On The Mic...WIT Shaz - Women in Tech Leadership: The Upsides

There are moments in our careers where the biggest obstacle isn't our technical capability, our experience or even the opportunities available to us. It's the quiet story we've been telling ourselves all along. In this episode of On The Mic WIT Shaz – Women in Tech Leadership: The Upsides, I'm joined by Hajra Parveen Akhtar, Principal Technical Consultant at DXC Technology , Azure DevOps specialis...

Yi is a strategy consultant who believes ambition shouldn’t be softened to be acceptable. She consistently chooses courage over comfort.  As a woman in tech from an Asian background, she knows how rare it is to see someone who looks like you openly say, “I want to rise to the top” and mean it. She’s still early in her career, figuring it out in real time, but doing it visibly, so maybe someone wat...

With over 25 years of IT experience, Emma brings deep expertise across energy, utilities, retail and wagering. A Monash University Bachelor of Information Systems graduate. She has delivered high‑profile initiatives including smart meter rollouts, digital transformations, and banking trading platform integrations alongside platform management. Known for strong people leadership and an ability to t...

Zoe Adam is a SOC Team Lead at CyberCX , passionate about building confident, high-performing teams. Beginning her career at CDC, before moving into frontline cyber operations, Zoe developed a strong belief that performance is equally shaped by mindset and leadership, as is technical skill; focusing on mentoring analysts, fostering critical thinking, and challenging traditional approaches to team...

Sometimes leadership doesn’t arrive with a promotion. Sometimes it arrives with a toddler tantrum… a career pivot… or a moment where life forces you to rethink everything. In this episode of Women in Tech Leadership: The Upsides , I sit down with Arpita Sen , a full stack developer whose journey into tech started in a completely different world,  Bengali literature and teaching before pivoting int...

Kruti (Katie) is an accomplished technology leader with extensive experience building high-performing engineering teams and delivering complex digital products at scale. With years of experience across product, engineering, and leadership roles—including Director of Software Engineering at Slalom and CTO positions at Shebah and Super Rewards, she brings a strategic blend of technical depth and bus...

There’s a quiet kind of leadership in tech that often goes unseen. It’s the leadership that builds the platforms everything else runs on. The leadership that grows teams behind the scenes. The leadership that lifts others while solving complex problems. This episode shines a light on exactly that. In this conversation, Shaz sits down with Sirisha Vadrevu , a platform engineering leader who has bui...

In this episode of On the Mic WIT Shaz, Women in Tech Leadership: The Upsides, I sit down with Dr. Catherine Lopes — AI executive, community builder, and globally recognised data leader for a conversation that stretches from Antarctica to the boardroom. Catherine shares her once-in-a-lifetime leadership expedition to Antarctica and how standing among melting glaciers reshaped her perspective on le...

Dr Sue Keay is an expert in robotics, AI and automation. She is the Director of the UNSW AI Institute and founded Robotics Australia Group, the peak body for the robotics industry. Sue is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), a member of the Kingston AI Group and Chief Executive Women, and is on the board of computer vision start-up, Visionary Machines. Sue has a...

There’s a moment many women in tech don’t expect. You’ve climbed the ladder. You’ve done the work. You’ve proven yourself (again and again). And then… another layer unfolds . A late diagnosis of neurodiversity. ADHD. Autism. A brain that finally makes sense but also leaves you wondering “ What is the point? How much more do I have to carry?” In this deeply honest and affirming episode of On The Mi...

This episode is extra special, not just because of the insights, not just because of the laughs… but because it was recorded in person. Yes, for the first time ever, I had a guest sitting right beside me, and the energy was unreal. And after we wrapped? We celebrated the moment with tacos and guac. As you do. Today’s guest is the brilliant Payal Pandya , Data Governance Lead at Sportsbet — a self-...

