Professional Documents
Culture Documents
THE MOST
ADMIRED
WOMEN
LEADERS
Sonica Aron
Managing Partner
IN BUSINESS 2022
www.tycoonsuccess.com
Cover Story
08
Sonica Aron
Changing Peoples'
Lives for Better
CXO
26 40
Why Do We Kaleem & Madeeha
Need More The migrants who
Digital Leader In revolutionised the South
The Insurance Australian businesses
Industry?
CONTENTS Kamales Lardi
14 Moving Businesses into
the Digital Age with
Brainchild Endeavour Lardi
& Partner Consulting
Karin Volo
20 Leading A Novel Training
Firm, Evoloshen Academy
Bringing Joy to the Workplace
Yoana Boyanova
44 Helping Organization
to Make the World a
Better Place
Manisha Karmarkar
34 Breaking Glass Ceilings
in the Field of Medicine
Lexis Serot
28 A Thought-Provoking Leader,
Humanitarian, and a Doting
Mother Setting New Benchmarks
Editor In Chief Prashant C.
Managing Editor Ehsan Jami
Publishing Control Team Alexis, Michael
sales@tycoonsuccess.com
www.tycoonsuccess.com
Editorial
Desk
THE MOST
grow and flourish in both their professional and
personal lives, enabling them to thrive on their own
ADMIRED path, based on their own professional and personal
WOMEN priorities. Their expertise and thought leadership are
LEADERS
fuelling organizations' impressive success. In a country
like India where most of the women aren't encouraged
IN BUSINESS 2022 to think big, there are some who have soared higher
than one would expect from a constrictive setup.
W
ith the constant development in the start- These wonder women are inspiring other ladies to
up ecosystem, more and more women are venture on the path of start-ups through the stories of
chasing the entrepreneurial dream and their personal struggles and challenges. Our current
succeeding in their ventures. Women leadership in edition speaks of such inspiring stories of women
today’s world has been on a rising graph in the recent entrepreneurs who are disabling the think-leader-
years. In this day and age, we can proudly say that think-male norm and touching the sky. The number of
women leadership is not an obscure concept any female founders shining in our country will only rise,
longer. Women are in the news every day, ruling all and we could not be prouder of our women.
segments of industry and all facets of life. Successful
Flip the pages and Happy reading…!!
women leaders and subject matter experts who have
created a very strong knowledge pool are helping Tycoon Success Magazine
innovators to shape ideas into reality. editor@tycoonsuccess.com
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022
SONICA
ARON
Changing Peoples' Lives for Better
Cover Story
’
your life are the day you are born
and the day you nd out why.
– Mark Twain
Sonica Aron
Managing Partner
city as well as in remote areas. This experience
helped her realize, how diverse people viewed
women workforce, worked with, and dealt with
them.
C
oming from a family of doctors. The youngest of
intent and are taking a holistic approach- through
three siblings, no one in Sonica Aron's family
inclusive policies, processes, driving mindset change,
has studied or practiced business management.
inclusive leadership, communication, and decision
So, this was a completely new world for Sonica. From
making.
having medical discussions at the dinner table as a child
to today where she and her family talk about social
Making a Tangible Difference in Peoples' Lives
justice, gender expression, awareness about disabilities,
and inclusion.
As a consulting organization, Marching Sheep had to
evolve with the evolving times. During the pandemic,
Sonica is an HR professional with more than 2 decades
the company had conducted extensive industry
of experience. She has completed her graduation
engagement and came up with interventions that were
from XLRI Jamshedpur, which is also one of the sought-
specific to clients' needs in turbulent times.
after institutes for studying Human Resources in India.
While working at PepsiCo, Sonica was exposed to
The organization has also observed the evolving role of
diverse roles and geographies. She worked in sales and
HR as strategic partners in business recovery, continuity,
sales HR. She worked in a factory. She also worked in a
and growth. So, Marching Sheep has curated an action
learning-based strategic HR business partnering through the facilitation of insights, reflection, and
certification, and in partnership with FICCI Quality practice.
