Rachel Choong Pioneering Cyber Leader: Rachel Choong’s Path to Democratizing Executive Wisdom Rachel Choong has spent over two decades in cybersecurity, becoming a key figure in rescuing high-stakes projects and implementing innovative defenses against digital threats. Her expertise lies in integrating cybersecurity with strategic business outcomes, ensuring organizations remain resilient amid evolving challenges. Her professional journey extends beyond technical mastery into transformative leadership. Through her recent book, featuring insights from 54 senior executives, including numerous C-suite leaders, Rachel has created a platform that brings elite knowledge to wider audiences. This profile, based on her questionnaire responses, explores her achievements, mindset, and vision for leadership development. Foundations in Cybersecurity and Project Rescue Rachel began her career in the challenging field of cybersecurity, developing expertise in identifying and mitigating risks for multimillion-dollar projects. She has consistently led efforts to strengthen cyber frameworks and coordinate cross-functional teams to align security with business goals. Years of rescuing struggling projects have given her rare insight into how executives make decisions under pressure, a perspective that shapes both her daily work and broader leadership initiatives. Identifying the Gap in Leadership Wisdom The idea for Rachel’s book came from recognizing a persistent gap in leadership resources. Executive wisdom often remains confined to exclusive networks, leaving many professionals without access to practical guidance. She envisioned a solution that would scale these insights to empower thousands. Rather than using impersonal tactics like mass emails, she relied on relationships nurtured over 20 years in cybersecurity. These connections linked her with professionals committed to societal progress and aligned with her mission. Leveraging Authentic Connections for Collaboration Navigating a male-dominated field taught Rachel the value of authentic relationships over titles or credentials. When inviting contributions for her book, she positioned the project as an opportunity for executives to share knowledge widely, rather than as a personal venture. This approach emphasized humility, acknowledgment of others’ contributions, and focus on societal benefits over personal recognition. Her communication was deliberate and precise, avoiding potential pitfalls. Credibility for the project grew when international bestselling author Graeme Simsion endorsed the launch, validating her work and enabling further high-level engagement. Rachel’s method highlights core principles for ambitious endeavors: humility opens doors, authentic relationships provide lasting support, and centering requests on communal benefit drives collaboration. By applying these principles, she gathered insights from 54 senior leaders, half in C-suite roles—a feat many others could not achieve. Unlearning Barriers to Leadership Engagement Achieving this success required challenging assumptions about leadership access. Rachel initially believed her mid-level position limited her ability to interview C-suite executives. Yet her experience told a different story. Two decades of rescuing critical projects had placed her alongside senior leaders during crises, giving her insights few others possessed. Openness was key. By seeking advice from established authors and expressing eagerness to learn, she dismantled internal obstacles. She realized that humility does not mean diminishing oneself; it involves recognizing one’s unique contributions while remaining receptive to growth. Her proximity to executive decision-making became a valuable asset. Sharing these insights aligned with her principles of service and strengthened her leadership perspective. The interviews themselves reinforced this understanding. Engaging with high performers sparks innovation and personal development. Simsion’s endorsement further emphasized that creating value does not require being the foremost expert—acting as a bridge to connect knowledge with those who need it can have the greatest impact. Challenging Notions of Success Through Executive Insights Conversations in her book revealed consistent patterns about success. Financial rewards, prestigious titles, or perks were rarely cited as primary motivators. Instead, leaders emphasized human-centered qualities: empathy, tenacity, creativity, service, and growth. These traits emerged across sectors, from healthcare to technology to entrepreneurship. Executives shared personal stories of family challenges, career setbacks, and pivotal realizations, offering authentic insight into their motivations and strategies for navigating change. Unlike scripted corporate messages, these narratives highlighted shared progress as the source of true satisfaction. While financial security remains important, time is the most valuable resource, and effective leaders prioritize it toward impactful endeavors. Rachel’s book serves as a guide for personal reflection, helping readers learn from executive perspectives, identify their own gaps, and forge individual paths. Her philosophy emphasizes that achievement is measured not by personal gain but by enabling opportunities for others—a principle she applies across her professional and personal pursuits. Reigniting Creativity Amid Analytical Excellence Rachel’s skill in risk assessment, honed through project recoveries, sometimes constrained her creative thinking. Preparing to interview 54 executives initially triggered her analytical mindset, focusing on logistical hurdles and execution doubts. Overcoming this required a mindset shift: viewing challenges as opportunities rather than threats. Persistence and passion drove her forward. By refining interpersonal skills and integrating courage, patience, and focus, she navigated obstacles and established a foundation for