Excellence Awards 2022 Global CE Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 Cybersecurity CEO of the Year (USA): Rob Pike CEO Monthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 showcase the stories of the brightest and best that leadership around the world has to showcase. In the emerging world of cybersecurity, bold ideas and the confidence to try something new is vital to success. Under the guidance of Rob Pike, Cyemptive Technologies Inc has positioned itself at the forefront of this evolving market. We caught up with Rob in order to take a closer look at how the firm has managed to lead the way and secure incredible success. Cyemptive Technologies, Inc.
Welcome to the Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 The most successful CEOs continually adapt, inspire, and persevere to ensure their businesses thrive and survive. These traits have become even more apparent during recent times, and we feel that now more than ever business leaders should be commended and spotlighted for their extraordinary efforts. CEO Monthly is therefore proud to host the Global CEO Excellence Awards for a sixth consecutive year and celebrate the CEOs who have shown unmatched tenacity and dedication to their business and colleagues over the past year. Many businesses have seen dramatic shifts in work culture across the past 12 months, such as increased reliance on the digital workplace and home working alongside an increasing pressure to make sustainable changes and net-zero commitments. Successful CEOs will have risen to meet these challenges with decisive action and a forward-thinking approach, ensuring that their employees and colleagues thrive in a productive, positive, and sustainably minded workplace. With CEO optimism currently reported to be at a 10 year high, and many business leaders predicting a stronger global economy in the coming months, there is no better time to take part and demonstrate your commitment to your role. Sif Brookes, Senior 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.
4. Cyemptive Technologies, Inc: Cybersecurity CEO of the Year (USA): Rob Pike 8. E2 Optics: Telecommunications CEO of the Year (Rocky Mountains): Kristi Alford-Haarberg 10. Bennelong Funds Management: Fund Management CEO of the Year 2022 (Australia): Craig Bingham 12. Scientel Information Technology, Inc: Global Technology CEO of The Year 2022: Norman Kutemperor 14. Chase & Partners LLP: Commercial Property Business Leader of the Year 2022 (UK): Graham Chase 16. Hall Payne Lawyers: Law Firm CEO of the Year 2022 (Australia): Mark Wiggins & Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award 2022 18. Wilfa AS: Consumer Electronics CEO of the Year 2022 (Europe)Morten Hoff 20. Safety Wise: Industrial Safety CEO of the Year 2022: Luke Dam 22. Muvzilla: Best Emerging Transport & Logistics CEO 2022 (Central Europe): Gökhan Mermer 23. BetterHR | Workforce: Best HR & Employment Law CEO (Australia): Sean Wilson 24. PortoSpire: Best Web Design & Hosting CEO (USA): Andrew Wallace 25. Macarthur Minerals Limited: Most Trusted Mining & Resources CEO 2022 (Australia): Andrew Bruton 26. Barrie House Coffee Company: Coffee Roasting CEO of the Year (North America): Craig James 27. ClientEarth: Environmental CEO of the Year (Europe): James Thornton 28. White Cane Coffee Company: Best Organic Coffee Manufacturing CEO (USA): Erin Willman 29. Brandywine Homes USA: Real Estate CEO of the Year (Southeast USA): Jackie Lee Contents
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 4 Cybersecurity CEO of the Year (USA): Rob Pike CEO Monthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 showcase the stories of the brightest and best that leadership around the world has to showcase. In the emerging world of cybersecurity, bold ideas and the confidence to try something new is vital to success. Under the guidance of Rob Pike, Cyemptive Technologies Inc has positioned itself at the forefront of this evolving market. We caught up with Rob in order to take a closer look at how the firm has managed to lead the way and secure incredible success. e need to change the way we think to match the unique challenges of the digital age. Digital solutions are an inherently disruptive technology, and as they begin to play more of a role in the way that we live, we need to know how best to tackle the difficulties that arise as a result. Most organisations have digital technologies at the heart of their businesses, meaning that bad actors can have a devastating effect in short order. The challenge is not simply to handle these bad actors when they arise, but to anticipate and negate their efforts. The approach of Cyemptive’s team, therefore, has been to do something different to the rest of the market. In a world of cyber-attacks, their attitude has been to provide technologies and solutions that anticipate the difficulties ahead. The team’s patented technology has been proven to deliver an alternative, disruptive approach to security. Organisations being hacked are the new normal for the world at large, and must be countered effectively from the very beginning of the process. No one understands this better than Rob Pike, CEO of Cyemptive Technologies. Rob’s background is in changing the world through technology, working with companies at the highest level. “Prior to founding Cyemptive, I served as Chief Strategy Officer at Hitachi Data Systems in Japan, where I invented Hitachi’s UCP cloud platform,” he tells us. “Prior to that, I was with Microsoft, serving in a variety of capacities culminating with Virtualisation Architect, where I invented an internal cloud solution.” This incredible background provided the ideal basis on which to work on a range of start-ups, holding patents in servers, storage, networking, monitoring, security and management. It was whilst working in this environment that Rob discovered many businesses were suffering because of compromises in cybersecurity – including his own! “After developing a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) platform, we suffered from many cybersecurity compromises using the industry’s top hardware and software solutions,” he explains. “Realizing nothing could protect against the onslaught of attacks, we set out to create a platform and suite of solutions that actually could; Cyemptive was born.” Cyemptive has taken a completely different approach to the rest of the industry. “We have experienced a high level, constant flow of hackers seeking to compromise us to understand our approach. We have constantly analysed our attackers to adjust our technology to ensure all hacks are pre-empted,” Rob