Renate
Cunneen
Vice President Solutions Integrations and Service Management at Scotiabank
"When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership"
"When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership"
Tue May 12 - 10:30 AM EDT/New York (See in local time)
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05/12/2026 10:30 AM
05/12/2026 10:50 AM
America/New_York
#WTGC2026
"When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership"
#WTGC2026
"When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership"
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"When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership"
"When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership"
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Session: When Skill Isn’t Enough: How Women Navigate Power, Politics, and Survival in Tech Leadership
Many women in technology believe that if they work hard, deliver results, and master their craft, success will follow. At senior levels, that is no longer true. Power, politics, and informal networks begin to matter more than performance — and women are rarely taught how to navigate them.In this candid executive-level talk, Renate Cunneen shares what she learned leading large-scale technology transformations inside highly complex financial institutions, where technical excellence was necessary but never sufficient. She explores why women are often penalized for the very traits that earn them promotions, how invisible power structures operate inside modern tech organizations, and how to protect your credibility, reputation, and future when you encounter resistance.
This session gives women a clear, practical framework for recognizing power dynamics, avoiding career-limiting traps, and positioning themselves for long-term influence — without compromising their values or their voice.
Key Takeaways
- 1. How to recognize when performance stops being enough and power dynamics begin to shape your career trajectory.
- practical framework for identifying hidden influence, informal networks, and decision-making structures inside technology organizations.
- How women can protect their credibility, reputation, and career capital when navigating political or high-risk environments.
- How women can protect their credibility, reputation, and career capital when navigating political or high-risk environments.
- Strategies for shifting from being valued for execution to being respected for leadership and influence.
Bio
Renate Cunneen is Vice President, Integration Solutions & Service Management at Scotiabank, where she leads global platforms, governance, and service management across Canada, Latin America, APAC, and International Banking. With more than 15 years of experience delivering enterprise-scale technology and transformation programs in financial services, she is known for turning complex, high-risk environments into disciplined, high-performing organizations.Renate did not follow a traditional path into technology. She left home before her 16th birthday and built her career without a formal technical background, learning the industry from the inside out while navigating environments that were often not designed for women to succeed. Her nonlinear journey — from personal upheaval to executive leadership — shapes her perspective on power, resilience, and what it truly takes to rise in modern technology organizations.
Today, she is a leadership speaker and author focused on helping women claim influence, navigate organizational politics, and build lasting, authentic success in technology.
