look beyond a celebrity-driven or rich-list inspired group of people who typically dominate, but to give credit to the real world CEO’s. These are the people who have been at the forefront of change and steered their companies through difficult times of transition over the past two years. CEO 100 2021
2 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 Welcome to this special edition supplement, CEO 100. This list has been created to look beyond a celebrity-driven or rich-list inspired group of people who typically dominate, but to give credit to the real world CEO’s. These are the people who have been at the forefront of change and steered their companies through difficult times of transition over the past two years. It has been more important than ever to successfully navigate their teams with timely decision making and inspiring leadership, all while demonstrating a calculated manner. This supplement recognises these chosen CEO’s for their relentless passion and realising the value of crafting the perfect team to lead to success. The profiled CEO’s are from different industries and from different countries around the world but all share drive an determination to achieve their own personal corporate mission. Sofi Bajor, Editor Website: www.ceo-review.com AI Global Media, Ltd. (AI) takes reasonable measures to ensure the quality of the information on this web site. However, AI will not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any information that is available through this web site. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. The information available through the website and our partner publications is for your general information and use and is not intended to address any particular finance or investment requirements. In particular, the information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us or any of our partner publications and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making or refraining from making any investment or financial decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Any arrangement made between you and any third party named in the site is at your sole risk and responsibility. Contents 4. Breaking Down The Fourth Wall by Bashar Wali 5. CriticalAsset - Stewart Padveen 6. Designs On The Future 7. The Company Reorganizing the World’s Healthcare Infrastructure 8. Making a Significant Impact 9. Where ideas come to life 10. Industry-Leading Incident Investigating and Training 11. A Bold New Voice in Management Consultancy 12. The Business Bringing Companies into the Technological Future 13. Stunning bungalows, Royale prestige 14. Here’s to Good Health! 15. Exemplary Nationwide Insurance Brokerage 16. Key Insights Effect Great Success 18. Gulf Central Merchant bank: Challenging The Old Guards 20. Enriching, Empowering, Evolving 22. Film Financiers Propel Industry Forward 24. A CEO Challenging the Future of Finance 26. Key Insights Effect Great Success 28. Breathe: Addressing a Vital Need for HR Software in the SME Sector 30. Love Success Celebrates Latest Award 32. Rising to the Challenge: Full Suite of Business Turnaround Services and “One Dollar License” to Lean Literacy in Canada 34. A CEO Forging the Future of the E-Payment Sector 36. A SHOT OF CAFFEINE FOR YOUR BUSINESS 38. A Digital Company Shaping the Future of Bricks-and-Mortar Retail 40. Qarar Consultancy: Experts in Data-Driven Business Solutions 42. Driving the EV Market to Sustainable Growth 44. An Innovative CEO Driving the Future of the Middle East’s Media Market 46. Absolute Communications Group: Creative Solutions From A Creative Team 47. Ensuring Safety & Quality 48. Budding CEO Brings Success 50. The Banking Circle Evolution 52. A Capital Investment 54. In Testing Times, Family Is Best - An Unusual CEO Growing A Remarkable Family 55. Geoswift: A Crucial Component on the Global Financial Landscape
CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 3 56. Pioneering a ‘New Era of Global Brand Outsourcing’ 58. The Powerhouse Behind Middle East Business Success 60. Driving the Future of the Financial Industry: How Banking Circle Has Become a Key Accelerator of Change 62. The Great EDA Migration: 85% of businesses striving for Event-Driven Architecture 64. Offering Unrivalled Insight into Employee Wellbeing: The Driver of Long-Term Business Success. 66. Health at Hand: Redefining Healthcare, the Middle East’s Telehealth Solution 68. Most Influential CEO of the Year - Nigel Green – deVere Group 69. LucidQuest: Providing Forward-Thinking Insight to Achieve Real World Business Solutions 70. Thriving Despite Uncertainty in the Competitive Lending Market 72. Elysium Bridging: An Early Disruptor on the Bridging Market 74. Keys to the Kingdom 75. Taking Care of Tomorrow 76. Kuwait’s King of Insurance 78. Ahead Of The Game 79. CEO Powering Up Property Development 80. Special Leaders for Special Times 81. Cementing A Brighter Future in Middle East 82. Innovation & Ingenuity 84. Top CEO in SEO 86. The Only Choice for Best in Class Vendor anD Supplier Management 88. Flynet: Bridging the Gap Between the Old and the New 89. A Leader in the Pensions Sector 90. Making Compliance Simple 92. Outstanding Excellence in Automotive Finance Services 94. CEO Cashing in Success at CASHU 96. CEO Seals Health & Socialcare Success 97. Gold-Standard For Managing Director 98. Top Tier Training From Tapiit 100. Gold-Standard For Managing Director 101. A Wellness Success Story 102. Banking on a Brilliant CEO 104. Romanian Firm Delivers Remarkable Robotic Solutions 105. Making Musculoskeletal Conditions Manageable 106. Projecting Excellence in the Technology Sphere 107. The Leading Media Group in the MENA Region 108. The World Leaders of the Next Technological Age 110. Whiskey & Wealth is a Winning Combination 112. Achieving Excellence for Arabian Explorers CEO 113. Dr. David Weiss Drives Innovation and Ingenuity 114. A Global Company With An Entrepreneurial Mindset 115. Safe As Houses CEO Secures Success 116. Superb IoT CEO Seals Success 117. Champion of Debt Collection 118. Building The Bank Of The Future 120. Connection Is Key 122. Exceptional Equity Management CEO 123. Trailblazes In 2020 To Come Out On Top 124. The Knowledge Society 125. Lighting Up the Traffic Industry 126. RiskFirst: 10 years of shaking-up pensions and investment 128. Mihai Ivascu: A CEO Changing the Face of Business 130. Pride in People’s Potential 131. At the Cutting Edge of Technological Innovation 132. Superb CEO Secures Legacy 134. The Market Research Experts 136. Asset Management Group Achieves Success with Premier Hedge Fund 137. Changing The Game 138. Simply, the One to Watch in Health & Fitness 140. Authentic Adventures 141. Serially successful: Meet the man taking the payments world by storm 142. Putting payments at the top of the to-do list 143. Scalable Security 144. Breaking Barriers in Real Estate 146. Forward Thinkers 148. Companies Show Their True Mettle in Testing Times 149. CEO Makes Headway in Hospitality 150. Better Laboratories for Better Lives 152. Joining The Team
