Maleeha Riaz, Head of Marketing, Middle East & Southeast Asia (MESEA) at NMK Electronics, a Midwich Group Company, 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, Maleeha Riaz 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?
Maleeha Riaz: There is no doubt that AI is accelerating content, data analysis, customer insights, and automation. For me, AI has reinforced that leadership is about discernment and direction. We, as leaders, can generate insights faster, forecast trends earlier, and optimise decisions more efficiently. But the responsibility to align that intelligence with commercial goals, brand positioning, and ecosystem growth still sits with us.
What matters most is human interaction and a deep understanding of the surrounding business landscape. Execution can be enhanced by AI. Strategy requires perspective. Context requires experience. Relationships require trust.
For women in tech, this era is powerful because AI democratizes access to tools and intelligence. What differentiates leaders now is not technical dominance, but clarity, confidence, and the ability to connect technology to real business outcomes.
In my role, I see that the future belongs to leaders who combine digital fluency with emotional intelligence. While fully utilising AI as a strategic tool, we must continue to lead with insight, industry understanding, and human connection. That balance is what will define effective leadership in this new era.
What is one structural barrier that still needs to change for women to scale into more C-level and board positions in tech?
Maleeha Riaz: One structural barrier that still needs to change is who gets early exposure to commercial decision-making.
In my own journey, growth accelerated when I moved beyond pure marketing execution and into roles that directly influenced revenue, regional strategy, and ecosystem development. That shift from visibility-driven work to commercially accountable work changed how I was perceived and how I contributed.
The reality is that many women are highly capable, but are not always positioned early enough in P&L-driven or revenue-critical roles. C-level pathways are built through commercial responsibility, not just performance. If access to those roles is delayed, progression is delayed.
We also need to move from passive mentorship to active sponsorship. Advice is helpful. Advocacy is transformative. When senior leaders deliberately place women in stretch assignments and high-stakes environments, the pipeline strengthens naturally.
If we want more women at board level, the change cannot start at the board. It must start much earlier, in how we assign opportunity, exposure, and risk.
Was there a defining moment in your career that changed your trajectory?
Maleeha Riaz: Earlier in my career, success was measured by campaigns delivered and visibility achieved. But when I began aligning marketing directly with revenue, regional expansion, training ecosystems, and long-term brand positioning, my perspective changed. I moved from asking “How do we promote this?” to “How do we build something sustainable?”
There was a point where I was given responsibility beyond just communications, across regions, across functions, and closer to commercial strategy. That trust pushed me to think differently. It required me to understand numbers, negotiation, operational realities, and business direction, not just messaging.
That transition from execution to ownership fundamentally changed my trajectory. It taught me that leadership begins when you take responsibility for impact, not just output.
What leadership trait has helped you the most in navigating the tech industry?
Maleeha Riaz: Optimistic resilience.
The tech industry does not slow down. Markets shift, strategies evolve, and priorities change quickly. Early in my leadership journey, I realized that pressure and uncertainty are not exceptions, they are constants. What defines you is how you respond.
There was a moment when we were leading a major regional initiative across multiple markets with tight timelines and moving variables. It would have been easy to focus on constraints. Instead, I chose to focus on possibility. We adapted, recalibrated, and delivered stronger than expected. That experience reinforced something important for me: optimism is not naïve, it is strategic.
Resilience keeps you steady. Optimism keeps you building. And when you pair that with enabling others to step up, take ownership, and grow, you create momentum that goes beyond one person.
Lastly, what practical advice would you give young women entering the AI and digital economy today?
Maleeha Riaz: First, build commercial awareness alongside technical skills. Understanding how businesses generate revenue and create value will set you apart far more than mastering tools alone.
Second, speak before you feel fully ready. Confidence often follows action, not the other way around. Your voice in strategic conversations matters earlier than you think.
Third, use AI as a tool, not a crutch. Let it enhance your productivity, sharpen your analysis, and accelerate your learning, but lead with your own thinking, industry understanding, and perspective. Your uniqueness is your differentiator.
Finally, build relationships intentionally. Technology evolves quickly, but ecosystems drive opportunity. The connections you nurture today will shape the doors that open tomorrow.
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.
