Month: July 2026

Originally published on GoDaddy Resource Library

What does “Your Work. Global Impact.” mean to you personally?

When I joined Care Engineering in the last quarter of 2024, the India presence was small — a lean team in Gurgaon and the Pune center in a nascent phase. With around 25 years of industry experience, specifically in building engineering teams from under 50 employees to a few thousand who are passionate about engineering discipline, I had a mammoth task of building those proud units as well as accelerating the AI challenge at hand. Standing up those teams, building Guide Assist v2, and simultaneously contributing to the migration of a global contact center and the rebuild of an AI platform gave us a very direct answer to what this phrase means. The work my team does in Gurgaon and Pune lands directly in front of GoDaddy customers and Guides across the world — every single day.

The moment it really hit me was when the AI framework components we built started showing measurable positive outcomes for Guides handling customer conversations globally. These weren’t built by an existing team alone — they were built together, from the ground up, by engineers in both the US and India who owned them end to end. “Global impact” stopped being a tagline and became a standard we held ourselves to.

For me personally & with the fast paced AI world, it means innovation with responsibility. When you know your system is running in a live conversation, innovation & reliability aren’t optional — they’re part of the job.

How do teams balance innovation with reliability?

Honestly? The hardest way possible — by doing both at the same time, not sequentially.

Running a live contact center while simultaneously migrating infrastructure and building AI capabilities that couldn’t wait taught me this directly. The teams that came through that period without breaking everything else were the ones with disciplined release practices already in place.

That experience shaped how I think about this now. Innovation gets to move fast because we don’t compromise on the foundation. We introduced release trains specifically to make delivery deterministic — you can move boldly when you know the guardrails are real, not just documented somewhere. We invested in AI observability not to slow things down but so we could see exactly what was happening inside our agents in production and iterate quickly with confidence.

The short version: reliability is what earns you the right to innovate. Without it, you’re not moving fast — you’re just accumulating risk you’ll pay for later.

What leadership learning moment shaped you most?

Some experiences, like visiting the teleperformance center in Mohali multiple times during our contact center migration was one of those experiences that quietly shapes how you think.

You can architect systems from a distance — read the metrics, review the logs, sit in the design reviews. But walking the floor of a live care center, watching the customer pain points, watching Guides handle back-to-back customer conversations, understanding the micro-frustrations in their tools, the cognitive load of switching contexts mid-call — that changes how you build. You stop optimizing for what looks good in a demo and start optimizing for what actually helps a human being do their job better under pressure.

That experience directly shaped how we approached the AI framework and the components that needed to be a part of the CARE foundation – these weren’t designed in the abstract. They were designed with the CARE’s future needs & specific personas in mind: a guide trying to resolve a customer’s problem quickly and confidently, the customer itself getting a great experience, both with and without a guide.

The leadership lesson: get close to the problem before you get close to the solution. The best engineering decisions I’ve made at GoDaddy trace back to something I saw or heard on that floor.

What excites you most about GoDaddy’s AI future?

The shift from building AI features to building the platform that makes AI-powered CARE possible & effective.

This shift is also the moment Care Engineering stops being seen as a delivery team and starts being seen as the very foundation of GoDaddy’s customer experience.

Right now, what we’ve built in Care Engineering — the capabilities, the framework and the features on top — is starting to look less like a set of projects and more like a platform & the foundation of how customer experience will look like from here. That transition is exciting because it changes what becomes possible for teams across GoDaddy.

We ran the AI Boulder program specifically to seed AI champions inside India engineering teams — people who can carry the capability forward, not just consume tools built elsewhere. Seeing those individuals emerge and start pulling their teams forward is genuinely one of the most exciting things I’ve been part of.

What’s ahead is “agentic systems” that don’t just assist guides but handle entire workflows, for customers as well as guides, for all channels, be it messaging or voice — personalized, context-aware, and operating at GoDaddy scale. We’ve been building the components that make that possible. The most exciting part is that much of that foundation was built in the US and India together, by teams that didn’t exist in this form a year ago.

