Recognized Succession Planning Leaders 2025

With a career spanning across ESPs, agencies, and technology providers, Garin Hobbs is an expert in growing email impact and revenue, launching new programs and products, and developing the strategies and thought leadership to support them. The amount of knowledge he has about MarTech and email marketing is phenomenal but, it's not just the depth of information, it's Garin's perspective and how he communicates the application and impact that set's him apart. Garin is a fantastic and enthusiastic leader, collaborator, and strategist, as well as an amazing human.

I am Sri Chellappa, the CEO, President, and Co-Founder of Engagedly, an AI-enabled people strategy platform designed to revolutionize traditional performance appraisals. At Engagedly, I focus on simplifying performance reviews by integrating employee engagement and development, helping organizations build high-performing, people-centric cultures. With over 20 years of experience in software development, consulting, and organizational leadership, I have had the privilege of working with leading firms like EY and Capgemini. My career has taught me the immense value of investing in people—not just for their individual success but for the success of the organization as a whole. I am passionate about empowering employees to grow, stay engaged, and develop the skills they need to thrive and advance in their careers. My journey has been shaped by a diverse range of experiences that span technology, health IT, people management, and creative arts. As a filmmaker, I’ve written, directed, and produced six feature films that have been distributed globally on platforms like Netflix, NBCUniversal, Fox International, Showtime, and Amazon Prime. These experiences have fueled my ability to think strategically, lead creatively, and deliver impactful results. Career Highlights: Author: The Black Book of Agile Project Delivery with Distributed Teams, where I share my insights on managing distributed teams effectively. Film Industry Achievements: Writer, Director, and Producer of six feature films with international distribution across major platforms. I am passionate about creating engaged, agile organizations and leveraging my leadership skills to help employees and companies succeed together.

Desiree Russo is a Partner and Senior Vice President of Portfolio Operations at MasonMade Ventures, where she drives operational excellence across the firm's portfolio of critical infrastructure companies. With nearly two decades of experience in construction and facilities management, Desiree brings extensive expertise in scaling processes, managing operations, and delivering best-in-class service to clients nationwide. Before co-founding MasonMade, Desiree served as Partner and Vice President of Operations at CS Hudson, where she was instrumental in streamlining workflows, exceeding client expectations, and developing internal talent. Earlier in her career, she advanced steadily through leadership roles at a facility management company—starting as a Client Team Manager and ultimately becoming Director of Client Services. She began her professional journey at Empire Facilities Management Group, rising from Coordinator to Supervisor to National Account Manager. Desiree attributes her career growth to a strong work ethic, a focus on operational efficiency, and a people-first leadership philosophy. As a female leader in a historically male-dominated industry, Desiree is known for breaking norms and modeling an inclusive, collaborative. Her leadership is characterized by humility, active listening, and a commitment to continuous improvement—for individuals, teams, and the businesses she helps to scale. She is a two-time recipient of the Circle of Excellence Award, recognizing her consistent impact in building high-performing teams and lasting client relationships.

Interdisciplinary Global Marketing and Human Resource Development (HRD) executive with over 20 years of experience scaling brand ecosystems across enterprise, high-growth, and startup environments – from Fortune 1 (Walmart) to VC- and PE-backed ventures. Adept at developing emotionally resonant, data-driven brand strategies that drive top-line growth, market share and long-term equity. Proven expertise leading cross-functional and regional teams, launching go-to-market strategies across EMEA, APAC, and the Americas, and overseeing portfolios with budgets up to $100MM. Known for transforming complex market insights into differentiated brand positioning, unifying internal culture with external messaging and operationalizing high-performing marketing infrastructures. Fluent in growth strategy, creative storytelling, product innovation alignment and maximizing ROI through global-local execution.

Maxim Sheaib is a global strategist and builder whose career spans across continents, leading sovereign programs, building high-impact ventures, and engineering public-private alignment to unlock strategic value, accelerate national priorities, and shape systems for legacy. Known for translating complexity into execution, he has led high-impact initiatives across government and private sectors, health tourism, economic transformation, and public-private systems. With deep expertise in policy integration, business strategy, and geo-economic ecosystems, Maxim brings a rare combination of vision and operational clarity. His work bridges governance and growth, shaping adaptive models that deliver long-term value across markets and institutions.

Most organizations don’t fail because of bad strategy. They fail because they can’t follow through. That’s where I come in. I work with executive teams to close the gap between vision and execution, building the structure, accountability, and focus needed to deliver measurable results. My expertise spans SEO, direct primary care strategy, and business consulting, with a proven record of scaling healthcare membership by 170 percent and generating $82 million in federal economic impact. Whether leading complex initiatives or rebuilding underperforming systems, I drive clarity, align operations, and create momentum that lasts.

Daryl is Head of Business Development & Innovation at Intellek - a learning technology company focused on the legal sector. He manages sales, marketing, account management, support, and client success while generating revenue through new business, existing clients, and partnership programs. Daryl has worked across several software companies, rising quickly from Business Development Executive to his current leadership role. Since joining as the company's first sales hire, he has grown new business revenue by 18% year on year and expanded the team by 500% during challenging economic and geopolitical times. During his time at Intellek, Daryl has led international events and built a diverse client base spanning four countries. His work focuses on helping firms gain a competitive advantage through better staff training and development programs. Daryl has helped clients across the UK, USA, Canada, and South Africa transform their training through learning technology. He takes a partnership approach with trainers, helping them show leadership the real value of staff development and overcome the challenges that come with changing technology demands. Beyond his professional role, Daryl volunteers as a mentor at Bournemouth University, supporting graduates to plan their next steps. He was recognized in the university's 30 under 30 list in 2023. When not working, he enjoys golf, supports FORCE cancer charity through local running events, and follows football (soccer) and rugby. Daryl combines his passion for personal development with practical business experience, making him well-placed to comment on training challenges, business growth strategies, and how companies can build stronger teams through learning technology.