The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs Making a Difference in 2022.pdf

VOL 10 I ISSUE 05 I 2022
President & CEO,
Director of the Board
Arcturus Therapeutics
Inspiring
Peerless Role
Leading From
The Front

company’s CEO has many responsibilities along with
Aspeciﬁc strategies that result in scaling the organization’s
progress to new heights of success. However, even if these
staunch leaders are good at executing their responsibilities
promptly, they must possess particular traits to be as great of a
success story as they can. It is about setting the tone for managing
the organization and implementing attributes that greatly affect
the company's success.
CEOs champion the company culture and build a business that
makes employees feel like valued members of the organization.
These leaders develop company goals, create strategic plans,
implement programs and policies and work towards a goal that
ensures the growth of every employee. Being optimistic in this
process plays a crucial role, as it is important for leaders to achieve
desired goals and have a vision that can help the business succeed.
There is a lot that comes with having an optimistic attitude,
including the ability to motivate others, inﬂuence the workforce to
think creatively, and build strong relationships with all staff
members. Optimistic leaders are passionate about their work and
the people who contribute to the organization.
When the staff feels inspired by their leader, it creates a picture
that the employees work harder to meet their goals, show more
commitment to their job, develop improved communication,
increase productivity, and think more creatively. Inspiring leaders
invest in their company's employees, acknowledge their strengths,
help them work on any weaknesses, and create a culture in the
workplace where everyone feels like they belong and contributes
something worthwhile.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Personalities Epitomizing
Transcendence

One of the important aspects of the business arena is Critical thinking, which means being able to make
decisions for the company based on clear thought and a lot of foresight. With the responsibility of
managing the business and making sure it succeeds, CEOs rectify and monitor the data and factors like the
economy and competing businesses to forecast what the company could have to handle in the future, then
plan accordingly. However, when amalgamated with compassion, a CEO inspires an entire workplace and
makes a difference in the organization's success.
Showcasing the odyssey of the staunch leaders that are standing out as the symbols of inspiration, the
latest edition of CIOLook features “The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs Making a Difference in 2022.”
Flip through the pages and indulge in the journey that embodies the outstanding leaders of the modern
industry.
Have a Delightful Read!
Abhishek Joshi
g
Abhishek Joshi

Cover Story
Articles
08
Peerless Role
28
Leading From
The Front
CXO
Leader’s Viewpoint
The New Payment Era
22

C
O
N
T
E
N
T
S
Nir Simionovich
24
Helping Businesses Transform their
Customers’ Engagements
Bridget Jones
30
Informed and Forward-thinking
Leader with Wealth of Knowledge
and Valuable Experience
Steve Wilcenski
34
Passionately Driving Changes
with Nanotech
Brent Kruel
18
A Veteran Turned Entrepreneur
to Improve the Quality of Life
Arun K. Singh
14
Strategic Cyber Security Leader

CONTENT
Senior Editor Alan Swann
Executive Editor Abhishek Joshi
DESIGN
Visualizer Dave Bates
Art & Design Director Revati Badkas
Associate Designer Sandeep Tikode
SALES
Vice President Operations Kshitij S.
Senior Sales Manager Saurabh Mane
Alaric Cooper
Sales Executives Rohit, John
TECHNICAL
Technical Head Amar Sawant
Technical Consultant Victor Collins
October, 2022
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Brief
Company Name
Brent Kruel
CEO
Dan Prince
CEO
James Michael
Laﬀerty
CEO
Kirsty Gordon
CEO
Nir Simionovich
Founder and CEO
Renee Welsh
CEO
Steve Wilcenski
Founder and CEO
Arun Singh
CEO
Ilantus Technologies
ilantus.com
BioFunctional Health
Solutions
biofunctionalhealth.com
Anywhere in Africa
Safaris
anywhereinafrica.com
Alice Chang
CEO
Perfect Corp
perfectcorp.com
Cloudonix is a cross-platform, in-platform communications
infrastructure.
Embed is the worldwide leader of the integrated cashless
business management systems and solutions for family
Entertainment, Amusement and Attractions.
BNNano is currently the only company in the world with a
commercially viable manufacturing process for Boron Nitride
Nanotubes
Perfect Corp. is the world’s leading beauty tech solutions
provider.
Ilantus Technologies specializes in the Identity and Access
Management domain.
illumisoft is a mission-driven, custom software development
company that makes healthcare better.
Fine Hygienic Holding provides consumers with high-quality
hygienic paper products that will make their lives more joyful.
Anywhere in Africa is a tour operator, safari and travel
company.
BioFunctional Health Solutions revolutionized corporate
occupational health by leveraging the latest technology and
mobility healthcare trusted by small businesses to Fortune 500
companies.
Cloudonix
Inc cloudonix.io
BNNano
bnnano.com
illumisoft
illumisoft.com
Embed
embedcard.com
Fine Hygienic
Holding ﬁnehh.com
Featuring Person
Joseph E. Payne,
President & CEO
arcturusrx.com
Arcturus Therapeutics is a global late-stage clinical messenger
RNA medicines and vaccines company focused on the
discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutics
for rare diseases and vaccines.

