Divas-In-The-Business-World-2020

The
TYCOON
www.thetycoonmedia.com
Vol 101| October 2020
Magazine
SPECIAL FEATURE
DEBRA RUH
CEO and Founder of Ruh
global IMPACT
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW WITH
SAHIQA BENNETT
CEO & Co-Founder – Searchie
& Mediscreen
Dr. Niama T. Malachi
CEO and Principal Consultant at The Social Consult

REACH YOUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL
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Corporate Consulting
The Social Consult is a
consulting agency
specializing in leadership
and achievement,
organizational
development, performance
improvement, corporate
wellness and work/life
balance
We cultivate a safe, structured,
supportive and trustworthy
environment for you and your
team. Find out more at
www.TheSocialConsult.Org

Message
from
EDITOR
The Future Is Female” and this
adage is well resonated in the words of
Kevin O’Leary of “Shark Tank” when he
said that of his 27 companies, only the
ones with female CEO’S make him
money.
In June 2019, the Fortune 500 hit a
milestone with the most women CEO’s
on record and currently half of the
workforce in the United States is female.
It is said that women will dominate the
business world by the end of the
century. And to celebrate and recognize
iconic women in business who are
making a dent in the universe by their
sheer hardwork and resilience, The
Tycoon Magazine dedicating its very
first issue “Divas In The Business
October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

World – 2020” to all the inspiring women from all walks of life who are refusing
to give up to adversities and are marching strongly and confidently toward the path
of success.
More power to you !
Dr Niama T. Milechi The CEO & Principle Consultant at The Social Consult.
Honored us by featuring on the cover of this issue.
Dr. Malachi uses key principles of Social, Community, Consulting, and Positive
Psychology, in order to help organizations, leaders, and individuals, eliminate their
barriers to success, empowering them to reach their maximum potential.
Featuring in the special feature section- Debra Ruh CEO and Founder of Ruh
Global IMPACT.
Ruh Global is Strategic Communications & Digital Marketing firm helping
corporations strategically include People with Disabilities (PwD). It allows
organizations to connect and integrate the community of PwD, their families and
other stakeholders including Wounded Warriors and Baby Boomers that are
acquiring disabilities for the first time in their lives. Their services enabling
corporate and public organizations to easily navigate the legal maze and confusing
messages about and from the community of PwD.marketing and communications
investments
This issue contains exclusive interview with Sahiqa Bennett CEO & Co
founder Searchie & MediScreen. In this interview Sahiqa shed light on her
journey from the beginning of her career and incredible story of founding two world
class companies.
Besides this this issue features stories of Debbie Reynolds - CEO, and Chief Data
Privacy officer at - Debbie Reynolds Consulting, LLC, Ewa (Eve) Pasewicz Coowner,
Managing Member of Causeway,
Dorcas Tan CEO - Recruit Inc Pte Ltd. , Sabrina El Chibini CEO - The Collaboration
Vector Inc., Lauren Tickner CEO & Founder- Impact School Podcast, Sara
Fernstrom - CEO-Lyft Brands Group.
Happy Reading !!!
Kevin Williams
Kevin Williams
October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

CONTENTS
Dr. Niama T. Malachi
CEO and Principal Consultant
at The Social Consult
Debbie Reynolds - Debbie
Reynolds Consulting, LLC
Founder, CEO, and Chief Data
Privacy officer
14 26
Ewa (Eve) Pasewicz
Co-owner, Managing
Member - Causaway

18
Debra Ruh
CEO - Ruh Global
IMPACT
Melissa L.
Meeker
CEO- The Water Tower
30
22
Dorcas Tan
CEO - Recruit Inc Pte
Ltd.
Sabrina El-
Chibini
CEO - The Collaboration
Vector Inc.
32
28
Lauren Tickner
CEO & Founder- Impact
School Podcast
Sahiqa
Bennett
CEO & Co-Founder –
Searchie & Mediscreen
34
Sara Fernstrom
CEO-Lyft Brands Group
36

Cover Story

DR. NIAMA T. MALACHI
CEO AND PRINCIPAL CONSULTANT AT THE SOCIAL CONSULT
“
TAKE YOUR TIME AND GET IT
RIGHT IN THE DEVELOPMENT
PHASE OF THE PROCESS. IT
MAY FEEL LIKE YOU ARE
RUNNING OUT OF TIME, BUT
YOU ARE NOT. BY REMAINING
CALM, THINKING CRITICALLY
AND LOGICALLY, YOU WILL
SAVE TIME ON REDUNDANCIES
AND ERRORS.

DR. NIAMA T. MALACHI
Transforming lives one moment at a time
Dr. Niama T. Malachi, the CEO
and Principal consultant of the Social
Consult. a woman of integrity,
persistence and extreme hard work,
propelling men and women to become
better individuals using key principles
of Social, Community, Consulting and
Positive Psychology, in order to help
organizations, leaders, and individuals,
Overcome the obstacles that lives throw
at them, helping them live better,
fulfilled lives.
The Social Consult is a consulting
agency specializing in leadership and
achievement,organizational
development, performance
improvement, corporate wellness and
work/life balance. The Social
Consult offers an array of services
including 1:1 Executive
Coaching, C-Suite Support
Services, Lean Six Sigma
Black Belt Consulting and
Organizational Development
services including risk
assessments and strategic
planning.
But the Rome wasn’t built in
a day, and so wasn’t the
present CEO of The Social
consult, They say “when life
gives you lemons, make
lemonade” Malachi, helps
individuals do exactly that,
but the journey wasn’t an
easy one. A woman who
became a mother at 17, at an
age where teenagers live off

