Innovation Solution Partners Co-Founder and CEO Mariyah Saifuddin was honored along with other women business owners and leaders from around the world in October as a 2022 Enterprising Woman of the Year.
Saifuddin attended the 20th annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards in Clearwater Beach, Florida, where she received the award for leadership alongside 70 other women entrepreneurs. The conference brought together dynamic women from around the world to share business insights, expand their networks and deepen mentoring commitments.
“Mariyah Saifuddin is an accomplished business owner and leader in her field. We are so proud to recognize her contribution to her company, her community and as a role model and mentor to other women and girls,” said Monica Smiley, CEO and publisher of Enterprising Women.
The Enterprising Women of The Year Awards is widely considered the most prestigious global award recognition for accomplished women entrepreneurs. To win, nominees must demonstrate that they have fast-growth businesses, mentor or actively support other women and girls involved in entrepreneurship, and stand out as leaders in their communities. Many of the honorees also serve as leaders of the key organizations that support the growth of women’s entrepreneurship.
Saifuddin: Leadership in IT Sets an Example for Young Women
As a woman in the male-dominated field of IT, Saifuddin often has been the only female in the room. As a minority woman business leader, establishing her voice and developing leadership skills became even more important in her journey as an entrepreneur. She believes strongly, as well, in paying it forward.
“It’s really gratifying to be honored by Enterprising Women, which not only recognizes entrepreneurship in professionals but also promotes mentorship and encourages girls and young women in STEM,” says Saifuddin. “I got my own start in IT because of the strong example and encouragement of my parents. I want to help foster an inviting atmosphere for women to enter IT.”
Saifuddin, a leader in the Metro Detroit IT community, founded Innovative Solution Partners of West Bloomfield, Mich., in 1999 with her husband and business partner, Mustansir Saifuddin. In working with clients in the data and business intelligence realm, Innovative Solution Partners focuses on SAP, Microsoft Power BI and cloud-driven solutions.
“We use our F.O.C.U.S. Methodology, which takes clients from the requirements to rollout phase and ensures we deliver analytic solutions that can lead to informed decision-making,” Saifuddin says. “That has been essential in the past two years, when the landscape has changed dramatically for businesses in every sector.
“Our emphasis on helping businesses in their migration to the cloud has allowed us to highlight SAC features such as analytics designer, for one. The acceleration of cloud migration, at the same time companies are experiencing a talent crisis, has meant we need to be there for our clients every step of the way.”
While Mariyah Saifuddin has adjusted her company’s focus to deal with pandemic-related shifts in businesses, Mustansir Saifuddin has worked alongside his team to ensure he understands his clients’ needs. His “Tech-Driven Business” podcasts have focused on SAC and data-specific SAP products, transformational leadership and overall cloud data solutions for businesses.
“The pandemic – and the major disruptions it caused for our clients – has given us the chance as an SAP Service Partner to sit beside those clients and figure out how to leverage analytics to quickly adapt to the changing environment,” Saifuddin says. “For example, the shift to the cloud was already a key to doing businesses in early 2020. Now that transformation is at warp speed. We are helping our clients on that journey.”
Saifuddin is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners and is president-elect of the Greater Detroit Chapter of the organization.
Saifuddin is an alumna of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, a 12-week education and networking program for small business owners throughout the U.S. She attended the Executive Education Program at Dartmouth University’s Tuck School of Business through a program sponsored by the Women’s Business National Enterprise Council, an organization that certifies businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the United States.
About Enterprising Women magazine
Enterprising Women, with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, is the nation’s only women-owned magazine published exclusively for women business owners that chronicles the growing political, economic and social influence and power of entrepreneurial women.
The magazine provides a friendly meeting place, a public forum and a national stage for the critical issues confronting women’s businesses and daily lives from the unique perspectives and experiences of entrepreneurial women.
Published in both print and digital editions, the online edition of the magazine reaches 1 million readers in 185 countries.