C o v e r S t o r y
RNA technology has had an
enormous impact on the way we
view what is possible in medicine,
and we expect that potential for
change will only grow. Our
company has been a part of this
evolution with our expertise in
puriﬁcation, synthesis, and
delivery of mRNA.

Joseph E. Payne,
President & CEO,
Director of the Board

T
he COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in an era of
rapid innovation in the biotechnology industry.
Pharmaceutical and biotech companies alike
joined in the race to create an effective and safe
COVID-19 vaccine, one of which is Arcturus
Therapeutics, led by the President & CEO, Joseph E.
Payne.
Joe has spent a majority of his career in various labs
discovering new drugs. While the world witnessed the
value of mRNA-based vaccines in the two years of the
pandemic, Joseph had been aware of its potential
almost a decade before. He founded Arcturus
Therapeutics with co-founder Pad Chivukula, Arcturus'
CSO and COO, in 2013 to develop medicines for new
diseases using innovative RNA technologies. Today,
Arcturus has developed platform technology used in
the vaccine and rare disease areas.
The program farthest along in Arcturus Therapeutics'
development pipeline is the self-amplifying mRNA
COVID-19 vaccine. The company calls this technology
TM
STARR (Self-transcribing and replicating mRNA). The
self-amplifying mRNA technology allows a lower dose
of the vaccine which has potential manufacturing and
safety benefits.
Joseph's love for science, innovation, and his wish to
help the world is reflected in the values, goals, and
culture of his biotech company. Attracted by Joseph's
enthusiasm for his field, Insights Success interviewed
Joseph Payne to explore his journey as a business
leader, converse about changes he wants to bring to the
therapeutics industry and understand his vision for
Arcturus Therapeutics.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business
leader until your current position at Arcturus
Therapeutics. What challenges have you had to
overcome and reach where you are today?
There were many obstacles to get to where we are as a
business today, but there are two fundamental
experiences that have shaped us.
The first event is with Arcturus' inception in 2013,
based on my and co-founder Pad Chivukula's belief that
there was a future for mRNA therapeutics in medicine.
It was a long process developing the company to what it
is today. One that took innovation, hard work and our
personal savings to persevere.
The second undertaking was pivoting into the vaccine
space with mRNA technology. At the onset of the
pandemic in 2020, we knew we had the technology to
develop a vaccine that could address the global crisis of
COVID-19. While we were confident in our technology,
it was a change from where we were as a company to
add a new vaccine program when we had focused solely
on rare disease indications before. This move has
allowed us to expand the potential of mRNA in
medicines and vaccines.
Tell us something more about Arcturus Therapeutics
and its mission and vision.
Ultimately, we are here for the development of
innovative medicines for rare diseases and vaccines
that address unmet medical needs.
Enlighten us on how you have impacted Biotechnology
Research through your expertise in the market.
Our aim is to create safe and effective RNA and lipid
We built our core
values on being
innovative and
collaborative. Each
year, we give an award
for both
characteristics.

nano particles (LNPs) for their delivery into the human
body. The lipid mediated delivery technology we use is
®
called LUNAR . We are one of the few companies in the
world that have high manufacturing capacities with
mRNA. Further, outside of intramuscular delivery, we
are in the unique area of delivering mRNA
intravenously with systemic applications.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
We built our company around valuing innovation and
collaboration. Each year, we give an award for both
characteristics. Innovative, for pushing the edge on
what we can achieve scientifically and the collaboration
(likeability) award, based on being competent,
approachable, and humble. Other adjectives I would
use to describe our work culture would be passionate,
happy, diverse, positive, respectful of one another,
professional, dedicated, open, and inclusive.
Undeniably, technology is playing a significant role in
almost every sector. How are you leveraging
technological advancements to make your solutions
resourceful?
Our platform technology can have thousands of
applications to help others. Collaborative efforts have a
high impact and a long reach to ultimately allow us
access to areas that would not be accessible on our
own. These collaborative efforts include the
partnerships we have made with Johnson and Johnson,
the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Ultragenyx, and other
biopharmaceutical companies.
What change would you like to bring to the
Therapeutics industry if given a chance?
This would be on the side of regulations. To bring
modernization of current regulations in line with the
type of medicines we are developing today. Decreasing
the timeline for drug approvals can have a huge impact
on those waiting for those innovative treatments, a
population that normally doesn't always have much
time to wait.
What, according to you, could be the next significant
change in the Biotechnology sector? How is your
company preparing to be a part of that change?
RNA technology has had an enormous impact on the

way we view what is possible in medicine, and we
expect that potential for change will only grow. Our
company has been a part of this evolution with our
expertise in purification, synthesis, and delivery of
mRNA. We anticipate continuing the development of
additional mRNA programs in both the rare disease and
vaccine spaces.
Where do you envision yourself in the long run, and
what are your future goals for Arcturus Therapeutics?
I would like to see us as one of the largest biotech
companies in San Diego. Another form of success would
be if we are able to partner one or many of our
programs with a larger pharmaceutical company.
mRNA allows us to address diseases that others cannot,
and our expertise in the area will only continue to build
value.
What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs
who aspire to venture into the business sector?
When in doubt, don't do it. If there is a suspicion of
deficiency in skill set or work ethic don't move into this.
If you are capable and have confidence in your ability,
move forward.
When in doubt, don't do
it. If there is a suspicion of
deficiency in skill set or
work ethic don't move
into this. If you are
capable and have
confidence in your ability,
move forward.