Cover Story
Obstacles faced
family’s needs. With great persistence and a
resolute attitude, she would make sure work gets
done, no matter what it requires,
their parents’ money, she decided to fulfill her
dreams and satisfy her
She told :
“If there is an objective an individual
client or an organization wants to
meet, I use every tool I have to make
sure they make it there,”
which speaks a lot about her personality, and
work ethic.
Problem solving capacity
What’s pretty impressing about her, is her
problem solving capacity conspicuous in her
answer to the impact of Covid- 19, she fathoms
the reality, works on it, and believes that if need
be, one should gather the team again, and make
use of whatever resources one has, and design
another way out. “Dust off that strategic plan,
call your team together and hit the boardroom
or should I say Zoom interface and don’t forget
to hire a Consulting Psychologist” she told us.
Another event which introduces to her ‘never
give up’ attitude is when she garnered courage
and moved out of a destitute area to Bowling
Green State University along with her daughter.
She went on to fulfill her dream of getting a
doctorate and simultaneously working as a
quality director under the umbrella of Fortune
500 company, but as much as she enjoyed her
job, it didn’t satisfy her the way she wanted.
Hence she took her leap of faith and went on to
open her agency, marketed it on her own, and
the catch is she never thought she could make it,
but she did and today is a true diva.
She faced immense obstacles alongside being an
African American woman from a marginalized
area, the potential or her capacity to work wasn’t
a hindrance in her way, but the opinions and
perspective of people towards her were. with
and experience of working 21 days straight, and
for 22 hours straight too, the doctorate of a
Caucasian woman was always appreciated more
than hers. But that couldn’t restrain her, she did
give her all, to the point that she faced impostor
syndrome, she couldn’t voice her opinions
because of the fear of getting judged and not
getting promoted. But as good happens to the
good, her boss mentored her into becoming the
fierce and confident woman she’s today, by
working on her communication skills.
In this way she gives back to the society, who
once gave her. She decided to not fit in the
Cinderella’s glass slipper, and decided to get her
own pair, and she did it right.
Words of Wisdom
Her piece of wisdom to the budding
entrepreneurs is
“Take your time and get it right in the
development phase of the process. It
may feel like you are running out of
time, but you are not. By remaining
calm, thinking critically and logically,
you will save time on redundancies
and errors. Also, do not be afraid. I
cannot say this enough. Fear is
immobilizing and it keeps you
powerless. Rise above it. If something
makes you afraid, if it is not morally,
ethically, or legally wrong, do that
something.”
All in all her belief in herself, support from her
family, intention of giving back to the society
has made her a true boss lady she is today.

Listing
Debbie Reynolds
Debra Ruh
Name of
Organisation
Debbie Reynolds
Consulting, LLC
Ruh Global IMPACT
Description
Debbie Reynolds is a world-renowned technologist,
thought-leader, and advisor to Multinational Corporations
for handling global data privacy, cyber data breach
response, and complex cross-functional data-driven
projects.
Ruh Global is Strategic Communications & Digital
Marketing firm helping corporations strategically include
People with Disabilities (PwD)
Dorcas Tan
Ewa Pasewicz
Recruit Inc Pte Ltd.
Causeway Bridge to
Innovation LLC
Recruit Inc is a One-Stop HR Solutions Company, for
organizations to “Partner Right for the Right People”.
Our value-added services cover the full spectrum from
headhunting, HR Consulting, International Recruitment
and Project Management.
Causeway Bridge to Innovation is a group of
experienced and talented people with deep knowledge
about IT European markets at the same time being local
on the US market.
Lauren Tickner
Impact School Podcast
Online coaching/consulting/service.
Helping Coaches, Consultants and course
creators
Melissa L. Meeker
Sabrina El-Chibini
Sahiqa Benette
Sara Fernstrom
The Water Tower
The Collaboration
Vector Inc.
Searchie
Lyft Brands Group
The Water Tower is creating a campus and an
ecosystem to reimagine the future of water – with the
public and private sectors of the water industry – via
applied research, technology innovation, workforce
development, and community engagement.
The Collaboration Vector Inc originated an evidencebased
approach to building community programs that
moves stakeholder engagement from transactional to
transformative, delivers multi-dimensional business
and social impact, and differentiates your Corporate
Social Responsibility strategy
Searchie is a virtual video interview platform which will
cut down your time and cost to hire by 80%. Searchie
helps employers to virtually interview, screen and
shortlist candidates.
Lyft Brands Group is a brand acquisition and
management company that focuses on branded
operating companies in the premium apparel, footwear,
and accessories sectors.

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TYCOON
Team
Magazine
Chief Editor - Kevin Williams
Assistant Editor - Abigail Brown
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www.twitter.com/TheTycoonMag