What are the non-negotiables in how your team’s work?

Three things, and I hold these firmly.

Ownership, not handoffs. A team that builds something owns it — in production and under pressure. We don’t build things and throw them over walls. This was especially important as we were establishing new teams or scaling up existing ones in India; I wanted the culture of full ownership to be there from day one, not retrofitted later.

Deterministic delivery. We introduced release trains because unpredictable delivery is expensive — for the teams, for stakeholders, and for our customers. Predictability isn’t about slowing down; it’s about building trust that lets you move faster over time. If a team can’t say when something will ship and actually mean it, that’s the first thing we fix.

Honest engineering conversations. I expect my teams to tell me when something won’t work — technically, timeline-wise, or in terms of what a product can actually deliver. The cost of a hard conversation early is always lower than the cost of avoiding it. I’d rather have an engineer who pushes back with evidence than one who ships something they knew was wrong.

A note of gratitude

None of this journey has been a solo act. I’m deeply grateful to my peers across the US and India who aligned with us, challenged us, and trusted us with consequential work from the very beginning. To my managers who backed the direction even when the path wasn’t fully clear — thank you. And to every engineer in Gurgaon and Pune who showed up, upskilled rapidly, backed each other under pressure, and delivered at a pace this fast-moving AI environment demanded — this story is yours as much as mine.

What I’m most proud of isn’t any single delivery. It’s that when things got hard, this team held together and performed as one cohesive unit.

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Emerging contaminants are rapidly becoming one of the most important environmental challenges facing organizations, regulators, and communities around the world. While PFAS have dominated headlines in recent years, growing attention is also being directed toward microplastics and newer contaminants such as 6PPD-quinone, a tire-derived chemical linked to significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems.

In Episode 2 of Season 3 of Rethinking EHS, host Beatrice Bizarro (Inogen Alliance Leadership Team Member / HPC, Italy) sat down with Ivy Niu (Terrapex, Canada) and Jack Sheldon (Antea Group USA) to discuss why these contaminants are attracting global attention, how regulations are evolving, and what organizations should be doing today to better understand and manage risk.
 

 

Key Takeaways

• Emerging contaminants such as PFAS, microplastics, and 6PPD-quinone are receiving increased global attention as scientific understanding continues to evolve.
• PFAS regulations continue to expand globally, creating a complex compliance landscape for multinational organizations.
• 6PPD-quinone has been linked to significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems, particularly salmon populations in urban watersheds.
• Microplastics are becoming a growing focus for regulators, particularly in relation to drinking water quality.
• Organizations that proactively assess emerging contaminant risks are generally better positioned than those waiting for regulatory certainty.
• Future management strategies will likely combine multiple technologies, including treatment systems, nature-based solutions, and innovative destruction technologies.

Listen to the full episode here

Why are PFAS, microplastics, and 6PPD-quinone considered emerging contaminants?

Beatrice Bizarro: There is currently a lot of global attention and momentum around manmade substances such as microplastics and chemicals such as PFAS and 6PPD. Why are these being labeled as emerging contaminants, and what issues are they creating?

Ivy Niu: Advances in science are revealing environmental and human health risks that were not previously understood. In the case of 6PPD, a chemical used in tires since the 1970s, researchers discovered that it transforms in the environment into a previously unknown compound called 6PPD-quinone. This transformation product has been linked to significant impacts on aquatic life, particularly in urban watersheds.

Jack Sheldon: PFAS followed a similar trajectory. High-profile litigation, increasing media coverage, and expanding scientific research have elevated PFAS into the public spotlight. As public awareness grows, science, regulation, and policy tend to follow. We are now seeing a similar pattern emerge for microplastics and, increasingly, for 6PPD-quinone.

What is 6PPD-quinone and why is it attracting attention?

Beatrice Bizarro: Can you explain what 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone are, where they are found, and why they are relevant today?

