Ekta Shetty, Senior Director – Sales, Marketing & Customer Experience APAC, MEA, Turkey & CIS at Shure 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, Ekta Shetty 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?
Ekta Shetty: AI is changing the pace of work, and that naturally changes what leaders are expected to deliver. For women in tech, it also raises the bar on visibility and credibility because the focus is shifting from who can “do more” to who can think clearly, lead teams, and make responsible decisions.
AI can speed up outputs, but leadership still needs human judgment: understanding context, balancing risk, and building trust with customers and partners. At Shure, we see this clearly across collaboration and audio environments, technology only works when people are aligned.
The leaders who stand out will be the ones who can guide change with clarity, confidence, and integrity, and for both women and men, equally.
What is one structural barrier that still needs to change for women to scale into more C-level and board positions in tech?
Ekta Shetty: One barrier is that women are still not always included early enough in the spaces where major decisions, visibility, and progression happen. Mentorship exists, but sponsorship is still uneven. There is also a tendency for women to be assessed more with higher standards or expected to “prove” themselves repeatedly before being trusted at the next level.
Organisations can address this by making advancement and sponsorship more transparent, and by tracking who gets access to key opportunities and leadership exposure and why, based on only performance, and equal access to opportunities.
Was there a defining moment in your career that changed your trajectory?
Ekta Shetty: A defining shift for me was taking on a multi-region scope across markets with different cultures and levels of maturity. It taught me that leadership is not just execution, it is alignment, listening, and building consistency across people who may work very differently.
You also start to see progress as something you build through an ecosystem: internal teams, partners, and customers moving together. That experience strengthened my ability to stay calm in complex environments, and to keep focus on outcomes.
What leadership trait has helped you the most in navigating the tech industry?
Ekta Shetty: The trait that has been most transformative is Strategic Humility. In an industry that moves as fast as technology, the moment a leader believes they have all the answers is the moment they stop growing. We’ve found that the most effective way to navigate complexity is to remain a student of the industry while serving as a bridge for others.
This means having the strength to admit when a pivot is necessary and the empathy to ensure the team feels secure during that change.
We don’t lead from a pedestal; we lead from the heartbeat of the mission. By focusing on ‘unblocking’ the team rather than ‘convincing’ them, we create a culture where innovation feels safe and momentum is collective.
Lastly, what practical advice would you give young women entering the AI and digital economy today?
Ekta Shetty: The most practical advice is this: Build your ‘Technical Teeth’ but never lose your human edge. In the digital economy, technical literacy is your foundation. It’s what gives you the confidence to command any room. However, as AI handles more of the logic, your value will increasingly come from your intuition, your empathy, and your ability to manage the human context that machines simply cannot replicate.
Beyond the skills, stop waiting to feel ready. If you wait for 100% certainty, the opportunity will pass you by. Say yes to the impossible roles, find a tribe that refuses to let you stay small, and remember that protecting your energy; it isn’t a weakness, it’s how you stay in the game for the long run.
Real change doesn’t happen by just getting into the room, it happens when you finally feel safe enough to breathe as your raw, authentic self without apology.
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.
