Careerquake™ = Disrupted → Disruption Master | Helping C-Suite Architect Your Disruption (Before Disruption Architects You)
Singapore, Singapore
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About
I was raised in a small Malaysian town where expectations were loud and options were few. I wanted to be a pianist. Instead, I studied Computer Science, built a 23-year career running commercial organisations across Asia Pacific, and eventually hit my own Careerquake - that moment when the title, the inbox, and the identity all disappeared at once. That moment became a methodology. And a mission.
Today, I help leaders stay indispensable through reinvention, relevance, and the courage to rewrite the script. That conviction gave birth to Careerquake, a framework I built from the inside out. Four pillars, 12 skills, one diagnostic. It separates leaders who stay indispensable from those who get quietly outpaced. Not by younger talent or AI, but by their own reluctance to reinvent.
Years ≠ Experience. Experience ≠ Relevance.
Relevance is the only currency that compounds.
More than two decades at enterprise scale, from engineer to Sales VP, with VMware, IBM, and Dell EMC. Built businesses from zero to $200M in under two years and went on to lead billion plus dollar businesses. Most advisors have corporate scale or entrepreneurial grit. I've lived both.
That same instinct to build what doesn't exist yet led me to co-found communities that now reach over 11,000 women across Asia and globally, because the women around me were already indispensable, they just hadn't been told yet. RAW with Uma takes that further: unscripted conversations with leaders on reinvention, failure, and what it actually takes.
Whether I'm building communities, launching ventures, or teaching the 12 skills of reinvention, everything I do helps leaders stay indispensable when the old rules no longer apply.
If you're exploring keynotes, executive programmes, or private coaching for 2026, DM me. I work with a small number of organisations and individuals deliberately
I don't believe in following old scripts. I believe in rewriting them before disruption rewrites them for you.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisMost LinkedIn advice is written for people who post for a living, not for women who run things for a living. You're not here to become a content creator. You've had enough of tips on posting daily. You're not trying to grow an audience you'll have to feed. Neither were the women who registered for my Apr 30 workshop this week. They were: → A senior leader at a global consumer company, stepping into the biggest visibility moment of her year. → A senior technical expert who's been deep in one industry for a long time, navigating a recent step up and realising her profile no longer matches the level she operates at. → A senior leader in the tech-to-fintech space, exploring what's next and wanting to be found by the right opportunities instead of the wrong ones. → A long-tenured enterprise sales leader whose profile has sat untouched for years. She said herself the profile was boring, and she'd already started looking for someone to hire for her personal brand before she found the workshop. → A woman who left corporate after decades to build something of her own, and now needs the market to know what she actually stands for. Different industries, different countries, different career stages, but one thing in common between them. Every one of these women can describe, in vivid detail, the strengths of her team, her company, her peers, and her clients. And every one of them pauses when someone asks her to describe what she, specifically, is the expert in. If you've been reading this and you've been nodding, that gap is probably yours too. That's the gap the workshop closes. It teaches you how to describe your own expertise clearly enough that the market and the rooms that actually matter can find you by it. It's about being findable as the expert you already are, on the platform where the decisions about your next role get made before you ever walk into the interview. If one of those five situations is you, every week you wait is another week of watching other senior women get visible while your profile still says nothing about what you stand for. I'm running Unlock LinkedIn 2026 with Jingjin Liu on Thu Apr 30. It's live on Zoom, and everyone who registers gets the recording, plus the assets and AI prompts I built and tested myself — prompts that personalize to your story, your seniority, and your voice, not the generic LinkedIn templates everyone else is pasting into ChatGPT. Details in the comments. Which of the five is closest to where you are right now?
