Nikita Kandath Marketing Manager EMEA at CommScope, on leadership, inclusion, and driving innovation in enterprise technology.
As part of Techitup Middle East’s International Women’s Day 2026 Leadership Series, we spotlight women leaders shaping the future of technology across the region. In this feature, Nikita Kandath shares her professional journey, leadership insights, and advice for women in tech.
We are entering a defining AI-driven era. How is AI changing leadership expectations for women in tech?
Nikita Kandath: AI is changing leadership expectations in two big ways: it’s raising the commercial bar, and it’s raising the responsibility bar. On the commercial side, marketing leaders are now expected to be deeply data fluent. AI allows us to move from broad campaigns to precision targeting, predictive insights, and measurable pipeline impact.
At the same time, AI forces us to be more intentional. The data we train models on, the audiences we prioritize, and the messaging we automate all shape who gets seen and who gets excluded. My passion for DE&I naturally connects here because inclusive marketing isn’t just values-driven, it’s growth-driven. The more representative our data and perspectives, the better our outcomes.
For women in tech, I think AI creates space to lead differently, to combine analysis with empathy, cross-functional influence, and responsible decision-making. Leadership in this era isn’t just about adopting AI tools, it’s about ensuring they drive intelligent, inclusive, and sustainable growth.
What is one structural barrier that still needs to change for women to scale into more C-level and board positions in tech?
Nikita Kandath: One structural barrier I’ve seen personally and amongst my peers is the unequal access to high-impact, revenue-driving roles in tech marketing. In B2B specifically, reaching the C-suite often hinges on having managed large P&Ls, led core go-to-market strategies, or owned major client relationships.
Yet, too often, women, including talented peers and colleagues I admire, are overrepresented in communications, demand generation, or other supporting functions. These roles are critical, but they don’t always put us in front of the decision-makers who shape business strategy.
Without intentional rotation into positions that control revenue, strategy, and customer impact, pathways to C-level or board roles stay narrow. What would work better is if organizations pair sponsorship with clear promotion criteria tied to measurable business outcomes and then deliberately give women the chance to lead high-stakes initiatives.
That combination doesn’t just open doors, it changes the culture of what leadership looks like.
Was there a defining moment in your career that changed your trajectory?
Nikita Kandath: Early in my career in B2B tech marketing, I was very comfortable leading campaigns, driving demand generation, and consistently delivering strong performance metrics. I was visible and high performing, but I was also largely executing against briefs rather than shaping the commercial direction of the business.
The defining moment came for me when I was given the opportunity to step into a more revenue-facing role where I was given an opportunity to lead a region, define the strategy and design programs that influenced business opportunities thereby contributing to the overall revenue of the regional business.
The change involved developing a go-to-market strategy in closer partnership with sales and distributors. It was the first time I had direct exposure to P&L conversations, pricing strategy, channel dynamics, and executive-level trade-offs. It reframed how I saw marketing, not just as a function that supports revenue, but as a function that shapes it.
It also changed how others saw me. I was no longer just the person delivering campaigns; I was part of the commercial strategy dialogue.
From that moment on, I realized that I had been playing it safe. I was delivering results, but I wasn’t always advocating for my own growth. Choosing to step into commercial accountability and strategic visibility felt risky at first, but it pushed me beyond execution into true leadership and that decision fundamentally changed my trajectory.
What leadership trait has helped you the most in navigating the tech industry?
Nikita Kandath: The leadership trait that has helped me most in navigating the tech industry is strategic empathy. Tech moves fast, priorities shift quickly, and you’re constantly working across functions, product, sales, finance, and partners. Being able to genuinely understand different stakeholders’ pressures while still aligning with everyone around a common commercial goal has been critical.
In B2B marketing especially, success isn’t just about launching campaigns, it’s about influencing without authority, translating technical value into business outcomes, and ensuring everyone feels heard while moving decisively. Strategic empathy allows me to build trust quickly, reduce friction, and drive alignment which is essential in tech where execution speed matters.
Lastly, what practical advice would you give young women entering the AI and digital economy today?
Nikita Kandath: My biggest advice to young women entering the AI and digital economy is, don’t wait to feel ready. AI can seem intimidating, the terminology, the speed, the perception that it’s only for deeply technical experts. But you don’t need to be the most technical person in the room to belong there.
Curiosity, commercial thinking, and the ability to connect technology to real human impact are just as powerful. And build networks early and intentionally. The digital economy moves quickly. Surround yourself with people who are experimenting, building, and sharing knowledge.
Seek mentors, but also peer networks. Community accelerates confidence.
This interview is part of the Techitup Middle East IWD 2026 Leadership Series, for women leaders who continue to accelerate innovation, champion diversity, and redefine the technology ecosystem across the Middle East and beyond.
