Digital Version In a world where creativity and technology increasingly intersect, it takes a rare kind of leader to balance the artistry of storytelling with the precision of business strategy. Laura Flores Westrup, General Manager of Hogarth Mexico, embodies that balance. With nearly two decades of experience navigating the complex terrain of marketing, brand strategy, and content production, Laura has emerged as a visionary force in shaping the evolution of creative operations—not just in Mexico, but across global markets. Her journey is defined by duality: analytical yet creative, structured yet agile, grounded in Mexico yet inherently global. This unique blend of attributes has powered her professional ascent and made her a key figure in the transformation of Hogarth into a powerhouse of end-to-end creative production. A Career Built in Two Distinct Chapters Reflecting on her professional journey, Laura sees two transformative stages that have brought her to where she is today. “The first stage of my career was about building a solid foundation in business and brand strategy. The second has been much more fast-paced—focused on innovation and delivering results,” she shares. Laura’s early career was steeped in global marketing and creative agencies, where she led strategy for iconic brands. It was here that she honed her expertise in brand-building, creativity, and understanding consumer touchpoints. A pivotal moment came when she was transferred to TBWA Hamburg, tasked with leading global communication strategy for Nivea skincare under the Beiersdorf umbrella. “That experience was not only an immersion in international coordination but also a personal and cultural transformation,” she recalls. “We implemented ten Disruption workshops for the Nivea corporate brand across key markets worldwide. The cultural clashes were real—but the global perspective I gained was invaluable.” The second major milestone has been her role at Hogarth Mexico. Joining in its entrepreneurial infancy, Laura has since led the organization through nearly a decade of transformation. “Each year has been dramatically different. From shaping our market offer from scratch to reinventing our operational model within the WPP network, this journey has been the most exhilarating and demanding phase of my professional life.” Leadership with Purpose and Authenticity At the heart of Laura’s leadership style is a deep belief in human potential. “I’ve always believed in learning from the best and hiring people better than me,” she says with humility. For her, leadership is about amplifying the strengths of those around her and fostering a culture where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but essential. Her guiding principles are rooted in coherence, honesty, and empathy—values that have helped her build strong, unified teams through both success and adversity. “A leader must be transparent and aligned with the team’s values. That’s what keeps us going during challenging times.” Transforming Hogarth’s Role in Mexico and Beyond Under Laura’s stewardship, Hogarth Mexico has grown far beyond its initial roots in localization and production adaptation. Today, the team leads full-scale creative campaigns, executing some of the most complex and high-stakes content strategies for both local and international clients. “A lot of companies can produce content,” Laura says. “But what differentiates us is the pride we take in high-end delivery and our ability to scale through an intelligent operational model. I know that today’s CMOs struggle over how to feed the omnichannel beast without breaking their budget or sacrificing brand integrity. Our job is to provide that operational peace of mind, so they can get back to focusing on what they do best: creating brand magic.” From local agency partnerships to regional and global accounts, Hogarth Mexico under Laura’s leadership has become a model of integrated, end-to-end production. “We’ve upscaled everything—our team, our technological capabilities, our infrastructure. But most importantly, we’ve evolved our production strategy to align seamlessly with each client’s goals,” she notes. The Mexican Creative Industry on the Global Stage Asked about the current state of the Mexican marketing and creative landscape, Laura is both optimistic and realistic. “In many ways, the challenges and opportunities we face are now global. Technology and AI have introduced new efficiencies, but also new risks, especially around data security and brand integrity.” But she also sees Mexico’s unique advantages clearly: “Our geopolitical position, economic stability, and deep talent pool create incredible opportunities. Our professionals are known for their openness and collaborative spirit, which makes us uniquely suited to thrive in global environments.” Innovation Through Technology—WPP Open Innovation is not just a buzzword at Hogarth—it’s embedded in the very systems that power its work. A cornerstone of this is WPP Open, the proprietary operating system that integrates cutting-edge technologies like Generative AI and virtual production in a secure, brand-safe environment. “WPP Open is our differentiator,” Laura says with pride. “While others experiment on public