Issue 1 2023 TargetingTomorrow Tasleeh Holding aims to discover and offer new technologies for the enhancement of military and law enforcement in the UAE, while also nurturing sustainable development and economic growth for its clients. By focusing on transparency and practical communication, it is able to understand fully the requirements of any client and offer them bespoke products that meet any and all expectations. We find out more from the firm’s CEO, Salem Al Matrooshi in light of him being recognised as Military Equipment Provider CEO of the Year 2022 – UAE. Featuring:
Welcome to the January 2023 issue of CEO Monthly. As always, CEO Monthly is dedicated to providing the latest news and features across the business world to our readership. By sharing knowledge, insights, expertise and success stories from around the globe, we aim to inspire individuals and promote positivity in a world that is in a constant state of evolution. The new year is upon us, and for many, it is a fresh start that brings new hope and opportunities for improvement. It is a chance to look back and reflect on what has been, as well as to plan for the future. We are excited to be shining a light on our award-winning CEOs who are welcoming 2023 with open arms, and this includes our cover feature, Salem Al Matrooshi. Salem is an ambitious forward-thinker who strives to “target tomorrow” as founder and CEO of Tasleeh Holding. When he established his company from humble beginnings, the initial focus was for it to be a consultancy – but it became so much more than that, having expanded into a group of companies. We explore how Salem has led Tasleeh to great heights within the dynamic UAE market, and how he endeavours to take his businesses to the next level. We hope you find the stories within these pages inspiring and that your 2023 is a year of great success. Until next time, have a wonderful month ahead and we look forward to welcoming you back in February. Rebecca Scotland, 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. News 6. Tasleeh Holding: Targeting Tomorrow 7. POWER SHIFTER Digital: The Future Is Simple 8. Near East Services Co.: Engaged Family Governance 9. Issured Limited: Award-Winning Transformation 10. Jollydays GmbH: Joyous Adventure from Austria for Austria 12. Christina Lock AB: Leadership Consultancy Excellence from Sweden to the World 14. The Perfect Match: MTN Matchmaking 15. Pax2Pay: B2B Travel Payments Made Easy 16. Lauxes Grates: The Builder’s Choice for Functionality, Durability and Affordability 18. Kirkman Group: Helping People Live Healthy Lives 19. Brainfood Ltd: Connection and Flexibility 20. Wise Counsel: Royal Metis Consultancy 21. E3P: Collaborative Success 22. Winners’ Listings Contents
NEWS Looking Glass Labs Announces Metaverse Milestones as Part of Technical Product Update
New agreement supports Innovative’s growth as cloudmigration andmanagement experts. Innovative Solutions (Innovative), a leading provider of cloud services for growing businesses, announced that it has entered into a multi-year strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS). As a result of this collaboration, Innovative Solutions and AWS will tightly align their sales, marketing, and delivery teams to effectively accelerate the adoption of cloud services in the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) and startup industry segments with a key focus on software, fintech, life sciences, and retail industries. Innovative will enhance their customer’s cloud journey experience through managed services offerings as well as the company’s ability to support customers through the full digital transformation lifecycle; migration, modernization, data strategy, and machine learning (ML). “We’re thrilled to work with AWS on this remarkable opportunity,” said Justin Copie, CEO of Innovative. “This SCA helps us achieve our vision of helping every SMB customer become a technology company. The size and scale of this agreement, and how it will help us accelerate, is without precedent.” The agreement between Innovative and AWS drives key investments in several areas that address the growing demand for AWS products and services across Innovative’s base of 600+ SMB customers, as well as with new customers in US and Canada. Innovative will expand their migration and modernization practice, managed services offerings and build out new practices in data analytics and ML to support the advanced stages of its customers’ journey to the cloud. Innovative will also invest in the development and scale of its portfolio, listing the company’s solutions in AWS Marketplace to help SMB customers quickly procure and further accelerate migration to AWS. Separate from the agreement, to meet growing demand for cloud expertise and helping businesses achieve their objectives with technology, Innovative expects to hire more than 200 additional employees in the next four years. “Talent acquisition and growth is a central part of our strategy,” said Jaime Eisenhauer, Chief People Officer at Innovative. “We provide our customers with proven experts, so we have aligned both our recruiting and training programs to provide our services with the best talent in North America. It starts with a solid foundation, and every employee at Innovative – from administrative support to accounting to sales to the executive team – has earned an AWS certification. From there, we go deep with AWS Solutions Architects, DevOps engineers, and specialties that match the needs of our customers. Working at Innovative is like getting a graduate degree in the cloud.” Innovative Solutions Signs Strategic Agreement with AWS Looking Glass Labs Ltd. a leading Web3 platform specializing in immersive metaverse environments, play-to-earn tokenization and blockchain monetization strategies, announces that its wholly-owned subsidiary, House of Kibaa (“HoK”), has signif icantly advanced the development of its Pocket Dimension metaverse offering (the “Pocket Dimension”). Through the impending achievement of numerous avatarbased and architecture-related milestones, the Company expects to set a new standard for the metaverse industry. Pocket Dimension has already reached, and will soon also reach, several new thresholds for its digital world: • 10,000 unique generative avatars in ultra-high resolution via Unreal 5; • 12,000 unique generative Gutter Cat Gang avatars in ultrahigh resolution; • Holders own their metaverse to use and design as they so choose; • Holders of membership tokens are each entitled to receive a free metaverse; and • A generative avatar project with a spin-off live-action video series, GenZeroes. Previously, the Alpha Update of Pocket Dimension Alpha Update release in the fourth quarter of 2022 included the following upgrades for users: • 11 unique four-acre parcels of ultra-realistic land; • Two stock playable avatars; • Four NFT art galleries displaying stock artwork; • Non-player character host interactions; • Mini games; and • The Gutter Trap House in affiliation with the Gutter Cat Gang. The 2022 end-of-year update to Pocket Dimension currently in progress includes the following enhancements: • Ultra-high resolution art galleries to display a user’s NFTs from their connected wallet; • A larger collection of approximately 60 stock playable avatars; and • A patch manager for easier access to future updates (Windows build-only, at this time). In early 2023, HoK will be working to add Unity 4 and pixel streaming to Pocket Dimension. This addition is designed to enable Pocket Dimension to be available on virtually any device and bandwidth connection, which is expected to be a milestone for the metaverse industry. For a sample of the Pocket Dimension experience, please follow this link to view the Pocket Dimension Alpha Launch Cinematic Trailer: https://vimeo.com/779389633/1abc25dbe0.