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Arun K Singh
Global CEO and Board Member
Ilantus
www.ciolook.com | October 2022 |
14

eaders in the security industry understand the
Limportance of forming trusted relationships, not
only internally but also with third-party entities.
Leaders who demonstrate a go-getter attitude and the
willingness to learn with the team have great potential
to drive result-oriented solutions for clients. With a
unique combination of business acumen and deep
technical knowledge, Arun K. Singh paves the path to
success in cybersecurity at Ilantus Technologies.
Arun is the Chief Executive Ofﬁcer and Board Member
at Ilantus Technologies. He is a solution-centric leader
who motivates others to achieve their targets with his
passionate and vibrant leadership skills. His unique
ability to bring the best out of the team is backed by his
sound knowledge of the security domain and a strong
work ethic. To gain insights into his successful
methodologies, we at CIO LOOK interviewed Arun
focusing on his professional journey.
leader until your current position at Ilantus
Technologies. What challenges have you had to
overcome to reach where you are today?
I started my career in cybersecurity as a cryptographer
and security research professional and later moved on
to building and driving cybersecurity businesses for
multiple organizations. After my post-graduation from
the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India, I
joined Infosys Technologies and focused on creating
innovative security solutions for healthcare industries.
That was the time when regulations such as HIPAA,
PCI, and Sarbanes Oxley were catching up in the
market. This trend was recognized by Wipro
Technologies and they invited me to build a global
Enterprise security business. My journey with Wipro
started with a very small group of 40 cybersecurity
professionals which scaled up to a large number of
professionals with a strong global footprint and
services covering end-to-end cybersecurity domain
from risk & compliance to application security, data
protection, infrastructure security, security operations
and convergence of logical & physical security. We won
multiple awards for productized service offerings and
established a global security brand. The key challenge
during my tenure at Wipro was to develop a team of
skilled professionals in each geo who can interact with
the client on the end-to-end cybersecurity domain to
position all the services with equal strength.
My success at Wipro was noticed by Accenture, and I
was invited to join their global cybersecurity group as
Managing Director. Though I was hired to drive security
consulting and implementation business however soon
after my joining, I realized the potential to build a
managed security business aligned with Accenture’s
Infrastructure and Application Outsourcing business.
Arun K. Singh
Strategic Cyber Security Leader
At Ilantus, we envision that
our ﬂagship solution,
Compact Identity, will
continue to hold the market
leadership position in the
class of converged IAM, and
we are continuously
striving towards achieving
that goal.
15

This led to the development of a business case and
obtaining funding approved from the Steering
Committee to start a new group focused on Managed
Security Operations. As the global leader for Managed
Security business, I had to pass through many
challenges e.g. defining the service catalog aligned with
the market, baselining delivery processes, defining
guide rails, set up sales and delivery capabilities from
scratch, and continuously engage senior management
by demonstrating customer success stories. It was an
extremely rich experience to build the global business
by setting up security operation centers in different
parts of the world, acquiring clients in each region,
demonstrating profitable growth, and getting high
recognition from analyst groups.
After Accenture, I joined EY LLP as Americas Risk
Advisory leader and Partner to build the
“Cybersecurity-as-a-Service (CaaS)” business. I started
working with EY Global team to develop a business
case and obtained funding from EY’s Advisory
Investment Committee (AIC) for this new business. My
work involved selecting cutting-edge technologies to
implement SaaS solutions covering Digital Identity,
Data Protection, Threat Detection & Response, and
Threat exposure management. These innovative
solutions were developed leveraging Artificial
Intelligence, Machine Learning, Robotic Process
Automation, Threat Intelligence, and Security Analytics
tools. We established an advanced center for
cybersecurity in USA to run CaaS operations. Setting up
the next generation, fully automated, and cloud-
delivered cybersecurity services for EY’s enterprise
clients was a great challenge to solve at EY. My quest to
do something more challenging prompted me to move
out of EY and join Ilantus Technologies as the Chief
Executive Officer. Ilantus had been in cybersecurity
domain since past two decades and provided right
platform for me.
Ilantus has a startup culture, and my past experiences
of working with large organizations came in handy in
going through a transformation cycle to align Ilantus’
growth trajectory with the market. Currently, I am
focused on driving an accelerated growth for Ilantus
and taking this company to next level.
Enlighten us on how Ilantus have made an impact in
the (respective) niche through security expertise in
the market?
As a professional services organization, Ilantus have
implemented 3rd party IAM products for clients
globally for many years. That experience made us
realize that the IAM vendors are offering only
fragments of the IAM solution, and clients are
burdened with not only buying 5 to 7 different products
to solve their IAM requirements but also spent
significant time and effort in integrating them. This led
to the creation of Compact Identity, which is a
comprehensive solution that converges Access
Management, Identity Governance and Administration,
Identity Analytics, and Privileged Access Management
capabilities in a single platform and is backed by an
intelligent risk engine and robust identity analytics. It is
cloud-native, risk-aware, easy to use, and built on the
Zero-trust framework to provide Identity centric
holistic cybersecurity to secure clients and their digital
transformation journey.
Leading analysts agree that converged IAM is the
future of IAM, especially in a covid influenced business
landscape where Work from Home is the new normal,
and Compact Identity from Ilantus continues to be a
leader in this space recognized consistently for its
innovative features and simplicity. Compact Identity is
the only solution in the market that is a true converged
IAM solution. With three patents, this product is in the
3rd generation of maturity and enjoys a diverse client
base across Retail, Healthcare, Education,
Manufacturing, Telecom, BFSI, and Government
sectors.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run,
and what are your future goals for Ilantus
Technologies?
In the long run, I envision myself working closely with
the investment firms, serving as advisory board leader
for cybersecurity companies and growing business at
Ilantus. The future goals for Ilantus is to further
enhance its identity analytics engine to integrate it with
the latest cybersecurity solutions in the organization
and create more use cases for Artificial Intelligence and
Machine Learning to leverage these solutions deeply. In
the next five years, we see Ilantus as a strong global
brand and a major player in the Converged IAM space.
16