platforms, we build and test within a closed-loop system that protects our clients’ IP and allows us to innovate with confidence.” Through collaborations with tech giants like Nvidia and Epic Games, Hogarth Mexico is not just keeping up with the pace of innovation—it’s helping define it. “This platform allows us to work smarter, faster, and safer—ensuring that creativity is never compromised by scale or speed.” A Culture of Belonging: Diversity and Inclusion Beyond strategy and technology, one of Laura’s proudest accomplishments is the culture she has helped cultivate at Hogarth. “Diversity and inclusion are not corporate checkboxes—they’re foundational to creative innovation and relevance,” she emphasizes. Hogarth’s recognition as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+” by the Human Rights Campaign for five consecutive years is a reflection of that commitment. “It’s a testament to our belief that when people feel they belong, they do their best work. That’s the environment we strive to create every day.” A Standout Project: Scaling Creativity with Passport Among the many high-impact projects under her leadership, one recent initiative stands out: a collaboration with the design studio Passport for a major North American client. The challenge? Delivering culturally nuanced, brand-consistent creative content at scale and at speed. Hogarth responded by building a unified content supply chain that connected internal teams, clients, and partners on a

Digital Version In the high-stakes, ever-evolving world of real estate development, standing out requires more than ambition; it requires a deep comprehension of markets, courageous innovation, and firm commitment to core values. Christopher Salerno, QC Capital Founder and CEO can exist at the junction of all of these pillars with his real estate investment firm boldly striding across flex space, multifamily, and express car wash asset classes. Because the economic landscape is increasingly unpredictable, Salerno charts a course that redefines how investors approach real estate as well as positions QC Capital as both a movement and a firm centered around performance, transparency, also investors create long-term wealth. His adventure exemplifies what it means to be among 2025’s most impactful leaders in real estate development. It was characterized through persistent discipline plus a visionary mindset. The most powerful transformations in business are not just about capital or strategy — they’re about vision, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to creating value that extends far beyond balance sheets. Leaders who dare to build differently leave a mark not just on markets, but on communities and lives. In a world obsessed with short-term gains, it’s the architects of long-term impact who truly redefine what success means. From Residential Roots to Institutional Excellence Salerno’s entry into real estate began in the residential space, where he quickly distinguished himself. “I realized early on that true wealth and long-term impact are achieved through ownership and investment,” he shares. After leading one of the top-performing real estate teams in the Southeast, Salerno recognized a glaring gap: there were very few firms offering everyday accredited investors access to institutional-grade opportunities without the red tape. This realization laid the foundation for QC Capital—a firm built from the ground up with the mission to deliver data-driven, cash-flowing investment opportunities. Initially focused on multifamily properties, QC Capital has since expanded into high-yield alternatives, including car wash funds and flex industrial spaces. The firm’s ethos remains steadfast: deliver consistent performance, maintain investor alignment, and uphold full transparency. Standing Apart in a Saturated Market In today’s dynamic and often saturated real estate investment landscape, differentiation is essential. QC Capital’s strength lies in its relentless execution, operational discipline, and investor-first approach. While many firms rely heavily on marketing buzz, Salerno and his team double down on institutional underwriting, meticulous data analysis, and vertically integrated management systems. “What sets us apart is how we back up our strategies with real data,” says Salerno. “We don’t chase trends—we stick to fundamentals and execute with precision.” As a leader, Salerno is guided by three core values: integrity, urgency, and clarity. “I believe in making fast but thoughtful decisions, building accountable teams, and communicating with absolute transparency,” he adds. “Whether it’s good news or bad, our investors always hear it straight.” Breaking New Ground: Transformative Projects and Lessons Learned Among the most transformative initiatives QC Capital has embarked upon is its car wash fund—an innovative expansion that opened the firm to a completely new asset class. “It was a leap,” Salerno admits. “But one that proved the power of operational scalability, strong partnerships, and trust within our team.” Unlike multifamily properties, express car washes present a unique business model that blends real estate with operational oversight. QC Capital’s success in this space highlighted