Debbie Reynolds
The Data Diva
In this world of phishing, and plagiarism
where horses are not merely animals but have
become invaders to your privacy, and
cybercrime is realer than ever at this time and
hour, Debbie Reynolds, the CEO and
founder of Debbie Reynolds Consulting
helps companies navigate their Data Privacy
obligations with Data Privacy Officer solutions,
the Data Privacy program implementation,
management, and evaluation, and education
They work with perseverance, hard work and
integrity with software companies to evaluate
tools for Data Privacy by design and
compliance or to help mature companies pivot
into new markets. They also work with
investor groups on due diligence who want to
know more about the Data Privacy market
conditions, the players in the markets, and
market trends. They help companies move
from idea to action.
The rise of the company
The journey to excellence isn’t a plain road, it is
full of rocks and potholes. Debbie is an
exemplary leader, her career started with the
love of data flows when using technology. She
became her own teacher, but didn’t let the
student in her go away, she taught herself
everything and was always fascinated as the
16 October 2020
digital age has evolved in the last few decades.
She leveraged her data skills in Library Science,
Publishing, Technology, and now Data Privacy.
She worked with investor groups, software
companies, companies with regulatory Data
Privacy challenges, and those who need
guidance on navigating the Data Privacy
landscape in actionable ways.
Struggles and Successes
After talking about the inception, it is time to
talk about data privacy, which is a complex field
because technology changes rapidly, so being
technologically sound and advanced is a major
struggle as well as a challenge and , is essential
to be in the A game as it plays an indispensable
role in the impact on business.
According to the United Nations, about 57% of
countries in the world have Data Privacy
legislation. Another 30% of countries are in the
process of exploring the process of creating new
legislation. Data stands between the technology
and the regulations, which means companies
must find ways to eliminate barriers that would
slow or stop their progress. Finding ways for
businesses to anticipate and be well-positioned
for changes is vital to my advisory work.
There is a rapid market demand for technology
implementation as all types of companies are
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now focusing on working from home, and use
of mobile applications to track corona-virus
carriers. Now companies want a better data
privacy system, and Debbie and her team helps
them navigate these issues and put plans and
actions in place to move businesses forward.
Moving forward, they have also turned their
struggles into successes, “Most companies are
now data companies, so we advise clients on
Data Privacy issues all over the world in many
industries. We are members of 15 Advisory
Boards and have received 11 special honors.
We also have 71 media mentions and have
contributed to publications including the book,
The GDPR Challenge: Privacy, Technology, and
Compliance In An Age of Accelerating Change,
publications like The International Journal for
the Data Protection Officer, Privacy Officer, and
Privacy Counsel, Bloom-berg Business,
Thomson Reuters West, The Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS), Digiday, Legal-tech
News, Law.com, Law360, The Recorder, Legal
Business World, Toyo Keizai Japan, and
American Lawyer,” Debbie told.
privacy issues worldwide, he passion and aim
of keeping data safeguarded has made a major
mark in this industry, and they do want to keep
at it. She also gave a piece of advice to the
young entrepreneurs
“ I would advise budding entrepreneurs
to find a support group of like-minded
entrepreneurs in different industries
going through entrepreneurial
journeys. It is great to have the ability
to exchange ideas and know that your
product or services may differ, but you
can learn so much from one another.
Also, not everyone will support you and
your vision, especially if it is a unique
idea or service. Do not give up and find
ways to motivate yourself to
persevere,” and that truly makes her
stand out.
Future goals and Advice to the youth
Debbie is an inspiration to all the women and
young entrepreneurs out there but her journey
has just begun, her goal still remains to
continue to provide stellar advisory solutions to
her clients and to become a voice on data
17 October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

Debra Ruh
“
FOLLOW YOUR PURPOSE
AND LISTEN TO OTHERS
BUT LISTEN TO YOUR OWN
INSTINCTS MORE. DO NOT
LET ANYONE TELL YOU
THAT YOU CANNOT
ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS.
”

Debra Ruh
Purpose Driver, Authentic, Global Citizen and Believer
Debra Ruh, CEO and Founder of Ruh global
IMPACT started her career in the technology
and banking industries. She began her career at
AT&T as an overseas operator helping
customers connect to international calls and
help cruise ships make phone calls all over the
world.
It was interesting but she hated the strict work
environment so she left that well paid position at
19 and became a waitress and worked her way
through college. Got a position in at banking/
financial organization as a system administrator
and technical trainer which lasted for about 25
years which later advanced to a position of a
Vice President. In 2000, she decided to become
an entrepreneur inspired by her daughter Sara
born with Down syndrome. As a technologist,
she decided to create a tech company that
employed persons with disabilities called
TecAccess and 85% of the team were
technologists with disabilities. She grew
TecAccess to a multimillion dollar firm with
major corporate clients all over the world and
then supported clients by helping them assure
their websites, software and hardware were
accessible to persons with disabilities and
compliant with laws like Section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans
With Disabilities Act (ADA). She used all her
savings, put her house up as collateral, In 2010,
the bank that they banked with in Virginia failed
due to the financial crisis and in early 2011 –
they called her $200,000 bank note and two
weeks later sent her a bill for $20,000 for late
fees and penalties for not paying the bank note
off with no notice. She realized that she had to
save her employees. So a competitor offered to
do an Asset Based Purchase – that saved her
employees but her investors (mostly friends and
family) and her family lost a lot of money.
However, she was able to save her employees,
20 October 2020
after 18 months, she left that firm and created Ruh
Global IMPACT in late 2012.
Ruh Global IMPACT also employees many
persons with disabilities over 90% of the team and
talented technologists and marketers with
disabilities. They work with multinational firms
to help them focus on social, good via tech4good,
tech4all, AI4Good, Digital Inclusion, and
Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, Ageing
Society and other intersectionality of Inclusion.
Struggles and successes
When she became a technical entrepreneur and
made a decision to be a social entrepreneur as
opposed to opening a non-profit – she learned
quickly that she was in a man’s world. She had
one man tell her that if a white male was not the
CEO of her former company – she would never be
successful. He of course, offered himself as her
CEO – but she declined. Times have changed a lot
since her adventure into the entrepreneurial
world and she has always supported women of all
ages so they do not have the barriers that she faced
as she became a successful entrepreneur.
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She feels it is an accomplishment to have this
impressive team comprised on technologists
with disabilities. She has also supported UN
activities including her being asked to speak for
the UN Conference of State Parties by the UN
President. She has also supported many other
UN activities including creating policies and
programs about accessibility and disability
inclusion. Proud of supporting many global
multinationals to create tech4good programs
and inclusion programs all over the world. Her
two shows are also an achievement with
AXSChat a tweet chat that was created by 3
people including her – which had over 8 billion
tweets. Plus her show – Human Potential at
Work has an audience of more than 100,000
listeners from 86 countries and 113 regions.
When asked for advice to budding entrepreneurs
She replied
“Follow your purpose and listen to others BUT listen
to your own instincts more. Do not let anyone tell
you that you cannot achieve your goals. I also
believe that it is critical to focus on projects that help
others. The time of only focusing on profits at the
expense of everything else – is not going to be viable
in the future. Also collaborate with other
entrepreneurs and take the time to learn how to
manage every aspect of your business. I have had
entrepreneurs say they do not understand their
business umber so rely on others – that is dangerous.
Take the time to learn to become a good
entrepreneur but once again trust your instincts.”
Advice to the budding entrepreneurs
21 October 2020
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DORCAS TAN
POSITIVE AND FORWARD-LOOKING INDIVIDUAL
“
It takes a lot of grit and
determination plus
perseverance and there
will be many occasions
where you will be
knocked down. In these
times, you just have to
pick yourself up and
move on. Believe in
yourself and never look
back.
”

