Career and Leadership Tips from 5 Inspiring Women in Tech
- Derek Ling
- Mar 28
- 16 min read
Updated: Mar 31
In celebration of Women’s History Month, I want to spotlight a few of the incredible women I’ve had the honor of working with over the past decade—leaders who are pushing boundaries and shaping the future of their industries.
From business operations to marketing, AI, adtech, biotech, venture capital, and healthcare, their influence spans across disciplines. What unites them is their clarity of purpose, ability to inspire others into action, resilience, and the drive to lead with impact.
One of the things that fuels my passion for my business is hearing the why behind people’s careers—the origin stories, the mentors who shifted their paths, the societal moments that changed everything, and the hard-won lessons they now pass on to others.
There are so many gems in these conversations, but one quote from Regina Bienstock stood out to me—especially at a time when clarity and influence are more valuable than ever:
“The power of storytelling. The ability to cut through noise, synthesize information, and clearly communicate what matters is invaluable. We’re all drowning in data—what’s important? Why does it matter? What decisions need to be made? If you can frame the narrative, you’ll be highly valuable.”
“Another lesson, which isn’t always intuitive (especially for women): Working hard doesn’t automatically get you promoted. Being a high performer doesn’t mean you’re seen as high potential. You have to show impact—not just effort. It’s not about hoping someone notices your hard work; it’s about making it clear why your contributions drive results. This ties back to storytelling—own your narrative and communicate your value.”
Powerful, right?
I hope you’ll take away some meaningful insights from each of these women as they share their career paths, the lessons that shaped them, advice for those breaking into tech, and their perspective on how we can build an industry that better supports women in leadership.
Meet the Women in Tech
Table of Contents:
Regina Bienstock
Head of Commercialization @ Sam's Club Member Access Platform (MAP) | Strategy & Business Operations Leader
Regina Bienstock is a strategic business operations leader with over 20 years of experience in digital advertising and ad tech and has worked at Sam’s Club, JPMorgan, AOL, Yahoo, and Microsoft. She excels in roles that bridge vision and strategy with execution. She’s led teams across Business Operations, Strategic Planning, Sales Operations and Go-to-Market.
What inspired you to pursue a career in digital media, and what keeps you motivated today?
I started as a stock analyst covering media and telecom companies but wanted firsthand experience inside a company to truly understand how a business operates. That led me to AOL in 2005, a time when it was both still an important industry player and a challenger. AOL was filled with creative, forward-thinking people, many with ideas ahead of their time. I had the opportunity to build and launch products, acquire companies, and witness the evolution of digital advertising from the front lines.
What keeps me motivated today is the constant learning required to keep up with an ever-changing industry—adapting to new technologies, shifting consumer behaviors, and emerging business models. But more than anything, it’s the people—working alongside smart, engaging co-workers who bring fresh ideas to the table.
What’s a key challenge you’ve faced in your industry, and how did you overcome it?
One of the biggest challenges is the tension between being a “one-stop shop” and being best in breed. Many companies try to do everything, but in reality, that’s incredibly difficult—if not impossible—to execute effectively. The key to overcoming this challenge is ruthless prioritization. You have to be clear-eyed about trade-offs, focus on what truly moves the needle, and be willing to make tough choices. Success comes from knowing what to double down on and where to partner instead of build. Also growing through acquisitions has real costs, in terms of integration and siphoning resources from organic growth.
What advice would you give to someone looking to break into or advance in your field?
Stay curious, ask questions, and push outside your comfort zone. Your first job doesn’t have to be perfect—it just needs to be a launching pad where you can learn. Look for opportunities that expose you to different aspects of the business, even if they don’t seem like a direct fit at first. Once you’re in, raise your hand for new projects. The best way to find what you’re good at—and what you don’t want to do—is through experience. Be proactive, take risks, and explore. Growth comes from being uncomfortable and stretching yourself in new ways.
What is a lesson you’ve learned along your career journey?
