Businesswomen build a culture where they listen to the problems of their people guide them in how they can reach their maximum potential to achieve their personal as well as professional goals.
4. Let’s Get
Ready for
Dynamic
Leadership
f you try to do anything at first, there are difficulties,
Iand you learn from those difficulties and find a way to
succeed. In the case of business leadership, you start
by building the team and engaging them with
knowledgeable and reputable business insights, which is the
focus of any leader to put everything at the right place at the
right time.
Businesswomen in leadership focus on such insights – like
people, clients, and helping every team member to reach
their potential. They build a strong team around them,
offering opportunities for new talent in the organization.
They know that there is a huge talent inside the
organization; all it needs to be directed towards the
common goal, where everyone contributes towards the
team's success.
A challenge that comes in the way of women is maintaining
a balance between personal and professional life. But, their
belief in hard work with a focus on goals keeps this balance
possible. They are well aware that leadership is about
challenging the status quo by adding quality to work. And,
to thrive in the cutthroat business ecosystem, innovation
and technology are the keys.
Today, businesswomen use technological tools to bring the
team closer by collaborating and forming strong bonds. The
digital presence has been increased in this ongoing
pandemic with the importance of communication over
social media networks like Zoom meetings.
Moreover, businesswomen build a culture where they listen
to the problems of their people guide them in how they can
Editor’s Desk
5. reach their maximum potential to achieve their
personal as well as professional goals. They believe
in eradicating problems from the root, and
understanding the co-relations by interacting helps
them realize the root cause of the issues.
The world around us is evolving, and
businesswomen are always trying to be one step
ahead of this transformation. The key is to be curious
and be challenged all the time, as there is always
room for trial and error. We as a society also need to
change our way and get ready for engaging, modern,
competent, and agile women leadership. It is with
our belief that even women have the ability to bring
the change to the industry will contribute towards
making this world a better place to live. With that
note, Insights Success has a compiled a list of such
empowering women in its upcoming edition- The 10
Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021.
These businesswomen are making glorious
contributions to the world. Their empowering stories
in this edition can inspire upcoming leaders and
entrepreneurs.
Let’s start reading!
sourabh@insightssuccess.com
Sourabh More
7. 08
14
20
30
CxO
26
Joanna James
Empowering People to Rise
Above Limitations
Johanna Pystynen
Revolutionizing the HR Structure
Teresa Santana
An Eager Geophysicist Challenging
the Status Quo for Innovation
Tina Powell
A Prominent Leader in the
Digital Marketing Industry
Leader’s Viewpoint
How Carbon O setting Can
Help Your Business ?
9. Brief
Company Name
Rimu Marketing
rimumarketing.co.uk
Sophie Comas
Founder and Freelance
Marketing Consultant
Rimu Marketing is dedicated to inspiring businesses to trust
and believe in the power of marketing.
Mortgage Ezy
mezy.com.au
Joanna James
General Manager
Mortgage Ezy continues to be one of the most recognisable
Non Bank mortgage management brands in Australia. The
company was formed through the joint efforts of Peter and
Joanna James and was incorporated in 1994.
Sarah Robarts
President
Ballantines PR
ballantinespr.com
Ballantines PR (BPR) is a global lifestyle PR firm based in
West Hollywood. BPR is a luxury and lifestyle PR firm
founded on key global media relationships, strategic thinking,
and innovative campaigns.
Makinley Fletcher Cook
Loan Originator
United Community
Bank
ucbi.com
Since 1950, United Community Bank has been dedicated to
providing best in class service to its customers as the
foundation of every relationship.
YPF
ypf.com
Teresa Santana
Chief Geophysicist
Advisor and Diversity
Officer
YPF is committed to generating energy that is important to you
and your everyday life, energy for cooking and turning on the
light.
Susie Mitchell
Director
Florence & James
Marketing Consultancy
florenceandjames.co.uk
Florence & James Marketing Consultancy inspires and helps
ambitious businesses achieve their goals.
Johanna Pystynen
CEO
LaaS Company
laas.fi
LaaS is an HR tech solution that helps organizations update
their whole toolkit to meet the needs of modern working life,
based on Leadership as a Service philosophy.
Liz Conelly
Director of Coaching and
Development
MAXWELL ENKI
LIMITED
maxwellenki.com
In 2015, Maxwell Enki was established by Liz Connelly to
share her passion and knowledge of coaching and training,
which she has developed over the past 20 years.
Tina Powell
CEO
C-Suite Social Media
csuitesocialmedia.com
C-Suite Social Media is a high-performance marketing
company for RIAs & fintech companies in wealth management.
Rachel Ostroff
Vice Chair and Co-Owner
The Wonderful Company is a privately held $5 billion
company dedicated to harvesting health around the world
through its iconic consumer brands.