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisA Director I coach is being sidelined from her own team's strategic meetings. Her team member gets invited to the strategic meetings where budget and resources get decided. She doesn't. She's the manager. I asked her how the room sees her. "Fixer. Not thought leader." she said Then she asked me where that label came from. I asked her back. Did someone tell you that? Or did you work it out from watching how people respond to you? Long pause. Nobody had told her. She'd figured it out from the pattern. The hard projects kept landing on her desk. The strategic ones kept landing somewhere else. Seven years in, she'd quietly accepted being the one who fixes things while someone else gets invited to shape them. Three tells that you've been cast as the fixer: → Your portfolio is where less-priority programmes from other teams get parked. → You get briefed after decisions, not before. → Your team member gets invited to the strategic meeting. You don't. This is what a careerquake looks like before the earthquake hits. You're still in the seat. Still performing. Still delivering every quarter. And the rooms where the actual decisions get made are making calls without you in them. A title alone will not compensate for being out of the room. The reason her team member gets invited and she doesn't. Her team member is described, externally and internally, as the expert on that emerging topic. She's been described, for seven years, as the one who rescues other teams' work when their priorities drop. Same company. Same seniority. Different story being told about them. You don't fix being the fixer by working harder or delivering more. You fix it by changing what the room hears about you before you even walk in. The external signal is what rewrites the internal one. If nobody outside your company can find a point of view from you, the people above you won't find one either. They'll keep casting you as the safe pair of hands who rescues everyone else's work. Permission doesn't get granted in senior rooms. It gets claimed. By the women who already made sure, externally and consistently, that everyone knew where they stood and what they were the expert in. I'm running Unlock LinkedIn 2026 with Jingjin Liu on Thu Apr 30. It's a workshop about making the external signal so clear and so consistent that the internal room has no choice but to catch up. Live on Zoom. Everyone who registers gets the recording, plus the assets and AI prompts I built and tested myself - prompts that personalize to your story, your seniority, and your voice, not generic LinkedIn templates everyone else is pasting into ChatGPT. What's the room you're not in right now that you should be?
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisI have to confess - I've been this woman. I went years barely touching my LinkedIn profile. I could write a board paper at midnight, close a deal over email before breakfast, and then freeze for weeks at my own About section. That's the pattern I'm seeing in the women who signed up for the April 30 workshop. They all filled out an intake form. Senior women - VPs, Consultants, Directors, Founders. Women building global businesses, women with Stanford pedigrees, women leading APAC for $2B companies. And when we asked what was stopping them from fixing their LinkedIn, the two most common answers were the same ones I would have given seven years ago. "I don't know where to start." "I'm not sure what to say about myself." Not "no time." Not "I'm scared of being seen." Not "I don't understand the algorithm." It was the language. That's the careerquake pattern most people miss. These women can describe a customer's problem in three sentences. They can describe a market opportunity in five. They can describe their team, their strategy, their P&L, and their board's concerns. Ask them to describe themselves and something locks. I keep thinking about why. Twenty-five years of senior work teaches you a specific kind of language. It's the language of explaining everyone else's value. The customer's. The shareholder's. The product's. The team's. You get promoted on how well you can articulate other people's worth. We weren't taught how to describe our own. And when we asked them what would make the workshop a 10/10, almost every answer used the same word. Practical. No inspiration. No mindset work. No confidence-building pep talk. Just - show me the edits. Show me what to put in the headline. Show me how to write the About section so it sounds like me on my best day, not my resume on its worst. If you recognise yourself in this, the workshop on April 30 with Jingjin Liu is where we do the work together. Line by line. Link in the comments.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisA Director I coach asked a senior executive for 30 minutes. She was declined. Fourteen months later, she's still paying for it. Both came from consulting. The ask was reasonable, bounded, and specific. No explanation given. Fourteen months later, she came to me. She had just turned around two portfolios that her predecessor had left in red. She wanted to think about optionality - a 12-month plan to move laterally or out. The problem wasn't her delivery. From everything I could see and sense, it was exceptional. The problem was that the person she needed in her corner had already formed a view of her. Months before, when she wasn't in the room. From a narrative she didn't control. That's the careerquake pattern I see in senior women over and over. You do the work. You recover the portfolio. You stabilise the team. And somewhere above you, quietly, someone has already decided who you are based on a story you weren't part of telling. It makes me furious. Visibility is not a marketing exercise. It is reputation insurance. You build it before you need it, because the moment you need it, the people who could help you have already made up their minds. I've had to learn this the hard way myself. After working with more than 100 senior women - Directors, VPs, Heads across tech, financial services, pharma, infrastructure - the one move that consistently repositions them fastest is not a post or a pitch. It is a message to one person who already saw them at their best. A former colleague. An ex-boss who moved on. Someone who saw you operate at your level, in your prime. That person carries a different story about you than the one being written above your head today. Network before you need the network. One move to do today. Send this message to one person outside your company: "𝘏𝘪 [𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦] - 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 [𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦] 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 [𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦], 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 [𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘰]. 