4 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 Breaking Down The Fourth Wall by Bashar Wali
CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 5 Stewart Padveen has started, led and invested in multiple SaaS, media and CPG companies, achieving leadership positions in their respective industries and growing them to successful exits, including the world’s first cloud software provider, and one of the largest translation technology companies in the world, among others. He has invested in over 500 startups. He’s also worked closely with other founders and investors to help lead turnarounds for challenged companies. Stewart is a passionate product/ UX developer at heart. He loves to design and deliver stable, scalable products that solve real problems and delight people. Stewart has built successful companies around amazing user experiences and great teams who foster positive culture. Stewart Padveen is the founder and CEO or CriticalAsset, which creates beautiful software that simplifies and automates building and facilities management. CriticalAsset is secure, cloud-based software that makes it easy for managers and contractors to effortlessly manage any building from the palm of their hand. CriticalAsset also makes is easy to create work orders on the fly, track service history and automate predictive maintenance schedules. The software provides a platform to instantly locate all of a buildings’ assets and data on digital, interactive building maps that take away the guesswork to save wasted time and avoid mistakes. CriticalAsset was engineered for efficiency in facility management and reliability of a building’s most trusted assets, while feeling confident that data is stored securely in the cloud using military grade encryption. CriticalAsset is one of the fastest growing facility management platforms in the world with capabilities to easily manage the most complex facilities down to a single electrical breaker. CriticalAsset is VC backed and boasts some top blue-chip customers, including Delta Airlines, Intuitive Surgical and Cal State University, among others. In hospitality, from your very first property, you’re taught a few basic principles: Learn how your regulars like their martini. Don’t talk to the Chef until he’s had a coffee. Don’t assume that is Mr. Smith’s daughter. Always befriend the Chief Engineer. Never piss off the Controller. You pick up the vocabulary along the way—86. From the pass. Turndown. Amenity. RevPAR. ADR. Code Black (that’s poop in the pool, in case you were curious). And of course, back of house. An old colleague of mine used to end every morning standup meeting with the same sendoff: “Let’s have a great day. And remember, never let our guests see the back of house, on your face or otherwise.” As I walked through the housekeeping office on a particularly low-staffed Thursday, the whirl of commercial dryers competing with old school radio fuzz, eased me into a sort of waking meditation. We need to take care of our guests. Of course we do. We’re understaffed. The whole world is understaffed. But this team. These people. Are we doing enough to care for them? At first, the term back of house doesn’t seem out of the ordinary. It’s where towels get put in the bin and housekeeping credits are tracked on whiteboards. It’s where the onions get chopped and the chocolate gets tempered. It’s where the occupancy percentage is displayed next to the mission statement. It’s not for guests, that part I get. But why does it tend to feel like it’s our dirty secret? Turns out, there has been a sea change over the years. HR Departments now coining “the heart of the house” knowing that “back of house” feels dated among other things. To me, heart of the house seems artificial, trite—this isn’t a crossword puzzle, it’s a livelihood. When I started Practice Hospitality and This Assembly, I wanted to do well by doing good. Everything stemmed from a basic principle–take care of others. Practice humanity in order to practice hospitality. Look inward before looking outward. As I take inventory after a year of Practice— have we, have I, really done that? Has others meant our hotel team members, as much as our guests? Have I forgotten where it really starts and ends? The “back of house” is more visible than ever thanks to hygiene theatre. We’re all working to prove ourselves as the most sanitary hotel in the bunch. The disinfectant once hidden beneath the housekeeping cart’s cloak, now a public tool of the trade—symbolic of safety—a sword going into battle. Add the masks, the wipes, the hydrostatic sprayers, the self-check in, are we overdoing it? Great, then it’s probably working. What if we applied this idea to our staff? What if we had something to prove? What if we took care of our employees first, instead of worrying about the star ratings and guest reviews? What if, instead of tracking out TripAdvisor ranking, we tracked everyone’s mental health? It’s true—hoteliers live and die by ratings and reviews—the guest surveys, the customer chatter, the loyalty. Every star brings us closer to the top. Every star gives our revenue manager the guts to push the rate higher. Every star gives the hotel owner bragging rights as he enters the nearest Soho House and scans the room for his Cornell brethren. But where does it really start? Can a truly preferred hotel get there with unhappy employees who feel like they themselves are secondary to the guest? That what ends up online is more important than their well being? Why do our guests bathe in marble bathtubs with rain showers, while our employee bathrooms don’t have space to bathe at all? Why are we serving the freshest, farm-raised ingredients in our lobby bar, and frozen