17

Brent Kruel
A Veteran Turned Entrepreneur
to Improve the Quality of Life
A
passionate drive to truly care for people by
helping to eliminate their pain and poor health
is what led Brent Kruel to create BioFunctional
Health Solutions, Inc. (BHS). As the Chief Executive
Officer, Brent utilizes his profound expertise to make
BHS the leader in onsite and digital wellness solutions
for U.S. employers. His venture has revolutionized
corporate occupational health by leveraging the latest
technology and mobility healthcare trusted by small
businesses to Fortune 500 companies.
We, at CIO Look, came across Brent in our endeavor to
find 'The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs to Watch, 2021.' Our
conversation led to more in-depth insights on how
Brent and BHS have changed the landscape of the
healthcare sector with their innovative technologies.
Let's unveil the journey to understand more about the
Brent and his strategic mission in the health and
wellness community.
Where did it all Begin?
Upon enlisting in the Air Force, after graduating from
high school, Brent was assigned to a combat
communications unit which introduced him to some of
the most advanced technology of his time. He quickly
developed passions for both technology and helping
people. This was born out of his experiences during
deployment into combat environments and
humanitarian missions like Operation Uphold
Democracy, in Haiti, in 1994. Brent went on to attend
the United States Air Force Academy, in Colorado
Springs, CO. While there, Brent’s highly athletic
lifestyle led him to the track where he competed as an
NCAA Division I varsity 800-meter runner for the
Academy’s track and field team.
Brent also suffered a severe injury resulting in a
fractured spine from jumping out of an airplane at
10,000 ft during his time at the Air Force Academy.
This injury jeopardized his commission and the ability
to compete in the 800-meter. He pushed through the
pain but still needed help to heal. He became
passionate about alternative therapies that would
reduce the pain and inflammation and allow him to
function and compete. This new passion led him to
choose the medical service corps office upon his
graduation from the Air Force Academy in 2000.
It was a formative experience for Brent's career to be a
medic in the Air Force. Some of his accomplishments
include being in charge of building a new hospital, CIO
of a large inpatient facility at 27 years old and landing
the job of hospital administrator of the largest hospital
in Operation Iraqi Freedom. The Air Force also
sponsored his in-residence Master's in Healthcare
Administration at the #1 school of public health in the
nation, UNC-Chapel Hill.
A year after separating from the Air Force, Brent was
promoted to his first executive-level position in a
significant software and services company that was a
market leader in healthcare insurance and payment
processing software. Not long after, Brent suffered
another injury, a torn ACL, that required surgery. This
was a success, but he lost range of motion in his knee
and it was suggested that he have yet another surgery.
Brent did not see this as an option and he went on a
quest to find other alternatives. This is when Brent was
www.ciolook.com | 2022 |
October
18

Brent Kruel
Chief Executive Oﬃcer
BioFunctional Health Solutions, Inc.
19

introduced to a better healthcare option and a model
that professional athletic teams used on their athletes.
In less than ﬁve minutes, in a treatment that looked like
a pinpointed massage, he regained full range of motion
without surgery.
Brent has experienced four more miracles of this level
using these soft-tissue healthcare methods and avoided
four surgeries. He now lives pain-free.
Brent’s passion about bringing this care to as many
Americans as possible in his lifetime led him to create a
company that will carry on his passion to a larger scale
for generations to come. And so began the birth of
BioFunctional Health Solutions. BHS is now the leader
in TOTAL health and wellness, leveraging technology as
well as hands-on soft tissue healthcare to resolve and
treat conditions that cause pain. But this is not where it
ends. This dynamic company offers a whole litany of
other traditional wellness modalities.
On the Mission of Healthier Nation
BHS is radically passionate about improving American
employees' quality of life, leading to a better tomorrow
for them and their employers.
It’s mission is to make the chronic pain prevention and
resolution programs available to as many employees
and their families as possible, knowing that this will lead
to a healthier, happier, and more productive nation.,
asserts Brent.
The company intends to be available to every American
by 2023 either through employer-sponsored wellness
programs or its new application, YouMari. BHS is the
ﬁrst company to translate its hands-on system into a
self-treatment system coupled with a symptom checker
enabling customized self-treatment programs to
resolve musculoskeletal conditions accessible from
anywhere.
A Complete Wellbeing Approach
BHS is a thought leader and innovator in
musculoskeletal health. It has become the standard
pathway for resolving musculoskeletal conditions
(MSKs) like back pain, shoulder/neck pain, carpal tunnel
syndrome (CTS), and many more are very expensive,
invasive, and a leading cause of opiate addictions in the
United States.
October
20

