Speakers:
- Silvia Peneva, managing director, ITW & GLF – techoraco (Chairperson)
- Merima Ziko, commercial director – ZIRA GROUP
- Olena Lutsenko, business development director – RETN
- Sonia Harjani, director & co-founder – Sona Business
- Jelena Medurić Vlahović, senior global business development director – telecoms – Infobip
- Hafsa Haseeb, global marketing & CX lead – E&
The digital infrastructure industry is at a critical juncture, as businesses wrestle with increasingly complex systems. As a result, they are often finding that they can’t recruit the right talent, or perhaps their workforce isn’t diverse enough.
At Datacloud Middle East 2026, six female leaders gathered to discuss what it really takes to accelerate diverse talent in the workplace – and their insights revealed that whilst progress is being made, significant barriers still remain year after year.
Moderated by Silvia Peneva, managing director of ITW & GLF at techoraco, the panel brought together voices from across the sector, each offering a unique perspective on navigating career advancement in an industry that is historically male dominated.
Culture isn’t automatic and requires conscious leadership
The panel conversation quickly moved beyond surface-level diversity initiatives to examine the systems that either enable or prevent diverse teams from thriving. Jelena Medurić Vlahović, senior global business development director for telecoms at Infobip, stated: “Having diverse teams is a conscious leadership decision. It doesn’t come automatically. It’s not easy to manage.
“You have to have the intention to invest time and resources to create such systems.”
Her company’s growth from 250 people to 3,500 has provided a strong case study in scaling whilst maintaining culture, she said.
“Digital infrastructure today is extremely complex,” she explained. “Can you really have the traditional leadership way of leading any company? Or do you actually need something different that will orchestrate these complex layers that need to be scaled?”
Merima Ziko, commercial director at ZIRA Group, echoed this sentiment. Her company scaled from 100 to nearly 300 people during the COVID-19 pandemic, opening offices across the Netherlands, Riyadh and Dubai.
“You can attract new people easily, but how to keep employees happy? Do you allow them to have space to express their opinion, to change their minds? Do you allow them to show up differently?” she asked. “I think those are the moments where you see company culture.”
For ZIRA, retention speaks volumes, as half the workforce has been with the company for more than seven years.
“For me personally, it’s the people that I’m surrounded with,” Ziko added. “It’s my colleagues, it’s the culture that we build together.”
Flexibility isn’t a perk – it’s essential company infrastructure
Sonia Harjani, director and co-founder of Sona Business, offered a perspective from a smaller organisation where flexibility is a strong part of the company’s operations.
“We give employees the freedom to work from wherever they are,” she explained. “I’ve done calls from a football field because my son has football at that point. This is something that we as a company find very normal.”
This approach extends beyond simple remote working policies, with diversification really implementing it, Harjani explained.
“It’s not only by saying, ‘Yes, we will hire women, men, all types of people,’ but also, really, once you hire, you give them the space to work in whatever environment it is, as long as they’re performing.”
Olena Lutsenko, business development director at RETN, highlighted how wellbeing means different things in different parts of the world. With teams spanning from Ukraine to Singapore across 35 offices, she’s learned that one-size-fits-all approaches don’t work.
“Wellbeing is completely different across different cultures,” she said. “You cannot have one formula for wellbeing.”
Confronting invisible barriers and promoting visibility
Despite progress, the panel was very candid about persistent obstacles.
Medurić Vlahović shared her own experience: “I had to work twice as hard to prove something that came to some of my male colleagues automatically. On paper, we all look the same. But reality: visibility, trust and who gets invited to the table and where the high-stakes deals are being done – that’s where it matters.”
She added: “Even today, I sometimes think I’m not at that table all the time.”
Harjani challenged the industry directly: “We have to change the mindset that, ‘Oh yeah, men might be more tech savvy than women.’ Women are also as tech savvy as men. We have to challenge ‘one day she’ll be a mother and won’t be able to work’ – this starts from the top.”
Lutsenko offered practical advice for overcoming these barriers: “Even if you deliver, even if you work twice as hard as anybody else, somebody should say your name when you’re not in the room. It’s very important to be visible, not only within your team.”
The importance of male allyship
One of the panel’s most compelling discussions centred on the critical role of male allies – not just mentors, but sponsors who actively change power structures.
Ziko shared a revealing personal story. After recommending a candidate for a commercial role, her CEO responded: “I respect your opinion. I believe your recommendation of this person, but you are aware that you are recommending your own boss for the job that you’re already doing very well?”
The realisation prompted her to finally accept a role she’d been offered but had been too afraid to take.
“I felt more embraced to take over my new role. And I did not feel terrified,” she reflected. “Half of my confidence, half of my actually being able to do things and support is actually coming from men. My biggest supporters, my biggest belief in me, actually come from men who are not my partners, brothers or fathers, but actually they’re my colleagues or friends.”
Medurić Vlahović added: “There is a difference between mentorship and sponsorship. Mentorship is giving you advice – that’s nice. Sponsorship is about changing power structures.
“I think we all need more cases like that, actually, of men in sponsorship roles.”
Creating appetite for systemic change
Hafsa Haseeb, global marketing and CX lead at e&, introduced a crucial concept to the panel: appetite.
“You can have the best intention or the most daring intention, but if you don’t have the appetite to digest it and really take it to the last level, it’s not going to work,” she explained.
Looking ahead, the panel expressed hope that younger generations would benefit from the groundwork being laid.
“I hope that our generation will manage to change and make a shift a little bit, at least to make it easier for the next generation,” said Medurić Vlahović. “In 10 years, [I hope] we don’t have panels like this.”
The panel’s final advice for women entering the industry was succinct but powerful.
Lutsenko urged: “Be confident, trust yourself and trust the people who are around you.”
Ziko said: “Stay curious, take risks,” whereas Medurić Vlahović reminded the audience: “It’s okay to have imposter syndrome.”
And Haseeb concluded: “Use your superpower. Be a woman. You can multitask, you can manage and you can do wonders.”