In this episode of On The Mic WIT Shaz, I was joined by Sayanti Sarkar – Senior Principal Client Delivery at Slalom to explore the real, human, and powerful upsides of stepping into bigger roles in tech leadership. From landing in New Jersey as a young professional with just a jumper in sub-zero temperatures… to leading major delivery and transformation initiatives across NAB, REA Group, Accenture...

Nevash is a global technology leader with over 20 years of experience in communications and technology. She partners with telecoms worldwide to harness data and AI, turning challenges into opportunities for growth and innovation. She currently travels between Sydney & New York for her current role as Global Head of the Communications Industry at Databricks. Nevash began her career at Telstra,...

Kristina is a Tech Lead and front-end engineer who’s passionate about building meaningful, inclusive digital experiences. Over the past few years, she has worked on large-scale projects like HESTA’s digital transformation, helping shape tools that support real people in managing their financial futures. She cares deeply about user experience, clean code, and team culture — and she aims to bring he...

Shivangi is the Head of Engineering at REA Group, bringing over 15 years of experience leading large-scale technology and digital transformation initiatives. She is a recognized advocate for women in technology and a finalist at the Women in Tech Awards, known for her ability to build high-performing, inclusive teams while driving business impact. Shivangi combines strategic vision with a practica...

In this uplifting episode of On The Mic WIT Shaz, I sit down with Loredana Perri , Program Delivery Manager at Medibank, who has carved an incredible path from being the only female tech graduate in her year to leading delivery and transformation across major tech projects. We talk about: Owning your story: How being the only woman in her university year became Loredana’s motivation to prove that...

You know those conversations that hit your heart and your head at the same time? This is one of those. In this episode, I sit down with the brilliant, straight-talking, and deeply human Jennifer Rebeiro — Executive GM of Enterprise Transformation at TAC and one of Australia’s Top 50 CIOs (for three years in a row, might I add). Jen’s journey is wild. From a music store assistant to leading massive...

Guest: 🧠 Su Jella — Executive Director, Advisor at Nano Insights, Founder of Dewdrop Digital, and Global AI & Data Leader. Host: ✨ Sharon Daly (Shaz) — Founder of TechtoExec, Career Coach, Advocate for Women in Tech Leadership. Su Jella has an incredible story from starting out her career as Marketing & Communications Officer at Bond University on the Gold Coast all the way through to Th...

Vaishali is a seasoned digital and transformation leader with deep expertise in tech-enabled customer experience, omni-channel strategy, and agile delivery. With a background in digital sales, service, innovation, and platform integration, she has led large-scale programs across industries to drive growth, efficiency, and customer-centric outcomes. Vaishali holds a Master’s in Digital/eCommerce an...

Dominique Barker is an energetic Information Technology Executive with extensive experience in IT strategy, leadership, and transformation. With a background in Journalism and honed skills in a digital agency, Dominique possesses the tenacity, drive, and influence to empower technology transformations to come to life. Her ability to "bring people along on the journey" has led to significant succes...

When we think about leadership in tech, the conversation often circles around burnout, sacrifice, and challenges. But what if we flipped that script? In this episode of On The Mic..WIT Shaz, I sit down with the incredible Lise Corcoran — Strategic Client Director with 20+ years in global tech leadership — to uncover the surprising, joyful, and empowering upsides of leading in tech. From bringing h...

Description In this episode of On the Mic..WIT Shaz – Women in Tech Leadership: The Upsides, I sit down with the incredible Kavi Dhanraj. From her early days as a Test Analyst to becoming a Chief Data Officer, Kavi’s journey is anything but linear—and that’s exactly what makes it powerful. We dive into: ✨ Why her very first “failure” became her biggest growth driver ✨ The surprising tech gadget...

Welcome to the very first episode of On the Mic...WIT Shaz! This isn’t just a podcast — it’s a movement. After years of hearing the same stories from women in tech — overlooked for leadership, battling bias, and losing confidence — I knew it was time to flip the script. In this special series, Women in Tech Leadership: The Upsides, we’re shifting the narrative. Yes, challenges exist. But there’s a...