Women Who Lead, Do, and Change: Rupali Patil
Rupali Patil is a seasoned product and AI strategist with over 20 years of experience driving innovation at the intersection of technology, business, and user needs. Currently the Director of Product Management at Lincoln Technology Solutions, Rupali leads the development of high-performance display technologies, with a focus on product innovation and market expansion. A published author on AI topics, she maintains a strong presence in the product and AI community.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your current role.
Driven by curiosity and grounded in strategy, I’ve spent over 20 years crafting technology solutions across diverse industries – where real-world complexity meets purposeful innovation. My foundation in computer science, coupled with an MBA in strategy and leadership, has empowered me to navigate the intersection of product innovation, business impact, and digital transformation.
My journey into digital began with curiosity. As a child, I was drawn to how things worked – from mechanical watches to early computers. What sparked my passion was seeing how technology could solve real-world problems at scale. I started as a software developer but found my energy in bridging tech, business, and user needs. That led me to product management, where I turn ideas into impactful solutions.
Today, I serve as Director of Product Management at Lincoln Technology Solutions, where I drive product innovation and growth strategy for high-performance display technologies across medical, broadcast, industrial, and next-gen applications like drone controllers and in-flight entertainment. Previously, I led AI strategy and platform products at Lenovo, helping accelerate enterprise adoption of AI-powered solutions.
What keeps me motivated is the ever-evolving nature of digital innovation and its power to impact lives, from intelligent interfaces to sustainable design. I see my role not just as a builder of products, but as a translator of vision into value.
Biggest win, biggest lesson
One of my proudest achievements was leading the development and go-to-market strategy for an AI-powered platform at Lenovo that unified multiple fragmented capabilities across the enterprise. This initiative not only brought clarity and scalability to our internal solutions but also enabled faster time-to-market for customer-facing AI features. It was a win that combined vision, execution, and cross-functional influence.
But what made it truly meaningful was the lesson behind it: strategy without alignment is just an idea. The turning point wasn’t the technology – it was getting diverse teams, from engineering to executive leadership, to buy into a shared purpose. It taught me that the biggest impact doesn’t come from building alone, but from building together.
For anyone leading a transformation, the takeaway is this: your product roadmap needs a people roadmap too. Influence, clarity, and empathy aren’t soft skills – they’re core skills for hard outcomes.
Have you faced any career challenges?
Absolutely. Like most meaningful careers, mine includes a few hard but defining moments. Early on, I led a product initiative that was technically sound but failed to gain traction in the market. We built what we thought customers needed – without deeply validating whether it truly solved their problem. The launch fell flat.
At first, it felt like failure. But it turned out to be one of the most valuable lessons in my career: falling in love with the problem, not the solution. That experience sharpened my instincts for customer discovery, market fit, and the power of iterative learning.
It also taught me to lead with humility and curiosity, especially when things don’t go as planned. Since then, I’ve made it a practice to bring customers into the process early, test fast, and stay open to pivots. In hindsight, that “flop” became the foundation of how I build today “with users, not just for them.”
Where do you still see gaps or barriers for women in digital, and what one action would accelerate change?
Despite progress, one persistent gap for women in digital is access to influential networks and strategic sponsorship. While mentorship is important, it’s often sponsorship “the kind that happens in rooms where decisions are made” that propels careers forward. Too often, women are over-mentored and under-sponsored.
I’ve also felt the pressure to constantly prove technical credibility, especially in spaces like AI and strategy, before being trusted with broader product leadership. Meanwhile, I’ve seen others more easily handed the mic, even with less experience. These moments didn’t just frustrate me, but they fuelled my determination to lead by example and open doors for others.
If I could drive one change, it would be this: normalise women being seen as strategic decision-makers, not just executors. That starts with leadership intentionally advocating for women in succession planning, product strategy, and innovation forums – not just in support roles but at the centre of value creation.
I now mentor and sponsor women not only to build skills but to build belief, because sometimes the biggest barrier isn’t lack of ability, it’s not being seen.
If you had five minutes with a woman who is just starting her digital career, what would you tell her to focus on first?
If I had five minutes with a woman just starting out in digital, I’d say this:
Start by owning your voice and your curiosity. Don’t wait to be perfect before you speak up. Clarity comes from doing, not just knowing. The digital space moves quickly, and your ability to learn, adapt, and challenge the norm is often more powerful than having all the answers.
Focus on building range early. Expose yourself to both the technical and business sides. Learn how decisions are made, how products come to life, and how users interact with them. The more you understand the full picture, the faster you will grow.
And most importantly, don’t shrink yourself to fit in. You belong in the room, even if you’re the only one who looks or thinks like you. Lead with curiosity, prepare with care, and find mentors who see your potential even before you do.
Your path may not be a straight line, but every step will shape you. Keep going, find your way, and keep believing in your own voice.
What do you think companies can do to support career progress for women working in digital roles?
To truly support career progress for women in digital, companies need to build intentional systems that create visibility, opportunity, and long-term growth.
- Sponsor, Don’t Just Mentor. Move beyond mentorship to active sponsorship. Ensure senior leaders regularly recommend high-potential women for leadership tracks, speaking opportunities, and strategic projects that increase visibility.
- Make inclusion a leadership metric. Career development for women should be embedded into performance reviews, team evaluations, and succession planning, and not just treated as a separate initiative.
- Support flexibility without penalty. Flexible or hybrid work helps, but only if women are still offered visibility, influence, and growth opportunities, regardless of where they work.
- Run “Returnship” and Career Reentry Programs. Create structured programs to welcome back women who have taken career breaks, offering mentoring, reskilling, and onboarding support into digital roles.
- Provide targeted upskilling programs. Develop programs specifically for mid-career women to transition into director and executive roles, with training on strategic thinking, negotiation, and influence.
- Listen, learn, and adapt. Create spaces for women to share real experiences and shape the company’s approach to equity. Feedback should not just be welcomed, it should drive change.
When companies treat equity as a core part of business strategy, they not only support women, they unlock better decisions, stronger teams, and more innovative outcomes.
What three digital tools or platforms could you not run your work without?
- ChatGPT and AI-Powered Strategy Tools – I rely on ChatGPT and similar AI tools to accelerate content creation, shape product messaging, and spark new ideas. For competitive and market research, I use AI tools like Crayon and Similarweb to monitor trends, benchmark competitors, and uncover white space. These tools give me strategic foresight and help me stay ahead of the curve.
- MS Excel – Excel remains a powerhouse for strategic planning, financial modelling, and scenario analysis. I use it to simulate outcomes, track KPIs, and support data-driven decisions across product and business initiatives.
- Canva – Canva is my go-to for creating visuals that bring ideas to life, whether it's for product storytelling, executive decks, or social content. It helps me translate complex strategies into engaging, easy-to-understand visuals without needing a design team.
In the next 12 months, which emerging trend or shift should our community keep on their radar?
One of the most impactful shifts will be the rise of AI agents that combine personalisation with autonomous action. We're moving beyond simple chatbots or one-size-fits-all experiences toward intelligent systems that not only understand user context, but also take initiative like planning, deciding, and executing tasks on behalf of the user.
This has massive implications across industries. Whether it’s IT support, customer service, or healthcare, AI agents are evolving from assistants to co-pilots and, in some cases, decision-makers.
For digital leaders, the opportunity is to reimagine products and workflows where the user isn't just clicking through, but collaborating with an intelligent system. It’s also a call to invest in trust, transparency, and thoughtful UX “because with great autonomy comes even greater responsibility.”
Keep this on your radar not just as a tech trend, but as a mindset shift in how we design digital experiences.