Headhunting was born out of a dream. After
20 years working in the corporate world, she
wanted something new, something of her own
and something she would be proud of. She was
in the Human Resource and Recruitment
industry from the early days of her career. In
school, she had always been a competitive
athlete, winning numerous medals for her
school in long distance races. She carried this
competitive spirit with herself after she left
school for the corporate world. The recruitment
industry was highly competitive and the
transition suited her perfectly. It didn’t take her
long before she became the top rookie
recruitment consultant in her company though
she was the youngest consultant they hired.
Success seemed to come fast and furious for her
and by the time she was 24 years old, she was
already managing a recruitment branch. The
birth of her first child at the age of 27 years old
didn’t seem to put the brakes on her career. The
company gave her a golden opportunity to turn
around a business with 5 branches which she
gladly took on and started a 6 th branch with over
30 recruitment consultants under her charge.
From then on, her career catapulted further and
she never looked back. By the time she reached
her late thirties, she had moved numerous roles
and the last was leading a team of more than
700 service personnel for The World’s Best
Airport. Despite her achievements, there was a
void, an inkling feeling that something was
missing as there was nothing she could call her
own. So she made a very big decision to trade a
comfortable, well-paying job to start up her own
recruitment brand, Recruit Inc. She began with
only her mobile phone and had to dig deep into
her savings to rent a shoe box office in the CDB.
From that day, she realized that with hard work,
it was possible to turn a dream into a reality. It
has been more than five years and not a tinge of
regret.
Recruit Inc. is a one stop HR solution company
that partners clients in the search for talent
across the globe. They have the recruitment and
headhunting permanent placement arm, a
temporary contingency workforce project
management arm as well as a HR consultancy
arm for clients who need HR advisory services.
Struggles and successes
Headhunting is a complex and challenging
industry as it deals with the most important
23
asset of a client company, its people. There are
always options but to find the candidate with the
right fit, to engage the candidate, to hire the
candidate fast, within cost and to ensure a good
candidate experience through a fair and efficient
process takes more than just skills and
knowledge as it is both an art and a science. In
order to survive, a headhunter needs to have a
good grasp of all the “orders” or vacancies, to
know what each role entails right to the last
detail as well as navigate the nature of business
and complexities of each industry. They are
living in a candidate-driven market, with
demand to fill open positions for outstripping
supply in many different industries.
But like everyone gets their fruit of labour, she
later became the youngest senior country
manager at age 27 years old in GMP group,
achieved top division awards for 3 consecutive
years and also the Youngest Talent Acquisition
Director for Singapore Sports council at the age
of 32. She also led a team of 700 service
personnel at the age of 37 and helped won the
World’s Best Airport her list of achievements
would be incomplete without mentioning that
she set up her own company at the age of 39 and
won the HR Vendors of the year 2017- Best
Recruitment Firm for non-management roles
(Bronze). She was also awarded the HRM
Readers’ Choice Awards 2016 - Best recruitment
Firm-Boutique Award and HR Vendors of the
year 2016- finalist- for Best Recruitment Firm.
Advice to the emerging entrepreneurs
Her words of wisdom to the budding
entrepreneurs are
“As an entrepreneur, you will face a lot of
issues that require quick decisions where you
will have no one to rely on except yourself to
just figure it out. It takes a lot of grit and
determination plus perseverance and there will
be many occasions where you will be knocked
down. In these times, you just have to pick
yourself up and move on. Believe in yourself
and never look back. Stay faithful to your
dream and your goal and do not let naysayers
detract or derail you. Stay engaged with others
on the same journey so that you know you’re
never alone.”