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 6 Mar22259 Targeting Tomorrow Tasleeh Holding aims to discover and offer new technologies for the enhancement of military and law enforcement in the UAE, while also nurturing sustainable development and economic growth for its clients. By focusing on transparency and practical communication, it is able to understand fully the requirements of any client and offer them bespoke products that meet any and all expectations. We find out more from the firm’s CEO, Salem Al Matrooshi in light of him being recognised as Military Equipment Provider CEO of the Year 2022 – UAE. Tasleeh Holding was established by Salem Al Matrooshi and started from humble beginnings offering consultancy services. Founded in 2014, the firm acts as a liaison and creates contacts between global corporations and UAE based companies, including government entities, primarily in the defense industry. Today, the Group has expanded and diversified its offering to incorporate various business activities and subsidiaries, including Mayadeen Tasleeh, Tasleeh Shooting, Tasleeh Tactical and Tasleeh Consultancy, all of which have Salem at the helm as Chief Executive Officer. Derived from Arabic, Tasleeh loosely translates as ‘equipping’ and that’s exactly what the firm aims to do by ensuring its clients and partners have the right knowledge and contacts in order to expertly harness opportunities in the dynamic UAE market. “Our insight of market trends and sensibilities and dedication to top quality helps propel businesses forward and take them to where they want to be,” explains Salem. “Our core values centre around integrity, honesty, fairness, accountability, and diversity, and inclusion. These core values have developed throughout the years since the start of our establishment. We keep on improving these cores whenever necessary to not only neutralise, but provide perfect balance into our workflow, assuring effectivity and efficiency throughout our operations.” Salem studied Project Management at the University of Cambridge in the UK, had received a distinctive first honour in Higher College of Technology in Abu Dhabi, UAE for BSC in eCommerce. He also completed ‘The Leadership Journey’ Negotiation course at Harvard Business School, as well as ‘Making Strategy Works: Leading Execution’ programme at the University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School. In addition, he has been certified in Naval Engineering in Training and Logistics in Lurssen Co. Bremen, Germany, and has nine years of professional military experience in Naval Logistics and Airforce Commander Office. As a strategic and transformational leader who is adaptable to a vast and fast-changing evolving business industry, Salem is able to understand and accept that the usual or commonly practiced norms can be altered as according to the market’s needs, as well as internal needs. In order to keep the company’s sustainability and profitability, it is important for Salem to keep being consistent with the organisation’s visions and objectives; this way, he can create a professional pattern on how to sustain the organisation, to keep it innovating and to uphold its motto of “Constantly targeting tomorrow”. In line with its ethos and future vision, the company has adopted a key focus centred around customer satisfaction, driven by Salem himself. “We believe that all clients or “guests” deserve a unique approach in all aspects, and this is why we are very different from potential or even existing competitors,” he elaborates, speaking of what differentiates the firm from competitors. “Providing our clients with their needs from A to Z, where there would be enough time, proper effort and having a comprehensive discussion with their needs. It is not like a “grab and go” type of transaction. We value all our client’s time and effort, and so do they deserve to be reciprocated with the same.” Salem describes the internal culture of the company as “very dynamic” and Tasleeh’s House of Talents, the firm’s inhouse recruiting department, plays a very huge role in the success of the organisation, always seeking bright and talented individuals that possess the qualities of being reliable, proactive, able to work with the team, and able to provide realistic solutions when problems arise. Most importantly, the company seeks individuals with the willingness to share their experiences and learn. “The diversity and dynamics of the experiences and insights they bring are not written on any book. It is always surprising to see and experience new learnings from our House of Talents department, how they all contributed to the success, is just as equal as to how they matter for the longevity of the organisation.” Recently, Salem gained recognition in the CEO of the Year Awards for his dedication and hard work, achieving the much-coveted title of Military Equipment Provider CEO of the Year 2022 – UAE. Now, as we move into 2023 it seems that Salem has big plans for the future of Tasleeh. “I believe that no matter what challenges are yet to be unfold, or challenging events that may arise, the world will just keep on advancing and so does Tasleeh,” he states. “In the pipeline is furthering our system and offering products that feature Artificial Intelligence, a truly revolutionary innovation that we can integrate with our offered products for our clients to benefit from. “On a personal level, I endeavour to constantly chase and target tomorrow, I plan to continue to strengthen my knowledge and skills and to be equipped so I can take my businesses to the next level.” Nov 696 Contact: Salem Al Matrooshi Company: Tasleeh Holding Email: [email protected]
