Author: CIO Times

Interview Questionnaire for Natalia Mochales, Vice President and Head of Compliance at Ericsson Middle East and Africa

Through this questionnaire, we aim to highlight your achievements, professional milestones, notable contribution, the organization you run, and your contribution to society. We are looking for perspicacious and beneficial answers from your side.

1. Give a brief overview of your professional journey. What made you choose your current industry?

I’ve always had a strong sense of ethics and justice. I owe my core understanding of the difference between right and wrong, of the need for personal and commercial integrity, ethical behaviour and justice to my father, a first-class lawyer, who, through consistency of example, brought up his children to understand the rewards of integrity and compliance and the consequences of choosing not to comply. He showed me that there is always the possibility to make the right decision, even though that choice is most likely not the easiest one.

It would seem Law was in my DNA and consequently, a natural career path. After obtaining a law degree, I decided to specialize in European and international law and I moved to Brussels where in addition to complementing my studies, I joined the Brussels branch of the Spanish law firm. I worked very closely with the European Institution and thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity. Looking back at my time in Brussels, I can firmly say that those 5 years shaped me, both professionally and personally. Some of my best friends are related to that period and still form part of my life today. We were all young, full of curiosity and eager to learn. However, I wanted more, I was interested in multinational corporations, so I left Brussels and enrolled for an Executive MBA degree at IE University on completion of which, AT&T offered the post of Retail Commercial Lawyer EMEA with a focus on contracts and negotiations. This was my first foray into the ICT sector. I found responsibility for global customer contract negotiations across the whole of Southern Europe, a most interesting challenge, and a great learning opportunity in an exciting industry. That I was multilingual and consequently able to negotiate in different languages was a distinct advantage and I learned much and gained significant international and ICT industry experience during the 5 years I spent in their employment. It was at this moment that I met the woman who became my mentor and friend; she was the General Counsel for EMEA, and an excellent lawyer now retired with whom I remain in contact.  

Later, I became Vice-President for EMEA Contract Compliance at McCann Worldgroup, subsequently moving up to the post of EMEA Contract Compliance Director at its parent company, Interpublic Group (IPG).  It was in this role that my work necessitated frequent visits to the Middle East. A new challenge took me to Holcim Group, which was then known as LafargeHolcim. Here, I first worked as Head of Compliance for Western Europe, North and West Africa and then as MEA Regional Compliance Officer. During this period, I travelled intensively in Africa and the Middle East, almost weekly on a plane travelling to a new destination. Cement plants and offices were neither smart nor located in well-ordered cities but situated in remote places within the various countries. It’s said once you experience working with Africa/ Middle East it’s difficult to stop. Was not necessarily easy, we had many challenges but some of my best memories and learnings are related to that period.

It was at this time I was offered the position of Senior Compliance Officer with Ericsson which enabled me to reduce the time I had previously travelled, and I was subsequently promoted to Head of Compliance for MEA. I was excited about returning to the ICT industry and especially to MEA, as it offers great potential for blazing new trails in terms of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion. My main responsibilities involve designing and implementing global compliance programs and improving existing processes and procedures and advising the business in conducting business responsibly across a large market area covering more than 70 countries.

• What, according to you, is the biggest obstacle en-route to self-healing?

This is quite a challenging question that would be best answered by a psychologist. Often, it’s a combination of factors that prevent us from self-healing – from repressed feelings to difficult interpersonal relationships. For me, the hardest bit is always to acknowledge the inconvenient truth and being honest to oneself. As human beings, we are excellent at justifying why things need to be the way they are – even though our instincts tell us otherwise.

Holding on to things that have, over time, become neither relevant nor beneficial is a definite hindrance. It is very important to be open and ready to embrace changes which for sure will allow us to keep growing as an individual. 

• What strategies have you employed to foster a culture of compliance and ethical behavior within Ericsson

At the end of 2019, I joined Ericsson at a unique moment in time, just before signing a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the US Department of Justice and having been under independent monitorship since June 2020. This gave rise to a significant point of change for the company in accepting responsibility for past misconduct and adopting a determination to engender a core value of organization-wide integrity going forward.

At Ericsson, we take pride in being a responsible, relevant driver of positive change within the communities where we operate. Our Code of Business Ethics (CoBE) serves as our compass in this regard. It provides us with the resources and information we need to conduct our business responsibly, make ethical decisions and maintain trust among our customers, partners and shareholders.

Our proactive efforts extend beyond legal compliance and focus on improving and strengthening our responsible business practices while reinforcing a culture of trust, transparency, and integrity across the whole organization.

We have today a comprehensive Ethics and Compliance Program in place that is centered around a few core elements. The program enables us to raise awareness and prevent mistakes and breaches of our CoBE, detect those instances when they do happen, and respond and remediate them quickly. It also sets out a robust and transparent reporting and disclosure framework on a par with global best practices.

In recent years, we have made significant investments to strengthen the program with policies, processes, and tools for preventing, detecting, reporting, and remediating non-compliance behaviors. Our efforts focused on four areas where it was needed the most – leadership and culture, third-party engagements, compliance and investigation capabilities and internal controls. Our Ethics and Compliance program represents today a business competitive advantage.

However, this could not be accomplished without first establishing a highly skilled and experienced team of professional compliance officers supported by the top and middle management. When I look back, it seems to me that I have spent an entire lifetime in Ericsson, it has been a few years of intense work, not always easy, which has required great energy for me to get to where we are today. However, it is very gratifying to see how the company has evolved for the better in these years and it is even more so when the colleagues who have been working almost all their lives here recognize it.

• How feasible is leading a holistic life considering today’s fast-paced lifestyle and societal construct?

It is feasible but not without first fully understanding the interconnection between mind, body, spirit, and emotions, realising the benefits to one’s life that would be felt from developing positive habits/ shedding negative ones. It is next to impossible to excel at everything but possible to excel at certain things and do reasonably well at others. The key is to focus on what you have proven to be personally beneficial as your life evolves and not on what the world at large would have you believe would be beneficial. In this context, I make sure that I dedicate my free time to what I like, and I have also learned over time to say “no” and not surround myself with people who do not give me light and energy. I no longer go to events or dinners because “you have to do it”, I have little free time and that is why I choose very well how and with whom I spend it. My family and friends, meditation, outdoor activities, music, and always trying new things make me feel in control.

• In the dynamic business world where things can change in a snap, how does one keep a steady head and focus on the goals?

It’s about establishing priorities, the ability to tune out the noise, but also about agility and having an adaptive mindset. If hiking up a hill when a landslide puts a large rock in your way, reaching your destination remains wholly possible. It’s simply a matter of changing the route, there’s no point banging your head against the rock – you must go around it.

Life has taught me to be flexible; I have developed the ability to adapt to the reality of any given situation and after all these years in the corporate world and living in different cities and continents, still look forward to new challenges and opportunities to learn new things and meet new people. In reflecting on past roles, where I have been and what I have done, I certainly cannot say that it has always been easy. I can firmly say though, that I have learned a lot both from both good and bad experiences, and I am grateful for all of them. I still feel a great deal of the same curiosity and eagerness to grow that I had in the early days of my career, and I am looking forward to whatever the future holds for me.

