Women Leaders In IT Sales, Marketing And the Channel Ecosystem
In celebration of International Women’s Day: Rights, equality, empowerment, ecosystem growth.
When we think of women in technology, the conversation often centers on STEM careers—coding, cybersecurity, engineering, and data science. While these roles are essential, they don’t tell the full story of women’s contributions to IT. Across sales, marketing, and the channel ecosystem, women are shaping how technology reaches customers, how partnerships fuel business growth, and how IT companies innovate beyond the lab.
Yet, these women remain underrecognized. The leadership bias in IT often prioritizes technical expertise over strategic, sales, and marketing acumen , despite the fact that these functions drive the industry’s financial success.
This International Women’s Day, as we celebrate rights, equality and empowerment, it’s time to redefine what leadership looks like in IT. True gender parity means valuing all leadership roles—including those that fuel business growth, build global partnerships, and transform go-to-market strategies.
The Business Of IT: Sales, Marketing And The Channel Are the Industry’s Backbone
For IT companies to thrive, they need more than just great technology—they need leaders who can sell, market, and distribute that technology effectively. Because what good is a technology without a route to market strategy?
- Sales: Relationship-driven professionals who secure deals, negotiate partnerships, and generate revenue.
- Marketing: Visionaries who shape brand narratives, position products, and drive demand.
- Channel Leadership: Strategists who orchestrate vendor, distributor, and partner ecosystems to scale global IT solutions.
The Numbers Tell The Story
Despite the critical role of these functions, women in IT leadership still face systemic barriers:
- Women hold only 26 percent of computing-related jobs, but even fewer rise to executive roles in sales, marketing, and the channel. (NCWIT, 2023)
- Companies with diverse leadership teams are 25 percent more likely to outperform peers in profitability. (McKinsey, 2023)
- Women in sales leadership outperform their male counterparts in closing deals, often through stronger relationship-building. (The Times, 2025)
The takeaway? Women in IT sales, marketing, and the channel aren’t just contributors—they’re essential to business success and long-term growth.
The Leadership Gap : Bias and Barriers In Non-Technical IT Roles
Despite their contributions, women in sales, marketing and channel leadership face a glass ceiling and sometimes a glass cliff .
[Related Article: Inclusion In Context: From The Ceiling To The Cliff]
Many IT organizations still favor technical backgrounds for executive roles, sidelining professionals with expertise in sales, partnerships, and marketing. The result? Women who drive business growth are often excluded from C-suite opportunities .
The barriers for women, regardless of intersection, remain high. According to Statista, in 2023, women held 14 percent of leadership positions in global tech companies, up from 8 percent in 2015. Across all industries, women accounted for only 6 percent of CEOs in 2022, with the IT and industrial sectors having the lowest share at just 3 percent.
Although specific data on female tech CEOs with backgrounds in sales, marketing, or channel leadership is limited, systemic biases often favor executives with technical backgrounds, further restricting women’s representation in these critical decision-making roles.
This isn’t just a leadership issue—it’s a missed business opportunity. Here are three women who prove just that.
Thai Lee: The Visionary Behind SHI International
One of the most powerful yet overlooked figures in IT is Thai Lee , CEO of SHI International, the largest woman- and minority-owned IT company in the United States .
Born in Bangkok, Thailand, Lee moved to the United States for high school. She was part of the first co-ed freshman class at Amherst College, where she earned a double major in biology and economics. After working at Procter & Gamble and American Express, she took an unconventional path: buying a small software reseller with her then-husband for under $1 million in 1989 .
Under her leadership, SHI International grew organically into a global IT powerhouse with thousands of employees and a multi-billion-dollar revenue stream.
Today, SHI is the largest MWBE (Minority/Woman-Owned Business Enterprise) in the U.S., operating as a major player in IT distribution, services, and software solutions . In being led by a woman, it has redefined what leadership in IT looks like.
Lee’s journey proves that business acumen, not just technical expertise, is a powerful driver of IT success .
Denise Millard: Dell’s Partner Ecosystem Architect And Channel Chief
As chief partner officer at Dell Technologies , Denise Millard leads Dell’s global partner strategy, ensuring Dell’s most strategic partners thrive. Millard spearheaded partner enablement programs t hat accelerate revenue growth, leading to the integration of Dell and EMC in 2016, aligning sales and partner ecosystems.
Her career and commitment to mentorship at Dell shows that IT leadership is about more than technical knowledge—it’s about building partnerships that shape the ecosystem, not and in the future.
Claudia Gomez Llamas: A Global Leader In IT Strategy And Sales
With over 28 years of experience in business strategy, marketing, and sales, Claudia Gomez Llamas is a powerhouse in the IT ecosystem. At Schneider Electric, Gomez Llamas is known for building high-performing global teams that drive revenue growth. Her expertise in cross-functional collaboration and transformative leadership has positioned her as a key figure in the industry. Passionate about customer-centric strategies that deliver long-term success, she exemplifies how IT success isn’t just built on innovation but on strategic execution.
Empowering Women in IT Sales, Marketing And Channel Leadership
To close the leadership gap, companies must invest in women’s leadership development beyond STEM careers. The way I see it, there are four steps to driving change:
- Rethinking IT Leadership – Recognize sales, marketing, and channel leadership as equally valuable to technical roles .
- Expanding Leadership Development – Provide sponsorship, mentorship, and executive training tailored for women in business functions.
- Increasing Visibility – Women in sales and marketing should have equal representation in leadership succession planning .
- Prioritizing Inclusion – Ensure women of color, LGBTQ+ women, and women in developing economies have access to leadership opportunities.
Achieving Gender Parity In ALL Forms of Leadership
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s time to expand our definition of IT leadership .
Achieving gender parity means recognizing all leadership roles , including but not limited to technical ones . Women in sales, marketing, and the channel ecosystem are driving IT’s future—it’s time they receive the recognition, investment, and opportunities they deserve. This International Women’s Day, our call to action is simple:
- Recognize non-technical leadership as equally valuable in IT.
- Invest in leadership training for women beyond STEM.
- Champion diverse, intersectional leadership in IT organizations.
The future of IT isn’t just in code—it’s in strategy, storytelling, partnerships, and relationships. It’s time for the industry to embrace all forms of leadership and celebrate the women shaping its success.
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