Issue 5 2022 Manage Liquidity with Confidence three+one® is a Rochester, New York-based financial technology company led by CEO Joseph Rulison that offers innovative liquidity data and cash management solutions which deliver better financial outcomes for public entities and higher-Ed solutions – and for those they serve. Its unique liquidity data tool, cashVest®, endorsed by the National Association of Counties (NACo), as well as 17 state associations, has brought over $500 million in new revenue to communities nationwide. Fursan Travel: A Shot in the Arm for Saudi Arabian Travel
Welcome to the May 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. Every business must have a leader that knows what they are doing and where they want to go. Ultimately, it is up to them to ensure a future for their employees and clients – of course, it is important for people to take responsibility for themselves however, CEOs have a lot of responsibility in encouraging people to do so. As a New York-based financial technology company that offers innovative liquidity data and cash management solutions to deliver better financial outcomes for public entities and higher-Ed solutions, three+one ® is changing the way we see its industry. With splendid experience and a steady mindset CEO Joseph Rulison has won Most Influential CEO 2022 - New York. He has led the business with tenacity and respect for all he works with. Inspirational stories in this issue could secure a successful future for many of us. By learning more about other companies, we can learn about ourselves and find pathways to where we want to be. We hope that you find these business stories interesting throughout this issue and we wish you a great month ahead. We look forward to seeing you again in June. Sofi Bajor, Editor Website: www.ceo-review.com AI Global Media, Ltd. (AI) takes reasonable measures to ensure the quality of the information on this web site. However, AI will not assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, correctness or completeness of any information that is available through this web site. If errors are brought to our attention, we will try to correct them. The information available through the website and our partner publications is for your general information and use and is not intended to address any particular finance or investment requirements. In particular, the information does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation by us or any of our partner publications and is not intended to be relied upon by users in making or refraining from making any investment or financial decisions. Appropriate independent advice should be obtained before making any such decision. Any arrangement made between you and any third party named in the site is at your sole risk and responsibility.
4. News 6. three+one: Manage Liquidity with Confidence 8. Change Education: Creating Transformational Change in the Education Recruitment Industry. 10. Pretty Creative, LLC: Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Tennessee, the USA 11. CASPR Technologies: Healthier Indoor Spaces 12. Tamear – Saudi Real Estate Construction Company: The Company Building Its Way To Success 14. Fursan Travel: A Shot in the Arm for Saudi Arabian Travel 16. Women In Games International: Empowering Change 18. Travelwings.com: Travel Without Limits 20. Deakin-White Real Estate: A Clean Slate In Real Estate 21. Wheelhouse Advisors Limited: Trustworthy Solutions for Alternative Investment Firms 22. Bordeaux & Burgundy: The B2B Marketing Leader Creating the Next Generation of Unicorns 23. Raya CX: The CEO That Works To Make A Difference 24. KSI Trading Corp: The Providers of Exemplary Automotive Part Replacements 26. ProximoCX: Data-Driven Customer Experience Solutions 28. LOX Network: LOX’s Mission to Revolutionise Wireless Device Security Using Blockchain Technology and the CEO Behind It 30. Your Marketing Chief (YMC): Fast Track to Success 31. Winners’ Listings Contents
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 4 Kingswood Appoints New Technology Leader To Support Best-In-Class Tech Initiatives NEWS
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 5 Shaw&Co, thespecialist corporate financeadvisory firm, has appointed Rob Starr as its new Head of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A). Rob joins the company from UHY Hacker Young, one of the UK’s Top 20 accountancy networks, where he was Corporate Finance Director overseeing acquisitions, sales, business funding and restructurings across a wide range of industries. With over 20 years’ experience in financial services, Rob has led and supported over 200 transactions with deal sizes of up to £200m across various sectors, as well as implementing successful growth strategies for FTSE 100, Mid-Cap, Aim, SMEs and early stage businesses. In his new role he will be responsible for leading and developing Shaw & Co’s M&A division which offers expert advice on all aspects of buying and selling a business including management buy-outs, management buyins, mergers, exit strategies and business valuations. The division has worked on a number of notable deals including the sale of Pukka Herbs to Unilever, the purchase of VoucherCloud from Vodafone and its subsequent sale to Groupon, and the sale of GoProposal to Sage. The appointment, part of Shaw’s and Co’s wider five-year development strategy, will also enable Jim Shaw, the company’s founder, to take on the role and responsibilities of a full-time CEO. This will include overseeing the expansion of the company’s presence from its Bristol headquarters across four further strategic locations - Birmingham, London, Manchester and Glasgow - as well as developing its service offering. Prior to joining UHY Hacker Young, Rob ran his own corporate finance and business strategy consultancy, and has also had spells with GKN, the Global Engineering Company, Care UK and PwC where he worked in the company’s London and Moscow offices. He holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Design and Manufacture from the University of Hull and an MBA from Warwick University. Jim Shaw, Founder and CEO of Shaw & Co, said: “This is a highly significant appointment for Shaw & Co that will play an integral role in our evolution from being a niche regional player into a nationally disruptive operator. We have previously been one of the ‘best kept secrets’ in the corporate finance sector and Rob’s appointment, supported by our new brand and website, will take us to the next level, enabling us to help even more business owners to achieve their