Disruptive CEO Nation

Latest Episodes:

Episode 214: Shireen Muhiudeen, Founder and Principal Corston-Smith-Asset Management - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Shireen Muhiudeen, Founder and Principal Corston-Smith-Asset Management - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Shireen Muhiudeen is an extraordinary individual. She was the first female chair of the Malaysian Stock Exchange and the former CEO of AIG Investment Corporation (Malaysia). She is an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) trailblazer, encouraging organizations to become ESG-sustainable, either as investors or as board members.

Shireen’s book, We Are All Stakeholders, was named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top books to read for entrepreneurs who want to break the mold.

We sat down with Shireen and here are highlights of what we discussed.

- Why companies can be even more profitable and sustainable with proper governance structures and systems.

- That a focus on environment, social and governance (ESG) does not require consultants or increased overhead, it just requires the right vision.

- Founders and leaders must set the tone from the top.

- Founders must also be aware of outside investors who come in with their own views about a company. If a founder's vision is not strong, the investor's ethos will take over.

- That women on boards can elevate the business outcomes because diverse views will overcome groupthink and groupthink destroys businesses.

- Business leaders must be aware of the rising concerns on sourcing and traceability of resources for products from certain parts of the world due to sanctions and problematic labor practices in the supply chain.

Shireen Muhiudeen is the Founder and Principal of Corston-Smith-Asset Management. Based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Shireen guides companies seeking to expand and raise capital in the Asia-Pacific region. She has served on investment, nomination and governance, compensation, risk, and ESG committees within banking, port, plantation, property, and media companies.

https://www.weareallstakeholders.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shireen-muhiudeen/

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Episode 213: Hanieh Sigari, CEO of Qyral; California, USA Sep 06, 2023

Show notes

This week we come back to the USA with Hanieh Sigari, a serial entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for the aging industry. Hanieh shares how her interest in longevity started at a young age when she befriended elderly neighbors and worked in a nursing home. This early passion led her to found multiple healthcare businesses focused on aging issues over her career.

Hanieh goes into detail about her current company Qyral, a telehealth platform launched to make treatments for aging more accessible. Qyral offers prescription skincare, weight loss products, and educational resources through a direct sales model. Hanieh explains how this unique approach empowers women financially by compensating consultants directly. She also opens up about lessons learned from past ventures that informed Qyral's scalable business model.

Here is what we explored:

- Founding multiple healthcare companies focused on aging, including a home health care company.

- Qyral; a telehealth platform that offers prescription skincare, weight loss products, and other longevity solutions.

- Qyral's business model focuses on empowering women financially through a direct sales/affiliate model that compensates consultants directly rather than spending on ads.

- The goal is to make treatments for aging more accessible and help people live longer, healthier lives through education, products, and services.

- Hanieh aims to continue expanding Qyral's offerings like hormone therapy to treat the whole person and help prevent diseases of aging.

Hanieh Sigari is an entrepreneur, biochemist, anti-aging industry disruptor, and mom. Her holistic California-based skincare brand, Qyral, is the culmination of a lifelong mission to improve lives and increase longevity. She combines her business acumen, bioscience knowledge, and passion for empowering women to be beautiful and financially free.

Connect with Hanieh:

Website: https://www.qyral.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qyral/

Blog: https://www.thelongevitymom.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qyral/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJxOzo0SIdq0Rez_r7obeSA

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 212: Jason Fahy, CEO of Placecube; Exeter, England Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

Welcome to Placecube, a company that helps organizations work with modern technology on tight budgets, primarily in the UK public sector. The founder and CEO, Jason Fahy, discusses Placecube’s approach of building technology in a modular way using "cubes" or digital building blocks.

Allison and Jason discuss Placecube’s use of open source technology and how it builds security around these systems. Jason also shares his background before founding Place Cube and what motivated him to start the company. He outlines Placecube’s vision, values and culture as the company has grown internationally.

Here is what we explored:

- An overview of what Placecube does, which is helping organizations work with modern technology on tight budgets.

- An example case study of how Placecube built a customer relationship management system for a local authority.