Ivy Niu: 6PPD is an anti-degradation chemical widely used in tires to prevent cracking and extend tire life. As tires wear down, particles containing 6PPD are released into the environment. When exposed to ozone, the chemical transforms into 6PPD-quinone.

A major breakthrough came in 2020 when researchers identified 6PPD-quinone as the likely cause of a phenomenon known as urban runoff mortality syndrome, which has been responsible for large-scale die-offs of coho salmon before spawning in urban streams.

This issue is particularly significant because salmon are considered both keystone and indicator species. Their decline signals broader ecosystem health concerns and can have ecological, cultural, and economic consequences for communities that rely on healthy fisheries.

How are microplastics being addressed today?

Beatrice Bizarro: While PFAS dominate much of the global conversation, microplastics are gaining attention rapidly. How are they currently being addressed in the United States?

Jack Sheldon: PFAS have benefited from a tremendous amount of public attention, partly because they are often referred to as “forever chemicals.” That term has made the issue highly visible and understandable to the general public.

Microplastics are now beginning to follow a similar path. Unlike many chemical contaminants, people can easily understand what plastic is and how plastic particles might enter the environment. As awareness grows, regulators are focusing on understanding how microplastics enter drinking water systems.

Although regulation of microplastics is not yet as mature as PFAS regulation in the United States, several states are working together to develop monitoring programs and better understand the extent of contamination in drinking water supplies.

What do we know about the health impacts of 6PPD-quinone?

Beatrice Bizarro: What can you tell us about the known impacts of 6PPD-quinone on human health?

Ivy Niu: Research is still emerging, but early studies suggest both 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone may be associated with skin allergies, respiratory effects, and reproductive impacts. These compounds have also been detected in human biological samples, including breast milk and cord blood.

While the risks to humans are not yet fully understood, the widespread presence of these compounds and their demonstrated toxicity to aquatic species raise important concerns. The uncertainty itself is one of the reasons regulators and researchers are paying close attention.

How are organizations responding to PFAS risk?

Beatrice Bizarro: PFAS regulation, treatment technologies, and product restrictions continue to evolve. Where are organizations finding success in managing this risk?

Jack Sheldon: Organizations generally fall into one of two categories.

Some are waiting for regulatory certainty before taking action. Others are proactively assessing their environmental, worker exposure, supply chain, and brand risks today.

The organizations that are making the most progress are those taking proactive steps to understand their legitimate risks before regulations require action. This is especially important because PFAS-related information continues to evolve rapidly. New regulations, treatment technologies, and scientific findings are emerging every week.

Companies that begin evaluating their risks now are better positioned to adapt as the regulatory landscape develops.

Why is global regulatory visibility becoming so important?

Beatrice Bizarro: One challenge with PFAS is the pace and complexity of regulatory developments around the world. How can organizations keep up?

Jack Sheldon: The volume of information is overwhelming for most organizations to manage on their own. Regulations differ by country, state, and even municipality.

That is why collaborative efforts are becoming increasingly valuable. Through the Inogen Alliance network, environmental experts across more than 70 countries contribute local knowledge that helps organizations track evolving PFAS requirements and identify emerging risks before they become significant compliance challenges.

Having access to both global visibility and local expertise allows companies to make more informed risk management decisions.

What solutions are emerging for 6PPD-quinone?

Beatrice Bizarro: What does mitigation look like in practice?

Ivy Niu: Current approaches generally fall into three categories:

1. Source control – reducing tire particle accumulation through measures such as street sweeping.
2. Flow control – slowing stormwater movement to reduce pollutant transport.
3. Treatment systems – using engineered stormwater infrastructure to remove contaminants before they enter waterways.

One promising area involves bioretention systems that combine organic matter, mineral additives, and filtration media to capture tire-derived contaminants. Researchers are also exploring floating wetlands and phytoremediation approaches that use plants to help manage contamination.

What might the future of PFAS management look like?

Beatrice Bizarro: Looking ahead five to ten years, what does successful PFAS management look like?

Jack Sheldon: There is growing optimism around destructive technologies that can break down PFAS compounds rather than simply contain them. Many of these technologies have shown promise in laboratory settings and are beginning to move toward larger-scale demonstrations.

