Boldness, Adaptability and Connection Driving Women’s Leadership in Tech
Malika Kennedy, Chief Business Development Officer at Yango Ads MEA, reflects on pivotal career moments, overcoming informal barriers in male-dominated networks, and why decisiveness, adaptability, and mentorship are key for the next generation of women leaders.
What defining moments or challenges most shaped your professional journey?
Honestly, there were a few moments that played a huge role, but I think it’s important to highlight the two most significant ones. The first happened when I was just a student. I was studying economics at the American University of Sharjah (AUS), so when I went home to Kazakhstan for the summer, I decided to enroll in P&G’s internship program. When there was a choice between the Finance or Marketing departments, knowing that P&G is a world-renowned marketing powerhouse, I opted for marketing.
I ended up staying longer—all the way through the fall semester—because it was such an amazing opportunity, and I interned full-time for about eight months, running several projects on my own. I even had cross-country business trips. Right then, I already knew I would work in marketing even though I would graduate with an economics degree.
Another moment I recall was my very first pitch that I ran entirely on my own. At that point I had joined Optimedia (now Digitas, part of Publicis Groupe). At the time there were two major pitches—one for OSN+, which the entire agency was working on, and another for Emaar Hospitality Group, which only I worked on.
It was a super-tight deadline and an enormous scope, with some parts outside my core expertise, but I delivered a 200-page pitch deck in just four days, which helped land us a major piece of business. I didn’t realise it then, but that moment was already a turning point in my evolution—from performance marketing operations into business growth through business development.
What barriers do women still face in leadership today that aren’t talked about enough?
The truth is that it’s still very common to see men dominating top leadership roles, and there are often informal “boys’ clubs” where women, despite being brilliant and incredibly hardworking, are not always privy to those networks. When it comes to the top, politics and networks play a big role. Not being part of those naturally formed social circles can sometimes leave women at a disadvantage when it comes to progression.
How have you built credibility and influence in environments where women are underrepresented?
It’s all about establishing your expertise and demonstrating the value you bring to the table. Like with anything in business, you’re not just speaking to companies or organisations, you’re speaking to people. Finding common ground and something to connect over always helps ease the flow of interaction and negotiations.
How is technology—especially AI and automation—changing leadership expectations in your industry?
There have always been trends, and as an expert you need to stay on top of them. We millennials have probably seen some of the most dramatic technological shifts throughout our careers, so like any trend, you invest time and effort to understand it and make use of it. From a business perspective, AI is already at the forefront of our investments, focus, and efforts, and we are integrating it across many aspects of our services.
What skills or mindsets will be most critical for the next generation of women leaders?
Adaptability and speed of such. We entered the era where tech is developing exponentially, so being in tune with the trends, making most of it and doing it quickly is super important. Another eternal truth is decisiveness and ability to make bold decisions is very important. Men naturally are more prone to risk, more confident and decisive. So if we are to take our rightful spot at the top, we need to make sure we are decisive, confident and bold, whilst balancing with our core strengths which are consideration, ability to connect the dots in our minds and intuition.
What role have mentorship and sponsorship played in your career, and how do you support others today?
Me and my husband both work in marketing, so in a way, we have always been supportive of each other. I see his impact of mentorship early on in my career and it definitely gave me a huge boost. I take a lot of care in mentoring my team and a lot of them I often become friends with. It always makes me happy to see how far they come and how they grow.
How can organizations move beyond policies to create cultures where women genuinely thrive?
It might be trivial, but generally creating an environment where women can feel support and security through various stages of their lives is priceless. When women have children it is a lot to take one from challenges of pregnancies to breastfeeding and motherhood where women traditionally play more active roles especially in the early years. So creating the environment where there is a flexibility and culture that opportunities are there irrelevant of the life stage is priceless.
What advice would you give young women considering careers in IT, security, or leadership roles?
Be bold, be brave, be fast. Opportunities are not given, they are earned, so go grab yours!
What does International Women’s Day mean to you, and what real change would you like to see beyond it?
I come from Kazakhstan and in there, it’s a wonderful celebration of cherishing and cheering women. I have a lot of warm memories from my childhood and beyond of men making us all feel very special. And honestly, women are awesome and we should be cherished and cheered everyday! I want to see stronger community spirit in women themselves supporting, guiding and helping each other and being brave and bold.