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 7 The Future Is Simple In the past 15 years POWER SHIFTER has redefined itself over and over, shifting with the times to provide truly groundbreaking experiences to digital product users. We spoke to CEO JP Holecka, British Columbia’s CEO of the Year 2022, to find out more. POWER SHIFTER was founded with the idea that agencies and clients could co-create in much healthier ways, leading to better outcomes and longer relationships.” - JP Holecka, CEO Business is digital. That’s a fact of working today – you need to be incorporating digital processes into your operations to thrive in this ever-evolving environment. That is often easier said than done, and many struggle to know the best way forward when faced with endless options for how to transform their businesses or offerings. It can help to remember that even our most complex challenges don’t require complicated solutions: in fact, today’s leading companies are those that provide simple and accessible experiences to their users. With this in mind, POWER SHIFTER has shown true leadership by simplifying digital transformation and shifting clients’ most complex challenges into straightforward, powerful experiences that people love to use. CEO JP founded POWER SHIFTER to deliver industry-leading digital solutions and, just as crucially, to spur a paradigm shift in agency culture. Contrary to the reputation agencies have gained as breeding grounds for burnout and outdated hierarchies, POWER SHIFTER is a true pacesetter when it comes to promoting diversity, understanding, and creativity at every level. “Our industry is notorious for long hours, toxic work environments, and a lack of equity and inclusion. I have made it my mission to advocate for more empathetic work environments that are safe places for ideas to foster. I also have the most amazing and equally frustrating ‘one-two punch’ of being heavily on the ADHD and dyslexia spectrums. I am open about my differences and I encourage others to do the same: often, they’re what push us to be truly innovative. Those are two of my proudest achievements so far.” “We provide digital transformation services through the lens of service design, human-centred design, the most advanced programming languages, innovative CMSs, and cloud services.” This only offers a small insight – albeit a potent one – into JP’s leadership style, which has gained confidence and strength as the effectiveness of this approach became more evident. “My leadership style has become what I hope is perceived as a quiet confidence. When I started this agency, I knew more about what I didn’t want to do than what I wanted to do — so for the first five or six years, I had to make a lot of it up as I went along. I balanced my imposter syndrome with my firm belief that leaders can be empathetic champions of diversity. As with our products, I wanted to take a human-centric approach — so I observed, listened, and iterated. I now feel like I can enter into almost any situation with the confidence that I’ll be able to lead the way forward, and in the right direction,” JP elaborates. POWER SHIFTER operates in industries that have to deliver results through the utilisation of complex technologies. The difficulty lies in delivering these technologies and solutions in a way that is seamless, easy to understand, and accessible to clients and end-users alike. “Achieving simplicity for our clients’ digital products is never easy — in fact, most ‘simple’ experiences (think: the sleek interface of smartphones) are informed by complex technologies. Using Design Thinking processes, we create award-winning, simple experiences that win the hearts and loyalty of our clients’ customers.” This wouldn’t be possible without a culture of internal trust at POWER SHIFTER. “POWER SHIFTER is an extremely ‘high trust’ environment, which is critical to creating an organization that can make decisions as autonomously as possible. A high-trust environment also means tapping into the whole team’s collective intelligence and innovative ideas, not just those of the loudest or highest paid employees. Sadly, many agencies are still not too far off from the days of Mad Men, which is based on a top-down model that perpetuates fear and distrust.” So, what does the future of POWER SHIFTER have in store? How does JP plan to capitalise on the last 15 years of success and the recognition within the CEO of the Year programme? “I’ll focus my next 12 months on a new venture that will take our agency to even greater heights and expose us to more exciting clients. POWER SHIFTER has joined forces with three other agencies across North America under the brand ‘Trove.’ Together, we’ll provide Brand Design, Digital Product & Service Design, Content Production, and Performance Digital Media. Driven by the same culture of curiosity, creativity, and diversity that guides us at POWER SHIFTER, we’ll bring integrated agency service without big agency baggage.” Nov22444 “ Company Name: POWER SHIFTER Digital Contact: JP Holecka Address: 228 East Georgia Street Suite 300, Vancouver, British Columbia V6A 1Z7, Canada Website: http://powershifter.com, https://www.trovenetwork.com/ Contact Email: [email protected] Telephone Number: +1604-562-4701
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 8 Engaged Family Governance Near East Services Co (NES) was founded in 1967 by Ashaat Abdel Samad, the beloved grandfather of current CEO, Amina Osman, who has been named CEO of the Year, 2022 - Cairo, Egypt. We are proud to pay tribute to Mr Samad by taking a moment to tell the story of one of the first wholly Egyptian-owned companies that became a leader in the field of inspection, verification, and testing. ear East Services Co was established in Alexandria, Egypt and at the time it was one of the first private-owned Egyptian companies. It fast became a leader in the field of auditing, verification, inspection, testing, and training, and given this success, it was taken by the government. However, it was poorly managed and returned to Mr Samad, who led the company with a strong aligned objective, strategic plan, organisation, and above all integrity and moral ethics. 