The Wonderful
Company
wonderful.com
Featured Person
10. 08 | July 2021 www.insightssuccess.com
Joanna James
General Manager
Mortgage EZY
11. Joanna
James
Empowering People to Rise Above Limitations
To make a glorious contribution to the world, it is
important for business leaders to not be confined by
any mediocrity and narrow-minded approach. It is
important to have a broad-minded approach to be a
successful business leader. Joanna James is one such
empowering leader in business who is not confined by any
limitations in her imagination. Joanna is General Manager
at Mortgage Ezy. As a disruptor, Mortgage Ezy has shaken
up the mortgage market since its inception in 2001 by using
technology to enhance its service offering across a diverse
and wide range of loans.
Growing through a Journey Quite Like a Rollercoaster
The past 20 years journey of Mortgage Ezy has been quite a
ride from inception in 2001 as a team of 2, growing rapidly
through the many cycles of business to the team of 200
today. Joanna recalls there were times of rapid growth
where they were hiring new team members on a Thursday
and building desks over the weekend for a Monday
morning start, through to times of consolidation and
defensive needs such as the GFC and more recent Covid-
19.
The journey has had mountains to climb, valleys and rivers
to cross, but overall, every day is a different landscape with
a variety of issues to address from big picture strategy
initiatives to the minutia of finer details. When Joanna looks
back, it is the faces of the people in Mortgage Ezy’s team,
its brokers, and the tens of thousands of Australians she and
her team have helped secure a better home loan that feature
most prominently.
Harnessing Creativity and Vibrant Energy
Being a younger female in a very male dominated domain,
Joanna was often presumed to be the PA or BDM and
spoken too dismissively on more than one occasion, due to
her youthful looks. Transitioning from Architecture and
building into the Finance arena also brought a need for
further training and upskilling and she would often be
questioned on her authority and experience. Luckily, she
saw this as a benefit as she set out to be anything other than
a boring banking profile, and thus, she was able to harness
her creativity and vibrant energy into creating a different
type of Company. Whilst on the job, she has learnt to
overcome discrimination, fear, doubt, procrastination, and
many limiting beliefs about who she can be. Perhaps, the
biggest challenge for her was juggling a family with
business needs.
Challenging the Status Quo
Joanna believes that everyone wants to have clarity around
what it is they are being asked to do, and why their
contribution is important to the bigger picture. She believes
in engaging team members, so that there is a pull to do
things collaboratively and always showing appreciation, not
just for what they do but who they are as people.
As Joanna loves to have fun, she inspires others and creates
an atmosphere where people can express their gifts and
talents too. She believes impactful leadership is challenging
the status quo, and inciting people to ponder the right
questions so they can grow, then in turn can be more
impactful in the world too.
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The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021
12. Being Flexible and Undergoing a Process of
Metamorphosis
Talking about the impact of the pandemic, Joanna mentions
that Mortgage Ezy is a flexible group already trading
internationally. In response to pandemic, her team was set
up quickly and adjusted to working remotely easily. It has
now extended this offer to permanent work from home
arrangements for both new and existing members. It has
undergone a process of metamorphosis, reinventing the way
that it engages with its team, brokers, and clients.
Joanna opines that the adaption and implementation of new
technology, methods of communication as well as training
and education, especially in the areas of leadership and
mentoring, has made the shift to the new necessity of a self-
motivated paradigm required by all people working
remotely. The value add outside of work is really the main
area of focus and people around globe expect more freedom
and support for their lifestyles while working.
Being Decisive, Resilient And Contributing to Welfare
Causes
Joanna states that entrepreneurs should have an imagination
followed by decisiveness and resilience to thrive in the
cutthroat business ecosystem. Mortgage Ezy continues to
generate and contribute to market competition with its
product offerings as a true counterpoint to the major banks.
This ensures product innovation and price reductions for all
Australians.
On a global scale, the company supports the THRIVE
initiative which supports children in Africa by way of an
educational scholarship to ensure all funds go directly
where they are needed most. It supports them through their
entire educational journey through school and into
university to give them the opportunity to better both their
personal and family’s lives.
Today, whether Joanna facilitates finances for homes,
demonstrates how to create healthy spaces, or mentors’
groups for successful women, she empowers others to
create the life and lifestyle that they truly desire.
Learning by Doing and Embodying Lessons
Joanna is a big believer of self-development work and prior
to Covid, she regularly took time out to attend all types of
group workshops. This covered everything from
professional technical workshops to motivational gurus
such as Tony Robbins. She loves learning through mostly
audio books, currently she is listening to Indestructible by
Nir Eyal which is helping her to take her focus to the next
level. She works with a series of mentors to help herself
progress by learning from others who have already
mastered their crafts. However, her most poignant learning
has been life experiential, as she tends to learn by doing and
embodying the lessons. The impact of this has been both
positive and also incredibly challenging especially when
they were difficult lessons to learn. Being said that it has in
return given Joanna great depth as she has overcome the
challenges that were presented.