𝘐'𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘺 - 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦, 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴. 𝘕𝘰 𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘰𝘳𝘣𝘪𝘵." You don't send it because you need something today. You send it because the day you need it is the day it is already too late. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘳𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 90-𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘯 𝘈𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘭 30 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 Jingjin Liu 𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦. 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisWhen senior women ask me how to protect their careers, they expect me to say "get a sponsor." I tell them: Google yourself first. The silence is always the same. Because most of them have never done it. Or they did it once, five years ago, and assumed nothing had changed. Here's the test. Google your name today. Can you fill a full page of results with what you're actually known for? Is what shows up the level you're operating at now? Or the level you were at five years ago? Then do the 2026 version. Ask ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude: "Tell me about [your name] and what they're known for." Read what comes back. That's what a board you want to sit on, a CEO you want to advise, or a company you want to work for is reading about you. If what you see is thin, wrong, or five years behind - your visibility problem is bigger than you think. And no amount of internal delivery will fix it. A few months ago, one of the women I'm coaching landed her Operations Director promotion. In the same message she shared the news, she asked me about LinkedIn. Not how to find a new job. Not how to post more. She said she wanted to approach it in a way that reflected the level she was operating at. Not just more activity. That's the move most senior women miss. After working with more than 100 senior women - Directors, VPs, Heads of function, across tech, financial services, pharma, infrastructure - the same concerns keep coming up. Work that's seen only inside the business unit. Managers controlling the upward narrative. The vague sense that social is now their CV, and no one ever taught them what to do with it. This is what a careerquake looks like before the ground moves. You're senior. You're delivering. You're "safe." And the only people who know what you actually do are the people close enough to see it. If those people leave. Or restructure. Or get replaced. Your story leaves with them. The women I work with aren't learning to "do LinkedIn." They're learning to build the externally visible leadership that internal politics can't take away from them. The ones who figure this out before they need it are the ones with options. The ones who wait until they need it are the ones with regrets. If you want to stop being the best-kept secret in your company, I'm running a 90-minute workshop on April 30 with Jingjin Liu on exactly this. Link in the comments.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisA few years ago, I was preparing for a Monday forecast call. I was running a business across Asia Pacific and Japan, eating lunch at my desk. I reached behind my back, and my right arm just locked. I thought maybe I'd slept funny. I figured I'd stretch it out later. No time to fuss about it now. I went into the call. Then, at the end of the day, the right arm still wouldn't go below my lower back. So I did the normal things. Physio. Manual therapy. Massage. My trainer ran through the exercises the physio gave me. I had to be the one connecting the dots between all of them because none of them were talking to each other. My physio couldn't tell me what it was. Nobody could. It took over a year just to figure out what it was. Nobody told me this was a symptom. Nobody told me about the weight either. One random morning, none of my tops fit. I was 62kg. I went up to 72. I'm 69 now, after HRT and muscle increase from strength training. I didn't have the language for any of it. I was 46 when I figured it out. Not from a doctor. From reading everything I could find, and from talking to friends in their 50s who'd already walked through it. There's so many symptoms we can't even name all of them. Every woman's list is different. Here's what I keep thinking about. I was senior. I had budget, access, a company doctor a call away. And I still lost a year of my body before I connected the dots. What happens to the women who don't have any of that? Or the women whose bodies start shifting the same year their careers start getting quietly rewritten? On Thursday, I sat on a stage in Singapore at a perimenopause panel and said the kg numbers out loud for the first time. I wanted to take them back the second they left my mouth. I had to leave right after, before anyone could come up. So they found me on LinkedIn instead. About thirteen of them, by that evening. All saying the same thing: me too. We don't have the language yet because no one has been handing it to us. So maybe we hand it to each other. Maybe you have a symptom you're still not sure is a symptom? 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘐𝘯. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘵: 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘵: 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘦. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯: 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisShe spent 18 years in corporate, worked her way to Director level, and built a reputation that nobody questioned. LinkedIn untouched for six months. Last year she finally left, on her terms, with a clear offer, a website, and clients already in mind. That's a careerquake, not a launch problem. The moment your entire professional identity shifts, and the platform that knew you as a corporate leader has no idea who you are now. The old assumption is that your reputation follows you when you leave. The reality is that LinkedIn's algorithm doesn't carry your credibility across. It only knows what you've shown it recently, and six months of silence tells it you've disappeared. 82% of B2B decision-makers say content from trusted voices on LinkedIn influences their purchasing decisions. Your future clients are already forming a view of who to trust before they ever reach out. Three of my last five clients told me they'd been reading my posts for months before they ever reached out. The algorithm delivered them to me, but only because I showed up. Here's what actually works, before and after you launch: Before you go live: 1️⃣ Lock your positioning with one sentence: "I help [who] with [what problem] so they can [outcome]." Most people skip this and go straight to posting, then wonder why nothing lands. Unclear identity is almost always the reason. 2️⃣ Rewrite your profile for now, not then. Your headline should reflect what you do today, not your old title. Your About section should open with who you help and with what. Write your consultancy in the Experience section like a services page. Most women rewrite their headline last. It should be first, because it's the line the algorithm reads before deciding who sees you. 3️⃣ Spend a week warming the algorithm before you post anything. Ten to fifteen meaningful comments a day, your actual perspective. The mistake I see constantly is commenting on posts in the old industry. That teaches LinkedIn you're still there, not here. Once you're live: 4️⃣ Run a four-week sprint at two to three posts a week. Week 1: why you started and who you help. Week 2: a problem you've solved. Week 3: your point of view on your industry. Week 4: a soft ask. Most skip Week 1 as it feels self-indulgent. It's actually the highest-converting week, people buy from people they understand, not people they've just discovered. 5️⃣ Set aside fifteen minutes a day for five comments on posts by people who fit your ideal client profile, and three connection requests to people in that same group who engaged with your content. That consistency keeps you visible to the right audience between posts, which is where most people quietly disappear. Your clients aren't waiting for you to feel ready. They're on LinkedIn right now, deciding who to trust with their next chapter. Make sure it's you they find. If you're launching in the next 90 days and your profile still says your old job title, this workshop is for you. Link in comments.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisI helped a friend build a LinkedIn strategy for her client using AI. Here's exactly how we did it. She's a senior executive who left the corporate world. Now she works part time for a consultancy, and part of the value she provides is helping clients use LinkedIn to grow their business. This particular client sells an AI solution to state governments in Malaysia. 17 customers. Wants 60. The CEO has a LinkedIn profile, but it's not doing any work for him. She'd been trying to use AI to build the strategy, but it wasn't great. The outputs were generic. Unusable. She was getting frustrated. So I sat next to her, and we worked through it together. The first output she showed me was exactly what you'd expect from a basic prompt. "Position yourself as a thought leader." "Post consistently." "Engage with your audience." Here's what we changed: 1️⃣ Start with the conversion goal, not the content. We prompted: "This company has developed an AI solution for state governments. This person is going to start posting on LinkedIn. The goal is for the right customers to read about their capability and reach out. The customer profile is in the government space. Research this company and this person's LinkedIn profile. Come back with what's working, what's not, and what needs to change." The AI came back with a diagnostic. Better, but still generic. 2️⃣ Teach the AI how LinkedIn actually works. We prompted: "Now study LinkedIn's algorithm deeply. Based on everything you learn, adapt your recommendations so they work in his favour and drive conversions." This changed the output. The AI stopped suggesting things that don't matter (like hashtags) and started focusing on what does: profile and about section update, comment depth, network connections, etc. 3️⃣ Ask for a structure before the plan. We prompted: "I want to create a document I can send to him. Before you build it, brainstorm what's a good structure for a CEO who doesn't have time. Once you come up with it, debate any gaps, then revise." The AI came back with a phased structure. One-time foundation. Weekly rhythm. 90-day milestones. 4️⃣ Now build the plan. We prompted: "Now build this for him. Step by step. First thing he needs to change. Second thing. What to post on day one. whom to engage with. What to say." The output wasn't "be more visible." It was: here's your new headline, here's your About section rewritten for search, here's your first post, here are five profiles to comment on this week, here's exactly what to say. That's the difference between AI advice and AI strategy. Generic prompts give you generic output. Specific goals (who's the customer, what's the conversion, what action do you want) give you something you can actually deliver. This is exactly what I'm going to teach in my upcoming workshop. How to use AI to build a LinkedIn strategy that actually works. Not generic advice, but specific, actionable plans you can use for yourself or your clients. 🔗 Link below.