55 years later, NES is still a family-run business standing strong with the same pillars instilled by Mr Samad. Amina says, “As the third generation now leading, we understand that these pillars are what kept our family business strong for so many years, along with our moral conduct which we have inherited is what guides us along the way to success. One of our strongest assets we believe is having an engaged family governance throughout the years. This has ensured that each generation is being provided with regular communication and impartial resources in order to develop as business owners and to support the overall success of the company. Additionally, to ensure strength and a smooth transition from one generation to the next throughout many years to come.” As part of the family principle to ensure invaluable resources, Amina and her family have been fortunate to be very well educated, diverse, and well-rounded, graduating from the best schools in Egypt (Cairo American College) and moving forward to obtain business management degrees from Switzerland. With regard to the team, the company understands and appreciates their value and importance in terms of resources, experience, and skills, with Amina saying, “We collectively work together as a whole company to provide each and every individual counsel and support.” Alongside its invaluable team of individuals, NES is accredited ISO 9001, EGAC, GOEIC registered, and is a GAFTA member. NES, alongside its international partners (EUROVERT, ALGI, AIB, and CISQ), offers top quality, inspection, verification, testing, and certification services, as well as integrated technical solutions and training for agricultural food, mining and querying, chemicals and petrochemicals, construction, oil and gas, consumer goods, energy, and logistics. Its work is done from its offices in Damietta Port, Suez, Red Sea, Nuweiba, Alexandria, and its head office in Cairo. Amino concludes, “Without a doubt, our grandfather was a forward thinker, and we owe it to him that our family business has thrived through the years.” Company: Near East Services Co. Contact: Amina Osman Email: [email protected] Website: www.neservices.co Nov22222 N
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 9 Mar22259 Award-Winning Transformation Huge growing pains can come along with a burning desire to expand and succeed. In order to deal with these growing pains, it is important to find a business that has all the tools to support us throughout our endeavours. Here we learn more about the business transformation consultancy, Issured Limited, as its very own Jonathan Empson wins CEO of the Year, 2022 – United Kingdom. Issured Limited is a professional and powerful business transformation company that leads the way for a huge list of businesses around the globe. It helps clients with its team of highly skilled individuals, enabling them to evolve year upon year. Issured’s decade of consultancy, secureapplications, Cyber security, training, and IT servicemanagement guarantee accomplishment and achievement for itsmany clients. Issured has nestled itself within a niche arena to help people on their business journeys. Guiding clients through complex, sometimes very difficult, change and digital transformation. Issured’s services are truly lifted by its people skills and seasoned knowledge, making it the place to go for all of your transformational needs. Elevating each business it works with, Issured serves clients in the private and public sectors. Its bespoke consultancy services revolve around each organisation’s needs, characteristics, and individual charm. Through such potent digital transformation, Issured guarantees outstanding development for the future. “Our services cover all aspects of change: People, Process, Information, Technology and Cyber.” Issured’s programme and project management aids business transformation that stands the test of time. Trickling through every aspect of its clients’ business, Issured’s guarantee of success stems from its ability to create bespoke plans that truly work. For example, it guides businesses through planning, developing, and secure data analytics to increase efficiency, accuracy, and awareness. Its cloud-based technology analyses data to pick up on clients’ specific pain points, so that they may improve their infrastructure design, application design and development, risk and compliance, system integration, user experience design, technical governance, and much more. With a diverse team of brilliant individuals, Issured has built upon its digital and cyber security knowledge and experience to grow its transformation change services. Developing people is central to Issured’s approach and with its Chartered Management Institute certification status is integrating leadership and management training to its transformation services. CEO Jonathan Empson, has been at the helm since Issured’s very beginning. Nurturing the perfect culture, Jonathan and the team have formed strong bonds with each other. Maintaining an honest and respectful atmosphere throughout the entire company, Jonathan injected his calm, compassionate traits into the business so that each and every employee and client can feel heard and understood. Jonathan says, “We take our client work seriously and always maintain a high level of professionalism; however we are conscious that we need to take down time and spend time with our colleagues through regular social events organised and funded by the company.” The connection the team has with one another means that everyone can feel empowered and appreciated on a daily basis. With a background in the Royal Air Force and Law Enforcement, Jonathan has the ability to think fast, adapt, and react to the ever-changing environment. His leadership style pushes Issured to brave new heights through a focus on solid analysis and services that are all tailor-made by its irreplaceable team. Jonathan shares, “Challenges are varied and overcome by solid analysis and working things through with the right people. One of the difficulties with growing an SME is the ability to recruit the right people to join the team. Investing for the future of the company is always a difficult decision to make. We change in a controlled manner to maintain our working culture and build our services.” Separating itself from its competitors, Issured’s services, motivational culture, and strong consultancy skills all push it to the top of its industry. For the years to come, Jonathan tells us, “We will continue to work as a team and build the company. We will work on new challenges together and grow our services as we identify new opportunities. A great team is difficult to find and being able to work with great people is something that should be appreciated.” Jonathan Empson has now won CEO of the Year, 2022, the United Kingdom, and he is sure to continue helping others to achieve their dreams. Congratulations! Contact: Jonathan Empson Company: Issured Limited Website: www.issured.com Oct 301