• How do you, if at all, encourage diversity and inclusion at the workplace?

Diversity and inclusion are among the focal points of our strategy at Ericsson. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive organization, as this increases our ability to attract the best global talent, foster innovation and deliver increased value to our customers. We proactively work to achieve greater gender balance, alongside increasing representation of currently underrepresented groups.

As part of our strategy to attract more diverse candidates, we are working with our recruitment partners to strike a 50:50 gender balance for early career and graduate hires. We are also making progress on gender balance through our ALTitude career accelerator program for women, with a third of the program graduates progressing to more senior positions within a year. By the end of 2022, women employed in line management positions had increased to 22% and 35% of the executive leadership comprised of women.

I firmly believe in equal opportunities and in the obligation to develop local talent. When I arrived at Ericsson to face the challenges that awaited us, I had to create my team almost from scratch. MEA is a market where experienced professional compliance officers are scarce, but I have managed to create a team of local talent with a variety of backgrounds, races, religions, ages and genders. I am proud my team can exceed expectations through having a perfect balance in terms of diversity and inclusion and we certainly benefit from having animated discussions on the path to reaching decisions.  

• What leadership qualities do you consider essential for driving innovation and leading a successful team?

It is important to stay away from the “Doing the things the way they have always been done“ type of approach. Essential leadership qualities for driving innovation and cultivating a thriving team lie in a strategic blend of adaptability, education, diversity, and collaboration, and trust. I believe these are common qualities for any leader. In my area of responsibility, navigating the intricacies of compliance demands while propelling innovation hinges on a visionary leader who embraces change and encourages cross-functional teamwork. A successful leader in this role must exhibit adaptability, swiftly responding to the dynamic regulatory and risk landscape and industry shifts. This entails fostering a learning culture that empowers team members to stay informed and creatively adapt to new challenges. As a leader, it is on me to support and encourage my team to find the time to pursue new skills and knowledge and provide them with the opportunities that they need to learn and to grow whether by enrolling in specific courses or dedicating time to team discussions where we learn from each other. Diversity, collaboration, and open discussion emerges as a backbone for innovation. By valuing diverse perspectives and backgrounds, a leader stimulates creative problem-solving and ideation, making sure that everybody feels included encouraging the team to share their opinions, experiences, perspectives and feel listened to while guiding the team towards compliant yet innovative solutions. In all this, integrity and compliance remain non-negotiable, with a leader exemplifying unwavering commitment to ethical standards, fostering a culture of transparency, and inspiring ethical behavior.

• What advice would you offer to young women aspiring to excel in the business world, especially in leadership roles.

Do not ever think you are not good enough. You are where you are because you have worked hard for it and because you deserve it. As females, we often tend to strive for perfectionism, and we are overly critical of ourselves. I certainly experienced such feelings in the past, so it is important to remember gender has no connection to an individual’s abilities and determination to progress in a chosen career. Also, never forget to stop and appreciate those who have helped you along the way and, once in a position to do so, contribute to the progress of other promising talents. In that sense I am a mentor and sponsor in internal programs at Ericsson and outside Ericsson I am a co-founder of “The Club of the Spanish Executives in UAE“. We are currently taking the last steps of its’ constitution and look forward to it becoming a reality very soon. On arriving in UAE, I thought it is important to create this Club as a means of primarily providing support/giving visibility to talented Spanish women in management positions and further to generally encourage/support young talented women in their chosen careers. We believe it to be a very worthwhile initiative and are both pleased and proud to have enlisted the support of the Spanish Ambassador and Spanish – British Counsel.

1. Where do you see yourself and your organization in the years to come?

I see Ericsson as a role model of compliance sharing the lessons learned with other corporations and industries and a pioneer in diversity and inclusion in the ICT industry. I see us as a leader in breaking the energy curve in the sector through our advanced network energy consumption models and cutting-edge energy-saving technologies. I see us improving the energy performance of our portfolio and taking resolute climate action in our activities and across our supply chain by reaching our Net Zero target. I believe the widespread deployment of 5G, which is by design the most energy-efficient cellular generation to date, will be a key driver of our success. I see us building more productive partnerships with telcos around the world that will help us achieve our shared sustainability goals so that together, we can drive the global transition to a low-carbon and circular economy.

I also see us as a force for good by improving the lives of people by bringing connectivity to previously underserved communities, levelling the playing field and enabling excellence. I see us contributing to women in tech, bridging the gender gap in STEM education where we ensure girls have access to ICT skills both in and outside of school. Moreover, I see us transforming sectors across society where we remain committed to researching and developing products and services that support and reach for the accessibility and affordability of communication infrastructure in our quest for digital inclusion. And finally, I see us continuing to mark many global firsts and set new benchmarks for the deployment and use of technology in the most responsible way.

As for myself, I will keep on strengthening and adapting our Ethics and Compliance Program to meet the ever-evolving needs of a connected and sustainable world and as a trusted advisor for my colleagues running the business in MEA. At the same time, I believe is also time to jointly work with other companies on collective actions to address corruption challenges and raise standards of integrity and fair competition in business. Moreover, I see my wide-ranging, extensive international experience in a variety of industries enabling/ qualifying me to make a valuable contribution by acting as an advisor to other companies on conducting responsible business globally. I have had the opportunity during my extended international career to be exposed to many situations and gained a tremendous and valuable experience that can serve other organizations.

• How do you maintain a work-life balance while being a trailblazing businesswoman?

It would be a lie to say I have the perfect work-life balance, but the flexible business model has certainly allowed me to manage my time more efficiently. I also strongly feel that today’s always-on work culture neither benefits the employer nor the employee in the long run, as the resulting stress on the employee saps the ability to consistently excel in the workplace, or worse, results in burnout. I am very aware of this, and I have had many discussions with my team on the matter. Taking the time out to recharge my batteries is extremely important for my performance and that’s why introducing dedicated personal time in the evening and on weekends, during which I neither answer work calls nor respond to emails, unless it is an emergency, has worked wonders for me. I am not the best at setting boundaries, but I am improving. The benefit of ‘disconnecting’ will obviously differ from person to person but for me, time spent with family and friends, when work is never discussed, is particularly important.

• What is that one quote you absolutely live by or find helpful?

A favorite is from Malcolm Forbes: “Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.” I firmly believe in the power of education to expand horizons and uncover new opportunities. Education is advantageous throughout life and something no one can take away from you. I believe simply being alive constitutes an ongoing learning opportunity of which I have and will continue to take every advantage and that’s one of the reasons why I feel so very much “at home” at Ericsson in MEA We live by the motto ‘The future belongs to learners’ and are passionate about creating learning and skills development opportunities for all our people and for the communities we serve.

