Women in Technology: Intranet Connections Kal Sahota

Throughout the month of March, Finopotamus will celebrate Women’s History Month by featuring intriguing profiles and unique stories impacting the credit union and fintech industry. 

In the latest installment in our “Women in Technology” series, we visited with Intranet Connections Chief Growth Officer Kal Sahota. The North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based fintech has been creating trusted out-of-the-box intranet solutions for more than 25 years.

By W.B. King

When Kal Sahota accepted a part-time customer service representative position at HSBC Bank roughly 25 years ago, a career in technology wasn’t on her bingo card. Over the next 10 years, she advanced in the organization, climbing the ranks, but still tech was ancillary to her roles. “My path into the space was not planned; it was entirely serendipitous,” she told Finopotamus.

After leaving HSBC, Standard Life Mutual Funds hired her as its sales manager for Western Canada. Initially working within their inside mutual fund wholesaling team, she eventually moved to a boutique tax and estate planning firm, collaborating directly with the founder and president to help grow the organization.

Kal Sahota

“We successfully quadrupled revenue within a couple of years. Over time, his focus shifted from growth to maintaining his existing client base, as the business had exceeded his financial goals,” Sahota recalled. “He was very generous in supporting the next chapter of my career. Through a business coaching program he was part of, he introduced me to the founder and CEO of a tech startup.”

It was here, at the intersection of finance and technology, that an alluring picture of possibility was painted. “In hearing about the challenges he was facing in growing and operating his business, there was a clear alignment with my skillset and experience. While I did not come from a technical background, the foundational pillars of running a successful organization are largely consistent,” she continued. “The areas where he needed support were directly aligned with my experience, and the transition from financial services to tech was seamless.”

The Intersection of Technology and Business Growth

In 2015, Sahota officially entered the tech space by accepting the position of client relationship manager at HeroX, a global cloud sharing innovation platform. By 2021, she again climbed the ranks, being named president and CEO.

“I enjoyed working at the intersection of technology and business growth, which naturally kept me in this space. That led me to Intranet Connections in August 2025,” she noted. “I initially joined in an advisory capacity, but over time transitioned into a full-time role. I now serve as chief growth officer.”

Over the last 10-plus years, the changes that most standout to Sahota are how tech teams are positioned within organizations. At the onset, they were seen as a support function, focused on maintaining systems and with a reactive presence, she noted. “That has shifted significantly. Technology now sits at the center of how organizations operate and grow.”

Traditional, top-down management practices have been replaced with cross-functional collaboration, she added. To this end, product, engineering, sales, and operations are no longer siloed but are rather closely aligned on shared goals.

“I have leaned into the 12-week year methodology to support this, enabling more focused quarterly planning and real time course correction. It is both collaborative and metric driven,” she continued. “From a leadership perspective, there is greater emphasis on transparency, communication, and accountability. Leaders are expected to provide clarity in direction, while empowering teams to execute. There is also more focus on building strong team cultures, particularly in remote and hybrid environments, which were less common when I first entered the space.”

Contribute With Confidence and Clarity

While Sahota said that certain data points suggest that there are more women working in technology roles today as opposed to a decade ago, these shifts have yet to be truly meaningful across the board. “If there continues to be a strong narrative around the need to increase the presence of women in tech, there is clearly still more work to be done.”

Reflecting on a pivotal moment earlier in her career, she shared an experience that was conditioning, and one that still resonates. “I was in the boardroom as the only woman. I shared an idea that was not fully formed, with the intention of building on it through discussion. The response was silence. The idea went nowhere,” she continued. “A few days later, a similar idea was brought forward, and it was heard, discussed, and celebrated. The specifics of the situation are less important than the impact. Those moments stay with you.”

There is cause for hope, she shared. By being privy to senior stewardship meetings, there are more frequent discussions centered on the importance of balanced leadership.

“I see real progress is in how we show up for one another. When we actively support, uplift, and advocate for others, particularly in moments where their voice may not be fully heard, that is where change happens,” she noted. “It does not always require a formal ask. Often it is about paying attention and stepping in when the opportunity presents itself.”

One such person who noticed and supported her early on was Mick Kelly, then a vice president at HSBC. The two crossed paths about seven years into her tenure there. At the time, Kelly appointed her for a new, advanced role in the organization. Without reason, however, the branch manager declined Kelly’s suggestion.

“The leadership Mick showed in that moment has stayed with me throughout my career and shaped how I show up for my team. He called the branch manager and made it clear that if they did not accept me, they would not receive a dedicated manager of investment services and would instead share the role across branches,” she noted. “It was a strong message that whatever the reasoning, it was not acceptable.”

From that moment on, Kelly became a trusted mentor and career champion, a relationship that continues today. The importance of these collective experiences is constantly top of mind.

“I pay it forward through everyday actions. At Intranet Connections, I have had the opportunity to work alongside exceptional women. For me, paying it forward is about helping others step into their full potential,” she continued. “When someone does not yet know the path forward, I will step in front and help guide. When they know the direction but need support, I stand beside them. And in moments where they feel overwhelmed, I stand behind them as a steady presence to ensure they do not lose their footing.”

Sahota also shared advice for women pursuing a career in tech, fintech, or any leadership role: “Contribute with confidence and clarity. We should not spend unnecessary time and energy trying to shape our voice to ensure it is heard. That energy is better spent on the substance of what we bring forward.”

Prioritizing Practicality, Usability, and Alignment

With 23 team members, 11 of whom are tech facing, Sahota explained that Intranet Connections serves a global community, with approximately 77% of its customer base in the financial services and the credit union space. A 100% virtual organization, the fintech is also incorporated in the U.S.

“A lot of our recent focus has been on rethinking what an intranet should look like for regulated organizations. That has meant rebuilding the platform with security, governance, and compliance built in from the start, rather than layered on over time,” she said. “For the credit union space, that distinction matters.”

Regarding recent innovations, the company introduced an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered search solution that “moves beyond keywords and helps surface more relevant, contextual answers,” while keeping data secure within a credit union’s environment, she noted.

“Nothing is sent to external models or shared outside your intranet, but for front-line staff who need quick access to policies, procedures, and forms, it changes how they interact with information day to day,” she continued. “We have also introduced native integration with Microsoft 365, including SharePoint. Many credit unions are already invested in that ecosystem, and the goal is to allow both systems to work together rather than forcing a trade-off.”

As member-owned institutions, credit unions, she added, differentiate themselves from other financial services organizations by emphasizing a culture focused on employee experience—an internal culture that directly impacts member service and experience.

“That shifts how tools like an intranet are viewed. It is not just a place to store documents; it becomes part of how the organization communicates, aligns, and operates day to day,” she said. “In contrast, many larger financial institutions tend to treat internal systems more as functional requirements.”

Credit unions, she also offered, prioritize practicality, usability, and alignment. Technology decisions are not just about functionality, but rather they are about how well a platform fits the organization, Sahota told Finopotamus. “Like-minded fintechs bring a few things that matter. They understand the regulatory environment, they invest in security and governance from the outset, and they approach the relationship in a way that reflects how credit unions serve their own members.”