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 10 Joyous Adventure from Austria for Austria Established in 2003, Jollydays GmbH provides thousands of leisure experiences in Austria and Germany, with something available to suit every interest. Vid Matic took on the company as CEO in March 2021, and he hasn’t looked back since. In light of him being crowned CEO of the Year – Austria, we sat down and had a chat with him about Jollydays and his own career. or 18 years, Jollydays has been offering all kinds of adventure gifts, whether for the food lover, thrill seeker, romantic, traveller, or wellness and relaxation enthusiast. Over almost two decades, it has made a big name for itself in the Austrian market for being one of the go-to leisure providers. Its team works tirelessly to bring clients the best possible service, the most exciting offers, and the most unforgettable experiences – keeping them coming back time and time again. With over 6,000 experiences available, including cooking classes, candlelight dinners, wine tasting, quad biking, driving dream cars, skydiving, paragliding, spa days, hot balloon rides, and much, much more, customers are truly spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting the perfect gift for that special someone or even treating themselves. Now, Vid Matic leads the company with a passion for looking after his team and providing the best possible experience to each and every customer. He tells us, “We took Jollydays on because we thought the brand name was very strong, and it’s super expensive to actually develop a brand. You can throw millions down the drain to achieve nothing, but Jollydays was organically grown.” And the company continues to thrive under his leadership, with core values of emotional intelligence, inclusion, transparency, people-focus, and joyfulness underlying everything the team does. He says, “I’m as good as my people. I’m here as kind of chief motivator. I make decisions, but I live and die by my team.” As leader, Vid sees output as the most important thing. As long as everyone in the team is achieving the company’s goals, he isn’t a stickler for how many hours are spent in the office or how long it takes to complete a task. The important thing is that work gets done. In line with this flexible leadership style, he wants his team to feel that they can approach him, no matter what it’s about. He has come to know how his people work best, respecting that some prefer space while others need a little more support and guidance. Vid states, “I try to be friendly with everyone on my team. You spend your whole day, the majority of your life in an office surrounded by people, and if you don’t love them or like them, then there’s no purpose in it.” He goes on to tell us more about his team, “They play the absolute role. I can push and want and motivate, but it is their output that is vital. The truth is, I hire people who are better than me. In marketing, in finance, in technology, in customer relations, and more, they are the specialists. I need to have sound understanding of all topics, maybe be great in a few areas. For example, my chief financial officer, of course he’s better than me. He needs to be; I depend on him. My chief marketing officer, of course she’s better than me. I rely on her. At the end of the day, I have to make the final decision, but I fully, fully depend on them. I got very lucky that the people I’ve brought in so far have been fantastic. Fantastic people and fantastic experts.” Armin Sageder, the majority shareholder of Jollydays, is the person Vid refers to as his mentor and part of the reason for his success. “He chose me as his CEO, my first such role, and showed his belief in me,” Vid states. “This belief continuously fills my sails and is an incredible driver. Armin has founded and built up Paysafe and Best Gaming Technology, both incredible tech successes, so his advice and mentorship is worth its weight in gold. Nov22557 F The real reason behind my admiration is that whilst achieving incredible success, he has maintained his empathy and a lack of pretentiousness. For me, that is rare and special.” Although Vid and his team are experts in what they do, that’s not to say that it’s been all roses. As soon as Vid became CEO, he had to navigate the storm that was the pandemic. A company that is extremely dependent on events suddenly found itself with an extreme challenge of events not being able to happen. Not only this, but Vid was also managing a restructure, hiring new people, and getting ready for a relaunch in 2023 – where content will become all the more accessible and bookable within a couple of easy steps on the new Jollydays platform. Speaking about facing all of these challenges, Vid says, “Trying not to reduce the team, trying not to cut anyone’s time… the crisis really sharpened my teeth, our teeth, because we could not have expected a global pandemic to hit and not be able to do anything. So, taking over a company at that time, that was a super challenge. But, what I always tell the guys here, always
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 11 remember the way there; once we reach the mountain top, it will be a momentary kind of bliss.” Then there is also the recession, with Vid explaining, “What happens in a recession is leisure suffers. The tourism industry, the hospitality industry, because if people cannot provide for their security and welfare, then they won’t be thinking about leisure.” This could be an ongoing challenge, as he continues, “If there’s a recession next year, it’s how to be more flexible with revenue streams coming from other places. Also preparing for our relaunch, of course. It’s just important not to panic, to be calm and adapt.” With confidence, Vid tells us, “We made sure that the company’s flexible enough that we can pivot really quickly.” However, he also believes that it is important for his team to see weakness, that things can be difficult, and that anyone can make mistakes. Thus, Jollydays holds weekly sessions where everyone presents one of their own failures, with Vid saying, “Showing a bit of blood, showing that you can also bleed, showing that I can be sick and I’m not doing well, or I’m going through a relationship breakup and it’s really affecting me. There’s no hiding.” Vid undeniably loves his