The road ahead is full of challenges but adapting to it is the real quality of the leaders. With such an approach, CIOLOOK comes forward with its upcoming edition The 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders Revamping the Future 2021
Business Model Canvas (BMC)- A new venture concept
The 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders Revamping the Future January 2021
1. Connecting Cloud
Is the Cloud
Right For you?
ISSUE 01 | VOL 04
2021
DEAN
BARTLES
AN INGENIOUS MIND
TRANSFORMING ADVANCED
MANUFACTURING
10
LEADERS
BUSINESS
REVAMPING THE
FUTURE 2021
Leader’s Tech
For a better future
2.
3.
4. Advanced Minds
Transforming
Companies
n innovative business leader is one who is a prolific
Areader of business-related journals, magazines, and
newspapers. Additionally, it’s important to stay ahead
of upcoming trends and technologies which can have a direct
impact on leaders in the long run of the business.
Furthermore, an innovative business leader needs to
surround himself or herself with diverse staff and
technological experts which helps for opinions and
challenges in the leadership role from time to time.
Technologies that afford connectivity are important for
leaders as it is a basic step for any startup that should be
employed in its initial stages. They want to see where their
process lacks in terms of growth. It brings transparency in
the working of the organization. Transparency in the
organizational process means transparency for leadership
which is a win-win situation.
It is a long process of Research and Development which is
carried out with the help of current and emerging
technologies to determine which ones should be explored
for adoption and which ones should be put aside to watch.
Although there are a couple of options out in the market, but
not all are worth-adapting.
It will be difficult without technology to survive in a highly
competitive market. Technological and innovative
developments constantly affect the working methods of the
leaders and the organizations. To cope with this challenge,
any leader, as well as its experts, need fresh and up-to-date
knowledge and skills. Therefore, continuous upgradation of
knowledge, skills, and abilities is crucial for the leaders in any
organization.
Today leaders need to continuously train themselves as they
gain knowledge in a competitive advantage and they will be
EDITOR’S NOTE
5. prepared not only to follow the latest trends but to act as a trendsetter. Inspiration, Motivation
& Dedication are the keys to success. Above all dedication is the most important and a game-
changer. True leaders never give up, they maintain consistency. There is no shortcut or trick only
hard work accomplishes results. And not to forget that any business in the world requires
demand and supply, so without good marketing and sales, there is no business.
Any aspiring business leader needs to possess qualities like Persistence, perseverance, and
patience. Finding and joining like-minded people and hiring them in the organization is always an
added advantage and seek out a trusted mentor. To keep the company of the right people is also
equally important. Finally taking the time to enjoy the success when it comes is bliss.
The road ahead is full of challenges but adapting to it is the real quality of the leaders. With such
an approach, CIO LOOK comes forward with its upcoming edition “The 10 Most Innovative
Business Leaders Revamping the Future 2021”.
With a commitment to advance business throughout the world by driving innovation and
accelerating growth and featuring on the cover of this edition is Dean Bartles, President and
Chief Executive Officer at MTDG.
Dean is driven by a passion to help small and medium manufacturers, the lifeblood of American
Manufacturing, get better. He firmly believes the best way to do this is through the adoption of
digital manufacturing – smart manufacturing technologies. He has served in numerous
volunteer Board positions over the last ten plus years including the Society of Manufacturing
Engineers, the North American Manufacturing Research Institute, the Smart Manufacturing
Leadership Coalition, the National Tooling and Machining Association, etc.
Delve into more of such inspiring journeys, and stories from many such innovative business
leaders of this issue. Also, make sure to scroll through the articles written by our-in-house
editorial team and CXO standpoints of some of the leading industry experts to have a brief
knowledge of the industrial know-how.
Happy reading!
Abhishaj Sajeev
abhishaj@ciolook.com
6. Dean Bartles
An Ingenious Mind Transforming
Advanced Manufacturing
08
COVER STORY
ARTICLE
30
Leader’s Tech
For A Better FUTURE
7. Connecting Cloud
Is the Cloud Right for You?
18
Laszlo Dellei
Inclusive, Adaptable, Innovative
and Exemplary Leader
22
Rob Leslie
Protecting Individual Privacy &
Preventing Financial Crimes
32
Charikleia Stouka
Unrivaled Work Ethic,
Integrity, and Honesty
14
Ofer A. Lidsky
Leading through Example
and Innovation
26
Yuryi Ferber
Building Better Companies
and Better Ecosystems
36
C O N T E N T S
9. Brief
Company Name
Yuryi M. Ferber
CEO
Zorka Raicevic
CEO
Dean Bartles
CEO
Markos Demetriou
CEO
NCDMM leverages the expertise of its team to deliver
innovative and unbiased manufacturing solutions that produce
real and substantial results.
BRITech is a B2B Vertical SaaS FinTech company with 300+
customers in 13 countries and more than 80 dedicated full-time
professionals, processing + US $ 1 trillion AUC daily.
Eastwest Voyage Montenegro is designer of holidays,
conferences and incentives for individuals & companies since
2011, in Podgorica and Tivat.
iResTech Ltd is a Cyprus-based company that was formed in
the spring of 2015, in order to continue the IrisPhone
development.
Charikleia Stouka
CEO
With 20 years of successful presence and experience in the
Greek Real Estate Market, ALMA Real Estate offerd immediate
and effective service, tailored individually to each of its
customers.
ALMA Real Estate
almarealestate.gr
National Center for Defense
Manufacturing & Machining
ncdmm.org
iResTech
irestech.net
Chandra Pandey
CEO
Seceon goes beyond the traditional approach of employing silo
solutions to build a comprehensive security posture for an
organization.
Seceon
seceon.com
Ofer Lidsky
CEO
Excellent Brain Ltd. is an innovative start-up developing
advanced brain technologies and Neurofeedback solutions.
Excellent Brain
excellent-brain.com
Eastwest Voyage
Montenegro
eastwestvoyage.com
Dellei László György
CEO
Kerubiel Consulting Ltd. is a 100% privately-owned company
specializing in the provision of ICT and information security
and privacy services.
