Torani’s experimentation with flavor could have stopped at its original product lines but the company has grown with modern times, embracing the era of cafes and eateries and allowing it to reflect in its product line. It is here that Melanie Dulbecco has thrived, having spent 32 years shaping and molding the company to continue its rise upwards. It’s not every day you meet a leader with a serious commitment to a “100 percent retention” of their team, but Dulbecco knows a little something about making it happen. 

Industry Leaders: It’s been a long run as CEO of Torani. Can you tell us about a few milestones that have defined your career?

When I first walked through Torani’s doors 32 years ago, I was inspired by this tiny family-owned company in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point Neighborhood with just eight people in manufacturing. They were creating local jobs and approaching business with a people-first mindset.

I dove in headfirst, and three decades later we’ve grown an average of 20 percent year-over-year consistently for 32 years, hired hundreds of people locally, and we’re just getting started!

An early milestone that defined Torani—and ultimately my career—was inventing the flavored latte and shifting our business model towards our “Café Era.” We knew this delicious discovery had the ability to bring many more people into the coffee fold. We partnered with coffee roasters as distributors, reimagined our portfolio, focused on our new “killer app,” the vanilla latte (which nobody had ever heard of!), and eventually grew into a global company and household brand.

Another defining milestone for us is when Torani became a certified B-Corp in 2019. This validated our nearly 100-year commitment that business can be a powerful force for good. It also created a new platform for us to learn and share practices with like-minded businesses to make an even stronger collective impact.

A recent milestone that I’m exceptionally proud of is that we were able to successfully relocate our headquarters and manufacturing from South San Francisco, which had been our home for 25 years, to our new 30,000-square-foot Flavor Factory in San Leandro during the early days of the pandemic. This was Torani’s biggest investment in our long history—the kind that takes your breath away when you sign the bank loan documents—with an ambitious goal of 100 percent retention of our team members. We had to juggle the move and commissioning of production lines amid the shelter-in-place orders and global supply chain craziness, but we did it together and we ended up succeeding with flying colors.

Industry Leaders: You’ve probably seen many careers begin with their first steps at the company, tell us a little more about what it’s like working with young talent.

One thing I love about Torani is that we have all kinds of jobs and team members from all kinds of backgrounds, including socio-economic, educational, country of origin…you name it. We have team members who come from a whopping 35 countries around the world. Each team member brings their unique flavor to Torani.

Working with young talent is inspiring. They’re having a great impact on business as are bringing new ideas and pushing us to think differently, especially around our work lives. One thing I’m seeing is that our younger Gen Z team members are pushing harder for more work-life balance, and while this is an area we’ve always excelled at, they are bringing a valuable new perspective. I don’t think they necessarily want anything different from previous generations, but they’re confident enough to push to make it a reality. My generation threw ourselves into working long hours. It was the way we proved ourselves. Now we’re ALL benefiting from this workplace paradigm shift, thanks in part to our youngest team members. As leaders, we can listen, adjust our policies and practices, and then lead by example, celebrating that we have integrated lives within and outside work.

Industry Leaders: There may have been many changes you’ve witnessed in the workforce with every passing year. Is the Gen Z workforce very different?

One inspiring thing I’m seeing from our Gen Z team members is their desire to learn, develop, and take a more meandering career path. Previous generations often picked one job and worked their way up a traditional ladder. This new way of thinking about work creates learning and development experiences and opens new, unexpected opportunities.

At Torani, we have a practice called Career Mixology that’s perfect for team members who want to experiment and try new things. We encourage team members to pursue different opportunities within our organization with learning and development and to even transition into new roles across departments. For example, a team member at Torani might begin their career as a food scientist and later express interest in marketing, work on a project, and then move to that side of the business. We love this and believe businesses can and should create more opportunities for people to bust out of traditional career thinking.

Industry Leaders: We’re fascinated by the innovative ideas of combining Torani’s products with energy drinks or beverage ideas for a “Galentine’s Day.” What inspires these ideas, and is there an eye on trends that are shaping the industry? 

At Torani, we are “flavor geeks” and our team of trend experts tracks flavor and beverage trends from around the world, looking at everything from grocery store shelves to fine dining menus to street food fare. We take these insights to help our café partners build menus that appeal to young consumers, create new on-trend flavors, and develop recipes for holidays like Galentine’s Day!

We just launched our Flavor of the Year 2024, Torani Puremade Galaxy Syrup, which is our first foray into the world of “fantasy flavors,” aligning with consumers’ desire for escapism. The concept was brought forward by our trend research teams and takes the concept of “traveling with your tastebuds” a step further (this trend also inspired our 2022 and 2023 Flavors of the Year, Salted Egg Yolk and Toasted Black Sesame). This flavor is particularly interesting because our team was inspired by scientific research on what space “tastes like,” and combined that with the rising interest in fantasy. 

Industry Leaders: For Torani, “Everything starts with people.” Can you tell us a little more about the people-centric culture at the company?

Our purpose is Flavor for All. Opportunity for All. Flavor is not just what we make, it is also what each of us brings. And we believe that businesses can and should create more opportunities for our team members, customers, partners, and community to not just “make it” but to thrive. At Torani, we’re focusing on opportunity onramps and workforce development for our team members and are exploring how we can extend this to our customers, consumers, and local communities.

For us, people-centric is not just one of many decision-making filters, it is the first and most important lens at every crossroad. Whether it’s a global pandemic or a business bump, we ask ourselves “When we look back at navigating this, what will make us proud?” Using this people-first approach, we’ve never had a layoff in our nearly 100-year history, we have remarkable tenure, and our business is thriving.

Our Internal Opportunity Practices focus on learning and development (with programs like Contribution Management and Career Mixology) and income and wealth inclusion (with compensation philosophies, Skill Block programs, ESOP, bonuses, and profit sharing for every single team member)—we all share in the successes together. 

Industry Leaders: We’d love to know more about Torani’s work with the non-profit organization SHE-CAN, and what that was like for the company.

Torani’s purpose is “Flavor for All. Opportunity for All.” We love to support organizations that create opportunities and SHE-CAN (Supporting Her Education Changes a Nation) is a long-time Torani partner that does exactly that. SHE-CAN supports amazing young women from post-conflict countries like Rwanda, Cambodia, and Guatemala to earn U.S. college educations and then return to their countries to be change makers.

