The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch in 2022 February2022

The

10

Most

Successful

Businesswomen

to Watch in 2022

Door to Success

Leaders that

We Need Today

Womanhood

Unlocking the Poten al of

Women for Welfare of The World

Suze

Orman

A Synonym

of Excellence

VOL-02 | ISSUE-24 | 2022

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Editor’s Desk

Delivering

Excellent

Results

ender is not a barrier today to success in any

Gfield; today, women in business prove their worth

by playing a significant role with their valuable

contribution. They lead with courage, determination, having

a great passion for delivering the most innovative solutions

by forming solid and resourceful teams in their organizations.

By proving their credibility, women leaders are often

good at earning trust and encouraging the foundational core

of an organization.

With a crystal-clear vision of ambitions, women leaders

achieve remarkable feats by having a great understanding of

the market. They take calculated risks to shift the tides

while adapting to the newer methodologies of the business

world with their flexible approach. Women leaders

understand that the key to success in any field is having a

network of people pushing you to achieve your goals; thus,

they are focused on cultivating a supportive culture. They

promote unity among their team members and celebrate

even the slightest success, uplifting morale.

It is said that the best leaders are those who create other

leaders, resembling the practice that most successful

businesswomen imply. They are fantastic guides and

magnificent mentors for their colleagues, educating them on

the essentials of being a team player. They are setting

examples of leadership, inspiring the next generation to

gather the courage to pursue their ambitions, encouraging

them to identify significant market opportunities.

In this edition of “The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen

to Watch, 2022,” Insights Success is

celebrating outstanding businesswomen who are

most exemplary in their leadership skills and are

proving their worth by delivering excellent business

results.

Featuring on the cover is Suze Orman, who has

been recognized as “America’s Favorite Financial

Advisor” by The New York Times and “a force in the

world of personal finance,” and a “one-woman

financial advice powerhouse” by USA Today.

While flipping through pages, have a quick rundown

of the articles written by the in-house editorial team

and CxOs featuring industry insights.

Delve in!

Sharad Chitalkar

sharad@insightssuccess.com

C O N T E N T S

Suze

Orman

A Synonym of Excellence

08

C O V E R

S T O R Y

A R T I C L E S

Door to Success

Leaders that

Unlocking the POTENTIAL of

28 46

We Need Today

Womanhood

WOMEN for WELFARE of the WORLD

Adi Engel

Helping SMEs Become Leaders in Digital Space

16

A Prominent Leader in the Insurance Industry

20

Alexandra Littlejohn

Alicia Asín Pérez

A Proficient Leader with Exceptional Leadership Traits

24

30

Guiding Leaders to Develop their

True Potential

Cloé Caron

Gowri Tirumurti

Training Your Dog to be PAW-SOME

34

An Astute Digital Marketer Leading

38

Jillian Weston

with Relatability and Empathy

Karina Tiwana

An Ardent Legal Professional

Exemplifying Passionate Leadership

42

Enriching the Lives of New Zealanders

48

Ngaire Fuata

Sherry Blinkhorn

An Accomplished Real Estate Broker and

a Passionate Advocate for the Mentally Ill

52

Editor-in-Chief

Hitesh Dhamani

Managing Editor

Anish Miller

Executive Editor

Sharad Chitalkar

Assistant Editors

Jenny Fernandes

Visualizer

David King

Associate Designer

Shyam Sonawane

Co - Designer

Sonia

Senior Sales Manager

Kshitij S

Business Development Manager

Peter Collins

Marketing Manager

John Matthew

Sales Executives

David, Martin

Technical Head

Jacob Smile

Business Development Executives

Steve, Joe, Saurabh

Technical Specialist

Aditya

Digital Marketing Manager

Marry D'Souza

SME-SMO Executive

Amol Wadekar

Research Analyst

Frank Adams

Circulation Manager

Database Management Technology Consultant

Robert Brown Stella Andrew David Stokes

sales@insightssuccess.com

February, 2022

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The 10 Most

Successful

to Watch in 2022

Featured Person

Adi Engel

CMO

Alexandra Littlejohn

Managing Director

Alicia Asin Perez

Co-founder and CEO

Company Name

vcita

vcita.com

Alliant Insurance

Services

alliant.com

Libelium

libelium.com

Description

vcita is a compact, quick-smart app that keeps you fully

connected to your business, whenever and wherever you are

working from.

Alliant Insurance Services is among the largest and fastestgrowing

insurance brokerage and consulting firms in the United

States.

Libelium Cloud is the software platform that allows the

management of an IoT project from the beginning to the end.

Cloe Caron

President & Founder

Elissa Weimer

Owner &

Professional Trainer

o2Coaching

o2coaching.ca

Paw & Order Dog Training

pawandorder.com

o2coaching strongly believes that any person or organization

can acheive its goals by adopting simple fundamental shifts in

mindset, attitude and behaviour.

Paw & Order Dog Training offers certified dog training

programs that are tailored to the individual dog and are

successful with all breeds, ages, and temperaments.

Jillian Weston

Owner/ Founder

Jillian's Circus

jillianscircus.com

Jillian’s Circus is a full-service online marketing agency.

Karina Tiwana

Vice President

Legal

Ngaire Fuata

Director

Infinera

infinera.com

Sunpix Post

sunpixpost.co.nz

Infinera is a global supplier of innovative networking solutions.

Sunpix Ltd is a New Zealand based Television & Digital Media

Production & Management Company.

Suze Orman

Co- Founder

Securesave

securesave.com

Secure makes saving for emergencies easy and helps you

navigate the unexpected in life.

Sherry Blinkhorn

Broker/Owner

Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd

blinkhornrealestate.com

Blinkhorn Real Estat implements innovative technologies and

offers virtual reality tours and drone videography to enhance

the listings services.

C O V E R S T O R Y

Suze Orman

Co-founder

The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch in 2022

Suze

Orman

A Synonym of Excellence

We're building

SecureSave to be the

benefit and financial solution

that we wish we had as

employees – and one

that we're excited to

o er as leaders.

oday, people who are known to be successful or

Textraordinary at some point in their past were

merely seen as ordinary individuals. They might

not even have been picked as 'people who are likely to be

successful' in their high schools. Some might not even have

had enough resources but still managed to climb the ladder

of success.

From working as a waitress till the age of 30, making $400

a month, to becoming America's most recognized expert on

Personal Finance, Suze Orman has come a long way.

Suze has been recognized as "America's Favorite Financial

Advisor" by The New York Times and "a force in the world

of personal finance" and a "one-woman financial advice

powerhouse" by USA Today. Suze has written ten

consecutive New York Times Bestselling books and today

is best known as the host of the popular "Women & Money"

podcast.

A two-time EMMY Award winner, Suze is the single most

successful fundraiser in the history of Public Television,

having raised over $ 200 million Dollars for PBS. Most

recently, Suze has co-founded SecureSave, a revolutionary

workplace benefit that helps employees build an emergency

savings fund.