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Uma Thana Balasingam shared thisEvery major leap in my career came because someone else made a call, made an introduction, or said my name in a room I wasn't in yet. That's what sponsorship does. It moves you forward when your CV can't. The data shows that women get less of it. McKinsey's 2025 Women in the Workplace report found that only 31% of entry-level women have a sponsor, compared to 45% of men. Same talent. Same ambition. Different access. Sponsorship usually happens behind closed doors. Inside the same company. In hushed conversations between people who already know each other. It's the most powerful relationship currency, so it only goes to a few. I wanted to break every one of those rules. That's why I built Walk the Talk. No boardrooms. No suits. No secret conversations. Just 300 people walking side by side along Singapore's waterfront out in the open, where women with a specific ask are matched with senior male leaders who were briefed on her profile the night before. Every pairing is done by hand. This goes beyond mentorship. Mentors give advice. Sponsors give access. They pick up the phone. They make the introduction. They say your name when you're not in the room. That's what Walk the Talk is designed to produce. I built this platform specifically for men. There are many spaces where senior women lean in to support other women. I wanted to create a structured way for men in power to step up as active allies. What I've found is that so many men want to do more. They just haven't had a platform to do it. 2026 is the most urgent year yet. Singapore's retrenchments hit 14,400 in 2025 - up from 12,930 the year before. MAS expects hiring to slow further in 2026 amid global uncertainty. The market is tighter, the competition is sharper, and the women who will move forward are the ones with sponsors in their corner. On May 15, 2026, 100 of the most senior male leaders in Singapore - C-suite executives, venture capital partners, founders - will walk alongside up to 300 women. This is the third and biggest year yet. One woman got the introduction she'd chased for two years. Another got a door opened she didn't know how to knock on. Both in one morning. Jana Marlé-Zizková, Jingjin Liu and I started this because we believe sponsorship shouldn't stay behind closed doors and be accessible to all women. Three years in, we believe it even more. The only way to grow your power is to give it away. Walk the Talk 2026 is presented with Digital Edge DC, alongside event sponsors Dynatrace , Ambition, and Slab Coffee. 📅 May 15 📍 Singapore 👩🦳 This event is for women only. 👨 Male leaders attend by invitation. 🎫 https://lnkd.in/gwtg4CZ7 If you're ready to ask for what you need, we'll match you with someone who can move it forward. Lean In Network, Singapore | THE ELEVATE GROUP | She Loves Data
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Uma Thana Balasingam reacted on thisUma Thana Balasingam reacted on this🍀 End of Week Reflection 🍀 24.4.2026 | Friday Last Thursday morning, I had the privilege of being part of a deeply honest panel on 'When Perimenopause Shows Up at Work', sitting alongside an incredible moderator, Dr Yian San SEOW with two amazing ladies, Diana May Kim TAN and Uma Thana Balasingam. This session is one of several discussions at the Flash Forward Summit 2026. Kudos to Grace Oh of Sol (Spring of Life) for creating space for deeper conversations the 2nd year running. I shared some parts of my own journey ➡️ navigating perimenopause while working part time, closing chapters of a relationship and being a caregiver. It not entirely easy to speak up and speak out. 🗣️ But silence does not make these experiences less real. I think it makes our burdens heavier to bear. There are many organisations in Singapore (the smaller local enterprises) which may not have big budgets and the resources to institutionalize formal menopause support. But I believe that every workplace can start with something simple and powerful ❤️ kindness and understanding at the individual level. Everyone has a back story and some may be navigating bigger challenges silently. For many women, the challenge isn’t performance. It’s not knowing how to name what we are experiencing, or who to talk to, or whether it’s 🆗 to ask for help. Did I share too much? Perhaps. Or maybe I didn’t. To normalize conversations such as these, someone has to lead the way. And if my sharing that day helped even one woman feel less alone, and encourages them to seek help, then it was well worth it. ✨💫 Let’s keep choosing kindness.💞🫶 It changes more than what we can comprehend. Wishing everyone a gentle weekend coming up. 🌟 #portfoliocareer #boardadvisor #boarddirector #boardmember #portfoliocareercoach #executivecoach #mentor #facilitator