Many of Torani’s female leaders have been SHE-CAN mentors, a five-year commitment to support a scholar through her journey, and recently we supported the Make A Change Program. This program empowered 10 young women to return home during their summers to create service projects to address their communities’ challenges. Our team members were honored to support these women with their projects. Each exuded creativity, ranging from establishing women’s agricultural co-op with bookkeeping classes in Cambodia to challenging menstrual taboos in Liberia.

Industry Leaders: Before we close things off, do you have any advice for aspiring leaders who will define the workforce in the upcoming years?

There’s a lot of opportunity to rethink the way business has worked traditionally. Business holds the potential to be a much more powerful force for good. We’re excited to be part of the community of leaders pushing boundaries, and count on aspiring leaders to challenge the status quo!

Melanie Dulbecco Bio: Melanie’s mantra is “Grow, baby, grow!” That’s exactly what she’s done for over 30 years as Torani’s CEO. Torani, the fiercely independent flavor maker and B-Corp, has averaged double-digit, year-over-year growth in that time, flavoring cafés around the world. Melanie’s passion and expertise are in organization development and scaling social impact companies. She’s committed to shaping business to be a force for good, creating opportunity and development for people from all backgrounds. Melanie earned a BA in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Stanford. She feels a strong connection to Rwanda through her involvement in the NGO SHE-CAN as a Board Member and mentor to Rwandan scholars studying in the US.

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Soen’s journey as a techpreneur began at the tender age of 12, with a resolute ambition to forge her path. A decade later, she embarked on a mission to blend her passion with purpose—creating a tech startup that resonated with her deeply rooted desire to uplift lives. The result: Happy Things, a pioneering endeavor that converges cutting-edge technology with the transformative power of happiness.

Happy Things emerges as a catalyst for cultivating happiness as a skill, debunking the myth that joy is merely an external reward. Soen’s insights, nurtured by her background in psychology and a fervent pursuit of holistic wellness, have led to a dynamic platform that redefines well-being. As the first-of-its-kind happiness habit-building app, Happy Things epitomizes personalized progress, reminiscent of a “Duolingo, but for happiness.”

Diving into the essence of Happy Things, Soen intricately explicates the science of happiness. Rooted in positive psychology, the platform empowers users with simple, science-backed activities spanning relationships, mental and physical well-being, stress relief, and personal growth. Through Happy Things, Soen bridges the chasm between academic research and everyday application, fostering a kinder, happier world—one activity at a time.

Yet, Soen’s journey has not been without challenges. As a female entrepreneur, she navigates a realm often dominated by male counterparts, striving to build a girls’ club of mutual support. Her indomitable spirit and perseverance stand as a testament to overcoming biases, defying odds, and inspiring aspiring female entrepreneurs to forge ahead.

The future glimmers with promise as Soen envisions a world where happiness is embraced as a universal pursuit. With a resolute commitment to measuring and enhancing happiness, Soen forges a pioneering path that aligns business success with a profound social impact. In this candid interview, Talia Soen reveals how she is turning her vision of a kinder, happier world into an empowering reality, one Happy Thing at a time.

Industry Leaders: Can you tell us about your journey as an entrepreneur and how you came up with the idea for Happy Things? What motivated you to start this venture?

I’ve wanted to start my own company since I was 12 years old. 10 years later, when I started working in tech, it became clear that that company would be a tech startup, and it was just a matter of finding the right idea – a product that was needed, that answers a problem that I was passionate about but also uniquely fit to address.

Happy Things is really the product of my own journey – I spent most of my life feeling that I wasn’t happy enough, and searching for ways and solutions that will help me live a happier life. This journey led me to get a degree in psychology and various certifications in coaching, nutrition, fitness, and more. I was even a yoga teacher for a few years. The most important thing I learned during this journey was that happiness isn’t something external that happens to us, or a reward for our achievements (“I’ll be happy when…”). Happiness is a skill that can be practiced on a daily basis, just like playing the piano or learning a new language. 

However, just like any other skill, the hard part is building the habit and sticking to it – and even though I was incredibly motivated to incorporate more happiness into my life, I found it very difficult to maintain. I started looking for tools that would help me build the habit of practicing happiness – but couldn’t find any. Most apps in the wellness space don’t look at happiness as a whole, as something that is really multidimensional yet also very individual; they tend to focus on a specific element of wellbeing (i.e. meditation), and offer a one-size fits all solution. 

That was my personal “A-HA” moment and the birth of Happy Things – an app that helps people practice happiness as a skill in just 5 minutes a day, with simple, personalized, science-based activities. We like to think about it as Duolingo, but for happiness. 

Industry Leaders: Happy Things is described as a platform that turns happiness into habit. Could you explain how your science-based, personalized happiness training programs work and how they contribute to building a happier, kinder world?

Happy Things is based on the field of positive psychology. There are thousands of studies that show that we have the ability to impact our happiness levels throughout our daily lives, and even tells us how! Yet these methods haven’t really reached the general population yet in a way that helps people build a habit and integrate it into their life.

Happy Things turns the science of happiness into habit by breaking it down into simple, science-based activities covering all areas of life – relationships, mental & physical wellbeing, stress relief, personal growth and more. We basically create the bridge between academic research – that has seen a lot of great breakthroughs in the field in the last decade – and the general public. 

Our mission is to make happiness an accessible and teachable concept, because happiness is much more than smiling, or waking up in a good mood. Happier people live longer, healthier lives, both physically and mentally. They are more productive and successful. They help others, volunteer, and give back more to their communities –  they truly create a better world. 

Industry Leaders: Traditional business models often prioritize profit over well-being. How did you approach reinventing the business model for Happy Things to align it with your vision of making happiness accessible to millions worldwide?

That’s a great question, because it can seem like two opposing motivations – on one hand, when building a product you want people to use it as much as possible and spend more time on it. It’s easy to use psychological principles to get people “addicted” to your platform in some way (we’re all familiar with infinite scrolling on social media…). 

But on the other hand, when building a product that’s meant to do good in the world and help people, you want to avoid using these methods – so it’s a really fine line, finding the balance between building a great product that people love and find value in, without using methods that don’t benefit them – in short, finding ways to use technology for good.

A few things were clear to us from the beginning:

1. It would be a challenge. A lot of the activities that are suggested in the app, actually take our users outside of the app – things like: take a 10 minutes walk, call a friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, or even unplug from all screens for 10 minutes! So we’re actually doing the opposite of what most apps do… and yet we’re seeing that our engagement and retention rates are extremely high! So people are responding really well to this method.