It was her passion for helping every household take control

of its money that led her to team up with Devin Miller and

Bassam Saliba in launching SecureSave. SecureSave

automates emergency fund savings for employees who

choose to sign up. A portion of each paycheck is

automatically deposited in an FDIC-insured bank account.

Participants also receive a matching contribution from their

employer. Employees have instant access to their account

through the SecureSave app.

Inspired by her vision for SecureSave, we at Insights

Success had a conversation with Suze to learn more about

how she is helping people feel and be secure and save for

emergencies through SecureSave.

Below are the excerpts from the interview:

Suze, you have said that SecureSave is the most

important thing you have ever done. Given all your

accomplishments, that is saying a lot! Why are you so

passionate about SecureSave?

So much of my work—books, podcasts, my television

show—are me telling people what they should do to be

secure. But this is different. It isn't just advice; it is a system

for doing exactly what I think is the foundation of financial

security: building an emergency savings fund. SecureSave

automates the intention everyone has to build emergency

savings into action. I truly believe this can change the

savings rate in the United States for all.

Why did you name it SecureSave?

I have always said, the goal of money is for you to be

secure. And the first step on the road to attaining true

financial security is to have an emergency savings account.

But most people do not have one. So what happens if they

get sick and can't work, lose their job, their car breaks

down, or their refrigerator stops working? What are they

going to do? The easiest way to be financially secure is for

you to start to save. It's that simple…hence the name

SecureSave.

So how does it actually work for the employer and the

employee?

We have created a highly automated program that is easy

for employers to offer as a benefit (an HR dream) that runs

on state-of-the-art technology. Once the employer launches

SecureSave, there is very little management required from

that point on.

We make saving as easy and as automatic as possible by

running SecureSave through an employer's payroll system.

Employees who sign up tell us how much of each paycheck

to save for them in an FDIC-insured account. That's all they

need to do. It is a set-it-and-forget-it benefit.

SecureSave also makes it easy for employers to launch the

program. We will send an email to all employees on behalf

of their employer explaining this new benefit, how it works

and exactly how much their employer will be matching.

That email will include an "invite" link. All an employee

needs to do is click on that link that takes them to a page

where they tell us how much they want to save each

paycheck. That's it!

The ease of use for everyone is one of the reasons I am so

excited to work with SecureSave. This is one of the easiest

benefits for any Human Resource Department to deploy and

it's why we consistently see over 50% adoption, often

within just days of offering the benefit.

Can you walk us through how this is working with early

adopters of SecureSave?

We have found that most employees sign up and decide to

save $25-$50 a paycheck. Most employers choose a small

per-paycheck match as a way to help encourage the

With SecureSave,

employees can

feel prepared for

life's unexpected

moments.

P h o t o g r a p h y b y : M a r c R o y c e

We believe that

emergency savings is

the foundation for

financial wellness

and to ultimately,

make you feel

secure.

employee to save. Some employers choose to also give a

sign-up bonus when the employee enrolls. Our technology

allows each employer to personalize this program to meet

their needs. Most employers contribute around $8-10 per

month for participants.

Most employer-sponsored plans, like a 401K, have strict

guidelines making it difficult for an employee to easily

access their money immediately. What happens when

the employee wants to access their money from

SecureSave?

All employees have instant access to their savings, with no

penalties or taxes. They can access their money

immediately through the SecureSave website, or a

workplace app. I think this is a crucial reason why

employees are so eager to participate.

What's important for employees and employers to

understand is that because this is a post-tax benefit,

SecureSave is not held to the rules and regulations for many

other workplace benefits, such as retirement accounts. So,

the employee can access their money anytime they want

without any penalties or additional taxes.

What happens if the employee leaves that employer?

They take the account with them, just that easy. All money,

including all the matches from their employer, is theirs.

They can continue to access their funds using their

SecureSave account or their money can be deposited into

their personal account at their bank or credit union.

You mentioned an impressive adoption rate, can you tell

us more about that?

I am proud to say that, on average, we have an adoption rate

of more than 50%. Most participants sign up within the first

few weeks of employees being invited to save. This

happens because we make it so simple. It takes an

employee less than two minutes to set up their account and

start saving.

We're seeing that most participants check their balances a

few times a week, but very few have withdrawn any money.

That makes me so happy. They are committed to saving and

want to watch their account grow, but they are also leaving

the money there for emergencies.

more-competitive when it comes to attracting and keeping

talent. But the one benefit that most employees need and

want more than any other benefit is an Emergency Saving

Account. And currently, for most corporations, it is the one

benefit they are not offering. When you offer benefits that

support your workers' true needs, such as SecureSave, you

are helping them remove one of the major financial stress

points in their lives. And we all know that can make them

more engaged employees.

Do you think that employees will stop contributing to

their employer's retirement account if SecureSave is

offered?

No, no, no. I think that over time we may see that

SecureSave participants will even increase their rate of

retirement saving. Once they see they have an emergency

savings cushion they can tap easily (and cost-free) on an asneeded

basis, I think it will make it easier for them to save

more in a 401(k), knowing they won't need that money for

future emergencies.

What we know happens all too often is that people without

emergency savings will often take out a loan on their 401(k)

savings, or request a hardship withdrawal. Neither is a good

choice as it impacts their retirement security.

SecureSave's goal is to give employees a savings account

they can access when they need money in an emergency, so

that they can just leave their retirement money alone to

grow until they retire.

What is your main goal for SecureSave?

SecureSave is a company whose sole intention is to help

people save in the easiest and most cost-effective way

possible. Our entire focus is emergency savings accounts.

Our goal is to become the go-to company worldwide to help

people save money for emergencies and the unexpected in

life. We want every single person to be and feel secure, and

the best way to do that financially is by having emergency

savings.

For more information about SecureSave go to

www.securesave.com or email info@securesave.com

In what way will the employer benefit from offering

SecureSave?

The more financially secure an employee is, the better

employee they are, it's just that simple.

A strong benefits package makes an employer's business

Top 10 Pioneering Women in Business, 2022

February 2022 | 16 | insightssuccess.com




A Prominent Leader in the Insurance Industry

Earlier, women were hardly seen as potential leaders

in the insurance industry. But that scenario has

changed. Many women have worked their fingers

to the bone to climb the corporate ladder and make their

mark in the insurance sector. One such woman is

Alexandra (Alex) Littlejohn. Alex is the Managing

Director of Alliant Insurance Services, one of the nation’s

leading distributors of diversified insurance products and

services. She holds over 34 years of specialized expertise in

broking and solving complex client problems.

Let us shed some light on her journey as a business leader

in the insurance industry.

Exhibiting Expertise and Ability to Be a Strong Leader

A native of San Francisco, Alex joined the insurance

industry in 1988, spending 23 years of her career at Marsh.

During her time there, she climbed the ladder swiftly to

where she was promoted to Managing Director at the young

age of 33.