24 October 2020
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25 October 2020
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Ewa Pasewicz
Merging two worlds
Ewa Pasewicz started in financial
sector (Citigroup) and at the same time
she was studying at Warsaw School of
Economics in Warsaw on Quantitative
Methods and Information Systems in
Economy. After Citi she started her career
in IT, at the begging it was
commercialization of mobile payments at
Polish Security Printing Works, then
work at integrator systems - MCX. She
recognizes as a very important step in her
career was her experience at IBM. It was
also time when she was finishing Master
degree at Warsaw School of Economics
(SGH) with specialization in Business
Information Technology. All of that gave
her a chance to be more independent
when she was created banking sector at
IMPAQ or was responsible for
commercialization process as Vice
President at eSecure. The first one was
about security solutions for financial
sector and the second one refer to cybersecurity
solution like Security
Orchestration Automation and Response,
known as SOAR or SIEM group of
products. After 16 years of experience in
IT in Europe she has decided with his
family to move to US (Florida) and launch
her own company, Causeway Bridge to
Innovation LLC.
They merge two worlds - Europe and the
United States. These experiences allow
them to have an open mind and to notice,
too differentiate, to find connections and
to respond to needs, to gaps. This review
allows them to have distance and see
where and how a demand can be met in
the fastest and most innovative way
possible. They like to say — they are
Polish by birth but with American soul.
They deeply understand IT but also
business perspective. Time to market is
as important to them as it is to their
clients. They are local but at the same
time they deeply understand European
market from formal and behavioral
perspective.
Struggles and successes
The industry is innovative and very
changeable. That's why one has to be

creative and interesting all the time. One
has to like to learn, listen to the market,
especially the customers, their needs. It's
the best way to learn what's needed and to
react to changing requirements as quickly
as possible. They find this fascinating, but
they realize that it can be a challenge.
The foundation of the company's
existence is laid in the context of
cooperation with partners in Poland, as
well as cooperation with local clients in
the US.
It's just working — they have great
customers, they love what they do, they
expand in software development, cyber
security and managed services. They
support local startups and also huge
American corporates. They deliver value,
they are proud that they can be part of
their customer's success. They will also
create new startup and hire more people
in the next few months. They are thrilled
that they can do what they do. They smile
every day when they start their work.
Future goals and advice
Their goals for the future is to expand
their services with respect to their values.
They will hire more people and they will
launch new startup to support
relationships.
Her advice for the emerging
entrepreneurs is to
“Always trust your feelings. I believe
that you cannot do the business with the
people who you don't like from the very
beginning. Also learning new things
every day is very important. You will be
surprised how quickly you find that as
valuable. Be prepared for hard work but
also for freedom and always remember
give time to yourself to find your
creativity. Sometimes close your
computer and go for a walk. Even when
you think that you don't have time for
that. You will surprised how many
challenges you will solve after 30
minutes’ walk.”
“
BE PREPARED FOR HARD
WORK BUT ALSO FOR
FREEDOM AND ALWAYS
REMEMBER GIVE TIME TO
YOURSELF TO FIND YOUR
CREATIVITY. SOMETIMES
CLOSE YOUR COMPUTER
AND GO FOR A WALK.
EVEN WHEN YOU THINK
THAT YOU DON'T HAVE
TIME FOR THAT. YOU WILL
SURPRISED HOW MANY
CHALLENGES YOU WILL
SOLVE AFTER 30 MINUTES’
WALK.
”

Lauren Tickner
A driven Woman
While still in school, she knew she wanted to be
successful. She just had this drive in her, and loved
the idea of putting on a suit every day and working in
finance. So, at age 18, she began researching for
placements to do right after she finished her exams.
After a load of interviews and assessments, battling
against graduates with master’s degrees in
investment, she managed to get a position at one of
the UK’s top financial firms, and was seen as
“successful” form the outside.
Yet, after the honeymoon period had worn off, she
realized that this world wasn’t for her. She was deeply
unhappy, and woke up every day dreading getting out
of bed.
She was so unsure of what to do. She knew that
staying in that job would put her on the fast-track to
a 6-figure income. But she also had a place at
University waiting for her. And while she was working
there, she’d started posting more fitness-related
content on social media and was getting such a good
response, she also started online personal training
(online coaching). At first, she had no clue what she
was doing and it felt like a bit of side cash rather than
something which would ever go anywhere. But she
loved learning about business. So then, she went to
study on the UK’s number 1 business degree. But, it
made no sense to her. What she was learning wasn’t
directly applicable to her online business. So after a
year and a bit, she quit.
Throughout her career so far. you may see how she
doesn't keep at something just because she already
got that far in. If it’s not working, she pivots. That was
when she went even more ‘all in’ on everything she
was doing, and hired her first couple of team
members. From there, people began asking her how
she built an online business, and she was trying to
help so many people that it was getting
unmanageable.
That was when her idea for Impact School was born:
She realized that she was great at building online
businesses, so she wanted to help others build theirs.
And now, with over 30 team members, she is grateful
that she gets to help aspiring entrepreneurs turn their
28 October 2020
existing experience and knowledge into online
coaching/consulting/service businesses.
Struggles and Successes
When she was starting out in the online world, she
over complicated everything. She saw what big
businesses were doing, and tried to do the same. She
invested money in the wrong things and people. It
took many mistakes, mostly trial and error, to figure
out what she needed to do to build a successful
business within the complexities of the
entrepreneurship world. Most people thought she
was throwing everything away and giving up because
she chose to leave a “successful” job, where she had a
safe career progression laid out for her. Online
coaching was not as popular back then as it is now, so
people gossiped about her for quitting her job in asset
management and her family played the guilt trick on
her for months.
But with constant hard work and determination, she
managed to make it big and was awarded the
following accolades:
• Over 1,800 successful clients in just the
past 2 years.
• Forbes top 10 entrepreneur.
• Impact School Podcast Featured In Top 10
In The World.
• London Stock Exchange Top 5
Entrepreneur.
Advice to the budding entrepreneurs
When asked for her valuable insight for budding
entrepreneurs, she told the tycoon media
“Study and learn from the people who have gone
from where you are now to where you want to be!
With the right guidance and knowledge, you can
build a business you’ve only ever dreamed of.
Secondly, bet on yourself and understand that it’s
possible. There will be naysayers and doubters, but
stay true to yourself and what you want to do in life
and in business. Regret is more painful than failure.
www.thetycoonmedia.com