The power of storytelling. The ability to cut through noise, synthesize information, and clearly communicate what matters is invaluable. We’re all drowning in data—what’s important? Why does it matter? What decisions need to be made? If you can frame the narrative, you’ll be highly valuable. Another lesson, which isn’t always intuitive (especially for women): Working hard doesn’t automatically get you promoted. Being a high performer doesn’t mean you’re seen as high potential. You have to show impact—not just effort. It’s not about hoping someone notices your hard work; it’s about making it clear why your contributions drive results. This ties back to storytelling—own your narrative and communicate your value.
Katerina Kotrotsou, Ph.D.
Director of Engineering @ QBio | Ph.D. in Biomedical/Medical Engineering
Katerina Kotrotsou is a biomedical imaging and AI leader dedicated to transforming research into real-world medical advancements. Her expertise lies in leveraging AI and imaging technologies to improve disease detection, treatment planning, and precision medicine. She’s built and led high-performing engineering teams, developed AI-driven imaging solutions, and navigated complex regulatory pathways to bring innovative healthcare technologies to market.
I hired Katerina as our first Imaging Scientist at QBio several years back, and she’s now their Director of Engineering. QBio is a technology company operating at the intersection of AI, Physics and Biology to automate the physical exam from data collection to triage and routing to make preventive personalized healthcare available to everyone.
What inspired you to pursue a career in biomedical imaging and AI, and what keeps you motivated today?
Growing up, I was captivated by how math and physics could be used to solve real-world problems, but I wasn’t always sure where that passion would lead me. My perspective changed during my last year of undergraduate studies, when I took a class on applications of radiation in medicine. For the first time, I saw how physics and engineering could be applied to healthcare—improving diagnostics, guiding treatments, and ultimately saving lives. That realization led me to pursue a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, where I immersed myself in the world of medical imaging and AI-driven diagnostics.
During my PhD, I had the opportunity to work alongside neurologists at the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, searching for better ways to diagnose neurodegenerative diseases. It was then that I saw the profound impact medical imaging could have—how it could detect disease earlier, provide deeper insights into pathology, and personalize treatment approaches. It became clear to me that this was the intersection of science and impact where I wanted to build my career.
That passion only deepened as I expanded into radiogenomics at MD Anderson Cancer Center, where I worked on integrating imaging and genomic data to develop non-invasive tumor characterization methods. The ability to extract meaningful, predictive insights from imaging data opened new possibilities for precision medicine—enabling earlier, more accurate diagnoses and personalized treatments for patients.
What keeps me motivated today is the opportunity to push these innovations further. We are fortunate to be at a unique moment in time, where the convergence of multiple fields is happening in real-time. Multi-omics is coming online, and with it, a new era of genetic medicine that offers a higher probability of success. We now have access to high-dimensional data, and coupled with more sophisticated algorithms, we can unlock insights that were once beyond our reach. AI and imaging have the power to transform healthcare, making it more accessible, proactive, and precise.
Whether it’s developing AI-driven imaging solutions, scaling clinical adoption, or navigating regulatory pathways, I’m driven by the idea that the work we do today will shape the future of patient care for years to come. Every breakthrough brings us closer to a world where disease detection is faster, treatment is more personalized, and healthcare is truly predictive rather than reactive—and that’s a vision worth working toward.
What advice would you give to someone looking to break into or advance in your field?
Get a strong education – One of the unique advantages of the U.S. is that it offers opportunities for anyone, regardless of their starting point. The education system here helps level the playing field, providing access to resources, networks, and platforms that can propel you forward and give you a real shot at success. For women, this is a powerful chance to break down barriers and make your mark.
Work on the business side too – Understanding the technical aspects is important but so is understanding the business. Learning to navigate that space not only gives you an edge but also ensures your voice is heard when important decisions are being made.
Embrace cross-disciplinary curiosity – A lot of advice focuses on specializing in one area, but I’d encourage you to stay curious and avoid getting siloed. The real breakthroughs often happen when we connect ideas across disciplines.
Seek out challenges that stretch you. Growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone. Take on projects that push your technical, strategic, or leadership skills. Even if they feel daunting, they will shape you in ways you can’t predict.