It is bringing American employees the most effective,
least invasive, and most affordable resolution for these
MSK issues that cause over 50% of adults' chronic pain.
It does this by detecting injuries and dysfunctions
through its patented 3D mobility health assessment
system and leveraging a proven hands-on system that
professional athletes trust.
This hands-on system is not new, although it is not
widely available. According to Brent, the system was
developed in 1991 by a doctor of osteopathy that made
a revolutionary discovery regarding the relationship
between the connective tissues (fascia) and MSKs. This
system has been widely adopted in elite sports to
include professional sports and Olympic athletes.
These elite athletes are not the only ones who need to
stay pain-free and competitive; your employees
deserve this care as well so they can be productive and
safe in the workplace.
Innovating Technology
BHS is an innovator in technology and consummate
collaborators with others advancing technology in its
field. It was the first to implement patented screening
tools using a 3D range of motion analysis that identifies
dysfunctions in the musculoskeletal system and joints.
This analysis helps it to treat repetitive motion injuries
before they become painful chronic conditions.
Envisioning Future Wellness Culture
BHS envisions itself servicing 100 million Americans
within the next three years with its onsite and online
solutions. Its goal is to be the first choice in employee
wellness and MSK treatment for individuals.
Guiding the Caretakers of Tomorrow
Brent advises upcoming entrepreneurs in Employee
Health and Wellness sector to match the solutions
according to market needs by seeking and
understanding the market before designing any
solution. He says, "This is how we were able to redefine
ourselves prior to developing and adopting technology that
supports our solutions.”
"Do not get caught under the complexity avalanche of
technology functionality and instead leverage technology to
enhance outcomes for your customers without burdening
them with using the technology," concludes Brent.
"We keep your
employees happy
& healthy."
21

22

23

Helping Businesses Transform their
Customers’ Engagements
Nir Simionovich
Nir Simionovich | Founder and CEO | Cloudonix, Inc.
October
24

espite being one of the most coveted titles, the
Djob of CEO is the loneliest job in the business. It
comes with a lot of responsibilities. When ﬁlling
this role, companies look for a leader who not only has
the necessary degrees but also the insight, judgment,
and strength of character. Nir Simionovich had it in him
and thus, is the CEO of Cloudonix today.
Passionate about disrupting the communications
market, Nir is an Open Source integration expert and
evangelist. Inspired by his passion and vision, we at CIO
Look caught up with Nir to learn more about his
journey and how he is bridging the gap between
existing customer care systems and the era of digital
transformation through Cloudonix.
leader until your current position at Cloudonix. What
challenges have you had to overcome to reach where
you are today?
I’ve been an Open Source evangelist since my college
days, way back in 1996. Since 2001, I’ve been
increasingly involved with the Open Source Telephony
movement. In 2007, I went out and started a consulting
company. Learning to design solutions and properly
pricing was easier than becoming a leader. In 2015 we
spun Cloudonix out of that consulting company. Now
being an entrepreneur is very challenging – everyone
will tell you that. But the thing is that most
entrepreneurs won’t admit, or purely are afraid to
admit – the only thing the challenges them truly is:
LONELINESS. It never quite hit me, at least as hard as it
did during 2017, how lonely is the seat of the CEO.
Tell us something more about your company and its
mission and vision.
One of the things we have realized during the pandemic
is that everyone is rushing into a digital transformation,
embracing Omnichannel. But, the experience of
Omnichannel is broken. For each new channel, you
need to spend weeks or months integrating the solution
and then training your staff on how to use it. And then,
at the end of the day, more than 80% of these
communications come back to voice. And that is where
we come in. Our vision is to make in-platform
communications accessible to all - simpler, faster, and
more affordable than ever.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in the
(respective) niche through your expertise in the
market?
Our founding team already had a reputation for solving
unusual problems and being very direct. This has
brought many interesting customers to use cases to our
door. These range from replacing their existing solution
with a more stable and economical one to enable them
to build out their vision in ways that they could not do
on our predecessor’s services. This in part, comes from
the fact that we come from the telecom space, so we
were able to build a new way of accomplishing API-
based communications without requiring the phone
numbers.
resourceful?
Our technology is based on the latest tools and
systems. This means we are all cloud based and can
scale up (or down) on-demand in record time. Oded, our
CTO, has a lot of experience in this kind of architecture
and has built our system using this auto-scaling concept
from day one. We have amazed customers by bringing
up a new country not in weeks or months, but in days.
This technical ﬂexibility is deeply engrained in
everything we do.
Ask questions, get
mentors, don’t
think you need to
go it alone.
25