Forum, has been successfully running programs that
have been attended by HR professionals from different • Health and Wellness Portfolio: Marching Sheep
companies. believes, wellness nowadays includes emotional,
mental, and physical wellbeing. While things like
In order to stay true to its vision of making a tangible insurance can take care of the physical part, a massive
difference in peoples' lives and careers, Marching Sheep awareness and life-skill building are needed to handle
needs to stay in touch with its client organizations and issues like stress, burnout, and anxiety. The best part
people. So, the organization also carries out various non- is, Marching Sheep enables all the individuals to
commercial campaigns including, Marching with Pride, become emotionally resilient by identifying their
where the company engaged with people from the stress triggers, their own stress responses, and coping
LGBTQIA+ community to understand their lives and mechanisms and hence more productive, personally,
what would take it to make organizations inclusive for and professionally. According to Sonica, the company
them. Another Campaign was 21 Marching, where they does this with programs curated after research, and
met with 21 persons with disabilities to help spread with the help of clinical psychologists.
awareness about the 21 disabilities covered under the
RPWD act 2016. The Inception Story
Marching Sheep provides four main services, which are; Before founding Marching Sheep in 2013, Sonica used
to be on the other side, as an HR Head. However, her
• Diversity & Inclusion Strategies and Interventions: biggest issue with that was, they would engage a
The organization truly believes that inclusive consultant, carry out an intervention, and incur costs yet
organizations are much more productive and there would be no tangible change post the event. So, she
Marching Sheep partners with client organisations to along with the team drew the blueprint of Marching
arrive at their inclusion and diversity charters and Sheep on how they would approach each assignment,
strategy through a diversity diagnostic, chart out and what they would achieve at the end of the
executable plans, and also partner with the execution, assignment. For her, leaving a tangible impact is
drive mindset change, and culture building. extremely critical.
• Human Resource Consulting: Organizations need The second factor was that she was already the head of
their HR strategy, policies, and processes to enable HR position by 2012, and it was the time for Sonica to
employees to deliver on the business strategy and evaluate her next steps for herself, in her context. With
goals. Marching Sheep works closely with its client her husband's career growing parallelly, two young kids,
organizations in order to streamline the vision, and three sets of aging parents and grandparents, Sonica
mission, values, behavioural frameworks, policies, was seeking a career path, where she could contribute,
practices, HR strategy, and socialization, and drive and get the satisfaction of making a difference on her
communication, internal Leadership, managerial terms.
capability to enable the same.
Marching Sheep has clients across various industries.
• Bespoke learning interventions: Sonica believes that The organization has worked with different global
the world has significantly changed during the last MNCs, and Indian Conglomerates, funded start-ups,
two years of the pandemic. As the socio-economic emerging organizations, and large giants. It has worked
fabric is slowly evolving, the competencies needed to in sectors like FMCG, FMCD, manufacturing, power,
succeed at work are also changing. Marching Sheep and infrastructure, BPO/KPO, IT and ITeS, Financial
work with clients in order to enable individual sectors.
contributors, managers, and leaders to succeed by
building the right competencies. The organization As a company, Marching Sheep has also successfully
curates each intervention to drive the right behaviours built relationships with clients based on the Quality of its
delivery. Sonica and her team always deliver what
they commit and on time. The Marching Sheep
team spends quite a lot of time understanding
customer pain points and offering a solution that
will eventually solve the real issue.
Tackling Challenges
14 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
Kamales
Lardi Moving Businesses into the Digital Age with
Brainchild Endeavour Lardi & Partner Consulting
MAY 2022 15
Council Women Executives group and a dynamic and of challenges such as women getting fewer opportunities in
influential speaker. the field, struggling to gain funding, not receiving the
credibility or recognition that they deserve for their work,
Lardi & Partner Consulting, Transforming Traditional or even manifest in the technology solutions being
Business Models developed because of the lack of diversity in the
development teams. This challenge should be addressed at
Lardi & Partner Consulting GmbH is a boutique various levels to be effective, including education, support,
consultancy specializing in digital business transformation and deliberate actions and policies to enhance diversity –
and emerging technologies. We enable organizations to not just across gender but in every area.”
