Professional Documents
Culture Documents
WORLD'S MOST
EXEMPLARY FEMALE UNVEiLiNG THE
LEADERS EMPATHETIC
TO FOLLOW iN 2023. LEADERSHiP BY
COMMiTTiNG TO
PERSONAL VALUES &
PROBLEM-SOLViNG
BREAKiNG BARRiERS
AND IMPACTiNG
A MiLLiON LiVES 36
EMPOWERiNG WOMEN
TO SOAR
BEYOND LiMiTS 40
A LEADER iN THE MORTGAGE
CEO
INDUSTRY WHO INSPiRES
THROUGH SELFLESSNESS
AND EMPOWERMENT
46
Lifestyle Properties
MARKOViC
World's Most Exemplary Female
Leaders to Follow in 2023
Leading by Example
The cover has Irena Markovic, the CEO of Lifestyle Also, while you flip through the pages, don't forget to
Properties, is a leader who truly values problem-solving read the articles created by our in-house editorial staff
and strives to comprehend the individuals behind their and industry experts.
roles, whether they are customers or employees. She
believes in the significance of personal values, visions, Have a Lovely Read!
goals, and emotional intelligence within her team.
OCTOBER 2023
Follow us on :
COVER
STORY
08
Irena
Markovic
Unveiling the Empathetic Leadership by
Committing to Personal Values and Problem-Solving
16 Anna Fedosova
20 Bettina Schaller
26 Ellie Shefi
36 Jayanthi Ganapathy
40 Maz Schirmer
46 Pamela Verma
54 Tamara Chase
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AnnaFedosova
Chief Fiduciary Officer
Sunstone Trust Company
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Anna
Fedosova
Serving the Interests of Families and
Individuals who Have Immigrated to
the United States
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BETTINA
SCHALLER
SVP Head Group
Public Affairs
The Adecco Group.
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22 | October 2023
are. I have heavily increased
my bilateral outreach, making
sure that I "check in" on
colleagues regularly. And I am
very aware of my
communication style as so
much gets done without human
interaction.
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Isabela
Amie Garcia
A Seasoned and Skilled Attorney with Unwavering
Commitment to Her Clients and Her Community
I
represents prestigious clients,
including entrepreneurs,
physicians, lawyers, professional
athletes, and public servants.
Being bilingual, she can offer
legal services to clients who
speak both Spanish and English.
With an impressive seven-year
track record, she is recognized
as one of the top family law
attorneys in Texas.
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Isabela specializes in family and divorce law,
and before founding Garcia-Windsor, P.C., she
worked as a legal and judicial intern as well as a
legal research assistant for several years. As the
leader of her team, her role is to lead by
example, establish high standards for
professionalism and customer service, and keep
communication channels open with all clients.
The most enjoyable aspect of her day involves
using her creativity to develop and manage
various tasks. Isabela and her team have plans
to broaden their presence in Texas by
expanding their offices and establishing
international partnerships that will enhance the
firm's ability to serve its clients. Ms. Garcia
asserts, "While the idea to open my own firm came
out of necessity due to a scarcity of available jobs
in boutique firms at the time, my inspiration was
fuelled by the mentors around me that made space
for me, and I felt encouraged by the fact that I, in
turn, am making space for other attorneys."
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36 | October 2023
Breaking Barriers and
ayanthi
Impacting a Million Lives
J Ganapathy
Jayanthi "Jay" Ganapathy, the courageous and visionary founder and
CEO of FinAccurate, has shattered gender and racial barriers to
emerge as a successful woman of color and immigrant entrepreneur.
Driven by a mission to positively impact the lives of one million
employees, one million customers, and one million people, Jay has
established FinAccurate as a brand with a purpose.
But Jay is not just a typical business leader. She is a tireless worker
who is committed to achieving her mission through education and
spreading happiness to a million people. Her dedication and
unwavering focus on her goals have made her a truly exceptional and
inspiring leader.