What, according to you, could be the next
big change in the respective industry? How is
your company preparing to be a part of that
change?
The industry is continuing to see new tech
concepts and ways to connect. But they are
all designed to be “walled gardens” so each
does not communicate to the others by
design. We are positioning ourselves to be the
portal between these tools and the contact
center. It will not matter if it is Twitter, an AI
bot, or virtual reality; at the end of the day,
they still need to connect with the contact
center agent.
What would be your advice to emerging
leaders?
Building a team that you can count on is basic,
but one that you can lean on. That is key. You
need people you can talk to and get help,
advice, and support. This can be members of
the company or your corporate advisory
board. But a personal advisory board or group
will be immensely helpful as you need to talk
out problems and get feedback outside of
your own echo chamber.
26

W
ith great position comes great responsibility.
The role of the Chief Executive Officer
(CEO) is important for the success of every
organization. CEO of the organization sets the tone for
everyone else. The standards the leader of the
organizations set are emulated by everyone else in the
organization. Therefore, it is important for CEO to lead
from the front by taking responsibility so as to present
the inspiring standard in front of others. CEO is
responsible for leading everybody in the right direction
for successful business growth. No organization can
prosper and attain great heights without the inspiring
role and contribution of a CEO.
Those CEOs who utilize the power and position they
have to positively impact their organizations and
industry are highly motivated themselves. The good
traits in them help them to become inspiring CEOs. A
CEO of any company sets the company's direction and
establishes a strategy for the growth and development
of the organization's business. He or she sets the values
that are essential for the success of the organization
and plays an important role in cultivating good
behavioral norms in the employees in the organization.
CEOs have to prioritize maintaining a positive work
culture and cooperative spirit to boost the company's
productive output and revenue. They make sure that
their employees are trained sufficiently to contribute
successfully to the cause of the organization.
Moreover, CEOS set clear objectives in front of
everyone, and they set the right platform for employees
for meeting the needs of the clients. They make sure
that they are doing justice to the needs of all the
stakeholders involved. Great CEOs know how to
channelize all their resources and assets appropriately
to be a win-win situation for everyone involved in their
businesses.
Inspiring CEOs energize and empower their teammates
and employees. They bring out the best in others. They
see the potential in others and fan that spark to
increase the productivity and efficiency of everyone.
They inspire employees to perform better, nourish
them with the strength of knowledge, training, and
guidance, and strengthen their employees' spinal cord
with their continuous and unwavering support. They
engage their assets and resources creatively to get the
most return from them. They inspire their workforce to
adhere to the mission, vision, values, and objectives of
the organization and contribute their level best for the
cause of the organization and attain great success in
their businesses.
Inspiring CEOs make the lives of their employees easier.
They help them in balancing their personal and
professional lives. They understand that happy
employees are able to contribute the best to the cause
of the organization, and therefore they promote the
happy, flexible, inclusive, and united culture in their
organization. They keep the morale of everyone to the
highest level.
The great CEOs are not afraid to break the traditions.
They are innovative and disruptive in their approach to
providing newer and evolved solutions to clients. They
adopt best practices to deliver the best solutions to
their clients. They have a broad perspective, and they
see the larger picture. Accordingly, they take the most
valuable decisions that are in the interest of the
organization and ensure the sustainable success of the
company they are leading. They are clever at
implementing newer technologies for improving overall
functionalities.
The proactiveness and presence of mind help them in
becoming the most inspiring CEO for others. They don’t
micromanage, they don’t manipulate or control others,
but they simply increase the capacities of others to do
more for the cause of the organization. They promote a
healthy work-life balance in their employees. They
appreciate the good work done by employees and
reward them. They encourage others to do their best
for the overall growth and development of their
organization.
28

29

Renee Welsh
CEO
Embed
October
30

Informed and Forward-thinking Leader with Wealth of
Knowledge and Valuable Experience
reat business leaders have a forward-thinking
Gapproach. They anticipate events and
consciously prepare themselves to make most
of the opportunities. They are ready to face challenges,
even at the spur of the moment. With a high presence
of mind, they keep themselves well-informed with the
wealth of knowledge and valuable experiences they
have gained in their life. These experiences help them
become inspiring and forward-thinking business
leaders. Akin to the above mindset is Renee Welsh, a
renowned leader in the tech and travel sector who
leads with an innovative approach.
Renee is passionate about building businesses and
transforming industries, and as a natural innovator, she
launched her first tech business when she was 27.
Renee gained relevant experiences by joining
prominent start-ups including lastminute.com, Wotif,
Monster, and RedBalloon. In 2013, she started Booking
Boss, the ticketing and booking management start-up,
with her husband, Andy. Helix Leisure acquired their
start-up four years later, and Renee was appointed CEO
of Embed, an integrated cloud-based software solution
platform for family entertainment, attractions, and
amusement. Renee was a unicorn as one of the rare
female CEOs in the tech industry, specifically the family
entertainment center sphere. In a heavily male-
dominated industry, it posed challenges. That's why it
became her journey to have greater female
representation, especially at the C-suite level, so
sponsorship, mentoring, and championing became a
personal mission for Renee.
Enabling, Empowering, and Easing Management of
Family Entertainment Businesses
At Embed, its leaders enable, empower, and ease
the "business of fun" for owners and operators in
the Family Entertainment Center (FEC) Industry.
They enable them to achieve greater operational
efficiency while reducing costs and increasing
profitability through Embed's integrated hardware
and software system solutions.
Embed offers an array of innovative business solutions
such as its arcade debit game card reader
smartTOUCH, self-service kiosks, RFID wearable
media, game cards, and the integrated software
solution TOOLKIT. It offers a suite of software that
eases the management of family entertainment
businesses via transparent business reporting, central
games management, mobile assistant, online party
bookings, and more. Embed takes great pride in these
next-gen solutions, especially its award-winning Mobile
Wallet – the only Apple iOS and Google Android
certified solution in the business.
This makes Embed the only non-banking, non-
loyalty, and non-financed brand to sit in the
consumers’ Apple Wallet or Google Pay. Mobile
Wallet is a virtual game card that guests can top-up
or reload using their phones without leaving the
arcade game. And Embed is proud that its SaaS
systems operate on Amazon’s AWS platform.
Embed operates with a highly competitive global
team, with offices in the United States, EMEA, and
APAC regions, adding South America to its roster.
To date, it has over 1,000 customers and 3,000
installations in 56 countries.
Designed to deliver a superior guest
experience in entertainment centers,
Embed's software platform is a complete
integrated solution that enables
entertainment business owners to achieve
increased operational efficiency while
reducing costs and increasing profitability.
This is what makes it the Ultimate
Contactless Solution.
31