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Uma Thana Balasingam reacted on thisUma Thana Balasingam reacted on thisWhat a week we had at Dynatrace Sales Kick Off in Orlando! This was an inspiring event and easily the best Sales Kick Off I have attended in my career. We had a great showing across the APAC Team. The transformation and momentum across our region has been incredible. We committed as an APAC leadership team to winning the Presidents Cup in FY26. Boom! We did exactly that. Congratulations to the entire APAC team. This is special and it’s all about the people. Big shout out to James McCready for his leadership. Massive congratulations to the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) team for a strong FY26. We are the place where the best people in industry want to be. To be a part of the journey has been a privilege. Congratulations to the ANZ global award winners: Commercial AE of the year = Ellis Jones Partner Director of the year = Julie Bateman Presidents Club winners = Nik Jain Julie Bateman Dean N. Matthew Baker Paul Hamilton Nicky Tallentire Trent Lennox Luke Napoli Steve Beards. Look forward to seeing you all in Grand Cayman. I was humbled to win RVP of the year. This is an award for all of the ANZ team. We achieved this together. Arun Balasubramanian Eng Kiong (EK) Koh Harris Wong Shinji Tokunaga Rafi Katanasho Natalie Barrett Troy Stoll Jean-Baptiste Rouzaud Agnes Ng Shabbir Baliwala Diane McIntyre Westwood Steve Apostolou Steve Beards Suzanne Vink Luke Napoli Greg Swick Renee Byatt Michael Bunker Tom Nagle Courtney Stewart Bruce Davie Alex Lim
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Uma Thana Balasingam reacted on thisUma Thana Balasingam reacted on thisFeeling energized after wrapping up Dynatrace SKO27, perfect way to start the year on a high note! I'm fortunate to work with an incredible team in APAC; their commitment to our customers, partners, our team, and the communities we live and work in inspires me every day! It was a special moment for Team APAC to be announced the winner of the FY26 Presidents Cup, I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such an exceptional team and our outstanding Global Leadership! Now to do it again in FY27, I know it won't be an easy task competing with the exceptional teams led by Gregg Hedstrom Rob Van Lubek and Roberto Carvalho! But that's what makes it exciting, let's do it again! A heartfelt thank you to Team APAC and our Global Leadership! Congrats again to Ellis Jones for winning Commercial AE of the Year, Julie Bateman for winning Partner Director of the Year, and Andrew Foot for winning RVP of the Year, and Dan Muramatsu for winning a new car! A special callout to Vicky Reddington for helping us become a unified Leadership Team! Rick McConnell Dan Zugelder Steve Tack Bernd Greifeneder Burney Barker Philippe Deblois Mala Pillutla Sean Barrett Jay Snyder Tim Zielinski Rafi Katanasho Agnes Ng Greg Swick Steve Apostolou Sophie McGuire Cheryl Jackson Natalie Barrett Alex Lim Yanti T. Ida Shabbir Baliwala Arun Balasubramanian Diane McIntyre Westwood Sabine Bourdin Jean-Baptiste Rouzaud Andrew Foot Eng Kiong (EK) Koh Harris Wong Shinji Tokunaga Bo Jia Troy Stoll meredith woythaler
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Uma Thana Balasingam liked thisUma Thana Balasingam liked thisThe women who get moved forward at Walk the Talk aren't the most senior, the best networked, or the most confident. They're the ones who walk in with a specific ask. Not a general wish for "growth" or "more opportunities." A role. An introduction to a named person. A sponsor for a particular promotion or project. Something someone can say yes or no to. Women are over-mentored and under-sponsored. That's the gap Walk the Talk exists to close. In our first two editions, one woman got an introduction she'd been chasing for two years. Another had a door opened she hadn't known how to knock on. Both in a single morning on the waterfront. Walk the Talk 2026, presented with Digital Edge DC, is on 15 May at Clifford Pier. 7 to 9 am. 100 senior male leaders, up to 300 women, each matched to a leader based on her stated career ask, and walking in a small group of 2 to 3 women for 60 minutes. Tickets are $49. Registration closes 13 May. The earlier you register, the better your match. Register here: https://lnkd.in/dxEBRUJQ Three things to have written down before you register, because these go straight into the form: What you want in the next 12 to 24 months, in one sentence. One piece of evidence that says you're ready for it. The specific ask a senior leader could act on. Ten minutes of thinking, and you're more prepared than most women in the room. A thank you to Digital Edge DC, our lead sponsor this year. The team backed this when we told them what we wanted to build, and their support is the reason Walk the Talk 2026 can run at this scale. Walk the Talk 2026 is hosted by Lean In Network, Singapore, in collaboration with THE ELEVATE GROUP and She Loves Data. With thanks to our event sponsors Dynatrace, Ambition, and Slab Coffee. Uma Thana Balasingam Jana Marlé-Zizková Jingjin Liu
Experience
Education
Licenses & Certifications
Skills
Publications
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Podcasts (2017-Present)
(See list)
See publication“VMware Ponders Partner-to-Partner Networking Boost,” CRN, 2019, www.crn.com.au/news/vmware-ponders-partner-to-partner-networking-boost-534603.
“The Gender Leadership Divide with VMWare and Lean In Singapore's Uma Thana Balasingam,” Techburst Asia, 028, www.audible.com/pd/The-GENDER-LEADERSHIP-DIVIDE-w-VMWare-Lean-In-Singapores-Uma-Thana-Balasingam-Podcast/B091FTCN8Z.
“From El Salvador to Singapore: Stories of Women Leaning In,” Lean In, 2018…“VMware Ponders Partner-to-Partner Networking Boost,” CRN, 2019, www.crn.com.au/news/vmware-ponders-partner-to-partner-networking-boost-534603.
“The Gender Leadership Divide with VMWare and Lean In Singapore's Uma Thana Balasingam,” Techburst Asia, 028, www.audible.com/pd/The-GENDER-LEADERSHIP-DIVIDE-w-VMWare-Lean-In-Singapores-Uma-Thana-Balasingam-Podcast/B091FTCN8Z.
“From El Salvador to Singapore: Stories of Women Leaning In,” Lean In, 2018, leanin.org/podcast-episodes/from-el-salvador-to-singapore-stories-of-women-leaning-in 2018.