- How Placecube approaches building technology stacks in a modular way.

- Placecube’s values and culture.

- The vision for where Placecube could be in 5-10 years.

Jason brings over 30 years of commercial, operational and relationship management experience to the business and considers himself adept at building great teams. Jason's focus is developing and delivering on strategic objectives alongside the Placecube Board and Leadership Team.

Connect with Jason:

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jasontfahy?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Website: https://www.placecube.com/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 211: Massoud Alibakhsh, President and CEO at Xeba Technologies; Atlanta, Georgia Aug 23, 2023

Show notes

What if you could completely redesign the way tech platforms process, think, and inform you? That is exactly the mission that Massoud Alibakhsh is on while leading the way in object messaging models.

As a four-time company founder and expert in deep integration AI ( or AI fusion), Massoud is ready to place his fingerprint on the future. We caught up with him at a great time, as he is at a really exciting place with his new company, Xeba Technologies.

Here is what we explored:

-How the AI we see today is merely a magical word calculator, but is nothing compared to what is to come.

-Every CEO in the world should be asking the question: how do we bring this technology in and apply it to our pain points?

-The ineffectiveness and problems of current business communication models.

-How Xeba’s technology will transform the management of systems and operations by building an intelligent partnership of machine, data, and pathways to better business outcomes.

Massoud is a tech entrepreneur with a background in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Creating multiple software technology startups & building comprehensive operations consisting of production, marketing, sales, support, implementation and administration has given him a true and unique insight into the fundamental challenges and the urgent need for optimal and synchronized communication especially in tech producing organizations.

Connect with Massoud:

Website: www.xeba.tech

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/massoud-alibakhsh-7b139753/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 210: Chris Caldwell, Founder and CEO, United Renewables; Douglas, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland Aug 16, 2023

Show notes

Chris Caldwell is on a mission to bring renewal energy to all, even those in remote and isolated regions of the world. As CEO of United Renewables, a leading renewable energy developer and cleantech investor, he has become known as a go-to authority in this space.

In this conversation with Chris, we explored:

- His start in developing little turbines with a small team to a globally recognized sector leader.

- The team's passion for making a difference in the world’s energy transition.

- Why building renewables and expanding clean tech, such as carbon capture and storage biological solutions, is very important.

- The unfortunate truth that not everyone understands renewables are essential.

- His role as host of Conversations on Climate, where he shares how to ethically leverage sustainability to attract new customers, talent, and increase profits.

United Renewables is an established leader in the world of renewable energy. Their primary focus is on the improvement of lives in island communities through the generation of renewable energy. They develop, own, and operate renewable energy sites in the UK, the Republic of Ireland, and the Isle of Man, as well as operating in island communities globally.

Prior to founding United Renewables, Chris was an investment banker and a corporate lawyer. As a part of the transition into entrepreneurship, Chris obtained an MBA from London Business School.

Chris hosts the Conversations on Climate podcast series exploring the wide range of solutions to the global climate crisis through interviews with leading thinkers, researchers, builders, and makers who are tackling the issue of climate change from a range of perspectives.

Connect with Chris:

Website: https://unitedrenewables.co.uk/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-caldwell-a8a196/

Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@conversationsonclimate/videos

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 209: Patrick Danial, Co-Founder and CTO of Terakeet, Syracuse, NY, USA Aug 09, 2023

Show notes

Patrick Danial was a teenage gamer in the 90s who recognized the power of the world wide web to share ideas. He started a website offering tips to other gamers when one day, he was approached to run ads on his site for his audiences. From there, his curiosity and drive to understand online engagement, optimization, and reach were born.

In this conversation we touch on:

-Just out of high school he and his business partner created search engine but as it was right around the time Google was building, they had to pivot.

-The business channel they choose to stand in became helping brands position themselves on search engines and being able to guide and better manage the processes on their own.

-What brands must consider winning in the online market and reputation space.

-Insights into campaigns and why owned asset optimization is a formula for success.

-Developing content for organic ranking purposes.

