From burnout to breakthrough: Women leaders chart the path forward at WOTC Asia 2026

The Women of the Channel Leadership Summit Asia 2026 brought together female leaders in the tech ecosystem in Singapore.

The Women of the Channel Leadership Summit Asia 2026 brought together female leaders in the tech ecosystem to network and also listen to the various presentations and panel discussions by leaders in the region on how they are dealing with the many challenges the community is facing today.

Jacquie Rives, Women of the Channel's Senior Director of Community & Program kicked off the event. In her opening remarks, Rives highlighted the importance of recognizing the success of women in the channel, acknowledging that there is still a lot more that can be done in the industry.

There were several keynote sessions throughout the day as well. Athina Mallis, CRN Australia Editor, talked about the importance of having work-life balance and the need to focus on a more practical, sustainable approach to maintaining energy, focus, and long-term success. Mallis, who not only shared her journey in dealing with burnout but also called on the attendees to acknowledge the need to take care of their personal life while focusing on their career as well.

Other sessions included a keynote by Sandra Goh, SEA Partnerships & APAC Channel Programs Lead. Goh talked about the anatomy of fear and its cost for women, highlighting her personal journey in the industry and how she dealt with these issues.

For Suguna Madhavan, Founder/Director of Firesong Initiatives Ptd Ltd, setting the course to achieve goals was the key message in her keynote as she shared the importance of upholding wellbeing while looking to fulfil professional and personal life.

The closing keynote by Amy Kunrojpanya, Chief Business Officer & Board Director, Emm Technology was on the power of pain. Kunrojpanya called upon attendees to listen to their bodies as they chase career goals, sharing her personal experience in dealing with the issue.

Apart from the keynote sessions, there were also three panel discussions that talked about sustainability as well as the importance of having men as allies. In the Man as Allies panel, Ananth Lazarus, managing director APJ, Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC), and Simon Bernie, board advisor and global growth strategist and founder, Goh Bernie Advisory shared that allyship in the workplace only becomes meaningful when it shapes everyday leadership decisions, from hiring and promotions to sponsorship, flexibility and how leaders respond to bias.

The discussion, led by Cotterill, focused on how leaders can turn allyship from a stated commitment into action, including the decisions they make when supporting women’s progression comes with resistance or personal cost.

The closing panel of the day was on how AI is rewiring leadership in workplaces. Moderated by Aaron Raj, CRN Asia Editorial Director, the panellists included Namrata Kapur, Director - Growth Marketing, APAC at IBM, Ankita Kapil, Head of Partner Core Solution Architecture, APJ at AWS and Shehera Viswanathan, Leader, Partner Customer Success APJC at Cisco. All three panellists highlighted how AI is making a big difference to the workforce, especially in improving the way of work.

The Women of the Channel Leadership Summit will be returning in 2027 as an APAC Summit taking place in Australia.