“
Bet on yourself and
understand that it’s
possible. There will
be naysayers and
doubters, but stay
true to yourself and
what you want to do
in life and in
business. Regret is
more painful than
failure. I truly believe
that you never lose,
you learn. And that
you get to make your
own luck.
”
I truly believe that you never lose, you learn.
And that you get to make your own luck.
Finally - remember this quote from Les Brown
“The graveyard is the richest place on earth,
because it is here that you will find all the hopes
and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books
that were never written, the songs that were
never sung, the inventions that were never
shared, the cures that were never discovered, all
because someone was too afraid to take that
first step, keep with the problem, or determined
to carry out their dream.”
29 October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

MELISSA L. MEEKER
Managing Water, One Drop a Time
Natural resources are indispensable,
especially in this era of sustainable development
and increased focus on reducing
industrialization. Melissa L. Meeker, the
CEO and Founder of The Water Tower, is
creating a water innovation ecosystem in
Gwinnett County, Georgia, focused on helping
utilities around the world become more
progressive. The Water Tower is an
entrepreneurial organization that works with
the public, private, and academic sectors in four
integrated areas- including applied research,
technology innovation, workforce development,
and community engagement- to help water and
wastewater utilities reimagine the future of
water.
The nonprofit focuses on applied research
conducted through partnerships with utilities
and universities to make their way to real-world
solutions to operational challenges. And how do
they do that? It begins from treatment and
monitoring technologies, smart software that
turns data into guidance, and social science
research on the most effective ways to
communicating complex information to the
public. “As an example, our society is constantly
bombarded with push notifications on their
mobile phones – to the point where it barely
registers. How can we best notify the public in
flood prone areas that a severe storm is headed
their way? What information will actually make
them act and protect their family?” says Melissa.
The goal of The Water Tower also includes
workforce development and training, and public
engagement through education on water
stewardship. The unique combination and
integration of these four core areas offers an
30 October 2020
ecosystem of innovation and an opportunity for
all types of organizations and individuals to
thrive.
The rise of TWT
The creation of The Water Tower, which is
unconventional yet revolutionizing, in addition
to her past roles running water districts and
research foundations, has provided Melissa with
interesting insights into water management.
“One of my favorite water related podcasts
always asks their guests if they chose water or if
water chose them. In my case, water chose me.
For as long as I can remember I was involved in
water – from swimming and beach combing as a
child to a multitude of jobs in the water sector,”
she says. Following her love of water as a child,
Melissa started working in public, private and
nonprofit worlds where she delved deeper into
water resource management and restoration.
She added, “ I believe my ability to draw on all of
that experience has placed me in a unique
position to launch The Water Tower and create
an integrated environment that will address
multiple complex challenges in water. The
knowledge that water is life is a huge driver.
Literally nothing would exist without it. So
anything we can do to bring new ideas, foster
innovation, and build excitement around
careers in water - are all things that can have a
positive impact on our quality of life and
increase community resilience.”
Struggles and successes
Similar to engineering and construction, which
are male dominated professions, it is often
difficult for women to rise at the same level in
the water industry. Melissa has witnessed
www.thetycoonmedia.com

situations where minorities have had challenges
establishing themselves as thought leaders.
However, the water industry workforce has
transitioned over the past fifteen years and she
can foresee that the industry is ripe for inclusion
and advancement in terms of diversity.
Bureaucracy within local, state and federal
agencies that limited abilities to break down
silos and make better-informed decisions also
posed challenges. However, she overcame these
challenges time and time again. Melissa has
accomplished a great deal in her career thus far
and The Water Tower is a culmination of her
hard work and service for the water industry.
Under Melissa’s leadership, The Water Tower
has developed a sound business plan,
established a strong Board of Directors, and
garnered support from numerous public and
private entities now committed to seeing it
succeed. The Water Tower campus is currently
under construction, however programming is
already underway in the four key areas of
applied research, technology innovation,
workforce development and community
engagement.
Words of wisdom
“Continue to build your network. I’ve been
amazed at the connection and support I’ve
received just from someone introducing me to
someone else,” Melissa advises.
“Most importantly, don’t give up – you will hit
barriers, but keep at it! There is a way to meet
your goals.”
Learn more about The Water Tower at
www.theh2otower.org.
“
Don’t give up
– you will hit
barriers, but
keep at it!
There is a way
to meet your
goals
”
October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