At the same time, the future will likely involve combinations of technologies rather than a single solution. Managing PFAS, microplastics, and other emerging contaminants will require flexible approaches that combine treatment, containment, monitoring, and risk-based decision-making.

Continued advances in microbial degradation, phytoremediation, and nature-based solutions may also create new opportunities for managing these contaminants more effectively.

What should organizations do today?

Beatrice Bizarro: If there is one action organizations should take right now, what would it be?

Jack Sheldon: Understand your risk.
Whether the concern is PFAS, microplastics, 6PPD-quinone, or another emerging contaminant, organizations should begin assessing how these substances may affect their operations, supply chains, products, workers, and stakeholders.
Waiting for complete regulatory certainty often means falling behind.

Ivy Niu: I would add that organizations should stay informed about scientific developments and emerging alternatives. Innovation is moving quickly, particularly around safer replacements for chemicals such as 6PPD. Companies that monitor these developments early will be better positioned to adapt as regulations and expectations evolve.

Explore the Global PFAS Regulatory Dashboard

For organizations working to understand their PFAS risk, keeping pace with regulatory change is one of the biggest challenges. To help, the Inogen Alliance and Antea Group have developed the Global PFAS Regulatory Dashboard, an interactive tool that consolidates more than 1,200 up-to-date PFAS regulatory requirements across 50 countries and 48 U.S. states.

This free resource gives organizations a clear, actionable view of their compliance obligations, helping them make smarter decisions, reduce compliance risk, and stay ahead of global PFAS trends. For companies ready to go further, deeper insights are available, including region-specific compliance guidance and site-level contamination assessments.

Access the dashboard here.

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Subscribe to the Inogen Alliance blog for expert insight into building sustainable, risk-smart operations worldwide.

KeyBank’s Key4Women program will host a free virtual webinar on July 14 focused on helping women better understand their mental health and personal development through science-based insights.

The one-hour session, titled “Lean Into Yourself: A Woman’s Mental Health Hacking Guide,” will take place at 1:00 p.m. EST and is open to entrepreneurs, emerging leaders, and seasoned professionals.

Key4Women National Director Rachael Sampson will be joined by Dr. Charu Ramanathan, a serial entrepreneur and CEO, for a discussion that combines personal experience with insights from evolutionary biology. The session will provide practical tools to help participants better understand their biology, embrace their full selves, and show up authentically.

Participants will be introduced to a framework designed to help them feel “F.I.N.E.,” which includes understanding the science of being female, identifying the experiences that shape beliefs, navigating roles and expectations, and moving forward with confidence and self-assurance.

Sampson said the session is designed to make complex scientific concepts relatable and actionable.

“We are looking forward to welcoming Dr. Ramanathan to our webinar,” Sampson said. “Her perspective helps translate complex science into real-world guidance, encouraging participants to recognize their natural patterns and engage with confidence.”

Dr. Ramanathan brings extensive experience as an entrepreneur and innovator. She co-founded CardioInsight, which was later acquired by Medtronic, and currently serves as co-founder and CEO of Vitalxchange, an artificial intelligence platform focused on developmental and behavioral health. She also leads a fintech company aimed at expanding equitable access to credit and mentors women entrepreneurs.

Key4Women, which was launched in 2005, has provided more than $12 billion in loans to women-owned businesses and offers resources to help women entrepreneurs grow and succeed. Membership in the program is free.

For more information, contact key4women@keybank.com or register online by July 14^th.

Originally published on CVS Health Company Newsroom

Dr. Joanne Armstrong, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Women’s Health and Genomics, CVS Health

Melinda French Gates is exactly right and her call for a #menopauserevolution is long overdue.

Approximately 1.3 million women enter menopause each year and most will experience symptoms that can last for years, yet our health care system isn’t built to support them through it. Clinician training remains limited, and care delivery falls short, leaving women to navigate symptoms that affect cardiovascular, bone, and mental health at a time when their health risks are increasing.