Alex is a trailblazer who paves the way for women in the

industry. She was one of the only women to be promoted to

many of the roles she took on over the years, showcasing

her expertise and ability to be a strong leader. Most notably,

she was the first woman to lead a region for property

broking in the mid-90s tackling the hard market reaction to

Hurricane Iniki, the Northridge earthquake, and the aftereffects

of Loma Prieta. Recognized as a highly-skilled

broker, Alex was then promoted to lead the continental

European market for property and excess casualty and

relocated to Zurich, Switzerland. When returning from

Switzerland and moving back to New York in 2001, Alex

led the crisis and volunteer center post 9/11 terrorist attack

as Marsh had suffered a significant loss of life. Additionally,

she was responsible for leading broking operations for

middle markets, large and complex casualties for North

America, and resided on the executive committee, another

role in which she was the first woman to hold.

In addition to Alex’s North American role, her role entailed

building out the broking platform in Latin America and

Asia from 2001 to 2004. In 2005, Alex took on the role of

Chief Operation Officer for North American Specialties.

Alex was then asked to lead the Strategic Business

Solutions team in her role as SBS leader. She was essentially

responsible for the business transformation postglobal

broking era, including identification of roles and

responsibilities within the NA offices, development of

MART, which helped transform the business post the

Global Broking era. To top it off, Alex served on the North

American Executive Committee and IT Governance

Committee, two very influential positions where she in part

made decisions on behalf of the behemoth of the organization.

In 2012, Alex left Marsh and joined Willis Tower Watson as

she wanted to get back into broking. As EVP, she was

responsible for leading the Northeast region broking and

service teams where she led highly productive and technical

teams, solved complex client issues, and battled another

huge crisis, Superstorm Sandy. Five years later, she was

promoted to West Region CRB leader and came full circle

back to San Francisco. She was also the only woman to

ever be promoted as a regional leader for the Corporate

Risk and Broking business.

A Proven Leader

Specifically, with property broking, Alex has tackled

various complex solutions involving a multitude of crises.

In 1992, Alex dealt with the hard market reaction to

Hurricane Iniki, Northridge earthquake, and after-effects of

Loma Prieta. She had to think swiftly to manage and drive

placements in the hardening market. In 2012, after joining


The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch 2022

Our solution-focused commitment to meeting the

unique needs of our clients assures the delivery of the

most innovative insurance products, services, and

thinking in the industry.

Alexandra Littlejohn,

Managing Director, Specialty Broking Leader

Alliant Insurance Services


Willis for only a month, she was thrown into another major

crisis, superstorm Sandy. As the leader of the Northeast

region, Alex looked for proactive measures to ensure that as

much capacity available was deployed to Willis clients, her

clients would be covered in the event of another natural

disaster, and the market would respond with terms,

conditions, and much-needed capacity. This was achieved

by evaluating the portfolio of clients, engaged engineering

and risk differentiation, complex modeling, and redesigning

current structures to take advantage of available capacity at

the best price.

In 1999, Alex relocated to Zurich, Switzerland, and became

Marsh’s leader for the continental European market, serving

U.S. domiciled risks that needed global capacity. The

capacity offered in the market was not yet available in the

U.S. and only the largest of Fortune 500 companies were

buying global re-insurance; therefore, she worked on

securing capacity for the largest of her Fortune 500 clients.

At the time, the only access to European capacity was

through Zurich and London; however, by having this

specialized group located in Zurich, Alex was able to best

differentiate client risks and maximize capacity alongside

unique structures. And, in most cases utilizing the insured

captives to the front for the much-needed capacity.

In her current role, Alex works with clients spanning the

Alliant Specialty platform, including real estate and

hospitality, construction, technology, and public entity. She

is engaged in expanding Alliant’s service platform,

increasing the analytics platform, and building solutions for

clients by engaging specialists and insurance markets.

Despite her March 2021 appointment at Alliant, Alex has

already garnered attention as the co-host of her own

podcast, Alex and Al: Coast to Coast, on the Alliant

Specialty Podcast channel, where she speaks on current

events, trends in the industry, and interviews top leaders in

the insurance community. In addition, Alex has been

instrumental in bringing teams and markets together to help

solve coverage and capacity problems as she organizes the

markets and creates solutions on behalf of Alliant and our

clients.

Managing Business Risks with Creativity and Agility

Talking about the Alliant, Alex states that the business of

managing risk is getting more complex, and Alliant is

meeting this complexity head-on, not with more layers of

management, but with more creativity and agility. “Alliant

is changing the way its clients approach risk management

and benefits, so they can capitalize on new opportunities to

grow and protect their organizations,” she puts.

Continuing to Provide Best Coverage and Service to

Clients

Alex had many options for the next step in her career; she

chose to join Alliant because she saw that Alliant emphasized

the importance of having women and minorities as

leaders. Aside from her broking responsibilities, Alex goes

above and beyond when it comes to ensuring inclusivity in

the industry. She advanced the cause for women and

minorities within the insurance industry by participating on

various panels, mentoring, promoting women in leadership

positions, and joining an all-female group of senior leaders

across industry and geography called Chief. In her current

position, one of Alex’s main goals is to impart as much

influence and knowledge as she can on initiatives around

the insurance industry, specifically around the advancement

of women and minorities.

Beyond continuing to provide the best possible coverage

and service to her clients, Alex's future goal is to ensure that

she makes an impact. She concludes, “When I think about

my legacy, it is to have made an impact. It might not be as

great as we would want it to be, as we have a long way to

go, but I am dedicated to continuing to have those uncomfortable

conversations with management to make sure that

we’re continuing to invest in women. So that is my mantra,

and I came to Alliant because I felt we have the best

platform to allow me to do that.”





Door to Success

Leaders

that We Need

Today


Life is a struggle that revolves around personal

and professional challenges. And, when you

are struggling, seeking advice from genuine

friends always helps you. But instead of following

people and their advice, create your own opportunities

that help you find your own path. Because fate is by

far the greatest mystery of all, and you can never

know where it will take you. But the real question is

there an alternative to all of this? While everyone

speaks about these complicated things, let’s discuss

the solution through this article.

Our lives are connected to technology and social

media, as they play a key role in today’s modern

world. As business leaders, we have to accept the fact

that the vision to bring change in the lives of the

people and transform the world is possible with

technology. But, promoting compassion and wellbeing

among the people is also equally important.

Understandably, everyone wants to create their

identity and influence the world. But developing

leaders just for the sake of business output and profits

will degrade the quality of the leadership. And, we

don’t want such leaders, especially in tough times like

today.

We want leaders who can get the best out of their

team, which is possible only without the fear of

judgment. It is a great way to lead, discuss, guide, and

help each other in crucial times. A ray of hope is all

people need, and leaders can bring that hope through

these sources. For example, if any employee knows

that he/she does not have to face the issues alone and

there is someone to talk about it, it gives hope to that

person.