2. If we want to reach millions of people worldwide and really make an impact, we need to build a successful company, while staying true to our values and giving back to the community.

3. We do not want to incorporate ads into our product, it is kind of counterproductive to the user experience. That’s why we chose to implement a subscription model – we believe that good products and good content are worth paying for. While we do charge a subscription fee for our app, we offer discounted rates for teachers, social workers, healthcare employees and more, and are always looking for non-profit organizations to collaborate with, as well as universities, hospitals and mental health centers – who can provide the app to their employees, patients or students.

Industry Leaders: As a female entrepreneur, what challenges have you faced in the industry, and how have you overcome them? What advice would you give to other aspiring female entrepreneurs who are looking to disrupt traditional models?

Female entrepreneurs face many challenges that male entrepreneurs don’t. Since most entrepreneurs and investors are still men, we have less role models. When going to industry events, many times I’m still the only woman in the room, which can sometimes be demoralizing.

We might have less opportunities to create social relationships with investors, because while male entrepreneurs might go out for a drink with a male investor, I personally won’t feel comfortable doing that (and I heard enough stories about deals being closed over drinks at the bar). And while I never experienced it myself, there is no shortage of stories about sexual harassment by investors. 

Also, there are unconscious biases that work against women, such as the “familiarity bias” – a phenomenon in which people tend to prefer familiar options over unfamiliar ones, even when the unfamiliar options may be better. As most investors are men, they automatically relate and connect more to other men, making it easier for them to invest in male entrepreneurs than in female entrepreneurs. 

My advice for aspiring female entrepreneurs is first: just go for it. Women, more than men, have to feel like they’re 100% ready before pursuing their dreams and aspirations (in the same way that women don’t apply for jobs unless they are 100% qualified for them, while men will apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications). 

Second, take into account that it is a harder journey for us. Don’t compare yourself to men and their success stories. I did that at first, asking men how they raised their first round. More often than not, the answer was “this investor was a good friend”. Acknowledge it, but don’t let it deter you, or frustrate you (not too much anyway, it is very frustrating).

Last, create a “girls club”. Surround yourself with other female entrepreneurs, mentors, and advisors, who know what it’s like to be a woman in this world. I’m not saying not to take advice from male entrepreneurs or advisors (I’m part of a CEO forum where 80% are men, and having this forum is extremely important for me). But at the end of the day, being able to share this journey with other women, who have a better understanding of what you’re going through, makes a really big difference.

Industry Leaders: Happy Things aims to create personalized products to promote happiness. How do you ensure that your offerings cater to the diverse needs and preferences of your users? How important is personalization in your business model?

Even with the initial version of the app, it was important to us to build a dynamic and flexible experience for our users, offering them a variety of activities in different topics, but still allowing them to select what they want to do each day. Unlike other apps in this space, where you have to accomplish specific tasks in order to advance, our app offers a specific activity, but allows you to switch to a different activity if you want. So if our suggestion for you today was “make your bed”, but that doesn’t work for you today, you can switch and get a completely different recommendation. You can also go back and do your favorite activities again.

Moving forward, as we collect more data and learn more about our users, we’ll be able to tailor plans and activities specifically for them. This will be based on demographic information (age, gender, etc.), preferences, happiness metrics, in-app activity, and data from external sources, such as wearable devices, healthkit, location, weather services, etc. Research has shown that tailoring the activities to each individual is beneficial and can create a bigger impact – and that is what we’re aiming to achieve. 

The personalization is a huge part of our product vision, but an even bigger aspect is being proactive – acting as a personal happiness trainer to our users, accompanying them throughout their daily life and proactively suggesting the right activity at the right time.

Industry Leaders: Can you share any success stories or examples of how Happy Things has positively impacted individuals or communities? How do you measure the effectiveness of your happiness training programs?

I can do better and share a testimonial we received from a Pediatric Oncologist:

“I absolutely love this app! I started using this during an especially difficult time both personally and professionally. Most people have struggled in the last couple of years with the pandemic. Being in the medical field brought its own emotional challenges. In a fast paced world with never ending to do lists, this app has helped me focus on self care and happiness. I love knowing that I will do at least 1 activity in the day that’ll either make me or someone else smile- be it appreciating something beautiful, leaving a kind note for a loved one, or doing something nice for someone who isn’t expecting it. I look forward to this one activity daily; this has consistently helped me focus on the good things in life. The app is simple, easy to use, and has an explanation for why an activity is recommended. And the customer service has been amazing! I highly recommend this self care app as a step to help you focus on happiness and work life balance.”  

In order to measure the effectiveness of the app, we use an in-app happiness questionnaire, which is based on the PANAS questionnaire, one of the most used methods to measure happiness. The original questionnaire includes 20 items, asking people “In the past week, how often have you felt ____?” with an array of positive and negative emotions (excited, nervous, proud, etc.). Working with a researcher from one of Israel’s top universities, we made adjustments so it’s suitable for the app – our questionnaire focuses only on the positive emotions, and has 6 items instead of 10. Users answer the 6 questions and receive a score on a scale from 1-5.

Our users fill out the questionnaire for the first time as they are signing up for the app, and that score serves as their baseline. The app then prompts them to check-in periodically, based on their usage (ideally, once a week), and this allows them and us to see their progress. 

Looking at the results, we’ve seen that after just one month, our users experience a 17.5% improvement in their score after just one month, and a 57% improvement after 7 months. 

Industry Leaders: The concept of happiness and well-being is increasingly gaining attention in various industries. How do you see the future of happiness-focused businesses, and what role do you think they will play in shaping the entrepreneurial landscape?

As I mentioned before, happiness isn’t this “fluffy”, nice-to-have concept. It has a significant impact on the macro level as well – happier people live longer, healthier lives, both physically and mentally – meaning lower costs on healthcare systems. They are more productive and successful – meaning greater returns for companies and organizations. They help others, volunteer, and give back more to their communities – creating a better world. 

As the importance of happiness and wellbeing gains more attention, I believe more and more organizations, and even governments, will prioritize and actively work to promote it, understanding the value it has not just for individuals. It will be a KPI that is measured, just like the number of sales, or bugs fixed. 