Be your own advocate. Speak up about your work. Ask for opportunities. Push for the career growth you deserve. No one will champion your career as fiercely as you will.
What’s one change you’d love to see in your industry to support more women in leadership roles?
One change I’d love to see in my industry is a shift in how we, as individuals, support women in staying in the workforce and advancing to leadership roles. It's important to recognize that the messages we send to ourselves, to the women we work with, and to the women in our lives—especially our daughters—can make a huge difference.
Seat at the table – As women, we need to actively seek out a seat at the table. The message we send ourselves should be that we belong in every room, and we have valuable perspectives to contribute. This includes speaking up, making sure our voices are heard, and not shrinking back when we have something to offer.
Own your success – Studies have shown that women tend to attribute their achievements to external factors, while men attribute them to their own capabilities. It’s time we start taking credit for our hard work, our ideas, and our results. Celebrating our success with confidence helps change the narrative and shows others that women’s accomplishments are equally deserving of recognition.
Don't underestimate your own ability – It's crucial for women to recognize their value and the strength of their expertise. We need to stop downplaying our contributions and own our success.
Don’t leave before you leave – Particularly when it comes to maternity leave, women often start stepping back from their careers mentally and professionally long before they physically leave. We need to keep our foot on the gas pedal right up until the point we’re ready to go on leave. Doing so not only ensures that we maintain momentum in our careers but also positions us to return to meaningful work after leave, which can make a big difference in how we re-enter the workforce.
Leah Matzat
Senior Director @ Invitae | Product and Scientific Leader | Precision Medicine | Genomics
Leah Matzat is Senior Director of Research and Development Genomics at Lab Corp and has 15+ years of experience in biotechnology. She currently leads a team of 47, overseeing Lab Automation, Molecular Biology, Program Management, and Tech Transfer functions. Her focus is on genetic test product development and optimizing high-throughput workflows. She’s interested in expanding her community and meeting other leaders who are building products and services that are pushing the boundaries of innovation.
What’s a key challenge you’ve faced in your industry, and how did you overcome it?
When we started out on our mission to scale genetic testing, no one had ever built a clinical lab that could process millions of affordable clinical genetic tests in a year. We had to think differently and focus on scaling without assuming that solutions that had been used in other labs or previously in our careers would be the ‘right’ solution.
I have been lucky to work with some great minds in clinical genetics and genomics, automation engineering, and software engineering who taught me concepts like observability and site reliability engineering and together we found ways to apply those ideas to a clinical lab. Now not only have we built the infrastructure for a high-throughput genetics lab, but we now sustainably monitor performance, plan for volume, train new staff in our technology, all to provide results to patients who need the results for medical decisions. By keeping an open mind and searching for answers outside of my direct area of expertise I have been able to deliver a 'one of a kind' high-throughput genomics lab solution.
What advice would you give to someone looking to break into or advance in your field?
It sounds cliche, but the best advice I can think of is to follow what interests you. When I first came to the clinical diagnostics space, I didn’t know much about it, but I was drawn in because I could see that people needed access to information in their DNA. I wanted to create products that would enable anyone to make genetically-informed decisions about their health.
I learned how to build genetic diagnostic products by building and making mistakes, failing and trying again. When I meet people with different skills than my own, I try to never miss an opportunity to ask someone how they see a problem and envision a solution.
As a midwestern kid, I never saw myself working in a Silicon Valley tech company, but this environment has injected my scientific skepticism with inherent optimism that technology brings to problem solving. So just by following a path of creating technology that I found fascinating, I learned more than I ever thought was possible about leadership, building high performing teams, and growing a sustainable company all while taking Invitae tests from a few samples a week to millions of tests per year.
What is one book that shaped who you’ve become as a leader? What did you learn and how does this show up in how you lead?
My favorite books about leadership and the characteristics that define a great organization are Jim Collins’ “Good to Great” series. One theme that resonates the most with me is that building a team with the right people is even more important than deciding which problem you need to solve.