For a business to succeed, much more goes on than is visible outside. Passion and vision aside, it takes a lot of planning, competitive analysis, upgrades, and forethought to stay successful and move ahead. However, the core leadership often focuses on developing its products/services and needs more time and resources to handle these crucial yet unassuming tasks. 

This is where Projectivity Solutions steps in to empower small business owners and their teams to thrive and significantly impact clients’ lives. Projectivity Solutions increases business value by identifying and eliminating the unseen obstacles that adversely affect client satisfaction and productivity. 

Focused Solutions

Projectivity Solutions’ service focuses on the number of employees rather than earned revenue. The company is oriented toward non-profit and for-profit companies with fewer than 500 employees. Over 30 years of research have shown Projectivity Solutions that small to mid-sized companies can be classified into seven stages of growth driven by the number of employees. Each stage has unique profit, business process, and staff requirements. 

Projectivity’s uniqueness is providing integrated solutions appropriate to a client’s growth stage. They build people; relationships; high-performing trust-based cultures. Unlike other organizations, Projectivity Solutions uses over 130 years of science and research to objectively gather client data by conducting targeted “X-Rays” focused on 1) business operations, 2) relationships, 3) financial performance, and 4) mindset. 

Core Offerings

The current core offerings are:

Enterprise Foundation Program: Focused on Fast Results

Projectivity grows in-depth solutions that are uniquely configured to a company’s business. They approach a business as a dynamic, living system filled with interrelated elements. They craft a configurable solution by identifying the most critical factors to infuse into a business and prioritize accordingly.

Exceptional Enterprise Program: Moving from REACTIVE to FOCUSED

Projectivity helps grow exceptional businesses through the Stages of Growth™ methodology that identifies and infuses missing vital elements into a company’s ecosystem to create high-functioning, highly profitable organizations.

Just as there are vital elements that make up a healthy ecosystem, there are 11 components that make up an exceptional business. Each piece corresponds to a structured engagement that strengthens that business area. 

Exceptional Manager Program: Working ON the business, not working IN the business.

Moving from DOING to CRITICAL THINKING. The Exceptional Manager Program is a unique 12-month learning experience that shapes the management team into the backbone of an exceptional company. 

Exceptional Mindset Program: Creating a Culture

Moving from ME to WE. An outward mindset is a foundation for how Projectivity helps leaders achieve sustainable growth and performance. An outward mindset is a foundation for true collaboration and collective business success. As such, a leader’s inward or outward mindset profoundly impacts leadership style, treatment of people, innovation, collaboration, team building, and overall business success. 

Exceptional Leader Program: Optimizing Human Potential

Moving from CONTROL to INFLUENCE. This program incorporates self-mastery skills and adds leadership skills that optimize team potential by building trust-based relationships. The third component is a culture of collaboration which optimizes the organizational potential by balancing business acumen and compassion. Finally, this program’s advanced leadership modules include conflict transformation and key person acquisition.

Leading from the Front

Projectivity Solutions is a total solutions provider for small to mid-sized companies. As the founder, Phil Bristol’s focus was providing project management schedules to custom home builders in the Palo Alto, California, area. Phil’s experience spans over 35 years, with a focus on leadership, project management, and the information technology (IT) industry. He has successfully planned, marketed, developed, and implemented innovative solutions for public and private sector clients. 

The subsequent growth of Projectivity provided Fortune 500 companies with project and program schedules for on-time product delivery. Leadership development became the next level of integrated services providing assessments and training for organizations, leaders, and teams.

Technology: A force multiplier

Projectivity Solutions views technology from two perspectives – from the client and within the company. In both cases, integration and simplification are the driving force for services.  Every service has a process and deliverables that are scalable to the client’s growth stage. Additionally, each engagement uses adult learning principles with supporting videos, handouts, exercises, and follow-on discussion guides.

The COVID pandemic brought in-person services to a stop. They quickly began client engagements using collaboration tools such as Zoom, Padlet, and Teams. An unanticipated benefit was to expand their market reach to Europe, Africa, and India. Consequently, there is less travel-related time and connection with clients and teammates.

Technology-enabled innovation is the essential core of Projectivity Solutions’ integrated services. SOS… is the operative framework for their service design and integration.

Simplification – to effectively deliver solutions that can be easily understood and applied.

Optimization – to make the best use of available resources.

Standardize – to provide services in a regularly consistent approach.

Addressing the Challenges in the Industry

The overarching challenge is creating a foundation of trust-based behaviors that becomes the organizational standard. Two elements are necessary, clearly stated operational and behavioral expectations. Key components from the functional perspective are well-defined processes, position role sheets, and key process indicators (KPIs).  Behaviourally, implementing Brand and Core values is the foundation for starting trust-based behaviors.

Additionally, individual and team experiences can be enhanced using reflective assessments for personal and team growth. Arbinger’s Outward Mindset, Target Training International’s DISC, Driving Forces, and EQ assessments provide individual and organizational growth opportunities. Company leadership sets the example by demonstrating these skills among each other and with the staff.

Typically, consulting starts with key personnel interviews to identify the challenge and impacts on the company. Projectivity Solutions’ five-step engagement process begins with Discovery. This phase includes reviewing existing procedures and records, key person interviews, and proprietary assessments. The second step, Realignment, is a collaborative conversation where the root causes are identified and action priorities determined. The root cause and the appropriate solution are the implementation phase’s foundation.

An owner often takes action to resolve a symptom instead of the root cause and selects a subject matter expert as a solution provider. This creates a dual problem; 1) time and energy should be allocated to identifying and solving the root cause. 2) consultants take a primary role; consequently, knowledge and skills are kept from the company culture.

Embracing Diversity

Diversity by design is the approach at Projectivity Solutions. A high-performance organization has diversity at its core. Teammates are determined by selecting the best-qualified person based on several components. 1) Position benchmark, 2) position role sheet, 3) matching behaviors and motivated abilities, 4) key process indicators, and 4) regular performance conversations.

High performance is sustained by interactive training events using partner tools such as Arbinger’s Outward Mindset and Inclusion, Target Training International’s DISC, Driving Forces, and Emotional Intelligence (EQ), CreatingWE Institute’s Conversation, and TRUST Catalyst assessments.

Accolades and Caring for the Society

Phil Bristol, the CEO, was awarded the Governor’s Award in 2016. The award is to commend the CEO’s contribution and the organization for supporting the Roseville Chamber of Commerce and the Roseville city leadership program. He holds numerous credentials and certifications from internationally recognized organizations and is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants.

The company also assists The Gathering Inn (TGI), a multifaceted, multi-location agency serving over 185 homeless men, women, and children in Placer County through programs at four locations. Phil personally provided his services as a Leadership Development Mentor and Strategic Planning. The affiliation with these charities has increased outreach to people in need. “A hand up, not a handout.”

The company also assists organizations like Make-A-Wish in the Northeastern and Central California regions and Northern Nevada – “Creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.” The alliance of Projectivity Solutions with Make-A-Wish was to create an effective leadership development program. Another charitable contribution made by the company is to The Gathering Inn, a county-wide homelessness-to-housing program.