burgers to our staff? We’re working on doing better at all of our hotels. While the shift takes time, and I’ll be the first to admit that we haven’t perfectly executed on this vision just yet, that time is now. Our entire leadership team is aligned with this vision for the future. When the pandemic laid bare the grave inequities across our teams, we opened our pantries and our hearts. We listened. At last, we understood. We need to see all of our employees eye to eye. Not eye to chin, with them looking up at the leadership, while we direct from our ivory tower (fine, our “back of house” office with windows, ironically). If we really want to compete in an increasingly tough recruiting market, we have to be more than the place that offers a free meal a day and healthcare after three months. We must take care of our people. The hospitality industry is formed out of humanity. It’s formed from people. Individuals. What works for one, does not in fact work for all. Do well by doing good starts with taking care of all. Where will you begin?
6 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 , Designs On The Future The creation of new global energy infrastructure is vital to the continuation of our way of life as we know it, but funding these programs is not easy. We take a look at Anthony Catachanas, CEO of Victory Hill Capital Group LLP, to see howhis incredible leadership has funded incredibly important work and raised him to the ranks of CEOMonthly’s CEO 100. To some, sustainability is one of the world’s new buzzwords, but to the team at Victory Hill it’s an essential goal for the generations of tomorrow and the very mission of the firm. The team’s specialist work targets direct investments into global energy infrastructure, which will contribute to the acceleration of the Energy Transition and the attainment of UN Sustainable Development Goals. The founders of Victory Hill have worked together for over 7 years, and bring over 187 years of cumulative experience within the team across various financial disciplines to bear on this vital issue. With an average team experience of 22 years, the quality of the staff at Victory Hill is incredibly high and has proven to be the cornerstone of the team’s enviable achievements. These achievements include over 91 energy M&A, project finance and capital markets transactions in over 34 jurisdictions globally, building strong and established professional networks in both OECD and developing economies. More recently, culminating this track record with the launch of Victory Hill’s debut fund the VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities plc (Ticker: GSEO), which was the largest investment trust IPO on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in the last 5 years, by a new manager, at over GBP 243mn. The fund includes an enviable roster of board members, coming from both the financial and the energy industries and was awarded the Green Mark by the London Stock Exchange, indicating that a majority of its income stems from environmentally friendly activities. The climate crisis is one which will have an impact on society and economies worldwide, and the team’s approach reflects the global nature of this challenge. With their help, however, it’s easier to see how the world can achieve an orderly energy transition to a Net Zero Carbon future. The leadership of Victory Hill is due, in no small part, to the world of Anthony Catachanas, known to most as Tony. Tony has a strong history of success in the financial sector having worked for prominent financial organizations such as Credit Suisse where he supported the growth of the Hedge Fund and Private Equity industries in the early 2000’. He then worked as an Executive Director for Goldman Sachs where he spent time working with global institutional investors on tackling a wide array of investment challenges. He joined a Goldman Sachs spin-out called AlphaOne Partners LLP as one of it’s most junior Partners and Head of GP & LP Relations and helped develop their energyfocused private equity portfolio. More recently, before Victory Hill, he helped build the direct alternative investments business globally of the asset management arm of the Mizuho Financial Group, It is at Mizuho that he was asked to constitute a cross-divisional initiative focused of supporting global energy investments. It is this team and its activities that gave rise to Victory Hill. Tony is known in institutional investor circles as a solutions provider and out-of-the-box thinker. He has established himself with OCT21180 an enviable reputation with some of the world’s largest institutional investors. His incredible track record has allowed him to develop and lead financial operations and firms, early in his career, and build a strategic perspective of the financial industry that very few people are privy to in their careers. He turns his knowledge of the financial industry to the challenges of Sustainability in Energy, and applies his unique perspective on financial strategy, transaction negotiation and business management. His style is detailed and disciplined yet remains very inclusive and adaptable. His multicultural background is the source of his open-minded and inclusive style of management, and his sensitivity for resolving complex issues helps his businesses focus on niches that are typically very differentiated yet crucially important. The very distinct firm culture and mission he has helped create at Victory Hill, are a direct reflection of his creativity and of the talent of his team. His firm’s ability to work within the system to create a path forward on the challenges caused by the Energy Transition has been key to many of the firm’s successes since its beginnings. Needless to say, the transition to a Net Zero carbon future is not onesize-fits-all affair, it requires a great degree of global understanding and cultural sensitivity. While the issue at hand is clearly global, the solutions required are often local. The very diverse and multi-cultural team at Victory Hill are determined to ensure that wherever there is a strong demand for energy, those who can supply it in a sustainable way, have the funds that they need. Through their specialised approach, targeting investment opportunities that can have a strong local impact, they are transforming the way in which the energy industry operates. It is not surprising that the firm, while setting new precedents, has already attracted several awards and the guise of some of the world’s largest investors and energy companies, who seek to become their investment partners. Name: Anthony Catachanas Email: [email protected]
CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 7 , The International healthcare company Aquilia Health, led by a CEO that has recently enjoyed acclaimas one of the CEO 100 candidates in 2021 – Dagmar Dvorakova – has beenmaking a name for itself by enabling the smooth and sophisticated adaptation of healthcare companies to the new paradigm. Accelerated by the challenges the worldwide sector faced from the pandemic, this company has been able to use its vast connections and diligence in creating new and industry-leading corporate structures that fit seamlessly around existing ones, allowing healthcare companies and hospitals to keep up with a world in flux. Aquilia Health, an international healthcare company based in Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic and China, has developed a wealth of rich experiences in the industry over its time as an operational management company. Handling healthcare facility management, developing innovative business models, and working on service lines, Aquilia Health acts on a global level to combine best industry practice, trends, and international market intelligence into new projects and solutions into structures that need additional support. Fundamentally, it works by implementing these ideas seamlessly around a client’s existing systems and staff, creating effective strategies that help its clients to succeed. Led by Dagmar Dvorakova, this company has been able to reach great heights of success in and of itself by giving its clients the leg up they need to reach their milestones; in such an exposed industry as healthcare, it is time to pay attention to the market in order to survive, and Aquilia Health keeps this concept constant throughout its services. Responsible for both national and international strategic decisions, dayto-day operations, and the development of Aquilia Health’s management and consultation side. Moreover, it cut its teeth on the provision of wellness and medical solutions for professionals in its industry, getting to know how the various businesses and trades in its sector function, as well as how to best help them find successful strategies. Aided by Dagmar’s connections in the corporate world, having spent 11 years in various management positions in the field of hospital management and international business in the international healthcare group, FRESENIUS VAMED. During the pandemic, this strengthened even further as healthcare became the centre of attention. The crisis pointed out its strengths and its weaknesses, making it clear that there were several things that needed change. This is where Aquilia Health stepped in to help, allowing stakeholders to seek new avenues of growth through which their companies could pivot and adapt. Moreover, aiding adaptation in the face of the crisis has made Aquilia Health even more of a linchpin for the world’s healthcare sector in general. Working to ensure organizations have the structures SEP21965 in place to be able to embrace new technologies, innovations, and standards, it keeps up with the market’s changes and disruptions as they happen in order to keep clients up to date in real time. This has encouraged increased dialogue between stakeholders and companies, turning hospital and healthcare management from a regional task, into a challenge that the international community can approach as a united front. Contact: Dagmar Dvorakova Website: aquilia-health.com
8 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 , Making a Significant Impact Novige AB is the Swedish cleantech start-up behind the development of NoviOceanwave energy converter, the solution to finallymaking wave energy profitable and accessible to all. To make this ambitious dream a reality, CEO, Jan Skjoldhammer left his well-paid job as an airline captain/pilot in 2011 to focus all his energy and the larger part of his life’s savings into creating a company with the mission of “saving the climate with profitable wave power”. He then employed like-minded professionals who passionately believe in the cause. So, how does the company do this? Well, imagine a wellproven hydropower plant, but inverted and taken to sea, with ocean waves acting as a never-drying dam – Novige AB calls it the “hydropower plant at sea” (HPAS) concept which is the main working principles of NoviOcean. Explained in simple terms, in every wave, the vertical motion of a rectangular floating structure creates enormous lifting forces (for example 600 tons for a 3.5-meter wave). This force is then hydraulically transferred from its cylinder and piston/piston rod connected to the sea floor, to a fast-spinning and highly efficient Pelton turbine and generator assembly which generates the electricity to then be transferred through subsea cables to the electricity network. Despite blue energy’s enormous potential, previous technologies have so far not been very successful in delivering costeffective solutions to the market. There are many complex systems that generate relatively low amounts of electricity compared to their mass and many moving parts. Such designs will lead to high and unattractive Levelized Cost of Energy (LCoE). NoviOcean uses simple, lightweighted, and well-proven parts allowing for a reliable and stable electricity output which leads to a lower cost of electricity. As an example, a lower cost can be achieved than a similar-sized offshore wind after 50 MW of NoviOcean deployment. The company can produce a more stable output (compared to conventional renewables) without any storage needs. Moreover, combined electricity production with the off-phased wind power can provide a baseload of up to five times higher than just wind alone, thereby solving a huge part of today’s unstable grids. NoviOcean’s solution can be easily adjusted to give the ultimate power performance based on the resource availability for the deployment site which unlocks a unique opportunity to locally manufacture, deploy, and operate its units using the available resources and knowledge base. Therefore, as one of the company’s key strategies for the future rapid expansion, NoviOcean will be offering