Name: Is Executive Presence Overrated?
Start: 2026-02-19T08:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-19T09:00:00+00:00

Is Executive Presence Overrated?

Executive presence continues to divide opinion at the most senior levels of leadership. For some, it has become shorthand for polish and performance, a limiting construct shaped by legacy expectations. For others, it remains essential: the foundation for trust, credibility, and the authority required to influence ExCos, Boards, industries, and teams.

In this WeQual Executives roundtable, three senior leaders with distinct professional lenses come together to explore this tension head-on. Rather than debating whether executive presence matters, the conversation will focus on how it shows up today, what it genuinely enables, and where traditional definitions fall short in modern, complex organizations.

Drawing on experience across global transformation, finance and governance, and corporate storytelling, this discussion will examine presence as a leadership signal, how it builds trust, commands attention, and reinforces accountability, while challenging narrow or outdated interpretations that fail to reflect today’s diverse leadership styles.

This is a practical insight-driven conversation for executives who want to lead with influence, clarity, and credibility – without defaulting to performance for its own sake.

Patricia Amaro – Global Digital Commerce & eB2B Senior Director, Mars. A pioneer in eCommerce and sales digitization, Patricia has led global growth and transformation initiatives at Unilever, Mars, and Reckitt. Known for aligning digital innovation with business outcomes and people-first leadership, she brings a pragmatic view on how credibility and presence are earned through impact, not optics.

Darja Dodonova – CFO & Senior Executive, MediaWorld. With over 20 years of international leadership experience, multiple Board and Audit Committee Chair roles, and a track record in growth, ESG, and transformation, Darja connects executive presence with emotional intelligence, stakeholder trust, and disciplined delivery — particularly in high-stakes governance environments.

Bianca Ghose – Former Chief Storyteller & Head of Strategic Communications, Wipro. Bianca brings a strong counterpoint to the idea that executive presence is overrated. Having worked directly with CEOs and Boards at global scale, she views presence as fundamental to building trust, earning attention, and enabling accountability. Her perspective challenges leaders to modernize how presence is defined — without dismissing why it still matters.

Takeaways:   

You will leave with clearer insight into:

What executive presence genuinely enables at executive and Board level

How modern definitions of presence differ from legacy expectations

When presence builds trust and accountability and when it becomes performative

How to lead with influence without conforming to narrow leadership stereotypes

Patricia Amaro

Mars

Global Digital Commerce & eB2B Senior Director

A global reference in eCommerce and sales digitization, recognized with the EMEA WeQual Award, Patricia Amaro has transformed and continues to redefine how companies like Unilever, Reckitt, and Mars Wrigley do business. With impressive results like driving online sales up to 34%, 25% incremental growth and 3x profitability increase, she bridges the gap between short-term needs and emerging technologies. A Stanford alumna with a completed master’s degree in Responsible Artificial Intelligence, she is known as a pioneering, purpose-driven leader shaping the future of digital commerce and innovation.

Darja Dodonova

MediaWorld

CFO & Senior Executive

With over 20 years of international leadership experience, multiple Board and Audit Committee Chair roles, and a track record in growth, ESG, and transformation, Darja connects executive presence with emotional intelligence, stakeholder trust, and disciplined delivery — particularly in high-stakes governance environments.

Bianca Ghose

Wipro

Former Chief Storyteller & Head of Strategic Communications

Bianca Ghose is a barrier-breaking global executive whose career spans journalism, marketing communications, and social impact. A storyteller at heart and a journalist by training, she has spent 20 years working across Asia, Europe, and the US — bringing a blend of business acuity, global experience, and steady, people-first leadership.

As Wipro’s first and only Chief Storyteller and later its Head of Strategic Communications, reporting directly to the Global CEO, Bianca helped the $12B firm navigate acquisitions, crises, market expansion, and shifts in financial performance and reputation, safeguarding the organization’s license to operate in a fast-changing technology landscape.

Her path has been anything but linear: from anchoring primetime news at NDTV, CNBC-TV18, and Reuters, to leading global content marketing at HCLTech, to shaping integrated communications programs at Weber Shandwick. Each chapter sharpened her ability to pair commercial discipline with creativity — leading global teams, delivering high-impact campaigns, and challenging expectations and cultural scripts along the way.

Bianca was nominated to the NYSE Board Advisory Network in 2022 as a CEO vetted, Board-ready female executive. She currently serves on the Boards of two non-profits supporting blind children, education and livelihood initiatives, and climate resiliency programs across Asia. Her professional path reflects a constant thread of resilience, integrity, and an unwavering belief in expanding possibility for others. 

Emma Hicks

WeQual

SVP, Product & Learning

Emma is an experienced strategic leader specializing in professional development at
C-suite and senior management levels. With over 20 years’ experience across global sectors, she brings deep expertise in leadership education and a genuine passion for continuous professional growth.

A Fellow and Advisory Board Member of the Learning and Performance Institute (LPI), Emma also holds certifications from the Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and previously served on the Education Committee of the European Confederation of Directors Associations (ecoDa).

Before joining WeQual, Emma spent nearly a decade with the IoD, shaping the strategic direction of its global executive programs, including the prestigious Chartered Director qualification. She later joined HR technology company Connectr, first as interim COO and then as Chief Commercial Officer, leading its mission to build more inclusive leadership pipelines.

Earlier in her career, Emma held senior roles with Reed Learning, designing and delivering internationally recognized qualifications for more than 100 corporate and academic partners.

At WeQual, Emma leads the global membership and program function. Creating communities where senior leaders connect, reflect, and develop through shared experience. Her work aligns with her core purpose: Helping individuals achieve their career goals and enabling organizations to succeed through inclusive, effective leadership.

Outside of work, Emma has a young family — Joshua (10), Jasmine (7), and Monty the cockapoo (3) — who keep her active, grounded, and grateful.