the importance of site selection, team cohesion, and speed of execution. More importantly, it validated Salerno’s thesis that today’s investors are eager for recession-resilient, cash-flowing alternatives, especially in periods when traditional assets experience cap rate compression. The experience reinforced a key leadership principle for Salerno: agility is as critical as vision. “We had to build new operational systems, forge industry relationships, and learn fast. It wasn’t easy, but it was one of our most rewarding moves.” True wealth isn’t built by chasing trends — it’s forged through ownership, vision, and a commitment to opening doors for others. Adapting to a Changing Market with Long-Term Strategy While other firms pivot frequently in response to market fluctuations, QC Capital’s approach is strategically anchored. The firm focuses on asset classes that demonstrate enduring consumer demand and operational control. For Salerno, stability and adaptability are not mutually exclusive—they’re complementary forces. “Interest rate volatility and tightening capital markets have shifted the investment landscape,” he explains. “Rather than react impulsively, we’ve doubled down on segments where we see long-term value—express car washes, flex industrial spaces, and underserved submarkets.” In parallel, QC Capital invests heavily in investor education. Through webinars, newsletters, and the company’s own podcast, Salerno and his team aim to empower investors with insights that help them make informed decisions. -The podcast stands alone from QC and is Branded as “The Chris Salerno Show” “We believe educated investors are stronger partners,” Salerno emphasizes. “Our job isn’t just to manage capital—it’s to build lasting trust.” The Tech Advantage: Data-Driven Confidence In a data-rich, tech-enabled age, firms that fail to embrace technology fall behind. At QC Capital, technology is viewed as a non-negotiable asset, enhancing everything from deal sourcing to asset management and investor communications. “Technology gives us a competitive edge,” says Salerno. “We leverage data analytics to underwrite deals with precision, forecast cash flows, and manage portfolios in real-time.” From AI-enhanced market research tools to proprietary investor communications, QC Capital ensures its operations are scalable, efficient, and transparent. “The future of real estate belongs to those who can make fast, confident decisions. Data makes that possible.” Identifying Value: Strategy Meets Discipline When it comes to identifying high-potential multifamily assets, Salerno maintains a disciplined, fundamentals-driven methodology. His team considers population growth, job diversification, supply-demand imbalances, and rent-to-income ratios as key indicators. “We don’t just look at the surface metrics,” he says. “We walk every property, dissect submarket trends, and build conservative, stress-tested pro formas.” The team also evaluates operational inefficiencies and value-add opportunities, particularly those arising from underperforming management or deferred maintenance. “Opportunity often hides in plain sight,” Salerno notes. “The key is knowing where to look—and having the team to capitalize on it.” The Mindset Behind the Mission Leadership, especially in a capital-intensive industry

Digital Version In today’s era of relentless technological disruption, digital transformation has become more than a buzzword—it is an imperative. Across industries and continents, visionary leaders are redefining enterprise growth, empowering innovation, and embedding trust into the fabric of modern digital ecosystems. Among these influential change-makers, Dr. Damodar Sahu, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer of Data Safeguard Inc., stands out for his unwavering dedication to ethical innovation, data privacy, and the future of AI-driven enterprise solutions. With nearly three decades of global experience in digital transformation, product development, ecosystem building, and strategic leadership, Dr. Sahu represents a generation of leaders who combine technical excellence with a deeply human-centered mission. At the core of his journey is a belief that privacy is not a luxury but a fundamental human right—a value that has shaped the founding philosophy of Data Safeguard Inc. As the digital world accelerates, it’s no longer enough to simply innovate — we must ensure every advancement is rooted in trust, transparency, and human values. True leaders understand that technology’s greatest impact lies not in what it can do alone, but in how it empowers people and protects their dignity in a connected world. A Purpose-Driven Journey Rooted in Privacy and Progress Dr. Sahu’s career spans leadership roles in technology giants like Wipro, where he led strategic partnerships and digital innovation at scale. Yet, his move into the realm of data privacy was not incidental; it was a conscious response to a rapidly evolving world where data has become both an asset and a vulnerability. Data Safeguard Inc. was born from this realization—that the exponential growth of digital data, coupled with the complexity of global regulations and the rise of data breaches and synthetic fraud leading to