Category Archives: Spotlight Interviews

Spotlight Interview with Lindsay Davies, CEO at CellTherEx Consulting AB

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

What do you hope attendees will gain at your webinar?

Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products (ATMPs) represent a dynamic and expanding area of drug development. The intricate and diverse nature of this class of drug products represents new challenges in development, manufacturing, and regulatory compliance.

My goal is that this webinar will provide an introduction for those thinking of entering the ATMP arena. For those already invested, I hope we can discuss what we have learned, the challenges we face and the solutions we are employing to grow this market and make novel therapeutics accessible to patients.

What discussions do you look forward to having with the attendees?

The Q&A sessions regarding ATMPs are always interesting and unpredictable! I hope that the speakers will trigger a great debate on where ATMPs are heading and how we can align regulations and the development of products to upscale and increase their accessibility to patients across the globe.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I really enjoy the diversity consultancy allows and the breadth of individuals that I get to meet and work with. I designed CellTherEx with the client at its heart, and I work closely with them on a personal basis and provide bespoke consultancy tailored to their needs. Such interaction means I am constantly learning and have the opportunity to discuss and experience the impact of culture, company location and size, as well as the product itself, on drug development. I feel very fortunate to have a role that allows me to support others while broadening my own horizons and perspectives.

How did you get into the industry?

I’ve worked in advanced therapeutics for the past 20 years, from tissue engineering to cell therapy. I started as a PhD candidate in Orthopaedic Biochemistry at Cardiff University in the UK. I continued there for my postdoctoral studies, fellowships and eventually obtained a lecturer position. In 2007, I was awarded the British Society of Dental Research Senior Colgate Award for the discovery of a novel stem cell source within the oral mucosa. This research led to my move to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, where I was an Associate Professor and worked in mesenchymal stromal cell therapy development. Working at the translational edge of medical research, I recognised that there are many fantastic ideas coming out of academia, but a gap in support for young, fledgling companies. I established CellTherEx in 2020 to address this need.

Where is your favourite place in the world and why?

During my career I have had the opportunity to visit many parts of the world, but I would say my favourite place is Israel. I was lucky enough to visit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem last year for the first time. A country steeped in history and culture; Israel was a fantastic place to visit. The contrast of the architecture and feel of the cities was striking and a stark representation of the country’s growth and evolution. The people are also extremely inviting and accommodating, and the Israeli work ethos is very attractive to me: innovative, ground-breaking and with high impact in its outputs.

You can register for RSSL’s webinar “The Future of ATMPs” here:

https://bit.ly/34Bu7cB

Spotlight Interview with Ian Abrahams, Principal Risk Management Consultant at CorProfit

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q1) Describe a time when you have had to influence a leader to adjust/change a decision from the path that they were going down and what was the outcome?

A) I was sitting across the table when the CFO of a new mine development stated that they had just signed up I contractor to construct the mine. I mentioned that this should be subjected to project risk management to which the CFO responded, “Ian, you are looking after all the other risk areas of the mine, leave the mine development out. There is a lump sum contract in place and a contingency allowed for”.

Fast forward some 14 months and the problems to deliver the mine were increasing and cost increased exceeded the contingency.  Worse was delays that resulted in lost production and income.  The lesson for me was to insist that project risks are managed through the project life-cycle and show that the costs to do this w]are small to the savings made.

 

Q2) How management interprets the results of risk culture assessments will be biased by their own beliefs, knowledge, attitudes, etc. about operational and strategic risk and its management. How would you deal with this  problem?

A) I might be controversial here. I don’t shed blame on top management for their biases and beliefs that they may have. I think that we risk managers could be doing a much better job of assessing and analysing risks, which can’t be useful for top management if we have a poor model to start with.

I put myself in the driver’s seat to see that the risk process and framework are robust and that the quality of data is insightful and capable of showing top management hidden risks and the most damaging risks and the options to manage.

In all cases I’ve seen that top management take the information and come out with solid decisions and actions.  This provides an indirect way to have top management understand the role and application of risk management and they buy-in.

 

Q3) What is the best way to have risk management drive the creation of value for your company?

A) Companies exist to create wealth and value for shareholders and stakeholders, while others are community based, or government entities that enhance the quality of our lives. Everyone has a common goal to be successful.