Concise Note to Aspiring Entrepreneurs in Finance
According to Joanna, working in finance requires a
discipline and self-mastery around money psychology,
especially understanding how this influences the behavior
of others. In her advice to emerging women entrepreneurs
she says, “Remember Finance is a language just like any
other that can be learnt so approach it in manageable
pieces and seek great teachers to show you what you need
to learn. Take time out of the day to day to work on
yourself, your success will only ever be as large as you can
see it in your mind’s eye. Whether that be meditation in the
morning, workshops and extra webinars, or seeking
mentors it will serve you well.”
“Be brave, dream big and love what you do, a zest for life is
the key to everything,” she concludes.
Mortgage Ezy is a
dynamic, innovative
Non-Bank Lender
operating throughout
Australia.
‘‘ ‘‘
10 | July 2021 www.insightssuccess.com
13.
14.
15. kimberly Khoury
Paving her Way in Sustainability Development
&
&
The
20
BUSINESSWOMEN
to Watch, 2020
SUCCESSFUL
Most
17. When passion meets purpose, it altogether
becomes a fuel that drives people towards their
specific goals. Johanna Pystynen’s passion to
help organizations increase their agility and make working
life more meaningful, sensible, and productive for
everyone, led her to become a CEO at LaaS Company, a
digital product family for all workplaces
Dared to Innovate
The story of LaaS begins in Finland in 2012 when Johanna
Pystynen joined IT company Vincit as HR Director. The
team created a modern and agile leadership model and
wanted to find a tool that would support this new mindset.
However, all the HR tools available on the market were
company-focused, and not developed to help employees. As
an IT company, they decided to create a platform of its own.
This platform led Vincit to be a three-time winner of the
Best Workplace in Finland Award, awarded as the Best
Workplace in Europe in 2016, and rated among Fast
Company’s global Best Workplaces for Innovators 2020 -
list. Soon, several organizations wanted to adopt the same
agile leadership models that Vincit had been awarded for.
To help others make self-organization as easy as possible,
the company wanted to share their digital platform with the
world. This is how LaaS Company was born.
In December 2020, Johanna left her place at the Vincit
executive team to drive LaaS to its full potential. At the
moment, a team of 10 professionals from the fields of
software development, organizational psychology,
management, and educational studies, and service design
are striving to meet the growing demand.
LaaS is a digital HR platform that helps organizations
update their whole toolkit to meet the needs of modern
working life, based on the Leadership as a Service
philosophy. This agile, co-organized, and data-driven
platform helps companies lead employees’ well-being,
competencies, and employee experience, offering tailored
support and services to meet individual needs. It has been
awarded as HR Tech 2021 Winner by Talent Culture and
Top 10 Employee Wellness Solution.
Building Employee Trust
Johanna is of the opinion that companies won’t succeed in
the revolution of work if they don’t focus on employee
wellbeing and employee engagement. This is often built-in
in start-up cultures, but it gets more difficult when the
company grows. Companies really have to start putting
effort into developing a positive culture and creating
structures that enable and maintain this.
In Johanna’s words, “It is a prerequisite for success. To
tackle the constant changes in the operating environment,
small and big, we need to have a platform to try new things
and learn fast, to collect data on what works and what
doesn’t, and to focus resources on the right things. In HR,
too much is done based on guessing and this needs to
change. We need to learn to lead with data.”
She adds by saying, “At the same time, employees can’t
thrive in the demands of self-organization unless
workplaces start to focus more on providing possibilities to
actually lead themselves. With digital tools, we can provide
information, data, and understanding for the employee on
the other hand about their wellbeing and competence and
on the other hand on the company needs and vision.”
Taking above situation into consideration, the company has
built a LaaS model to help its employees to lead their
wellbeing, network, and share their expertise over team
borders. This Leadership as a Service model allows
everyone to choose from its “internal marketplace” the
support that best meets their individual needs. Employees
are treated as "internal customers" and active consumers,
enabling them to solve their problems instead of passively
waiting for help. The key is to encourage employees to take
ownership of their wellbeing and employee experience and
learn self-leadership skills.
Vincit is a three-time
winner of the Best
Workplace in Finland
Award, awarded as the Best
Workplace in Europe in
2016 and rated among Fast
Company’s global Best
Workplaces for Innovators
2020 -list.
‘‘
‘‘
The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021
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18. Importance of HR-tech
According to Johanna, technology should not only help the
management but also to employees. Tech should offer data
and support to both individuals and teams to help them to
understand what is important, what challenges they might
have, how they can reach their goals, and who could help
them with that. It should also support a holistic view. It is
important to look at well-being, competencies and
employee engagement as a system, where all the areas
interact with each other. Understanding the correlations
between these themes helps companies to realize the root
causes and focus on solving the right things.