“Lean In Singapore & Women Leadership in Asia with Helen Duce & Uma Balasingam,” Analyse Asia, Episode 210, 2017, soundcloud.com/analyseasia/episode-210-lean-in-singapore-women-leadership-in-asia-with-helen-duce-uma-balasingam. -
Presentations/Conferences (2019-Present)
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“How to Build Better Allies and Challenge Unconscious Bias,” Power Ladies Breakfast, New Campus, Zoom online session, 2020, www.newcampus.co/power-ladies-breakfast/uma-thana-balasingam.
“Reimagining Partnerships,” Ingram Micro ONE APAC conference, 2019, ingrammicroone.com/agenda.html. -
Publications (2016-2019)
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“VMware Appoints Partner Veteran to Lead AP/J Channel,” Channel Asia, 2019, www.channelasia.tech/article/659203/vmware-appoints-partner-veteran-lead-apj-channel/.
“DXC Technology Launches Pay Per Use VMware Cloud Consumption Model on AWS,” Data Center News Asia, 2021, (datacenternews.asia/story/dxc-technology-launches-pay-per-use-vmware-cloud-consumption-model-on-aws.
“Women Still Lack Opportunities in the Workplace,” SilverKris, 2019…“VMware Appoints Partner Veteran to Lead AP/J Channel,” Channel Asia, 2019, www.channelasia.tech/article/659203/vmware-appoints-partner-veteran-lead-apj-channel/.
“DXC Technology Launches Pay Per Use VMware Cloud Consumption Model on AWS,” Data Center News Asia, 2021, (datacenternews.asia/story/dxc-technology-launches-pay-per-use-vmware-cloud-consumption-model-on-aws.
“Women Still Lack Opportunities in the Workplace,” SilverKris, 2019, www.silverkris.com/opinion-women-still-lack-opportunities-in-the-workplace/.
“Riverbed Pitches Level Playing Field Channel Partners” www.channelworld.in/news/riverbed-pitches-level-playing-field-channel-partners
“It’s an Exciting Time to be Joining the Party,” Digital Edge, 2019, (digitaledge-india.com/its-an-exciting-time-to-be-joining-the-party/.
“Inside VMware's Channel Transformation Plan 2019,” Channel Asia, 2019, www.channelasia.tech/article/662990/inside-vmware-channel-transformation-plan/.
“Error 404: Equality Not Found,” Unreserved Business, 2019, www.unreservedmedia.com/error-404-equality-not-found/.
“VMware Ponders Partner-to-Partner Networking Boost,” CRN, 2019, www.crn.com.au/news/vmware-ponders-partner-to-partner-networking-boost-534603.
“Uma Thana Balasingam: 2018 Women of the Channel,” CRN, 2018, jobs.crn.com/tcc_util/2018/wotc2018-details.php?w=459&wc=4.
“Riverbed Appoints Uma Thana Balasingam as VP of Channels for AP/J,” DataQuest India, 2016, www.dqindia.com/riverbed-appoints-uma-thana-balasingam-as-vice-president-of-channels-for-asia-pacific-japan/.
“Riverbed Appoints New VP for APAC Channels,” Digital News Asia, 2016, www.digitalnewsasia.com/business/riverbed-appoints-new-vp-apac-channels. -
Publications (2020-Present)
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“Shaped by Partner-to-Partner Focus, Vmware Enhances Ecosystem Play,” Reseller News, 2021, www.reseller.co.nz/article/687260/shaped-by-partner-to-partner-rise-vmware-enhances-ecosystem-play/.
“VMware to Revamp Existing Partner Ecosystem in India,” DQ Channels, 2021, www.dqchannels.com/vmware-to-revamp-existing-partner-ecosystem-in-india-uma-thana-balasingam-vp/.
“VMware's Strength Lies in…Ability of Customers to Run Any Application on Any Cloud,” VARIndia, 2021…“Shaped by Partner-to-Partner Focus, Vmware Enhances Ecosystem Play,” Reseller News, 2021, www.reseller.co.nz/article/687260/shaped-by-partner-to-partner-rise-vmware-enhances-ecosystem-play/.
“VMware to Revamp Existing Partner Ecosystem in India,” DQ Channels, 2021, www.dqchannels.com/vmware-to-revamp-existing-partner-ecosystem-in-india-uma-thana-balasingam-vp/.
“VMware's Strength Lies in…Ability of Customers to Run Any Application on Any Cloud,” VARIndia, 2021, www.varindia.com/news/vmwares-strength-lies-in-providing-consistent-ability-of-customers-to-run-any-application-on-any-cloud/.