The lens of success has been changing over the last five decades.  Initially rules and regulations became the structure for enabling businesses to compete, and compliance was the “elephant” in the room.  Risk management was hardly known at that time and had little if any role in value creation.

By around the early 2000’s, Central Banks had become independent of Government and trade was opened up to market forces.  Risk management had a role to play in value creation.  For example, the insurance industry rose to the occasion more so that in the past and brought informed risk taking and enabled growth, as companies could share the risks.  Risk Management value has grown in value, but not yet seen as the driver of decision making.

Now in the 2020’s, the global marketplace is trending to have more free trade agreements and by implication to open trade up to market forces to higher levels than ever before.  This is the horizon in which Strategic Risk Management together with aligned and integrated risk management can play a pivotal role in driving value creation.

 

Q4) Imagine you have just been hired as the Head of Risk. The Board wants your view about the status of the risk function. Describe your approach and what you would look for?

There are 3 aspects to look for in the first place:  1) has the risk framework changed in the last 2 years, e.g. the risk matrix;  2)  is there are roadmap in place (i.e. a defined pathway that enables a maturity pathway)? And 3) are risk aggregated up to different levels of the organisation structure (allowing bigger pictures of risks to be shown and where hot-spots are)?.

If any of these are lacking, it provides the low hanging fruit of what to inform the board.

 

Q5) Felt pressure to support a decision you disagreed with. How did you approach the challenge?

I generally conduct my own assessment related to any decision that is needed, or to appraise the business case justification that others have prepared.  If the majority select an option that I believe is not the best option, I reserve my decision and let the majority decide the course of action.

But here’s the clincher; I keep tabs with the progress of the business strategy and if it goes off course, use that as ammunition in future decisions that come up for a vote.  It requires tact and diplomacy to show that some executives are the 80: 20 rule, 80 % of their decision are 20 % successful while other executives are 80% successful with 20% of their decisions.

This provides a feedback loop and I can gain the confidence of decision makers to use risk management for what it is designed for.

 

Click here to register for Corprofit’s webinar on Tuesday 22nd February 2022, 6AM GMT.

Spotlight Interview with Robert Merlicek, Chief Technology Officer at TIBCO

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

What do you hope attendees will gain at your webinar?

The webinar will provide attendees with a better understanding on how to leverage data as a strategic asset to make optimal decisions. Financial institutions, for instance, need to transform the way they govern, oversee, and manage data to drive business decisions, deliver exceptional customer experiences, and manage risk more effectively and efficiently.

Many are using data and analytic techniques, especially AI and Cloud, to obtain new service insights and innovations. One of the key questions that will be addressed during the webinar is how we can properly deal with these challenges.

What discussions do you look forward to having with the attendees?

During the webinar, I will cover three main areas: –

Customer Intimacy – when businesses place customers at the centre of their strategy, processing, designing, and delivering every aspect of their business model in sync with the expectations, preferences, and potential of their customers.

Operational Excellence – utilising data-driven insights to allow businesses to optimise decision making at every opportunity. We see that better insights lead to more streamlined decision making, improved return on capital investment, optimisation of operating expenses, and development of efficient alternative business models.

Business Reinvention – leveraging the value of data-driven intelligence to redefine current channels, expand into new lines of business, and adopt new pricing and branding models.

Several key questions are core to the points above for discussion:
• How do you increase customer satisfaction and revenue with a better customer journey?
• How will a unified customer platform shape the FSI industry?
• How will advanced AI help to enhance customer experience through personalized services?

What do you enjoy most about your role?

At TIBCO, I am very fortunate to spend a lot of time with people and companies in Asia Pacific undergoing massive challenges and change. As a CTO, being able to take products and technology and apply it to customer needs and problems is extremely fulfilling. The other area, without doubt, is that IT/technology changes every single day and, as such, there is always something new and exciting to be involved with.

How did you get into the industry?

I was exposed to IT/technology at a very young age. For those that can remember the era of the Atari and Commodore 64’s in the 1980’s… this is when I had the opportunity to write code on both platforms. This eventually led me to a university degree in Information Technology, majoring in Software Engineering and Artificial Intelligence.
I have always revelled in the fact that not only can you apply technology to solve problems across so many different areas, but also constantly grow and learn from the different changes.