informs us. “There have been years of constant back-andforth of us getting hacked and then improving. I would have to say that the turningpoint was probably during the last twelve to twenty-four months when we started to see that we have actually shut the door, and hackers are not getting past our unique, patented protections. That really turned the corner for us, the day we finally did it. It was a very exciting day, I will tell you that!” The continued success of Cyemptive Technologies comes from this attitude of constant evolution. There is no singular part which is ever satisfactory when it comes to tackling a changing threat. The team’s solution, therefore, is a full suite of end-toend solutions protecting the network, perimeter, applications, infrastructure, data/file sets, endpoints and the public cloud. The suite includes, but is not limited to a Perimeter Fortress, Web Fortress, Zero Trust Access, File Service Fortress, Endpoint Fortress, Cloud Fortress and a powerful Enterprise Scanner, making Cyemptive the ultimate cyber defence for enterprise companies seeking to truly lock-down their security. With such a range of different products on offer, the parameters for success must be clearly defined across the board. As such, Rob has focused in on four separate elements to perfect cyber protection for his customers. “First is people, second is technology, third is service, and fourth is scale,” Rob tells us. “We have nailed the people, the technology and the service, and are currently focused on continuing to scale. In particular, the strength, innovation, overall knowledge, and relentless contribution from the team surrounding me has been May22438 W
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CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 6 instrumental in making the dream come true.” Building a team that can achieve the vision that Rob has had for Cyemptive was by no means straightforward. He worked tirelessly to bring together a host of thought leaders and experts in the field of cyber-security. These are people who know the importance of good cyberhygiene and are committed to offering a comprehensive cyber-protection level that no competitor can match. “I believe in surrounding myself with the right people, placing them in the right seats, and then empowering them to execute at the highest levels,” Rob explains. “That being said, effective empowerment requires alignment on what we are seeking to achieve plus a structure to guide us. Guiding this team of talented individuals to joint success has required Rob to pick his input carefully, allowing people the independence they need to flourish whilst keeping the company moving in the same direction. We asked him how he managed to ensure that everyone understands the vision he presents. “It is essential to set, communicate, and align on the core purpose of the company, the values we will all adhere to, and clear, measurable goals, objectives and associated initiatives,” he says. Whilst this might seem straightforward, Rob insists on the ability to track these values so that any drift can be quickly identified. “Overlay a performance measurement system and retain the ability to adjust quickly when needed. Be relentless. This requires leadership and adaptability to an ever-changing world.” The ever-changing world that Cyemptive finds itself in is why they have had to set themselves apart from the crowd. Companies are increasingly suffering from the negative impact of sophisticated ransomware and malware attacks. Industry research suggests that more than $7.5 billion was lost in 2019 alone, an amount which has only increased as more companies begin to depend on their digital infrastructure and as more people have seen the illegal potential in taking advantage of the gaps in the market. This growth is shown by the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, which has reported an over 300% increase in the number of complaints per day during 2020, compared to pre-COVID-19 reporting. In many ways, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that proved to many the need for a system that Rob and his team had created. In short order, more and more people were working from home creating a situation where emerging threats could have a greater impact than before. The current processes such as big data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, checksum technology, monitoring known signatures and APIs, and human intervention simply are not effective when facing up to ever-evolving, zero-day ransomware variations. Cyemptive is. At the heart of how Cyemptive operates is the belief that solutions where humans must play an integral part are simply too slow to react to the challenges presented by modern hackers, who are using the latest technologies, and this is why companies and businesses need to react in kind. Artificial intelligence and machine learning often presents false positives, or worse, false negatives and can take days, weeks or even months to identify a potential compromise. Cyemptive’s CyberSlice, CyberScan, and CyberSLA technologies can do this in a manner that counteracts any attack and/ or pace a hacker can attempt. With system infiltration and data exfiltration taking seconds to minutes at most, a swift response is vital, and that’s precisely what Cyemptive offers. Whilst every organisation values cyber-security, no two systems are the same and each requires bespoke treatment to get the most out of what is being offered. It’s little wonder, therefore, that one of the first steps by the Cyemptive team is to start with a free assessment of their current cyber security and how effective that is. From this detailed analysis, the team produces a custom plan that guarantees superior cyber-hygiene, transitioning effortlessly from an organisation’s current state to one which is a secure ZeroTrust computing environment. The level of service offered by the team is truly exemplary, where clients have access to their own personal representative as well as 24/7 monitoring and support. At no point will you be left on your own. When you take on a Cyemptive solution, you take on a solution that is specifically designed to reduce organisational risk, cost and reputation exposure while providing financiallybacked performance guarantees. When up against threats that no one has ever faced before, the Cyemptive team are some of the few who have proven themselves capable of overcoming this significant threat. The consistency of the team in this regard has allowed them to make Service Level Agreements that financially guarantee they will achieve performance commitments. For Rob who has always had new and bold ideas, Cyemptive has allowed him to run with a concept that is genuinely disruptive. His idea is one which has evolved from people’s needs, but is entirely different to anything else. “I have been a disruptive thinker as far back as I can truly remember,” he tells us. “Focusing disruptive visions into real-world innovation is what I strive to accomplish.” Anyone can have ideas, but it takes tenacity and determination to transform those ideas into fully-fledged businesses. Today, Cyemptive is his primary focus and will remain so until the vision is complete. 