Understanding the Requirements of People
Johanna believes that there is a huge untapped talent
potential inside organizations. The first step is to make this
expertise visible by conceptualizing it and making it
available for everyone. Companies need to help people
understand what are the strategically relevant competencies
in their organization. The second step is to enable them to
direct their own expertise towards this common goal.
This should be done individually, as different people have
different needs when it comes to competence development
and organizations should be able to support everyone in a
way that suits them.
LaaS company does this in an agile, cost-effective way. Its
service catalogue helps its employees to understand what
support they have available and who could provide them
help: it might be their colleague, sales team, HR team or
sometimes even CEO!
A Future Life
As the world around us is developing all the time, the team
at LaaS is constantly researching the future world of work
and always trying to be one step ahead. The key is to be
curious and challenge thinking. There is always room for
trial and error. In five years, the company wishes to help
thousands of companies globally to change their way of
leading wellbeing, competencies, and employee
engagement into a modern, agile leadership model.
An Enlightening Advice
In her advice to emerging entrepreneurs, Johanna says,
“Trust yourself and your intuition. Don’t try to adapt to a
role that doesn’t fit what and who you really are. If there is
something you don’t manage yet, get support around you. In
my experience, people are more than happy to help. Be
curious and dare to grab opportunities.”
16 | July 2021 www.insightssuccess.com
21. Life is a struggle that revolves around personal
and professional challenges. And, when you
are struggling, seeking advice from genuine
friends always helps you. But instead of following
people and their advice, create your own opportunities
that help you find your own path. Because fate is by
far the greatest mystery of all, and you can never
know where it will take you. But the real question is
there an alternative to all of this? While everyone
speaks about these complicated things, let’s discuss
the solution through this article.
Our lives are connected to technology and social
media, as they play a key role in today’s modern
world. As business leaders, we have to accept the fact
that the vision to bring change in the lives of the
people and transform the world is possible with
technology. But, promoting compassion and well-
being among the people is also equally important.
Understandably, everyone wants to create their
identity and influence the world. But developing
leaders just for the sake of business output and profits
will degrade the quality of the leadership. And, we
don’t want such leaders, especially in tough times like
today.
We want leaders who can get the best out of their
team, which is possible only without the fear of
judgment. It is a great way to lead, discuss, guide, and
help each other in crucial times. A ray of hope is all
people need, and leaders can bring that hope through
these sources. For example, if any employee knows
that he/she does not have to face the issues alone and
there is someone to talk about it, it gives hope to that
person.
Yes, that’s the alternative for a leader – to connect - to
help those who feel down and try to bring the best out
of them. That’s what the leader should be recognized
for, and this is the shift leaders need to bring currently.
As an organization and as people, we should develop
compassion and ethics that reflect our outlook on the
world.
It is only with this approach we can make it possible
to sustain and impact lives for longer, creating a better
world for all. This is a much-needed alternative in
today’s pandemic situation – promoting compassion
and well-being among the people. Now that we have
got the alternative solution for the leaders. The next
question is, how do you recognize that you need help?
Most of us today are too busy making a living. We
exist only within our daily routine, as we are
preoccupied with massive responsibilities in many
aspects of our lives, like academic, financial, career,
household chores, etc. And due to this, it becomes too
late to realize that you are already struggling –
emotionally and mentally. We no longer listen to our
body & mind, and finally, we do not appreciate our
actual/real life.
There appears an absence of self-care. Taking care of
yourself can be overlooked against all the professional
pressures of our life. But it is important to take time to
care about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and
mental health.
Before you extend your compassion and authentic
care for people, you must first practice self-care.
Why? Because you can never give what you do not
have.
Below are things that can help you in practicing self-
care:
Ÿ Start your day doing things you love the most and
boost your mood.
Ÿ Be grateful for things you have, no matter how
small or big it might be.
Ÿ Have sufficient sleep, healthy food, and exercise
regularly
Ÿ Do activities and interactions add value to your life
There are much more things that you can discover
yourself to practice self-care. After following all the
things, you will appreciate your life, even more,
resulting in a healthy work-life balance. With peace of
mind, you will achieve your life goals. You will know
yourself better – see a better version of yourself and
attract positivity in your life.
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23. eresa Santana
T is among pioneers in the energy
industry in applied geoscience for quantitative and
volume interpretation. She is an eager geophysicist
who challenges the status quo for technical excellence
within projects looking for innovation. Her curiosity in
science, passion for physics, and mathematics enabled her
decision to start her career in geophysics with the dream to
predict earthquakes, and shortly decided to explore for
hydrocarbons within the energy business.
After ten years working in Argentina engaged in diverse
projects, from seismic acquisition design and interpretation
searching for hydrocarbon accumulations, to leading
integrated multi-disciplinary studies for new opportunities,
Teresa commenced her international career to master in
state-of-the-art leading-edge technologies in quantitative
seismic interpretation to predict reservoir properties from
the subsurface. As a result, she was immersed in huge
global discoveries such as fields in offshore Guyana and
offshore North West Australia. Then, she decided to return
to Argentina, her home country, to give back her expertise
to the local community.