I am one of the lucky ones that found a career doing what they love at a very early age and for that I am very thankful, as it has taken me on an incredible journey and provided me with the opportunity to travel.

Where is your favourite place in the world and why?

I have always loved the water and nature, so it has to be The Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The Islands, the water, and the marine life. Curling your toes in the warm sand of an island beach and looking out over the water to colourful sunsets is mesmerising. For me, diving on the reef is one of life’s great pleasures and brings balance to a very hectic life.

Join Robert Merlicek and Luke Hannan on a webinar titled:

Transforming Financial Services & Insurance with Data & Analytics 

Spotlight Interview with Don Roberts, MotiveLMS Product Manager at Motive Learning

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

1. Why did you decide to do a webinar with us?

The reason we want to hold a webinar is to educate more people on the benefits of Qualification Management. The reason we went with PMI is because you have the infrastructure in place to provide a large amount of exposure and take care of all the details.

 

2. What will the audience gain from attending your webinar?

Attendees will be able to answer the question – Do you need a Qualification Management System?  There are businesses that shouldn’t be without one and then some that it depends on their level of service they would like to provide to their customers.

 

3. How did you get into the industry and what do you most enjoy about your role?

I have spent my entire professional life managing people and projects. In the early 2000s, I worked for a company that did not prioritize training and was reactionary to the consequences when they arose. Based on that experience, I transitioned into the training industry, where I work with clients to ensure they have the training defined and applied to employee LMS accounts. I enjoy being able to help people and take pride in knowing that my assistance may lead the clients employees to better serve their clients.

 

4. What are you hoping to achieve in the future in your personal and professional life?

Professionally I am working to become more proficient with writing MySQL queries.  Customers are always trying to find new insight on their training data and there is always something to learn! Personally, I am working to learn Spanish as a second language.  Mainly for the challenge of it and that I like to travel, but it will benefit my professional life since we have expanded support to Central and South America.

 

5. What would someone be surprised to know about you?

Some people find it surprising that I have visited all of the states in the United States.  They all offer something unique but my favourite has to Alaska.  Riding the train from Fairbanks to Anchorage and viewing Denali was a story I tell often.

Click here to register for Motive Learning’s webinar on Wednesday 16th March 2022, 3PM GMT.

Spotlight Interview with Adrian Acuña, Senior Manager of Sales Engineering at Synopsys

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

Adrian Acuña
Senior Manager, Sales Engineer

 
What do you hope attendees will gain at your webinar?

Our goal is to hopefully provide some valuable insight on what ASoC is and how it can help clients. Application Security is playing a larger and larger role in securing the general public and as more tools are introduced into the space and into organizations, teams are finding it more and more difficult to keep up and an ASoC tool has been instrumental in keeping pace with the data and the changes.

What discussions do you look forward to having with the attendees?

I thoroughly enjoy hearing from other industry members about their challenges and understanding any new or unique use cases that apply. Every individual I talk to often has an interesting story or edge case that they were able to find a creative solution to.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

I enjoy learning about the new platforms and tools that are introduced.  I don’t like to get bored and this role consistently keeps me challenged and engaged. I also like meeting and networking with other professionals in the industry.

How did you get into the industry?

After my time in the US Navy, I began working with an electronic locks company and started in Physical Security. The company was unique as it was blending wireless communication technology (similar to ZigBee) with physical security hardware.  At the time, we were one of 3 companies offering a wireless solution like this.  That started my interest in security and eventually information and application security. This experience led me to moving to a data security company and then to an application security company and I’ve essentially floated around the cybersecurity space ever since.

Where is your favorite place in the world and why?

Between my childhood and my military career, I have travelled extensively and I can’t say there was anywhere that I didn’t enjoy.  If I were to choose one, I would say my trips to Dubai and the UAE were some of the most enjoyable, although not the least expensive.  So much to do there.  I also would love to go back to Australia, perhaps Sydney or Melbourne.

Click here to register for Synopsys’s Webinar on January 20th 2022 at 2pm GMT.

Spotlight Interview with Christopher Knoderer, Sales Manager & Johannes Hapke, Business Analyst Manager at BASS Software

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

What do you hope attendees will gain at your webinar?