Phil and his partner Yeatts, both veterans, serve the veteran community. In addition to being a coach, Yeatts is a licensed clinical social worker who provides pro bono services to combat veterans with PTSD. The services have helped combat veterans deal with the trauma they have experienced, resulting in better family relationships and career success.

Certificates and Awards

• Management Consultant – CMC, Institute for Management Consultants
• Project Management Professional – PMP, Project Management Institute
• Project Management Scheduling Professional – PMI-SP, Project Management Institute
• Professional Behavioral Analyst – CPBA, Target Training International
• Emotional Intelligence Analyst – CEQA, Target Training International
• Driving Forces Analyst – CDFA, Target Training International
• Hartman Dimensions Analyst – CHDA, Target Training International
• Axiology Analyst – CAA, Price & Associates
• Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner – NLP, NLP Institute of California
• Conversation-Intelligence Coach – CreatingWe Institute
• Arbinger Leadership Coach – The Arbinger Institute
• Arbinger Facilitator – The Arbinger Institute
• Transformation Facilitator – The Arbinger Institute
• Stages of Growth Strategist – Target Training International & Rewild Group

For the coming years, Phil says, “Projectivity Solutions will continue serving small to mid-sized organizations with less than 500 employees expanding services in Europe and India. We will expand our service offerings by recruiting performance-proven talent.”

Quote: “Ask questions for which we have no answers – then listen to connect.”

For decades, the name Nokia Corporation was synonymous with mobile phones. Nokia Corporation, established in 1865, is a Finnish multinational telecommunications and information technology company. Nokia has been known to be a pioneer in the industry and a technology innovation leader in networking, bringing together the world’s people, machines, and devices to realize the potential of digital in every sector.

Nokia has had many lines of business throughout its company history since its establishment. Since stepping away from giving the world iconic mobile phones some years ago, Nokia has continued to grow as a telecommunications giant, a dominant and trusted brand. Its primary focus areas today are network connectivity and communications software.

Nokia has a software-oriented division named Cloud and Network Services (CNS), which develops technologies like private and core networking, network exposure and monetization, autonomous operations, and software as a service (SaaS). As the SVP of SaaS Business Operations, Mark Bunn drives Nokia’s CNS business unit in its transformational SaaS initiatives, leaning on his experiences in Cloud (IaaS/PaaS/SaaS), 5G, and software engineering.

Innovative Solutions

The telecom industry is changing rapidly due to new trends and challenges. To succeed, communications service providers must adapt their networks and business models to accelerate value derivation from 5G, IoT, and cloud technologies. Nokia CNS helps them achieve this goal with advanced networking technology, robust software solutions, and expert advice. Nokia’s ingenuity sets it apart, creating a differentiation factor.

For example, Nokia provides enterprise private wireless solutions that enable customers to use Nokia’s technology delivered and managed as a cloud at the customer’s site or “edge,” shares Mark. Customers use the technology for high-value industry use cases such as manufacturing, ports, mining, and more.

Nokia also delivers innovative solutions such as the” Network as Code” platform, which enables exposure to the communications network for communication service providers and development communities to develop innovative applications using APIs.

“We’re starting to deliver increasingly more of our software in models unique to the industry. For my area of responsibility, SaaS has not been prevalent in the telecom domain. Nokia has taken a leadership position in driving the SaaS change in the marketplace across multiple areas of the communications domain,” says Mark.

Mark’s Journey to Nokia

When Mark started his professional journey, his ambitions were set on the finance and banking sector. After completing his education, though, he received more options in information technology (IT), which then took off. There was no shortage at that time, and companies were waiting to take young, energetic professionals like him, train them, and offer them good IT positions due to the rising demand. The more Mark learned about computers, programming, and networking, the more fascinated he became about the inner workings, driving him to explore further. He eventually became a self-taught programmer. Gradually, as his career progressed, he moved away from hands-on programming, but he never drifted far from technology.

“So even in my role today, as the SVP, I stay very close to the technical underpinnings, how technology is used in our operations and security practices, the discipline we are following in our processes so that we create an environment in which we can be successful. Mine has been an interesting journey, blessed with many diverse opportunities, working with world-class companies and professionals. But the consistent thread is that, from the onset of my career, I’ve always been in information technology, and specifically, I’ve been in software,” he says.

Before joining Nokia in 2021, Mark worked with Oracle Corporation where he served as Vice President of Products. At Oracle, he provided leadership, alignment, and direction to a large globally distributed product team across all phases of the software development lifecycle using Agile methodologies. He was responsible for an expanding global customer portfolio of more than 200 communications and digital service providers, with a particular focus on optimizing the customer experience through the delivery of high-quality products. He also led portfolio-wide mission-critical 5G and Cloud-native Agile software initiatives.

Mark experienced Oracle’s transformation from principally a supplier of on-premises enterprise software to a cloud-based supplier of SaaS, simultaneously building their own cloud on which to host SaaS services. During this time, he led the transformation of telecom products from an on-premises model to a more contemporary SaaS model. This experience led him to the conclusion that SaaS was the next logical revolution in communications software, which laid the foundation for the role for which he is now responsible at Nokia.

Initiatives at Nokia

At Nokia, Mark’s responsibility is for the global management of Nokia’s SaaS business. SaaS is not a new concept – it’s a business and technical model that has been around for some time. However, it has been principally applicable in the IT layer, very close to customer experience. Applications like order capture, catalog management, revenue management, and ERP systems have been running as SaaS for several years. Even the telecom industry has adopted SaaS applications in the customer experience layer, although it hasn’t widely adopted SaaS for applications that sit in or close to the communications network. This is the new change that we’re seeing starting to emerge.

Mark was brought into Nokia to help drive this initiative to align with where the Nokia executives believed the industry was going. Even more than this, Mark was expected to set the pace, to establish the standard for SaaS in the telecom industry.

“In our vernacular, we refer to it as “Telecom SaaS” or “Telco SaaS”. Telecom SaaS is different from that which you would see in the traditional model because we also have to account for stringent service level agreements in order to satisfy our customer base. My entire journey has led me to this very important mission for Nokia, a mission that is vital for our industry as a whole,” says Mark.

Leading from the Front

Throughout his career, Mark’s working style has been entrepreneurial. For most of his career, he has had the opportunity to create new products, principally software products, and bring them to market. In virtually every company, he has worked with rigor and discipline that he feels are essential to building high-quality software. 

The biggest challenge that he faced in his career, isn’t a particular incident or situation or project, but rather the inherent bias that every human has to remain comfortable with the status quo. “It’s a bias to continue to move in the same direction. Call it inertia, fear of change, or resistance to change, but it’s inherent in all of us, and I’m no exception. I believe this is a key challenge for companies, especially in this highly competitive environment in which we operate today because the pace of change and innovation is so rapid,” he explains.