Currently, she is the Chief Geophysicist, Diversity Officer,
and Advisor in Geophysics at YPF, a company that is
committed to generate the energy that is important for
people and their daily lives. Her role at YPF is to ensure
technical excellence in geophysics within projects.
Additionally, in her function as Advisor, she is responsible
for the technical assurance within YPF´s Expertise program
that certifies seniorities for the geoscience community.
Furthermore, her aspiration for equal business opportunities
leads her to volunteer as Diversity Officer to ease the
connection between the Upstream business demands and
the Diversity and Inclusion committee that implements the
Company D&I mission and strategy.
With very sound judgment, an interview was held between
Teresa Santana and Insights Success that follows her career
path, delivering fit-for purpose technical solutions to
support business decisions globally.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
As a geophysicist, what is your opinion on the impact of
the current pandemic on the Energy market?
The pandemic forced us to work collaboratively in a virtual
way, maximizing the use of technology. YPF was well
prepared to face the COVID challenge. All working data
was already transferred to the cloud, servers and hardware
were prepared for employees to work from their home
when their roles allowed. For those who must be in the
operations every day, there are strict protocols to protect
their health.
Teresa Santana
An Eager Geophysicist Challenging the Status Quo for Innovation
“With technology,
constant challenges,
innovation and
equity, we seek to
provide the energy
solutions that
Argentina needs.
“
The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021
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24. developments, especially when it comes to digital
transformation?
It is imperative for companies to adapt to technological
developments and revitalize their methods for success.
From the ways of communication, data storage, leadership
to business.
In geophysics, machine learning tools have been utilized for
several years. Advanced algorithms, such as artificial
intelligence and deep learning, are being implemented.
Digital transformation revolutionizes the subsurface data
archives as well. A searchable, simple digital version of all
data types, from seismic, well data to interpretation
projects, needs to be in place to capture the value of
In my experience, working remotely benefits both the work-
life balance and the business efficiency. Employees earned
more flexibility, accountability and responsibility, and
leaders had to include soft skills to ensure empathy, quality
and productivity. For the Diversity and Inclusion
committee, it was an opportunity to talk about co-
responsibility in domestic and care tasks.
“In the midst of every crisis, lies great opportunity”,
A. Einstein stated. I am a strong advocate of the huge
opportunity the pandemic is giving us to optimize our
leadership styles and our ways of working to confront
established paradigms.
What is your thought on the necessity for businesses to
align their offerings with newer technological
22 | July 2021 www.insightssuccess.com
25. historical and current data. During the past few years, YPF
embarked in an intensive evaluation to select a unique
seismic interpretation platform that enables project
integration, collaboration and easy access to the corporate
database. My role to ensure that the chosen platform
satisfies geophysicists needs, was crucial to this
transformation.
In what ways have you contributed to the community?
YPF promotes an environment of volunteering for career
development that I spread out to the international
community.
Within the Company, being a Diversity Officer allows me to
recommend actions for empowerment of women and
minorities in geoscience and the business. Furthermore, my
passion for transmitting my experience, encouraged me to
mentor interns, students, young and experienced
professionals to provide them with professional growth
tools to accelerate their career path.
Externally, I volunteer as a reviewer of technical papers for
conferences and cv/resumes for recent graduates, as a
mentor of students and professionals, and as a member of
various committees for international associations, such as
SEG, EAGE, AAPG.
In Diversity and Inclusion, I am an executive member of
the SEG Women committee and a global ambassador for
the WomenTech network, to promote and inspire other
women in STEM globally for career progression and
business development.
At the end of 2020, I was honored to receiving the
“Technology Executive” international award in Argentina, a
global technology and innovation recognition that
distinguishes women leaders in technology who are an
inspiration for other women and the industry at large.
In your opinion, what could be the future of Energy
companies?
Energy companies need to integrate their business, adopt an
equal opportunity career path, embrace digital
transformation and be sustainable.
The increase in computing power in the cloud is positively
affecting our working style with the ability to analyze larger
quantities of data more quickly and effectively, and
therefore more critical thinking and decision-making skilled
geoscientists are required. A clear upgrade and evolution
towards digital transformation, with training across the
industry, is mandatory.
One of the large challenges facing the energy industry is
decarbonizing energy production, either by introducing
more renewables into the total energy combination,
producing hydrocarbons in a more environmentally efficient
way, or reducing the amount of carbon in the air.
In addition, hydrocarbons exploration will focus on even
deeper targets than those currently reached. Innovation is
thus vital, and geophysics is playing an increasing and
significant role in these global energy challenges.
As an established women leader in business, what would
be your advice to the women in STEM aspiring to
venture into the Energy sector?