KERUBIEL
kerubiel.com
BRITech
britech.global
Jose Cil
CEO
Restaurant Brands International Inc. is one of the world’s
largest quick service restaurant companies with approximately
$32 billion in annual system-wide sales and 27,000 restaurants
in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories.
Restaurant Brands
International
rbi.com
Rob Leslie
CEO
Sedicii is creating a federated, global identity verification
network which enables real-time identity verification by
certified, trusted identity providers.
Sedicii
sedicii.com
Featuring Person
10. Dean Bartles
An Ingenious Mind Transforming
Advanced Manufacturing
We leverage the expertise of our team
to deliver innovative and unbiased
manufacturing solutions that produce
real and substantial results.
C O V E R S T O R Y
12. he future of manufacturing looks promising after
Tit has adopted digitalization accompanied with
evolving technologies. At the helm of this
transformation are some proficient leaders, who have
come forward to advance the manufacturing space.
Amongst those leaders, one such leader is Dean
Bartles, a leading light behind the inception of the
Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group, Inc.
(MTDG).
Dean is serving as President and Chief Executive
Officer at MTDG. The group was formed with a
commitment to transforming the advanced
manufacturing industrial base throughout the world by
driving innovation and accelerating growth.
Creator Since Childhood
Dean grew up in a home where his father’s welding and
machine shop was located literally in the back yard. At a
very early age, he began working in his Dad’s shop and
quickly learned the basics of how to operate a lathe,
milling machine, drill press, welder, etc. This hands-on
education sparked an interest to learn more. After
graduating from college, Dean began his career
working for Fairchild Republic in Hagerstown, MD as
an Associate Industrial Engineer doing time studies in
the fiberglass composites bonding shop.
After spending five years with Fairchild, Dean was
recruited by a small defense contractor in York, PA to
be a Program Manager overseeing a facility installation
project in Egypt that involved an entire machining line
to produce tank training ammunition. This was followed
‘‘
Transparency for
customers also
means transparency
for leadership which
is a win-win.
13. by a similar project in Turkey. Eventually, the small
defense contractor was acquired by General Dynamics
Corporation and Dean was promoted to a Vice
President in charge of three manufacturing plants with
more than 800 employees. Driven by a desire to
challenge his plant managers, he sought and eventually
earned a Ph.D. in technology management part time
over ten years focused on advanced manufacturing
systems.
After spending nearly 31 years with the same
organization, Dean was recruited by a new non-profit
startup in Chicago and was hired to design, build, and
stand up from scratch the Digital Manufacturing and
Design Innovation Institute. It was a very difficult
decision to walk away from a very lucrative VP position
with a $32 billion corporation, but Dean saw the
opportunity to pursue his lifelong dream of helping
small and medium manufacturers (like his father’s shop)
get better! All of his professional pursuits have focused
on this for the last ten years.
Helping Small-Medium Manufacturers Get Better
Dean is driven by a passion to help small and medium
manufacturers, the lifeblood of American
Manufacturing, get better. He firmly believes the best
way to do this is through the adoption of digital
manufacturing – smart manufacturing technologies. He
has served in numerous volunteer Board positions over
the last ten plus yeas including the Society of
Manufacturing Engineers, the North American
Manufacturing Research Institute, the Smart
Manufacturing Leadership Coalition, the National
Tooling and Machining Association, etc.
After serving for ten plus years on the Board of
Directors of the National Center for Defense
Manufacturing and Machining (“NCDMM”), Dean was
asked by the Board to assume leadership of the
organization in May of 2019. One year later, realizing
there are non-defense market opportunities the
organization could address, he stood up both the
Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group
(“MTDG”) as the parent company of NCDMM as well as
a sister company of NCDMM named Advanced
Manufacturing International (“AMI”). Both MTDG and
AMI have received IRS approval for 501c3 not-for-
profit entities incorporated in the state of Florida.
Towards Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing
MTDG is the parent “holding” company of NCDMM and
14. AMI. NCDMM runs the National Additive
Manufacturing Innovation Institute branded “America
Makes” in partnership with the US Air Force. This
consortium has more than 200 company members as
well as numerous university members all focused on
maturing various additive manufacturing technologies
and sharing the results with all members and the USG.
AMI has recently affiliated with the Smart
Manufacturing Leadership Coalition and plans to
launch a new consortium directed specifically at
helping small and medium manufacturers with their
journey towards Industry 4.0.
Stayed Unaffected Due to Pandemic
Dean states that manufacturing has been somewhat
segregated due to the pandemic. All U.S. defense
manufacturers, such as NCDMM, were considered
essential businesses. But even more importantly,
NCDMM was able to readily adapt to a changing
environment and quickly organize manufacturers
toward a common goal of supporting necessary PPE
and other items while continuing and expanding
existing customer efforts.
Positioned for the Growth in Future
In 2020, the Board of Directors of NCDMM approved
the formation of MTDG and AMI as well as the
affiliation of SMLC. All of these moves were strategic in
nature and have positioned the enterprise for growth in
2021 and beyond. “At the time of this writing, the
organization is positioned better than ever to deliver
more impact to their mission to accelerate advanced
manufacturing!” Such growth manifests itself into more
significant impact on the execution of the mission of the
organization.
A Win-Win Approach for Leadership
According to Dean, to be an innovative business leader
one has to be a prolific reader of business-related
journals, magazines, and newspapers. Additionally, it’s
important to stay abreast of academic literature which
can reflect new emerging technologies that can have a
direct impact on one’s business down the road.
Furthermore, an innovative business leader needs to
surround themselves with staff who have diverse
opinions and challenges leadership from time to time.
In his opinion, technologies that will afford connectivity
are essential technologies a manufacturing startup
should employ in its initial stages. Customers are
demanding transparency. They want to see where there
parts are in the supplier’s production process.
Transparency for customers also means transparency
for leadership which is a win-win.
Advice to Aspirants
In his advice to the young entrepreneurs who are
looking to enter the Manufacturing space, he says,
“Research current and emerging technologies to determine
which ones should be explored for adoption and which ones
should be put aside to watch. There are so many choices
out their and not all of them are worth adopting.”
Our companies manage
a rapidly expanding
portfolio of programs
for federal and
commercial interests.
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16. T
he credibility gained over the years of one’s
career is especially the hallmark of innovative
business leaders. For them, this credibility is the
real currency of their businesses.