transform traditional business models, processes, and
operations to meet the needs of the digital economy and What Fascinates You the Most about Running your own
customer experience. We help companies define their Business?
customer's needs and identify the best ways to utilize digital
and emerging technologies across the business value chain “I take an active role in every client engagement that we
to gain sustainable returns. deliver. I like working with clients and each company is
unique, bringing new experiences, challenges, and
The firm provides advisory services to mostly multinational opportunities. I find this fascinating and exciting. Also, the
companies across various industries in Europe, Asia, and best part for me is seeing our solutions and advisory
Africa. In addition, over the years they have also advised moving from vision to action, driving transformation in the
SMEs, start-ups, and the public sector. company, and delivering real business results. This brings
satisfaction and motivates me to keep doing what I do”,
Kamales's focus on creating value in business enabled by shared Kamales while disclosing the fascinating part in her
technology has helped the Lardi & Partner Consulting firm business role.
stand out. She often says, 'technology is not a silver bullet
solution, a clear value proposition should drive any “By running my own business, I have full control over the
transformation effort'. This approach resonates well with types of projects we do, who we work with, and what kind of
many business leaders and has helped her stand out in the results we can bring. For example, we usually work with
digital space. multinational corporations, however, if there is an
interesting project with a small company or start-up, we
The Impacts of Covid-19 could still take it on. I am also excited about exploring new
capabilities and skills. For example, back in 2016, many
COVID-19 has shifted mindsets towards greater adoption clients asked about the impact of blockchain and crypto in
of technology and digital platforms. As experts in Digital their business. This led me to deep dive into the topic,
Transformation, Kamales and her team have extensive including understanding the technology and programming
implementation experience in this space and actively in this scape and eventually designing and building a
support companies in driving. They have taken a people- blockchain-based traceability solution for the agriculture
first approach that focuses on team wellness and prioritizing supply chain”, she further added.
clients in their work. This works well as they have strong
personal relationships with their clients and understand Awards and Milestones on the Way
their personal and business challenges. In addition, their
capabilities in business transformation and emerging The company has hit the 10-year milestone for the business
technology solutions are exactly what companies need now this year and they are still going strong. This is a big
to create business continuity and resilience. achievement considering the competitive market. Lardi &
Partner Consulting has been honored with the 2020 Global
From the CEO's Desk Corporate Excellence Award from Business Worldwide
Magazine in the category 'Digital Business Transformation
When asked about her views on challenges faced Firm of the Year'. In addition, Kamales Lardi has received
by women entrepreneurs and advice to overcome them, numerous awards including:
Kamales said “I do believe there is still a certain level of
bias, conscious or unconscious, in the field of tech, • “Top 10 Global Influencers & Thought Leaders in
entrepreneurship, and business. This could relate to a range Digital Transformation” (Thinkers360, 2021)
16 MAY 2022
• The Top 50 Women in Tech - Influencers to Follow Don't limit yourself to what others or society or even you
(2021) think you should be doing. The possibilities are unlimited,
• Top 20 visionaries of the media and technology industry as long as you are bold and take a leap of faith in yourself.
(Adello Magazine, 2021) Build the right capabilities and experience required to
• First-ever Forbes Business Council Women Executives succeed, but remember you do not need to be 100% ready,
Chair (2021) leverage teams that can help you build the right capabilities.
• Women in Fintech Powerlist (2017)
MAY 2022 17
Karin Volo
CEO
20 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
Karin
Volo Leading A Novel Training Firm, Evoloshen
Academy Bringing Joy to the Workplace
S
tanding strong on the sturdy shoulders of a performance. Aside from becoming an expert in culture,
flourishing businesswoman, a global leader, an employee engagement, personal and organizational
employee engagement expert, and a recognized development, she is an international bestselling author.