The solution that has helped him throughout his career has been his eagerness to be a constant learner, which has enabled him to adapt to the various technology shifts through which he has been. Learning new technology, searching for new opportunities, and making strategic shifts all demand volition to learn and adjust to make the necessary change. This willingness to change, adapt, and move beyond comfort will shape the way a leader and, consequently, the team behaves and feels Mark. This type of mindset creates teams that are open to new challenges, proactively responsive to these challenges, and ultimately innovative.

Mark also shares that as a leader, he has never been a strong believer in micro-management. He is the type of leader who hires the best talent, helps them to organize, and calls them to a mission to which every team member can agree. he is meaningful and inspiring and drives excellence every working day. And then let the team run. “At the end of the day, their expertise is greater than mine. They should be the ones to make key technology decisions to drive the business forward and to improve society with the valuable solutions we bring to market,” he says.

With this said a micro-managing leadership style may have its place at times. For example, during a critical customer support scenario, a leader must lead from the front, and not distance oneself from the situation. The leader must remain close to customers, especially when the customer is experiencing trouble with your products. It’s often during those kinds of situations that a leader’s mettle is revealed, and most often the time when the team needs support and direction. But as a rule, Mark’s leadership style is more about hiring the best fit-for-purpose people in the role and then expecting them to lead the right business outcomes.

“I want the team to execute against our agreed objectives with my full support and guidance, ensuring that we achieve all that we set out to do, and do it with high integrity,” he says.

Technology At the Centre

In a career spanning three decades, Mark has seen radical shifts in innovation and in technology in the telecom domain. The reason why he thinks SaaS is so important now is because of the absolute need to improve agility of the communications industry.  SaaS has already led to improved agility in the IT sector, and it can do the same for communications networking. Historically, the communications industry has been content and reasonably successful with a manufacturing-like supply chain for telecom software. The independent software vendor had the responsibility to construct and pre-test on-premises applications and then turn them over to the customer for implementation and production testing. The entire process could often take a year or more to complete, during which time the software may become outdated. This a-to-z linear process is far too slow by today’s standards.  By the time that whole cycle finishes, it may be too late to really take advantage of the innovation due to the exponentially increasing pace of technological change.

SaaS, however, is different.  With SaaS, a customer will subscribe to a service that is updated regularly, routinely – in some cases, daily. Customers remain on the latest software updates, which creates agility and guards against the risk of obsolescence. In other words, customers can take advantage of the latest technology when the technology is most relevant, which can help them to differentiate from their competitors.

What Mark has been observing recently in the telecom space is that the same shift that was seen years ago in IT has been making its way into and adjacent to the communications network. “We have a similar problem to what the enterprises recognized a while ago. If we continue with the same business models and pace as before, then we as an industry risk eventual irrelevance. Reducing time-to-value – the time required to create new value for consumers and businesses – is crucial for communications service providers to capitalize on the new value chains that are emerging as we move from 4G to 5G and beyond.  The SaaS model is a critical element in substantially reducing time-to-value, and subsequently creating an environment where speed and agility are possible. We’re trying very hard to change the old paradigm, and we need to,” says Mark.

Fundamental to the change that Mark is leading is the fact that the communications network continues to evolve. It is no longer dominated only by hardware, but by the software that provides the inherent intelligence. The software enables the potential to deploy networks anywhere that there is a medium and within minutes/hours vs. weeks/months.  This change is a paradigm shift when compared to the past. In addition, what had historically been profitable communications network services – voice for example – are now largely commoditized.  Communications service providers need to create new lines of business, moving on to more contemporary and innovative services. The risk continues to be that many enterprises will leverage communications networks to deliver their own applications, all at the cost of the communications service provider without mutual financial benefit. This dynamic emerged during the 4G era but now must change. The communications service providers must benefit in a way that is commensurate with the substantial investments they are making in 5G networks.  SaaS-based solutions from Nokia, such as the previously mentioned “Network as Code”, provide at least part of the answer. ” We are starting to see the demand for networks to open so that communication service providers can deliver their own unique applications on top of these networks,” says Mark. As these evolving networks open, SaaS provides complementary value by accelerating the overall delivery velocity.  “The combination of Network as Code and SaaS will greatly help our customers to experiment and ultimately create more successful lines of business, innovations to secure our future,” Mark says.

The Bigger Picture

Mark believes that it is the team that needs to be successful, and not just the individual.

Though he has collected recognitions in his career, he feels that recognitions are simply a side-effect of building the right teams and relationships.  The relationships we build with people around us, teams, colleagues, and the industry, are what matters. 

For example, Mark says, “The TM Forum (TMF) runs a regular program that allows companies to come together and synergize on solutions using their own products. TMF calls these initiatives ‘catalysts. I’ve been part of several catalysts, some of which received awards. While I’m proud of the products with which I have been associated in my career, I’m prouder of the fact that teams collaborated to build these products and that these teams were able to work across company boundaries in catalyst events to develop comprehensive solutions that demonstrate industry leadership. It’s great to see how we can pull together in relatively short timeframes to build solutions to real-world problems.  It’s also awesome to experience the camaraderie that results, that spans companies.”

To summarize, Nokia has pioneered the incorporation of the SaaS model into its portfolio, a trend that is now being embraced by its competitors. “I am pleased to be a part of a progressive company whose strategy is to lead the market rather than follow it,” says Mark. He continues, “We are moving into a very exciting future in communications technology, a future that Nokia intends to steer.”

Paths, like silent companions, weave through the fabric of our existence. We often believe that we are the architects of our journey, meticulously selecting each turn. However, sometimes, paths choose us, beckoning from the crossroads of fate.

The winding trail through life reveals its intentions subtly. It whispers in the rustling leaves, the chance encounters, and the serendipitous moments. We stumble upon crossways, and suddenly, a path unfolds before us—a choice made not by conscious deliberation, but by the currents of the universe. Bishoy Edward, coming from a business family, chose a path different from what he had seen. He chose to study Pharmacy and initially aimed to establish a chain of pharmacies under his name. However, fate had other plans. 

Bishoy made a significant career shift and joined Dhabi Contracting as an operating officer. His father, Samy Edward, is the CEO of Dhabi Contracting, and the family connection played a role in his decision. Bishoy’s move turned out to be mutually beneficial for him and the company. Today, he serves as the COO, contributing to Dhabi Contracting’s growth.

Three Decades of Construction Solution

Dhabi Contracting LLC, founded in 1983 as a ‘Special Category’ entity in the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), stands as a beacon of excellence in the realm of contracting. With a visionary approach, it has evolved into one of the most advanced and forward-thinking construction companies in the region.

The company’s inception was marked by the assembly of a highly motivated team comprising seasoned engineers and dedicated support staff, all with impressive track records within the UAE. It started with around 100 employees. Today, it boasts approximately 8,000 employees. Their collective expertise has been instrumental in shaping Dhabi Contracting’s reputation.

Innovation lies at the heart of Dhabi’s success story. The company has consistently introduced cutting-edge technologies across various facets of project development, from conceptualization to execution. Whether it’s designing, planning, or scheduling, Dhabi Contracting has embraced state-of-the-art methodologies.