I have found that when you have talented, driven individuals around you that share a common goal, you can accomplish things that seem impossible or have no clear solution at the beginning. When you cultivate a high-trust environment, it makes feedback, raising uncertainty, and working through problems less daunting.
I feel very fortunate to lead a wonderful team, not only are they high-integrity and fun people to be around, but they are also relentlessly focused on how we can build better systems, tests, and processes to help patients every day. Seeing their dedication motivates me to bring my best self each day.
Mukti Parikh, Ph.D.
Data Science & AI Leader | Product Innovator | YC S15 | Scientific & Commercial Strategist | Cancer Biologist
Mukti Parikh is a principal data scientist with a cancer biology background, a Y Combinator-backed founder, and a product innovator with expertise in building AI-driven solutions, leading cross-functional teams, and scaling products from concept to commercial reality. She excels at aligning advanced science with business strategy to develop scalable solutions that optimize decision-making, accelerate product development, and unlock market opportunities. She loves taking on ambiguous challenges addressing AI/ML product development in the healthcare and life sciences sectors.
What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare & life sciences, and what keeps you motivated today?
It all started with a deep scientific curiosity that took root during my undergraduate years, gradually shaping into a strong intuition and drive to translate scientific discoveries into real-world solutions.
I was fascinated by the intricate complexity of biological systems and how their breakdown directly impacts human health. This curiosity led me to focus my PhD research on one of the most fatal diseases—cancer, specifically metastasis, the process by which cancer spreads.
However, a critical gap existed: no systems could reliably mimic metastasis and the tumor microenvironment, a fundamental driver of cancer progression. To address this, I developed one. In doing so, I realized a broader industry-wide challenge: drug developers lacked tools to assess their candidates in a physiologically relevant setting accurately. Recognizing the impact such systems could have on drug discovery, I co-founded zPREDICTA. I led innovation and commercialization of 3D cell culture platforms, helping pharma and biotech companies refine their drug development strategies.
Through this experience, I encountered even more profound challenges:
Data was vastly underutilized, limiting our ability to uncover new insights.
Transforming vast amounts of data into meaningful insights was a significant bottleneck.
Automating data-driven workflows could dramatically improve efficiency and decision-making.
These realizations drew me toward computational approaches, leading me to transition into data science and AI. Working in this field, the stakes are even higher. Whether in biomedical applications or beyond, I am driven by the challenge of turning complex data into actionable insights, building robust, reliable systems, and ensuring high-quality data because flawed insights can have serious consequences.
What advice would you give to someone looking to break into or advance in your field?
Embrace continuous learning - not just as a way to gain new skills, but as a mindset that drives long-term growth and leadership. I’ve found that staying relevant as a leader means constantly refining my skills, adapting to new challenges, and learning from diverse perspectives.
No matter where you are in your career, regularly assess your technical and non-technical skills, identify areas for improvement, and tackle them head-on even when it feels uncomfortable. Growth often comes from pushing through those challenges.
When I transitioned into data science, I didn’t let my lack of a formal computer science education hold me back. Instead, I first educated myself on what the transition required, then took foundational machine learning courses, and learned Python. I built a real-world machine learning project as part of a highly competitive, industry-focused program, where I developed an original ML model and showcased it to potential employers. Hands-on experience is key, the best way to learn is by doing.
Another invaluable strategy is to seek out people who excel in the skills you're developing, whether they’re engineers, data scientists, or industry leaders. Ask them what helped them improve, what resources they found useful, and what they wish they had known earlier. Learning from diverse perspectives can accelerate your growth and expose you to strategies you might not have considered.
What is a lesson you’ve learned along your career journey?
I used to believe that being a good leader meant always being likable. While it’s crucial to be approachable, I’ve learned that leadership is about authenticity and having the courage to stand by your convictions not for being right, but for the sake of the mission. I focus on making well-informed decisions that drive the best possible outcomes, even if they challenge existing ideas. Leadership isn’t about pleasing everyone, it’s about making thoughtful, impactful decisions that serve the bigger picture.
What’s one change you’d love to see in your industry to support more women in leadership roles?