HR Influencer, Karin Volo, CEO, Evoloshen Academy She is also an accomplished inspirational speaker and a
endeavours to guide employees to be empowered, Certified C-IQ™ Coach. Her purpose is bringing joy to
engaged, and help them reach their full potential. the workplace.
Evoloshen transforms business through culture. It is the
team of expert trust advisors to CEOs, CHRO's, and top Further Karin apprised “I've had my own company
management teams to help them work strategically on since 2003 when I started an Executive Search firm
culture issues. in Sweden. My work has evolved from taking the best
talent out of companies to helping companies keep
With over 20 years of experience working with Fortune their talent through working on their culture. The
500 companies globally, this inspiring leader has insights catalyst for this change came from writing a book
on business building, cultural transformation, and high called Engage! in 2012 which became an international
MAY 2022 21
bestseller. It lead to me speaking on culture, engagement, Academy to stay ahead, Karin said, “We rely a lot on
trust, and purpose and developing impactful training word of mouth and recommendations. Giving value and
programs in these areas.” building strong relationships over time builds high levels
of trust. I also have a podcast called The Amazing
Successful Clientele & Core Values Leader Series where I love to showcase progressive
CEOs and leaders who are proving that working with
Evoloshen Academy works actively with progressive culture is great for business because they are actually
CEOs and CHROs who understand the value of culture. doing it. This provides a lot of value and inspiration to
They have worked with a number of industries and types leaders. In addition, we have published a number of free
of organizations from fast-growing tech companies, reports on our website that have great value and
global consulting firms, manufacturing, private equity, information to help support people who want to learn
and governmental agencies to give some examples. more about cultural transformation.”
The core is focused on developing and training Challenges for Women Entrepreneurs & Karin's
employees to be empowered, engaged, and to help them Views
reach their full potential. They have training programs
such as Ignite Your Trust Factor, am International She finds it tough to generalize this. She says we all have
Cultural Engagement Specialist certification, and our own experiences and journeys we are on. Women
Discovering Your Purpose. need to support each other and lift each other up as much
as possible. In Karin's view, young women feel pressure
The deeper they are able to work with their clients, the to balance between their personal/family lives and their
stronger the trust and relationships grow. Besides professional lives. She has noticed that once kids are
training, they have expanded to offer coaching and group grown, women seem to step into their power. They have
masterminding as well. This has developed from their a lot of drive and energy and can really make an impact.
clients asking the team to support them even more. And she always encourages mothers to enjoy their time
with their children because they grow up too quickly! It's
Progressing In Entrepreneurship important to enjoy each stage of life and know that the
journey is constantly changing. When you can embrace
The absolute key is to know your purpose! Evoloshen the phase of life you are in and truly appreciate it, that
aims to bring joy to the workplace and that is what drives helps to handle the ups and downs that life will bring
Karin and her team every day. They know the power of your way no matter what. It's a part of the human
reaching their full potential and thriving. They share experience. So why not enjoy it along the way?
tools and knowledge that are empowering and help
people understand who they are. As an entrepreneur, Karin's Daily Routine
Karin finds it as the complete commitment to a bigger
purpose that will drive her through the challenging times. “With an ideal day, I normally wake up around 6:30 or
It gives inner confidence and commitment to never give 7:00. I like to enjoy my mornings by easing into the day,
up and to keep going forward no matter what. working out at home, drinking my daily green smoothie
and walking my dog. My days are always different based
From the CEO's Desk on the projects I'm working on, which I normally have
two to three at a time. It often includes meetings with
The two biggest challenges I'm looking at currently are clients and/or my team, sometimes preparing for
how best to grow my business and to offload many of my workshops, writing articles, checking emails, making
daily tasks and projects. As a leader, I'm evolving and videos, working on web pages”, Karin shared when
growing as well. This is why I'm a big believer in asked about her daily routine.
coaching and mentoring! It helps along the way and can
save a lot of time and mistakes. Milestones & Future Roadmap
While talking about the branding strategies of Evoloshen Evoloshen has been recognized as one of the Top 10
22 MAY 2022
The world needs women
entrepreneurs now more than
ever. Women are naturally
caring and nurturing and the
business world is changing to
be more supportive on a
human-to-human level. Karin
believes that will make it even
easier for women to be
themselves and step into their
power. There is nothing that
can hold female power back
and their time is now!