work, too, and this shines through in his devotion to his role and his efficiency in it, with him saying, “I’m quite quick with my decisions. Energywise, I usually have excess in reserves. I can go at a strong pace for a long time during the day, and I like a mix of everything. I like structure in my work, but I also need this kind of flexibility within the structure to feel comfortable.” Ultimately, it’s easy to see how Vid Matic has come to achieve such success as CEO of the Year, from his dedication to his work, to leading his team with empathy, admiration, and respect. He is excited about the future of Jollydays, where the aforementioned relaunch will be taking place, developed by Vid’s other company, Jollytec. He gives us a little more insight into that: “We want to be the place where you can organise and book all of your free leisure time. From a concert to a cabaret, to a skydive, a dinner in the sky, or a drive in a Lamborghini. You can do and find everything through our app, with the help of a few well-thought out filters.” He explains further, “It’s just finding a better way to do something that people already do but waste a lot of time doing and get frustrated. Everyone can go on Google and find what they want if they search hard enough, but now you’ll have it there in one place, and you can also find other content there.” With regard to the future of his own career, Vid says money isn’t a driver for him, but rather it’s about doing what he loves. He wants to become more knowledgeable, kinder, more sympathetic, and a better leader. He says, “At this point, I’m really enjoying what I’m doing. I want to grow; I want my people to grow. I want to teach them and for them to teach me. I will do some academia, too, some seminars, but only if time allows for it because my people, my companies are my absolute priority.” Company: Jollydays GmbH Contact: Vid Matic Email: [email protected] Website: www.jollydays.com
Leadership Consultancy Excellence from Sweden to the World www.christina-lock.com
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 13 Nov22122 Being a business owner is hard. Monumentally so. In today’s swiftly changing world, it pays to have someone guide the way for business leaders both new and seasoned. Christina Lock has built her incredible reputation through an expertise in business coaching. Following her success as the Female CEO of the Year in Sweden, we spoke to Christina to find out more. Business advisory and executive coaching are exceptionally competitive arenas to find success in. And with good reason – it demands only the best, most expert, most successful. If you fall short of the bar, success will be impossible. It is results driven and people driven, with leading individuals in the sphere having an uncanny ability to drive success in the most challenging of circumstances. Christina Lock absolutely fulfils those criteria, with a history of delivering results and exceeding expectations across the board. Crucially, she has capitalised on a rather simple approach and an ‘in the trenches’ understanding of the machinations of working in the greater world of business. “Most of my clients are looking for a way forward, up or out. Quite simple. Because most of the time, frustration comes from feeling trapped: our personal freedom or freedom of success. If you look at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, rate your areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction. That can be anything from extreme workload, self-esteem, business challenges, family problems or upcoming opportunities. That’s where I come into the picture. “Being a highly driven nature myself, I have a lifetime of experience balancing my character with external expectations. The urge to achieve is a great force, yet it can get very frustrating for oneself and the surrounding. The key is understanding what drives what and how to manage it efficiently.” By breaking issues down into this simple equation, Christina is able to tackle problems effectively, no matter how complex they may appear from the outside. Momentum, ultimately, is key. Forward-thinking, creativity, innovation, development – those are the essential tools for today’s business leaders. But this is all skipping around how Christina has truly distinguished herself from so many other executive coaches: her ability to build robust partnerships. “I am no more unique than anyone else. The uniqueness lies in the partnership, and I’m truly honoured to be a part of so many people’s lives and journeys. Since the world is packed with coaches, many drop the whole idea of finding one as it takes too much effort. It’s a pity as I know what amazing development and help proper support give. As it’s an unregulated industry, it’s also hard to evaluate the qualifications and whether the coach is a professional or not.” Christina is keen to emphasise the role her team has played and continues to play in cultivating her burgeoning reputation. “It is absolutely essential to have a team at your back. I have amazing teams building this brand and approach to the world. You need people who share your values and non-stop approach, who are talents in their field. Together, we are efficient and constructive. We also have a lot of fun on the way.” Finally, when it comes to offering some advice to those looking to thrive in the incredibly challenging environment we all find ourselves in at the moment, Christina emphasises the importance of staying updated and agile. “On a general level: stay updated, make well-defined strategies, manage wisely, and most importantly, stay in physical and mental shape. Avoid getting stuck in your own head and engage with wise and skilled people.” Again, Christina doubles down on the importance of people. Business is defined by people, relies on their hard work and expertise to keep going, day in and day out. People define Christina’s approach to her own work, and it is through her commitment to building strong partnerships with people – her clients – that Christina has found success. For this reason, and many others besides, Christina Lock was recognised as the Female CEO of the Year for Sweden. A well-deserved title, by all considerations. Christina Lock is an author, CEO and advisor committed to levelling up executives, entrepreneurs, and influencers around the world. She has dedicated her career to empowering individuals to become the best in their field, learning how to efficiently manage themselves, their work, businesses and private life whilst dealing with challenges. She’s also an in-demand speaker with her first book released in February 2023. Company: Christina Lock AB Name: Christina Lock Email: [email protected]/ [email protected] Web Address: www.christina-lock.com Address: Forumvägen 14, SE-131 53 Stockholm, Sweden Telephone: +46 8 509 066 30 My urge is to reach, inspire, empower end support as many as I can. Even though my niche as a business is towards top leaders and high achievers, every heart I can touch with myself, my experience, story and learnings, and help someone move forwards, feel hope, is a victory to me. “ “ I put my soul into what I do. Those values have been my foundation my entire life. I go all in and will continue doing so. “ “