Yes, that’s the alternative for a leader – to connect - to

help those who feel down and try to bring the best out

of them. That’s what the leader should be recognized

for, and this is the shift leaders need to bring currently.

As an organization and as people, we should develop

compassion and ethics that reflect our outlook on the

world.

and well-being among the people. Now that we have

got the alternative solution for the leaders. The next

question is, how do you recognize that you need help?

Most of us today are too busy making a living. We

exist only within our daily routine, as we are

preoccupied with massive responsibilities in many

aspects of our lives, like academic, financial, career,

household chores, etc. And due to this, it becomes too

late to realize that you are already struggling –

emotionally and mentally. We no longer listen to our

body & mind, and finally, we do not appreciate our

actual/real life.

There appears an absence of self-care. Taking care of

yourself can be overlooked against all the professional

pressures of our life. But it is important to take time to

care about your physical, emotional, spiritual, and

mental health.

Before you extend your compassion and authentic

care for people, you must first practice self-care.

Why? Because you can never give what you do not

have.

Below are things that can help you in practicing selfcare:

Ÿ Start your day doing things you love the most and

boost your mood.

Ÿ Be grateful for things you have, no matter how

small or big it might be.

Ÿ Have sufficient sleep, healthy food, and exercise

regularly

Ÿ Do activities and interactions add value to your life

There are much more things that you can discover

yourself to practice self-care. After following all the

things, you will appreciate your life, even more,

resulting in a healthy work-life balance. With peace of

mind, you will achieve your life goals. You will know

yourself better – see a better version of yourself and

attract positivity in your life.

It is only with this approach we can make it possible

to sustain and impact lives for longer, creating a better

world for all. This is a much-needed alternative in

today’s pandemic situation – promoting compassion








Elissa Weimer

Training Your Dog to be PAW-SOME

f you are a pet owner, you may understand that the

Ibond between a dog and owner is impeccable. You

might have come across several videos on social media

where a dog is happy, carrying out his shenanigans,

spreading smiles on millions of faces. However, many

efforts go into training these dogs, considered as an

essential part of canine companionship. Elissa Weimer

takes dog training to her heart to deepen the bond between

the owner and the dog to widen their smile.

Elissa is the Owner of Paw & Order Dog Training and is

a Professional Trainer, with numerous certifications to her

name. Through Paw & Order, she offers professional,

balanced, dog training and behavioral problem solving

throughout the Pittsburgh area. Paw & Order recently

expanded its reach to Southwest Florida, Houston, TX, and

Central Ohio through franchising.

different feeling than seeing an agent or police officer at

your door.

I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but I did not know

where to start. I spent a long time figuring out what I was

good at and realized I am good at teaching people. I just

had to decide what I would be excited to teach! I realized

that I love animals and that they had the power of making

people feel good in so many ways. I realized that so many

people have dogs, so I decided to shadow many other dog

trainers and attended a ton of schools to learn as many

techniques as possible to help people ENJOY their dogs. To

this day, I continue to learn and better myself and my team

of trainers to help as many people as possible. We not only

continue our education with behavioral problems, but also

Insights Success caught up with Elissa in our endeavor to

find “The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch

2022” and talked about how she is instilling pride in dog

owners, as well as making dogs safer in the community as a

whole!

Below are the highlights of the interview:

Brief our audience about your journey as a business

leader until your current position at Paw & Order Dog

Training. What challenges have you had to overcome to

reach where you are today?

I joined the military right out of High School. Being a

Military Policewoman led me to the path I am on now.

During college, I acquired a paid internship with the

Attorney General’s office and later with the Federal Bureau

of Investigations on their Violent Drug and Gang squad in

Philadelphia, PA. After two years of interning there, I

applied for a Special Agent position, but quickly realized

that just was not what I genuinely wanted to do for the rest

of my life. I wanted to help people and wanted people to be

excited when they saw me arrive at their homes—a


“We pride ourselves on solving behavior problems and

teaching good behaviors for the long term, not just for the

moment. We will investigate and solve your dog's behavior

problems.”

with other areas of dog training such as trick training,

Therapy Dog Training, Canine Good Citizen, agility

training, large field socialization classes, and K9 Detection

training (my Belgian Malinois and I won 1st Place

Narcotics at last year’s Police K9 Competition in

Kentucky). We realized how much we have to offer and

how unique our company is that we decided it was time to

franchise in 2019!

Tell us something more about your company and its

mission and vision.

Paw & Order’s mission is to improve the lives of as many

families as we can by providing quality and effective

individualized dog training. Our vision is to continue

spreading Paw & Order nationwide and have an amazing

training program to ensure that the quality of our local

Pittsburgh market is mirrored in every major city in the

United States. We train our trainers to the highest standards

and treat our employees like family. All our trainers are

extremely valuable to us, and we make sure that they are

well taken care of. It builds their loyalty to our brand,

making them want to work even harder to ensure that our

clients are happy and excited to refer us to their family and

friends.

Enlighten us on how you have impacted the training

niche through your expertise in the market.

Our training is unique to each dog and family. We have also

made training simple and effective for families and dogs. So

often, we hear that “my dog will only listen if I am holding

treats or the leash/some other piece of training equipment.”

Or a client will say that their dog knows all basic

commands (sit, down, come, stay) but will not do it when

there are other distractions around or the environment does

not look the same every time for the dog.

Dogs do not generalize things well and need hundreds of

repetitions in as many situations as possible to reliably

understand what you are asking them to do. We have

mastered our communication with dogs and their owners to

train SIMPLE. We have found that overloading our clients

with a bunch of training jargon that means nothing to them

is not helpful. Dog owners want their dog to be a good

family dog they can trust and be proud of! They are not

competing in shows with their dog where they need to learn

fancy tricks and unrealistic positions to their family

situation (there is nothing wrong with competitions, but

most pet owners do not care about that). Most people do not

have perfect timing when it comes to communicating with

their dog, so we use methods that allow a delay between

rewards and consequences once their behavior, like/dislike,

has been identified. This helps tremendously so that their

dog will listen even if their owner does not have food or a

leash in their hand.

We pride ourselves on solving behavior problems and

teaching good behaviors for the long term, not just for the

moment. Our clients have lifetime access to our trainers and

they have access to a free private adventure group after

their training is complete to make sure that they continue to

be successful. It introduces them to an amazing community

of other dogs and owners to experience fun things with. At

least once a week, we meet up at trails, parks, stores, lakes,

bars, etc., and go hiking, camping, kayaking, or just enjoy a

nice day outside with our dogs and a drink! We want people

to experience how life-changing our dog training programs

are. Once your dog is well trained, your world becomes

more fulfilling and exciting!

Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run,

and what are your future Paw & Order Dog Training

goals?