2022 seems certain to be an exciting period of growth for the company, with three key areas of focus for the next few months. Firstly, the team intends to continue scaling the company using their existing suite of integrated end-to-end solutions, secondly, they intend to introduce an entirely new cloud-based security solution utilizing their unique, patented cyber technology and thirdly they are looking to finalise a partnership with a large, global firm to prepare to fulfil the initial vision of Cyemptive – that of making the world cyber safe. Rob is prepared to take on these challenges as they come, but it would be fair to say that Cyemptive is not the only solution he has thought about over the years. “I have many more ideas percolating in the back of my mind,” he tells us. “I’m ready to evolve from the idea concept, to develop the fundamental technology, and then get the right people behind it to drive another successful disruptive contribution.” For many people, the success, and sheer potential of Cyemptive would be enough. For him, it is just the beginning. With digital solutions now at the heart of almost every organisation, the impact of a cyber-attack can be grave indeed. Cyemptive is a bolt from the blue offering the solutions that companies need tomorrow - today. By keeping pace with how hackers and cyberattackers are threatening businesses, they have been able to prove themselves more than capable of delivering exceptional results. None of this could have been achieved, however, without the sterling efforts of Rob Pike. Cyemptive is the result of his vision, his determination and his passion for changing an ever-changing world. We celebrate his tremendous success in CEO Monthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 and cannot wait to see where his inspiration takes him next. Company: Cyemptive Technologies, Inc. Name: Rob Pike Email: [email protected] Web Address: https://www.cyemptive.com
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CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 8 Kristi Alford-Haarberg is the trailblazing founder and CEO of the prestigious technology integration company, E2 Optics. Subverting the notion that women cannot be successful within the field, Kristi has built a company that has grown to over $125 million in revenue, attracted multiple esteemed clients, and won dozens of awards. ‘Being a womanowned business in a predominately maledriven industry has been the biggest challenge I have faced,’ explains Kristi Alford-Haarberg, the founder and CEO of E2 Optics. ‘This obstacle had ripple effects from securing bank funding to getting in the door with customers to establishing relationships with manufactures and partners.’ Indeed, for a woman, succeeding in a male dominated industry can often come paired with an abundance of challenges. Yet for Kristi Alford-Haarberg, such oppression could not, and subsequently, would not hold her back. As a result, E2 Optics is now on the path to reach revenues of $250 million within the next five years. It was determination combined with innovation that led to the establishment of E2 Optics in 2010. The company, which is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, specialises in technology integration. This means that the company works alongside its clients to implement solutions that guarantee efficacy through using its expertise across cabling, networking, and contemporary multi-media communications. Over the years, E2 Optics has had the opportunity to work with a plethora of clients, including enterprise and government clients within the Energy, Finance, Health Care, Higher Education, Manufacturing, Media & Communications, and Transportation industries. E2 Optics provides them with low voltage solutions which seamlessly integrate audiovisual, electronic security, structured cabling, and wireless solutions, such as DAS and Wi-Fi systems. E2 Optics approaches each project with an open mind – it endeavours to understand its clients and, ultimately, to provide them with a service that they would not be able to find elsewhere. Henceforth, its approach is holistic – based upon communication – and is centred around the client’s needs and goals as an individual entity. Trust is an integral part of E2 Optics’ method, as without trust, it will not be able to build a solid relationship with its clients. E2 Optics provides options, operates within budget, and produces results that are mutually beneficial. ‘My goal when I started E2 Optics was to be a disruptor in the industry. I wanted to show that a woman could not only enter the space but become a leader of a highly sought-after company in the space. My tenacious personality, drive and faith provided me the determination to not listen to others/outsiders who thought I would never succeed,’ Kristi notes. The Texas Tech University alum began her career with Kent Electronics Company, a Fortune 200 IT complete services company that supplied both Layer 1 and Layer 2 solutions. During Kristi’s time at the company, she began to identify the trends within the rapidly changing industry and recognised the growth that was about to take place in the cloud and data centre markets. Consequently, this information would serve as a benefit later down the line, as it would enable her to properly position E2 Optics to capitalise on the hyperscale revolution. Bringing forth a wave of women entering the industry, the formation of E2 Optics would revolutionise the opportunities given to women in the tech world. The award-winning business hires candidates based upon skill – not gender – and as a result, it boasts a highly diverse and exceptionally talented team. At the forefront of the collective, Kristi leads the company towards further success and exposure, utilising her skills to infuse the team with passion, creativity, and optimism. ‘My leadership style is servant leadership. I believe my role as CEO is to serve my employees to the best of my ability and provide them the platform they need to achieve their goals,’ Kristi adds. ‘My goals are to encourage diversity of thought, create a culture of trust, foster leadership, and have an unselfish mindset. I strive to achieve these goals through valuing my employees, having humility, listening to everyone, being Jun22290 ‘ Telecommunications CEO of the Year (Rocky Mountains): Kristi Alford-Haarberg
