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Susan Uthayakumar
President Sustainability Business Division
Professional Background
Susan Uthayakumar is an accomplished leader and educator in the fields of business management, finance, and sustainability. With a wealth of experience and an extensive academic background, she has made significant contributions to her field, particularly in her current role as the President of the Global Sustainability Business Division at Schneider Electric. In this pivotal position, Susan is at the forefront of driving sustainable business practices and innovative solutions that align with Schneider Electric’s vision for a more sustainable future.
Susan's leadership style is influenced by her solid educational foundation as well as her commitment to driving transformative leadership within organizations. Her approach focuses on creating a culture of diversity and inclusion, thereby pushing the boundaries of sustainability in the corporate sector. Her initiatives and strategic direction have not only fostered growth within Schneider Electric but have also set the benchmark for sustainability practices across various industries.
Education and Achievements
Susan Uthayakumar's educational journey is marked not just by remarkable institutions but also by her dedication to continuous growth and learning. She has studied an Executive MBA at Northwestern University, specifically at the Kellogg School of Management, an institution renowned for producing some of the world’s leading business minds. This program equipped her with a robust foundation in leadership skills and business management, which she applies daily in her professional role.
In addition to her EMBA, Susan has engaged in Executive Education programs aimed at Leadership Transformation and Business Management Administration from INSEAD, further enhancing her skills in leading complex organizations. Her commitment to fostering a diverse organization was enriched through her studies at IMD Business School, where she learned best practices in diversity and inclusivity that she incorporates into her strategic initiatives at Schneider Electric.
Moreover, Susan has obtained an Executive Scholar Certificate in Leadership and Management from the Kellogg School of Management, which complements her previous education by providing her with advanced management skills tailored to contemporary organizational challenges. Prior to her advanced leadership studies, she cemented her analytical and financial expertise through formal training as a Chartered Accountant with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada).
Susan's academic foundation in finance was established with a Master's degree from the University of Waterloo, further solidified by her undergraduate studies in finance through a distinguished co-operative program also at the University of Waterloo. This blend of practical, hands-on experience and academic knowledge sets her apart as a unique leader in the areas of finance and sustainability.
Achievements
Throughout her professional journey, Susan has achieved numerous milestones that highlight her capabilities and contributions. As the President of the Global Sustainability Business Division at Schneider Electric, she leads initiatives that not only drive profitability but also prioritize environmental sustainability, showcasing how business can be harnessed as a force for good. Under her leadership, Schneider Electric has enhanced its practices in energy management and automation, emphasizing sustainable practices that contribute to global efforts against climate change.
Susan’s efforts in promoting sustainability have garnered recognition and respect in her field, reinforcing Schneider Electric’s position as a leader among companies striving to achieve environmental excellence. Beyond her corporate achievements, she is often seen as a role model and mentor, guiding emerging leaders and advocating for responsible corporate governance.
Furthermore, her leadership philosophy emphasizes the importance of building diverse teams and fostering inclusivity within organizations. Her work in creating a culture that promotes diversity is not just beneficial for corporate success but is fundamentally about creating equal opportunities within the workplace. Susan's initiatives reflect a deep understanding of how diversity contributes to innovation and effective problem-solving.
In conclusion, Susan Uthayakumar's career is a compelling narrative of leadership, education, and a steadfast commitment to sustainability. Her dedication to learning and growing into roles that challenge her while making significant impacts on the community and the planet epitomizes what it means to be a leader in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
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Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.