ambitions and realise their business’s maximum value.” Rob Starr, Head of M&A, Shaw & Co, said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to work with a renowned team of experts and a highly innovative range of clients and brands. I am looking forward to helping to transform the quality of corporate advisory services being offered to those looking to buy, sell or fund the growth of their business.” Shaw & Co Appoints Rob Starr as Head of M&A Kingswood Holdings Limited, the international,fullyintegratedwealthand investmentmanagement group, is today pleased to announce the appointment of Christopher Calvocoressi as Technology Transformation Lead. • Christopher Calvocoressi will lead Kingswood’s technology transformation agenda • Appointment follows the launch Kingswood Go, a buy recommendation fromfinncapand several UK acquisitions • Reinforces the firm’s ambitions to cement itself as a leading financial advisory and investment management business In his role, Christopher will be responsible for leading Kingswood’s technology transformation agenda and will also head up the further development of Kingswood Go, a recently launched online portal which allows clients to access their investments and hold all of their financial information online and in one place. Prior to joining Kingswood, Christopher was a Programme Manager focussing on technology transformation at Schroders Personal Wealth. Before this, he was part of the Wealth and Asset Management Advisory team at EY for nearly a decade, working across a range of consulting and transaction advisory engagements. Over the past few years, Kingswood has evolved into a growing international vertically integrated wealth and investment management group with £9.1 billion of Assets under Advice and Management and over 19,300 clients. So far this year, the firm has made four acquisitions in the UK, acquiring Allotts Financial Services Limited, a high quality, long established financial advisory firm based in Rotherham; D.J. Cooke (Life & Pensions) Limited based in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire; Joseph R Lamb Independent Financial Advisers, an advisory business based in Essex, and Aim Independent Limited, an independent financial advice business serving clients throughout Hampshire. The firm also acquired Metnor, the holding company for IBOSS Asset Management Limited and Novus Financial Services Limited, late last year. Christopher’s appointment also follows a buy recommendation for Kingswood Holdings from finnCap, the financial services advisory firm, which believes that the firm has the potential to deliver c£20.0m EBITDA and should hold a target share price of 39p. KWG has recently seen its share price rise by around 7% this year alone. David Lawrence, Chief Executive Officer of Kingswood Holdings Limited., said: “Christopher’s extensive skills and knowledge of leading best-in-class technology initiatives will help us to build propositions that help more people access financial advice and to enhance their experience, particularly in an increasingly digitised world. We’re delighted to have him on board. “As a firm, Kingswood has completely transformed itself within the space of just a few years creating a highly successful, fast growing international vertically integrated wealth and investment management group. The UK business has significantly increased its acquisition activity, coupled with a strong integration capability, organic growth credentials and focussed investment in client centricity. There is a significant pipeline of further acquisition opportunities with four transactions in exclusive due diligence fuelling the ambition to grow UK AUM to over £10bn.”
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 6 Manage Liquidity with Confidence three+one® is a Rochester, New York-based financial technology company that offers innovative liquidity data and cash management solutions which deliver better financial outcomes for public entities and higher-Ed solutions – and for those they serve. Its unique liquidity data tool, cashVest®, endorsed by the National Association of Counties (NACo), as well as 17 state associations, has brought over $500 million in new revenue to communities nationwide. Company CEO, Joseph Rulison, believes in leading by example with great passion and an eye towards the future in an ever-changing financial marketplace. He has been recognised as Most Influential CEO 2022 - New York in this issue of CEO Monthly. We got in touch with Joe to learn more about three+one and his career. orecasting the liquidity position of a government entity or higher-education institution is all about vision. As a pioneer in fintech, that vision meant manifesting a solution to a problem plaguing every public sector entity, still one that no one had yet devised. For three+one, that vision came into sharper focus when Joseph Rulison, an investment advisor by day, public official, and university trustee by night, looked hard at how his professional paradigm of data and money-management could serve a marketplace of elected and appointed officials charged with the financial stewardship of their organisations. As a company, three+one saw an underserved marketplace in the sectors of public entities and higher-Ed institutions. Specifically, it felt it needed to better understand the role of liquidity and how to view and capture all aspects of cash. In a changing banking landscape, the industry was being challenged with fewer financial resources, and it could profit from the new sources of revenue three+one could offer. three+one brought to market two fintech platforms, cashVest® and rfpPrep®, which are unique to the public sector and higher-Ed. Combined, this pioneering technology provides multi-million and billion-dollar entities the confidence of reliable data, not opinions. The first of these fintech platforms, cashVest, enables stress-tested data analysis, time-horizon, and liquidity data across all accounts to maximize the value of all cash on deposit. The second platform, rfpPrep, has revolutionized the oftmandated Request for Proposal (RFP) process for banking services and investment management by digitising the protocol, thereby streamlining the RFP evaluation timeline by as much as 75%. In creating this technology, rfpPrep transforms a difficult & tedious manual procurement into a smooth, hassle-free, and fair-bidding tool. Feb22595 F CEO, Joe Rulison explained, “We needed to be seen as a positive disruptor in the public financial marketplace. To that end, we created a core value for the company: to ‘exceed expectations’ for our clients, our employees, and our stakeholders. We’re proud to say that core value has been woven into the very fabric of three+one.” By “exceeding expectations”, three+one has maintained a very strong client retention rate (99%) and 100% employee retention. It has also helped its clients find new sources of income and savings amounting to over $500m; these additional funds have gone back to the communities and entities they serve. Without three+one’s innovative liquidity data technology, these results would never have been attained. Though Joe Rulison was confident in his vision for how three+one would substantially elevate public sector & higher-Ed entities in a dynamic financial landscape, the biggest test was yet to come. Joe was in Washington, D.C. talking to
