Shirley Wang | Founder & CEO | Plastpro Inc

Shirley Wang has unwavering opinions and a strong vision for the design of Plastpro’s products and the standards to which they must be manufactured. She is an out-of-the-box but also efficient thinker, and this allows her to creatively devise viable solutions when it comes to meeting customers’ needs.

Ruthie Lee-Esene | Principal & CEO | Sirvist HRC

Transparency, growth mindset, and emotional intelligence are the core qualities that define Ruthie Lee-Esene, Principal & CEO of Sirvist’s unique ideology. For Ruthie, relationships are important, but the right relationship is crucial. “The people that are part of your inner circle are your greatest support and your greatest critic- they are your critical thinkers. The critical thinkers bring you the transparency you need to be truth to yourself, your clients and have the ability to encourage you to do the right things when other will not like you,” she explains.

Matias Pesce | CEO & Owner | V&E Hospitality Group

Matias Pesce, CEO & Owner of V&E Hospitality Group, has visionary thinking; he is a transformative leader with a long-term strategy mindset for the organization and its leaders. He can see beyond the immediate challenges and envision future possibilities for the company. By setting a clear and inspiring vision, he aligns the team towards common short-mid and long-term strategies and pushes boundaries to innovate. He inspires, develops, and promotes his team to think outside the box and bring forward breakthrough solutions.

Lisa Dughi | CEO | NAF

NAF’s design ignites students’ passion for learning. It allows businesses to play an active role in shaping America’s future workforce by transforming the learning environment into STEM-infused career-specific curricula and experiential learning experiences, including internships. Since 1980, NAF has been partnering with high-need communities to improve student outcomes by implementing NAF academies – small learning communities within existing high schools.

Kirk Halpern | Founder & CEO | Farmers & Fishermen Purveyors

With decades of accomplishments, Kirk Halpern, Founder and CEO of Farmers & Fishermen, is a well-known expert in the meat and seafood industry with over 35 years of progressive and successful experience, leading operations, and strategic decision-making. In 2023, Kirk was recognized as one of the “Most Admired CEO’s” for his leadership by The Atlanta Business Chronicle and has won an array of distinguished awards for his business acumen, industry innovation, and philanthropic reputation as a CEO making a difference.

Justin D. Hertzberg, Esq | CEO | FPFX Technologies, LLC

In the dynamic realm of financial markets, the barriers to entry have long posed challenges for potential participants. However, in a notable development, proprietary trading firms have assumed a role in a movement aimed at democratizing financial trading knowledge and training. This initiative seeks to dismantle the traditional constraints that have historically limited access to only a select few within the industry. Proprietary trading has surged to the forefront, becoming a central topic of discussion and development within the financial sector.

Julia Martin | CEO | ISEB

Julia Martin has relentless energy and celebrates the benefits of her neurodiversity. She uses creative thinking and problem-solving to see the bigger picture and create smaller steps to realise those ambitions. She can fit double a normal workload into five days and motivate staff to achieve things they didn’t think were possible. She can see ways to do something quickly by breaking things down, which means her productivity is incredibly high. It also helps to love what you do and set a strategy you believe in wholeheartedly! She can trust staff to deliver and sees leadership as guiding and mentoring rather than micromanaging.

Gary Weiss | CEO | Career Certified

As a leader, you have the power to inspire your team to achieve great things. Gary Weiss, the CEO of Career Certified, ignites his team to accompany him on a journey that pairs an exciting innovator mindset with insightful business acumen gained through decades of success. Gary knows the market and financial vernacular to ensure we continue with investments that, in turn, allow for continued platform innovation, brand awareness, M&A activity, and, ultimately, getting ahead of the customer needs. At his core, he radiates positivity and is energized by his family, which brings a balance to the culture.

Dave Candler | CEO | STA

Dave Candler has been involved in teaching swimming and leisure management for over 25 years. Before becoming STA’s CEO in April 2016, he worked for ten years as the Operations, Swimming, and Training Manager at Inspire Leisure, one of the UK’s largest providers of swimming lessons. During this time, he gained valuable, insightful experience and gained multiple management qualifications that support his current role as CEO.

Corey Smalley | CEO | The Consultation Institute

Corey Smalley joined The Consultation Institute (tCI) with a challenging brief to take the company to a new level of commercial and creative success,”says Elizabeth Gammell (tCI Interim Board Chair). Corey has deep-rooted business and ethical values that drive his performance, combined with his ability to envision the company’s future and chart a clear path toward its strategic goals.