Jay Conrad Levinson, author of Guerrilla Marketing,
puts it in very appropriate words: “The road to
profitability is paved with credibility. Credibility is
something you earn by how you market, where you
market, how you treat people, how you act, and your
overall level of professionalism. Away from the
business arena, the term is street-cred, and it’s the road
to respect.”
Charikleia Stouka has gained a lot of such credibility
over the span of her 20-year career in real estate. She is
a perpetual learner. She is the Founder of ALMA Real
Estate Hellas, which is known for immediate and direct
real estate services in Greece. In an interview with us,
she shares her remarkable journey.
Below are the highlights of the interview with
Charikleia Stouka.
Brief our audience on your professional journey, up to
your current leadership position.
My journey into real estate started around 2000. I
already had a degree in civil engineering from the
University of West Attica in Athens, so I was already in
the broader real estate environment, and I was also
managing a handful of smaller family properties. I found
that this line of work resonated with me and I decided
to pursue it professionally. I soon had the opportunity
to join a small local real estate office, and it became
clear to me that I truly loved the work. Within a few
months, I started my own business, initially running it
out of my parents’ living room, where they kindly let me
set up a corner as my office. Over the years, that
developed into a successful career, and thanks to my
commitment to never stop studying and learning more
about my field, I am now one of just 20 Realtors®
working in Athens.
I think it’s essential to be actively engaged with my field
of work, so alongside working with clients, since 2013 I
have also written a number of articles on various real
estate topics (which have been published in traditional
print media, such as Business Partners magazine, as
well as online). ALMA Real Estate Hellas also
participates, with our own booth, in trade exhibitions,
including Athens Real Estate Expo (AREXPO) 2019, the
first real estate exhibition in Athens
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rjorGwUtYA).
And I’m happy to say that over the years, our
commitment to client satisfaction and first-class results
has gained us not only a loyal clientele but also industry
recognition, in the form of interviews and distinctions.
ALMA Real Estate Hellas has been highly active and
visible in the Greek real estate market for over 20
years. Throughout the years, our immediate response
and quick action, the support and solutions we provide
at every single step of the process of any transaction,
our stress-free methods for selling/renting/buying our
clients’ properties, our up-to-date negotiating methods,
and my own Realtor® certification have consistently
set us apart from the competition.
Our clients know that we are always here for them,
using our knowledge and experience to support them
and protect their interests, to listen carefully and
understand their needs and desires beyond just the
words they use to describe them, and to act swiftly,
professionally and effectively to make their property
dreams come true. They know we go the extra mile and
do the impossible to fulfill their desires about
buying/selling/renting a property. They know we
actively promote their properties everywhere possible
in the world. They know they are not alone, that we
stand by them at every step of the process and
undertake the responsibility for the fulfillment of the
contract. And they know we do everything to their
benefit, to make sure they are happy and satisfied.
We aim at building long-lasting relationships with our
clients, and we do that by providing an individually
focused customer-oriented approach that covers all
real estate transactions. Customer service is of utmost
importance to us, and constant communication is vital.
Quick adaptation to changes is rewarded.
Our portfolio includes Greek Golden Visa properties,
dream homes and villas, fantastic plots of land for
residential/commercial purposes, semi-finished
properties, and hotels for sale throughout Greece, as
well as exceptional residential and commercial
properties for rent, investment proposals and
enterprises for sale.
What are some of the challenges you have come
across in your career as a leader?
As fulfilling as leadership may be, it can also be quite
tough. The greatest challenge I had to overcome was
my own self—my thoughts, my feelings, and my fears.
But there were external challenges too, notably
Greece’s decade-long financial crisis and the pandemic
that followed on its heels.
| January 2021 |
14
19. I successfully overcame all of it by building my
confidence, through both success and challenges, by
not taking everything personally, by focusing on the
goal, by taking risks and making quick—yet sometimes
hard—decisions, by being transparent and always
honest, by always going the extra mile, by always
starting another round, and by using the LLL and RRR
rules: Live – Love – Laugh and Rest – Recover – Reflect.
It is important not to give up, to always be positive, try
one more time, and replace every challenge with
triumph.
Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and
its impact on global economies, how are you driving
your company to sustain operations and ensuring the
safety of your associates and employees at the same
time?
We are using technology to maximize the work we can
do digitally and remotely. The current situation has
brought unprecedented upheaval, so now more than
ever it is time to go digital. The new trend of the future
will be the home office. The current situation facilitates
remote work.
To reduce the number of live interactions during this
pandemic, we initially share information on our
properties digitally—on our website and through
additional photos, videos and virtual tours—and only
proceed with a live viewing after the clients have
confirmed their interest.
In case the property is currently occupied, we ask the
occupants to adequately air the property by opening all
doors and windows prior to (and following) the showing
and to wear facemasks and maintain the minimum
safety distance at all times. We likewise ask the viewing
party to wear masks, refrain from touching any surface,
and maintain the relevant distance of two meters.
If the property is unoccupied, we arrive some time
before the showing to open all doors, windows,
cupboards and wardrobes, and we use antiseptic to
disinfect doorknobs, keys and surfaces such as elevator
buttons. Everyone is required to wear a facemask and
maintain the safety distance during the showing, and
we also air and disinfect the property again after the
viewing party leaves.
Hand sanitizer is always available—and used—before
and after showings. We also try to minimize the
exchange of printed documents and keep most
interactions online. Lastly, we keep detailed records of
property visits, including dates, locations and the
names of people involved.
If given a chance, what change would you bring about
in the ecosystem of your respective industry?
I would like to see the real estate ecosystem realize
that we’re part of the global ecosystem. In a world
that’s increasingly concerned about addressing
environmental challenges, our industry must realize
that there’s plenty we can do to contribute, starting
with small changes in our day-to-day operations.
Although digital transformation has been discussed for
many years, it had to be suddenly and rapidly
implemented. And it is an excellent start; it offers
numerous benefits to real estate professionals and our
clients while also having a positive impact on the
environmental footprint of our industry—from
minimizing the use of paper to drastically reducing our
carbon footprint by allowing us to offer quality virtual
tours and limit the number of live property viewings.