We recently started opening new locations nationwide and

want to continue doing so. We strive for the QUALITY of

our trainers instead of quantity. Paw & Order is my “baby,”

and we will only expand with individuals that match our

integrity and motivation to work hard, be proud of what

they are doing, and continue to improve the quality of the

business.



Elissa Weimer

Owner &

Professional Trainer

Paw & Order

Dog Training

Jillian Weston

Owner/Founder

Jillian's Circus


Jillian Weston

An Astute Digital Marketer Leading with Relatability and Empathy

The effectiveness of the leaders is mainly figured out

by their ability to cooperatively work with their

team and lead that team effectively to deliver great

results. Learning how to teach and motivate people who

have different values, goals, and motivations than you do, is

tough. Leaders need to deal with a variety of people in the

team. They need to have good soft skills to relate with all

the people in the team. They need to empathize with people

and bring out the best in them to drive organizational

success.

Leaders who relate to the people in their team deliver

remarkable results for the organizations as well as their

clients. One such leader who has cultivated the art of

relating to the people is Jillian Weston. Understanding

people and becoming more empathetic has made her a

better leader. She is the Owner/Founder of Jillian's

Circus. The company’s finely-honed balancing act

identifies its clients’ goals and achieves them utilizing a

wide array of online marketing tools.

Inspiring Employees to Meet Needs of the Clients

Jillian believes that as the owner of a digital marketing

agency, it is important to create a strong foundation with the

right pricing and service offering, hire motivated people

with positive attitudes and natural skills, teach them how to

do their specific job, and finally continue to teach, check-in

and motivate each person in her company. On-going

encouragement and education keep her employees current

with their clients’ needs.

Being Competitive by Maintaining Solid Online

Presence

Talking about the significance of digital marketing, Jillian

mentions that it is impossible to reach your company’s full

potential without digital marketing. The return on

investment is insane. Digital marketing saves an incredible

amount of time and money because the internet provides a

place for people to do business anywhere in the world at

any time without the expense of an office, staff, etc.

For example, a boutique might spend $10,000 on their

online website, but that isn’t even close to what they would

spend on rent, utilities, and staffing in just one year at a

brick and motor location. And their website will last at least

3-5 years.

Another example she gives is of coaching. A coach can put

their lessons online as videos or host them virtually,

allowing more people to view/ attend each lesson and

raising the amount of money they could earn. Scheduling

individual appointments or having a physical classroom

limits both your time and the number of people who attend

each lesson.

Jillian states, “Even if you cannot sell your products/

services online, it must be said that maintaining a solid

online presence is still relevant. The presence alone

increases your opportunity to gain new business, increases

customer loyalty, repeat business, and referrals; and allows

you to stay competitive. Few business owners achieve

success without a digital marketing strategy.”

Being Adaptable in Unprecedented Times

Everyone can agree that the Spring of 2020 was a difficult

time for everyone due to the pandemic. However, it forced

many businesses to realize that their business needs to adapt

to this digital era. Jillian opines that if entrepreneurs did not

know before, the pandemic showed them that they needed

to energetically sell their goods and services online.

In any disaster, some industries suffer, and others benefit.

Jillian’s Circus adapted by having employees work from

home/ remotely and working with current and new clients

on getting their business online as quickly as possible.

Jillian states, “That’s all part of business- sometimes you’re

up and sometimes you’re down and must find a way to

adapt.”


“Jilliano’s¨ Cir cu¾s¨ is¨ a

fu¾ll-sër vÖice oznolinoe mar ketinog

agenocyÝ that r egu¾lar lyÝ

makes¨ magic happeno fozr clienots¨.”

Celebrating Success of Each Other

When it comes to driving an organization’s success,

maintaining a positive work culture is essential. Jillian’s

Circus strives for a positive work environment. Its training

manual goes beyond basic skills/rules. It stresses interoffice

relationships and collaborative strategies by

encouraging a non-competitive environment, offering ongoing

training/team meetings, and hosting several parties

every year for all employees and clients. Jillian’s Circus

celebrates one another’s successes and provides incentives

to reward excellence.

Besides, Jillian expresses, “If there is even one negative

Ned/Nancy in your office- get them out!!! Like right nowstop

reading and fire them. If you’re the person who is

negative, then you need to stop because it’s killing your

business.”

One Desired Change

If given a chance, one change that Jillian would bring in the

way brands and people connect is to remove people's

skepticism when it comes to sales. She states, “Every

business is in business because it fills a need. If there is

something you need or want, and you hear about someone

who has or can do it, then book a meeting with them to see

if what they offer makes sense. If it does, move forward. If it

doesn’t, let them know and thank them for their time.”

Creating Strong Base and Building on that

Jillian advises aspiring businesswomen to start by creating a

strong base. She instructs, “Think about your client’s

journey from hearing about your business to working with

you for 10 years. Think about what they will see, what they

will hear, what they will receive, etc. when they interact

with your business and employees. Will they see a

professional website? When they call how does someone

answer? What does follow-up look like? If they walk into

your office, is it comfortable? Then create a consistent,

professional, branded flow every customer will

experience.”

Creating Authority in Digital Marketing Space and

Growing Like a Wildfire

Over the next 5 years, Jillian’s vision is to establish Jillian’s

Circus as an authority in the digital marketing space, work

on digital advocacy, and grow like wildfire.




Karina Tiwana

An Ardent Legal Professional

Exemplifying Passionate Leadership

“ t takes dedication and laser focus to find success, not

Ito mention rolled-up sleeves and dirt under your finger

nails”, states an ardent leader, Karina Tiwana. As the

General Counsel, Vice President and Corporate

Secretary of ALE USA – the U.S. entity name of Alcatel-

Lucent Enterprise - Tiwana has been an integral part of the

success of the company. Her passion for the business side

of law and sheer dedication has led Tiwana to where she is

today.

After spending almost 15 years at Alcatel-Lucent, first as a

Contract Manager for five years, Tiwana moved up through

the ranks of the legal department, where she landed a

corporate counsel position supporting the most innovative

business divisions of the company. Eventually, became a

primary legal resource to one of these divisions, the

Enterprise division, in 2006. Thereafter, she was tapped to

support one of the highest revenue-producing divisions in

the company. She did that up until 2014 when she was

invited to support the planned divestiture of the Enterprise

division as General Counsel in the United States. Tiwana

would be charged with building a department to support all

the legal needs of Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, the new

stand-alone company, in North America. This was no small

feat but, she said, “many talented and professional people

carried my torch.”

Reflecting on the experience, Tiwana recognizes she’s

grateful for the men and women along her path that buoyed

her up when she felt she might be drowning. Helping a new

company be born is a daunting task. The Enterprise

Business Division, turned Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise,

contains a close-knit group with many employees boasting

long tenures with the company.

Let’s know more about Tiwana and her contribution to the

industry through an interview conducted between her and

Insights Success.

Below are the highlights of the interview:

As a business leader, what is your opinion on the impact

of the current pandemic on the telecommunications

industry?