Christopher Knoderer:

I hope to give a good introduction on the topic of Business Intelligence – especially to those who would benefit most from it. My aim is to make the underlying technical concepts understandable, clear up common misconceptions and turn this quite abstract topic into a practical approach that can be applied in any shipping company to gain value from fleet data.

Johannes Hapke:

It is increasingly challenging to manage data in an effective way today in the maritime industry. Business intelligence can be a game-changer here. This is why we’d like to provide insights into the topic of BI by presenting the underlying technical concepts and showcasing how these concepts can be applied in practical scenarios.

What discussions do you look forward to having with the attendees?

Christopher Knoderer:

I am looking forward to an exchange on the types of information attendees lack in their current business and the ideas or knowledge we could share to make such information more accessible.

Johannes Hapke: 

I’d love to discuss hands-on challenges that companies in the shipping industry face right now when it comes to getting the most out of their gathered data. How can data analysis drive the business forward? How can maritime stakeholders be best prepared to obtain actionable insights? I’m excited to discuss these issues and more.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Christopher Knoderer:

I love talking to people who are passionate about the maritime world. The maritime industry is so diverse, and every person has their own point of view and varying experiences, looking at things from a different perspective. It’s inspiring, you never stop learning.

Johannes Hapke:

The creativity and flexibility to design something new. The potential of business intelligence and software in general to drive efficiency and optimise operations. It’s a great opportunity to assist companies in streamlining their processes.

How did you get into the industry?

Christopher Knoderer:

Being a child of globalisation, I sailed for 3 years as a ship mechanic. Once you follow the call of the sea it will keep you near it.

Johannes Hapke:

I joined this exciting industry in 2006 when I boarded my first vessel and embarked on my first voyage as a Deck Cadet in Singapore. After more than a decade spent at sea, it was time to set sail towards new adventures in 2017 when I joined BASS Software.

Where is your favorite place in the world and why?

Christopher Knoderer:

This is a tough question, there are so many beautiful places in the world.

Wharariki Beach in New Zealand is definitely one of them. It is a remote, magnificent beach in the north of the southern island. Funnily enough I believe many have seen a picture of it without noticing as it’s one of the most common Windows log-in screen pictures!

Johannes Hapke:

There are simply too many great places to name a single one as my favorite.

Due to my profession, I was fortunate enough to visit many, many great places. But it’s always been a great thing to approach a port with a vessel from sea and slowly see the submerging city skyline. I also keep all the different river passages and canal transits as a precious memory since you get a unique view on cities, hinterlands, and the surrounding nature.

Click here to register for BASS Software’s Webinar on November 29th 2021 at 10am GMT.

Spotlight Interview with Sergey Skvortsov, Principal Consultant, Energy Markets at Hitachi Energy

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Why did you decide to do a webinar with us?

We have been working with Business Review over the past few years for different webinars and found them successful in targeting our audience.

 

2. What will the audience gain from attending your webinar?

Renewable energy expansion is one of the key pillars in achieving European Union’s ambitious targets to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. However, both wind and solar generators are heavily impacted by weather conditions. How much is supply/demand balance affected by weather in renewable dominated power systems of the future? How will this reflect in electricity market prices and eventually revenues of electricity producers? In this webinar we are going to share some of our findings and try to answer these questions.

 

3. How did you get into the industry and what do you most enjoy about your role?

After graduating from university, I spent 5 years working in software development industry, creating all sorts of web-applications. Then an opportunity to join the, back in the day, vertically integrated monopoly – RAO UES Of Russia – has arisen. I was really excited by the new challenges that the power industry in Russia was facing. I decided to take this new challenge and joined the team that was tasked to build a model and produce long term forecasts of then non-existent competitive wholesale electricity market in Russia. This is how I learned the basics of market modelling and fundamental analysis which remains my key area of expertise today.

 

4. What are you hoping to achieve in the future in your personal and professional life?

I’m hoping to utilise my knowledge and expertise, together with other team members at Hitachi Energy, to help the energy industry to transition towards sustainable future and achieve ambitious climate change goals. In my personal life I will continue supporting my kids so they can successfully navigate through different challenges that keep coming up in their lives.

