Aneeqa Rana-Global Education Consultant & eLearning Expert Aneeqa is a Pakistani-born American woman with an eclectic background. She has spent about half of her life in the United States and a half living and working in the Indian Subcontinent, the Middle East, and Africa. She is a reflective, tenacious, life-long learner and a self-starter, with the unique ability to build bridges and connect across cultures. She is a design thinking practitioner, able to make essential connections and further people’s thinking. She helps educators look at their challenges from different perspectives to think differently. Aneeqa is an accomplished entrepreneurial educator and program builder. She can take the germ of an idea to create effective and impactful action plans across sectors, communities, and boundaries. She has the unique ability to organize disparate and divergent thinking into coherent and compelling programs. Aneeqa has been fortunate to experience education in all its forms for the privileged and underprivileged. She has founded after-school learning centers in Colorado Springs, Dubai, and Najaf and volunteered in India and Pakistan’s urban slum schools. She has researched education in rural Morocco and worked with educators globally to empower them to solve educational challenges. She has worked with parents who have devoted themselves to achieving better outcomes for their children. She worked with teachers who have dedicated themselves to their students and with students who have worked tirelessly to get an education. These experiences entrenched in her a deep commitment to education. She aspires to transform the PreK-12 education system into the 21st century. Aneeqa is hopeful that the imposed education technology adoption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is propelling an education paradigm shift. She is confident that the wide adaptation of technology integration in the teaching and learning environment is an opportunity to transform PreK-12 education to deeper learning and develop pathways to skills development. The education system is at crossroads, with a chance to establish a ‘New Normal’ for education. Innovative solutions will help students be successful despite their learning deficits over the past couple of years. In Aneeqa’s professional experience, she has led teams, defined a vision and roadmap, and cultivated learning communities committed to education innovation. The amalgamation of her years of research, study, and collaborations has resulted in her developing a blended modular 21st-century school/learning environment model. Learning happens in two parts – building core foundations and developing transformative competencies. The elements of success within this model would require education systems to reimagine the teaching and learning environment, eliminate subject silos, ubiquitously adopt education technology, and implement purposeful and accessible educator professional development with on-demand, continuous support. These aspirations may seem insurmountable but not impossible. Making education relevant for the future of work will require more than chipping away at an archaic educational system. Aneeqa believes that systemic leapfrogging challenges unite uniquely strategic efforts within a larger collective vision of transformation. She continues to direct her efforts to transform the PreK-12 education system. Aneeqa has over 14 years of experience as an IT professional and 16 years as an education entrepreneur. She has a Bachelor’s and Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Houston and a Master of Education in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Schleicher, A.,. (2019). “OECD Learning Compass 2030 Concept Note.” Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.oecd.org/education/2030-project/teaching-and-learning/learning/learning-compass[1]2030/OECD_Learning_Compass_2030_concept_note.pd To know more about Aneeqa, visit this link.
Beverly Davis – Founder & CEO of Davis Financial Services
Beverly Davis-Founder & CEO of Davis Financial Services Beverly Davis is the Founder/CEO of Davis Financial Services. This business consulting firm provides financial management and back-office services to CEOS, entrepreneurs, and executives of mid-sized and corporate enterprises. Beverly has a background in corporate finance back-office operations and internal controls with over 15 years of diverse experience in Wealth Management at Bank of America, Private Banking at JP Morgan Chase, and Capital Markets at Citigroup. As the founder of Davis Financial Services, her mission is to offer the same high-quality service to CEOs, entrepreneurs, and executives within, and outside the corporate arena. Davis Financial Services offers private consulting services of complete custom back-office financial management plans and finance team building, expansion, or downsizing. Services include gap analysis, finance system overview, accounting processes, procedures, policies, risk management, and compliance. Davis Financial Services is based in the United States but works with clients from across the globe. To know more about Beverly, visit this link.
Women In Finance: Charting a Path to Success
How Women In Finance Are Charting a Path to Success on Their Own Terms When it comes to gender parity, finance is one of the last frontiers. Over the past ten years, women worldwide have become the majority of the workforce for the first time in history. Women now account for 22% of corporate boards, twice the figure from the previous five years. A global survey of about 22,000 companies found that women in approximately 30 percent of management positions are more profitable than those with lower percentages. Forced to choose between family and work in an industry with low glass ceilings and barriers to advancement, many women are choosing to leave the industry altogether. Still, many more are opting to start their own financial service company. That women constitute a formidable economic force comes as no surprise. The Female Factor: Closing the confidence gap Women previously had an inordinate need to be liked and often missed opportunities because they were reluctant to showcase their capabilities. Nowadays, more and more women are closing the confidence gap and have learned the importance of communicating their worth to those who matter. Empowered women no longer ask for permission and are reaping the benefits of seeing more women in high places. A few women who have shrunk the confidence gap: Know their stuff. Women are the most educated group today and acknowledge that they know what there doing without seeking help from men; Navigate the financial industry with mindfulness. They are choosing specific environments that benefit them the most; Women are confident in their well-cultivated and connected networks. Industry Rebrand: The qualities women bring to the table Women actively demonstrating that financial services is a sector in which they can thrive is a critical first step to rebranding the industry. A rebranding of finance requires an ongoing commitment from both women and men to change, not only by making finance an industry that women can excel in, but also by changing the overall idea of finance service. In this new era, non-traditional traits are forging the success of women in finance, and in the process, this disruptive mindset is also building an entirely new brand. According to studies that look at the impact of female business leaders, women bring a different set of eyes and skills to the finance table. For women, finance is about more than making money; it’s about making a difference. A few of the traits that set women apart are: Women are very inclusive and have a team-building style of leadership; Women possess strong people skills, read situations more accurately, look at all sides of an argument, and use their understanding of the situation to persuade people. The Connected Network: How women support each other There are many reasons for the pivot away from male domination in finance, and awareness is number one. Select women who had privileges in the past didn’t always use it. Over time these women have become more aware of their privilege and how what they take for granted can be a barrier for others. Women have made massive strides in the realm of business and entrepreneurship by seriously investing in their support for each other by: Actively mentoring other women in finance (sharing knowledge & networks); Investing financially in women-owned businesses; Creating a directory or database of referrals. What’s Next and Beyond: How women will continue to change leadership Currently, women are trained for leadership positions the way men are —through competition for power. However, as more organizations shift toward more purpose-driven, people-centered business models, the construct of leadership has changed. Instead of fighting for power, leaders will advocate for purpose, where women excel. More women are now in leadership positions in global financial institutions or their own businesses, and they are playing an essential role in changing the industry. From now on, women will change future leadership in finance by creating the type of companies they want to work for. This will not only change the administration but how we work. Today, most women in leadership positions have a visible personal brand. With the rise of social media, women build their companies in public and tell their stories. Women will change the future of leadership by: Using intentionally inclusive language; Humanizing the journey; Investing in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI); Adopting more flexible policies. In the final analysis Success in finance doesn’t have anything to do with gender. Being proactive and analytical are the two most essential skills. Women need to step out from behind the cloak of anonymity to make real change in the finance world. Women in finance c-suites and business owners alone cannot accelerate women’s growth. They need visible and sustained support from all points. Top leaders need to communicate clearly that gender parity is a priority—that it’s crucial for profit, shareholders, and the business’s future. By, Beverly Davis, Founder & CEO of Davis Financial Services.
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