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 9 a trusted ally, and deeply caring for my employees.’ Thanks to this drive and community spirit, E2 Optics has been able to successfully navigate the challenges that have come its way, be it recruiting issues or supply chain delays. Moreover, these fundamental elements are set to benefit the business going forward. E2 Optics has a number of plans in the pipeline, with many of these plans focusing upon the growth of the business. Currently, the company is exploring the possibility of new acquisitions, as these could bolster E2 Optics growth exponentially. In addition, this would enhance the business’ national office footprint to meet the increasing demand for more hyperscale builds and surrounding services by some of the largest companies in the world. ‘Beyond business growth,’ Kristi concludes, ‘I want E2 Optics to remain a pioneer for women and diversity within the industry. I envision E2 Optics playing an important role with Women in Construction, attracting women to the industry, and advocating for equality in opportunities within an industry that benefits from increasing interests in diversity. I continually encourage partners to embrace this perspective, while challenging women to find entrepreneurial opportunities that support the industry.’ Contact: Nikki Williamson Company: E2 Optics Web Address: www.e2optics.com
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 10 Despite the recent trials and the historical tribulations that the world has thrown at both it and its industry, Bennelong Funds Management has made itself a cornerstone element of the global investment industry. Its expansive, impressive, and well-managed portfolio of investment options appeals to a huge myriad of different clients, many of whom go on to become stalwart partners to the business after experiencing the personalised, highly empathic, and professional work that Craig Bingham and his company do. s a global investor, Bennelong Funds Management’s role in its industry is one of serving the need for investment solutions that cover a wide variety of bases whilst not sacrificing quality. Nominally, it has made itself an expert in this field, granting its clients access to a myriad of multiboutique business options to a broad cross section of the market’s investors and interested parties. It conducts itself by way of ten strategic partnerships in boutique investment management in this way, offering actively managed investment strategy options across Australia, the UK, the Asian markets, and with several other global equities that have been emerging in the market. Fundamentally, its listed global infrastructure, real estate, and global emerging markets investment options allow it to provide a rich, in-depth, and expansion portfolio of opportunities for its customers; each boutique option within which is the majority owner of their businesses and invest in their own funds. This ensures that their objective line up with the clients, and creates a streamlined approach to investing that all parties appreciate. With high performance guaranteed and high-quality customer service as a backbone, CEO Craig Bingham has worked hard to make each of his ambitions a reality through this company by improving the worldwide investment ecosystem. Such an ambition forming a cornerstone of its business – and further fuelled by its people-first attitude – Craig has cultivated a business that takes good care of its clients, its staff, its peers, and its partners, living its ethos of mutual respect and showing its industry the true meaning of this with every interaction. With such a dedication to open communication that Craig has been keen to foster within his staff, each of them show curiosity, resilience, strength of mind, and empathy, taking the business into the future by always being ready to respond to and act on client needs. Critically, all of this has translated into making Bennelong Funds Management a wellrespected part of its market. Moreover, it thanks its staff for their continual dedication and hard work by making sure that their own needs are addressed and that they always have an opportunity for upward momentum, corporate growth, and personal development, ensuring that by having a happy group of staff, it has happy clients. Having come to prominence within the investments industry from a career in institutional sales, Craig was given a frontrow seat to macro-trends and the emergence of great change in the market, achieving true understanding of such things by talking to the key players involved. Thus, he was able to cultivate an in-depth and empathic knowledge of what makes such macro-trends tick, and who drives them, hearing the evidence included in the reports first hand from the people behind the numbers. Each organisation that he worked for before he started Bennelong Funds Management played a pivotal role in getting him ready to run the company, too; from people to leadership style, do’s, and don’ts, he received a professional working education in corporate leadership, eventually taking him to chief executive officer status. The periods of learning that have brought him to his current role allow him to take a fully inspired and educated perspective within it, making him a linchpin of the company, something that has allowed him to grow Bennelong Funds Management into the enterprise it is today. Additionally, this discovery journey led him to realise the importance of self-reflection in leadership. More than anything else, reflecting on one’s own accomplishments and shortcomings is what allows one to adapt and be flexible, something that is critical to anyone assuming any sort of leadership role. This becomes even more critical in the context of global investments, as the market fluctuates so often and for so many reasons that its key players cannot afford to stagnate. Indeed, this constant change and shift of the sands keeps everyone on their toes, and Craig hopes that the adaptability he continuously enjoys as a result of this will never end, allowing him, his staff, and his sector to constantly grow and change into something fitting the world around it. Essentially, another critical element to long-term partnership, and something Craig has been keen to instigate May22446 A Fund Management CEO of the Year 2022 (Australia): Craig Bingham