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North American branch, where she persevered through obstacles such as
worked as a corporate accountant and acquiring her first few accounting
The
manager of accounting operations. and taxation clients, ensuring that her
business was profitable enough to
Despite her extensive corporate cover both personal and business
experience, starting her own expenses, and more. Despite these
accounting firm in June 2015 difficulties, Jay remained resolute in
presented Jay with significant her pursuit of success.
challenges and obstacles. She had no
The Journey to Achieving prior experience or expertise in Eventually, her hard work paid off,
Expertise navigating the early stages of a start- and she landed a significant
up venture. Despite this, Jay international client from Europe,
Jay's professional background in persevered with unwavering faith, marking a turning point for her
accounting began at Philips choosing to remain steadfast in her business. Since then, her accounting
Electronics, one of the world's commitment rather than strategizing firm has continued to grow and
leading electronic companies. She solutions. flourish, earning a reputation for
held various roles, including assistant reliability, professionalism, and
manager of financial services at Jay's unwavering determination and exceptional service.
Philips Electronics India. She later commitment enabled her to
moved to the Australian branch of overcome a myriad of challenges in Supporting Small Business
Philips Electronics as a financial the early stages of her business. She
accountant before transitioning to the FinAccurate LLC is an accounting
firm that is focused on delivering
38 | October 2023
business sense. The company is Fortune 100 companies receive. their best, provide exceptional
based on the core foundation of Jayanthi Ganapathy founded service, and continuously merge
helping small business owners FinAccurate to bring concepts and advanced technology with practical
understand their critical financial best practices used by Fortune 100 applications to enhance their clients'
statements and cash flow positions in companies to SMB owners.It is her experiences. There are numerous
order to make well informed mission to help drive profitability and chances to redefine what FinAccurate
decisions. This has a positive impact operational efficiencies by offering delivers and improve its ability to
on the growth of the small business quality bookkeeping, accounting, and advance the accounting industry.
through increased cash flow, tax advisory services. Therefore, FinAccurate embraces
increased revenue and profitability, challenges as growth opportunities
and reduced taxes.. Making Competition a Way to and a way to distinguish themselves
Excellence from their competitors.
At FinAccurate, the team believes
that small businesses deserve the Jay discovers that competition
same kind of attention to detail and doesn't scare or disturb the company.
quality accounting services that Instead, it motivates them to achieve
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Vice-President, CFO | Lend At Ease
46 | October 2023
Pamela
Verma
A Leader in the Mortgage Industry Who Inspires
Through Selflessness and Empowerment
Pamela's work ethic can be traced back to her childhood, where she
learned the value of pu ng your best effort into everything you do. It's
this belief that has driven her to become one of the most trusted and
respected mortgage brokers in the industry. Her extreme confidence in
her abili es and her unwavering belief that she can help in almost any
situa on have earned her the trust of clients and colleagues alike.
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Woman on a Mission stressful situations, and her clients The Empowering Work Culture
know that she will always have their
With a passion for helping others and best interests at heart. According to Pamela, Lend At Ease
a drive to maximize the career is committed to investing in its
development of her team, Pamela is a In an industry where the demands are people and supporting them in
force to be reckoned within the high and the challenges are many, achieving their full potential. Lend
mortgage industry. But it's not just Pamela's hard work and persistence At Ease's innovative solutions and
about business for Pamela. She also have made her a true success story. processes have helped numerous
believes in giving back to her She is a role model for anyone clients in Ontario achieve their home
community through volunteering and looking to achieve great things finance goals.
fundraising initiatives. Her ultimate through dedication, commitment, and
goal is to make others happy, and she a never-give-up attitude. Lend At Ease strives to cultivate a
does so with a benevolent attitude culture of inspiration and motivation
that endears her to many. Simplifying the Process and upholds its values of excellence,
dedication, and involvement by
Pamela's career began at United Pamela and her business partner providing exceptional service to its
Airlines, where she was responsible Nick aim to simplify the mortgage clients. The company's guiding
for ensuring top-notch customer transaction process for all their principles include absolute integrity,
service for high-end clients in clients and differentiate themselves in-depth expertise, sound market
London, England. Her commitment from other companies by offering knowledge, highly trained agents,
to going above and beyond the call of exceptional service. Having recently and putting clients first. Lend At Ease
duty made her a top performer in her immigrated to Canada, Pamela was conducts business with the utmost
category, and she brings that same familiar with the challenges that integrity and ensures that its agents
drive to support Lend At Ease many people face in understanding are equipped with the expertise and
mortgage brokers and mortgage the intricacies of the mortgage market knowledge necessary to serve
agents. Pamela's motivational skills process and managing home clients effectively. The company's
empower professionals both inside financing. At Lend At Ease, they focus is always on putting the needs
and outside of the industry. offer a range of services, including of its clients first.