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 14 Nov22413 Matchmakers are driven by one thing – success. In this industry, success is defined singularly by happy clients. Ultimately, there’s no element of luck when it comes to matchmaking, so the industry’s leaders can truly be defined as experts, with a record of success that speaks as a potent testament to their services. It would be fair to say that Finding the perfect match is difficult, notoriously so. In a world with easy access to dating apps and options, it may be easy to overlook the expertise of a matchmaker when it comes to finding your ‘other half ’. Following her recognition as the ‘2022 CEO of the Year’ for New York, we spoke with Maureen Tara Nelson to find out more about MTN Matchmaking. Maureen Tara Nelson has secured a formidable reputation on the greater matchmaking landscape, with over a thousand clients shouting her merits and bolstering her skillset. With over 22 years of experience, Maureen has secured a plethora of accolades that join her most recent recognition, with many appearances in mainstream news outlets eager to find out more. It would be remiss to gloss over Maureen’s position as an Irish American, which has led to her recently opening up an MTN Matchmaking Ireland International programme for all Irish singles living in Ireland that would like to find love in New York. In this way, Maureen has cultivated an international reputation, helping people find love, regardless of boundaries and geography. MTN Matchmaking also participates in philanthropic endeavours to further its already significant engagement in Long Island’s local community, alongside its own breast cancer charity – “finding love at MTN Matchmaking after kissing cancer goodbye.” It’s clear that Maureen and the team at MTN Matchmaking inspire and nurture a culture defined entirely by positivity, creativity, passion and love. Company: MTN Matchmaking Contact: Maureen Tara Nelson Address: 68 S Service Rd Suite 100, Melville, NY 11747 Website: https://mtnmatchmaking.com The Perfect Match She is one of the most unique, genuine, and professional executive level certified matchmakers in the New York area.” “ “ “I’ve only wanted to be great at two things: a great mother and the best matchmaker in New York”. - Maureen Tara Nelson “ “
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 15 B2B Travel Payments Made Easy Supporting some of the largest travel technology providers worldwide, Pax2pay provides digital payment solutions to make cross-border transactions faster, easier, and safer. We find out more from the firm’s dedicated CEO, Päivö Eerola in the wake of him gaining recognition as Travel Payments CEO of the Year 2022 – UK. Founded in 2019, Pax2pay is an award-winning digital payment solution, with the goal of modernising and simplifying global payments. Having operated in the travel industry for a number of years, and with customers in countries all over the world, Pax2pay is an expert in its field. The travel industry operates on extremely tight margins - the difference between a record-breaking year and potential difficulty generally sitting at around 5-6%. Travel businesses depend on being able to make payments across borders, however these transactions are admin intensive, and are subject to poor FX rates, steep bank charges, and delays. On top of this, they also need to factor in for market disrupting change. As seen with COVID-19, such change can be swift, unpredictable, and disastrous for many. So, it’s never been more important for those operating in the travel space to optimise their revenue streams and processes. Leveraging its industry expertise and experience, Pax2pay recognises the challenges facing the travel industry, and understands that payment processing across multiple providers, currencies, and payment methods needs to be frictionless. Therefore, the firm enables businesses of all sizes to transform their payments from a cost centre to a revenue stream, and to turn their processes from resource draining to efficient. Pax2pay has developed an advanced digital payment solution, which automates through a safe and secure API. With a choice of payment methods available, and an individual digital funding account, Pax2pay ultimately delivers faster and more effortless payments. Predominantly serving OTAs of all sizes across the UK and Europe, Pax2pay acquires its customers through multiple channels including direct outreach, channel partnerships, and digital marketing. Priding itself on having a solution designed specifically for the travel space, and a team of experts on board with the experience to really make a difference to customers, Pax2pay is eliminating payments related headaches that have been plaguing many travel businesses. “No one understands the pain points of the travel sector quite like Pax2pay, and no one can solve for them like Pax2pay either!” explains Päivö Eerola, the firm’s CEO. “Our customers are at the forefront of every decision we make – always with the aim of helping them eliminate the complexity that comes with cross-border payments.” The firm’s core aim as a business is to make travel payments easier, faster, and safer for Online Travel Agents (OTAs). Built upon a foundation of trust, transparency, and continuous improvement, Pax2pay is the go-to provider for B2B payments in the travel industry. With more