Traditionally, the fields of science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) have been shaped by gender
biases, and so has the energy business. In Latin-America
and the Caribbean, only 3 out of 10 roles in STEM are
occupied by women, and only 5% of them are in leadership
positions. YPF is working since 2017 to ensure equal
opportunities for everyone. Several initiatives were in place
before the pandemic such as the D&I policy, the behavior
manual, intern job posting, leadership and mentoring
programs.
The Energy sector urges a substantial transformation for
equity. These efforts require overcoming stereotypes, that
starts at home with family education and follow with a
precise action plan including awareness and training for
women in leadership.
My advice to women in STEM is to follow their passion
and dreams, be proactive, educate themselves, ask plenty of
questions, take risks, learn quickly from mistakes, and
surround themselves with smarter peers. With effort,
dedication, passion, curiosity and hard work, the path to
success is easier. My contribution to achieve this aspiration
for equity is huge, and I will do what I have in my power to
fulfill that necessity for future generations.
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29. Offse ng Can
How
How
Help Your Business ?
et Zero’ is officially here. Over half of global GDP
Nis now generated in countries that have net-zero
mandates and almost half of all assets under
management - US$50tn - is held by investors that have
pledged to drive decarbonisation. Household-name brands
have suddenly scrambled to announce net-zero targets. The
change is also seen across SMEs with venture capital
investment in climate tech growing 4200% between 2013 to
2018 to reach $16.3bn.
Are investors, governments, and businesses acting out of
the goodness of their hearts? Unlikely.
Climate change and net zero targets are transforming the
business landscape in terms of both risk management and
opportunity. Consumer behaviour has experienced a seismic
shift and governments are bringing in tight restrictions on
pollution at unprecedented pace. It is no longer a question
of if, but when. We have already seen sweeping measures
for the car industry with 25 major countries already banning
the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles - with some bans
enforced as soon as 2025 - which industry is next?
In all this there is one inescapable fact that most business
people miss - Net Zero makes sound business sense. I am
going to show you why making your business Net Zero is a
good investment now and how you can capitalise on the
climate opportunity.
Let’s start with the basics:
What does ‘Net Zero’ mean?
Net Zero refers to the balance between the amount of
greenhouse gas emissions (pollution) produced and the
amount removed from the atmosphere.
You can think of it like a seesaw - on one side you have
how much pollution is produced, on the other you have how
much pollution is removed. Net Zero is when the seesaw is
balanced - you remove at least as much pollution as you
produce.
Generally, there are two ways of achieving Net Zero -
reducing the amount of pollution you emit in the first place,
and removing pollution from the atmosphere via carbon
offsetting.
What is carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting is a climate solution activity that reduces
or removes pollution to compensate for emissions made
elsewhere. Common forms include tree planting and
renewable energy projects.
For example; Metaphor Ltd is responsible for 670 tonnes of
CO2 per year. Metaphor Ltd could plant 339,000 trees per
year to remove their 670 tonnes. Alternatively, they could
fund scientific climate projects, such as renewable energy
wind farms, that help reduce global emissions by 670
tonnes. In either case, 670 tonnes of CO2 are reduced
and/or removed from the atmosphere. Those tree planting
activities or renewable energy wind farms are carbon
offsetting.
Carbon offsetting is usually the cheapest and simplest
method for achieving your business’s Net Zero target.
Where does my business pollution come from?
For the vast majority of businesses your business pollution
comes from what is called ‘Scope 3’ emissions. Scope 3 are
indirect emissions from activities outside an organisation’s
own operations. These types of emissions often account for
the most significant proportion of a company’s carbon
footprint – sometimes up to 90%.
Examples of Scope 3 include business travel, employee
commuting practices, the use of sold products, and
Leader’s Viewpoint
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Offse ng Can
Help Your Business ?
‘
30. strongly. A comprehensive sustainability strategy is
critically important to attracting top talent.
Sustainability is not just a millennial concern, 83% of
employees report that they would be more loyal to a
company that helps them contribute to social and
environmental issues. The performance of your current and
future workforce will improve due to your sustainability
strategy.
How much does it cost?
Offsetting your workforce - typically the largest source of
pollution - can cost as little as £8 per employee per month
with services like ZeroSmart. This is an effective solution
open to businesses of all sizes, with no minimum or
maximum headcount necessary to benefit.
And the best bit? These kinds of investments are usually tax
deductible. While you should consult your accountant first,
it is likely that any business undertaking this expenditure
will obtain a business benefit in the promotion of the
business, and therefore it is likely to be a tax deductible
expense for most trading businesses.
Conclusion
Carbon offsetting should be a part of your sustainability
strategy if you wish to achieve your Net Zero goals in the
most efficient way and to remain competitive. Doing good
is good for business - by being sustainable you can attract
better talent, improve customer perception, and significantly
increase your profits.