The pandemic’s impact on people, in some cases, has been

horrifying and deadly. I will in no way minimize my

feelings of empathy toward families that have lost loved

ones and those who have fallen ill from the virus. And, of

course, to parents trying to cope with both at-home working

and at-home teaching of children ripped from schools and

their friends. This at-home working and teaching has

created an increase in the need for tools like the Alcatel-

Lucent Enterprise Rainbow Unified Communication

Platform, as well as infrastructure solutions, such as the

company’s OmniAccess Stellar wireless LAN and the

OmniSwitch network switches that make everything

connect to support the increased communication needs

spawned by the crisis. In this way, many telecom industry

segments are reaping the benefits of the “new normal”. It’s

a shift from in-office to home working and from in-person

school to home school. Even events and what used to be

live entertainment have gone online as we all try to cope

with the restrictions required to keep all of us safe through

the pandemic. I hear through news reports that many

companies will continue the work-from-home options in

some form or other so, it looks like the need for telecom

industry tools, solutions and infrastructure is going to

continue to grow.

What is your opinion on the necessity for businesses to

align their offerings with newer technological

developments, especially when it comes to Digital

Transformation?

I think that when it comes to digital transformation,

businesses that align their offerings to advances in

technology further drive the evolution. Technology


continues to be instrumental in our lives and the growth of

business. In particular, I think, as a strategy, aligning

business infrastructure with Cloud technology builds a

mindset that pushes innovation, agility and problemsolving.

Our company’s Cloud technology products and

services have helped our customers push beyond digital

transformation plans and overcome the challenges of

working through a pandemic. It’s clear to me that Cloud

delivers the benefit of scale and adapts to opportunities,

while being reliable and secure. It just makes sense to me

how flexible technology enables businesses to adapt the

work environment, ensure efficient operations and manage

costs.

How do you bring your General Counsel skills in

establishing strategic direction and delivering results

globally?

I do this in many ways, but one of my greatest pleasures in

the recent past has been contributing legal advice to our

team of women and men that have created the Diversity and

Inclusion Employee Resource Group (ESG) under our

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program. With the

executive sponsorship of Rukmini Glanard, our Executive

Vice President of Worldwide Sales, Services and

Marketing, the ESG hosted our second global online

summit to highlight that diversity and equality are life

issues and, definitely, a business issue impacting financial

results. An equal world in business results in an enabled and

better world for business. We need all of our minds and all

of our hands, as a company, to compete and succeed.

Diversity and inclusion – across gender, ethnicity, age,

religion, etc. – enable a better, balanced environment for

economies and communities to thrive.

In what ways have you contributed to the community?

In my community, as a woman Veteran, I am very active in

our American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary. This

“American Legion Family” provides support to local

Veterans, their families and the general community where

Veterans live and work. One example of a recent project in

2020, we recognized the needs of so many children in our

community around Christmas time. We sponsored, locally,

Toys for Tots supported by the United States Marine Corps

Reserve. We served over 300 children and all of them

received gifts and a food donation for their families.

Supporting this kind of “all-volunteer” community event

brings me great joy because I saw the power of giving in

action. College students, home for the holidays, stood

alongside their Parents, Grandmothers and Grandfathers to

participate in the toy and food distribution portion of the

event. I strongly believe in the empowerment provided by

serving a cause much greater than yourself. I get this

empowerment through working within our American

Legion Family. I currently serve on the Executive Board as

Sergeant-at-Arms and have served in the past as Post

Commander. At the time I served as Commander, I was the

very first woman everto serve as Commander in the Post’s

77-year history.Today, I’m proud to say, as other notable

“first women” leaders are saying more and more, “I may

have been the first, but I won’t be the last.”

If given a chance, what change would you bring in

providing growth opportunities to Women?

I am very lucky to have been given the chance at Alcatel-

Lucent Enterprise to effect real change in my role as

General Counsel at ALE USA. I hired student interns in

2014 as a creative way to augment my staff. We showed so

much success with training and utilizing student interns in

our legal department that it inspired the company to adopt

an Internship Program and now, many departments are

hiring student interns. In fact, a recent hire is going to

supplement our global CSR endeavors. She will be

graduating from college soon with a degree in Ethnic

Studies. I think these internship programs are vital to

creating opportunities and success for everyone, especially

‘‘

Step-up

and lead

from the

front.

‘‘


Karina Tiwana,

General Counsel,

Vice President, and

Corporate Secretary,

ALE USA Inc.

for women. In my case, all of my interns moved on to

become practicing lawyers and have secured positions in

law firms. I’m very proud of all of them.

As an established business leader, what would be your

advice for the budding women entrepreneurs?

Make sure you know a good lawyer! Not a shameless plug.

No, seriously, it’s very important to build a strong network

of diversely talented individuals that can be asked for the

help you need along the way. Be yourself because your

authentic self is your best face. Have a clear picture of what

your authentic self is. Remember, there will be roadblocks

on your journey to success and some may be related to your

gender, your age or any number of things but the

roadblocks are just hills to climb and there are plenty of

people to give you a helpful push so you can keep going.

Leverage your mentors and allies. These are your friends,

your classmates, your teachers, your family, your

colleagues, and your professional network. They will help

you navigate. But, above all, do what you love. Do it a lot.

If you do what you love and you do it a lot, you will get

really good at it. If you get good at it, you will likely make

money at it and you will be wealthy. Wealth is not money

alone. Wealth includes not only professional success but

also self-fulfillment and realizing your dreams.


Unlocking the POTENTIAL

WOMEN for WELFARE

of the WORLD

of


Womanhood

There is a tremendous amount of potential in every

living entity. Untapped potential should be trapped

for the welfare of the world. Where women are

empowered that place flourishes in abundance. Empowered

women leads to the prosperity of families, societies, nations

and the world. Deep down, every person likes to live with

dignity by contributing something to the world according to

one’s capabilities and potential. Therefore, that potential

should be nurtured in everyone and especially in the girls

and women. Nothing can dim the light in every person that

shines from within. All girls and women has to do is to be

aware of their own inner potential and they can contribute

to any field of their choice.

The world is currently going through the unprecedented

times due to the ongoing pandemic. This is certainly

challenging time for many people but some exceptional

women leaders see the positive opportunity even in such

unprecedented time and actually that is the hallmark of

good women leadership. Exceptional women leaders are

always aware and they understand that the unprecedented

times always call for unprecedented actions, innovative,

thoughtful, and win-win solutions. The world may be filled

with lot of negativity due to inevitable challenges and

causes, but exceptional women leaders call upon their inner

light and they use such unprecedented time to develop and

nourish their skillsets so that they can be an instrument of

positive contribution to the world in the coming times. Now

more than ever, women and girls need to call on their inner

light to utilize the toughest times to tune into their

conscience, learn new things by using virtual platforms and

make themselves competent.