financial crimes, demanded a bold new approach. Founded with a mission to safeguard digital futures, the company is committed to building trust-centric infrastructures through AI-powered data privacy solutions and intelligent compliance tools. Defining Growth in the Digital Age As Chief Growth Officer, Dr. Sahu brings a multidimensional perspective to enterprise scaling. For him, growth is not limited to revenue figures but includes building ecosystems of value creators. Leading global marketing, investor engagement, partnerships, and sales, he advocates for co-innovation models that foster long-term collaboration. A signature strategy he introduced is the “3Cs Growth Framework”—Co-Innovate, Co-Invest, and Co-Elevate. This approach ensures that partners and clients grow alongside the company. It reflects a deeper philosophy of shared success and community-based innovation. Through this, Data Safeguard has cultivated an agile, collaborative ecosystem that not only accelerates enterprise growth but also embeds a culture of privacy-first innovation. Redefining Privacy Compliance with AI At the heart of Data Safeguard’s innovation is its flagship platform, ID-PRIVACY®, a zero-code, AI-powered compliance suite designed to address global privacy challenges. From Universal Consent Management to Synthetic Fraud Prevention, the platform offers a full spectrum of solutions tailored to meet the most rigorous data privacy to governance standards worldwide. What sets the company apart is its proprietary AI engine, CCE® (Cognoscible Computing Engine), which powers real-time insights, intelligent automation, and proactive risk mitigation. This technology enables enterprises to not only meet regulatory requirements such as GDPR, CPRA, PDPA, and India’s new DPDPA but to do so with speed, accuracy, and confidence. Addressing the Enterprise Pain Points Modern enterprises face a daunting set of challenges on their digital transformation journey. These include navigating fragmented regulations, overcoming a shortage of privacy expertise, and shifting internal mindsets toward proactive compliance. Data Safeguard confronts these challenges head-on by offering a unified platform that simplifies privacy operations, reduces manual intervention, and makes data protection scalable. Additionally, the company is playing a leading role in advocating for a Global Privacy Interoperability Framework. By working closely with regulators, think tanks, and academic institutions, Data Safeguard is helping to harmonize global privacy standards and establish a common language for trust. Recent Innovations Making an Impact Among the company’s recent breakthroughs is the expanded deployment of ID-REDACT®, a high-accuracy automated redaction tool integrated within the ID-PRIVACY® suite. Capable of handling structured and unstructured data with over 99.54% accuracy, ID-REDACT® enables organizations to minimize compliance risk while protecting sensitive personal information. These innovations are not merely incremental; they represent a shift from reactive compliance to proactive privacy governance. Enterprises can now measure ROI from privacy initiatives, reduce legal exposure, and strengthen their brand trust—all while operating at digital speed. Innovation Meets Integrity: Balancing Growth with Trust In an environment where cybersecurity threats and regulatory expectations are continually evolving, the balance between innovation and trust is critical. Data Safeguard’s approach to this balance is rooted in its design philosophy: Privacy by Design. By embedding compliance, ethical AI, and risk controls into the core of their technology, the company enables its clients to stay ahead of threats while remaining compliant and accountable. Dr. Sahu emphasizes that innovation must be explainable, responsible, and inclusive. With flexible deployment models (on-premise or enterprise cloud), transparent AI algorithms, and support for multilingual compliance, Data Safeguard is enabling enterprises to operate with confidence in a complex world. Emerging Technologies Shaping the Future AI, automation, and blockchain are not just reshaping technology landscapes—they are reconfiguring how trust is established in digital ecosystems. Data Safeguard is at the forefront of this shift, leveraging AI through its CCE® engine to automate compliance workflows, detect anomalies, and personalize user experiences. Blockchain, too, holds promise in privacy management, especially in establishing immutable consent trails and transparent data usage histories. These technologies are being actively explored to create tamper-proof systems of accountability that can scale across borders and industries. Leading Culture with Purpose and Agility At its core, transformation is driven not by technology, but by culture. At Data Safeguard, internal innovation is cultivated through empathy, curiosity, and cross-functional collaboration. Dr. Sahu and his leadership team nurture an environment where every employee feels connected to the larger mission of protecting digital dignity. By fostering clarity of purpose and encouraging rapid execution, the company remains agile amid changing market dynamics. Teams are empowered to take risks, experiment,