Melinda is also right to highlight how deeply underfunded women’s health remains. Despite affecting half the population, women’s health issues receive a fraction of funding—just a small share of total research investment—leaving critical life stages like menopause underserved and misunderstood. That lack of prioritization has real consequences for how women experience care. Too often, women leave clinical visits feeling unheard and without answers, without treatment, and without a plan.

As a practicing OB-GYN and Chief Medical Officer of Women’s Health at CVS Health, I’ve spent years working to ensure women have access to meaningful menopause support and benefits. But the reality is, the broader system still hasn’t caught up to what women need at this life stage. 

But this is solvable—and it requires exactly the kind of urgency and investment Melinda is calling for.

We need to make menopause care a standard part of clinical training and practice, so every provider knows how to recognize symptoms, assess cardiometabolic risk, and offer evidence-based treatment. We need to integrate midlife care into primary care settings, not silo it. And we need to make access easier through virtual care, community-based models, and benefit designs that meet women where they are.

Most importantly, we need to shift the societal mindset. Menopause is not a niche issue. It is a clinically significant life stage with measurable impacts on heart health, bone health and mental wellbeing. It deserves the same clinical rigor, investment, and dignity as any other major phase of health that we routinely diagnose, treat, and prioritize. Half the population depends on it. 

Women deserve better. And now is the moment to deliver it. 

Originally published on newsroom.marykay.com

Transformation is often framed as a clean break – a bold leap from past to future. But in reality, the most powerful transformations do not come from departing from your heritage. They come from learning to embrace the tension between legacy and innovation, between what grounds us and what propels us forward.

Few brands embody this balance as clearly as Mary Kay, the iconic beauty and entrepreneurship global brand. Born from Mary Kay Ash’s vision to empower women, the company has spent more than six decades building a global community rooted in purpose. Today, as consumer expectations evolve and technology reshapes how people engage with brands, Mary Kay is evolving while keeping its purpose strong.

Late spring, Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Brand and Scientific Officer at Mary Kay was a keynote speaker at the Direct Selling University (DSU) conference in Dallas, where she reframed brand transformation as the art of holding tension and turning it into momentum through six leadership lessons.

In Conversation with Dr. Lucy Gildea 

Q: Your perspective on transformation is rooted in “holding the tension.” What does that really mean?

Dr. Gildea: Tension is often misunderstood as something negative, something to resolve or eliminate. But in reality, tension is where growth happens. It’s the space between where you’ve been and where you’re going.

In transformation, you’re constantly balancing opposing forces: preserving what works while challenging what doesn’t, moving fast without overwhelming people, and making bold decisions while maintaining trust. The mistake leaders make is thinking they must choose one side. You don’t. The real breakthroughs happen in the space between.

Q: How has your background shaped the way you lead through transformation?

Dr. Gildea: I’m a scientist by training, and that fundamentally shapes how I think. Science teaches you to question assumptions, test hypotheses, and stay open to new evidence.

When I joined Mary Kay, I realized I had found a place where science, storytelling, and purpose intersect. That’s rare. It also reinforced something important: leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about staying curious, being willing to challenge your own thinking, and navigating complexity with clarity.

Q: Mary Kay has a powerful legacy. How do you evolve without being held back by it?

Dr. Gildea: Legacy becomes a strength when we choose to understand it, not simply preserve it. It’s about protecting the heart of your brand while allowing the expression to evolve. This is the meaningful way we choose in honoring our legacy.

In the process, we have had to ask ourselves tough questions: What truly defines us? What still serves us? What doesn’t? Culture evolves, but traditions must earn their place.

We’re not trying to become something new. We’re becoming more of who we truly are. That’s not disruption, it’s reconciliation.

Q: Transformation often creates uncertainty. How do you bring people along?

Dr. Gildea: Uncertainty isn’t the enemy, silence is. When people don’t have clarity, they fill the gaps with their own stories, and those stories can quickly derail progress.