And of course, we should all think about adopting
greener practices outside the office: limiting
unnecessary transport, using fuel-efficient vehicles and
promoting environmentally friendly technologies
throughout the properties we work with.
There’s a lot of focus in our industry on being customer-
driven, and there’s no doubt that’s paramount. But it’s
about time that we understand that being
environmentally friendly is an integral part of that too.
There’s a real necessity to go green. At the end of the
day, if we do not save our planet, nobody else will.
What have you envisioned for yourself and your
company to sustain its market position in the future?
We would like to maintain and increase our market
share. Furthermore, we must invest in maintaining and
developing the credibility we have built through my 20-
year career and which is really the currency of our
business. Our immediate plan is to increase the amount
of work we do online. And of course, we will keep on
learning, listening to our clients and improving our
services.
“Staying afloat is a significant
challenge. Never waste time, not be
trapped by stress and anxiety, self-
education should continue through
life, it's a great motivator.”
| January 2021 |
17
20. Is the
Cloud
Right for You?
s we move into this new decade, more and
Amore customers are asking how they can move
their workloads to the cloud. But is the cloud
utopian dream for everyone or for everything?
As an IT professional, I am often asked about “the
cloud”, both by customers and the common friends and
family collective. The cloud means different things to
different people – the non-work questions typically are
around security and the latest news story around data-
breaches and the likes, but the work-related questions,
while more articulate and buzzword heavy, have a
similar nucleus.
Increasingly, solutions and services are being added to
the cloud catalog, with everything from customer
relationship management (CRM) and Big Data-in-a-box
to entire business landscapes – at the push of a credit
card. This has led to one of the largest explosions of IT
landscapes since Y2K; employees standing up systems
with zero governance, oversight, or security.
The major players in this boom – Google, Amazon, and
Microsoft – are bending over backward to make the
entry very easy and affordable. This sandbox world has
enabled customers to review what this new cloud-
based universe has to offer, but next comes the hard
part – moving there.
The common misconception of cloud being easier,
where everything works flawlessly and, of course, is
cheaper, has become less common. A growing number
of IT executives are now struggling with the challenge
- by Sean Gilmour, Chief Technology Officer, Approyo
| January 2021 |
18
21. About the Author Sean Gilmour holds the role of Chief Technology
Officer at Approyo, a technology software
company. He is a seasoned and successful
technology professional with 25+ years of
experience in developing advanced solutions,
leading systems, and technology integration, and
managing global technical solutions for
technology organizations. Utilizing technical
expertise to design, improve, debug, and deploy
solution architectures and management software.
He leverages the best practices to develop
customized, cost-effective solutions to business
problems. Proven leader adept in SAP
Technologies committed to implementing
technology with company goals and delivering
outstanding service.
At Approyo, his goal is to make SAP simple for
customers and partners looking to implement and
operate SAP cloud systems. Approyo provides
worldwide consulting, solutions, managed
services, and support for companies of any size
and any industry running SAP solution systems.
They specialize in implementations, migrations,
and upgrades for every platform from R/3 to
S/4HANA.
| January 2021 |
19
Connecting Cloud
22. of new business models around procurement, billing,
and a growing skills gap to support their new cloud
dream.
As the cloud becomes the new destination of choice,
greenfield setups or startups can quickly and easily
start afresh and take advantage of the plethora of
services and solutions hosted in the cloud. The largest
challenge is lifting and shifting existing workloads from
legacy data centers to the cloud.
Companies interested in accessing the cloud model are
beginning to prefer a multi-cloud approach over a
hybrid approach. This allows them to be diversified
between vendors, or better yet become cloud-agnostic,
by having IT as a service (ITaaS) on-premise and one or
more cloud providers.
Migrating legacy applications and data to a cloud model
can come with numerous challenges ranging from
unsupported code/platforms to regulatory and
compliance issues. Almost weekly we hear about
companies still utilizing very old operating system
versions, applications that have become victims of data
breaches, and applications struggling to update. A
recent survey put the number of companies still using
Windows XP at 32%, and Windows 7 at 79% – neither
of which are supported by Microsoft.
This leads to a number of challenges when making the
move to a cloud model:
Ÿ What is the cost and skills required to simply
upgrade the operating system?
Ÿ Can my applications run on the newer operating
system?
Ÿ What business process do we need to
change/implement to enable a cloud model?
Ÿ Can my data be transmitted/stored in different
locations/countries?
The pricing and skills questions do not have an easy
answer. Most recent IT surveys conclude that the
unpredictable and dynamic costing models, combined
with legacy business procurement and accounting
practices, make for a challenging transition. While many
of the cost savings come from no longer having data
centers or rooms full of aging hardware, this is how IT
has worked for a long time. Companies will need to
change how they acquire and capitalize IT assets.
A larger gap has developed around skills. Do you retrain
your existing workforce, or do you outsource some if
not all of your IT business? This can be one of the
toughest questions asked of system integrators, most
of whom are normally looking to take over the
management, with managed services becoming the new
“offshore” cost-saving option.
Many companies with legacy landscapes have a
historically older IT staff, who have supported this
landscape for many years and are unwilling or
unmotivated to retrain/retool to the new cloud model.
The outsourcing model becomes very attractive at this
point, but this new outsourced team has zero business
understanding of who or what makes this landscape
tick. When we are simply talking about a service-level
agreement (SLA) driven delivery model, this can lead to
high-level dissatisfaction, especially while they are also
changing how the landscape functions.
Ensuring that proper time and effort are applied to the
pre-cloud project typically produces a cleaner
migration.
All three of the major cloud companies are heavily
ramping up their onboarding abilities, with some going
with the “build it and they will come” mentality, and
others leveraging strategic partnerships to enable
specific workloads or verticals.
Is the cloud right for everyone? No, but many legacy
functions or services can be replaced with more agile
and diverse access models allowing companies to
concentrate on their core business model. Moving
functions like E-mail, CRM, and device management to
a cloud model, enables companies to ensure what
makes them money is optimized, while what can be
viewed as core services can be utilized in a way that can
be more cost-effective.
| January 2021 |
20
25. LASZLO
DELLEI
Inclusive, Adaptable, Innovative and Exemplary Leader
t is not easy to operate on a highly competitive
Imarket. Technological and legal developments
constantly affect working methods. To cope with
this challenge, any organization as well as its experts
need fresh and up-to-date knowledge and skills.