Our goal is to create a movement of happiness as a way of life, and turn the science of happiness from a niche into a mainstream concept. Quite similar to what Headspace and Calm did with meditation – 10 years ago, meditation was not a well-known concept, very few people were actually aware of its benefits and practiced it regularly. Today, you probably won’t find a person who hasn’t tried it, or at least heard about it. It’s become completely mainstream, and that’s what we want to accomplish with happiness as a skill. This trend has already started; there are more and more books and podcasts about happiness; the most popular courses in Yale and Harvard are about happiness; and the search for solutions is growing. 

Industry Leaders: Happy Things has a mission to create a kinder world. How do you infuse kindness and empathy into your company culture and operations? Have you faced any unique challenges in building a company that prioritizes kindness?

I believe that being kind and compassionate will only yield good results. 

This is something I have always emphasized – be a person first. It’s really not that difficult. Ask people how they’re doing, and if they need anything. Tell them to take the day off if they’re not feeling well. Make sure they feel appreciated and that they’re maintaining a work-life balance. When people feel like they matter, that you trust them and value their work and opinions, they’ll want to give more and be a part of what you’re creating. 

For me, there is no other way, and it’s always worked: when I was just getting started with Happy Things, I was able to build a team of people who contributed their time and expertise to me without getting anything in return (and some of them are still working with me today). 

Bio: Talia Soen is the Founder and CEO at Happy Things, the first platform that turns happiness into habit by offering science-based, personalized happiness training programs.

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We know that, on average, a third of our lifetime is spent at work, which accounts for a third of our energy, relationships, and time. Yet, 84% of workers report that the workplace does not support their mental health. While the workforce wants more support and access to mental health and well-being resources, the complexity and ethical implications of companies providing solutions are extremely difficult to navigate. 

It’s not like these dismal numbers are anything new, they’ve been building for some time, and for the most part, we haven’t noticed. Desmond Tutu is quoted saying, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”

However, it’s tough to go upstream in a deluge of topics that rush at us daily. These include The Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, Quite Firing, Bare-Minimum Mondays, 4-day work week and however we decide to rename our next shade of apathy, anxiety or passive-aggressive attitudes into a sexy hashtag.

But if we look deeper, all these phenomena, facts and figures have something in common. The relationships and narratives we have to work, life and to each other are in need of an upgrade. The values and beliefs that defined how we interpret and engage in our existence are worn out. The authorities, gurus and people we put on pedestals can no longer supply our sense of personal meaning, whether at home or work. We have to do it for ourselves. And guess what? Many of the systems and infrastructures that supported these old systems of meaning are exhausted and in need of a serious upgrade too.

All of these responses indicate a general attitude of triviality towards work and life. And triviality carries little to no meaning. The evidence is becoming clearer every day. Finding your meaning begets a better life experience with a lower occurrence of depression, anxiety and disease.

Meaning at Work

We might not see it, but leaders and workers are in the same river. Everyone must walk upstream, turn over rocks and discover their own sense of meaning. No one else can do it for us. When we begin the journey of knowing ourselves, we can begin a real journey of stewarding the organizations we work for with a sense of obligation to the work we do and the people we work with.

Inner Life as the Map

Self-transcendence is the bedrock of finding your meaning at work. This is the practice of discovering your innermost questions and orienting your quest, through a jungle of choice to find something within yourself that is bigger than yourself to serve. It’s a courageous and humbling journey, but well worth the struggle. 

At Pathways, I designed the Work with Meaning program to give people and organizations tools that work. Similar to Carl Jung’s concept of individuation in business and life, we seek out differentiation. We tend to value and pay a premium for goods and services that we believe to be unique. Why? Psychologically, this is because the uniqueness within is repressed; therefore, we project our own drive to individuate onto external objects and experiences.

There are a lot of varying approaches to self-understanding and self-authorship emerging as a response to the meaning challenge we all face. There are also a lot of rabbit holes that are roads to nowhere.

Finding the right intervention with the right tools at the right time will be most effective and save the most time. Programs, such as Work with Meaning, can help people and organizations dig into their patterns, basically mining meaning from the narratives and scripts, in an effort to analyze and synthesize them into a coherent, unique model. These courses are now designed for work-journey and to help organizations define and address meaning.

Since our personal lives follow us to work every day, we often try to separate these issues, appropriately, with some success. But it’s clearly evident that suppressing our journey for one-third of our existence might be one of the main culprits of organizational stunting and mental health issues.

Work with Meaning

Through this work, and in partnership with Humanity by Design, our preliminary findings have revealed the long-term health and wellness benefits of finding your meaning. Mental health and wellbeing are at stake in the workplace, this cannot be underestimated. The fuel of engagement, entrepreneurship and leadership is meaning. It’s a necessary and courageous investment in yourself. Is there tension? Yes. We all need to put food on the table, but meaning can turn chronic stress into the type of tension that has a more harmonious strum.

Problematic misnomers of a larger issue in the workplace will persist, as it has for decades if we do not address and navigate our own unique sense of meaning. The priority of the Surgeon General to improve the workplace will remain and the opportunity of what we, as unique and vast individuals with various strengths, will be lost. But imagine what may be possible if taken seriously.

Synthesizing one’s inner life with their outer life offers no easy answers, but is transformational for our lives, work and world. It does not happen overnight. It takes small brave choices over time and investment in the self. When we forgo engagement in trivialities and take ourselves seriously, we begin to forge a deeper connection with who we are, which in turn generated agency, integrity and trust.

Bio: Danny Gutknecht, renowned for his dedicated pursuit of the relationship between meaning and work, lays bare the transformative potential of this connection in his book, “Meaning at Work: And Its Hidden Language.” As the CEO of Pathways and a dedicated scholar, Gutknecht brings to light the invaluable role that purpose plays in both business and society, urging readers to embrace its power.

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In this interview, we delve into the leadership strategies and insights that have made Eduardo Dávila a formidable force at Aon. From his unwavering commitment to authenticity to his ability to empower and motivate his team, Dávila’s approach to leadership has proven to be a game-changer.

Through candid interviews and real-life examples, we explore the key lessons that Eduardo Dávila teaches us about leadership. Whether you’re an aspiring CEO or a seasoned executive, the wisdom shared by Dávila will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on your approach to leadership.

Industry Leaders: How would you define authentic leadership, and how does it manifest in your role as the CEO of Aon EMEA?

Being a leader requires focus and patience. However, to be an authentic leader you have to really know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses, where you shine and how you can bring out the best in others. It’s also crucial to take the time to get to know those around you. Listening is the ultimate leadership skill. Good listening helps you to navigate challenging situations, find solutions, and provide support when it’s needed most.

