
295: Authentic Leadership in the Age of AI: Diversity, Change & the Future of Product with Catherine Wong
From Leading Women in Tech Podcast by Toni Collis
April 7, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 295
About this episode
Catherine Wong discusses authentic leadership and the challenges of AI adoption in today's diverse work environment.
What does it actually take to become a transformational leader in the age of AI? Catherine Wong, Chief Product Officer at Entrata, joins Toni to share the career philosophy, leadership mindset, and honest hard-won lessons that took her from software engineer to CPO — via architecture, M&A, product, and operations. Catherine built her career on range, not a straight line. She calls it the jungle gym — and she believes it's more relevant now than ever. In this episode she gets real about diversity as a product quality issue (not just a values issue), why AI adoption is the biggest change management challenge of our careers, and what authentic leadership actually means when the pressure is on. If you're navigating a non-linear career, trying to lead your team through AI change, or wondering whether you need a perfect plan to reach the C-suite — this one is for you. What we cover: ◾ Why range matters more than specialisation at the executive level ◾How empathy becomes your most powerful leadership tool across functions ◾Why diversity is a product quality issue — and what's at stake as that conversation disappears ◾AI adoption as a change management challenge at unprecedented…
People in this episode
Host: Toni Collis
Guest: Catherine Wong
Topics covered
- authentic leadership
- AI change management
- diversity in product
- non-linear career paths
- transformational leadership
Keywords
- leadership
- AI
- diversity
- career development
- change management
- product quality
- empathy
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Entrata
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