Dhabi Contracting’s portfolio spans a diverse range of turnkey construction projects, including industrial, commercial, institutional, high-rise residential complexes, luxurious villa developments, and sewerage infrastructure. Their commitment to quality and excellence has positioned them as a trusted partner in the construction industry.

Plethora of Services

Dhabi Contracting LLC specializes in comprehensive construction services, encompassing conceptualization, design, planning, and execution of diverse projects. From electrical and mechanicalinstallations to the operation and maintenance of commercial and industrial structures, they operate on a turnkey basis.

Their expertise extends to a wide spectrum, including power generation, water and sewage treatment, chilled water systems, and extra low voltage systems. Dhabi Contracting LLC boasts an extensive inventory of construction machinery and equipment, enabling it to handle various civil engineering and electro-mechanical tasks. 

Dhabi Contracting has expanded its subsidiaries from just a few to more than 25. These subsidiaries cover various areas, including safety consulting and security services.Among these subsidiaries are:
1. Dhabi General Services (DGS) – Facility Management company
2. Dhabi Properties – Property management
3- Dhabi Realty – Real estate 
4- Dhabi Tower crane
4-      Al Dhabi Al Motaqadima Safety Consultants: This firm specializes in fire safety engineering and management. Licensed by the UAE Ministry of Interior, it ensures safety compliance across various projects.

5.       Al Dhabi Security Services: Providing comprehensive security solutions, this subsidiary plays a crucial role in safeguarding properties and facilities.

Prestigious Projects

Guided by the philosophy of a “Single source solution through effective team approach”, they undertake projects of all scales, ensuring quality and timely completion—a hallmark of their commitment to excellence.

The company’s active projects in the UAE are valued at 1.3 billion AED. Notable completed projects include the Water front Residential and Commercial Towers , the Emirati Schools, Al Barsha, Dubai and Al Khail Avenue Mall retail, JLT S198 and entertainment property developed by Nakheel in Dubai.

Delivering his Best

To presume that the accomplishments of Bishoy in his professional realm were handed to him without challenge would be a misconception. He has toiled for every accolade under his belt, a fact he underscores with pride. Despite lacking a traditional engineering background, he has dedicated numerous years to advancing his education.

His academic credentials are impressive, boasting an Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA), a Diploma in Project Management, and a Master of Science in Engineering Management, all conferred by Middlesex University London.

Yet, his educational journey is far from over as he is currently pursuing a PhD in engineering. A long way for someone to didn’t have a start in engineering! This journey leaves him balancing academic pursuits with a demanding career, especially given his frequent trips to the UK for consultations with his academic advisor. He’s accustomed to a full schedule, so much so that he forgoes weekends off, opting instead to catch up on work at his office.

A Hands-Down Leader

Bishoy capitalizes on Saturdays at the office, a day when government offices and most consulting firms are closed. He finds it the perfect time to tackle administrative tasks and attend to necessary signatures. On other days, he’s to be found at various construction sites.

Usually clad in jeans, a T-shirt, and sturdy Timberland boots, Bishoy is a constant presence on construction sites because that’s where the real action is. “The projects aren’t tucked away in an office; they’re alive with the workers on the ground,” he says.

He employs this approach to maintain a firm grasp on the progress of each project and to ensure that the workforce adheres to the highest standards of practice. That’s his modus operandi for project management. He immerses himself in every aspect and leaves no stone unturned.

Recruiting the Best

Bishoy has an integral role in the company’s recruitment process. He understands how crucial it is to hire people who believe in themselves, and their capabilities and also align with the company’s vision. So, he acquires the de facto role of HR manager. Apart from the laborers, Bishoy has the final say on all hires, from the supervisors to the engineers, and from the construction managers to the project managers, including the health, safety, and environment personnel. No one is hired without his consent.

Aspirants seeking employment at Dhabi must navigate through a multi-tiered selection process, which includes an IQ assessment and a demonstration of their experience and technical proficiency for the role in question. Once through, they need to interact with Bishoy who looks for a keenness to learn and distinct skills akin to what he had when he started. He looks for people who have the ability to rise to the occasion and are determined to learn and find their way.

Bishoy’s unconventional journey demonstrates that success in the construction industry isn’t limited to engineers alone. His story inspires us to embrace diverse paths and contribute meaningfully to our chosen fields.

Quote: “Dhabi Contracting remains unwavering in its pursuit of excellence, setting new standards and leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of the UAE.” 

Quote: “Dhabi’s commitment to quality and innovation continues to drive our success in the industry.”

Quote: “Our commitment to the environment, our employees’ health and safety, and the communities, in which we operate, is absolute.”

Many people aspire to be an entrepreneur. Some dare to realize that dream. A few aspirants fail in their attempt and a few succeed. Rare are those who have a knack for understanding the right opportunities and creating not just one but many successful businesses. Dr. Takahisa Karita is one of them. Known as a “serial entrepreneur” not only in Japan but also worldwide, Dr. Karita has extensive experience in creating and growing businesses in various sectors and regions.

Starting Young

While a student at a university in Japan, Dr. Karita worked as a volleyball coach for three years at a girls’ high school, one of the strongest schools in Japan. This led him to plan and get a high school teacher’s license after graduating from a university in Japan and getting a job at a private high school in Japan. However, at the time he was working as a coach, sports medicine was not yet widespread in Japan, so he keenly felt the need for it, and studied sports medicine in the United States. Soon, he dropped out of university and returned to Japan, and while working as a tutor at a cram school, his father invited him to participate in the launch of a bio-venture as a managing director at the age of 26. That was the start of his managerial career.

Later Dr. Karita became the representative director, launched a bio-venture company, and served as an officer and advisor to various companies. Currently, he is the CFO of CDTEC China, a company that operates a service platform for educational institutions that has been installed in more than 5,000 kindergartens in China. Dr. Karita is also a co-founder of Unify Platform AG in Switzerland, which operates UNIPLAT. The UNIPLAT is the world’s first online platform that promotes the matching of entrepreneurs and researchers who support the SDGs advocated by the United Nations, regardless of their economic or geographical conditions and their supporters (investors, VCs, accelerators, HNWIs, etc.) from all over the world. In addition, he serves as a senior advisor to more than 10 institutions and provides management support to each organization.

“The reason why I chose the current SNS industry is that I wanted to build a global ecosystem that works with everyone to solve the SDGs and confront climate change, without being aware of the borders of the whole world,” he says.

Tapping Potentials

In most of the institutions Dr. Karita works with, his role is to pioneer new and untapped business areas and build a global ecosystem to follow. As an idea his team has developed, the credit rating of participants on the supported side in UNIPLAT, the NFT conversion of all posted content (live streaming archives, videos, documents) and the throwing of money by Ethereum to the content, and the AI for creating business plans are all attracting attention as innovative services worldwide. It was covered by many media outlets.