success. Her direct exposure to executive reasoning in high-pressure scenarios, combined with a commitment to accessibility, distinguished her work. Leveraging technology, including artificial intelligence, enhanced productivity without compromising integrity, expanding the initiative’s reach. Envisioning Transformative Leadership Development Rachel anticipates significant shifts in leadership development over the next five years. The book’s exploration of sustaining optimism amid adversity resonates in today’s challenging environment. Readers report practical applications: reframing setbacks using executive strategies, fostering compassionate team management, and taking proactive action without waiting for approval. Her focus extends beyond personal growth to organizational transformation. The project created new opportunities, including consulting roles and media appearances, demonstrating the impact of broadening knowledge access. By sharing insights through writings, discussions, and engagements, she influences professional development incrementally, helping emerging leaders avoid isolation during trials. Awareness of empathy, tenacity, creativity, service, and growth becomes part of a shared leadership language, ensuring opportunities are accessible regardless of location or connections. The Role of Reflection in Breakthrough Thinking Rachel’s creative insights often emerge in reflective, in-between moments. She maintains a bedside notepad to capture thoughts arising between wakefulness and sleep. The book’s concept originated during a casual conversation, connecting unexpected ideas into a meaningful contribution to Australian leadership resources. Intense program oversight allows little margin for reflection, yet she balances

Dr. Stoyana Natseva Founder & CEO of Happy Life Academy®, Mentor in Systemic Development of Personality and Business at Broadcom Dr. Stoyana Natseva: Awakening One Million Leaders Through Systemic Transformation Dr. Stoyana Natseva’s mission is bold and measurable: awaken one million conscious leaders who elevate society through wisdom, compassion, and vision. As Founder and CEO of Happy Life Academy, she has built a globally recognized ecosystem for personal transformation and professional education that blends science, psychology, and systemic methods into accredited learning with real-world impact. Banking roots to bold reinvention Before becoming a celebrated mentor in systemic development of personality and business, Dr. Natseva led high-stakes operations in banking as Head of Business Operations and Head of Trade Finance, where discipline, structure, and leadership under pressure became her core strengths. That rigor later became a defining advantage as she architected comprehensive programs and certifications that scale without losing quality or soul. The pivot from finance to transformation was intentional: not to advise from the edges of business, but to rewire human potential at the center of life and work. Building Happy Life Academy Happy Life Academy has educated over 100,000 students worldwide, certified more than 3,000 professional coaches, and attracted a community of over 800,000 followers, positioning it as a leading European institution in personal and professional development. The platform spans MBA and Mini MBA programs, bestselling books, retreats, and a media vision that carries learning into everyday life with accessibility and depth. The focus is consistent across offerings: structured, accredited education that delivers measurable change in health, relationships, careers, and awareness. A systemic lens on leadership What differentiates Dr. Natseva’s work is a systemic view of human development that integrates neuroscience, psychology, and practical business frameworks into a cohesive methodology for sustained transformation. Her approach addresses mind, emotion, and identity patterns while mapping the relational systems that shape performance and wellbeing, aligning personal evolution with professional growth. The result is a leadership model that cultivates clarity, resilience, and service orientation without sacrificing academic rigor or professional standards. Three qualities behind sustained success Visionary leadership enables anticipation of trends and design of programs that remain relevant over time, creating a flywheel of innovation and credibility in fast-moving markets. Resilience and courage convert setbacks into capability, translating personal trials into frameworks that unlock breakthroughs for learners and clients. Empathy and human connection ensure methods are not only effective but life-changing, grounding scale in trust and authentic relationships. From skepticism to global traction Launching advanced coaching and systemic therapies in Eastern Europe required overcoming deep skepticism through demonstration, results, and accreditation. As the Academy expanded from Bulgaria to Europe and beyond, quality control depended on strong recognition, partnerships, and a resilient team culture aligned to high standards. The personal dimension was equally significant: leading a global brand while nurturing a family of three children, including a daughter with autism, shaped a leadership presence defined by patience, love, and calm stamina. Recognition and credibility Across more than 30 national and international honors, distinctions such as Writer of the Decade, Motivator of the Decade, Woman of the Decade, and Businesswoman of the Year highlight the broad influence and consistency of impact. Awards, including Grand Prize Universe Vienna 2022 and Global Leader in Education and Business, reinforce both the Academy’s stature and the strength of its educational model. Repeated recognition as Company of the Year in Education, along with over 200 media features and inclusion in Forbes’ “Women of the Top,” further evidences brand trust and sector leadership. Scaling with purpose Global expansion