home purchase, refinancing, renewal,
But Pamela's impact extends beyond debt consolidation, home equity lines At the firm, innovative ideas are
the workplace. She loves to celebrate of credit, commercial financing, highly valued as they are essential
major festivities and birthdays in a credit cards, and secured and for the company's growth and
special fashion, demonstrating her unsecured personal loans. Private demonstrate a commitment to staying
caring nature and ability to connect lending is also available. up-to-date with the latest trends. This
with others on a personal level. It's not only helps to solidify the
no wonder that Pamela is regarded as Lend At Ease embraces the corporate company's reputation, but also
a selfless and inspiring leader, whose identity of "Empowering Solutions," provides clients with a wider range
dedication to others is nothing short which embodies its philosophy and of options to meet their financial
of extraordinary. core values of trust, expertise, and needs. In the ever-evolving mortgage
accessibility. The brand identity sets industry, companies must avoid
The Success Mantra it apart from the competition by complacency and strive to
emphasizing its focus on customer continuously grow and evolve, which
As a Mortgage Broker, Pamela relationships, friendly service, and is why Lend At Ease places such
understands the importance of innovative products. Through its great emphasis on innovation.
building strong relationships with partnership with clients, the company
clients and lenders. It's this ability to empowers them to improve their Believing in Teamwork
connect with others on a personal lives, families, finances,
level that sets her apart from the rest. relationships, and futures. According to Pamela, team processes
She has a unique way of making are the most crucial aspect for
people feel at ease, even in the most organizations. Success is not solely
48 | October 2023
dependent on one individual, but rather on the collective facilitating the training and onboarding of all agents and
efforts of many individuals working together. It is brokers.
important for each team member to focus on their own
personal development, as well as supporting the growth Pamela's daily routine begins with entering the office and
and development of their colleagues. greeting her staff and business partner, Nick, which
provides positive energy and sets a productive tone for
To further drive growth within the organization, the day. She then meets with Nick over a cup of tea to
innovative ideas are necessary, but it is equally important review and outline new innovative strategies for the
to involve many individuals in the evaluation and company. Pamela believes that starting each day with a
implementation processes. Every Lend At Ease team positive attitude and a productive meeting is essential for
member is encouraged to contribute their unique boosting team morale and productivity, which are crucial
perspectives and ideas to help the company evolve and to the success of the company.
succeed.
Pamela's advice for aspiring leaders is to have courage
Responsibilities that Come with Leadership and pursue their passion. She encourages others to not let
anything hinder their path towards success. As an
As the Vice President of Lend At Ease, Pamela has immigrant to Canada, Pamela faced difficulties adjusting
several key responsibilities, including supervising the to a new country but was able to achieve success as an
operations of the mortgage brokerage, ensuring that all entrepreneur due to her determination, perseverance, and
brokers and agents adhere to industry regulations and enthusiasm. She believes that with the same qualities,
requirements, managing the finances of the company, anyone can attain success in their chosen field.
overseeing marketing initiatives and ensuring
compliance and aesthetics of new campaigns, and
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Tamara Chase
Defied the Male Dominated Roofing Standard
with Her Feminine Leadership Style
Core values play a critical role in a the company. In the early 2000s, the company shifted its
focus from general contracting to roofing after a negative
company's growth. When
experience with their own roof replacement project led
established effectively, they can them to realize the need for a better homeowner experience.
boost employees' dedication and
motivation, leading to job After collaborating with a successful roofing crew for
satisfaction and a positive several years, they began building roofs for those in need
after a series of devastating storms hit Florida, and the
attitude towards work. Managing
governor issued an executive order allowing residential
values efficiently is crucial, as contractors to pull roofing permits. In 2005, they officially
they can significantly impact a founded Chase Roofing as a dba, marking the start of their
company's performance. Proper successful roofing business.
utilization of a company's
When Hurricane Wilma hit South Florida, the couple's
fundamental principles can
home and newly formed roofing business were left without
facilitate business expansion. power for several weeks. However, they persisted and
Tamara Chase, the co-owner of managed to keep the business running using a generator,
Chase Roofing, has a clear laptop, and printer to work with carbon copy contracts.
understanding of the company's From that point on, they decided to focus solely on roofing
and never returned to general contracting, marking the
values, which include quality and
official beginning of Chase Roofing.
compassion. These values serve
as a guide for the desired Over the years, they adopted a servant leadership approach
outcomes she aims to achieve. and prioritized building long-lasting relationships with their
clients over making quick profits, leading to business
expansion. In 2010, Tamara discovered her passion for
Foundation of Chase Roofing
leadership and took control of the company's operations,
while her husband shifted his focus to sales and found ways
Originally intending to pursue a career in law,
to serve the customer for a lifetime and not just that initial
Tamara's plans changed when she was unable
interaction.
to gain admission to a local law school while
her children were in middle school. Instead,
Best Version of Herself
she joined her husband's handyman company,
which he co-owned with another partner.
