International Women’s Day 2026 | TIG Global PR

This International Women’s Day, we didn’t want to talk about representation statistics or industry demographics. We wanted to talk about direction.

That’s why, for our IWD 2026 podcast, TIG Global PR’s Partner and Strategic Director Katharine Wheeler sat down with three women who are actively steering the future of the smart home and integration industry: Amanda Lapinski-Wildman, Maryellen Oswald, and Jen Mallett — the three women currently serving on CEDIA‘s board of directors.

And this year, there’s a milestone worth naming directly: Amanda Lapinski-Wildman has made history as the first woman to serve as Chairperson of the CEDIA board. In an industry built on precision, innovation, and long-term thinking, that’s not just a headline — it’s a signal about where the industry is headed.

Give to Gain: The Theme That Fits This Industry Perfectly

IWD 2026’s theme is Give to Gain, and as Kat put it when opening the episode: it maps perfectly to how the smart home and integration space actually works.

This industry doesn’t advance because of a single product launch or trend cycle. It moves forward because people give their time, their expertise, and their leadership — often long before there’s any return. CEDIA is fundamentally a volunteer-driven organization, and the women on its board are a direct expression of that principle in action.

The conversation covered where the industry genuinely stands today, where it’s headed over the next five years, and what it will take to get there — from AI’s real impact on system design, to the shift toward recurring revenue models, to the evolution of standards as smart home systems become increasingly mission-critical.

A Quick Reminder About Who Builds This Industry

We opened the episode with a game: Woman or Man? — naming foundational innovations in technology and asking panellists to guess the gender of the person behind them.

Wi-Fi. Software engineering. The first computer algorithm. GPS accuracy. The mathematical concept powering modern AI. Kevlar.

The answers? Women. Consistently, surprisingly, and powerfully.

It wasn’t a trivia exercise. It was a reminder that the industry we work in — like so many others — has been shaped by people whose contributions came long before the recognition did. That’s the Give to Gain story, told through history.

Where Is the Industry Actually Going?

The conversation didn’t stay in the past. Amanda, Maryellen, and Jen brought their board-level perspective to some of the most pressing questions in the industry right now:

• AI and system design: How materially will it affect integrators — and client expectations — over the next five years?
• Consolidation vs. specialization: Is the market contracting or evolving?
• Reliability over features: Are clients finally prioritizing long-term performance over the next shiny thing?
• Workforce and the next generation: Where are tomorrow’s integrators coming from, and what do they need?
• Certifications and skills: As systems overlap with IT, security, and energy management, what does genuine expertise look like?

These aren’t abstract questions. They’re the decisions shaping what the integration business looks like in 2030.

Why This Conversation Matters

Kat chose this panel because Amanda, Maryellen, and Jen are not just representatives — they are decision-makers. Their perspective on CEDIA’s direction, the industry’s education gaps, and the standards that need to evolve isn’t commentary. It’s a strategy.

Amanda’s appointment as the first female Chair of the CEDIA board is significant precisely because of what CEDIA does: it sets the educational benchmarks, the professional standards, and the strategic direction for the residential technology integration industry globally. Leadership at that level shapes what the industry values, who it attracts, and how it grows.

Listen to the Full Episode

The IWD 2026 podcast is available now. Whether you’re an integrator, a business owner, a manufacturer, or someone earlier in your career thinking about where to invest your energy — this conversation is worth your time.

Watch here:

And if something in the discussion sparks a thought or challenges an assumption, we’d love to hear it. Drop a comment, share the episode with your team, and keep the conversation going.

This industry grows when we engage with it — not just when we watch it.