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 7 public officials from across the entire United States during the closing days of February 2020, a time when the public at-large was just learning about this newly discovered, but rapidly evolving virus that would become the COVID-19 pandemic. With lockdowns forcing people out of their jobs and into their homes, it became the responsibility of public officials to initiate a comprehensive pandemic response. That responsibility trickled down to the counties, towns, cities and villages where local leaders struggled to contain the spread of a virus, let alone balance the financial books. As a fintech solution to the monetary uncertainties of a regular fiscal year, the liquidity-management and data gleaned through cashVest and the analysis provided by three+one became the lifeline for understanding the economic impact to local communities everywhere. So much, in fact, that during the COVID-19 pandemic, three+one was deemed an essential service by its clients in managing their liquidity needs who likewise relied heavily on the Pathway to Recovery®, a program created as model for entities negatively impacted by the upheaval of the marketplace. The most crucial value to clients, however, is rooted not just in three+one being the singular provider of liquidity data services, but also from the lens through which it offers a common understanding with those they serve. The founders and key management have in the past been, and continue to serve as, public officials in their own communities. CEO and Co-Founder Joe Rulison’s vision for what was to become three+one stems back to the 1980s where he was originally an investment advisor, and he saw the potential growth of professional money management. Following this, he purchased a Register Investment Advisor (RIA) firm in the late 1990s and named it Rulison & Company. During that time, Rulison & Company specialised in working with high-net-worth individuals and non-profit organisations. Joe commented, “We soon needed to differentiate this firm in a fast-growing, more competitive workplace. We needed to become more creative and become a community leader with board involvements. These market factors pushed me to become an entrepreneur.” In 2001, together with the great help of his business partner, Peter Forsgren, Muniflow, a division of Rulison & Company was sold to Bank of America. His bank experience as Market President with Bank of America, coupled with the role as Managing Director of J.P. Morgan, provided Joe with the opportunity to learn from the best in strategic planning, distribution, risk-andcompliance oversight, and partnership agreements. Joe said, “My experience as an entrepreneur, a public official, a college board chair and trustee, and a government banker provided me with the broad experience necessary to offer a 360-degree perspective in building a company, gathering a very talented team, and attracting a unique client base with tremendous growth potential.” In discussing his idealized vision in the early days of three+one, Joe reflected on the unexpected and nearly debilitating health setback to his own vision, his eyesight. At the age of 58, just a year after officially launching three+one with his business partner, and now-COO Peter Forsgren, Joe lost sight in both eyes. The firm was growing and adding talent, major funding had been secured and put behind the technology, yet Joe quite literally could not see it happening. Thankfully, through dozens of surgeries and procedures over the span of three years, Joe was able to regain most of the sight in his eyes, and his vision, both his own and that for his company, now stem from a markedly deeper meaning. “This was a journey built on ‘blind strengths’,” Joe stated. “I was not going to be stopped frommaking a dream become a reality for my team, our clients and shareholders, and my family.” And while most fintech firms build the technology first and see if the marketplace will respond, three+one took a different approach. Joe explained, “Upon identifying an underserved marketplace, the three+one team created a need, developed innovative solutions to fill the need, then worked with our clients to tailor specific liquidity modelling that could build a national presence. As a result, we created and are now distributing liquidity management services that public entities and higher-Ed institutions are adopting.” three+one continues to stay ahead of the curve in technology, looking to drive the highest standard of client service, while developing new markets, with new product platforms, and in new areas of the country. It achieves this through creative branding, heavy social media, national distribution, and strong client references and word of mouth. Joe has said that he therefore foresees three+one’s revenue growth to exceed 100% annually over the next five years, with high client retention and ever stronger adoption of its platforms nationally. In terms of his leadership approach, Joe believes that there is no issue that cannot be resolved with a welldeveloped solution. “I firmly believe in the highest values and ethics of business,” he said. “It is far easier to do everything right the first time rather than taking up time correcting wrongs or repairing ‘cut corners’. To me, clients always come first, and our strong, positive company culture ensures that always happens.” He continued, “Vision, belief, passion, and determination in making a difference to the public entities and communities we serve form the foundation three+one is built on. It is in our company’s DNA and our social conscious commitment to serve the financial interests of public entities and higher-Ed institutions of all sizes and locales. We are as unique as a company as we are as a team. We’re a jigsaw puzzle