large-scale licensing to shipyards and industrial companies around the globe to build and operate its unit. This can ultimately empower the local/ regional economy and job market. NoviOcean is open for dialogues for partnership opportunities with large industrial companies with global networks who would like to join the company in it journey. This could be an ideal win-win for partners and their company name plus “renewables” depicted 35 x 3 meters on both sides of NoviOcean’s units. They can invite politicians, VIPs, and media onboard, and enjoy a new business leg to stand on, attract eager welleducated employees, attain respect and a greener image, and improve their shared value. So far, NoviOcean’s 1:5 scale prototype has been tested and validated in wave tanks and real offshore environments. After more rounds of dry testing, the plan for 2022 is to reinstall the improved prototype in an offshore environment for longterm monitoring of its longevity and power performance. The company has also signed a contract for more than two MEUR grant support from the EU Commission to design, construct, and demonstrate the full-scale pilot (rated at 500 kW) by 2024/25. The detailed design, environmental and feasibility studies for the full-scale pilot is expected to continue until 2023 and will be followed by construction, deployment, testing/validation, and certification until 2025. Company: NoviOcean Contact: Jan Skjoldhammer Email: jan.skjoldhammer@ noviocean.energy Website: www.noviocean.energy SEP21954
CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 9 , Where ideas come to life Located across two sites in Elstree and at Television Centre in White City, BBC Studioworks’ facilities are home to some of the nation’s most watched and loved television shows. Broadcasting across the BBC, ITV, Sky, Channel 4, and Netflix, to name a few, its credits include ‘Good Morning Britain’, ‘This Morning’, ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, ‘EastEnders’, ‘The Graham Norton Show’, ‘A League of Their Own’, ‘Crazy Delicious’, ‘The Last Leg’, and ‘The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan’. When Andrew Moultrie joined BBC Studioworks as CEO in November 2019, a fiveyear growth strategy was developed with a clear vision and purpose at its heart. The business already had a great culture, which its people have collectively evolved to focus on what makes it so special and unique. The company now has a clear set of values woven throughout the organisation which it calls ‘The Studioworks BBC Studioworks is a commercial subsidiary of the BBCwhich provides world-class studios and post production services to all the major TV production companies. It equips themwith the right technology and the most dedicated and talented people in the industry to help bring their creative ideas to life onscreen. CEO, AndrewMoultrie has been recognised within this issue’s CEO 100 Awards, so we got in touchwith him to learnmore about his role and the company. Way’ – a strong community, we are experts, we find a way and committed to growth. BBC Studioworks’ people are truly the best in the business with decades upon decades of broadcasting experience. There’s no problem too big which they can’t solve, and this shouldn’t be taken lightly. They are responsible for delivering technically ambitious shows like ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ live to the nation every Saturday night for 13 weeks, which is a huge amount of pressure on their shoulders. Andrew said, “I trust our teams implicitly to always deliver to the very highest of standards and it’s our exceptional client service which means we have a professional reputation that’s second to none. Whether it’s our operational teams, or our teams who work in the business support function, there’s a common thread amongst them, and that’s a real grit to succeed, a passion for their respective crafts that’s unrivalled and a belief that there’s always a way.” Regarding his own career, Andrew says that his previous roles have shaped him into the person he is today. He has had the joy of working with some of the biggest brands and institutions across the world such as Nike, Pepsi, and Warner Bros., and each role, each culture, each experience (the good and the bad) have added to his leadership tapestry and helped him to fulfil his obligations now as CEO. He said, “I don’t tend to dwell on the past and with that said, I’m more ‘me’ than I’ve ever been in my career. Having given myself permission to be vulnerable, as well as accountable and ambitious, means I can give my full self to the role and be the same person at work as I am at home. This saves energy, increases flow, and helps drive productivity and creativity.” He continued, telling us about his leadership style: “Honesty, kindness, and happiness are the fundamental principles of leadership for me. If you approach each interaction in life with these beliefs at your core, you will fly unencumbered, unhinged and free. “In addition to these leadership principles, I also have the support and trust of a brilliant Chairman, Tom Fussell and a strong and committed team at BBC Studioworks. You cannot underestimate the value of this. And if you add to this the endless support and unconditional love from Caroline (my wife), Eva (my daughter) and Jack (my son), I have an ideal environment at home and at the office where I can do my best work, as Andrew – a husband, a father, a friend, and a CEO.” Contact: Andrew Moultrie Email: andrew.moultrie@ bbcstudioworks.com Website: www.bbcstudioworks.com SEP21930