In the difficult times of pandemic it is essential for women

leaders to be detached from the negativity around

themselves. Unless and until one is detached from the

negativity, it is very difficult to focus on the positive and to

make the most out of that positive. Exceptional women

leaders prefer to be courageous to confront issues more

diligently and deal with people with empathy and due

consideration. Exceptional women leaders choose to think

deliberately and act on the conclusion of logical, rational,

analytical, systematic, and cognitive-intensive thought

process. That is really the most important part of

exceptional women leadership. Leaders are supposed to

think deliberately and act on the basis of logical conclusion

for delivering the efficient results.

Educating and empowering a girl child creates a ripple

effect and it creates a positive influence in the community.

Empowered women invest time and energy in creating the

stronger next generations. The future leaders of tomorrow

can be more talented, dynamic, and competent to deliver

maximum contribution for the welfare of the world if they

are raised by the empowered women. Empowering women

is beneficial in so many ways and their contribution play a

very important role in creating the genuinely exemplary

future leaders.

Gender equality is beneficial for the whole world.

Promoting gender equality is not just responsibility of

women leaders or women issue but it is a societal issue and

everyone should support in promoting the purpose of

gender equality. United nations is again and again

promoting the empowerment of women. That’s very crucial.

The greater number of women in every field is a sign of

growth and evolved culture. The empowered women are

boon to the world. That is the reason ‘Gender Equality’ is

one of the most important sustainable development goals.

Empowering women is essential for the sustainable

development of the world. Empowered women become

great asset for businesses, families, societies, communities,

nations, and that is ultimately beneficial for whole world.

There are plenty of fields where women have opportunities

and they can contribute immensely. The world is in

desperate need of genuinely exemplary women leaders to

make a difference through businesses, science, research,

technology etc. Women can become the leaders in the field

of businesses, science, research, technology and in any

choice of their field if they are willing to be bold and

courageous enough to pursue their career in such fields

relentlessly. They have the potential to make a difference in

the choice of field they go and therefore women should not

shy away from utilizing their best capabilities and they

should deny the world of their valuable contribution.

Empowered women are the secret weapon of creating a

positive change in the society and the world at large.

Empowering and enhancing women and investing in them

unlocks a tremendous potential for the world. Empowered

women are the most important weapon and resource in the

fight against the global poverty. The untapped resource of

women has the tremendous potential and that should be

recognized by the people in the world especially by the

people who have the opportunity to create awareness

related to this.

The empowered women have the potential to significantly

improve livelihoods, productivity, economic outputs, and

the overall human life itself. The basic longing to live with

dignity, the fundamental desire to have control of one’s

lives and one’s future and to be part of determining the

course of our communities and our nations are very much

universal in the empowered women. These longings burn in

the women and girls, and with these longings they can be a

great dynamic force in the world to be an agent of change

and make a significant contribution for the welfare of the

world with their talents, skills, and abilities and that will

lead to the ultimate welfare of the world.


Ngaire Fuata

Director

The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch 2022

Enriching the Lives of New Zealanders

rom being a presenter, producer, chart-topping singer

Fto fitness instructor, Ngaire Fuata has come a long

way in her career. She holds more than 30 years of

experience in the television production industry. Having

produced award-winning short films Ma and Liliu, Ngaire

is now is one of the founding Directors and Producer at

SunPix, the leader in the Pasifika representation on

mainstream television.

Let us shed some light on her journey as a business leader.

The Inception Story

After nearly 26 years working for Television New Zealand

(TVNZ, a media company), the department (Māori &

Pacific Programmes) in which Ngaire was working, was

outsourced. For most of that time, Ngaire and her team had

worked on Tagata Pasifika, the Pacific Islands news and

current affairs show. TVNZ was looking at existing

production companies to bid for the show. This was the

impetus for Ngaire Fuata and her business partners to create

SunPix Ltd and put in a proposal as an external company to

make the program. While they had years of experience

producing and delivering the program, they had no business

experience.

Between her business partners, Taualeo'o Stephen Stehlin,

John Utanga, and Ngaire herself, they had a range of skills,

a good track record of delivery and production experience,

and very strong connections with the Pacific Islands

communities. This made the collaboration solid, and while

there were a few hoops to jump through, they were

successful in getting the contract.

Ngaire asserts, "One of the most difficult aspects was being

a new company, a new brand, new name, and the lack of

name awareness and confidence from the funders. The

Pacific Sports Awards show, which was scheduled, didn't go

ahead, so we decided to create our own awards show to

celebrate the unsung heroes in the Pacific community. We

just called it SunPix Pacific Peoples Awards. It was a good

way of connecting with our audience and building the

brand. SunPix is now into its 8th year and has grown from

not only a production company with its own online platform

to now having a post-production company as well."

Engaging Pacific Communities

Ngaire mentions that SunPix is a group of companies with

its primary focus on Pacific Islands stories in Aotearoa,

New Zealand and the Pacific region. It produces TVNZ's

flagship Tagata Pasifika television program and has an

online platform TP+ tpplus.co.nz to engage Pacific

communities through high-quality and relevant storytelling.

A Profound Impact

Talking about creating the impact on the television industry,

Ngaire says, "We've made an impact in our television niche

through our people. Our team has close connections with

their island communities, and we cover all sorts of things

that mainstream programs wouldn't do. We are proud to say

that we have earned the trust and confidence of our

communities. While the landscape is changing now, and the

major broadcasters and even advertisers are seeing the

value and contribution of the Pacific Islands people, our

experience over the years has meant that we are leaders in

this field."

The most recent example of close and trusted links of

SunPix is that it managed to get through to Tonga after the

volcanic eruptions and tsunami when nobody else could,

and its interview was used again by news outlets around the

world.

Besides, the post-production facility of SunPix has played a

role in filming and editing the Covid-19 Pacific Language

messaging (10 languages) over the last couple of years.

We are experienced at producing

broadcast-quality content at a high

level which can be used across

multiple platforms.


are a small company, we take our roles seriously and try to

encourage Pasifika youth to tell their own stories. We have

done this with an attitude of never saying no to

opportunities. Our dream is to provide Pasifika youth a

surer pipeline into the industry as well as more stability.

This may mean a challenging change to the gig economy

which has led to a lack of diversity. So the change we would

like to see is the creation of opportunity with the result

being a more diverse Digital Media industry enriching the

lives of all New Zealanders."

Engaging Younger Generation Positively

When asked about the next big change in the Production &

Management industry, Ngaire states that the industry is

constantly changing, and there are so many formats and

platforms to entertain people. While SunPix moves with

this, the one thing that stays constant is the story.

"Our ability to be agile is how we prepare for this constant

evolutionary process. Our great desire is to engage the

younger generation because their stories and they matter in

this changing and sometimes polarising world," says

Ngaire.