Sabrina El-Chibini
“Innovating in social and business growth, through deeprooted,
authentic collaboration between people”
Sabrina El-Chibini is CEO and founder of
The Collaboration Vector Inc. and originator of
a unique, evidence-based framework for moving
corporate community investment from
transactional to transformational. The
Collaboration Vector Inc. has differentiated
itself by working with companies and their nonprofit
partners to build community programs
that generate innovative, long-term, sustainable
solutions to societal challenges.
Companies build impactful relationships with
stakeholders as they develop and retain their
leaders through purpose-filled programs that
are both centrally aligned and locally expressed.
They are naturally finding their “sweet spot” of
community investment leading to efficiency,
spurring business success, and consistent
innovation.
The rise of the company
Long before conversations about corporate
social responsibility became mainstream,
Sabrina learned that when people at every level
in an organization feel engaged in a common
social mission, magic happens. She had the
opportunity to help two independent hospitals
work more closely together for the benefit of
their common patients. Working with
executives and health care teams to simplify
processes and ensure continuity in care when
patients transferred from one hospital to the
other, Sabrina learned that succeeding in
improving care had everything to do with deeply
engaging people.
This held true in every sector of the economy.
When people became engaged through purpose,
not only did they develop in rich and
meaningful ways, but innovation and creativity
flowed. While further developing this notion in
the public, private, non-profit sectors and in
32
October 2020
mandates with the United Nations Development
Programme, it became clear that some of the
greatest opportunities for developing people,
growing and innovating would be catalyzed in
the intersection between business and society.
For the business sector specifically, deeply
engaging with employees and external
stakeholders around a common mission of
solving social problems, could very possibly hold
the key to the kingdoms companies are striving
to build: finding purpose, developing leaders,
engaging employees, retaining top talent,
strengthening customer loyalty, and building
trust, great cultures and reputations.
Sabrina founded The Collaboration Vector Inc.
in 2011 with a mission of supporting business in
tapping into these opportunities that generate
social and business value.
Overcoming obstacles
Creating a business like this is not a cakewalk,
with the greatest challenge being the
engagement of decision makers in committing
to long term transformational and consistent
growth versus the allure of short-term
transactional activities. With most companies
having been transactional in their community
investment practices over past decades, many
questions were left unanswered. Companies
were uncertain about where their time and
money should be spent, unsure if their
investments were doing the most good, and
unclear about the optimal balance between
“work” and “community” life.
During COVID-19, The Collaboration Vector
Inc. witnessed first-hand the robustness of client
programs that were founded and built on solving
social problems. Long-term community
partners, supported by long-term business
partners, collaborated efficiently to enable nonprofits
to adapt their service models. Many non-
www.thetycoonmedia.com

profits distributed food and essential goods to
community members in need, even if it meant
temporarily deviating from their original
missions. Not only did these partnerships
remain stable during COVID-19, but
collaboration between sectors reached an alltime
high. Employees gave generously over and
above funds given by their employers, while
non-profits reported on the immediate impact
of these contributions.
Circumstances have led all sectors to come full
circle with a state of readiness to embrace
purpose and community in a way this world has
not seen since the days of the early settlers and
pioneers. Corporate community programs are a
natural vehicle for achieving this. With respect
to moving forward in building a better world
and making social progress, Sabrina believes
business and the global work force will seek
longer-term, meaningful sustainable solutions.
Words of Wisdom
“Focus, then persevere”, says Sabrina,
when asked keys to success and what
advice she would give budding young
entrepreneurs.
www.thecollaborationvector.com
Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/
sabrinaelchibini/
Focus on the Future
What’s next? The company’s core offering
continues to grow as thought is provoked
among visionary business leaders about a
different approach to community investment.
The team is applying the company’s framework
to an expanded set of stakeholders for
engagement with business on social change.
33
October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

SAHIQA BENNETT
CEO & Co-Founder – Searchie & Mediscreen
Journey since the beginning of career.
Started my career as a teenager who couldn’t wait
to work, but it was so hard to get a chance. That’s
what I remember clearly, I got rejected time after
time due to not having experience, but I thought
how can I have previous experience if I’m only 17
years old? The first half of my career was super
tough, taking low salaries, working a lot and then
I got my big break. I started a role at Dow Jones
and worked in the Venture Capital & Private
Equity team and that was amazing. I was able to
transfer my skills to a new industry and the
learning curve was steep. To this day I remain
grateful to my amazing management team -
Guido Schenk, Robert Hughes & Bill Yong. They
were incredibly supportive leaders and gave me
the opportunity I longed for. I wish more
Managers were as empowering as they were, if
you’re reading this..THANK YOU.
Source of motivation
I have seen the place I was born in and
opportunities are limited and people are in
poverty. Thanks to my grandad and dad getting
a job in the UK, our lives changed forever. This
was not just a job to them, it was a lifeline and
thanks to this, generations have been changed.
Not everyone is lucky to get an opportunity, so
my job is to create these chances for others and
give back and create dignified work and health.
Technology has the ability to create scalable
equality in society.
Challenges faced to withstand the
complexities of the industry.
Where do I start? There have been so many and
continue to be. Being a woman leader in tech
from the Middle East is harder than I thought. At
some point you talk to investors and that’s a
mainly a male dominated world (globally, not
just in the region). I don’t fit the idea of what an
entrepreneur looks like, throw a couple of
children in and that enforces the judgement even
more. But it couldn’t be further from the truth, as
34 October 2020
a mum you juggle a lot and I’m used to working
all hours, my startups are like my children too.
Some people have never run a startup before, I
have for years and it’s my way of life. My children
inspire me and whenever we launch any new AI
powered video product, they are the first ones I
test it on. After all it has to be simple enough for
a 5 year old to understand! You have to focus and
not be distracted by the negative energy. The
more successful you become, the more people
want to tear you down, this is something I don’t
understand. But you do get stronger over time
and just need to focus on running forward at
speed and as a woman..in heels!
Details about your company and its
unique services/products.
Searchie is the original company we developed in
2018, which is an AI powered video platform for
those who are applying for jobs. It is also being
used to evaluate competencies of existing teams.
More focus needs to shift to personality and
untapped potential not history of what people
have done. We’re allowing companies to focus on
the future and potential of each person, all
through remote screening tools-something of
huge value for these days.
In March 2020 we pivoted and launched
Mediscreen – this is a virtual video powered
triage to help doctors, governments, employers
and health authorities prescreen on scale. It’s
being used for COVID-19 and some doctors have
also started using it for Virtual Cardiac
prescreening too. It is also helping employers
phase back to work safely or help safeguard
employees through regular checks. This will
change the face of health care forever and CNN
and CNBC have also featured it. In the era of
virtual work and health we are strongly
positioned to leverage both through our
businesses. Timing is everything and we are
fortunate that we were able to build solutions for
current challenges which we could not have
predicted a year ago.
www.thetycoonmedia.com