Therefore continuous upgradation of knowledge, skills
and abilities is vital for the leaders in any organization.
Leaders of Kerubiel continuously train themselves daily
as they consider that gaining such knowledge might be
a competitive advantage since they will be prepared
not only to follow the latest trends, but to act as a
trendsetter.
Leaders with inclusive, innovative, adaptable, and
exemplary leadership style are able to inspire the
colleagues and employees for more better contribution.
Laszlo Dellei, CEO and Founder of Kerubiel is one such
inclusive, adaptable, innovative, and exemplary leader.
He has led and delivered many successful projects in
Security and ITC in the last 20 years. Mr. Dellei believes
that innovation and adaptability are essential to make
an impact on the world of business. Kerubiel is a 100%
privately owned company specializing in the provision
of ICT, Security and Privacy services and tailored IT
Developments.
Expertise in IT and Data Protection
From the beginning of Mr. Dellei's career, he has
focused on IT and information security issues, as well as
data protection. Generally, he provided support to his
clients on how to protect themselves and their IT
infrastructures against possible threats and
cyberattacks. However, in so doing, it became apparent
that this area has become increasingly connected to
other expertise, such as data protection, especially
after the adoption of the General Data Protection
Regulation (GDPR). Thus, it might be a competitive
advantage if a company can provide counselling on all
related fields. This idea to merge expertise from various
areas led to the establishment of Kerubiel in 2017.
Outstanding Professional
Mr. Dellei has a vast 20-year experience in the field of
software development, intelligence activities, IT, and
information security. From the start of his career, his
professional interest has been focused on IT and
information security. He quickly became involved in
different projects concerning these areas, yet he always
tries to better himself, engaging in training and
| January 2021 |
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26. additional qualifications. In this respect, Mr. Dellei is an
outstanding professional with a unique experience and
expert knowledge.
Notwithstanding these fact, Mr. Dellei realized that –
due to technological and legal developments, these
fields will become strongly linked with data protection
and data security, and thus it is necessary for experts
from these distinct, but interrelated fields to cooperate
and work together. The turning point in his career was
the adoption of the GDPR which made it evident that
security and privacy go hand in hand.
Information Security Counselling
Kerubiel focuses on services concerning IT, information
security, data protection, and related areas. It provides
state of the art IT audits and information security
counselling (e.g. IT risk assessment, IT security
counselling), develops complex cybersecurity systems
based on ITIL and AI applications, and advices its clients
on business continuity and disaster recovery plans. In
so doing, Kerubiel utilizes IT standards, such as the ISO
27000 and the NIST 800-53 controls assessment.
On the other hand, the company provides services in
the field of data processing and data governance. In this
respect, Kerubiel's goal is to offers state of the art
solutions concerning GDPR compliance and to ensure
that its clients are protected against all threats and
unwanted incidents. Kerubiel provides complex
counselling on data security measures based on GAP
assessments, outsourced activities (DPO or CISO
services) and other services, such as trainings and
education. Thus, data protection can be a fourth line of
defence.
Beside these activities, Kerubiel strives to be a vivid
and innovative scientific community. The company is
participating in various R&D projects focusing on
emerging technologies, such as AI or VR. Furthermore,
Kerubiel has joined the Hungarian AI Coalition and is a
regular participant of its programs. One of the main
successes of the Coalition was its contribution to the
new Hungarian AI strategy.
Inspiring Leadership
Kerubiel views itself as a scientific community, besides
being a workplace. Thus, the main strategies and issues
that may arise throughout its operations are always
open to discussion. Mr. Dellei's colleagues are
encouraged to take part in the decision-making
processes and to share their views with him and with
each other. On the other hand, Kerubiel is as good as
the contributing experts. Thus, all employees are
encouraged to widen their knowledge via trainings and
obtaining different qualifications.
As the CEO, Mr. Dellei especially tries to inspire them,
therefore, also taking part in many of these events. For
instance, he is currently involved with his university
studies, soon becoming a professional expert in data
protection and data security (ELTE Institute for
Postgraduate Legal Studies). Mr. Dellei has been listed
among the 30 Best CEO's of the Year 2020 by The
Silicon Review. In 2019, one of Kerubiel's Industrial
Control System specific Cyber Threat Intelligence tool
systems won the product development grand prize of
ITBusinness Awards.
Navigating Smoothly through the Pandemic
When the first wave of the COVID-19 hit Hungary, in
the Spring of 2020, Kerubiel's main goal was to ensure
the health and safety of its employees. Thus, the
company immediately changed to home-based work.
This change was swift and smooth, and meant no
disruption in Kerubiel's operations. Since on site
Mr. Dellei believes that inclusiveness,
exemplary leadership, innovation,
and adaptability are essential to make an
impact on the world of business.
“ “
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27. presence is not always necessary, Kerubiel already had
the necessary infrastructure and the tools to continue
working from the safety of everyone's homes.
The next goal was to provide support and advise to the
clients. In this respect, Kerubiel managed to assess
current systems and solutions, and to give advice to the
clients on the necessary modifications to establish and
maintain their activities. Kerubiel especially considered
the protection against cyberattacks, phishing and other
threats, thus, its experts carried out extended research
concerning the most useful and secure tools and
applications. Overall, Kerubiel managed not only to
adapt to the new situation, but to counsel its current
clients, and to expand its clientele as well.
Establishing Framework of Experts
In many ways, better connections and information
sharing networks between experts in the field of
information security and data protection would be
necessary to benefit both the industry and Kerubiel
clients. Kerubiel has already realized this and began
establishing a framework of cooperating and
contributing experts. This way, sharing crucial
information that might be useful in its daily work has
become easier. Kerubiel also supports different social
initiatives. For instance, in 2019, the company was the
st
supporter of the 1 DPO Ball of Hungary, an event to
establish a social forum for expert of data protection as
well as of IT and information security.
