Upasna
Gautam
Product Manager at CNN
"Become a Conference Speaker"
"Become a Conference Speaker"
Thu June 10 - 10:50 AM EDT/New York (See in local time)
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05//2026 10:50 AM
05//2026 11:10 AM
America/New_York
#WTGC2026
"Become a Conference Speaker"
#WTGC2026
"Become a Conference Speaker"
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
https://www.womentech.net/ringcentral
"Become a Conference Speaker"
"Become a Conference Speaker"
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Session: Become a Conference Speaker
Women, on average, make up only 25% of all keynote or stand-alone speakers at tech conferences. This aligns with the tech industry’s larger gender gap issues, where only 20% of tech jobs are held by women.My mission is to galvanize women to cultivate the confidence and seek the opportunities that will amplify our representation on the speaker rosters in the tech conference circuit. As a seasoned public speaker, TED talker, and Shine Bootcamp Speaker Coach, I’ve put together the templates, resources, and guides from my own experiences so that you can kickstart your own journey. If this is the leap you’ve been thinking of taking, wait no more.
Take the first step, and don’t let imposter syndrome get in the way of your own untapped potential.
Key Takeaways
- Define a strong presentation topic
- Seek relevant speaking opportunities
- Craft a compelling proposal
Bio
Upasna is the Product Manager on the Editorial Experience team at CNN where she develops and optimizes the technological infrastructure that powers the domain. Prior to her Product Management role at CNN, Pas worked in SEO for a decade and has architected and managed the organic search strategies for many enterprise properties such as PCMag, Mashable, Ford Motor Company, Valvoline, Mars Corporation, Mars Pet Food, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and Kimberly-Clark.She has presented her thought leadership on digital product experience and search optimization at several tech conferences, including the Digital Summit series, Pubcon, SMX Advanced, Conductor C3, INBOUND, State of Search, and Advanced Search Summit. The highlight of her professional career was in May 2019, when she delivered her TED talk in Dallas, titled Optimizing for the Next Billion.
Now, Upasna’s mission is to empower women to cultivate confidence and seek the opportunities to amplify representation on the speaker rosters in the tech conference circuit. She regularly hosts workshops for women to teach them the tactics to define a topic, pitch events, and craft compelling proposals to get accepted to speak. Since launching her workshop series in September 2020, she has already helped over 250 women put their imposter syndrome aside to attain success as a conference speaker.