Vennesa Van Ameyde serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Kasasa, an award-winning fintech and marketing services company that provides reward checking accounts people love, the first-ever loan with Take-Backs™, and ongoing expert consulting services to more than 600 community financial institutions nationwide.

As COO, Vennesa manages the day-to-day operations, marketing, creative services, client implementation & support services, internal application infrastructure, operating standards, people programs, and culture at Kasasa.

She is a senior operating executive with demonstrated talent for transforming and scaling organizations by developing the operational infrastructure, systems, processes, reporting, and organizational strategies to foster rapid growth. Vennesa is a people's champion, passionate about creating a best-place-to-work culture via the development of innovative programs that focus on talent attraction, development, leadership training, engagement, reward and recognition, community outreach, and DE&I.

She holds an MA in Diplomacy from Norwich University and a BS in Political Science and Anthropology from Vanderbilt University. Vennesa received Lean Six Sigma training from the University of Michigan College of Engineering and studied Theory of Constraints for Operations at The Goldratt Institute. She has been honored to receive recognition by the Austin Business Journal as a “Profiles In Power & Woman Of Influence” Finalist in 2015.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Leadership lessons from team sports.
• Knowing your value, knowing your worth.
• Not letting perfect get in the way of progress.
• Emotional leadership and business leadership.
• Advocating for other women, providing allyship .
• Imposter syndrome, to be worthy of sitting at the table.
• Communication tools, emailing vs meeting, when and why.
• Leaning in, leveraging an opportunity before it passes you by.
• Being human, being vulnerable and being willing to talk about what you're capable of and being able to ask for help.

Connect with Enma Popli on Linkedin:

>> https://www.linkedin.com/in/enmapopli/

Visit Enma Popli’s website

>> http://www.enmapopli.com/

Diane Schwarz is Johnson Controls' chief information officer and the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. She is responsible for leading a global, business-aligned information technology organization. Schwarz develops and executes enterprise-wide I.T. strategy to ensure a strong digital core for Johnson Controls to scale and achieve its global growth objectives.

A senior I.T. executive with experience in building and leading best-in-class I.T. teams, Schwarz most recently served as chief digital and information officer for Hunt Consolidated and previously worked at Textron, Bell and Honeywell. With a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion, her scope covers digital transformations, cybersecurity, data analytics, infrastructure and cloud operations, ERP/SAP applications and I.T. supplier management.

Schwarz holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She is a board member of NPower, a non-profit that creates pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities and of T200, a non-profit that elevates women in technology.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Work Hard, Party Harder.
• Addressing issues one at a time.
• Moment of humility, don't know it at all.
• Having diverse experiences, trying everything.
• Startups don't align with everyone's risk tolerance.
• Recognizing traits that will stop you from scaling as a leader.
• Vulnerability and Empathy are essential skills for becoming a better leader.
• Make the right choice for the family while having a sustainable career.
• You will not be able to do your job well if you don't care for yourself.
• Identifying and addressing behaviours to evolve as a leader.
• Helping others succeed creates opportunities for your own success.
• Self-awareness to become better as humans, as parents, and as professionals.
• She who wants to go fast goes alone; she who wants to go far goes together.
• Mentors can come from different backgrounds, not just the business world.

Connect with Enma Popli on Linkedin:

>> https://www.linkedin.com/in/enmapopli/

Visit Enma Popli's website

>> http://www.enmapopli.com/

Alina Alam, founder of Mitti Cafe at the age of 23, embarked on a mission to showcase the magic of abilities to the world. She believes that compassion and courage are powerful tools in tackling global challenges, advocating strongly for inclusive development and empowering vulnerable communities. Mitti Cafe, initiated during her university years, provides sustainable livelihood opportunities for adults with physical, intellectual, and psychiatric disabilities.

Alina, a three-time TEDx speaker, is celebrated on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia list and has received numerous accolades, including the Commonwealth Youth Award, Niti Aayog-Women Transforming India Award, Helen Keller Award, United Nations Intercultural Innovation Award, Times of India-She Unlimited Award, Rotary Exemplar Award, and Tiecon Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Emphasizing participatory management, Alina is passionate about her journey alongside the extraordinary team at Mitti, composed of individuals with disabilities who have collectively served over 11 million meals and beverages across 40-plus MITTI CAFE locations. Their work not only provides economic independence and dignity but also promotes awareness about inclusion and disability rights globally.

Key themes emerging out of our conversation:

• Money is not the only thing that enables it.
• Faith and her mother were her biggest cheerleaders.
• Scarcity is the best resource for any entrepreneur.
• You don't have to be in sales mode with everyone.
• The transformative power of community kindness.
• Economic independence and dignity are not privileges but rights.
• Anything nice you do for anyone is a favour you're doing to yourself.
• Strength in faith and the belief that after every hardship comes ease.
• Not having enough helps us learn to value other important things in life.
• You need to know when to listen to your heart, which is your best friend.
• The CEO is also the Chief Pitching Officer and has to bring the stories alive.
• Change can only happen when people overcome uncomfortable moments.
• How Mitti Cafe was inspired by the documentary on Emperor Nero's abuse of power.
• When you're passionate, you're your strongest, most leech-like, and most shameless.
• 70 million people with disabilities in India, and over 1 billion people with disabilities across the world.
• Silence or inaction supports oppression, the moral imperative to stand up for what is right.

Connect with Enma Popli on Linkedin:

>> https://www.linkedin.com/in/enmapopli/

Visit Enma Popli's website
>> http://www.enmapopli.com/