These are all important lessons that I learned in a very different setting as a golf caddie for Severiano Ballesteros. I learned how different people need different types and amounts of information. Some clients like a wealth of information and then filter it whereas others are more selective and will ask when they are unsure of something. This is actually more challenging because you need to be prepared for their questions. Being helpful, respectful, patient and providing the right information at the right time are all skills I honed thanks to Seve.

Industry Leaders: You also have experience in the professional sporting world. How do you draw on that experience when leading your team at Aon EMEA, and what lessons have you brought from the sports arena to the business world?

My leadership philosophy is deeply rooted in sports management and my practical experience in the world of golf. Formerly a golf caddie, I have translated the skills and experience from the golf world into my role at Aon, caddying for my clients and reinforcing a culture of partnership and guidance.

When you think about the role of a caddie and what they do for the player, they are responsible for thinking about where the wind is coming from, where the bunker is, and the position of the green. Aon’s role with clients is similar to the caddie’s role – a close-knit partner who is reading the environment, scanning for challenges and providing guidance on the best way forward. Aon helps clients make a better shot. One of the ways we do this is by harnessing data and everything we do around risk capital and human capital. Our clients make the decisions and play the shot but we both have responsibility for the outcome.

Industry Leaders: What specific qualities or characteristics do you believe are essential for an authentic leader, and how do you cultivate those qualities within yourself and your team?

Being respectful, proactive, having patience and being a good listener are all qualities I believe are critical to authentic leadership, and are all skills I strengthened thanks to my time on the golf course. As a leader, you need to know when to share advice at the right time, and have the courage to do so.

Not only is it vital to know yourself, knowing when to go fast and slow, and when you need help, but it’s equally important to get to know those around you. The team around any leader is critical to their success. I ensure I take the time to foster relationships with existing colleagues, supporting them to deliver their best work and motivating them through the good times and the bad, as well as bringing diversity of thought to the table. I firmly believe we can all learn from each other, whether that be experience, knowledge, style or decision-making.

Industry Leaders: Building trust is a crucial aspect of authentic leadership. How do you establish and maintain trust within your organization, particularly in a fast-paced and ever-changing business environment?

Amid economic turbulence and global uncertainty, employees are increasingly looking towards their employers as a source of truth. Leaders play a crucial role in building trust within their organization and set the tone for culture and establish behavioral norms.

For me, building trust is about championing authenticity, empathy and humanity. Trust has to be earned, and it comes from a conscious effort to align behavior with purpose and values. Once lost, it can be very difficult to recover. As a leader I take steps each and every day to ensure we have trust within the team, from encouraging collaboration between colleagues, providing regular team feedback, to highlighting successes within the team.

Industry Leaders: Authentic leaders often value open and transparent communication. How do you ensure effective communication within your team and across different levels of the organization?

Open and honest communication should be at the heart of every team. My approach to this is to have a very human leadership style. In practice, I assume a position with those that I lead which encompasses the role of mentor and teammate.

Our team is more than a group of colleagues, it’s almost a family. We talk openly about everything and have created this feeling of a team that is striving for the same thing beyond the professional. This to me is hugely rewarding.

Faced with the many challenges Covid and now the high inflationary environment have thrown at us, I have had to adapt the way I communicate and build trust with others. We have all had to learn how to be emphatic through the screen and how to build relationships when unable to physically be together.

Industry Leaders: In your experience, how does authentic leadership contribute to employee engagement and overall organizational success?

Authentic leadership is essential to employee engagement and organizational success. It promotes stronger collaboration and communication between employees which contributes to a positive work environment where employees openly celebrate successes and identify challenges that need to be addressed.

In my experience, when employees can feel and see that their leaders truly care about their physical and mental health, they are more productive, engaged and stay in their roles for longer. Creating a positive work environment, therefore, where employees can thrive, grow and be challenged, as well as enabling them to make their own mistakes and learn from them is key.

Industry Leaders: How do you balance the need for authenticity with the demands and expectations of stakeholders, such as clients, shareholders, and employees?

It’s not a balancing act. In my view, you have to bring your authentic self to every situation as a leader. Consistency as a leader is key and that includes how you turn up each and every day. This means building meaningful relationships with all of your stakeholders, and allowing your strengths and passions to be known and understood.

Bio: Eduardo Dávila is Chief Executive Officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa of Aon plc, a leading global professional services firm providing a broad range of risk, retirement and health solutions. He is also a member of the company’s Executive Committee, the Executive Leadership Team and co-chair of Aon’s Global Inclusive Leadership Council.

The post Leading with Authenticity: What Eduardo Dávila, CEO of Aon EMEA, Teaches Us about Leadership appeared first on Industry Leaders Magazine.

Industry Leaders executive interview series ‘A Day in the Life of a CEO’ is all about breaking down the misconceptions that exist and showing aspirants that the C-suite is a hugely rewarding career with endless opportunities. We have a whole host of inspiring female founders and CEOs (take Denise Cesare and the Swimsuit Liberation Movement) who are really showing the world what it takes to balance the grind.

Today, we are journeying with Yamini Bhat, Co-founder and CEO of Vymo, to get a closer look at things that come into play in the ‘typical’ business day.

Yamini’s Morning Routine

My morning routine starts with waking up along with my eight-year-old son and eight-month-old daughter and cuddling them for half an hour. I believe that those 30 minutes set the tone for the rest of my day and make it more meaningful. This is followed by breakfast with the family before I head out to work. I know, this is not one of those ‘super-inspirational starts’ to morning, but these simple routines rejuvenate me and give me both clarity and purpose.

I diligently follow a ‘inbox zero’ philosophy by the end of each day and have automatic filters to cut out noise.

A Typical Workday

My workday begins at about 8:30 a.m. and runs an intense course until noon. This is the time I try to complete most of my business and strategic work (deals, planning and so on).

Post lunch, I utilize my time coaching, interacting with teams to understand the company pulse, and interviews – I try to accomplish at least 2-3 interviews a week because I learn how peer companies and competition think, through these interviews. I also do my learning calls during this time where I talk to other SaaS company founders and exchange top-of-mind thoughts.

Evenings are for a workout and some downtime followed by family dinner and tucking the children into bed. I then get back to work between 9-11 pm where I interact with my colleagues in other parts of the world.

We want to build an organization culture that brings together like-minded people, where they feel they belong, own, and build the organization while achieving their personal career goals.