Broadening the Operation of the Company
IT, information security and data protection are highly
competitive markets where missing technological
advancements means that the company is lagging other
competitors. Lack of innovation might lead to the loss
of clients and opportunities. Thus, Mr. Dellei prioritizes
keeping an eye on new developments and utilizing such
applications so as to broaden the operation of the
company and benefit of the clients.
As mentioned earlier, beside its traditional services,
Kerubiel strongly focuses on R&D and the results of
this work will only materialize in the upcoming years.
Kerubiel already has certain products on the market,
but the bulk of its projects are only in their initial
stages. Mr. Dellei hopes that these developments will
be as successful as its previous products.
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28. Ofer A. Lidsky
Leading through Example and Innovation
n the world of business and entrepreneurship,
Igenuinely exemplary leaders with innovative skills
can create impact in the lives of people through the
effective use of technology and all resourcefulness.
Such leaders make difference in the lives of people in a
very positive way. They are solution-oriented leaders,
and they want to be the part of the solution to the
problems in the world and they aspire to make the
world a better place through their efforts.
Ofer A. Lidsky is a prominent name among these
exemplary and innovative business leaders. He is a
serial entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in
software development in the spheres of Genetics,
Digital Health, EEG Signal Processing, BCI, VR, and
Information Security. He has headed start-up
companies and development teams towards successful
creation of innovative platforms and solutions and is
literally bringing ideas to life!
Ofer is the Founder and CEO of Excellent Brain, an
innovative start-up developing advanced brain training
solutions based on Neurofeedback. Excellent Brain's
technology enables anyone to engage in training
programs for improving different aspects of life using
Neurofeedback and Virtual Reality.
Below are the highlights of the interview between CIO
Look and Ofer A. Lidsky:
Brief our audience on your professional journey, up to
your current leadership position.
My journey beings in my childhood when I got my first
personal computer at around 1980 (age of 7). This
made me learn computer languages and by the age of
12 I started working in a real computer company. From
there I grew up to be an entrepreneur and became an
expert in a few technological fields such as Information
Security, Virtual Reality, Brain Computer Interface
(BCI) and Genetics.
I have established a few companies in my career such as
Digital Dimension, which was established in 1998 and
developed Virtual Reality Community Platforms. In
2005 I established TerraSafe (www.terrasafe.com)
which became one of the leading Information Security
Solution provider in the SMB market in Israel. Recently
I had my first patent published in the field of Genetics
and Blockchain.
Brief us about your company and its prominent
solutions that make you a preferred choice over your
competition.
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29. We will keep being
one of the leaders in
the Neurofeedback
brain training space.
Excellent Brain was established in 2015 with a clear
vision to make a difference in people's life by enabling
home brain training using the effective Neurofeedback
method. When we started, we did our first training
programs with kids from schools with low-income
population. The training programs were so successful
that I understood I must spread this and make it
accessible to everyone. And that is exactly what I did. I
established a start-up which developed the most
innovative direct to consumers (D2C) Neurofeedback
platform. Today, we are a registered program in the list
of programs of the Israeli Ministry of Education and we
have been operating in many schools in Israel.
When we released our Excellent Brain ADHD
Neurofeedback Home Kit, we started letting people
train their brain and attention ability at their homes.
Today the impact of ADHD on the education world is
immense and we bring new possibilities into that space.
Excellent Brain's slogan is that everyone has an
Excellent Brain!
What is your idea of impactful leadership? What style
of leadership do you personally prefer and have
implemented at your company?
A few years ago, I participated in a series of leadership
courses which introduced to me a new model of
leadership – the phenomenological and ontological
leadership model, which relies on some very powerful
concepts on how life and leadership works. Since then I
have been studying and researching this model. What
makes this model so favourable for me is the fact that it
is highly effective in the results you get and relies on
extraordinary distinctions which opens new ways to
interpret and act in the world.
What were the challenges you came across in your
career as a leader?
Challenges are always there and always will be, that's
part of life. I think that some of the most challenging
leadership aspects is the human factor. Making people
follow you and joining your action plans is one of the
most important challenges in leadership. Moreover,
leadership is also about setting an example to others
Ofer A. Lidsky
Founder & CEO
Excellent Brain
| January 2021 |
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30. and acting like you say you would, which also demands
high self-awareness and discipline. Honouring your
word is the first law for being a leader.
Taking into consideration, the current pandemic, and
its impact on global economies, how are you driving
your company to sustain operations and ensuring
safety of your associates and employees at the same
time?
This pandemic has impacted the world in so many ways.
It has made us implement new ways of operation in
order to maintain the business. New challenges came
with the pandemic, from lockdowns to working from
home. I think that the more agile and flexible your
business is the most likely you will be able to survive.
Now we can really see the survival of the fittest come
into play in the business world.
If given a chance, what change would you bring about
in the ecosystem of your respective industry?
The psychiatric drug usage is a pandemic by itself in the
world today. The changes I would like to see is in the
way people consume drugs such as Ritalin
(Methylphenidate), I think the regulation should raise
the bar and combine other methods of training and
treatments. What we see in schools today, all over the
world, is a very high percentage of students which are
on drug treatments, and I mean very high percentage. I
think that if we got to this point, there are major
problems to be dealt with in the educational systems.
What would be your advice for the emerging and
aspiring business leaders?
If I need to summarise it in a couple of sentences:
Inspiration, Motivation & Dedication are the keys to
success, and I think dedication is the most important
and hard to play (hint). Once you give up, the game is
over. There is no magic, only hard work that
accomplishes results. And we should always remember
that any business in the world relies on cash flow, so
without good marketing and sales there is no business.
What have you envisioned for yourself and your
company to sustain its market position in the future?
Excellent Brain excels in innovation. We will keep being
one of the leaders in the Neurofeedback brain training
space. Our development plan goes far into the future
with very exciting and innovative technologies coming
up. STAY TUNED.
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33. Addressing Environmental Challenges
Although digital transformation is the hour of the need,
but we must realize there is much more important thing
than it i.e, the increasing environmental challenge.
Being a leader, adopting green practices in the
organization will minimize the environmental carbon
footprint. Simple practices like fuel-efficient transport,
and supporting environmentally friendly technologies
will have the positive impact. Of-course there is a lot to
do, it becomes the responsibility of everyone to address
such environmental challenges.