comprised of many pieces of incredible talent that together create an image of hope, growth, and a bright future for those entities, their communities, our employees, and those who have invested in three+one.” “Ultimately, one’s reputation is everything. But legacy is setting a path for others to walk alongside, while creating new paths for an even better future.” Regarding the future, three+one is only just getting started. Joe shared, “We will not feel complete until we have reached every local community in the United States and beyond. three+one is in a unique niche that offers great value to our clients and prospects. We want to make a difference in each community and organisation we serve, and it is our goal to reach over $1.0b in new savings and income for the communities we serve by the end of 2022, and over $10.0b by 2025.” And speaking about his plans for his own career, he said, “My passion is to continue building three+one and to help communities benefit from what we have learned. As a family, my wife, Karen, and I love to give back to our community and financially support causes that help those who cannot otherwise help themselves, providing them with the same opportunities that were granted for me.” Company: three+one Contact: Joseph Rulison Email: [email protected] Website: www.threeplusone.us
Creating Transformational Change in the Education Recruitment Industry.
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 9 Having secured a significant foothold in the education industry over the last 18 months, Change Education is becoming recognised across the country as ‘an education consultancy with a difference’. Led by founder and CEO Richard Scott, the ‘Most Influential CEO’ in 2022 – Cotswolds – the company has been built upon his mantra to to ‘learn, grow, and change to provide a catalyst for positive change in the education recruitment industry in the UK. Change Education takes pride in being a ‘new breed of education consultancy’. Initially, it was set up to foster positive change in the education services industry, by providing recruitment services from a base in South Lincolnshire to allow for the betterment of the teaching industry in that region. With a firm belief in community, morality, integrity, and tenacity, it believes that its communities and schools should be able to demand a more specialised, student centred and local approaches to education. This approach has become the bedrock of its rapidly developing reputation. Its friendly local attitude, knowledgeable and empathic team, and sectorleading processes have secured it a place at the top of the leader board amongst educational agencies. With Richard Scott at the helm, Change Education makes a difference on a ‘one person at a time’ basis, focusing its efforts on being bespoke and highly tailored. This allows it to form in-depth connections with clients and, thanks to Richard building its outreach from the ground up, this has earned it a variety of lifelong friends across a myriad of different regions and educational settings. His leadership of the company promises to continue taking it to even greater heights. Moving outwards from its original office in South Lincolnshire, it now maintains a network of offices across the East Midlands, East Anglia, Cambridgeshire, and London using locally sourced staff. Critically, each of these people are incredibly community minded and dedicated to positive change for the children and educators of the local communities each branch serves, resulting in a team of people who walk the walk instead of just talking the talk, actioning the best ideas for the improvement of local schools. In a real sense, each of these staff members accepts and recognizes the importance of understanding the context of the community a school finds itself in before Change Education can dive in to help, and so its team delivers a bespoke service to both candidates and schools. This is all part of its dedication to ensuring the right people take up the right roles. Its pool of highly educated, charismatic, and leading teachers and support staff creates a crucible of talent from which a school can fill any teaching or support role. Crucially, Richard Scott’s 16 years of experience have been spent building up this contact network of outstanding people across a variety of different specialties and education capabilities, able to work with a variety of different age groups within mainstream schooling. ¬Should someone who comes across its website know a great teacher or support staff, Change Education invites them to refer them so that it can invite fresh talent into its ranks. Its best candidates are often referred by its current candidates, and so it has established a healthy ecosystem within itself where talent begets talent, with an incentive of £150 for both the referred party and the referee. But what makes Change Education such a refreshing breath of fresh air in the education recruitment sector? Well, firstly, its dedication to its community in terms of the children, the professionals, and everyone it encounters is second to none – which has resulted in it making itself a true cornerstone of the communities and schools they support. It is part of the community it works within and does not attempt to distance itself. Instead, it, its staff, and its talent are all heavily integrated, allowing it to become the only specialist education recruitment business promoting positive change and offering a range of workforce solutions and educational services. Since opening their doors the schools, and educational centres, it has worked with have described it at nothing short of flawless, as well as lauding its staff as a true delight to collaborate with when trying to fill specific roles. Thus, through its local candidate ‘supply bubbles’ for its schools, it ensures that there is always someone on standby should this be needed which has supported schools with the further pressures Covid-19 brought to staff absences. Change Education is aware that situations in education require a fair number of problemsolving skills, but it wishes to take the stress in handling such problem solving off of the client in order to take it onto itself, putting together talent pools of candidates that can be called upon to fill in should it be needed. Furthermore, it has made itself a pioneer of flexibility in its industry, with candidates recruited across three main areas to support its schools with everything from pupil progress to pupil refocus. Being education recruitment experts, Change Education can offer advice, guidance, and solutions