than 20 years of experience as a CEO, board member, trusted advisor, and investor across the fintech and payments ecosystem, Päivö has seen leadership from all angles. Within these roles, he has found that the key to a successful business is defining clear targets for the organisation, and then enabling the teammembers to deliver on them by giving them the tools they need, and by placing trust in them. “Our team members are our most valuable asset,” he elaborates. “Each and every one of them plays a huge role in the business’ success, and I’m thankful to have such a hard-working and driven team.” Päivö goes on to tell us that recruitment has been difficult to navigate for the firm. As a small, young organisation, each new hire makes a huge impact and therefore it’s imperative that the company hires the right people to help it achieve its business goals. “I’ve often found that while skills can be taught, attitude is more difficult to learn. That’s why when hiring, attitude is the number one characteristic we look for. This sometimes poses a challenge as finding someone who ticks all the boxes takes time. It’s a constant toss-up between hiring fast and hiring right – so far, the latter hasn’t steered us wrong!” And Pax2pay’s success is certainly something to be admired, targeting for a 50% annual growth rate for the next 2-3 years, the company has ambitious plans. Diligently guided by Päivö, it is already on the right track. Having been recently recognised in the CEO of the Year Awards, Päivö clinched the much-coveted title of Travel Payments CEO of the Year 2022 – UK. “Our future growth will be the result of a range of new products becoming available to customers, including our recently launched Accounts Payable solution, broadening our geographic footprint, and optimising current solutions,” he enthuses. “There is a huge opportunity for growth for us, and our customers, in making B2B payments more efficient and we look forward to making the most of it.” Contact: Päivö Eerola Company: Pax2Pay Web: https://pax2pay.com/ Dec22359
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 1 2023 16 The Builder’s Choice for Functionality, Durability and Affordability Aesthetically appealing and practical, Lauxes Grates provides elegant water drainage solutions for indoor and outdoor applications. Trusted by clients the world over, we take a more in-depth look at the man behind it all, Tim Dawson, as he is recognised in the CEO of the Year Awards 2022. stablished in 2010, Lauxes Grates (trading under Lauxes Products) is one of Australia and New Zealand’s most exclusive designers and manufacturers of versatile indoor and outdoor drainage solutions. With more than 20 years’ worth of combined trade experience, the firm’s knowledgeable and highly skilled developers have created unique, innovative, and aesthetic products to meet market specifications. Lauxes Grates was initially developed with more than 1,000 product lines, however by later focusing on just one product, it allowed the company thrive. The Australian business has come a long way from its original 24 distributors when the decision was made to focus on linear grates. Today, as an industry leader, the firm is always on to the next best thing. With its head office located on the Gold Coast, and warehouses in Western Australia and Victoria, expansion is inevitable. Now with 50 employees, and availability through more than 2,000 wholesalers (and growing daily) across seven different countries, the company’s in-depth product knowledge has kept it well ahead of the competition over the years. Capably steering the firm at the helm is Chief Executive Officer, Tim Dawson, who created Lauxes Grates with an idea, a plan, and a determined mindset. Seeing a gap in the market and an increase in home development projects, Tim designed the award-winning range of linear drainage. Almost 13 years later, several re-thinks and major decisions taken, and along with his ever-growing and dedicated team, he’s finally riding the waves of success. “We’ve become a popular builder’s choice for durability, functionality, and affordability,” explains Tim, who was born and bred on the Gold Coast. “I know what it’s like to be using material that’s not up to scratch. Over the years, I’ve often worked with products knowing that the person who made it has never used it. That’s one of many things that makes us different.” With a demonstrated history of working in the electrical and sanitary manufacturing industry, Tim is skilled in sales, business development, marketing strategy, business strategy, and leadership, gleaned from his time spent in high-end roles and has developed a strong business development focus in building company cultures and principles. Whilst Tim may be the genius behind the firm and its innovative grates, he is also an inspiring leader who always encourages his employees to be the very best they can be. He enjoys family time on weekends with his wife and three children, and also loves to personally challenge himself at hardcore physical events such as True Grit or Tough Mudder. But Tim is also a big believer in his people and that behind every ‘grate’ company, there is a dedicated team helping to fly its flag. Through Lauxes Grates, he genuinely values the staff he has. Nov22157 E “The product has been the vehicle of our success, but the best part of our business is the team,” he elaborates. “It is, without doubt, our best creation. It’s a fun and inspiring company to learn and grow in. That’s what it’s all about to me. I genuinely enjoy being a leader – not being a boss just telling people what to do but really leading.” With a strong focus centred on the firm’s core values, Tim ensures that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet to meet customer expectations each and every time. Constantly looking ahead, anticipating and responding to change quickly, and challenging the status quo, Tim describes his team as problem solvers who are able to be adaptive to change and think outside of the box. “We encourage and value informed initiative-taking,” he goes on to say. “We are action takers and see issues and problems as opportunities to improve. We feel empowered by empowering others. The thrill and excitement of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTQxNTg3MQ==