 

Managing Emails

I diligently follow a ‘inbox zero’ philosophy by the end of each day and have automatic filters to cut out noise. I make sure I am helping folks close the loop on things that require my attention and respond to all emails that need answers. And I ensure that I never leave anyone without clarity. I also stay on top of letting my team know when they do not need my approval or when I do not need to be looped in on something. This helps them understand that they are trusted and encourages them to think deeper and take ownership.

Vymo is built to uplevel salespeople to the top quartile! 

One Thing That Grounds Her

Family time. Always.

On Leading By Example

As the founder, I fully believe in walking the talk. I work closely with my teams and mentor managers in their career journeys. And I encourage them to emulate these conversations as they work with their teams. I believe in:

• Hiring only the best and building a culture of equal ownership and opportunity.
• Outcomes over activities or hours.
• Transparency; treating the team like co-owners.

I aspire for my team to pick up the skills to become founders and CXOs and leaders of change.

Challenges

Working across multiple time zones and working with some of the world’s biggest banks and insurers. What we do isn’t just convenient, it is critical for our customers to enable their salespeople and delight their end customers. This has set a really high bar on how we organize ourselves and deliver consistently every day.

I believe in outcomes over activities or hours.

Ambition

I aspire for my team to pick up the skills to become founders and CXOs and leaders of change. I also want Vymo to architect sales industry standards for the future. And while we’re at it, to challenge existing notions that bottom-quartile salespeople need to be let go. Vymo is built to uplevel these salespeople to the top quartile! 

I want Vymo to architect sales industry standards of the future.

Decision-Making

I take decisions that are an outcome of a strong hypothesis backed by consultative validation. One of the biggest decisions I have taken when Vymo was just born was to shift my focus from small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) to large enterprises. Selling to SMBs was relatively easy, but their processes were yet to mature and most of them didn’t even have basic technologies in place. On the other hand, larger enterprises were ready for Vymo and it would be a sustainable market, but entering it and creating a brand presence was an arduous uphill climb. I decided to pivot to solving for scale at large enterprises. I was pushed to the wall as we were a very young team with strapped resources, but we measured the risks and went ahead.

I take decisions that are an outcome of a strong hypothesis backed by consultative validation.

Creating A Sense of Purpose at Vymo

Customer obsession.. from this value we create our goals across the team that guides us through choices we might need to make at any point in time. For example, building not what the competition is trying to but what we believe will drive real business outcomes for our users and customers. I am also working with the team to build an organizational culture that brings together like-minded people, where they feel they belong, own, and build the organization while achieving their personal career goals. Bringing this culture to life through every single thing we do, gives me a huge sense of satisfaction and joy. 

We are bringing culture of belonging and ownership to life through every single thing we do, gives me a huge sense of satisfaction and joy. 

On Decompressing

Spending time with my children and traveling as a family is the best way to unwind and reset. I am an extrovert, so hanging out with friends and colleagues after work is refreshing and very helpful.

A Day in the Life of a CEO is an exploration of ambition, grind and strategization in a typical corporate setup. If this sounds like exactly what you’ve been looking for, you may read more of Industry Leaders’ coverage on C-suite life here. 

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Since joining the company in 2015, Dalia has been instrumental in growing both business lines – the B2C Marketplace and B2B Arsenal – the professional 3D designer and user community, which now tops 5 million.

How does she do it? How does Dalia weave her work into her life goal? Read on to learn what a typical day in the life of a CEO and a successful female founder looks like.

Dalia’s Morning Routine

• Wake up at 6, go for a quick run, stop to grab a coffee and head home as my family is waking up.
• Go through morning routine with my toddler as she requires a lot of attention so I try to spend some time with her at the start of the day.
• Working from home has been beneficial for me to be a more present mother.
• Work typically starts at 9 when I head upstairs into my home office.

A Typical Workday

• Review emails and slack messages.
• I don’t schedule meetings in the morning to have focus time unless it’s an emergency or urgent issue.
• Meetings in the afternoons due to global staff (U.S. and EU).
• Spend some time with kids on quick breaks while working from home that gives me a good boost of energy.
• No screens from 7-8 p.m. at home – spend quality family time and go through bedtime routine with my toddler.
• Working pre-covid always had me in the office doing long hours.
• Pre-covid with a newborn, I was going from home to office, back to home mid-day and back to office to tend to a feeding schedule.
• The best part of the pandemic has shown me that we can be remote first and allowing me more time to be a mom and spend quality time with my family.
• Being remote first has allowed us to hire the best talent for our roles, no matter where they are in the world and creating a better balance in fairness as everyone can be remote, not just the ones who aren’t close to an office.

Managing Emails

• I manage to a zero inbox.
• Send emails to myself with different tasks and reminders.
• Folders and trying to organize emails into them did not work for me, there were just more emails going unanswered in different folders.
• I also use the snooze function quite a lot and follow up in a few days.
• I don’t use push notifications for emails, most emails are external (slack for internal).
• I do use email when on vacation or traveling but the snooze function is the most helpful during these times to be able to remind myself and answer when I’m back in work mode.

One Thing That Grounds Her

• I make an annual list of the best things that happened in the year – family, work, joy, passions (in December to reflect).
• There are some questions around things that weren’t achieved, challenges that arose, reasons where ideas or plans pivoted and should I move forward into the next year.
• I try to be extremely honest with this list and add positive things that I actually loved and not supposed to love (as dictated by society).
• I read older lists sometimes and remember the memories and experiences and appreciate writing them down.
• I also love reading in my spare time – it’s a great way to release and escape reality and let go of current stresses.

On Leading By Example

• Data is really important and to look deeply at every problem so I always try to lead by asking for the evidence, the numbers, and how to come to a conclusion – taking the emotion out of it.
• Respectful to everyone and being empathetic – trying to understand the other person’s perspective.
• Understanding of speed and urgency and knowing that some conclusions take a bit longer.

Challenges

• Find and accelerate growth – finding new solutions to a growing business line, trying to predict the future.
• Having the right team in place to collaborate and work together and not having too many differing opinions and personalities that are clashing.
• For personal challenges – I’m trying to incorporate personal events into my life, currently.  With work and family that’s taking up most of my time, it’s been hard to keep up with social events and friends and also including our toddler.

