This month we are spotlighting Elana Rankin Channel Partner Sales Manager at Bottomline

Meet Elise Carbone, Women in Alliance Committee member. Elise is a speaker at Women in Alliances annual summit. In this article learn more about her.

Madeleine Ellis is the International Head of Channels at UiPath, where she leads international partner strategy across diverse markets. With a background spanning industries, regions, and cultures, she brings a human-first, results-driven approach to building high-impact alliances. Known for turning relationships into growth engines, Madeleine believes the best partnerships are built on trust, shared purpose, and equal commitment.

Meet Kathryn Rose: Empowering Entrepreneurs to Build Bold, Authentic Brands That Stand Out. She is a speaker at Women in Alliances annual summit. In this article learn more about her.

Mike Nevin launched The Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals in Europe in 2002. He is a speaker at Women in Alliances annual summit. In this article learn more about him

Michelle Teo, founder of Demand Conversion, is a speaker at Women in Alliances annual summit. In this article learn more about her.

Lauren Helstab, Founder of More Than One Way, is a speaker at Women in Alliances annual summit. Lauren is the founder of More Than One Way in this article learn more about her.

In this Spotlight on Vesna Arsic, she shares how she transitioned from global telecom, strategy, and marketing into building high-impact partnerships. Vesna discusses the challenges of gaining senior leadership buy-in, the essential skills she relies on (like listening and diplomacy), and her commitment to elevating women’s roles in alliances.

In Spotlight on Stephanie Kee, Stephanie reflects on her journey from entrepreneurial beginnings into the partnerships world. As former Chair of Women in Alliances (2024), she discusses building credibility with the C-Suite, bridging communication gaps between partners and host companies, and the key attributes she uses to succeed—entrepreneurial mindset, adaptability, network building, and energy. Stephanie also offers grounded advice for professionals looking to transition into partnership roles.

In Spotlight on Anders Kirkeby, Anders—VP and Global Head of Open Innovation at SimCorp—reveals how his background in product, architecture, and technology led him into the world of partnerships. He emphasizes the shift toward open ecosystem models, curating alliances that deliver client value with minimal complexity. Anders also shares insights about integrating APIs, evaluating partner fit, and how partnerships will become central in enabling scalable innovation in finance and tech.

In “Meet Petra Dolejsova — Our Stockholm Chapter Lead,” Petra shares her journey from Prague to Stockholm and her 17+ years’ experience in tech and partnership roles. Now at Sinch, she leads the Partner Program and brings her multicultural perspective to women in alliances. Petra recounts joining WIA during COVID, inspiring the first chapter outside London, and growing a vibrant Stockholm community hosting events and workshops. She invites women in the region to connect, learn, and grow together under her chapter leadership.

In “Meet Danielle Simon — Our NYC Chapter Lead,” Danielle shares her path to leadership in partnership operations and programs, and how she became lead of the Women in Alliances NYC chapter. She’s passionate about building communities, fostering meaningful connections, and empowering women in the partner ecosystem. Under her leadership, the NYC chapter will host events, knowledge sessions, and local meetups to support networking and growth for alliance professionals in the region.

In Spotlight on Corinne Cassidy, she recounts her pivot from Business Development at Alcatel during the dot-com downturn into leading partner strategies. Corinne highlights what she loves most—diversity of tasks, cross-functional collaboration, and building lasting partner relationships—and candidly addresses challenges like educating organizations on complementary partner sales. She also shares her core strengths (communication, persistence, creative problem-solving), and offers advice to aspiring alliance professionals: build trust across internal teams, become an advocate for both your company and your partners, and lean into complementary skills.

In Spotlight on Amelia Alicja Pilkington, Amelia explains how her interest in technology and innovation led her from web development, prompt engineering, and project management into ecosystem partnerships. In her role as an Ecosystems Pre-Sales Solution Architect, she collaborates with partners to create joint value propositions while staying deeply involved in the technical side. Amelia discusses what she loves most—the creativity, relationship building, and cross-team collaboration—and the challenges of establishing credibility early in a partnership career. She emphasizes transparency, listening, and initiative as key traits, and encourages aspiring professionals to persevere, build relationships, and find mentors who will believe in them.

In Spotlight on Adna Mesic, Adna shares her unexpected journey into partnerships—beginning as a contract manager in a FinTech company and later stepping into a Partner Manager role at Quinyx. She highlights what she loves most: the 360° visibility across sales, marketing, product, and implementation, the entrepreneurial freedom to shape programs, and the challenge of aligning a partnership function in a company new to alliances. Adna points to attributes like relationship building, clear communication, and approachability as key to her success. She underscores the importance of in-person networking to build trust, and advises those breaking into partnerships to stay curious, strategic, and open to many different tasks.

In “Spotlight on Rania Parousi”, Rania reflects on her journey from sales into a full partnerships role, a transition guided by her knack for building relationships and integrating partner strategies. She says the part she loves most is the daily conversations with diverse partners and seeing what collective impact a well-orchestrated ecosystem can deliver. Her biggest challenge? Aligning the priorities of multiple stakeholders and navigating complex organizational structures. Rania points to trust, constant communication, and ideation sessions as her core strengths, and underscores the vital role of both in-person and virtual networking in building meaningful connections. She believes partnerships will only grow in importance in the coming years, and she’s committed to supporting more women in the field through mentoring, speaking, and being active in forums like Women in Alliances.

In Spotlight on Lisa Farmer, she reveals how a career in sales led her naturally into partnerships. Lisa shares what she loves most — collaboration, learning, and problem-solving — and the importance of executive buy-in for partnership success. Her advice: build trust, stay patient, and align partnerships with real business impact.