for a school’s recruitment challenges. And, with its focus on these sorts of hurdles and how it may help its clients to tackle them, its suggestions consider every relevant detail, and its experience ensures that nothing is overlooked during this process. This, in essence, gives its candidates and schools alike peace of mind that they’re putting their faith in the right company and that their collaboration will be rewarded with the best results for pupils and their wider staff. After all, as well as recruiting good teachers, Change Education’s candidates are also great people. Between these people and its core staff, Change Education fosters an environment wherein participation is the key to success for all parties, and it is this that has enabled it to cultivate such a change-driven and highly effective Agency from the ground up. Able to deliver its expert efforts in primary, secondary, and SEN schools, it now plies its trade far outside of Lincolnshire too, having expanded to Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire, and London, hoping to bring its work to many more areas of the UK in the near future. Company: Change Education Contact: Emily Corner Website: www.changeeducation.co.uk Mar22314
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 10 Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Tennessee, the USA Established as a fullservice marketing agency, Pretty Creative LLC is a Nashville based company, unique in the industry, taking on a maximum of 12 clients per year. A small business feel that produces mighty results. Led by the professional intellect of Larken Lech - known as the Most Influential CEO of 2022, Larken explains the company, her role and her leadership offerings further. retty Creative LLC is run by Larken Lech, recognized as one of Tennessee’s Most Influential CEOs of the year. Her team at Pretty Creative works predominantly within the hospitality and tourism sectors, serving clients such as Gray Line Tennessee, Clearbrook Hospitality, Loden Vision Centers and Crossroads Medical Group, to name a few. In addition to these big, branded clients, Pretty Creative serves non-profit organizations like Valor Honey, which is known for supporting Veterans in harvesting 100% authentic USA Honey. We don’t niche down because we feel like by doing so, it depletes creativity in marketing. We love a challenge,” enthuses Larken. Continuing from this point, Larken explains her leadership style and how it impacts work and the company, stating, “Leadership is often confused with management and in worse case scenarios, micro-management. I was a solopreneur for many years, and as I’ve expanded the business and hired new employees, I’ve learned that letting them lead in what they are passionate about is the best form of leadership. I’m here to answer questions and make sure that when they leave our team, people wonder, ‘where did you come from’ and they’re proud to say, ‘Pretty Creative.’” To join the Pretty Creative team, potential applicants must showcase two essential qualities: adjusting to new situations and being good communicators. “Marketing is often a high-paced, moving target that we constantly have to move through and offers many daily challenges. Our motto is ‘If there’s a will, there’s a way’, and we find people with the same attitude,” states Larken. Overall, at Pretty Creative, the company is run on a foundation that directly links to its internal culture, which is made out of a lot of hard work, tons of laughing, and a safe space to share wants/needs/ suggestions that will uplift the business or quality of the office. Expanding on the offerings of the company and its uniqueness, Larken shares, “We’ve been fortunate that our clients have seen our work and come to us; we’ve never had to ‘sell’ Pretty Creative. Our work speaks for itself. We are unique in that we sit in as a full-service marketing agency, or you can pick a single service, like social media management, and we can work alongside your internal marketing team. We are very flexible, and we treat every client like they are our only client, and that’s how we build retention year over year.” However, as many businesses across the globe have noticed, the Covid-19 pandemic created a series of challenges that shook various sectors and industries globally. For some businesses, the pandemic was far too challenging to overcome, and its effects crushed them, but for Pretty Creative, the team found that it made marketing more efficient. Larken adds to this, saying, “Many of our clients had large scale budgets that needed to be readjusted and given a more strategic plan. Some new clients came on because they wanted to look better on social since everyone was home and consuming media every day. We partnered with several HR companies who contracted with us to help gain employees back after the pandemic.” For Pretty Creative, as the world reopens, Larken and her staff are looking forward to travelling again for clients, summits, events, and speaking engagements. “I’m often asked to speak on marketing panels or on a certain marketing aspect, and I look forward to doing that again in 20222023,” says Larken. With a new title accredited as the Most Influential CEO of 2022, Larken and Pretty Creative are undoubtedly on a successful path that will continue its place as unique leaders within the marketing industry. Company Name: Pretty Creative, LLC CEO Name: Larken Lech Web Address: prettycreativeagency.com Contact Email: larken@ prettycreativeagency.com Mar22400 P
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 11 Mar22259 Healthier Indoor Spaces CASPR (Continuous Air & Surface Pathogen Reduction) is committed to ensuring the indoor air we breathe and the surfaces we touch can be as protected as they can be. Since its founding 18 years ago by Dr Christophe Suchy, CASPR’s award-winning technology has brought powerful solutions to indoor spaces across the world. Certainly worthy of CEO Monthly’s Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Texas award, we got in touch with Dr Suchy to learn more about his outstanding company and impressive career. With 99.96% destruction of pathogens both in the air and on surfaces, CASPR’s continuous disinfection process recreates what naturally happens outdoors. Originally formed to serve the healthcare industry, CASPR has since expanded to bring more customers of all industries the peace of mind that comes with protected and healthy indoor spaces. Speaking about his company, Dr Christophe Suchy said, “Everything we do is supported by one main principle: do things better