In a career spanning over 20 years, Sarah Martinez, Chief Commercial Officer, Tracer has held leadership roles at The New York Times, WPP, Yahoo!, and Verizon Media, and Integral Ad Science…
What is the biggest opportunity for women in your sector of the digital industry today?
One of the biggest opportunities today is the ability to redefine how organisations collaborate using data. Our industry is moving beyond isolated systems and departmental dashboards into an era where insight must flow across functions, geographies, and leadership levels. This shift creates enormous opportunity.
In workplace intelligence and digital infrastructure, the real value is not just analyzing data, but connecting it. Historically, organisations operated in silos: real estate separate from HR, operations separate from finance and marketing generating rich performance data that remained disconnected from enterprise-wide decision-making.
Data lived in pockets, limiting strategic impact. Today, the opportunity is to break down those silos and use shared intelligence to align decision-making.
Women are uniquely positioned to lead in this space because cross-functional thinking, communication fluency, and systems awareness are critical to making collaborative analytics successful.
Digital transformation is moving beyond simply adding more dashboards and toward creating shared visibility across the organisation. For women, the opportunity lies at the intersection of technology and strategy, helping ensure data becomes a bridge across the enterprise instead of another isolated tool.
This is a moment to influence not just technology adoption, but how organisations think, align, and operate.
What is the biggest challenge to you as a woman in the digital industry and how are you overcoming it?
One of the biggest challenges in the digital industry is not capability, but access to the rooms where opportunity is first defined. In fast-moving sectors like data, AI, and workplace technology, strategy is often shaped early in high-level discussions. If you’re not in those rooms, you don’t just miss visibility – you miss context. And context is what allows you to recognise the scale of the opportunity in front of you.
For many women, the challenge isn’t whether we can lead. It’s whether we are present when decisions are being framed, investments are being prioritised, and new initiatives are being conceptualised. Being brought in later, once direction is set, limits influence.
I’ve approached this by intentionally positioning myself upstream in conversations. That means developing strong technical literacy, asking strategic questions, and proactively seeking involvement in early-stage planning rather than waiting for execution roles. It also means advocating for transparency in how opportunities are shared internally so that access is not informal or selective.
When women are in the room early to understand the landscape, the risks, and the potential, we can help define the opportunity, not just participate in it.
What three things could employer companies do to make the digital industry better for women?
First, institutionalise allyship, don’t leave it to chance. It must be embedded into leadership expectations. Senior leaders should be evaluated not only on business performance but on how actively they sponsor and advance diverse talent. That means advocating for women in promotion discussions, ensuring they are included in early-stage strategy conversations, and expanding access to high-visibility work. When allyship is operationalised, opportunity becomes systemic rather than selective.
Second, normalise comprehensive parental support. The digital industry often rewards constant availability, but sustainable performance requires acknowledging real life. Equitable parental leave for all parents, flexible work models, and structured re-entry pathways are retention strategies — not perks. When caregiving is supported universally, it stops being viewed as a career limitation.
Third, conduct transparent pay audits. Equity should be data-driven, especially in a data-led industry. Regular compensation reviews across roles and levels, paired with executive accountability, ensure performance — not bias — determines pay.
Ultimately, progress isn’t about isolated programs; it’s about aligning values, metrics, and leadership behavior.
What support structures and organisations are most important and effective to you as a woman in the digital industry?
For me, the most effective support structures are peer networks and cross-industry women’s leadership groups. Informal but trusted communities where women can share experiences, negotiate strategy, and exchange opportunities are incredibly powerful. There is a level of candor in those spaces that accelerates growth.
Internally, progressive company cultures that emphasise transparency and performance-based advancement are crucial. Access to executive leadership, exposure to board-level conversations, and opportunities to lead high-visibility initiatives are the structures that truly move careers forward. Support is most effective when it builds capability, visibility, and influence — not just confidence.
What is the biggest misconception about women and by women in the digital industry?
One major misconception about women in the digital industry is that they are less technically inclined or more suited to “soft” functions. That narrative is outdated. Technical capability is learned, not inherited, and women are leading in AI, data science, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure globally.
Another misconception — sometimes held by women themselves — is that you must perfectly meet every requirement before stepping into a bigger role. In fast-moving digital sectors, adaptability matters more than perfection. Growth often comes from stepping into stretch roles before you feel 100% ready.
The industry rewards initiative, experimentation, and strategic thinking. Women do not need to wait for permission. The digital landscape is still being written, and there is room to shape it.
