SUSE Women in Technology event: Why AI’s next opportunity is also a leadership test
Executive Take
Companies that fund AI pilots without clear accountability are wasting money. Leaders who keep women confined to AI governance roles will miss out on their talent for building the actual products and models.
Executive Summary
At SUSE's Women in Technology event on August 5, 2026, SUSE's Margaret Dawson and Accenture's Krithiga Thakkar said enterprises have moved through the AI hype cycle quickly and are now demanding measurable ROI. Thakkar warned women often get pushed into AI governance roles rather than P&L, model, or architecture roles.
Why It Matters
HR and technology leaders need this because AI budgets are shifting from experimentation to funded programs with hard accountability. Leaders building diverse AI teams should note that women are being steered into oversight roles instead of P&L and architecture roles that build real influence.
Bizquad Perspective
The real risk isn't that women lack AI skills, it's that companies are quietly rebuilding old hierarchies inside new AI org charts and calling it progress.