Women in Tech Leadership

Earned My Seat.
Not given. Not inherited.
Built.

A dedicated coaching strand for women navigating the path from technical expert to technology executive — developed by a coach who has walked the exact path, not observed it from the outside.

Doina Popa was the 3rd female Salesforce CTA in the world, the first outside the United States. She went on to hold CTO and CIO roles leading 250+ person global teams at Capgemini and Barclays. InnoTrue was founded because the gap between capability and recognition affects women in technology disproportionately — and generic diversity programs do not close it.

The problem

Three dynamics show up again and again for women in technical leadership — and most development programs do not address them from the inside.

Technically excellent.
Consistently underestimated.

🎯
The visibility gap
The work speaks for itself — except it doesn't. Women in Salesforce and technology consistently deliver exceptional work that goes unrecognised because visibility, narrative, and executive presence are not taught in any technical curriculum.
🪞
The credibility trap
Being overqualified and still not being seen. Preparing more than anyone in the room and still being asked to prove more. The ceiling is not competence — it is the persistent gap between what women in tech can do and how they are perceived.
🌍
The coaching gap
Most executive coaching for women in tech is delivered by coaches who have never held a CTO or CIO role in enterprise technology. Generic diversity modules cannot close a gap they do not understand from the inside.
Why this is different

Built by someone who
earned her seat.

The phrase "Earned My Seat" is Doina's own — first used in a WomenTech Network interview in February 2026. It captures the core of what she coaches: closing the gap between what you are capable of and how you are seen — when nobody hands you anything.

01
Lived C-suite experience
CTO at Capgemini. CIO at Barclays. 250+ person global team. Not a theoretical framework — a direct transfer of operating knowledge from someone who has been in the seat you are working towards.
02
Technical credibility
Salesforce CTA. 28 certifications. Active Review Board Judge. The coaching is grounded in a domain your coach understands at the deepest level — not from the outside looking in.
03
Professional coaching rigour
ICF PCC. EMCC Senior Practitioner. Hogan Assessor. This is not mentoring dressed up as coaching — it is evidence-based development with the structure and accountability of professional practice.
04
The same path, walked first
Rebuilt a career from scratch in a new country. Auto-rejected by Salesforce, then joined and became top EMEA. 3rd female CTA in the world. Every ceiling she coaches others through, she has already broken.
Who this is for

For women who are serious.

⚡
Senior architects preparing for the CTA
Who want a coach and judge who has been through the Review Board as a woman — and understands both the technical and the human dimensions of that challenge.
🎯
Technical leaders navigating the executive transition
Moving from principal architect to CTO, VP, or director — and hitting the invisible wall where technical excellence is no longer enough on its own.
🌍
Women in tech who want a coach who gets it
Who has navigated enterprise politics, imposter syndrome, career rebuilds, and the specific dynamics that women face in male-dominated technology organisations — from lived experience, not a textbook.
How it works

Not a separate program.
A dedicated lens.

Earned My Seat is not a standalone product — it is how Doina coaches women within the existing InnoTrue programs. Every engagement draws on the full InnoTrue methodology, applied through the specific context of navigating technology leadership as a woman.

FOR CTA CANDIDATES
CTA Immersion
Full CTA preparation with a judge who understands the specific dynamics women face in the Review Board. Technical mastery plus the presence and narrative work that makes the difference.
Explore CTA Immersion →
FOR LEADERS
Breakthrough Accelerator
The three-phase coaching journey — Ignite, Elevate, Lead — tailored for women navigating the architect-to-executive transition in enterprise technology.
Explore Coaching & Leadership →
FOR ORGANISATIONS
Corporate Cohorts
Dedicated women-in-tech-leadership cohorts within corporate programs. Organisations can sponsor individual or group engagements as part of their D&I and talent development strategy.
Book a Discovery Session →
The content series

Earned My Seat —
20 posts. Four modules.

The Earned My Seat LinkedIn series explores the real dynamics that shape women's careers in technology — the visibility gap, the credibility trap, career rebuilds, and what it actually takes to operate at the executive level. Drawing directly on Doina's own career journey.

Module 1
Foundation & Identity
What "earned my seat" actually means. Setting the frame — technical mastery alone is not enough. The gap between capability and recognition.
Module 2
The Invisible Barriers
The credibility trap. The double bind. The specific dynamics women face in enterprise technology that generic career advice does not address.
Module 3
Building from Scratch
Career rebuilds, starting over, choosing growth over comfort. Drawing on Doina's own experience of rebuilding from zero in a new country.
Module 4
Operating in the Seat
What changes once you get there. Board-level dynamics, executive presence, and what nobody tells you about the CTO and CIO role.
Follow the series on LinkedIn →
Start here

One conversation.
Honest clarity.

The Clarity Session is 60 minutes with Doina — a candid assessment of where you are and what it would take to close the gap. No obligation to continue. The fee is fully credited to any program if you do.

Book a Clarity Session → View all programs