Ambition

• I’ve always thought that anything is possible.
• Both of my parents are entrepreneurs so I had this sense that I could do anything I wanted to and it’s all within reach.
• Shoot for the moon and do it early.
• I started working on my first startup during the evenings while working my first corporate job during the day.
• When you break out on your own – I realized that you reap what you sow, if you do a lot, most of the time, the return is worth it but if you don’t do anything, nothing will happen and won’t be handed to you on a platter.
• I think the biggest learning for me about ambition is that it’s a lot of hard work and you have to put in the work and effort with a small side of luck.

Decision-Making

• There’s no sense in making a popular decision, because it would’ve been made anyways, it’s logical and most people would’ve gotten there on their own.
• Leaders only have to make decisions that are unpopular ones – you just have to do it, swiftly and rip it off like a band-aid.
• I like clarity and data and usually come to a conclusion that way but always thinking about how quickly a decision can be reversed if it doesn’t pan out, no strict framework, take one scenario at a time.

Creating A Sense of Purpose at CGTrader

• The purpose always comes from the customer or our designer community, once someone sees how it helps our customers scale their business or how the designer community it making a living from our projects, you want to keep going knowing that it’s helping everyone, especially when it’s enabling someone’s livelihood.
• Endless possibilities for our customers to innovate their business.

On Decompressing

• Running, intense activities help me the most to decompress – using my focus and energy on physically intense activities is the best way to work through mental blocks and challenges and perhaps even find a solution.
• Traveling and holidays help sometimes too but you can’t do it all the time and when you have a problem or challenge, it travels with you so it’s not always the best solution.

The post A Day in the Life of a CEO: Dalia Lasaite appeared first on Industry Leaders Magazine.

At 26, Madhani began building her now $1 billion payments startup inside her parents’ Florida home. Today, Stax employs more than 300 employees and has processed more than $23 billion in transactions for thousands of businesses since its launch in 2014.

In our ‘A Day in the Life of a CEO’ feature, we explore how Suneera Madhani stays on top of everything.

Morning routine

Rather than creating an endless to-do list, I ask myself: what are the most important, critical tasks of the day?

As a mom of two, my morning routine can be chaotic at times. It’s ever-changing, so staying organized is crucial. I do a ‘zoom out’ every Sunday to plan out each morning of the following week: who’s doing pickup, who’s doing drop off, when I get to work out, etc. Once the kids are off to school and I get to my desk, the morning rituals start. I begin by writing out my needle movers for the day, doing five minutes of journaling, and writing out my affirmations. Rather than creating an endless to-do list, I also take this time to ask myself: what are the most important, critical tasks of the day? I look at my KPI reports, and then I get my workday started. By this point, I’ve already had two cups of coffee.

A typical workday

A typical workday is always changing. As CEOs, we’re generalists—not specialists. Every day, I try to organize my schedule into time blocks–for example, if I have one-on-ones, I try to complete those together. Then there are strategy meetings for Stax, and there’s always some sort of media task that I’m working on. This can be for my personal podcast or someone else’s, writing articles, being interviewed by various news outlets, etc. I try to do these in batches, but life and business happen in real-time.

Managing emails

I’m a huge believer in “inbox zero.”

I use a tool called Superhuman that I really love to help me get through email in a quick and organized fashion. I don’t check email all day long. I try to have dedicated zones for going through my inbox. Part of my morning routine is blocking out this time. I’ll browse through and see what the most important messages are, and keep everything cataloged and organized. Emails from my leadership team or my board get my attention first to ensure that there’s nothing on fire or requiring an urgent response. I’m a huge believer in “inbox zero.” This doesn’t mean you have to have absolutely nothing in your inbox, but it’s managing and organizing your inbox daily to keep it under control and when you get 200 to 300 emails a day like me, this is incredibly important.

One thing that grounds you

What grounds me is my family and my team. If I think about my rocks, it’s my family, my kids. It’s spending time with them. When I get to the office, I put on my CEO hat, and when I leave, I always try to take it off. I can’t be “on” 24/7. I go back to being “mom” and “Sunny” and that’s incredibly grounding.

On leading by example

If you want your team to do something, you should be exemplifying that action.

How to lead by example? You walk the walk. You just do. I have found that a lot of leaders will read all of these leadership books and try to be these textbook leaders,  but what it comes down to is just doing the right things. If you want your team to do something, you should be exemplifying that action. Otherwise, there’s no credibility for them to do it. I walk the walk. That’s something I’m really proud of. And whether that shows up when it comes to community impact or how we treat our customers, we have to embody these values as humans first, as leaders first, because otherwise it’s never going to be authentic and it’s never going to translate into your organization.

Challenges and Ambition

The best way to handle challenges is consistency. You keep going. Not every day is going to be perfect. And sometimes, on any given day, it’s a roller coaster, it’s a journey with challenges and victories. That’s why it’s so important to be focused on the journey and not the destination. There’s going to be challenges – whether they’re people challenges, macroeconomic challenges, business challenges, or personal challenges that may arise that also affect your workplace, there’s going to be something. And the answer isn’t “get used to it,” the answer is “tackle it.”

 I had a mentor once tell me that when you’re met with a challenge, you have to remember that it’s not the best thing that could have ever happened, but it’s also not the worst thing that could have ever happened.

Make sure you have the right mindset to be able to handle challenges when they arise. I had a mentor once tell me that when you’re met with a challenge, you have to remember that it’s not the best thing that could have ever happened, but it’s also not the worst thing that could have ever happened.

You have to find that balance and understand that you will get through it. Sometimes these challenges feel like the world is falling apart. Maybe it’s the first time that somebody quits or the first time you get a legal letter. We’ve all been there. I remember when I was starting my business in my early 20s, I didn’t think I could overcome the many challenges that came my way. But then I did, and I was more experienced for the next challenge that came my way. Before I knew it, challenges were getting more manageable. You have to get your mindset right, you have to get your resilience in check, and most importantly, you have to remember to have fun.

Decision making

As an executive, you have to make decisions all day long, and there is truly a thing called decision fatigue.

When I think about decision-making, it’s always about doing the most important tasks. It’s about getting the right stuff done. As an executive, you have to make decisions all day long, and there is truly a thing called decision fatigue. To avoid this fatigue, I try to eliminate as many micro-decisions that I don’t need to make. Whether that be what I’m eating, what I’m wearing, or how I travel, there are things you don’t need to make decisions about. Delegate those decisions to others. Now you can focus on the bigger decisions and on what moves the needle. When making these bigger decisions, it’s important to remember that you have to think of the whole versus the part. If you make a decision about something that influences “the part,” ask yourself how it affects the overall organization. My job as CEO is to protect the entire organization. Sometimes we get bogged down in one singular channel or one singular decision. So make your “decision-making” for the whole and not for the part.