In addition, Vector Holdings Inc., a listed company (TSE Standard Code: 2656) for which he serves as an advisor, began providing regular information on climate change and AI, which still need to be recognized in Japan, as the cornerstone of its new business last summer. While incorporating cutting-edge information from around the world, it delivers information that even complete beginners can understand Climate Change and AI and has been well received.

A Unifying Platform

Pharmaceutical research has often been driven by incentives and publications, limiting the scope of open collaboration. However, Dr. Karita envisions a future where individual researchers can join and share research projects and outcomes. Therefore, he saw the need to build the world’s first platform for recruiting research partners, enabling more researchers and companies to work together and achieve innovative research outcomes, such as patent filings (protection of research results) and others.

Launched in September 2021, Unify Platform AG has more than 100,000 participants from 135 countries as of December 2023, with 52 advisory board members and 84 companies and organizations participating to promote UNIPLAT’s idea generation and the development of a global ecosystem. As an online platform, UNIPLAT maintains its unique marketability in terms of its specialization in solving the SDGs, the diversity of participants and their content, and the introduction of many of the latest technologies such as Web3 and AI.

This platform is a new way for researchers to share their work and get funding. It allows them to livestream their research to a wide audience, including potential collaborators and sponsors. It also enables ordinary people to interact with and support various researchers, creating a democratic funding model similar to crowdfunding. Unify’s goal is to foster a network of specialized knowledge literacy and to achieve a fair and balanced distribution of knowledge that supports the SDGs and world peace.

Facing the Hard Days

The hardest moment in his career was during the Lehman shock, which was a global economic recession. Due to the sudden closure of the public underwriting department of the lead underwriter securities that Dr. Karita had contracted with his company at the time to apply for listing, he was forced to abandon the management of the company that was in the period immediately before the IPO and sell the company. That is why he decided to reset all his businesses and start his career from scratch.

“As a business owner, I learned a lot from that experience about how vulnerable businesses are against uncertain risks. I don’t know if I was able to overcome that situation at the time. However, even after that, I continued to participate in various projects regardless of my own preferences, just to survive day by day. As a result, I was able to identify the business that I really wanted to do, and I think it led to overcoming the challenges,” he shares.

Guided by Innovation

Innovation, per Dr. Karita, leads to higher customer satisfaction for users who use the service. In addition, he says, we live in an era in which the culture and economy centered on users are constantly changing. Innovation is necessary to ensure that it is always applied optimally. In addition to differences in countries and ethnicities, users in the same market will become increasingly diverse, including the generation gap. Innovation is always needed to include them.

Challenges in the Industry

Dr. Karita shares that one of the challenges that must be solved in the online platform industry is the protection of the vast amount of data storage, especially the protection of users’ private information. Currently, there are regulations such as the GDPR, which was enacted in Europe and is considered to be the strictest internationally, but it cannot be said that this problem is uniform worldwide. He explains that there are two main solutions. The first is a blockchain, based on distributed data storage that supports internationally unified quantum technology. The R&D in this field is progressing very well in many places, and Dr. Karita is personally optimistic that it can be achieved. The second is the construction of data centers in borderless regions (including extraterrestrial planets) that have been internationally agreed upon. He is personally concerned that this will take a lot of time to achieve consensus among the stakeholders.

“In the online platform industry, software development tends to take precedence and hardware countermeasures tend to follow, and I think that there are many cases where it is not perfect. The earth itself is prone to natural disasters, and there are many issues to be addressed, such as the development of places and facilities that can withstand them, and the construction of a system that can minimize power consumption and utilize renewable energy. The development of specialists and developers in the field of hardware is also an international issue,” he shares.

Predicting Industry Trends

Dr. Karita believes that the borderless online platform and the diversity of participants will be greatly improved. He also predicts that the need for democratic, autonomous platform systems, such as DAOs, will increase. UNIPLAT has already taken these measures, and they believe that they will be able to build them by 2024. In the next 5 years, they would like to increase the number of countries of origin of UNIPLAT participants to 196 countries (the number of countries in the world as of 2023). “And even if I don’t get involved, I want to make full use of the current GenZ generation, the DAO, and the AI so that we can run UNIPLAT autonomously,” he says.

Currently, we can easily obtain not only information on the Internet but also timely macro information and customer-level information on SNS. Dr. Karita thinks it is a good idea for managers to constantly acquire and share information on various SNSs. It’s also important to build a collection with key people in the industry. In order to build connections with these key people, he feels it is a good idea to share management information other than confidential information on SNS.

Words of Encouragement

For the young and aspiring entrepreneurs, Dr. Karita’s message is as follows:

“I want entrepreneurs to determine the business they want to do for the rest of their lives without compromising. No matter how difficult it is, if they can contribute to society in their own way, there will always be supporters. I want them to not care if it’s big or small, and to push forward as entrepreneurs.”

Quote: “When in doubt, make your own way.”

Quote: “We want to support more entrepreneurs and researchers around the world, and people who want to start their own businesses as much as possible. To that end, we believe that we can build a stronger relationship of trust as a team.”

Rapid Fires:

1.    How would you sum up your 2023: It was a time when we had to adapt to change.

2.    A Contemporary Leader You Admire: Mr. Bill Gates

3.    A Book/Audiobook you are currently Reading/Listening: “Principles for Dealing with The Changing World Order” by Ray Dalio

4.    Your biggest role model: Hideo Karita, my late grandfather, wanted to build an international sphere of peace centered on Asia.

5.    Success to you is: To produce many leaders who can bring peace to the world.

If only we could see our future, life would be easy. We could know what will be the impact of what we are doing today. However, the roads ahead of us are always in the mist and we cannot be always lucky enough to have only favorable moments. One’s decision in every moment will decide or shape the eventual performance. So one needs to have a sober mind before a stuck or confusing moment to take rational measures in solving the encountered difficulties to better incubate the intended goal or results.

Being decisive or rational may have different levels. The more equipped or knowledgeable you are or have, the upper level you own. It is therefore our basic recognition to well-equip or well-master ourselves to greet the challenges present in our life journeys. While this holds true for all walks of our life, matters of law need very specific talent. It is not for the common people to understand each and every aspect of the law that could affect their daily life and business. For matters of business law and specific regulations, one must depend on experts in the field. The patent attorneys and patent engineers at Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law are just the ones businesses can rely on.

A Trusted Firm

It is Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law’s philosophy to provide competent legal services that other firms cannot comparably provide.  The necessitated ensuing problem is how they can provide so?  The secret lies in selecting, edifying, and nurturing people who have the following personalities: learned in expertise, morally earnest and sincerely behaved in mind, and strictly disciplined between give and take.

It is well-believed that such properties are key factors for people to properly and competently behave themselves.

The staff at the firm normally holds outstanding and advanced degrees and are generally graduated from the top three universities in Taiwan.  The prominent staff is dedicated to providing the best quality service in IPRs in this country. By the perseverance that they only do what they do and only perform works that enable the firm to be deep and far, Deep and Far can then equate the reality with its name. 