10 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 , Industry-Leading Incident Investigating and Training Established in 2002 under the leadership of Gerry Gibb, SafetyWise undertakes investigation training and investigations into workplace incidents including fatalities, high-potential incidents, serious injuries, and near-miss events. In light of current CEO, Luke Dambeing recognised within the CEO 100 Awards, we got in touchwith him to learnmore about the company and his career. Safety Wise services all industries and operates globally, its main focuses being mining, government, and construction, and it has, to date, trained over 110,000 people via both face-to-face and online training, in seven languages, and across 43 countries. The company does this by maintaining values of building trust and respect, stepping up to the mark, communicating openly, working as a team, challenging the status quo, and by adding value to everything it does. All of these are really important to the company, not only in its day-to-day interactions among the team but also with its clients. When its people are dealing with an incident in the workplace, they need to have challenging conversations about what happened and what needs to be done to prevent a recurrence. Having undertaken nearly 800 incident investigations globally, Safety Wise explores factors that He then stepped into various training roles and discovered the joys of watching people grow as they learnt new things. This really ignited his passion for helping and training others. When he stepped back into safety, Luke was able to be a far more effective communicator and realised the benefits of actually helping people understand, for example, why they could or couldn’t do something and helping them make informed decisions themselves. When Luke was first tapped on the shoulder for his current role as CEO, the owners of the company were looking to transition to retirement. He said, “I was there to manage the day-to-day business as COO, but at times I felt like a figurehead with no real authority, but as the owners transitioned and started to step back more, it became easier for me and obviously, the trust was building as well. Let’s face it, it’s got to be hard to let go of your baby that you’ve nurtured over the years!” He continued, “I also had the challenge, that, unlike the owner who developed the processes and was one of the most experienced and respected incident investigators in the industry, I had none of that. Having said that, I was there to manage the business, not investigate incidents or deliver training. This however also created angst at times, especially as the investigators were looking for guidance and assistance. To work around this, I had to use the internal expertise we had on the team – I spoke at contribute towards an incident by using the Incident Cause Analysis Method (ICAM), which covers absent/failed defences, individual/ team actions, task/environmental conditions (workplace), task/ environmental conditions (human factors), and organisational factors. Fortunately, the founder of the business, Gerry Gibb was instrumental in the development of the ICAM process, so the company was able to make significant inroads globally in embedding the process into many organisations. Like many, company CEO, Luke Dam first got into workplace health and safety (many, many!) years ago, when, as he says, he was “very much on the power trip and looking to save the world from every safety infraction”. “Dare I say, I assumed the role of the safety cop? It took me a while and a big shift in mindset to realise that this doesn’t work – Don’t get me wrong – if someone is in imminent danger, there’s a place for stern words and actions.” length with various team members to understand the issues and how to work through them. Even today, I still use this internal knowledge – again, why not? They have their expertise, and I have mine.” 18 months ago, Luke was presented with the opportunity to purchase the business. This further created challenges as he and CFO and fellow business partner, Danielle were still reporting to the owners but trying to go through the process of buying them out. Decisions that Luke and Danielle were making were potentially going to have long-term impacts when they purchased the business. On both sides, there was a lot of frustration at times, but they worked through it and settled the sale in March this year. Now, Luke is settling into the new normal following the pandemic with Danielle – that’s owning the business while navigating through the challenges the pandemic keeps throwing their way. A big focus for the company at the moment is heavy exploration of new technology such as virtual reality to complement its training, as well as looking at strategic partnerships, considering companies that provide products, services, or target market areas which complement its own, and those with which it can mutually grow. Company: Safety Wise Contact: Luke Dam Email: [email protected] Website: www.safetywise.com SEP21911
CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 11 , A Bold New Voice in Management Consultancy Arcadia Management Consulting LLC, founded in 2009 in the USA, first began in Kansas. Operating out of Overland Park in the Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area, working with a representation office before founding one of its own in 2010. A specialist company providing management consultancy services that focus on digital and technological trends, Arcadia is an expert when it comes to guiding clients into how they can fit their business into the 4th industrial revolution. Fundamentally, since its inception, its goal has been to become a global consulting firm. This goal’s realization grows closer by the day as it has been pushing its way towards increasing levels of success, with presence in 5 major continents and 3 offices covering the EU, the UK, and the Middle East. It also has representation and affiliated offices in the USA, Singapore, Egypt, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, spearheaded by exemplary CEO Ahmad Ibrawish. Having made itself a state-ofthe-art solution when it comes to business and technological solutions, it keeps track of the current trends in the market in order to help its clients on their path to further expansion and diversification. In short, Arcadia wishes to aid its clients in the A company striving to deliver exceptionally high-qualitymanagement consultancy services that compete with the existingmulti-national, enterprise level leading brands, Arcadia Management Consulting LLC is gaining reputation in it’s industry. Fundamentally, it is gaining this repute by being as affordable as it is excellent, working with an in-depth and broad level of experience that its leader, member of the CEO 100 list Ahmad Ibrawish, has ensured remains the standard throughout the company. enhancement, improvement, and advancement of their businesses. Thus, it makes itself an invaluable corporate partner to its clients, and has earned its reputation as an outstanding helping hand for a variety of clients across a myriad of different industries. Being truly sector agnostic, it