-The right measuring stick whether sentiment, awareness, lift, affinity, or immediate ROI.

-Why the best content does not interrupt but compliments and informs the online user.

- The evolution and scale-up of growing a business to 400+ employees with a vibrant culture that has landed them on multiple best places to work lists.

In 2001, Patrick Danial co-founded Terakeet, which serves as the preferred owned asset optimization (OAO) partner for Fortune 500 brands seeking meaningful customer connections and online business growth. Terakeet is pioneering a unique approach to leveraging owned assets to help brands better understand their customers’ needs and delight them throughout the digital journey.

For 22 years, Patrick has guided the company’s product vision and innovation, co-leading the company’s growth from a dorm-room startup into a global enterprise partner. He has built, operated, and led several industry-leading technological platforms.

Connect with Patrick:

Website: https://terakeet.com/

Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/terakeet/

Patrick’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickdanial/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 208: The Next You Part 3: High Risk/High Awesome Aug 02, 2023

Show notes

This episode concludes 'The Next You' series where Allison turns the focus on the Disruptive CEO Nations' listeners and their business goals.

In part 3, Allison encourages the listener to think about 'high risk/high awesome' and why you need to make space for risk in your life. Allison shares her personal 'yellow post-it note' story insights including:

- Why if NFL legend Charles Woodson can take a risk and build a new next you can too.

- Understanding opportunity windows.

- Why you need a framework for decision-making that serves you well.

- If you have intentionality around time, money, and relationships so you can mitigate the chance of failure.

- No success comes without pain and concern so recognize this and move forward anyway.

- Have what you don't want in life push you as much as chasing what you do want will propel you forward.

- Set your intentions on having the next 12 months develop a new you!

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Episode 207: The Next You Part 2: The Yes Line Jul 26, 2023

Show notes

This is the second episode in a series of episodes where Allison turns the focus on the Disruptive CEO Nations' listeners and their business goals.

In part 2, Allison encourages the listener to think about 'The yes line' and shares insights and thoughts into:

- Life accelerates according to the yes line.

- Get out of your own way and keep your ego in check.

- Make space for new.

- Activate the field of possibility.

- Understand the success triangle.

- Write out a question list that will pull you to your future.

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 206: The Next You Part 1: Future State/Future Vision Jul 19, 2023

Show notes

This episode kicks off a series of episodes where Allison turns the focus on the Disruptive CEO Nations' listeners and their business goals.

In part 1, Allison encourages the listener to think about 'The next you' and shares insights and thoughts into:

- Getting the motivation to set future goals.

- How to see the field of possibility but not get lured away from the path to your future.

- Thinking about the impact of technology on your future.

- Finding people and resources that will help you see the future and meet it with success

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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Episode 205: Mickey Balter, CEO of Oriient, Tel-Aviv, Israel Jul 12, 2023

Show notes

Mickey Balter is the CEO & Co-Founder of Oriient, an in-store navigation technology provider that offers hyper-accurate indoor positioning using the earth’s magnetic field and built-in smartphone sensors. Mickey is a serial entrepreneur and a veteran of the Israeli semiconductor industry, with over 20 years of experience in combining deep technology to solve business challenges. Prior to founding Oriient, Mickey founded and led Scientra which developed the world’s fastest High-Frequency Trading platform. Before that Mickey held senior leadership positions at Siverge Networks and Broadlight (acquired by Broadcom).

In this conversation we touch on:

- The beginning of indoor GPS.

- Practical applications of the technology, inside and outside large retailers.

- The principles that guide the staff at Oriient.

- The need for speed and the willingness to share.

- The future vision for Oriient and its GPS tech.

Mickey started his career in the IDF’s elite cyber-security unit. Mickey holds an MBA from Tel-Aviv University and a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.

Connect with Mickey:

Website: https://www.oriient.me/

Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/company/oriient/

Mickey's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balterm/

Connect with Allison:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonsummerschicago/

Website: DisruptiveCEONation.com

Twitter: @DisruptiveCEO

#futurist #CEO #startup #startupstory #founder #founderstory #business #businesspodcast #podcast

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