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 11 within Bennelong Funds Management, is empathy. This empathy is the building block to all of its actions, and something that allows his staff to be bold, brave, and pro-active, as all their tasks are undertaken with a true heart behind it, selling clients the investments they think will genuinely be beneficial for them. This means that this company’s reputation – as well as customer service as investment potential – is also one that rejects upselling. It will only ever suggest something when that suggestion has been tailored to fit the client in question; instead of trying to be everything to everyone everywhere, it simply presents its options and then opens the floor to the client to make a choice, respecting their decision should they choose to go elsewhere. However, much of the time, a client’s decision is a no-brainer, and they stick with Bennelong Funds Management, going on to benefit hugely from it. Sitting at a critical crossroads for the industry, low interest rates and inflation for the past 12 years have meant for an interesting crucible of trepidation about an uncertain future. The forecasts are getting harder to predict, and the timescales of these predictions being valid becoming even shorter, but with new advisers entering the field and new innovations being brought in, there are significant elements at play that will still mean lucrative investments can go ahead. Leading in an information focused, understanding, and person-centric manner, Craig looks forward to leading his company and clients into the post-pandemic future in a manner that champions the connections he has forged between them all. Company: Bennelong Funds Management Contact: Craig Bingham Website: bennelongfunds.com
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 12 Big Data is an incredible asset to companies, but ever more powerful resources are needed to tackle the immense amount of information that is now available. The team at Scientel Information Technology, Inc. have developed one of the largest Big Data solutions in the market, earning them tremendous success in CEO Monthly’s Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022. We dig a little deeper to discover more about this impressive company. hen Scientel was founded in the early 80s, it was specifically for the purposes of providing IT services for small to medium businesses. Whilst this proved to be the backbone of the business for many years, the industry has encountered Big Data and the team has had to adapt with it. Since refocusing the business on this endeavour, Scientel has become one of the largest Big Data solutions in the market today. This is due, in no small part, to the tireless efforts of the firm’s CEO, Norman Kutemperor. Mr. Kutemperor has overseen the transformation of the IT stalwart from a service company into a technological powerhouse. Previously, the team had focused on a solution which helped to manage the entire operations of Supply Chain companies through absolute IT automation. Automation came in two parts. The first was the automation of the business processes itself and its various components such as order processing, inventory management and finance. This ensured that instead of tracking items and transactions manually, everything would be completed automatically. The time savings were significant. The second part of the solution operates under the title of Business Intelligence. In short, it provided a place for customers to analyse their operations, making critical adjustments to increase growth through sales and profits. Both components, when combined, provided a comprehensive solution that has completely satisfied the needs of many customers. While a success, Mr Kutemperor saw more potential in how the business operated and the range of products has broadened immensely under his leadership. The true value of the Scientel name still comes from the level of performance that comes from each and every one of the team’s products. With this in mind, it will come as little surprise that the choice to move into such an innovative arena such as Big Data came from research into solutions for an entirely different problem. The SME market had a lack of database management systems, especially for small computer systems. Database management systems are necessary to develop a good business application, and seemed an obvious gap in the market. These systems, however, can prove expensive and complex and the first version of the team’s product faced intense competition from larger solution providers. The next period of research and development did uncover the future direction of the business, however. The future would be Big Data. Big Data is a consequence of technology developing so quickly. Now, more data is generated in a single day than was in the years 1946-2000 combined. This data must be captured, organised and analysed in order to derive insights that might otherwise remain hidden. With so much to analyse, however, it’s not uncommon for businesses to be overwhelmed by what is available to them. Solutions surrounding Big Data allow these businesses access to a depth of information that is truly amazing and can drive growth further than many would have considered possible. While Big Data is the solution that was eventually arrived at, the heart of Mr Kutemperor’s approach has always been a mind-set which puts people first. Any customer requests are handled as swiftly as possible, with the company managing to maintain the highest possible uptime rate for their systems. Often, the systems delivered by the team are critical to the success of a company, and so it’s important that tasks be completed without interruptions. The solutions provided by Scientel allow people to interpret Big Data at incredible speeds, and are a vital part of ensuring that customers can make decisions more quickly than ever before. Scientel has always focused on the reliability and performance of its systems, and Mr. Kutemperor made a point of promoting those who understood these principles. Having built these values into the structure of the products being offered to clients, it was possible to promote them to customers too. Stressing quality at every stage has created an environment where everyone who works for Scientel is committed to going one step beyond at all times. Currently, the Scientel team are working on the design and implementation of Large Data Warehouses for Big Data, which also involve the development of a proprietary Data Base Management System. This system is designed to scale out to large numbers of Parallel May22446 W Global Technology CEO of The Year 2022: Norman Kutemperor