Pioneering Tech Transformation of Family
Entertainment Industry
A very important aspect of what Renee does at Embed
is pioneering the tech transformation of the family
entertainment industry – the industry of fun. Embed’s
award-winning Mobile Wallet is a testament to this –
no one in the industry has ever come close to
developing what Embed has, and Embed launched it
back in 2019!
Being an Impact Player in an Industry with Strong
Business Agility
The pandemic forced businesses in the FEC
industry to close their doors first and reopen them
last, so Embed was there to help them turn the
lights back on. To showcase its commitment to the
industry’s recovery, it launched Embed’s COVID-
19 Relief Act in 2020, giving away its Mobile
Wallet to everyone in the industry for free for one
year. Aside from this, Embed also kicked off its
COVID-19 Resource Center, which includes free
white papers, an expansive video series featuring
critical advice from industry leaders, and free
creative toolkits to help operators facilitate the
successful reopening of their FECs.
Embed joined the fight to eliminate COVID-19 by
developing Embed Hygiene Defense products –
powerful 100% natural hygiene protection that’s safe
for families, which is the primary segment that
frequents family entertainment centers. Embed’s
business agility makes it an impact player in its industry,
aside from the tech solutions it provides.
Having a Customer-first Approach and Results-driven
Work Culture
Embed runs on a customer-first approach, ensuring its
software enables the optimal end-customer
experience because when the customer thrives, the
operator thrives. Embed informs every operating and
strategic business decision it makes and how it
executes it. Embed is dedicated to supporting
operators and enabling their businesses to become
FECs of the future. It’s why it partners with the best in
the tech industry like Apple, Google, and Amazon to
empower its customers to provide a superior guest
experience at their locations.
Embed operates as a global brand and a tight-knit team,
with a results-driven work culture that takes the
“business of fun” seriously.
Challenging Boundaries and Driving Evolution of
Industry
Renee is proud of Embed’s ability to pivot its business
to what the industry needs now. It continues to keep a
finger on the pulse of key technology trends to continue
to be innovative. Embed harnesses the maverick
mindset to challenge the boundaries and drive the
evolution of its industry. In hyper-competitive
industries, it draws significant inspiration from
emerging technology partners (Apple, Google, and
Amazon).
Driving the FEC Industry Forward
In today's low-touch economy, Embed's contactless
solutions have become more relevant than ever
because this is how consumers expect to transact so
they can engage with brands safely and securely. From
an operator's standpoint, this also means getting real-
time data to improve their business. Embed continues
to develop and evolve its solutions to drive the FEC
industry forward.
Staying Ahead of the Game
Renee believes the complete transition to cashless
systems is the next big thing. She thinks there is still a
huge gap in FECs that have not converted their
outdated systems to future-proof businesses. Embed
is already ahead of the game. It anticipated this great
leap forward, and while it is still innovating to stay
ahead, it is preparing for this by lining up exciting
solutions that enable the FEC of the future.
Making Businesses Thrive and Transforming
Industries
As an innovator, Renee sees herself continuing to do
what she loves in the years to come – creating
opportunities to make businesses thrive, transforming
industries. She sees Embed at the forefront of
solutions providers in the industry, pioneering
products that the FEC sector has not yet seen.
Giving Priceless Advice to Emerging Leaders
Renee advises emerging leaders to embrace change.
She says, "Advance just as technology advances. Do not
just keep up with the times; stay ahead of them. And if
ever you feel disheartened with challenges, bring your
focus back to the very heart of what you do and why you
are doing it.”
October
32

33

STEVE
WILCENSKI
Passionately Driving Changes with Nanotech
Steve Wilcenski
Founder and CEO
BNNano
34