serves healthcare management, supply chain, logistics and shipping, tourism, construction engineering management, banking, finance, family businesses, e-commerce, technologies, and government entities all across its geographical regions. Importantly, in order to do this, it has developed a major list of exemplary consulting services. With each of these being incredibly comprehensive and industryleading, it finds that its clients are eager to use it as their consultancy one-stop-shop, able to help them with everything from strategy management and business advisory planning to business and digital transformation, as well as technological transformation, human capital management, customer experience, innovation, and advanced disruptive technology advice. This all falls in line with Arcadia’s vision to deploy creative and effective solutions to management consultancy. Furthermore, it wishes to consistently deliver on the principles of integrity, honesty, transparency, commitment, and individualism that Ibrawish has brought to the fore. Prior to Arcadia, Ibrawish cut his teeth with leading international management consultancy elsewhere for over 17 years, with experience in guidance and business advice that has enabled him to be the management and support system for multimillion dollar projects in the MENA region. Having also worked for Fortune 500 companies in the USA, he still provides his outstandingly designed and implemented business solutions to Arcadia’s clientele, working to offer strategic planning, business re-engineering, IT strategy development, and more. It is his hard work and tenacity that has helped to propel Arcadia into the spotlight, and this is something he wishes to see continue, forever working to lead it onto the global stage as one of the most attractive brands for management consultancy. Furthermore, with its core values and goals of making a difference in the dimensions of people, technology, and business operations, the team at Arcadia follow in the footsteps of the CEO himself in order to implement the consistent client-focused dedication that permeates the entire business. Contact: Ahmad Ibrawish Website: www.arcadiaconsult.com Email: [email protected] SEP21366
12 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 , ThingsAt A Device as a Service company providing all manner of hardware solutions for all manner of companies, ThingsAt has made a name for itself in taking the stress out of IT device management. Allowing them to not just survive but to thrive in a world that is increasinglymore reliant on technology, its efforts have made it the jewel in the crown of its industry and earned it new clients and return customalike over the years. ThingsAt is a company led by an experienced executive team, board, and strategic advisors, making it one of the most formidable Device as a Service solution providers in the industry. Fundamentally, it allows companies to transform themselves by outsourcing the strain of IT device management to its specialists and experts, reassuring its clients that their assets will be comprehensively taken care of and relieving them of the stress of managing that work in-house. By working with diligence, tenacity, and commitment to client satisfaction, it has earned the respect of the industry, gaining illustrious partners such as Lenovo, Dell, HP, CyberCX, and more. Essentially, ThingsAt takes a vendor agnostic approach when delivering a great end user experience, working hard to minimise costs, optimise productivity, and increase return on investment for its clientele; to do so, it offers the lease of multiple hardware solutions such as laptops, tablets, accessories, and more, in order to deliver a flexible range of solutions. With so much to choose from and every product being a leader in its own right, ThingsAt is dedicated to finding the package that best meets the client’s business goals. Bundling everything together into a monthly subscription, its efforts make for a secure, collaborative, and connected work environment that creates an ‘always on’ workspace for employees. In tandem with this, its delivery of all elements of hardware includes monitoring the health of devices throughout their lifecycle. Crucially, this means that it will handle everything from the planning to the deployment of the hardware, as well as the management, maintenance, retirement, SOE, and security of all devices. This has allowed it to become the perfect hardware partner for companies big and small, making itself the collaborative, integral, communitybased, caring, and innovative solution to a business’s Device as a Service needs. Acting as a governance body for its customers, it is a specialist company with a solid track record that is made possible by the hard work of its staff, and the depth and breadth of experience held by its leadership team, at the helm of which is CEO, Ruy Franco. Among the many tasks and projects taken on by Franco was the complete rebrand of ThingsAt, which largely came about due to the knowledgeable expertise of him and his team. Under his guidance, ThingsAt ensured that its new logo and brand showed its dedication to the constant evolution that Franco has seen the technology industry go through time and time again, finding it important that ThingsAt makes it abundantly plain that it is a company at the cutting edge of such developments. Franco’s own experience in the industry has come from over two decades of knowledge in the Telco and technology sector in Australia, as well as experience in sales direction for a number of other companies. Drawn to the position of CEO at ThingsAt when the board wanted to find a salesfocused, results-driven leader, Franco has proven the perfect professional for the challenge. With his consistent commitment to ongoing learning and his dedication to pushing for the next best thing, his ambition and drive is propelling ThingsAt further towards the next milestones, working hard to improve the company in everything from its communication to its resourcing. Additionally, he and ThingsAt have many more plans to add to the devices currently on offer through them, simplifying and streamlining itself so that it can exceed expectations to help even more clients in the future. Contact: Ruy Franco Website: www.thingsat.com The Business Bringing Companies into the Technological Future AUG21051
CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 13 , where each and every team member is encouraged to add value to the company’s delivery and growth. With the major developers increasingly turning towards large developments for growing families RoyaleLife’s strategy of providing bungalow living for the over 45s is gaining traction. The future for the company and its customers seeking a luxury home and a more carefree lifestyle has never been better. Company: RoyaleLife Contact: Robert Bull Website: www.royalelife.com Stunning Bungalows, Royale Standard Over the past 20 years the UK’s major house builders have rejected the traditionally built bungalow in favour of apartments and family homes as they strive to address the country’s housing crisis. This strategy inadvertently opened up a serious gap in the market for single story living for the more mature customer. Indeed, a recent survey says that a bungalow is the most popular type of home for those over 65. It is a gap that RoyaleLife has filled with style and verve. RoyaleLife’s well-appointed and spacious modular built A name that has made the CEO 100 list for his exemplary customer service, dedication to answeringmarket demand and a commitment to the highest levels of quality, is Robert Bull of RoyaleLife. With outstanding developments in the most picturesque locations across the UK, supported by a highly experiencedmanagement team, Bull’s company has been redefining bungalow living for the over 45s. bungalows, with the added bonus of being in luxury gated communities, have proved to be highly attractive to the over 45 age group, as they have sought to downsize into a more manageable, maintenance-free home. More than that, Bull is committed to offering certainty in an uncertain world which has only been made worse by the effects of the global pandemic. When the decision is taken to downsize, RoyaleLife offers 100% market value of their customer’s existing home with its mould-breaking Part Exchange Scheme. This enables its customers to move into a RoyaleLife bungalow, releasing valuable cash to find their lifestyle or provide an inheritance for children and grandchildren. Since its first developments in Hampshire and Kent, RoyaleLife has risen to preeminence in bungalow provision and has redefined a whole sector. Today RoyaleLife enjoys the status of being the largest bungalow provider in the UK, boasting 92 developments across eight regions, each in superb locations by the coast or in the countryside. With an annual turnover of more than £174 million, the company employs more than 450 staff, each dedicated to delivering Bull’s vision for high quality, and a total commitment to customer delight. As CEO, Bull has encouraged a ‘flat hierarchy’ JUL21305
14 CEO MONTHLY / CEO 100 , Here’s to Good Health! Established in 2017, Smart For Life (f/k/a Bonne Santé Group) is a buy and build conglomerate in the health and wellness space. Its goal is, through acquisition, to build a world-class nutraceutical and dietary foods company. We got in touchwith CEO, Ryan Zackon in light of himbeing recognised by CEOMonthlymagazine for its CEO 100 2021 award. Smart For Life, is a turnkey solutions provider – from start to finish, it does everything, eliminating work, cost, and frustration for customers operating in the health and wellness industry. They are a seasoned team positioned to capitalise on various trends in the nutraceutical industry with a key focus on growing value for shareholders and overcoming the current industry obstacles. Smart For Life was created to address the inherent human desire for good health and vibrant life, utilising the best delivery methods available today. Chief Executive Officer Ryan F. Zackon graduated from the Los Angeles Police Academy at Rio Hondo in 2005, his first experience with leadership being the drill instructors in the academy. He said, “While they were firm, they were also fair. and expected that we had high standards for ourselves. I have taken that as the basis for my leadership philosophy and integrated perspectives from other outstanding leaders that I have had over my career.” We asked Ryan about the role that his staff play within the organisation. “Our people are our most valuable asset. I truly believe that and have worked hard to implement that ethos consistently across all of the Smart For Life entities. Our Human Resources and Training programme can teach anyone how to do any of the jobs we have, but we can’t teach the intangibles. So, when hiring, we look for attitude, aptitude and desire to learn.” Ryan relocated to Florida five years ago without having ever done a dollar of business there. He said, “The business climate is exciting and rapidly changing. South Florida is an international hub that is a-buzz with Latino influence and culture. COVID-19 has accelerated our industry and the demand for Direct to Consumer services which we are uniquely positioned to offer.” Indeed, COVID-19 has had both positive and negative effects on the industry. Ryan continues, “Good, bad and ugly, as I say. The good is that people, for the first time, are really taking their health seriously. Everyone has always said “health is wealth”, but now people are following up that attitude with buying behaviour. We have seen a 700% increase across the board in revenue for similar sized companies. “The bad are the supply chain disruptions and raw material shortages we have seen caused by impact to importation from Asia among other places. Bottle, closure (lids), and transportation have all been dramatically impacted.” Despite the challenges and disruptions, the future is looking bright for Smart For Life. Ryan shares his future plans for the company. “2022 is an exciting year for us as we are set to go public. We are in the midst of our S1 filing and hope to be public in the first quarter of 2022. For us, access to capital markets is a key component of our buy and build strategy.” He concludes, “My career has been an incredible journey. I believe my “willingness to fail” mentality has helped drive my success and I wake up every morning grateful. I try to live and work in the present with the confidence that if I make smart choices today for my companies, they will yield pay off in the future.” Email: [email protected] Website: www.smartforlifecorp.com/ MAY21358
www.ceo-review.comRkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTY1MjM3