There are so many choices to make out there but not all
of them are worth adopting. It is the priorities which
needs to be understood. Technologies that will afford
essential technologies helping a manufacturing startup
along with environmentally friendly approach should
employ at all stages in the company.
Walking Together is the Key
Inspiration, Motivation & Dedication are the factors
that led one climb the ladder of success. As they say -
“If you want to walk fast, walk alone, but if you want to
walk far, walk together”! The most important skill an
innovative leader is how to attract the brilliant people
who can take the business to the next level.
Closing Statement
It will be not an easy task to make a way in such a
competitive world. The technological barriers will
constantly affect the working methods. Innovative
leaders need to cope up with this challenge by
discussing with technological experts and staying up-
to-date with the technological trends.
T
he future of Innovation and Disruption is
promising with more and more transformative
technologies coming our way and we have really
come a long way down. To be positioned in these
advanced tools, adapting to these technologies is a
must for any business leader, as customers are
demanding a clear approach to innovation.
To be an innovative and prolific business leader one has
to be a reader of business-related magazines, and
newspapers. Additionally, it’s important to stay ahead
of academic literature which can reflect new emerging
technologies that can have a direct impact on one’s
business down the road.
So, being aware of the upcoming and latest trends will
be vital for the leader and ultimately for the
organization. The leaders in innovation and technology
should always be prepared for any challenges and act
upon them accordingly.
Besides, these leaders need to be agile and participate
in scientific communities, Research & Development,
focusing on emerging technologies – AI or Machine
learning. Also, building a culture of such open
discussions and encourage employees to share their
views on the adaption of innovative processes is a great
practice. An innovative business leader surrounds by
staff who have diverse opinions and challenges
leadership from time to time.
It is the utmost responsibility of any leader to inspire
the team, and supporting and advising them whenever
required. Good connection with the experts in the field
of technology and innovation is the framework of
building a long-term goal. With these traits the leader
will never be out of the competition. Rather it will only
help in becoming a successful and ready for the market.
For A
Better FUTURE
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Leader’s Tech
34. In the information and technology age the
importance of privacy is huge. Protecting online
privacy is the most essential in the current times.
“Privacy is one of the biggest problems in this new
electronic age” says Andrew Grove former CEO, COO
and Chairman of Intel. Despite digital advances this
core internet issue remains. Using a novel
cryptographic protocol known as zero knowledge
proof, Sedicii is creating the Kriptan Network to
facilitate the verification of identity data without the
need to expose the underlying data, thereby protecting
the privacy of the person. Sedicii has developed a
solution that allows financial institutions to securely
share the knowledge they have about clients or
transactions, without disclosing the underlying data or
information.
For Rob Leslie an individual’s privacy really matters- he
considers it is a core human right. Rob believes in hard
work, he embraces challenges as he believes that
challenges are a part on the journey of success. Rob is
the CEO & Founder of Sedicii. Rob considers that if
Sedicii can make a difference in people’s lives then his
journey will have been worth it. Rob is also mentor with
Enterprise Ireland (E.I.) providing advice to E.I.’s high
potential start-up companies and he is an active
investor in various start-up companies in the
technology and biotech spaces.
Huge Potential
Every entrepreneur comes across at least these three
challenges – raising investment and getting product to
market while proving to their clients they need the
service. Add to Sedicii’s mix a product that verifies
identity without sharing information is a bit like saying
the impossible is possible!
All the team at Sedicii know that Rob shares the highs
and lows, the successes and the challenges in the
pursuit of what Marisol Menendez, BBVA, Former
Head of Open Innovation described as Sedicii’s legacy
when it won the Fintech for the Future award. “Sedicii is
the start up with the greatest potential to transform the
financial sector in the next 10 years!”
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Rob is an Electronic Engineer by profession having
graduated from DCU (Dublin City University) Ireland in
the 1980’s. He subsequently moved to Japan where
over the next 20 years he worked cutting his teeth and
gaining experience at senior management level in
Datacraft Japan, PTS Limited and eSafe Japan. Before
his entrepreneurial spirit took serious hold, he was part
of the senior management team which set up Dell
Japan growing the business in the first four years to
annual sales of over $300 million and employees of
Rob Leslie
Protec ng Individual Privacy &
Preven ng Financial Crimes
“Leadership is not just about glorious crowning acts. It’s about keeping your team focused on a goal and
motivated to do their best to achieve it, especially when the stakes are high and the consequences really
matter. It is about laying the groundwork for others’ success and then standing back and letting them
shine” said Chris Hadfield (Astronaut & Former Commander of the International Space Station). Having
such contribution spirit in a leader inspires him to do something wonderful.
CEO & Founder of Sedicii
| January 2021 |
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36. almost 300. In the early noughties Rob returned to
Ireland and subsequently co-founded Kyckr (ASX:KYK)
in 2007, a company now listed on the Australian Stock
Exchange. Whilst still co-managing Kyckr he founded
Sedicii in 2013. In 2016, he relinquished his executive
position at Kyckr to concentrate his full energies on
Sedicii.
No Exposure of Underlying Data
Sedicii is building a global, federated identity network
in collaboration with Government agencies, tier-one
financial institutions, telcos’s and national utility
service providers to facilitate the verification of a
citizen’s identity without the need to expose the
underlying data to the parties in the verification
process thereby protecting the individual’s privacy. This
is achieved using Sedicii’s patented ZKP protocol (Zero
Knowledge Proof).
Rob believes that in an ideal world he would like to see
a digital ecosystem whereby government departments,
financial institutions and national agencies work
together in their respective countries and beyond
rather than individually holding knowledge about their
citizens and clients. He believes that it is only by using
information whilst not sharing it that privacy and real-
time authenticated information will make the
difference between being in control and the current
situation where privacy is at issue every time you use
the internet. In the words of Gary Kovacs, CEO of AVG
Technologies “Privacy is not an option and it shouldn’t
be the price we accept for just getting on the Internet”.
Improving Personal Security
In many ways, Covid 19 has focused minds on personal
security and privacy as more and more people are
working from home and interacting both socially and
professionally through online internet meetings, family
gatherings, shopping, etc. Over the past nine months
there has been a vast increase in online transactions
and corresponding increases in fraud, impersonation,
scamming and theft. Accordingly, Sedicii has found
companies more receptive to its KYC, KYB and AML
services particularly as it is GDPR and other privacy
laws compliant.