 

5. What would someone be surprised to know about you?

I love cars, especially old cars from the golden era of 1980s and 90s. I’m more than happy to keep my hands dirty fixing my 30 year old classic Toyota, fighting with rusted bolts an oil leaks. Sometimes I ask myself a question – how will it be living without the smell of petrol in the carbon neutral world of the future? Perhaps, I should think about buying myself a DMC DeLorean time machine from “Back to the future”!

 

Click here to register for Hitachi Energy’s Webinar on November 23rd 2021 3pm GMT.

Spotlight Interview with Peter Adolfsen, Sales Director at Sprinting Retail

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

What do you hope attendees will gain at your webinar?

Hopefully it will give the attendees a useful understanding of the challenges and opportunities of implementing a mobile self-checkout solution in their retail stores and in addition to those useful insights the pros and cons of doing so.

What discussions do you look forward to having with the attendees?

In particular I am looking forward to discussions about the challenges, concerns and experiences the attendees have implementing or running a self-scanning solution and hopefully we will have discussions about theft protection, how to take advantage of combining a mobile self-check-out solution and a loyalty program and much more…

What do you enjoy most about your role?

What brings the most value to myself in the role as Sales Director at Sprinting Software is that I constantly get to challenge colleagues, prospects, clients and myself on the advantages new technologies and innovative solutions have on business and how it is possible to reach not yet explored business opportunities by combining innovative new technologies and business acumen.

No one knows what tomorrow will bring. But constantly trying to stay ahead is what challenges me and keeps me at a high speed.

How did you get into the industry?

My first role within software development was a small startup developing software used to create 3D visualizations. In that role I got an understanding of how big an influence IT can have on business strategy and how you can use IT as a driver that enables you to constantly seek new business development opportunities. That understanding is what has been paving the path of my career ever since.

Where is your favorite place in the world and why?

Skagen, Denmark. The north point of Denmark is where the oceans from east and west meet.

It is a special place with a special lightning that has inspired many painters in the past and where the powerful nature reminds you of forces much stronger than yourself.

Join Peter Adolfsen live for the Webinar How to gain competitive advantages from mobile scan and go self-checkout solutions this November 10th 2021 on 3PM London.

Interview with Christopher Hartnett, Business Development Manager Ireland at EMBALL’ISO

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you hope attendees will gain at your webinar?

A better understanding of the cold chain process and how EI work to support that process

What discussions do you look forward to having with the attendees?

What their challenges are and advising on best solutions to meet these challenges

What do you enjoy most about your role?

Being involved in an industry that supports the health and wellbeing of people and getting an insight into the developments in the pharma industry

How did you get into the industry?

After a career in the Med Device industry I was given the opportunity(by Stephanie) to join the cold chain solutions world

Where is your favourite place in the world and why?

Africa – time just seems to stand still in Africa

Register now for Brexit, Covid and The Environment by Emball’ISO

Spotlight Interview with Dionis Teshler, CTO & Co-Founder at Guardknox

Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Why did you decide to do a webinar with us? 

We are looking to connect with a professional automotive E/E target audience to in order to discuss the SOA as a concept in modern automotive software design. We aim to raise awareness for the benefits, discuss the challenges and propose solutions which will enable the industry to achieve the vision of the software defined car.

2. What will the audience gain from attending your webinar? 

The audience will gain an understanding of what is SOA and how it was implemented in other industries. The unique challenges for implementation in automotive will be discussed and solutions will be purposed in order to move forward efficiently.

3. How did you get into the industry and what do you most enjoy about your role? 

We decided to move into automotive after a long career in aviation. The most interesting thing about working in automotive is that the products are used by almost everyone every day, which makes it unique and provides a sense of significance to what we are doing. 

4. What are you hoping to achieve in the future in your personal and professional life? 

Bring secure innovative technology to the automotive industry to give consumers what they want and completely transform the driving (or riding) experience, while making a lasting impact on how the automotive industry engages with emerging technology companies. On a personal note, I want to make driving and next-gen highly connected vehicles safe for my friends, family, peers, and children.

5. What would someone be surprised to know about you?  

I never fired anything out of a submarine.

 

Join Dionis from Guardknox on 13th September 2021, 3PM London/10AM New York for their webinar titled: SOA and the Software Defined Car – From Concept to Reality 

Register your interest today.