Organisations like ZeroSmart help you to reduce your
business’s carbon footprint in a simple, cost-efficient
manner through carbon offsetting. Finalists for
‘Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year’ at this year’s Great
British Entrepreneur Awards, ZeroSmart is a subscription
service for your business that finds and funds tree planting
and scientific climate solutions for you.
upstream activities including raw material and agricultural
production.
There are some relatively simple changes you can
implement that reduce your emissions significantly across
scopes 1-3. The most impactful easy changes include:
Ÿ Switching to a green energy provider
Ÿ Switching to an ethical bank
Ÿ Dropping beef from staff canteen/entertainment menus
Ÿ Prioritising sourcing from sustainable suppliers
Ÿ Reducing the need for business travel and commuting
(such as via remote working policies).
How does being sustainable impact sales?
This is where it starts to get really interesting.
Consumers and businesses prioritise eco-friendly,
sustainable goods and services (and are often willing to pay
more).
Ÿ British consumers would each be willing to pay £3,654
more a year for eco-friendly household goods and
services. - Independent
Ÿ Since the pandemic, 60% of people report making more
environmentally-friendly purchases. Accenture added
that nine out of 10 of that percentage said they were
likely to continue doing so - Accenture
Ÿ UK vegan sales tripled since lockdown, showing a
rapidly growing trend of conscious eating habits that are
strongly correlated with sustainable lifestyle changes -
BBC
Ÿ B2B pay up to 20% higher prices for sustainable
suppliers - Harvard Business Review
With more businesses committing to Net Zero targets we
are starting to see compound and network effects affecting
purchasing decisions across both B2B and B2C. Demand is
up. Being sustainable is a competitive advantage.
In my own experience running ZeroSmart, a UK social
enterprise that helps businesses achieve their Net Zero goals
via carbon offsetting, we have seen our partner businesses
achieve both higher prices and increased demand after
working with us.
Talent acquisition and retention
People like to work with good people doing good things.
Three-quarters of the millennial workforce prioritizes
sustainability over other factors when choosing a job. By
2025, Millennials (those born between ~1980 and 2000) are
forecast to comprise 75 percent of the global workforce.
Gen Z, the generation after millennials, feels even more
Find out more at
www.zerosmart.co.uk/business
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33. Tina Powell
A Prominent Leader in the Digital Marketing Industry
Being at the forefront of marketing and social media,
Tina Powell is a prominent leader in the digital
marketing industry for financial services. Tina
brings 20 years of experience in hands-on digital marketing
campaign and strategy to the table. Her commitment to
service excellence is known throughout her team and
impressive client roster. What sets her apart is her intense
desire to support the growth and evolution of her team and
the brands they represent.
Currently, Tina is steering the ship of C-Suite Social
Media, a digital marketing and social media agency for
privately held companies in financial services, as a CEO.
In an interview conducted between Tina and Insights
Success, Tina sheds light on her entrepreneurial journey and
how C-Suite is empowering its clients to build strong
brands and achieve their most important business goals by
leveraging the power of digital marketing and social media.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
What were the challenges and experiences you came
across prior and after becoming Chief Executive Officer
at C-Suite Social Media?
When I first became CEO of C-Suite Social Media, it was
just me. Naturally, I was doing everything myself in all
departments and doing you-name-it while running all
aspects of day-to-day operations. So, the challenge initially
was taking on too many roles and responsibilities myself. If
you try to do everything and spread yourself too thin, you’ll
soon discover it is a recipe for failure and not for success.
Shortly after getting our first few clients, I started adding to
the team. I hired a part-time marketing assistant and
engaged with a knowledgeable and reputable CPA firm so I
could build the business and focus on sales. I paid close
attention to my financials and put everything back into the
business to build a strong enough cash position for reserves
and new talent.
Today, my primary focus is on our people and our clients, in
that order. One of my many gifts is developing other people
and helping every team member reach their potential.
What people, what books, what life factors have
influenced and impacted you?
I have been influenced by so many people throughout my
career, but it was the example of my mother, who raised
two children as a single parent that is the most profound.
She would go on to put herself through college to earn a
bachelor’s degree and later become an entrepreneur herself
by starting a bookkeeping business and then working at an
International cosmetics company where she traveled to
Vietnam.
To this day, books continue to consume my time and
attention, both audio and hardcover. Napoleon Hill’s “Think
and Grow Rich” shaped my belief that anything is possible
when you apply hard work, action, and a singularity of
focus on your goals. On the personal side, American
neurosurgeon Paul Kalanathi and his memoir, “When
Breath Becomes Air” remind me that life is finite, fragile,
and can be taken away at any time. It also helps me to
appreciate how blessed I am to be alive and do work I love
each day.
Being a recognized digital leader, what is your opinion
regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on
The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021
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34. Marketing & Advertising Industry? And how has C-
Suite Social Media managed to overcome this significant
challenge?