than anyone else, and do them ethically. If we can’t do it better, we will drop it. And it we can do it better, we will lead with the bare truth; there is no need to embellish claims about a technology and/or a product when it is the best-in-class.” CASPR mainly approaches businesses and commercial facilities with its products. Very early on, its agility to adapt and move fast allowed it to grow very fast in niche markets like food conservation and animal farms. Dr Suchy commented, “If you can continuously eliminate toxic gases in the air and pathogens on surfaces, you need less or no chemicals in your farm or food preparation facility, eventually giving your customers a healthier and safer food item.” He continued, “We went on to specialise in mass transit systems and hubs like trains, metros and airports. Those markets need incredibly specific solutions that, almost always, require made-tomeasure products which our inhouse engineering team has become an expert in manufacturing in record time.” At the very beginning of Dr Suchy’s career, over 20 years ago, he says his role was more a dictatorship than anything remotely close to leadership. He tells us, “It was probably necessary at the time, in order to assess my goals and my visions, both of which seemed crazy then – Who cared about indoor air quality 20 years ago when it was still permitted to smoke in most indoor spaces? “With time, it proved necessary to surround myself with smart people who eventually developed their own goals and vision. This was the toughest part for me: trust and delegation – If you have indeed chosen the right people to lead your team, you have to allow them to lead for you. I have been incredibly lucky at finding the right people to help our company survive and thrive for more than 20 years.” Finding the right people to fill gaps within the teamwho will follow the company’s vision has indeed proved to be the biggest challenge. Dr Suchy said, “It is hard and can sometimes be painful, but you can’t build a great teamwithout solid people foundations. “Discovering our team members’ potential and uncovering it, nurturing it so it can blow up and help them become the best version of themselves. Even though difficult beyond measure, this is the most rewarding part of my leadership journey.” CASPR’s people have the knowledge, credentials and ability to solve problems. The ones who end up staying at CASPR are passionate about what the company does, impacting lives, and making indoor spaces healthier and more productive for employees. Ultimately, it saves lives by reducing exposure to potentially deadly pathogens. Dr Suchy said, “When a third-party peer-reviewed paper was published showing a 54% reduction in hospital-acquired infections (Oklahoma Hospital), I do not know anyone in our team who did not get emotional. This is what we are all working for.” Of course, COVID-19 has brought interesting challenges to the company. Dr Suchy shared, “The pile of purchase orders was growing by the minute while the entire world came to a stop. We could not order parts or components, nor could we visit new potential vendors. “It became an incredible learning experience which made me realise the utmost importance of your professional network: if I had not started creating, feeding and growing it over 12 years ago, we would have had to shut down. Thanks to those relationships, we were able to grow at the speed of light during the pandemic and, hopefully, protect a lot of people out there!” So, what are the future plans for Dr Christophe Suchy and CASPR? He said, “Impact more lives. Faster. And grow my replacement. It is time to find a new jockey for this winning horse, so I can focus on developing the best technologies and design new products. “Eventually, I would like to give back by mentoring entrepreneurs and supporting them during their journey, so they do not have to make the mistakes I made. And there are plenty!” Company: CASPR Technologies Contact: Dr Christophe Suchy Email: [email protected] Website: www.casprtech.com
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 12 Mar22726 The Company Building Its Way To Success Over the course of six years, Tamear has risen significantly in the challenging construction market of Saudi Arabia. It has even blossomed into a successful business despite the market fluctuations that have occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, having sustained its strengths and positive cashflows. This is largely thanks to the contributions of the company’s current CEO, Mr. Mohammed Al Mymuni. As such, he has earned himself the title of Most Influential CEO, 2022 - Saudi Arabia – Join us as we explore his approach to business. pawning from a collaboration between Al Akaria, the first and the renowned Saudi-based real estate development company, and the Turkish company, Kaya Homes, Saudi real estate construction company, Tamear has overcome significant challenges since its formation in 2016. Due to organisational disruptions and market recession Tamear ran into significant financial crises including the unprecedented reversals in cashflows. However, in recent years, its recovery has been bolstered by the leadership of the company’s CEO, Mohammed Al Mymuni. Indeed, Tamear is now thriving and has since lent its expertise to multi-billionriyal projects. Tamear specialises in highquality construction projects in both the residential and commercial sectors. From hotels to malls, and hospitals to homes, Tamear offers a bespoke service, resulting in unique and highly modern builds. Moreover, the company prides itself on providing a S full service, spanning from the initial development of the concept to the finalisation of the project. As such, the company has cultivated an efficient global management team, which – through the usage of contemporary building techniques – allows the company to work on multiple projects at the same time. Further, it ensures that projects will be completed efficiently and cost effectively. Consequently, Tamear boasts an impressive clientele across Saudi Arabia, through which it contributes to nationally prestigious projects. This includes The Housing Program, an initiative launched in 2018 that aims to increase access to affordable and appropriate housing. In addition, Tamear contributed its expertise in the Red Sea Project – an iconic tourism project along the coastline. The first phase of the project is set to be completed by 2023, in which it will possess five developed islands and 16 hotels. On top of these, it has extended its cooperation with ROSHN, AMAALA, and many more.