Building Sustainable Business and Creating Healthier

Industry

In the upcoming years, SunPix aims to build a sustainable

business with capacity that maintains a place for Pacific

Islands storytelling by Pacific people. Ngaire believes that

there's enough room for more Pacific Islands production

companies, and SunPix has helped and mentored some new

ones coming through. She notes, "Collaboration,

cooperation, and mutual respect is key and more capacity

creates a healthier industry."

SunPix's legacy show Tagata Pasifika turns 35 this year and

is still the only Pacific Islands news and current affairs

television show. Its archive is extensive. It's funded by the

Public Interest Journalism fund through NZ On Air, its

broadcasting funding agency.

Ngaire adds "Our company values are respect, cooperation

and loyalty. We are a trusted brand and sometimes people

will talk to us before they will talk to mainstream media. We

celebrate our languages and use pacific languages where

and when possible. This keeps our audience culturally

connected to their homelands.

Further, she also reveals that SunPix is making an

independent feature film this year called "Mysterious

Ways", and it has some budding filmmakers and hopes to be

able to support more projects like this in the future.

Ngaire adds, "We're able to commission other programmes

for our TP+( tpplus.co.nz) platform and support these new

producers to get funding, so we're not only creating content,

we're commissioning content for our platform. We have also

taken the lead in acting as commissioners for MFAT's

Pasifika TV (PCBL Ltd) and we are mentoring regional

broadcasters on their behalf. We are rock solidly behind the

kaupapa (principle) of local stories made by local people.”

Encouraging Youths to Tell their Stories

We asked Ngaire what change she would like to bring to the

digital media industry, to which she answers, "Although we


Sherry Blinkhorn

Broker/Owner

Blinkhorn Real Estate Ltd


Sherry

Blinkhorn

An Accomplished Real Estate Broker and

a Passionate Advocate for the Mentally Ill

t is easy to say be the change you want, but it is quite

Idifficult to really understand the struggle one goes

through to change oneself. We hear stories about

people who have achieved success and paved their way to

the top of their field, but that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Numerous factors drive one to make desired changes to be

the change they want.

In our search to find such a persona, driven to adapt to

change, we came across Sherry Blinkhorn, who perfectly

fits the definition of 'be the change you want.' Currently,

Sherry passionately leads her venture, Blinkhorn Real

Estate Ltd., with her dedication to being the best of the

best.

The Thorns and The Roses

Sherry's journey hasn’t been an easy one. She came up

through the foster care system and went through many

challenges in her life, but she made some conscious

decisions that would change her life for the good after her

children were born.

Sherry began her professional journey as a commercial and

residential property manager in her initial years then in

1998 she pursued getting her salesperson’s license. She

began to achieve one milestone after the other by utilizing

her extensive knowledge and experience to accumulate

record-breaking sales. It resulted in her receiving national

recognition in 2002 and 2003 and in 2004 she received the

'Platinum Award' for her sales achievement, placing her in

the top 5% in Canada's total sales volume with Royal

LePage National Franchise.

Subsequently, embarking on the success, Sherry's

adaptability to change led her to the quest of incepting her

independent real estate firm, in 2005, Blinkhorn Real Estate

Ltd., and she has never looked backed since. She sowed the

seeds of efforts and dedication, forming a team with likeminded

colleagues that reaped her and her firm the fruit of

gaining a solid reputation for providing exceptional services

and supporting many non-profit charitable organizations.

Adding Different Ingredients to the Recipe of Success

Plunging forward in her path of success, she says the

learning process never stops. Sherry holds a diploma in

adult psychology, social work, and counselling skills. Being

amply trained in the mental health field, she understands

how stressful it can be to buy or sell a house.

Sherry has fostered an environment where she puts people

first and encourages her colleagues to do the same. She’s

created a caring and natural positive atmosphere in her

workspace. She knows how crucial it is and is humbled to

be part of the most significant transaction of one's life and is

overjoyed to help it to become a reality. “We don’t see

ourselves as good salespeople – we are good Realtors;

there is a big difference,” says Sherry.

Sherry has focused her work approach around her buyers

and sellers making them the utmost priority. It was vital to


her to create a familial workspace which gives a feeling of

comfort and smoothens the work process. She truly cares

about her clients and understands their real estate needs,

which is why she implies a friendly and professional

atmosphere in her unique way. She has sculpted a valuedriven

team that strives and implements effective marketing

strategies with honesty and hard work.

Cherishing The Victories

The amount of hard work and dedication Sherry puts in her

work is commendable in itself. Her work ethic has set an

example, and her efforts have been acknowledged with

numerous awards, including the ‘Community Mentor

Award’ from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pictou County. She

also received the prestigious ‘Business Leader of the Year

award at the Pictou County Chamber of Commerce Gala in

2012. Sherry is the first female to receive this honor since

its inception in 1991.

Her achievements don’t stop there and go further; in 2018,

Sherry received the ‘Volunteer Vision Award’ from the

Nova Scotia Mental Health Foundation. The following year

she was also recognized with the ‘Women in Business

Award’ at the Chamber Business Achievements Gala. Aside

‘‘

Blinkhorn Real Estate is

dedicated to selling your

home or nding you that

dream home creating the

best possible experience

throughout the entire real

estate transaction.

Professionally we serve,

personally we care!

‘‘

from awards, Sherry was featured in 2020 in the

International ‘Top Agent Magazine’ and her life story in the

Nova Scotia ‘At Home Magazine’.

Leveraging Technology to Provide Upscale Services

At Blinkhorn Real Estate, Sherry has created a work culture

driven by values to make client's lives easier and delivers

high-quality products. The company implements innovative

technologies and offers virtual reality tours and drone

videography to enhance the listings services. They do their

best to ensure that clients get the best prices for buyers and

sellers by through their experience and expertise.

Above and Beyond for the Community

The journey that Sherry embarked on has been a challenge

in itself, she’s worked hard to forge her path to be at the

position she is today. Her experiences have all contributed

to finding transparency in her life. She has been a

passionate advocate for the mentally ill for years. She was

also the public relations director for the Canadian Cancer

Society, Pictou, volunteered for years on the Palliative Care

unit and made it part of her life to give back to her

community.

Sherry has built Blinkhorn Real Estate from the ground up

and contributed to many community organizations in

various ways along the way including sponsoring sports

teams and is routinely involved with multiple non-profits

and other organizations across the county.

The Guiding Flame

Unfolding the pages of Sherry's life, it is crystal clear that

despite hurdles she’s faced, she always has come out on top.

She always empowers, inspires, and encourages a TEAM

environment at her work. She ensures an ambiance of

professionalism, integrity, and superior client service. She

leads with a positive attitude, high ethical values, and hard

work and says she will persist in doing the same into the

future.

Last but not least, Sherry has asserted herself in a firm spot

being a leader in the field of real estate. She is an

inspiration to numerous people and continues to change

many lives. Her compassion, dedication, and her drive to

change have made her a successful businesswoman. She is

truly an example of taking charge of her own life and being

the change, she wants.



The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch in 2022 February2022

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