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 13 Nodes where each node can process a portion of the data in parallel. Already, the team have developed a system called Ultra Parallel Processing (UPP) ™ that can process 1000’s of parallel nodes when compared to the 30-100 parallel nodes that many in the industry struggle with. The data is sliced into 1000’s of parallel segments, before being processed at the same time to achieve swift, accurate results. Success in this field was by no means easily achieved, with more than a decade of R&D going into the development process. The future seems bright for Mr Kutemperor and his talented team. They have just released their ES2™ systems – the Elastic Scaling Servers, one of the most powerful server solutions for Big Data. This scaling server is capable of adjusting its compute nodes to reach the speed and performance requirements based on customer database size. The capability of this new system is incredible, and Scientel needs to make sure it would not limit the reach of this product. To overcome this, the team is working on a collaboration plan to partner with a world class computer systems company that will help market these systems on a global basis. The success of Scientel can be seen in the way they have managed to beat the performance frommany of the leading computer companies. The result is a firm which has become very visible in the industry, and synonymous with performance in every respect. No one knows better than Mr Kutemperor that maintaining this standard is crucial for the firm’s continued success. Therefore, he is aiming to continue thriving by partnering up with other experts in the field who can help deliver at scale while the Scientel team focuses on what they do best. Company: Scientel Information Technology, Inc. Name: Norman Kutemperor Email: [email protected] Web Address: www.scientel.com
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 14 Commercial Property Business Leader of the Year 2022 (UK): Graham Chase Graham Chase has been running his own business, Chase & Partners since 1995, which covers all aspects of commercial property and provides a comprehensive range of services that are tailored to match individual client requirements. These clients include the likes of retailers, businesses, institutions, government and statutory bodies, local authorities, independents, and private individuals. In light of Graham’s success within the Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022, we got in touch with the man himself to learn more about the company and his career. raham Chase’s professional career within the commercial property sector stems back to 1975 when he worked with the BBC as a property manager and building surveyor. In 1978, he specialised in retail and leisure property and went on to work for Ladbroke Racing Ltd, Clive Lewis & Partners, and Colliers Erman Lewis, before starting his own business, Chase & Partners in 1995. Graham and his team at Chase & Partners are commercial property consultants who, combined, have more than 100 years’ experience in a range of areas, including agency acquisitions and sales, landlords and tenants, valuations, compulsory purchase and compensation, expert witness, and much more. This extensive experience coupled with personal advice on high-end value properties ranging from £5m to £100m truly puts clients of the company at an advantage. On the legal front Graham is an experienced expert witness who has appeared in Planning Tribunals, the Lands Tribunal (Upper Tribunal – Lands) and the High Court for nearly 40 years. In one well known Lands tribunal case he was subjected to some 21 days of cross examination, reportedly the second longest cross examination in the history of the Tribunal. A key to his success in this area is an examination of the client’s position up front and then an honest discussion with the client and his legal team on where Graham’s professional opinion lies, as he only accepts an instruction where his opinion sits squarely with the client’s case. Following on from this activity, Graham, after some persuasion by the RICS, agreed to train as an arbitrator and independent expert in Alternative Dispute Resolution. He followed that up by training and completing his qualification as a Chartered Arbitrator with the CIArb and has sat on both Institutions Dispute Resolution Panels for some 20 years. He has delivered many awards and determinations on a wide range of property disputes and recently was appointed as one of the 3 panel arbitrators, chaired by Lord Neuberger, on the Ministry of Defence rent review dispute following the controversial sale of the estate by Michael Portillo in 1996 of some 57,400-armed forces homes on a long lease. Another celebrated case where Graham acted as the Independent Expert was on the value of assets in the transfer of ownership of Sheffield United FC. In order to ensure top service for each client, the Chase & Partners team works with strong discipline and acts with integrity, honesty, and humility. They make sure they understand what drives the client and what their overall objective is, while being honest and using professional opinion to advise on alternative options as necessary. Most importantly, they go the extra mile, are polite, understanding, and considerate at all times, and appreciate that any instruction is ultimately in the client’s ownership. Having been in a position of leadership since the age of 30 and floated companies on the London stock market, Graham Chase has an extensive understanding of the commercial property industry. He comments, “Success is invariably the result of the ability of others I work with and my ability to understand and work with them on a cooperative and supportive basis as part of a team.” Graham leads his team with what he describes as a “simple” style, making sure that everything is discussed and agreed with every staff member. Where agreement cannot be reached, this is noted with options identified to monitor and adapt as circumstances change. Graham shares, “As Chairman and CEO, my role is to explain, listen, and then make decisions based on the best outcome of discussions, as the most important requirement is May22234 G