MAY 2022 23
Why Do We
Need More
Digital Leader In
The Insurance
Industry?
26 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
Erika Kr san
Managing Director
MAY 2022 27
Lexis Noel Serot
Founder & CEO
28 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
Lexis
Serot A Thought-Provoking Leader, Humanitarian, and a
Doting Mother Setting New Benchmarks
MAY 2022 29
is personal and relatable to her community because every equipment suppliers such as NuMotion to identify used
progress milestone for a person with disabilities is a little equipment that can fulfill the needs of LittleWins
win for them and their family. community members. She connects regularly with other
entrepreneurs – such as Communikind founder Cimeran
All About LittleWins Kapur– and promotes their services on LittleWins.
One in six children and one in four adults in the U.S. She joined forces with another woman entrepreneur,
have a physical, developmental, behavioral, or sensory Hotsy Totsy Haus CEO Christi Leonardi, a deaf single
impairment. Most can't afford the durable medical mother, to create LittleWins-branded, natural ingredient
equipment they need or wait months for insurance bath bombs, that are now being sold, on the LittleWins
companies to approve it. website.
Lexis believes that access to equipment and supplies Lexis regularly works with NuMotion, National Seating
should be simple. The mom of four, including a daughter & Mobility, the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, and
who has cerebral palsy, founded LittleWins.com to Clearbrook.org, which empowers adults and children
connect and support people with disabilities and with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live
individuals who actively work to provide a better quality their fullest lives possible.
of life for others.
Building a Resourceful Community
LittleWins.com harnesses the power of the community to
help its members buy, sell or donate medical equipment, Lexis's relentless efforts to build an online community of
get information, and connect with others. Members list people with disabilities have paid huge dividends. More
and browse equipment by category and location on the than 6,000 followers now visit LittleWins.Facebook and
company's website. They connect directly with buyers Instagram pages; and 800+ visitors go to the LittleWins
and sellers through the site's app. They share tips, website every week. To date, LittleWins.com's 7,500 +
experiences, and advice on LittleWins' social pages. community members have donated, purchased, or
exchanged more than 200 pieces of equipment. They
“People with disabilities deserve to say, 'there is nothing also exchange experiences and advice daily on the site's
I'm not worthy of.' LittleWins goes to bat for every one secure messaging app.
of them,” says Lexis.
The Team LittleWins “Empowering Communities and
Since 2018, Lexis has continually adapted the Smashing Stereotypes” Private Facebook Group. Now
LittleWins.com website with web and e-commerce 400 members strong, the Group, led by Lexis, is a
developers. She directs a marketing assistant and platform for families and people with disabilities to share
marketing communications agency. She works closely their stories, provide advice and experiences on products
with her legal and financial advisors. She collaborates and services and provide mutual encouragement.
with regional and national organizations that support
people with disabilities. She partners with other After launching LittleWins.com in 2019, Lexis began to
entrepreneurs, who offer products and services to her explore how the site could serve her community's needs
community. She created and posts regularly on beyond durable medical equipment. To build the
LittleWins' online support forum, receiving and LittleWins brand, she launched a line of LittleWins
providing feedback to help people with disabilities and apparel – beanies, trucker hats, and t-shirts.
the families that support them live their best lives.
