Amal Bouguerch, Marketing Manager, Ankabut, shares insights on leadership, her take on AI, continuous learning, inclusion, and driving innovation in tech.
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, Amal Bouguerch 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?
Amal Bouguerch: I remember since I first stepped into the tech industry, I would often hear statements affirming that women’s greatest strength relies in their ability to be emotionally smart, be able to read the room or know what to say and when to say it. It was and still is true that women’s asset is in our soft skills and our ability to manage incredible emotional workloads in our daily lives, be it professional or personal.
As AI scales up, we see that executional or technical skills are being increasingly commoditized; so our greatest asset for years (our EQ) becomes a must, and our greatest differentiator in the workplace. The new expectation is therefore, in my view, not only staying up to date with AI advancements technically.
The actual leadership challenge today is in humanizing tech, giving it context and goals and we are well equipped to do that, we need to learn to channel it in the right way in our daily projects.
Tech is tech, AI is a tool and women are the bridge that give heart and meaning to it.
What is one structural barrier that still needs to change for women to scale into more C-level and board positions in tech?
Amal Bouguerch: This is an excellent question that hits home. I have recently attended a seminar for “breaking the ceiling” for women in tech in the Middle East, and this question was at the heart of it.
If I were to summarize the key observations from conversations with other women, it seems like there are a few things and not just one barrier:
- One is the gap between mentorship and sponsorship. We keep talking about mentorship programs and how these help women worldwide in achieving key skills, and I would agree with this. However, this reaches a dead-end soon. You learn most technical things, learn how to network, learn how to ghostwrite the perfect strategy for your C-suite, and then what? The most important piece is having a sponsor from the C-suite advocating for her and supporting her to be on that same board. Mentorship alone is never enough. As we say, walk the talk. Women deserve we walk with them to success, tangibly, and not just keep telling them they deserve it.
- The other important one is risk taking and associated risk penalty. Women statistically have been shown to be less risk taking than men, especially in business settings. The interesting fact is that this is not an inherent psychological trait, but rather a rational response to structural realities. The structural barrier here is that the margin error for women is extremely thin. I have seen this over and over in the tech industry where stakes are high: if a man fails a pilot, he is still perceived as bold for trying; if a woman does the same and fails, she is often seen as incompetent.
We therefore should work on giving women the psychological assurance that it is ok to take calculated risks, without them thinking it could derail or end their careers.
Was there a defining moment in your career that changed your trajectory?
Amal Bouguerch: Thinking back, I do not think there was a defining moment per se, but rather a major geographical and professional leap.
Earlier in my career, I had built my foundation working across markets in North Africa where I have started my career, and later in Asia. However, things have drastically changed after I moved to the UAE. There was some luck factor involved, of course, but it wasn’t all a chance.
This was made true thanks to a Senior Vice President I had worked with and who took a chance on me, and shifted from being a passive mentor to an active sponsor. He gave me good career advice, and pushed for me to make the move, spending his own political capital to get me permanently into this market and into a position that was very senior considering my age back then.
This has unlocked a whole new tech landscape for me and opened up many doors ever since, and I will forever be grateful for that.
What leadership trait has helped you the most in navigating the tech industry?
Amal Bouguerch: My preferred leadership style has always been a blend of servant and situational leadership, rooted entirely in compassion.
In the tech industry, everything you deal with daily is fast moving and high-stress. The only constant is change as everyone proudly says. However, this has direct impacts on employee morale. Having a rigid management style that is imposing would therefore break the team spirit. I’ve therefore found that true compassion linking back to the first question, is probably the most important trait.
Compassion does not only mean being kind or gentle to my team or coworkers, it especially is providing the right support to sometimes allow them room for creativity, and trial and error space for improved output. Some other times, I am in the trenches with them to figure out solutions to bottlenecks.
Adaptive empathy is an important trait to have so everyone around you can feel important, heard and truly working with you. You’d find that most people will then go above and beyond for you without being asked, the same you would for them.
Lastly, what practical advice would you give young women entering the AI and digital economy today?
Amal Bouguerch: My biggest piece of advise would be “Breathe the Tech”. Do not be a passive spectator, do not think you are not smart enough or brilliant enough to know the mechanics of it. It is much easier to stay at a high strategic theoretical level and keep repeating the same messages over and over again at every meeting, with everyone you meet.
However, this won’t make you stand out and it won’t make you exceptional. True confidence and enjoying what you do will only come from you stepping up to the challenge, being curious and having the growth mindset to always want to learn more.
I have spent hours of my free time reading about the technical aspects of every single product, I have had to sell or market, spent countless hours chatting to experts about AI, or listened to podcasts on data engineering and pipelines and their role in data products.
Even when it was not directly linked to my job, I still spent time reading about it. This made me feel at ease with the technology and has fueled my passion for it. By doing this you become an authority figure and the person others turn to for answers, instead of just another voice.
With this, there is no room for imposter syndrome, the whole space is for you, your true strength and your poise.
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.