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 15 for understandable decision making to be a clear aspect of a company’s profile.” Indeed, Graham leads with transparency and courtesy, and is dedicated to driving his team to succeed. Through carefully prepared business plans, constant regard to the market conditions, and adaptation as required, Graham and his team remain knowledgeable and flexible both in thought and in action. He says, “Remember, most businesses fail because of poor cashflow, a lack of capital, or both. Do not mistake increasing instructions as covering these two vital criteria.” While Graham does everything in his power to keep business flowing smoothly, that’s not to say that there aren’t challenges. These can come in the form of market failures, client failures, wrong decision making, poor client selection, staff changes, staff and health issues, professional indemnity rising costs with limited cover, and changing regulations and regulatory regime. Alongside these, Graham and his team are having to navigate various issues and changes within the industry as a whole. These include inflation and impact on property values; changing working methods and impact on occupational demand for office, industrial, and warehouse property in a post-pandemic world; changing consumer habits and impact on retail and leisure property; shortterm vs long-term capital investment requirement of property as an investment media; global shift in capital; impact of environmental requirements and global change; knee jerk statutory intervention; institutional investors myopic approach to properties that are growth or ex-growth; and the chaotic and cumbersome UK planning system. Whatever the challenge, Graham is sure to take it on and find a resolution, regardless of other draws on his time – which shows a true dedication to the business and its clients. And he strides towards the future with this same commitment, continuing to provide first-class services to Chase & Partners’ client base, and even endeavouring towards growth so that more individuals and businesses can benefit from its awardwinning services. Graham says, “Every day is a school day and tomorrow will be different from today. I cannot predict the future, but I can plan and then adapt to the circumstances of today.” Company: Chase & Partners LLP Contact: Graham Chase Email: [email protected] Website: www.chaseandpartners.co.uk
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 16 Law Firm CEO of the Year 2022 (Australia): Mark Wiggins & Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Award 2022 Hall Payne Lawyers covers a huge area of law – from family law to wills and estates, industrial relations, property law, personal injury, employment law, and much more. As we know, it is of utmost importance to find a law firm that we can trust and build a relationship with. Hall Payne Lawyers does this and beyond for its many clients across Australia. Here we learn more about the firm and its CEO, Mark Wiggins, as we present these impressive awards. or over 30 years, Hall Payne Lawyers has been offering its professional and topquality legal services to Australia. Providing all of your personal legal needs in one easily-accessible place. Alongside its professionalism, knowledge, and seasoned lawyers to match, Hall Payne Lawyers can truly transform your situation. When it started, Hall Payne Lawyers was the only Queensland employment plaintiff law firm. Hall Payne Lawyers prides itself on its huge trade-union lawyer team that supports all kinds of plaintiff employees in many ways – for all matters from workers’ rights, personal injuries and compensations, loss of work, discrimination, and much more. By working with so many different individuals, organisations, and industries, Hall Payne Lawyers has a wealth of experience and rich knowledge in a wide variety of areas. Being there for individuals is truly Hall Payne Lawyers’ goal and, as a boutique law firm, it is able to create a bespoke experience for people who wish to learn more and benefit from its many years of know-how and practice. Believing and demonstrating that “it’s not the transaction, it’s the person”, as CEO Mark Wiggins says, Hall Payne Lawyers puts its clients first over monetary value – which is something that all businesses should do, for the benefit of humankind. Cale Fryer, Principal at Hall Payne Lawyers, says it is always “fighting for the rights of every day Australians” as well as supporting them through events that are ultimately out of their control. It is this attitude that is carried across the board of Hall Payne Lawyers and, due to its diverse nature, the firm has been able to flourish even during times of uncertainty. The ebb and flow of industry trends, market security, and the global pandemic could have made things more difficult but, for Hall Payne Lawyers, its experience and footing in the industry has meant it has not only survived but thrived. With regards to these ups and downs throughout the law industry, Mark says, “The industry needs to learn that everything it does is about people, and whilst the actual practice of law is antagonism between two sides of the argument at hand, the business of law is actually about engagement between people which can only be effective and successful if everyone has mutual respect, care and engagement for each other.” It is this belief that Hall Payne Lawyers is built on – and we watch in awe as Mark shows his true colours through the work that he does. CEO Mark Wiggins has won the admirable award of Law Firm CEO of the Year 2022 (Australia) due to his focus, compassion, and empathy. He has been leading Hall Payne Lawyers to success since 2018 and has a lot to show for it. With times like these, where a plethora of individuals have needed more help than ever, Mark has shown his streaks of professionalism, care, and enthusiasm throughout every business endeavour. Mark tells us that he, above all things, takes his position seriously whilst still keeping things simple. He says, “Leadership is not a topic you study over 4 years and then obtain a certificate in. You can learn about different types of leadership and different skills that a leader should possess, but it will be only through your own journey, including trials/ tribulations/wins, that you may eventually get there.” Leading Hall Payne Lawyers to success, Mark flexes his creative muscles by continuously discovering ways to connect with people. Supporting Hall Payne Lawyers, Mark has been a lighthouse for everyone stepping foot into the firm – employee or client. With his incredible background, he has carved out a path for Hall Payne Lawyers in line with every regulation in Australia. It is this kind of desire to be the best, for the firm and for the client, that inspires us all. By being the best that he can be, Mark guarantees an inclusive and optimistic future for all associated with Hall Payne Lawyers. With a fear of the unknown, individuals can get lost in a sea of jargon, laws and regulations, cases, confusion, and emotion. Which is why it is so important for law firms to know how to guide them on a professional level as well as on a personal level. Each case requires not only the intense knowledge and experience of experts, but it also needs empathy and understanding so that each client can feel May22118 F Hall Payne Lawyers