Our role as leaders is to create clarity where we can, and transparency where we can’t. That comes down to three things: consistency, visibility, and inclusion.

You can’t do transformation to people. You have to do it WITH them. When people understand the “why,” see their role, and feel included in the process, belief starts to build. And belief is what drives real transformation.

Q: In a complex global business, how do you balance perfection with impact?

Dr. Gildea: Perfection is not the goal – impact is. If you chase perfection, you stop experimenting. And without experimentation, there’s no innovation.

We operate across multiple markets, cultures, and consumer needs. There is no perfect answer. Every decision involves trade-offs. Take product innovation, for example. Too much complexity can dilute your brand and confuse customers. Global portfolio management requires discipline, clarity, and a deep understanding of what truly creates value.

Q: How do you see the balance between digital and human connection evolving?

Dr. Gildea: This is one of the most important tensions in our business today. Digital platforms offer incredible reach and flexibility, but human connection remains at the heart of what we do.

The future isn’t about choosing one over the other. It’s about blending both intentionally.

Technology should enhance relationships, not replace them. When you combine digital innovation with authentic human connection, you create something incredibly powerful, something that resonates with the next generation of entrepreneurs and consumers.

Q: Finally, what role does purpose play in transformation?

Dr. Gildea: Purpose is everything. People may buy products, but they believe in brands because of what those brands stand for.

Our purpose has always been to enrich women’s lives. That hasn’t changed – and it won’t. What’s changed is how we bring that purpose to life in a modern world.

Tension tests your purpose. It forces you to ask: Does this still hold true? Does it still matter? For us, the answer is yes. Our purpose is timeless, and that’s what gives us the drive to push forward with confidence. Not because the tension is gone, but because we’ve learned how to harness its power and lead through it.

And when you do that, you don’t just transform a brand, you shape the future.

***

About Mary Kay

One of the original glass ceiling breakers, Mary Kay Ash founded her dream beauty brand in Texas in 1963 with one goal: to enrich women’s lives. Learn more at marykayglobal.com. Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, or follow us on X.

Expectations have shifted. Performance alone is no longer enough. Regulators, partners, and consumers are looking more closely at how products are made and what can be substantiated. That puts a spotlight on independently verified data.

GORE‑TEX® Products are supported by third‑party certifications that assess specific aspects of materials and manufacturing. OEKO‑TEX® STANDARD 100 tests textiles against defined criteria for harmful substances – and in 2024, 100% of consumer fabrics met this standard. In parallel, the bluesign® system evaluates chemical management, resource use, and working conditions at the level of input materials and production processes – with 98% of shipped laminate meters bluesign® APPROVED in 2024. The Global Recycled Standard (GRS) adds verification of recycled content through a chain‑of‑custody approach.

Each of these covers a defined scope. Together, they provide external verification of specific attributes – not a single, overarching certification of a finished product.

Beyond certification, this sits within a broader approach that includes supplier expectations, ongoing performance assessments, and collaboration across the industry.

As regulatory pressure increases, the quality of claims matters as much as the ambition behind them. Clear scope, verifiable data, and precise wording are becoming baseline.

Want to look at how this comes to life in practice? Read the full perspective on certified manufacturing and standards

About Gore’s Fabrics Business
Gore introduced GORE-TEX® Fabric to the outerwear industry more than 45 years ago and continues to develop performance apparel technologies. Gore’s Fabrics products provide comfort and protection in challenging environments and in everyday life, enabling wearers to safely and confidently achieve and experience more. From hiking in downpours to defense operations and fighting fires, Gore’s deep understanding of consumer and industry needs drives development of products with meaningful performance advantages.
https://www.gore-tex.com and https://www.goretexprofessional.com/

About Gore
W. L. Gore & Associates is a global materials science company dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives. Since 1958, Gore has solved complex technical challenges in demanding environments – from outer space to the world’s highest peaks to the inner workings of the human body. With more than 13,000 Associates and a strong, team-oriented culture, Gore generates annual revenues of $5 billion.
For more information, visit gore.com.

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