Women-Led Innovation in Task Management: InCheq’s Brianna Van Zanten Drives Innovation
Groundbreaking task management company InCheq has a secret weapon: Brianna Van Zanten, Vice President of Customer Success. Her beneficial influence on the company demonstrates the importance of women-led innovation in task management.
While a gender gap continues to plague the tech industry, with many tech roles still being held by people who look remarkably the same, Van Zanten is much more than just a trailblazing woman and great female leader — she’s also a champion for inclusive workplaces and gender diversity.
“Everyone on our team has a voice and a seat at the table,” Van Zanten says. “Everyone’s perspective matters, no matter their title.”
The challenge for tech: Getting more innovative women into leadership
The tech industry remains male-dominated in 2025. According to WomenTech Network’s 2025 report, women tech professionals comprise only 35% of the sector’s workforce. Worse, women only hold 25 percent of leadership roles in this industry (women of color only hold 5 percent), and only 15 percent of startup founders are women entrepreneurs.
Evidence also suggests that bias and discrimination remain a problem. According to the IT career website Dice, a higher percentage of tech professionals experienced racial discrimination in 2022 (24 percent) compared to 2021 (18 percent). Gender discrimination also worsened, with 26 percent reporting it in 2022, compared to 21 percent in 2021. Women respondents reported much higher rates of discrimination than men, at 48 percent to 15 percent.
Companies benefit when women’s leadership development is prioritized, however.
The importance of women-led innovation in task management
Research shows that when organizations have women in 30 percent or more of their leadership positions, they become 15 percent more profitable. The effectiveness of women-led businesses is often credited to women’s ability to communicate effectively and motivate their teams. This innovative approach is exactly the transformational leadership style that Van Zanten embodies.
“Leadership isn’t all about having the title,” Van Zanten explains. “I want people to know I’m dependable, honest, and not afraid to say ‘I don’t know.’ I lead with clarity and compassion — and that’s exactly how we’re building InCheq: with real conversations, trust, and a focus on making things work for real people.”
Van Zanten drives innovative solutions at InCheq by keeping things real and embracing diverse perspectives.
How women in tech drive innovation, problem-solving
Van Zanten’s inclusive leadership style emphasizes teamwork and psychological safety. “We don’t fake ‘inclusive’ — we live it by listening,” Van Zanten says. “Learning together is part of the culture. We’re figuring it out together as we go. Real innovation is inclusive innovation.”
Van Zanten’s extends this collaborative approach to client relations as well. “We treat our clients like partners, not transactions,” Van Zanten says. “We keep things personable and real. Honesty and transparency are what the customer needs and wants to hear, even when it might be uncomfortable.”
In addition to “communicating like real people,” she also credits InCheq’s high customer retention rate to the team’s reliability. “We show up when others don’t,” she explains. “We keep things consistent and low drama.”
That’s not to say that Van Zanten’s path as a woman in leadership has always been smooth.
Brianna Van Zanten: Female innovator in Automated project management
“I don’t fit into the traditional image of a tech leader, so sometimes people second-guess me or mistake me as having a supporting role,” Van Zanten explains. “I’ve learned to let the results speak on my behalf and just keep showing up with confidence. I am secure in my capabilities and leadership skills.”
Van Zanten fosters innovation and gets those results through management strategies that prioritize positivity and structure. “I stay calm and trust the process even when things feel messy,” she explains. “One of my favorite sayings is ‘Follow your plan, not the mood.’ Things might get hectic, but that doesn’t mean you ditch the game plan.”
Meaningful innovation requires risk, and Van Zanten embraces these challenges. “I’m all about chasing things that might seem out of reach at first,” she says. “I want my team to feel like they can try things, mess up, speak up — and know I’ve got their back. With the right plan and a little belief, what feels far off starts to look a lot more possible.”
Creating new opportunities for the next generation of women leaders
Van Zanten supports women, promotes gender equality, and provides mentorship to up-and-coming female leadership and other women in innovation. She also advocates for businesses to pursue more women-led initiatives and give more opportunities for women in general.
“When companies make use of women’s leadership potential and promote women to senior management, yes, they show their commitment to social responsibility and have a positive social impact, but they also do so much more,” Van Zanten explains. “Having a team full of diverse talent propels technology and innovation. The presence of women leads to better tech solutions. For this reason, leadership effectiveness means empowering women. The rise of women is the rise of everyone.”
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