plans include elite MBA and Mini MBA programs across Europe, the Middle East, and North America, supported by a media strategy through Happy Life TV that channels structured learning to a broader audience. Retreats in Seychelles, Dubai, and Bali will anchor deep-work environments for rapid transformation, bringing the community together for immersive learning and renewal. This expansion is guided by a consistent operating principle: every product and program must improve lives in ways that are visible, trackable, and durable. The IAM research agenda Dr. Natseva is completing a PhD in Psychology with research centered on the Internal Autobiographical Map, a framework for reconstructing identity in ways that integrate memory, narrative, and agency. IAM aims to standardize how practitioners diagnose identity fragmentation and facilitate coherent self-organization, linking therapeutic insights with leadership development. As this research matures, it promises new benchmarks for evidence-based coaching and systemic psychology in education and enterprise contexts. A culture of measurable outcomes Dr. Natseva insists that transformation be verified by observable results in health, relationships, and career trajectories, not just shifts in mindset. This emphasis on metrics supports continuous improvement across curricula, coaching protocols, and student support systems. It also underwrites the Academy’s accreditation profile, aligning high-touch learning with recognized global standards. The service imperative For Dr. Natseva, service is not a slogan but an operating system that aligns vision, product design, and community engagement. The Academy’s growth demonstrates that when offerings genuinely serve, market traction follows as a consequence of trust and outcomes. This is reflected in alumni who become multiply impactful as coaches, consultants, and leaders who create ripples of change in their own ecosystems. The founder behind the movement Founder and Chairperson of the International Association of Professional Trainers and Coaches, coordinating standards and community for practitioners in education and transformation. Founder of the One Million Awakened Leaders initiative, a global movement that converts inspiration into education and education into action. Multiple-time featured leader in top-tier outlets and a bestselling author of 15 books that extend the Academy’s reach across languages and contexts. Guidance for rising leaders Dr. Natseva’s counsel to emerging leaders is consistent with the Academy’s design: build inner strength, invest in learning, maintain authenticity, and serve before selling. Begin small and remain consistent, because compounding effort constructs credibility and capability over time. Education multiplies when shared, and authenticity differentiates in noisy markets that reward clarity and values alignment. The CIO lens: why this matters now For technology and business leaders, the Academy’s

Advait Patel Senior Site Reliability Engineer at Broadcom An Exclusive Conversation with Jasmine Francis, Editor-in-Chief of CIOTODAY, Unveiling the Remarkable Journey of Advait Patel Advait Patel: Building Trustworthy Scale in the Cloud Advait Patel is a Senior Site Reliability Engineer at Broadcom who unites reliability engineering, security, and automation to deliver enterprise-scale systems that maintain performance, reliability, and compliance under demanding enterprise workloads. His career narrative is defined by rigorous engineering at scale, security baked into every layer, and a consistent drive to turn complex, distributed cloud platforms into dependable services for global businesses. Early Foundations Patel’s journey began with a deep fascination for systems that could endure stress, scale indefinitely, and remain secure when it matters most, a focus he solidified through a Master’s in Computer Science at DePaul University, specializing in Software Engineering and Cloud Computing. From the outset, he gravitated to the intersection of distributed systems and security, an orientation that naturally led to Site Reliability Engineering and DevSecOps, where performance, resilience, and trust converge in production realities. That early commitment now underpins his leadership at Broadcom and his broader contributions to research, publications, and technical advocacy in the global community. Engineering at a Global Scale At Broadcom, Patel helps architect and operate a globally distributed SaaS metrics monitoring and analytics platform that ingests millions of data points per second while targeting zero downtime for demanding enterprise customers. He has built and tuned Kubernetes clusters for reliability, automated deployments with Terraform and Ansible, and implemented disaster recovery strategies that keep complex, multi-region environments available through failure scenarios. These efforts reinforce Broadcom’s position in observability platforms and set internal benchmarks for secure and scalable cloud operations across regulated and mission-critical contexts. Security in the Reliability Lifecycle Security by default is a consistent thread in Patel’s work, not a post-deployment layer but a design-time standard embedded into architectures, pipelines, and operational playbooks. He has led vulnerability management initiatives and integrated compliance frameworks that ensure systems meet performance commitments while aligning to rigorous security baselines such as ISO, SOC, and FedRAMP-aligned controls. Disaster recovery patterns he refined have been adopted as reference implementations, which raises organizational consistency and reduces recovery uncertainty for high-value workloads. Principles That Scale Three core principles guide Patel’s approach to building secure and compliant cloud systems at scale: Security by design: embed controls and checks at the first design pass, so architecture and code evolve within explicit risk