Women Of The Channel Launches Elite 50 Leadership Retreat For Senior Executives

‘If you’re investing in your teams, that’s amazing. But this time is for you. If you’re not energized about investing in yourself, you’re doing your team a disservice. It’s about having those relationships that continue after the event, being intentional about what you’re going to do when you get back and having people who will hold you accountable. That’s the whole purpose,’ says Jacquie Rives, senior director, Women of the Channel community and programs at The Channel Company.

Women who are senior executives in the IT channel spend much of their time investing in their teams, organization and business. But finding time to invest in their own leadership development can be considerably more difficult.

That’s the thinking behind CRN parent company The Channel Company’s new Women of the Channel Elite 50, a leadership retreat giving about 50 women who are senior executives an opportunity to step away from their day-to-day responsibilities, develop new leadership skills and build relationships with peers who understand the unique challenges of their roles.

Scheduled for Jan. 27-29, 2027, in Cancun, Mexico, the inaugural event addresses feedback gathered from the Women of the Channel community: While existing Women of the Channel events provide valuable opportunities for networking and professional development, there has been little specifically designed for senior-level executives.

[Related: WOTC 2026: Pearls Of Wisdom On Vulnerability, Alignment And Owning Your Brand]

“We’ve been looking at this for a few years and decided to pull the trigger for next year,” Jacquie Rives, senior director, Women of the Channel community and programs, The Channel Company, told CRN, adding that senior executives often have a much smaller circle of peers to openly discuss leadership challenges, strategic decisions and career development.

“Think about someone who’s in the C-suite. Who can they really talk to at work? They need another woman who’s operating at that level, who understands what they’re dealing with and can have those conversations with them,” Rives said.

The Elite 50 is intended to create that environment through a curated experience that prioritizes connections.

The retreat will feature about three hours of morning insight each day, followed by dedicated time for attendees to connect informally or take advantage of the resort.

“The magic really happens outside of the conference itself,” Rives said. “We wanted to curate the time they’re spending there to be more intentional for networking. It’s not just about putting people in a room together. It’s about making sure they’re actually building relationships and learning from each other.”

Megan Imbert, who will be attending the retreat, said she believes the most effective leaders stay curious, question their own perspectives and understand that growth doesn’t end with title or experience.

“For me, leadership is as much about personal evolution as it is about business outcomes,” Imbert, senior director of marketing at Austin, Texas-based NinjaOne, told CRN in an email. “The greatest investment we can make is in ourselves, both as humans and leaders, to become more intentional, courageous and compassionate executives who elevate the people and organizations around us. I’m hoping this retreat creates the space to reflect and build meaningful relationships, particularly in a world moving as quickly as ours.”

The event will also incorporate AI into its networking strategy. Attendees will complete a survey outlining what they hope to gain from the experience, as well as the knowledge and expertise they’re willing to share. Using that information, The Channel Company will identify three people each attendee should consider connecting with and organize discussion tables around similar interests and perspectives.

The retreat itself will focus on leadership development, self-awareness and challenging established ways of thinking. And one of the central discussions will unpack generational differences in the workplace, including how senior leaders can adapt their management approaches as younger generations bring different expectations around communication, professional boundaries and career growth.

“Just because it’s the way you always did it doesn’t make it so,” Rives said. “We have to challenge the way we think versus the way newer generations think. Maybe the way we approached leadership was right for Gen X at that time, but life is evolving. This new generation is much clearer about what they want and what their boundaries are. You have to listen to that and take it in.

“I want them to walk away with new things they’ve learned, skills they can enhance and a challenge to their own self-awareness and perspective of where they are and where they should be,” she added.

She said while companies may already be investing in sending employees and teams to Women of the Channel events, senior leaders also need opportunities to focus on their own growth.

“If you’re investing in your teams, that’s amazing. But this time is for you,” she said. “If you’re not energized about investing in yourself, you’re doing your team a disservice. It’s about having those relationships that continue after the event, being intentional about what you’re going to do when you get back and having people who will hold you accountable. That’s the whole purpose.”

More information for Women of the Channel Elite 50 can be found here.