One change I’d love to see in the industry is a more substantial commitment to mentorship and visibility for women early in their careers. I think everyone has leadership potential, it’s just a matter of having the right opportunities and people to help bring it out.
To make this change happen, we need both small and big actions. It starts with creating an environment where women can practice leadership skills, whether speaking up confidently, making strategic decisions, or leading initiatives.
On a larger scale, companies need to implement structured mentorship programs, advocate for equitable promotions, address the gender pay gap, and create leadership development opportunities that are accessible and intentional. When mentorship, visibility, and pay equity are prioritized at all levels, we create a system where more women can confidently step into leadership.
Ruanna Owens
Co-Founder & Lead Content Strategist @ Black Flower Design Studio | Digital Marketing | B2B SaaS | B2C
Ruanna Owens is the Co-Founder, Owner, and Lead Content Strategist of Black Flower Design Studio, helping small businesses thrive through website design and marketing solutions. She has a background in enterprise SaaS marketing and has experience spanning tech, ed tech, education, and nonprofits.
She received her Bachelor’s degree in English at California State University, Long Beach and then went on to teach English in Spain for a year. She received her Master’s degree and Teaching Credential from UC Berkeley and taught elementary school in inner city Oakland for half a decade. Then she pivoted to the private sector, working as a digital marketer and demand generation campaign manager for a global location tech company. She was also a chapter leader of Latinas in Tech Silicon Valley for over 3 years and is passionate about making the tech industry more inclusive and accessible to all.
What is a lesson you’ve learned along your career journey?
To keep an open mind, but always listen to your gut feelings and let your intuition be your guide. It may sound basic or cliche, but they will never lead you astray. In my first career as an educator, while I loved the work, the relationships I built with students, families, and colleagues, and knew I was doing meaningful work, after a number of years I was feeling burnt out and needed a change.
This led to pursuing a career pivot and I landed a job at a global location tech company, utilizing my writing skills as a digital marketer on their enterprise marketing team and traveling between the US and Amsterdam. At the time, I didn’t have much tech or corporate marketing experience, but I dove right in with my team, immersing myself in all there was to learn about content strategy, social media marketing, marketing campaigns, and building community. I was constantly learning and it was an incredible stepping stone in my career.
When I was unexpectedly laid off during a company restructuring – while I was pregnant – it was time for me to take another step back and reflect. While this was initially a vulnerable and emotional time, I decided to take the initiative, take the reins, and take a chance on myself. I made another pivot – this time into entrepreneurship. It’s incredibly rewarding to now be utilizing all of my skills from my previous roles and helping fellow small business owners succeed in their missions to help others as well.
At each of these junctions/different points in my career, taking the time to reflect and truly listen to what my heart is telling me has helped guide my career journey immensely. (Questions like: What are my values? What skills am I wanting to develop and utilize? What work feels meaningful to me? What is most important to me at this stage in my life and career?)
What advice would you give to someone looking to break into or advance in your field?
For marketing, I would say to just dive in and start learning! We live in a world where it’s never been easier to become a self-taught marketer, designer, entrepreneur, etc. In the corporate setting, be visible, get involved in diverse projects and groups, build relationships with people across roles, teams, and levels, and think outside the box about how you can use your skills to solve the problems that mean the most to the company.
In the entrepreneurship world, if you’re looking to start or grow your own business, networking is an incredible game-changer and I cannot stress this enough. It can be intimidating to know where to begin – the power of building relationships and immersing yourself in communities with fellow entrepreneurs and business owners can open up a whole new world of learning, growth, opportunities, and friendships that you could not have imagined.
Look up events (especially in person). Attend workshops. Strike up a conversation at your local coffee shop – some of my best networking has come from that. Keep building your network and helping others wherever you can – it will come back to you and become an endless circle of growth.
Stay Connected
If you’d like to connect with any of these incredible leaders, you can find their LinkedIn profiles below.
These five women are just a few of the many other women that I've had the pleasure of working with over the last two decades.
We look forward to sharing more people's stories in the coming months!