T
o enable disruptive technologies for various
markets, including Defense, Aerospace,
Biomedical, Automotive, Communications, and
Consumer Electronics, Steve Wilcenski leads his team
to develop technologies and products on the micro and
nanoscale.
As the Co-founder and CEO of BNNano, Steve helps
develop new nanomaterial technologies with his
innovative and collaborative approach.
CIO LOOK caught up with Steve in our endeavor to find
“The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs to Watch, 2021.” We talked
with him to gain insights into his passion for advanced
materials, and the disruptive product development that
is driving a transformative wave.
Below are the highlights of the interview.
leader until your current position at BNNano. What
challenges you had to overcome to reach where you
are today?
My journey began after I graduated from NCSU with
my bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and
Engineering. I had always had a need to learn and found
myself with so many more questions following
graduation than when I began. Such questions fueled
my interest in other technologies and fields.
Throughout the first half of my career, I was an
engineer who made things. I have helped usher in new
technologies that impact daily life, made devices that
left the solar system, helped explore Mars, and even
made devices that have been implanted in human
bodies. I am very proud of what I have been able to
accomplish on my own and as part of teams.
But I have also failed and made a lot of mistakes. That
combination of wins and losses prepared me to lead my
first team. I wanted to lead, and found with my
background and experiences, it felt like a natural
progression. I led teams in Operations, Engineering,
R&D, Sales, and Marketing before ultimately being
selected to lead that company.
During this time, I began to feel pulled by the desire to
branch off and start something of my own. It took a few
years to find the right idea, plan, and team, but once this
aligned, I took the leap and started BNNano with my
business partner Jason Taylor. We have been off and
running ever since.
Tell us something more about your company and its
mission and vision.
BNNano is located in Burlington, NC. Our company
manufactures nanomaterials and products that contain
nanomaterials.
We make a specific type of Boron Nitride Nanotube
called the NanoBarb™. When added to other materials,
the NanoBarb™ improves the material’s properties and
performance. For example, when added to aluminum,
we can double the strength; when NanoBarbs™ are
added to 3D printing materials, they print faster while
also becoming stronger and more durable. We can
make plastics become heatsinks and enable new
technologies to clean water, just to name a few.
As the only company in the world with a commercially
viable manufacturing process for Boron Nitride
Nanotubes, we at BNNano are working to develop
novel products that will leverage this super material.
At BNNano, we believe that through cutting-edge
materials science and innovation, we can transform,
revitalize, and revolutionize industrial commodity
materials. Our goal is to bring value back to materials
like aluminum and polyester that have been relegated
to commodity status. We are striving to bring
manufacturing jobs and industries back to the United
States.
Our goal is to make everyday materials extraordinary
by producing new materials that will enable next-
generation technologies and products that only
recently seemed impossible. We are working to make
aluminum a super material, evolving additive
35

manufacturing to support the production of 3D printed
parts, and are even developing technologies to help
clean the world’s freshwater supply.
Enlighten us on how you have made an impact in
nanotechnology through your expertise in the
market?
We are not classically educated nor typical nano-
scientists. We got involved in nanotechnology because
we had been disappointed by the state of
nanotechnology in our prior careers. As process
engineers tasked with making products out of the latest
and greatest materials and technologies, we were
exposed to weaknesses in nanomaterials. Often the
development of these nanomaterials was driven by a
science first perspective rather than an engineering
first approach.
Our expertise in understanding how to make and use
materials gave us a unique perspective. Our focus was
the development of nanomaterials that could be easily
used and set out to solve the common problems that
plague nanomaterials. This novel approach resulted in a
new type of Boron Nitride Nanotube that we call the
NanoBarb™. It is easier to use, performs better, and has
a low enough cost to be incorporated into applications
and markets that traditionally could not use
nanotechnologies.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that
drives your organization.
At BNNano, it is our people that make the difference.
We are a small, scientifically minded organization with
unique technologies and products at the forefront of
nanoscience.
The relationships within the company, with our
partners and customers, are the key to our success. As a
team, we work together, celebrate successes, recover
from failures, and grow.
Our company culture prioritizes needs over wants.
When possible, we put the needs of our customers and
partners first. We locate our operations in small towns
and communities where jobs matter and partner with
organizations that believe in giving back to
communities through training and education.
resourceful?
Our NanoBarbs™ and products enhance and
“Transforming
and Revitalizing
Industrial
Commodities.”
36

complement other technologies, industries, and
applications. Examples include aerospace to
biomedical, textiles to metals, space to marine, and
electronics to water purification. Which in turn helps
speed advancements and continue to push that
evolution along. We are helping make things lighter,
stronger, more durable, and safer while developing
more efficient processes and products.
Our nanomaterials compliment industries and
applications far and wide.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run
and what are your future goals for BNNano?
As one of the founders of BNNano and the current
CEO, I believe we are just getting started. Every day we
interact with people who share our excitement and
vision for nanotechnology. While I plan to continue
promoting our company and products, I also hope to
advocate for the wider application of nanotechnology
and plan to take a leading role in educating the public
about the current and future potential for
nanotechnology.
What would be your advice to emerging leaders?
Be open and honest in your communication and treat
everyone with the same respect, courtesy, and
excitement. People understand you may not be able to
give all the details all the time, but they value leaders
who always take the time to communicate with their
teams.
Complex concepts or ideas should be explained in such
a way that everyone can see the benefits. Do not use
your technology, expertise, or position as a shield to
keep people out or to bring people in.
Remember that success may be determined not by the
individuals you first meet but by the networks and
contacts you build. We have been introduced to a
number of customers and partners through our initial
contacts.
37

The 10 Most Inspiring CEOs Making a Difference in 2022.pdf

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