The LittleWins blog and podcast feature educational
Coming Together for fulfilling a Bigger Purpose posts, stories about her clients, inspirational leaders in
the disability movement, interviews with durable
Lexis is a passionate advocate and cheerleader of the medical equipment and adaptive technology experts, and
work of national and local organizations that serve more.
people with disabilities. She works with durable medical
30 MAY 2022
Lexis continually mines feedback from the company's Lexis's Ultimate Vision
surveys and emails that can inform how it can create (or
support) solutions to common challenges for people with In addition to her day-to-day leadership of
disabilities. She is preparing to launch a medical supply LittleWins.com and full-time care of her four young
subscription box program that will provide people with children, Lexis's entrepreneurial spirit, drive, and
disabilities and their families exactly the right supplies relentless pursuit of growth for LittleWins.com are
they need, when and how they need them. rooted in her desire to help others. Her deep belief in the
unique service she's created, her ability to tell her
Combined, these initiatives are raising awareness of personal story, and her talent for connecting with people
LittleWins' mutually-supportive community, and the who share her vision and journey.
used durable medical equipment items that are available
on LittleWins.com She believes that community-based models – supportive
online villages like LittleWins – can re-unite everyone to
The Big Wins of LittleWins solve shared challenges, reach common goals, and make
sure everyone has an equal shot at success. Through the
During the past year, Lexis launched two new projects, COVID-19 pandemic, she has used the power of online
with a third about to launch. LittleWins teamed up with communication to tell the stories of her customers and
Dine-It-4ward to raise money for the Cerebral Palsy her community.
Foundation.
The Road Ahead
LittleWins sponsors events that, support services for
people with disabilities, such as the abilities Expo, Lexis envisions a world that values people of all abilities
Virtual Run/Walk of Clearbrook, a leader in creating – a world that actively supports their right to the help,
innovative opportunities, services, and support for equipment, and services that help them achieve their full
people with disabilities; Farm Fresh Food Bank, The potential. She reckons that everyone's attitudes toward
Kids Equipment Network, and front line responders. She people with disabilities are improving, she believes -
also put together the first-ever music festival to pointing to companies whose policies and practices
accommodate people with disabilities this past summer. support workplace equality. “But we still have a long
way to go,” she notes. “We must celebrate and tap into
She's donated hospital beds to people who needed them our differences on a much broader level.”
during the start of stay-at-home orders. For this effort,
Lexis took out an ad to reach people who had hospital Lexis exemplifies leadership in 2022 – an entrepreneur
beds but no longer needed them. She picked the beds up in evolution who derives satisfaction from helping others
from each donor's home, disinfected them, and delivered – and continually finds new ways to serve them a better
them to people who needed them. and brighter future. She has even launched version 3 of
the LittleWins website at the beginning of this year. This
Lexis gives virtual shout-outs to companies that actively version update was spearheaded by the community and
support people with disabilities through their product what they wanted to see from LittleWins and how it
marketing and hiring practices. She shares stories of could be better. The latest update includes a premium
LittleWins community members and their loved ones. membership which allows members a fixed shipping rate
through FedEx and the ability to print their labels at
In 2021, Lexis was named a Top 100 Healthcare home.
Visionaries by the International Forum on Advancements
in Healthcare, previously known as the Smart Health
Conference. She has been asked to be a keynote speaker
at this year's conference, to be held in Dubai. LittleWins
was also awarded honorable mentions, by Fast
Company's 2021 World-Changing Ideas.
MAY 2022 31
Manisha Karmarkar
COO
34 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
Manisha
Karmarkar
Breaking Glass Ceilings in the Field of Medicine
MAY 2022 35
36 MAY 2022
they set for themselves, and to do it in a way that is
‘
affordable to them. And that is what Manisha is most
Passion is energy. excited about.
Feel the power As a hospital, Ruby Hall Clinic has begun to expedite its
that comes from focusing
‘ expansion strategy by focusing on the rapidly growing
demand for innovative and comprehensive solutions to
on what excites you. support the digital transformation of the healthcare
ecosystem, be it automation, artificial intelligence (AI),
or the Internet of Things (IoT)."To be specific, the
hospital has already incorporated a new EMR system, a
for instance the fact that it has been the first to perform successful Lab App actively uses robotics in surgeries,
pioneering robotic surgeries in the city and this number invested in world-class advanced equipment such as the
has now crossed more than 300. Or even the fact that Varian Ethos for cancer care, a hybridcath lab, and a
Ruby Hall has a cutting-edge cancer care facility and an neuro-navigation system amongst others,” she says.
all-women managed breast care clinic among many other Ruby Hall Clinic's purpose is simple: to build a digitally
initiatives. enabled healthcare ecosystem where it actively
collaborates across the continuum of care to improve
The Pandemic Changed Many Things each patient's health outcomes.