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Marketing
& Advertising was felt immediately. Companies that were
once bearish about their marketing became bullish about
building a brand and a strong, visible digital presence. The
importance of social media and communications on social
networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram, was all
of a sudden, now a priority for c-suite leaders. As a result,
C-Suite Social Media first doubled, then tripled the business
so we could serve more clients and handle all of their
marketing.
What is your thought on the necessity of a positive work
culture? In what ways do you implement it at your
organization?
Positive work culture is a non-negotiable aspect of
leadership. At C-Suite Social Media, we use technology and
collaboration tools to bring us closer together and form
strong bonds. For example, Basecamp provides our team
with the ability to high-five, praise, and leave comments for
each other while Zoom allows us to play games, celebrate
team birthdays and virtually meet with open office hours as
much as possible. We also have certain rituals like custom
Zoom backgrounds and sending giant birthday cakes and
candles from Insomnia Cookies to show how much we care.
In what ways have you or C-Suite Social Media
contributed to the community? If given a chance, what
change would you bring in Marketing services with
Digital innovation & Technologies?
C-Suite Social Media has contributed to the community in a
number of ways. During the pandemic, we hired the next-
gen talent who had been laid off of work and had no jobs.
Our company is still providing economic stability,
professional development, and a positive work environment
that has improved their lives, professionally and personally.
We also started a podcast “In The Suite” a year ago, aimed
at raising the profiles of mid-level and senior women in
financial services and wealth management. In The Suite
Podcast is listened in 35 countries and 576 cities and
growing!!! We are empowering women with insights,
knowledge, tools, and tips to help them reach that next level
of leadership.
What is your vision for C-Suite Social Media for the
next five years?
My vision for C-Suite Social Media is to be the top
marketing and social media agency in financial services so
that we may develop the next-gen talent and help them to
reach their fullest potential.
At the heart of C-Suite Social Media is a professional
development company that offers its employees and clients,
the opportunity to learn, grow and expand personally and
professionally. Marketing and social media are constantly
changing and because of that, innovation, digital tools, and
bold new ways of thinking are emerging.
All of this change provides a gateway to experiment, as
well as the ability to develop new, core-competencies based
on passion and interest—while collaborating and learning
from others. We give people the chance to try while
acknowledging that not everything works out as
planned…and that’s ok too.
Grow your networks
before you need
them and be
genuinely curious to
meet new people
and learn about
their backstories.
‘‘ ‘‘
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35.
36. Think, Plan,
and Believe
The pioneering innovators have taken the world to a
place where life can be defined in a new way. These
innovators and entrepreneurs define success with
technological enhancements and innovations. Elon Musk,
Jack Ma, Susan Wojcicki, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Sheryl
Sandberg, Ginni Rometty, and many more are few names
who have brought a drastic transformation in today’s
technology-driven world. They all have one thing in
common that is the willingness to succeed.
Some leaders are just gifted to bring transformation to the
world, but they never consider themselves being gifted;
that’s the best part about them. There are things that people
just dream of, but transformative leaders make things
happen by working on it.
It is no wonder that they are supported by many in their
journey, so taking the inspiration from such leaders, today's
business entrepreneurs need to learn from them.
Considering all of this, changing the world and making a
better place to live should be the ultimate goal for all the
upcoming leaders.
But exactly how? If that’s the question, let’s discuss it
through this article
Key Solutions
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37. The Calling...
All it takes is the calling, listening to the inner self, and
knowing your strengths and weaknesses; anyone can
achieve the greater heights of success. Of course, there is no
chance to build it overnight, but there is a systematic way to
go all the way on the path of success. Technology is the key
to it; with its appropriate use, we can reach every corner of
the world and bring a change for a better tomorrow.
Innovate Something Different
The best gift you can give to yourself is comfort in the life
of others and doing your best to serve others. Because it is
not just about the money sometimes, but to follow the
passion and heart and touch the people's lives by setting
foot in the world of innovation and disruption.
The Futuristic Leaders
Leaders like Jeff Bezos have created so many job
opportunities with the founding of Amazon. All of this put
together, we have got a lot ahead of us, and with the
innovative mindset, we can definitely make this world a lot
better place together.
There are many innovators, trailblazers, and entrepreneurs
who have achieved greater heights. Some entrepreneurs
own a billion-dollar business but aspire to achieve beyond
the earth’s horizon that is space tourism. And, this is what
the leader’s perception should be – to see the future and
bring the transformation in the ways of doing business.
Of course, there will be challenges, hurdles, and failures at
all times, but the zeal to try and make a way out of those
challenges is a sign of a true successful leader. And, such
successful leaders are not born but made solely with their
passion for thinking differently and creating something out
of nothing.
What do we Risk?
With innovation and disruption all around us, we need to
ask ourselves how do we want our future to be? As
everything comes with a cost, leaders need to plan their
technological resources accordingly to deal with the big
challenge of the environment ahead of us.
It is the people's responsibility to preserve and care about
the environment by using the resources efficiently. It is only
with strategic planning and decisions that will shape our
future forever.
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