“Despite Pandemic Pain, Forward Thinking VMware Partners Skill Up,” Channel Asia, 2020, www.channelasia.tech/article/684041/despite-pandemic-pain-forward-thinking-vmware-partners-skill-up/.
“The Business Case for Women in Tech,” IMDA, 2020, www.imda.gov.sg/news-and-events/impact-news/2020/10/The-business-case-for-women-in-tech.
“Inside Partner Connect VMware’s Largest Channel Overhaul in 21 Years,” Channel Asia, 2020, sg.channelasia.tech/article/671462/inside-partner-connect-vmware-largest-channel-overhaul-21-years/ -
Videos (2019-Present)
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“#ChooseToChallenge Event (Women in Tech, Monroe Consulting Group, 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Akcemvea_w&ab_channel=MonroeConsultingGroup.
“Say No More - The Art of Saying No,” SheLovesDigitalOfficial, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdxA1YA4r44&ab_channel=SheLovesDataOfficial.
“Partner Connect: APJ Perspective from NTT Ltd.,” VMware Partner TV, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXbjia1QQZg&ab_channel=VMwarePartnerTV.
“VMware Partner Leadership Forum 2019, Chennai | In Conversation with…“#ChooseToChallenge Event (Women in Tech, Monroe Consulting Group, 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Akcemvea_w&ab_channel=MonroeConsultingGroup.
“Say No More - The Art of Saying No,” SheLovesDigitalOfficial, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdxA1YA4r44&ab_channel=SheLovesDataOfficial.
“Partner Connect: APJ Perspective from NTT Ltd.,” VMware Partner TV, 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXbjia1QQZg&ab_channel=VMwarePartnerTV.
“VMware Partner Leadership Forum 2019, Chennai | In Conversation with Uma Thana Balasingam,” VMware, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=abXeTKQ956o.
“HTS Women in Technology Interview Series: Uma Thana @ VMware,” halfthesky, Series, Parts I-III, 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD-QJqw9kcE&ab_channel=halfthesky.
Honors & Awards
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CRN’s “Most Powerful Women of the Channel” Global List
Computer Reseller News (CRN)
CRN’s “Most Powerful Women of the Channel” Global List
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"Top 100 Inspiring Women Leading the Tech World"
Singapore Computer Society - Unreserved Media
2019 ranked among the Inspiring Women Leading the Tech World by Unreserved Media
Languages
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Malay
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English
Full professional proficiency
Organizations
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Lean In Singapore
Co-founder
- PresentFacebook COO Sheryl Sandberg founded LeanIn.org to empower women to achieve their ambitions. Lean In Singapore, founded in 2016, is a community of 4000 women, men, and others that comes together to be inspired, empowered, and educated with a focus on driving gender diversity in the workplace. (www.leaninsingapore.com)
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Lean In Women In Tech Asia
Founder
- PresentLEAN IN WOMEN IN TECH ASIA (leanin.org/circles-network/women-in-tech-asia) Lean In Women in Tech Singapore aims to inspire and support talented women to consider a future in the field of technology across Singapore. It provides connections, resources, and opportunities within a supportive environment of women committed to helping each other from the technology world as well as those already in the industry to stay within the field. This chapter, which has >1600 members and circles formed…
LEAN IN WOMEN IN TECH ASIA (leanin.org/circles-network/women-in-tech-asia) Lean In Women in Tech Singapore aims to inspire and support talented women to consider a future in the field of technology across Singapore. It provides connections, resources, and opportunities within a supportive environment of women committed to helping each other from the technology world as well as those already in the industry to stay within the field. This chapter, which has >1600 members and circles formed within also provides a platform for women leaders in tech to give back.
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Lean In Women In Tech Singapore
Founder
- PresentLEAN IN WOMEN IN TECH SINGAPORE | LEAN IN WOMEN IN TECH ASIA (https://leanin.org/circles/women-in-technology-singapore | https://leanin.org/circles-network/women-in-tech-asia) Founder Lean In Women in Tech Singapore aims to inspire and support talented women to consider a future in the field of technology across Singapore. It provides connections, resources, and opportunities within a supportive environment of women committed to helping each other from the technology world as well as those…
LEAN IN WOMEN IN TECH SINGAPORE | LEAN IN WOMEN IN TECH ASIA (https://leanin.org/circles/women-in-technology-singapore | https://leanin.org/circles-network/women-in-tech-asia) Founder Lean In Women in Tech Singapore aims to inspire and support talented women to consider a future in the field of technology across Singapore. It provides connections, resources, and opportunities within a supportive environment of women committed to helping each other from the technology world as well as those already in the industry to stay within the field. This chapter, which has >1600 members and circles formed within also provides a platform for women leaders in tech to give back.
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