Tamara is deeply committed to her work and finds great
However, due to different objectives, the
fulfillment in her role as a roofing contractor. She enjoys
partnership dissolved, and Tamara saw an
interacting with people, building relationships, and
opportunity to start a business with her
engaging in strategic planning throughout her day. One of
husband. She initially took on the role of
her core beliefs is that everyone deserves opportunities and
business development, handling the legalities,
support, and she is a strong advocate for women in
permits, and insurance requirements to start
business, inspiring them to succeed and achieve their goals.
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Tamara finds great joy in contributing Employee growth and development are challenges and have continued to refine
to the success of others and witnessing also central to the company's culture, their business practices over time to
their happiness, which is one of her and Tamara encourages her team to ensure the company's long-term
greatest sources of fulfillment. She adopt a similar mindset and remain success. The owner is the only one
takes pride in being the best version of open to fresh perspectives. By who has the ability to align everyone
herself and is passionate about giving prioritizing these values, she aims to around a shared vision and then
back to her community. create a supportive and empowering maintain a positive work environment.
work environment that benefits Tamara asserts that despite the busy
Tamara now has the opportunity to everyone on the team. This fosters a schedule, it's critical to maintain
follow her passions through Chase culture of innovation and contact with the team. The bottom line
Roofing, much like she did with the experimentation while also assisting should always be considered. The
nonprofit organization Emerge them in remaining creative and health of the business depends on
Movement, which she founded a few adapting to changes in the business. profit.
years ago. "Be the CEO your mom told The company aims to take care of its
you to marry," is her motto. Her most employees and keep them happy and Recommendations of the day
recent adventure focuses on engaged. This results in content team
construction sector couples. Couples members who look after the clients, Tamara believes relationships are the
who own and run construction who then look after the business. root of all of her successes as she looks
companies jointly face a unique set of Tamara says, "I am very proud of the back over the past twenty years.
difficulties on top of the many other company our team has built together.” There are so many opportunities to
responsibilities that construction learn skill-sets in business. She advises
companies already have. These couples Obstacles seldom obstruct the maintaining good relationships with
may also have a significant amount of horizon stakeholders to have peers to look up
personal partnership challenges, such to and that will hold you accountable.
as feeling imprisoned, unheard, "I believe in challenging the status quo She also advises to learn the true
unseen, or underappreciated. When and thinking outside the box"- Tamara overhead costs associated with
there is no time for fun, it might be says business so that one can charge
difficult to know when to stop working. appropriately. She adds, "remember
Is it even feasible to strike a balance? Tamara faced several challenges when cash is king… watch your cash-flow
Throughout the years, Tamara has starting the business, including the and save for a rainy day, they are
created several programs, such as issue of not fully understanding the definitely coming.”
retreats, masterminds, and trainings, to true overhead costs. Initially, they
assist owner-operator couples in the based job pricing on market rates Tamara urges one to learn one's own
construction sector. She brings a rather than practical considerations, leadership style and always seek to
wealth of knowledge, skills, training, which nearly led to the company going learn something new to grow. She
and kindness to the table in order to out of business. This experience forced encourages to stay updated on
support couples. them to delve deeper into business customer's requirements. "Every year
dynamics and learn more about ask yourself, 'Who am I serving and
Employee Growth and Development financial management. how' the answer will change as your
business grows and you need to adapt."
As a woman working in a male- Another significant challenge was cash Tamara provokes.
dominated field, Tamara recognizes the flow management, which has been an
importance of creating an inclusive ongoing learning process for the
environment. This starts with recruiting company. Developing effective
a diverse team and fostering a culture systems and processes to manage cash
where everyone's opinions and talents flow requires considerable effort, and
are valued. Collaboration is crucial to the team has had to work hard to
this effort, as it allows individuals to optimize their approach.
leverage each other's strengths and
work together towards a shared goal. Tamara and her team have learned
many valuable lessons from these
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