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 13 After two turbulent years, the industry in Saudi Arabia is beginning to regain stability. Throughout the peak of the pandemic, the company found itself greatly impacted by a plethora of new challenges. A primary cause for concern was the dramatic increase in costs which was brought about by idle equipment, a lack of manpower, and extra preventive measures, such as daily employee screening, thermal reading, and facility management and sanitising requirements. Additionally, the acquisition of new materials and equipment was drastically reduced thanks to the introduction of social distancing guidelines and the subsequent supply chain disruptions. Of course, a key element within the success of the company during this period was its highly talented and skilled team. Mohammed Al Mymuni believes that this can be attributed to, ‘team management and team contribution under the leadership of well-versed and qualified executive management.’ Additionally, Tamear has armed itself with a stringent recruitment process, within which it searches for the best hires for its business. Each team member is multi-skilled, maintaining a selection of sought-after traits, including dependability, flexibility, and a solid work ethic. Communication is key and, in turn, such traits guarantee efficacy. Much of this approach has its roots within the leadership style of the CEO, Mohammed Al Mymuni. He comments that the ‘primary focus should revolve around developing and championing the organisation’s strategy,’ and that a ‘CEO must be decisive, engage for impact, adapt proactively, and deliver reliably.’ Prior to his current role, Al Mymuni enjoyed a brief stint as Tamear’s deputy CEO. Within such positions, he has been able to draw upon his experience as Al Akaria’s executive director, as well as his time as a project director, advisor, vice chairman. This is in addition to his engineering knowledge and leadership skills gained from multiple profitable global organisations by establishing new strategies and initiatives increasing revenues, growth in terms of business expansion, increasing profitability by building strategic partnerships, and making strategic business decisions with wide experience. As executive management, he has been a decision maker for national, international, public and private organisations in core establishment of PPP, sustainable development, building techniques, contracting and innovation in construction, affordable housing, projects and portfolios management, real estate development, business strategies, arbitration and international defence and aerospace with critical infrastructure. An alum of the prestigious King Saud University, the CEO earned a BSc in Civil Engineering, and in 2001, he continued his education, gaining a master’s degree in Building Science and Technologies. From civil engineering to sustainable development, and project planning to construction, over the years, Mohammed Al Mymuni has garnered an extensive understanding of the industry. His past has been filled with abundance, but does his future promise equal prosperity? The simple answer is yes, it does. There are numerous plans in the pipeline upon which he plans to capitalise in order to boost his own career. He is enacting tried and tested techniques, including setting specific, measurable career development goals, creating and implementing a career development plan, and keeping motivated at work. On the whole, over the next year, Tamear will be basing its work around the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are numerous opportunities emerging and, as a direct consequence, Trading Economics predicts that GDP from construction in Saudi Arabia is expected to hit 30,084 SAR million by the end of this quarter. Benefiting from this boom, Tamear is in the process of implementing the new company strategy, which has been designed to instruct the company for the next three years. It will be implemented via a staggered approach informed by the ongoing changes caused by the global crisis. Contact: MohammedAl Mymuni Company: Tamear – Saudi Real Estate Construction Company Website: www.tamear.com.sa However, in recent years, its recovery has been bolstered by the leadership of the company’s CEO, Mohammed Al Mymuni. Indeed, Tamear is now thriving and has since lent its expertise to multi-billion-riyal projects. “ “
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 14 A Shot in the Arm for Saudi Arabian Travel Led by the ‘Most Influential CEO’ in 2022 for Saudi Arabia, Naif Al Rajhi, Fursan Travel has cemented its position at the very top of the industry. Being one of the foremost providers of bespoke travel in Saudi Arabia, this company gives clients the option to travel with a multitude of airlines and aims to take the stress out of travel, opting for a customer-first, tailored, and bespoke approach to service that has rendered it a cut above the competition. ursan Travel, a Travel Group established in 1980, provides leading travel services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Throughout its history, its business has become synonymous with incredible service, at great prices, with the utmost efficiency as standard, offering both business and leisure travel that fits these lofty ideals. Therefore, Fursan Travel became – and still is – characterised by an unblemished reputation for quality, dedication, respect for a customer, and efficient travel. It has also earned itself a prestigious place in the market by way of its constant ability to go above and beyond the call of duty for its customers, always showing stakeholders and peers alike how it believes travel services should be conducted in the industry and aiming to lead from the front in this manner. Led by one of the foremost Chief