boundaries rather than retrofitted gates. Automation and scalability: use Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD, and AI-assisted monitoring to minimize human error, enforce intent, and expand capacity without sacrificing control. Compliance as code: translate standards into policies and automated validations that run inside the pipeline, so releases inherit compliance proofs and auditors inherit measurable evidence. These pillars align with the industry’s movement toward Zero Trust and policy-aware automation, translating governance into continuous, provable enforcement across multi-cloud estates. A Zero-Downtime Migration Blueprint One of Patel’s hallmark accomplishments is leading the migration of Broadcom’s global observability product from AWS to Google Cloud Platform, a re-architecture that reached across networking, Kubernetes, IAM, storage, monitoring pipelines, and disaster recovery while keeping customer visibility uninterrupted. Rather than lift and shift, the team mapped AWS-native services to GCP alternatives and redesigned components where necessary to improve performance and reduce operational risk. Security remained central, with automated IAM audits eliminating over-privileged roles, and compliance as code pipelines re-implementing HIPAA, GDPR, and internal baselines from day one on GCP. To safeguard continuity, Patel built staged cutover workflows, applied AI-driven anomaly detection during the transition, and established robust rollback paths to reduce the blast radius of unknowns. The result was a seamless migration with zero disruption, stronger performance, and a tighter security posture. Migration Lessons Enterprises Can Use Enterprises contemplating cloud-to-cloud migrations can draw practical lessons from Patel’s GCP transition playbook: Re-architecture over replication: redesign components where needed to meet performance and security objectives in the target cloud. IAM rigor: automate audits to minimize privilege and prevent drift during and after migration. Compliance from first commit: use policy as code to rebuild baselines in the new environment. Staged cutovers with AI-powered guardrails: instrument anomaly detection and maintain rollback paths to contain risk. Thought Leadership and Recognition Patel’s influence extends beyond production systems into research, publishing, and community leadership. He earned a Best Paper honor at ICAIC 2025 for AI-driven frameworks that secure cloud AI workloads and authored Implementing Identity Management on GCP, published by Springer Nature. In editorial service to IEEE and ACM, he supports peer review rigor, while working as Conference Chair for the IEEE Chicago Section positions him to convene and steer conversations on next-generation security. DockSec and Developer-First Security Patel created DockSec, an open source, AI-powered Docker security analyzer that integrates scanning and remediation directly into developer workflows. DockSec identifies misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in containerized applications and provides contextual remediation, integrating into CI/CD pipelines without slowing delivery. The Next Wave: AI, Reliability, and Zero Trust Looking forward, Patel anticipates a tight coupling between AI, operations, and security, where predictive insights and self-healing become default attributes of platform reliability. His research on Trust Deviation Metrics aims to operationalize how enterprises detect and measure risk in AI-driven orchestration, a timely focus as teams delegate more decisions to automated agents across production pipelines. Culture of Resilience Patel’s approach models an SRE culture where reliability, security, and compliance are incorporated early, reducing the need for retroactive fixes and accelerating delivery. This alignment strengthens handoffs across teams, improves audit posture, and reduces exception handling at release time. Community and Ecosystem Impact Patel’s engagement with IEEE, ACM, the Cloud Security Alliance, and industry conferences helps translate frontier research into actionable enterprise practice. His open source advocacy and editorial contributions reinforce a healthier security ecosystem, where patterns like developer-centric remediation and standard-driven automation proliferate across organizations. Advice for Emerging Leaders Patel encourages aspiring SRE and security leaders to embrace complexity and remain focused on impact, measured by improved reliability for users, open source contributions, and stronger collective resilience. He advises continuous learning, publishing

Paul Taylor Owner of Paul Taylor Associates Paul Taylor: Building a Portfolio Career Rooted in Learning, Service, and Humanity Paul Taylor, Owner of Paul Taylor Associates, has crafted a distinctive portfolio career that blends consultancy, governance, education, writing, speaking, and mentoring into a cohesive professional identity defined by integrity and impact. From early roots in UK banking technology to leadership roles across financial services and education, his trajectory reflects a steady commitment to continuous learning, exceptional client service, and a people-first approach. These pillars not only guide his work but also underpin the reputation he has carefully built over decades in roles that span transformation programs, operating model redesigns, and strategic advisory. Early Foundations in Technology and Finance Paul began his career in 1988 within the IT department of a well-known UK private bank, a setting that exposed him to a broad range of functions and gave him early cross-disciplinary fluency. Working inside a smaller organization enabled him to build a practical understanding across systems, operations, and user needs, which became a durable advantage as he advanced. He later moved through various financial services firms and rose to become Head of Software Development at a European subsidiary