Manisha took the reins in the capacity of the COO at Suggestions for Young Entrepreneurs
Ruby Hall Clinic right in the middle of the Covid-19
pandemic. Although she feels it was a big challenge, she When asked for suggestions, Manisha says, “Be
was willing to tackle it head-on. Manisha believes that authentic, be genuine and be fearless. Not everyone will
coronavirus upended life for one and all and as a leader, like your true colors, but people will appreciate your
she continued to do everything in her capability to keep honesty anyway. But showing your true colors means
her patients and employees safe while quickly adapting showing your vulnerabilities, too. Let people know what
to changes in the industry. Be ittechnologically advanced gives you strength, what are your weaknesses, but make
equipment, adopting AI and machine learning, or sure to turn them into strengths later on.”
pivoting tactics and strategies - the pandemic brought
about changes she never imagined. As a leader, Manisha She also adds, “No woman has risen to a leadership
had to display business acumen, healthcare expertise, position without taking a few risks. It's normal to feel
and forward-thinking all at once. Sure, there may have hesitant about what you don't know and what isn't
been challenging days but what mattered is that she took familiar. But don't let that fear restrict you from pursuing
it all in her stride and worked to make a difference when a great idea or goal. Be fearless in the attempt of doing
it mattered the most. something new or challenging!”
MAY 2022 37
Kaleem Usman
Managing Director
Madeeha Usman
Managing Director
KALEEM &
MADEEHA
The migrants who
revolutionised the South
Australian businesses
40 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
“Taking a deep dive into the numbers is a not- While, Kaleem's home-made tax form, was hitting a speedy
so-secret passion for Kaleem and Madeeha, while road to success. Madeeha's business vision towards creating
finding their real joy in creating opportunities a sustainable firm became the backbone of the organisation.
for the migrants. ey are not just Business
“I remember back in the day a client asked me why I was
Partners but a lifelong companion”
using my own Word printout. Everyone else was using
computers and there I was with my piece of paper. But
MAY 2022 41
students at the Oxford University, who are working towards recently recognised for its “Consulting service” and as a
their PHD dream. “Boutique firm” of 2021.
Being recognised as one of the most powerful women in the Creating ability through disability
accounting industry, Madeeha was honoured as an
Ausmumpreneur in 2021. Usman encourages and supports Working with the clients in disability, they realised the
young mothers to create a life of their own dreams. provided service level suffered for the vulnerable. Even
with the proper funding, many individuals with disabilities
Madeeha's mentoring was a compelling one, she always were unable to create an independent lives for themselves.
conveyed the inspirational thought
This is when, Care Assure was born…
– “If you fail don't lose hope because as the wise saying
goes, we can't change the direction of the wind but we can Madeeha and Kaleem founded Care Assure - a disability
certainly adjust the sales” housing and support provider in South Australia.
Yet being one of the most influential women in business, As the directors of Care Assure, we are not about making
you can't just dismiss Madeeha as an accountant. She is also money; the role requires empathy and value creation. And
the author of her recently launched book, “The Women working towards value creation is not easy, it is about
Changing The World” – A story of her life and other constant quality assurance, to ensure your clients are being
powerful women, who choose to lead life the harder way – treated with care and respect.
to set an example for women, who are still doubting their
abilities to build themselves. Providing disability accommodations all over South
Australia, Care Assure is recognised for the seamless
As per Madeeha, “This book is not only for women, but to service experience it provides.
inspire daughters, and sons, for the generations to come”
Wielding Soft Power
“Getting to the top at the expense of another woman is not a
sustainable way to get ahead, and, most importantly, doesn't As directors, it's about more than the sales you do or the
help our case. The only way that women will be seen as money you create; your clients are your centric value. In the
equal in business is by making sure that there are more current times of uncertainity, as organisations we must be
women accomplishing what they deserve in the workforce, sustainable, realistic and exercise quality control. The day
and that takes encouragement” you start working through hierarchy and consider yourself
as a boss! You start to lose your ground as a leader.