About one-half of the top 100 incorporations in Taiwan have experienced seeking patents for their techniques. Interestingly, more than one-fifth of the top 100 incorporations have once or more used the services of Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law. Hi-Tech companies in the science-based industrial park located at Hsin Chu are playing the most important role in booming the economy of Taiwan. Likewise, more[蔡豐德1]  than 50% of the patent-experienced companies in that park have entrusted Deep & Far with their IPR works.

The firm has been highly ranked by most reputable IP survey entities including Chambers & Partner; Managing I.P.; IP STARS; International Advisory Experts; Corporate INTL; Asialaw; Corporate LiveWire; Corporate USA Today; Global 100; Asia IP;  and more. It currently represents international giants, like Armani, Baidu, Beckhoff, BYD, CICC, Chep, Cypress, Dr. Reddy, Gleason, InterDigital[蔡豐德2] , Lenovo, Lupin, Motorola, MPS, NovaLED, Oppo, Piramal, and more.

An Experienced Name

Deep & Far attorneys-at-law was founded in 1992 by C.F. Tsai because he understood that other firms’ services may not be imaginarily satisfactory, or may not be wonderful enough for the clients. The firm grew rapidly in the early days of its establishment because of its competence.  As time goes by and when more and more newcomers jumped into the market, competence is no more a dominating factor and it challenges the philosophy or mindset of running a business or maneuvering the journey. The founder, Mr. C. F. Tsai is the first patent practitioner in the IP industry in Taiwan who both has technological (Marine Technology from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University/NYMCTU)) and law (LLB from National Taiwan University/NTU and LLM from Soo Chou University) backgrounds and is qualified as a local attorney-at-law.

To secure the outstanding service output, one of the successors of the firm is Yu-Li Tsai, a Bachelor from the Electrical Engineering Department of NTU and a Master’s from the Graduate Institute of Communication Engineering of NTU. He received an IP Master’s degree from UNH Law (Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property) and a Scientific Law Master’s degree from NYMCTU and earned the qualifications of Taiwan Patent Attorney and patent agent of US and Mainland China. Another successor is Lu-Fa Tsai who is an attorney-at-law and graduated from the Department of Law of NTU, the Graduate Institute of Law of NTU, and the Faculty of Law of the University of Göttingen in Germany. 

Proven and Efficient Methodology

There is no formula for overnight success. The way to the top for Deep & Far started with the way they tackled their initial struggle. The secret was to insist on the provision of the best quality and improvement of the service quality so that neither the client nor the competitors can find a criticizable loophole in the work quality they provide. As an example, they worked on the validity of Taiwan Utility Model No. 4986, filed and patented in 1971, because it involved historical damage records and disputes until December 17, 2010. More than 50 civil, criminal and administrative court cases have been filed in this regard, and more than 200 judges have ruled in favor of the patentee. This firm represented the accused infringer to challenge the validity of the patent at issue in 1996. Deep & Far won two times in the very same cases at the Supreme Administrative Court (SAC), ruling that the Patent Office and the lower court were wrong. Unfortunately, the patentee made it possible that the Code of Civil Proceedings was amended in 2003 to stipulate that even if Deep & Far won the very same administrative cases, the civil damage cases could not be overturned and that it eventually lost the very same cases before SAC in 2010. “The weapons we had are merely justice in mind and the truth and our competence to show that the patent at issue should be invalid. Our efforts then brought lots of attention, sympathy, and admiration,” says C.F. Tsai.

The roadblocks and challenges included: (1) the severe price cut competition because competitors keep entering this field in various forms; (2) the domestic Clients are typically very cost-sensitive, especially the small and medium-size entities, and often ask for a discount or extra free services.

For the price cut competition, Deep & Far did not like to participate in the price wars and they found that the fundamental problem is that those Clients who ask for a discount or extra free services do not really understand the value of IP rights, and the reasons why they file the IP applications are just because they know the rights are important but they do not know why and how the rights are important.

Therefore, the firm’s strategies to overcome the price cut competition are (1) sharing the knowledge of IP rights when they have the opportunity to meet with Clients; (2) sharing the approaches how they provide services with quality higher than other competitors’ and convince clients that they are the better choice even though their service fees are slightly higher than others.  “ For example, we tell the Client that we are confident in and proud of our competence, and welcome to be challenged to so prove or show by, e.g. (a) sending us a pending or granted a patent for our comments about how we can improve the claims, (b) sending us a pending patent specification without the claims for us to draft the claims for the client’s comparison with the original claims, or 3) sending to the firm the client is currently using and this firm at the same time an initial disclosure so that the client can compare and find out which firm can provide the better claims,” explains Tsai.

Becoming a Leader

As per C.F. Tsai, Perseverance (to pursue the chased goal), toughness (to take challenges encountered in chasing the goal), and courage (to cope with all ensuing difficulties upon taking challenges) are good attributes or friends that are always your companions who are often ready to assist you in maneuvering the life journey for exploring a successful life.

On being asked if he believes in micromanagement, he says, “Because devils are hidden in details, micro- or efficient management are important. Nevertheless, management is costly and needs subtle skills. The most efficient management is embedded in the routine works automatically subject to micro-management under an effective system. This is never easy and maybe a reward and punishment system under which everyone needs not feel satisfactory but accepts to be governed, and colleagues are willing to pay efforts in working and try best to safeguard the interests of the clients and the firm.”

He continues, “In the past, the patent portfolio is a valuable asset which deserves handsome investments. There is a tendency now that although the patent portfolio is still important, a company would like to build it under a predetermined budget.  It is therefore a firm being the most competent needs not necessarily win the service opportunities.  Accordingly, service opportunities can be secured at a right time from the right person in a service-seeking company.”

The Change, Brought about by the Pandemic

Because every industry will keep rolling, Deep & Far Attorneys-at-Law staunchly believes that the values of perseverance in adhering to quality service, the toughness of never omitting or neglecting quality service, and the courage to chase quality service endlessly are the most priceless tools to help the firm prosper or survive in the future. The recent years become even more challenging because of market competition and the unprecedented pandemic situation of COVID-19 which is merely something similar to a struggle or challenge in the society met in the past so that they need to or just stay with the virtues of perseverance, toughness, and courage related to cognition of quality services, and consigns the future results to the universe what it should deserve through adhering to such virtues.

Words of Wisdom:

Here’s what C.F. Tsai has to say to the young entrepreneurs:

“Never give a “no” answer.  Try to improve society while achieving your goals.

Don’t stop after you overcome a small difficulty, because you may encounter new or bigger obstacles.  Try to do what is very important.

The best companies are driven by vision.  Therefore, you should stay firm and full of passion.

Try to locate the correct colleagues.

Some entrepreneurs end up in failure because they lack perseverance and problem-solving characteristics.  The secret to succeeding, at least in the early stages, lies in the ability to deal with problems.  If you can solve a problem even faster which you have never had, you should have the characteristics of success.

If you dare wait for success through virtues, success is a shadow you cannot get rid of.”