of a large bank, deepening his experience in enterprise delivery and governance. The Decision to Freelance In the summer of 2007, Paul chose freelancing after years of weighing the risks and rewards of independence, a shift that reframed his career around adaptability and value creation. He initially focused on project management in financial services with mandates ranging from outsourcing to regulatory change, product launches, and technology initiatives, developing a reputation for dependable execution in complex environments. Over time, he transitioned to a portfolio model, integrating multiple roles that let him contribute across strategy, delivery, teaching, and public thought leadership. The Portfolio Model in Practice Today, Paul’s work spans several complementary domains that reinforce each other through shared emphasis on outcomes and human-centered collaboration. His consultancy and project leadership commitments focus on transformations and operating model improvements, while his roles as Chair, non-executive director, and board adviser extend his governance impact. Education and teaching anchor his belief in lifelong learning, while speaking and writing amplify insights for broader audiences, and mentoring provides tailored support to emerging leaders. Why Learning Never Stops Paul emphasizes continuous development as a non-negotiable for modern professionals because technology, customer behavior, policy environments, and regulations change constantly. He frames learning as both a defensive and offensive practice: it protects relevance while enabling better decisions across diverse contexts, from fintech strategy to education and nonprofit governance. His guidance is practical: seek reputable sources, leverage structured programs, and ask questions without fear when knowledge gaps appear. Service as a Professional Core A central tenet of Paul’s philosophy is delivering best-in-class service regardless of client size, sector, or temperament, a standard he applies equally to regulators, corporates, and retail stakeholders. He acknowledges that high service bars can be demanding, especially with challenging engagements, but argues that resilience and constructive engagement are table stakes in professional services. This ethic has been pivotal to sustaining a practice rooted in repeat work, referrals, and long-term trust. Leading With Humanity Paul insists that nearly all meaningful work is people work, from supplier negotiations and boardrooms to classrooms and mentoring sessions. He prioritizes understanding how others feel and what motivates them, then aligns behavior to context to nurture productive relationships. In practice, this translates to compassionate leadership, careful listening, and tailored communication that reduces friction and accelerates progress. Guarding Reputation Like a Strategic Asset As a freelancer and portfolio leader, Paul treats reputation as the most valuable currency, built on reliability, honesty, hard work, competence, and integrity. He advocates raising issues early, keeping commitments, and staying current as mechanisms for protecting professional standing. He also highlights the relational side of reputation: being respectful and kind is not only ethical but also commercially wise in interdependent ecosystems. Paul outlines four recurring challenges: handling difficult people, addressing knowledge gaps in new domains, smoothing workload peaks and troughs, and securing work in a competitive market. He counters interpersonal friction with stronger human management skills, and he counters domain uncertainty with structured learning through courses, vetted sites, and expert conversations. He mitigates workload volatility through rigorous time management and stress awareness while sustaining deal flow through networking, thought leadership, and active participation in events. Impact Across Organizations and Sectors Paul’s portfolio includes enterprise transformations, large-scale technology migrations, and operating model overhauls across blue-chip companies, scale-ups, and social enterprises. This range gives him a vantage point on strategy and execution that is both sector-aware and people-centric, an approach that resonates with boards and operators alike. He credits these outcomes to disciplined project leadership coupled with a sensitivity to organizational culture and stakeholder dynamics. Education plays a major role in Paul’s portfolio, including teaching responsibilities that keep him close to emerging talent and evolving pedagogies. He has published five books, including three self-published titles and two textbooks produced with an industry body, which he views as vehicles for codifying and sharing practical knowledge. Mentoring remains a consistent thread, offering high-touch guidance on career planning and leadership development while informing his broader insights with lived challenges from across industries. Boardroom Perspective With Practitioner Depth Serving as a board member and strategic adviser to fintech, education, and wellbeing organizations, Paul brings a synthesis of governance rigor and delivery experience. He contributes to strategy formation, commercial direction, and digital innovation agendas while ensuring that governance frameworks support responsible growth. This dual perspective enables constructive tension between ambition and risk management, a balance many boards seek but struggle to operationalize. Time management is non-negotiable in Paul’s operating system, particularly with a portfolio of overlapping roles that can create spikes in activity. He approaches time as both capacity and promise, using structured prioritization to ensure commitments are honored and personal well-being is protected. This discipline helps avoid the burnout that often undermines otherwise capable leaders in project-heavy environments. Keeping the Pipeline Healthy Paul frames business development as a