Edition name – Top influential woman leader of the year-2026

Michelle Ponto is the Founder and CEO of Blue Gecko Communications and a globally respected strategic narrative and positioning advisor to leaders and organizations in complex and highly regulated industries. An Emmy-nominated journalist and Top 50 Disrupter Awardee, she brings more than 20 years of experience helping executives articulate who they are, where they are going, and how to communicate that with credibility across the GCC, Europe, and North America.

In 2021, Michelle founded Blue Gecko Communications as a strategic narrative advisory focused on leadership positioning, market strategy, and enterprise-level communications in industrial and technical sectors. Her work supports organizations at critical moments — whether shaping corporate direction, repositioning in new markets, navigating leadership change, or communicating sustainability and operational performance. Blue Gecko is often called when the story is complex, the stakes are high, and credibility matters most.

For more than a decade, Michelle has worked directly with senior leaders in energy, petrochemicals, advanced materials, technology, and science-driven institutions. Known for her judgment, precision, and credibility, she is trusted to translate complex business strategy into communication that is commercially grounded, strategically aligned, and trusted by investors, regulators, customers, and employees alike.

Shaping the Future: Leaders Making a Difference in 2026 – Vol 1

Ishara Saldin is the Founder and CEO of Reach4TheStars®, a dynamic initiative dedicated to empowering individuals and leaders to break through barriers, unlock their full potential, and achieve extraordinary results. A highly accomplished risk management executive, board director, and inspirational leadership keynote speaker, Ishara brings over 20 years of experience across financial services, governance, and enterprise-wide strategy.

Having worked with large family businesses and globally listed companies, Ishara has delivered sophisticated funding and investment solutions within complex operational, financial, and regulatory environments across Europe, America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. Her expertise lies in overseeing strategy and governance frameworks at board level, with a deep operational understanding of both financial and non-financial risk across the private and public sectors.

The Healing Visionary: leading the future of healthcare in 2026

In an age where healthcare is increasingly shaped by rapid innovation, digital transformation, and complex systems, the true essence of medicine remains deeply human. Few disciplines reflect this balance more clearly than family medicine—a field that demands scientific precision while calling for empathy, patience, and an unwavering commitment to understanding the individual behind every diagnosis.

Dr. Sofica Bistriceanu has built her career at this intersection of science and humanity. Her professional journey reflects a rare harmony between clinical excellence and compassion, positioning her as a leader whose influence extends beyond medical practice into research, education, and the broader global healthcare conversation. Her work exemplifies the values celebrated in CEO Scoop’s Healthcare & Wellness Leaders Edition: purpose-driven leadership, lifelong learning, and patient-centered innovation.

Top 5 Exceptional Business Minds: Leadership at Its Finest

Jeremy L. Neal, Co-Founder of Untapped Recruiting, LLC, embodies a career defined by energy, service, and results-driven leadership. With more than two decades of experience spanning personnel administration, marketing, and client services, he has consistently demonstrated an ability to connect people, optimize processes, and deliver measurable growth. His professional journey reflects a commitment to operational excellence and a deep understanding of how strategic coordination and communication can elevate both teams and organizations.

Armed with an impressive academic and professional portfolio—including an MBA, MS, and multiple industry certifications—Jeremy blends structured discipline with forward-thinking innovation. His expertise in client relations, performance improvement, and growth strategy implementation has positioned him as a trusted professional known for exceeding expectations and driving efficiency across accounts. Whether resolving complex customer challenges or enabling team success, he approaches every responsibility with focus, adaptability, and accountability.

Jude Marino is a visionary entrepreneur and award-winning leader with over three decades of experience. As the Owner of Marino Business Consulting and Founder & CEO of Louisiana Medical Group, he is recognized for strategic excellence, resilience, and lasting community impact.

Jude Marino is a visionary entrepreneur and accomplished leader whose career spans more than three decades of building, leading, and transforming high-performing organizations. As the Owner of Marino Business Consulting, Jude brings deep expertise shaped by an award-winning tenure in the telecom industry, where he was honored as Leader of the Year three times and earned Winner’s Circle recognition twice as a top Sales Director.

The most inspiring women leader of the year-2026

Brenda Dempsey, widely known as The Book Navigator and Publisher, is an award-winning Author, Master Coach, Educator, and Publisher who transforms entrepreneurs into authoritative, high-impact authorpreneurs. Holding an M.Ed, Dip.SEN, and CPNLP, and recognised as Publisher of the Year 2025, Brenda is celebrated for helping leaders amplify their voice, elevate their position, and turn their story into a powerful business asset.

As a Leader of Leaders, Brenda’s work goes far beyond traditional publishing. She guides entrepreneurs through The Author’s Adventure®—a distinctive, end-to-end journey that moves clients from brand clarity to publishing excellence and into a booming, sustainable business. Her approach ensures that a book is not just written, but strategically positioned to build global authority, attract ideal clients, and accelerate long-term growth.

In the latest edition of CEO Scoop Magazine, the focus turns to a brokerage model that is redefining commercial real estate in New York City. After more than four decades as one of the city’s most accomplished generalists, Bob Knakal has launched a bold new chapter with BKREA — a firm built not on breadth, but on precision.

Over 41 years, Knakal brokered the sale of 2,388 buildings across nearly every asset class, from office and retail to multifamily, industrial, medical, and development sites. That extraordinary range gave him a deep understanding of market cycles, capital flows, and the forces that shape urban transformation. Yet with all that success, he recognized a critical shift: the future of brokerage would belong to specialists, not generalists.

Edition: Journey of Excellence – Top 5 Eminent Leaders to Watch

Amanda Hart stands at the forefront of personal transformation and reinvention, redefining what it means to rise, rebuild, and thrive. As a Transformational Mentor and Reinvention Specialist, and the force behind Amanda Hart – The Life Change Mentor, she has become one of the UK’s most influential voices in human potential and lasting change.

An Award-Winning Authorpreneur 2025, bestselling author, international speaker, and media contributor, Amanda’s work is rooted in nearly three decades of experience helping individuals break free from limiting beliefs, behavioural cycles, and emotional patterns that keep them stuck. Her journey—shaped by resilience and deep personal transformation—has evolved into a powerful mission: to guide people beyond survival and into lives defined by clarity, confidence, and purpose.