Executive Officers for Saudi Arabia, Naif Al Rajhi is the mind behind Fursan Travel. Nominally, having made himself an indisputably top of the class part of the wider industry Mar22347 F in the macro scale, Naif spent four years working with AlRajhiBank, gaining customer service skills as well as abilities in leadership, good due process, and project management. In addition, he remains to this day a member of several boards. Each of these represent another element of his own personal business styles and successes, and cover organisations from AlRahjiTakful to Farabi Petrochemicals, Takatuf Holding, Marami Factory, and Semark; the peers and partners that he has made within these circles serve both Naif and the business well to this day. Fursan Travel, more than anything, is the culmination of years of success, hard work, and perseverance in the face of adversity. With Naif having graduated from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree, he has been eager to put his education, charisma, and great eye for business to the test in the service of both his clients and his staff. Over time, therefore, this has allowed
CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 5 2022 15 it to combined quality service and reasonable cost, ensuring that a client can receive impeccable service and travel solutions without having to break the bank, getting the holiday or business trip they desire sans the financial stress. Moreover, Fursan Travel believes in keeping up with the needs and trends of a modern marketplace in order to survive – something that has served it well over the past couple of years, with the world facing unprecedented change across the board – and it always looks forward to turning the discoveries it finds into practical travel solutions. After all, a big part of its goal as a business is to remain abreast of the needs of the contemporary local and global travel market, their needs, and their wants. This has ensured that it can maintain pre-eminence both in its region and in the world’s travel industry on a larger scale. Using the knowledge it has gained from being a part of the traditional travel industry, it combines the lessons it learned from these with all the best developments of the modern industry in order to create something truly unique and utterly secondto-none, distinguishable, and front-running. Essentially, each of these new and improved services can be seen throughout the business, from its travel and tourism for individuals to its group deals, international company deals, and governmental sector services. It treats each customer who gets in contact with it as though they were the singular most important customer that has contacted them, and it is the Fursan Travel way to maintain this throughout the business so that a client can book their travel without stress and have a good experience in the process. This, a far cry from its peers often hurrying customers through the process, truly sets it apart from the rest, with customised, highly tailorable services that buck the trends of its sector where it matters most. Nominally, it designs travel services that suit a budget and schedule set by the client, always working hard to oversee even the smallest detail in order to ensure that a customer has a journey that – if anything – adds to the experience of the entire holiday or trip. It can accept payment through Visa and Mastercard, but can only accept payment by credit card if said card has been issued by the banks of Saudi Arabia and other selected GCC countries at present; however, it also accepts MADA cards and is working on other payment options. In this way, one can see how it is never one to rest on its laurels. It hopes to constantly improve and develop itself, resulting in a company that is always one step ahead of the game in the wide and expansive world of travel and tourism, an industry that is waking up once more after a couple of years of near-hibernation due to the pandemic. Moreover, it works hard to ensure that a client has a myriad of options when it comes to departure. For instance, a client can book a flight with an outbound departure from a country they are not currently situated in, making sure they can secure their connective flights from one place to another a good while in advance and allowing them to be as prepared as they feel they need to be in order to make the journey smooth. Of course, being a travel and bookings group, some elements of a journey will be dictated by a specific airline. In such cases, Fursan Travel will always work hard to make sure a client knows where to go and why, allowing them to ascertain whether they will be able to book a minor to travel by themselves, what the baggage policy is for a specific flight, or if they can bring pets aboard the flight in order to get the furry family friend from A to B. Contactable within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by phone, or outside of it by WhatsApp or Email, it works 7 days a week in order to answer questions, concerns, or comments from its customers, and is always happy to hear from them. With its industry regaining a new lease of life as the world learns to live with the aftermath of a pandemic, it is excited to return its customers to the skies, and looks forward to seeing where it can take them next. Company: Fursan Travel Contact: Mubarak Badaam Website: fursan.com.sa Throughout its history, its business has become synonymous with incredible service, at great prices, with the utmost efficiency as standard, offering both business and leisure travel that fits these lofty ideals. Therefore, Fursan Travel became – and still is – characterised by an unblemished reputation for quality, dedication, respect for a customer, and efficient travel. “ “
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