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 17 safe, secure, and confident that they are supported. Hall Payne Lawyers’ unique selling point has to be its client-centric approach to every case. This large law firm has the power to overcome issues for its clients, so that they don’t have to worry. By being a tight-knit team that always puts communication and respect first, Hall Payne Lawyers can face any challenge and still come out on top. Long-term relationships are built on trust and mutual respect, and this firm knows how to forge true relationships with clients so that they feel both prioritised and recognised as individuals. Mark, and the team, know that the cases are all unique, varied, and extremely personal. This is why it tailors each case to the individual’s needs, so as to benefit them in the correct way. Focusing on the future, as well as the here and now, Hall Payne Lawyers has built a solid foundation upon which to construct an everlasting relationship and all-round positive events so that clients can feel nourished, refreshed, and revived after any dispute or misfortune. With Hall Payne Lawyers’ many offices spread around Australia, it is entirely possible for it to benefit an incredible number of clients that are in need. By being so wide spread it is obvious how successful Hall Payne Lawyers has been and we are excited to see where it goes next. For the future, we are sure that the firm will continue playing a huge part in people’s lives as they look for the aid they require. In a world that suffers many injustices, people no longer feel alone when they know that they can turn to Hall Payne Lawyers. Contact: Mark Wiggins Company: Hall Payne Lawyers Web Address: www.hallpayne.com.au/
CEO MONTHLY / Global CEO Excellence Awards 2022 18 Consumer Electronics CEO of the Year 2022 (Europe): Morten Hoff A company that is incredibly proud of its staff and market segment – both parts of the business it has been able to build up from nothing – Wilfa AS has thrived under the guidance of outstanding business mind Morten Hoff. A Norwegian business school graduate that has worked across all levels of his company’s staff, he is intimately familiar with the challenges and opportunities that both his employees and customers face on a daily basis, carving out Wilfa AS’s place as a leading kitchen appliances provider in Europe. As the market leader in small kitchen appliances for Nordic countries, Wilfa AS has made a name for itself in selling to major retailers across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, as well as selling through export channels. Nominally, its export service delivers exemplary products through distribution centres; starting with Germany in 2020, there are centres now open in the UK, Netherland, and Poland in 2022, with more to open soon in Spain, France, Switzerland, and Austria. Diversifying its channels in this way has allowed it to expand into wider markets and reach different customer bases. Critically, its major focus is in kitchen appliances, with additional product lines in climate control and personal care, all falling under the outstanding umbrella of the Wilfa AS brand with all the level of quality and customer service that the brand denotes. Alongside the Wilfa AS brand, it also launched a brand called E-Way, which focused on e-commuting and electric kick scooters. Having started this brand in 2019, it launched it alongside a full assortment of kitchen knives, pots, and pans, all under the name of EGO that now enjoy an immaculate reputation amongst national chef teams in both Norway and Denmark. Moreover, Wilfa AS separates itself from other importers with the continuous strategy of striving for better that it incorporates into every element of the business from research and development to process management and meeting client expectations, forever striving to be the best of the best. Challenging market leaders in every category in which it operates, it has given many existing industry titans a serious run for their money. For example, challenging ORALB’s heavyweight status in the field of electric toothbrushes, as well as Moccamaster’s undisputed hold on the coffee maker business and Kenwood’s command of the kitchen machinery sector, it has proven itself to be an effective, forward-thinking, and flexible disruptor of the status quo. Additionally, such challenges only benefit the consumer in the long run, allowing them to benefit from a market that is always operating in a status of fierce competition and therefore does not get the luxury of stagnating at the top. Wilfa AS’s commitment to giving a customer the best product, in the best delivery times, with the most impeccable service, has made it a market leader across several commercial areas in which the top of the market has been previously staunchly dictated by one company, ensuring that innovation continues to be a core priority and leading by example to test bigger and better products year on year. From waffle makers to kitchen machines, coffee machines, ice makers, stickmixers, and humidifiers, it promises to continually go the extra mile for its clients at every turn. Thus, before it can become the best in the business, it ensures that it become the best in test. This means that it will always be ready to go above and beyond to ensure that its products can fulfil the needs of the target market, as well as hitting every strict parameter and specification that Wilfa AS expects as standard before it will be allowed to hit the shelves. Additionally, all products come with a 5-year warranty and a FSC marked gift box, mastercarton, and instruction manual that allows it to abide by environmental sustainability to the utmost degree during its impeccable service of its customers. As a part of this, it has gone to great lengths to remove Styrofoam from packaging where it can. Reducing its CO2 usage for tier 1 and 2 by 85% since 2019 -compensating this CO2 usage to become CO2 neutral at tier 1 and 2- its dedication to making the best products possible with May22115 A
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