Effective Detection of Criminal Activity
In the context of Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
transaction monitoring processes, banks can
collaborate and jointly compute advanced risk
assessment algorithms that consume information
available in the different banks about their customers
without actually having to share that information by
using Sedicii’s patented multi-party computation (MPC)
cryptographic protocol.
Sedicii has developed a solution that allows financial
institutions to securely share the knowledge they have
about clients or transactions, without disclosing the
underlying data or information (PII). This enables
financial institutions to identify potentially suspicious
transactions and clients more clearly and more
accurately by combining the risk information they have
– which will enable more effective detection of criminal
activity.
Seeking Company of Right People
Rob believes that persistence, perseverance, and
patience are important qualities for an aspiring
business leader to possess. Belief in oneself and the
service or product is paramount. He suggests finding
and joining in forums with other like-minded people. He
advises to seek out a trusted mentor. He says that we
should be true to ourselves and realistic in our
approach that we cannot attain great heights alone. He
asks to seek the company of right people. He suggests
taking the time to enjoy the success when it comes.
Exponential Growth
Sedicii continues to seek out like-minded organizations
who see the benefits of real-time identity verification –
foremost in terms of individual privacy but as a natural
progression in terms of reputational enhancement,
organizational cost effectiveness and efficiency. Rob
envisions that Sedicii will grow exponentially in terms
of employees, partners, investors and that growth will
bring benefits and rewards to all who share its vision
and use its services.
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39. Yuryi Ferber
Building Better Companies and Better Ecosystems
I
nnovation is the backbone of any organization
and it is important to embrace innovation to
strive and compete with others in the business
world and also essentially to contribute to make
something better. No problem can be solved with the
same level of thinking that when we created the
problem. Innovation is essential to come up with the
solutions to the existing problems. Innovative
leaders can reshape the future by using their
inventory skills.
Yuryi Ferber is one such a visionary and a bold
innovator. He is the Founder and CEO of BRITech.
He has a 20+ year history building and developing
enterprise financial software. He provides the
investment management ecosystem with growth-
driven digital solutions that help build better
companies and better ecosystems. His career is long
rooted in entrepreneurship and a passion for
technology and the financial world.
In 2012 he co-founded BRITech and two years later
BRITech released the first product with a vertical
B2B SaaS model dedicated solely to the investments
and asset and wealth management market. He is a
visionary with a gift for finding and attracting the
right people. BRITech provides scalable, robust
wealth management software, professional services
and end-to-end technology for investment firms,
asset managers, brokers, fund administrators and
wealth managers.
Below are the highlights of the interview between
Yuryi Ferber and CIO Look in which he shares his
journey and about his contribution through BRITech in
building a wealthy world:
Brief our audience on your professional journey, up
to your current leadership position.
My career started as a software engineer in
Investment Banking. After 7 years I made the decision
to be an entrepreneur. The first 2 years were the one-
man-show style. Then I realized the day has only 24
hours, the week only 7 days and, if I wanted to scale
the business, I could not continue alone. The process
of hiring and delegating, until that moment, was not
natural and I learned from the mistakes. After 2 years,
the delegation process was already natural, and I
developed the skills to attract very good people. The
bottlenecks being resolved as the business grew. At
the end of the 7th year, the company was already the
leader and we became an acquisition target for big
tech players.
In the 15th year, we got an irrefutable proposal that
would sustain our growth for the next 15 years. The
partnership made perfect sense and we closed the
deal keeping minority stake but keeping the business
unit leadership. The plan evolved very well for 2 years
until an even bigger company acquired the tech
company that acquired us. Our plan was aborted once
it was not in the interest of the new owner. I ended up
leaving and, 4 years later, we launched a Tech Startup. I
am one of the Founders and the CEO of BRITech.
Brief us about your company and its prominent
products that make you a preferred choice over your
competition.
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40. With a SaaS product, we provide Technology and
Infrastructure for all the Investment Management
players. We have over 300 managers worldwide and
a unique scalable and comprehensive technology
capable of accommodating small, medium, and large
enterprises.
What is your idea of impactful leadership? What
style of leadership do you personally prefer and
have implemented at your company?
I have a reputation for being tough but fair. I love
what I do, I love being an entrepreneur, I love the
challenge of making a global business grow, I love
overcoming challenges, I love being surrounded by
competent people distributed in different regions,
with different cultures, who share the same vision
and values and believe that we can get there.
Gratitude and humility are key values we share.
Taking into consideration, the current pandemic,
and its impact on global economies, how are you
driving your company to sustain operations and
ensuring safety of your associates and employees at
the same time?
Our people are our most important Asset. Our
people sell, deliver, and support our customers. We
can't be the best company without the best people.
We were one of the first companies in Brazil to move
100% of the team to remote, WFH model and we did
it in 1 day. The office remained closed for over 6
months and we reopened the office, we gave the
option for everyone to work from home or at the
office or a combination.
If given a chance, what change would you bring
about in the ecosystem of your respective industry?
When we launched the company in 2014, we started
offering products for one of the Investment
Management several players. Then year after year
we kept expanded to new players. After 7 years, we
finally reached the latest player: The Financial
Planner (FP). We believe the FP plays a key role in
countries where regular people do not have good
financial education and the public retirement system
is not good enough. Our vision is to empower the FP
who will provide coaching and help regular people
achieve the most important long-term goal: his/her
retirement.
What would be your advice for the emerging and
aspiring business leaders?
If you want to walk fast, walk alone. But if you want
to walk far, walk together! In my opinion, the most
important skill an aspiring leader must develop is
how to attract the most brilliant people to take the
business to the next level.
What have you envisioned for yourself and your
company to sustain its market position in the
future?
We developed an entrepreneurship-ecosystem
model that retain the best people, the talented and
hardworking people. I believe this model provides an
alignment of interests 360 degrees and it will sustain
customer retention, customer acquisition and
constant innovation for the years to come.
“If you want to walk
fast, walk alone. But
if you want to walk
far, walk together!”
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