“This book is not just stories, but real life journeys,
relatable role models – where women in Australia are Management should value transparency and respect. Not
changing the world through entrepreneurialism, education, just profits or expenditures! Provide your team with the
conscious living, advocacy and innovation”. right resources and respect them for their own individuality.
You will end up having a team of passionate individuals
“Game Changers” exceeding expectations.
42 MAY 2022
Yoana Boyanova
Senior Member Of Technical Staff
44 MAY 2022
The Most Admired Women Leaders in Business 2022 Issue II
Yoana
Boyanova
Helping Organization to Make the World a Better Place
all apps, enabling digital innovation with enterprise With almost six years of experience as a Front-End
control. At the heart of everything it does lie the Developer, Yoana is currently moving into a
responsibility and the opportunity to build a sustainable, managerial role. Prior to joining VMware, Yoana
equitable, and more secure future for all. worked in EPMA Systems. She completed her
bachelor's degree from Sofia University St. Kliment
VMware streamlines the journey for its clients to Ohridski and her master's degree from the New
become digital businesses that deliver a better experience Bulgarian University. Yoana is also a part of a
to its customers and empowers employees to do their non-profit group named 'Women who code”,
best work. Since its foundation in 1998, VMware's which focuses completely on supporting women
employees and ecosystem of over 30,000 partners have in technology.
stood behind the technology innovations transforming
entire industries—from banking, healthcare, and Currently, Yoana works on a leading Cloud-Service
government to retail, telecommunications, Delivery Platform which is part of VMware's Multi-
manufacturing, and transportation. Cloud Program. The organization has a variety of clients
who are mainly service providers, and its product is
Every day, VMware's employees work to solve its critical to their business. For Yoana's team, clients' needs
customers' toughest challenges through disruptive are always with high priority.
MAY 2022 45
46 MAY 2022
people to do that. She is quite excited that she is a part of
‘giveNeverup
a one really big initiative which can bring a lot of
changes to the world right now and she can do a lot with
her work to support it.
is possible
“Don't be afraid that you can fail and that it seems it's a
“men's world”. We live in a modern world and anyone
can achieve anything.” She also adds, “If you need some
inspiration or source of strength, you can contact an
The Journey towards Leadership already successful woman which can help you to grow.
And yes, there are a lot of successful great women out
While at school, Yoana was very good at maths, and the there!”
most perspective career then was to be a software
developer. That's how she moved to Sofia from her Satisfied Clients
hometown to study Information technologies. It was hard
at first and Yoana studied a lot, but only a year and a half “VMware is the glue that holds our multi-cloud strategy
later she got my first job as a junior UI developer. together. It allows us to share resources, tools, and data
Meanwhile, she was studying Project Management at the between Amazon, Google, and our own private cloud
university and soon realized that management is what environments.”- Salvatore Cassara, CIO, SGB-SMIT
she wanted to do. Later Yoana started working for Group
VMware, joined Women Who Code, spoke at several
conferences, and she served as a mentor in an academy “We deployed VMware SD-WAN Edge devices to extend
and mentor to a girl intern. Yoana was performing well the same level of user experience to the home as if our
as a technical team lead for a small team, which helped employees were working onsite.”- Emil Patel, University
her to get recognized, and now she is moving to a of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
manager position. She hopes this will eventually help her
try something new, which can help her gain a lot of “Hyundai AutoEver has been focused on application
experience. modernization with VMware Tanzu and heavily invested
in internalized capabilities like DevSecOps and
Yoana feels the need to align her team goals to the microservices.”- Jung Sik Suh, CEO, Hyundai AutoEver
company's objective and, key results. She says, “We live
in a very dynamic time, and I need to be very agile and
at the same time to step in very fast in my new role.”
MAY 2022 47