Creating a sense of purpose at Stax

One of the main initiatives within our organization that drives our company’s sense of purpose is Stax Cares. Stax Cares is the philanthropic branch of our company founded on three pillars: women in business, youth and STEM, and radical acceptance. I head up our Stax Care initiative, and together as a company, we have pledged to donate $1 million back into our community in not only dollars but donations of time and impact. Beyond just Stax Cares, our company’s mission is to empower businesses to move faster, think smarter, and make better decisions. We’re disrupting the industry. We want to be different, and we want to have fun doing it. This, combined with our incredible culture, is what got us on Inc’s Best Workplaces list. Twice.

On decompressing

I decompress by finding moments of quiet. As a working mom, your job never ends, and as a very ambitious person, I take on a lot. I’m the CEO of Stax, a mom of two, and I also have my own top 100 business podcast, @ceoschool. I’m also a mentor; I lead our Stax Cares initiative; and so much more. All of these things take energy, and when I plan my day, I need to carefully plan out where I’m spending this energy.

Just like a phone battery, we can find ourselves going and going and going, and then the battery runs out. You have to charge the battery. I do this primarily on the weekends. I try to not work on Saturdays and Sundays as much as possible, and I don’t make a ton of plans.

Life is picking back up again with birthday parties, events, and different gatherings, which is all very exciting. But what’s also exciting is learning to say no. It’s hard to do, but taking your time back is incredibly important when recharging. On the weekends, I try to find as many moments of quiet as possible while recharging with family and friends.

The post A Day in the life of a CEO: Suneera Madhani appeared first on Industry Leaders Magazine.

Industry Leaders: What is the story behind Aether Diamonds?

Ryan Shearman: Aether was born out of a desire to use my hard skills—entrepreneurship, material science, and jewelry development, to help address the climate crisis. It was during a conversation with my cofounder, Dan Wojno, that the concept of creating diamonds from air pollution was first discussed. He was living in Bangkok at the time and was directly familiar with some of the challenges associated with poor air quality. As engineers, we were both excited by the potential impact of direct air capture technologies and we made it our mission to develop commercial solutions that sat on top of that tech stack.

Industry Leaders: Is there any ‘rule of life’ you follow to keep things running around you?

Ryan Shearman: Life can be chaotic. The sooner one accepts that fact, the sooner they can equip themselves to deal with it appropriately. You must be able to go with the flow, embrace change, and trust those around you if you are going to keep your head above water.

Industry Leaders: How would you address the global and national imperatives and implications of how you compete, contribute and operate in the industry?

Ryan Shearman: We’re not looking to operate like anyone else in the industry. Our motives are very different. We incorporated as a public benefit corporation so that we could balance purpose and profit in all that we do. As I like to say, we’re not a company with a mission—we’re a mission with a company. Our aim is to use commerce to power an engine of change. Being successful in business will allow us to deploy greater resources towards solving some of the biggest challenges facing humanity today. Our approach is to toe the line between science and culture because we believe both are critical if we are to have a real impact. Hopefully, we’ll be able to inspire consumers and other companies along the way.

Industry Leaders: How is the goal of becoming an independently carbon-negative company by 2023 turning up so far? What’s next for Aether after 2023?

Ryan Shearman: We made significant strides this year towards achieving our goal of being independently carbon-negative by 2023. We have a clear strategy for how we are going to scale up our production capacity, which ties directly to our carbon footprint and the net impact we have as a company. This will culminate with the construction of our first vertically integrated production facility right here in the US. Beyond that, we are excited to begin expanding our manufacturing capabilities so that we can bring other solid carbon products to the market.

Industry Leaders: What sustainable features are of key importance to Aether and how do you plan to keep a hold of them?

Ryan Shearman: “Sustainable” is an interesting word and one that I regularly struggle with. There is no strict definition for what it means and its ambiguity allows it to be abused quite often. What is of key importance to Aether is that we operate with the utmost responsibility in all that we do. We have worked hard to embed environmental stewardship into our corporate DNA. Integrating that into our internal decision-making frameworks, corporate goals, and major KPIs will ensure that we can live up to these ideals for the long run.

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Industry Leaders: Are there any challenges as the CEO of Ohza that made Ryan doubt his skills? How did he overcome them?

Ryan Ayotte: There have been many times where Ryan was unsure of how to tackle certain problems, or even spot a problem was coming his way. He has found that the best way to overcome this was to hire great people who are experts in their fields, as well as build out a strong group of advisors to use as a sound board.

Industry Leaders: How did he come up with the idea of Ohza and how is it holding up to his vision?

Ryan Ayotte: The idea started when his friends and Ryan tried mixing mimosas on a tippy boat off Cape Cod, Mass. When the cocktail cruise they were on turned into a mess he began researching ready-to-drink options and realized there was a huge opportunity and despite having no beverage experience he decided to create a mimosa in a can, himself. Overall, Ohza is holding true to its core, which is crafting authentic sparkling wine cocktails with real juice, but with fewer calories and less sugar. 

Industry Leaders: Can he mention some experiences that made Ryan believe in himself and develop Ohza?

Ryan Ayotte: He always tossed around different inventions and business ideas, but never thought they were good enough to pursue. When the idea for a canned mimosa struck him on that boat, it stuck with him. He continued to research the market, get consumer feedback, and eventually convinced himself that (1) this was totally unique and a real market opportunity, and (2) he would always regret it if he didn’t pursue it. When Ohza finally launched, a major proof of concept to him were the buyers at Whole Foods who were liking the product and decided to sell it there. 

Industry Leaders: What milestones does he believe can add to the journey of Ohza?

Ryan Ayotte: Adding key retail partners is always a huge milestone for Ryan and the Ohza brand, as it is continued proof that they are doing something special. Ohza always aims to beat out its competitors in terms of sales volume as well, so it is extremely exciting to see reports from certain retailers that show Ohza selling better than some of the biggest brands in the industry. 

Industry Leaders: What’s next for Ohza in the growing industry?

Ryan Ayotte: The company is highly focused on growing the business in terms of distribution and brand affinity. Eventually, Ohza hopes to be the #1 canned cocktail company in the US.

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