Current industry scenario from your
perspective.
Well the HR industry will have huge challenges,
the unemployment rate is very high and will
continue to rise globally. Companies will receive
much more applicants per role – this is the exact
problem we are fixing – our AI can interview
every single person and give them a chance to all
be assessed in the same way, regardless of
gender, age, nationality and status. The
employers will then get the top 5. Full profiles
with videos, personality reports and CV all digital
in one place. This is creating diversity and
inclusion, we are helping fix bias in the
recruitment process.
With regards to the Healthcare industry there is
a massive opportunity. Every country is looking
to digitise and create more efficient virtual
healthcare, Mediscreen is well positioned to take
advantage of this shift and assist in the
transformation. It is estimated that $11.7 trillion
dollars will be spent in healthcare between now
and 2022 and $670 billion will be generated in
2020, from AI powered systems, these are the
sort of numbers we like to see!
Major achievements
Searchie was voted as 1 of the top 10 companies
shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution in
2019 by the World Economic Forum. We were
flown to join global leaders and have discussions
with Professor Klaus Schwab (Chairman of
World Economic Forum) who is a remarkable
person.
Mediscreen was developed in 14 days and
launched during COVID-19 and has customers
globally and growing fast, pivoted into healthcare
has been a great move.
Future Perspective.
We are focusing on ensuring our platform can
handle huge scale, across many countries. Our
goal is to become a $100 million dollar company
by July 2021.
Advise to the budding entrepreneurs.
Are you sure you want to do it??? You have to be
obsessed, tough and hardworking. Please don’t
think you can work the hours you want and
that’s the only reason you want to be an
entrepreneur. You will work more hours than
you could ever imagine – if you still want to do it
and don’t mind sleepless nights, sacrificing
comfort, holidays, weekends, lifestyle…then do
it! But do it with your whole soul vested into the
venture and don’t give up at the first hurdle.
October 2020
You will break and fall apart time and time
again, but wow…..the highs are out of this world!
You won’t get this same kind of feeling in any
corporate job. Nothing comes close to that
feeling of building something from scratch and
seeing it grow into a impactful, successful, global
company.
www.thetycoonmedia.com

Sara Fernstrom
Conceptual, creative, and unrelentingly honest
36 October 2020
Like most journeys, this journey of a thousand
miles also did began from a single step,
Fernstrom in her final year of college interned
full-time for CNBC and the NBC Today Show
which helped her get her first job in the
prestigious NBC Universal Page Program. From
there her career accelerated, after two years
working at NBC, with a good network of
contacts and an understanding of the inner
workings of Hollywood and consumer products,
NBC helped her get through the door at Creative
Artists Agency (CAA).
A high power Hollywood agency, inspired her
and was truly life changing, she truly thrived in
this environment surrounded by innovation
and the most brilliant minds of the industry
where the ground-breaking ideas were formed
and developed into multimillion-dollar
business . After ten years of working at CAA and
later UTA, she then decided to pursue her longtime
dream which was to start her own
company; which gave birth to the Lyft Brands
Group in 2015. Lyft Brands Group is a brand
management company targeting top quality
brands with strong awareness and potential for
long-term international growth.
Struggles and successes
Part of Lyft Brands Group’s strategy is
providing an alternative business model
creating more cost efficient and profitable
businesses for brands. One way the company is
able to quickly convert unprofitable brands to
profitable businesses is by identifying
inefficiencies often related to brands global
operational structure with high costs in for
example inventory management, store leases
and store staff, local sales teams and buyers,
global import, export, and distribution costs.
By licensing out one or more product
categories and territories internationally to
licensees that are experts within their territory
www.thetycoonmedia.com

“
I have always
surrounded myself
with much smarter
people than myself
that can bring new
ideas to the table
and push me to do
better as well.
”
and who can spread the costs across
multiple licensed brands, the company is
able maintain the control of the brands by
working closely with each licensee, ensuring the
brand looks and feels the same in every country
yet withstand significant operational costs
required when running a business across the
globe.
They’ve also seen a lot of successes and one of
those was working with Ben Sherman which
resulted in an increase in sales of 400% in the
initial three years with global expansion to 52
countries.
Words of Wisdom
When asked for her piece of advice for the
young, budding business minds, she replied
My advice to budding entrepreneurs would be
that if you have something you are passionate
about and believe in take the leap and pursue it.
There is nothing more gratifying than fulfilling
your dreams.
With that being said, there will be challenges
and hurdles to overcome, but take each one as
they come and use it as a learning experience
to further your business path. Believe in your
instincts but learn to listen well.
Also always be open to advice from more
experienced individuals.
You need to constantly be at the top of your
game and understand the ins and outs of your
industry as your success relies on you.
During my time at NBC Universal, each Page
was able to set up 30-minute personal
informational meetings with any NBC Studio
executive. To this day I still think back on all I
learned from these successful individuals.
Therefore, belief, perseverance and passion is
definitely going to take you places.
October 2020
www.thetycoonmedia.com

WE M AKE INCLUSION
LEADERS
RuhGlobal Impact has created a simple, effective
process to help organizations achieve real impact with
their inclusion strategies. We provide the tools for any
organization to become global leaders in inclusion.
To set up a meeting, please email info@RuhGlobal.com
or contact us through our Social Media.
@DebraRuh

Book Debra to speak at your next
community or corporate event
Email: Info@RuhGlobal.com
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