Alona Malinovska
Managing Director UK, Webgains

Alona Malinovska is the definition of a quiet powerhouse. She joined Webgains in 2012 as an Account Manager and worked her way through the business to become UK Managing Director in 2019. From Account Director to Group Head of Client Services to leading the UK market, her journey reflects deep technical expertise, long-term commitment, and an unrelenting focus on doing things properly.

Under Alona’s leadership, Webgains UK has delivered an average of 15% year-on-year revenue growth since 2019, becoming one of the group’s strongest-performing markets. Commercially sharp, detail-driven, and deeply trusted by clients, she leads with consistency rather than noise.

But what really sets Alona apart is how she builds teams.

“At Webgains, we create flexibility and autonomy,” she says, “so the team can thrive while balancing work and personal commitments.” She actively creates opportunities for people to raise their profile, speak publicly, and develop confidence. “Women can be very self-critical,” she adds, “so it’s important to remind them of their talent and the value they bring.”

Growth out of uncomfortability

Despite being naturally introverted, Alona has pushed herself into public speaking, panels, and media. “The only way to find your voice is to start speaking,” she says. “That means being uncomfortable. But it’s worth it.”

She also champions fairness, transparency, and tailored partnerships. “We ask good questions,” she explains. “We focus on sustainable, in-person relationships and proactive forecasting.”

Calm, principled, and relentlessly effective, Alona proves that the strongest leaders don’t dominate rooms. They elevate everyone in them.

Carolina Paradas
General Manager, North America, ShopBack

Carolina Paradas is someone who has earned every inch of her seat at the table. 2026 was a defining year for her. “It was the year I pushed myself far beyond what I thought was possible,” she says. “Growth didn’t come from comfort, but from courage.” She moved countries, rebuilt her footing, and kept showing up in rooms where she was often the only woman. “Some things are simply hard,” she reflects. “That doesn’t make them wrong. It makes them meaningful.”

As General Manager for North America at Shopback, Carolina leads with clarity, resilience, and results. She knows that credibility in affiliate comes from performance. “Data is power,” she says. “It gives you confidence, credibility, and leverage. When you can back your voice with evidence, it becomes much harder to ignore.”

But Carolina is just as focused on changing how leadership works.

Using her influence for impact

“The biggest challenge is that progress stays in conversation instead of action,” she explains. “I focus on putting women into real positions of influence.” She is intentional about turning visibility into access. “As my influence grows, I use it to open doors, not just offer advice.”

She actively sponsors women into decision-making spaces, amplifies their work, and builds strong networks through communities like Chief and She Runs It. “Opportunity doesn’t grow in silos,” she says. “It grows when access is shared.”

Charlotte-Grace Rollinson
Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Superdrug

At Superdrug, Charlotte-Grace Rollinson has played a central role in driving digital and affiliate performance during a period of sustained growth and increasing commercial complexity.

In 2025, her first full year in the senior role, Charlotte helped deliver one of Superdrug’s strongest years on record. The team executed 13 major promotional changeovers, 22 social campaigns, eight QSR activations, and six industry conferences, while achieving full-year KPIs five weeks early and delivering a record-breaking Q4. Superdrug also reached GLA number three across its affiliate team during this period.

That performance was recognised externally when the team won their second Golden Link Award and was named Advertiser of the Year, a moment Charlotte publicly credited to collaboration between Superdrug, Rakuten, and their publisher partners.

Alongside commercial delivery, she has been instrumental in building team capability, supporting the onboarding of new team members and fostering strong cross-functional working across digital, media, and ecommerce. Through consistent execution, strategic thinking, and people-first leadership, Charlotte continues to strengthen Superdrug’s position in one of the UK’s most competitive retail and affiliate environments.

Jillian Posada
VP of Partnerships, TopCashback

Jillian Posada has been a steady force behind TopCashback’s growth through some of the most challenging conditions the industry has faced in recent years. 

Over the past two years, Jillian has played a critical role in developing future leaders within the business. She personally mentored colleagues stepping into senior roles, including supporting the transition of a UK team member into a US leadership position, guiding everything from relocation logistics to leadership development. The success of those transitions reflects her long-term commitment to building strong, confident teams.

When tariff-related pressures and budget constraints threatened growth, Jillian responded by opening up new partnership channels and launching innovative campaigns. She has consistently prioritised sustainable performance over short-term wins, helping the business offset expected declines and remain commercially resilient.

Breaking new ground 

Her leadership extends beyond revenue. As the first US employee at TopCashback to take parental leave, Jillian rebuilt internal processes from the ground up, creating a clearer, more supportive framework for future parents. It set a new standard for inclusion and care across the organisation.

“This recognition reflects where affiliate is going,” she says. “Towards leadership that values long-term thinking, transparency, and meaningful partnerships.”

Jillian is known for tying strategy to measurable outcomes and being comfortable saying no to activity that doesn’t scale. “Credibility comes from understanding the numbers and standing behind your decisions,” she explains.

Looking ahead, she believes the strongest partnerships will blend data with deep partner understanding. “Numbers matter,” she says, “but they don’t replace real relationships.”

Verena Howson
Head of Account Management, Sovendus

Verena Howson has been central to some of Sovendus’ most complex and commercially significant partnerships across Europe. As Head of Account Management, she has led the successful onboarding and launch of major enterprise brands including Just Eat and Trainline, managing multi-market integrations that required deep technical coordination, cross-functional alignment, and precise execution under tight timelines.

These were not simple rollouts. Each partnership involved multiple territories, bespoke technical requirements, and close collaboration between internal, partner, and network teams. Verena’s ability to structure and simplify this complexity has been a major driver of both revenue growth and long-term partner confidence.

Alongside enterprise delivery, Verena has played a key role in supporting Sovendus’ rapid expansion by onboarding and developing new team members. During a period of significant growth, she created clarity, structure, and consistency, ensuring performance continued to accelerate rather than stall.

“Staying relevant means constant learning,” she explains. “The industry moves fast, and you have to keep adapting.” Verena invests heavily in continuous development, research, and peer learning, and actively shares best practice across international teams to raise standards beyond her own market.

She is widely recognised as a natural mentor, particularly for women entering affiliate. New starters regularly cite her as the person who helped them understand not just how affiliate works, but why it works, giving them confidence and long-term perspective.

“I encourage women to trust their voice when they’ve done the work,” she says. “Your facts and results will build your credibility.”

Verena believes the strongest partnerships will be built on equality and shared ownership. “The best collaborations treat both sides as true partners,” she explains. “They test, learn, and grow together.”

Alexis Caldwell
Founder & CEO, That’s Strategy, LLC

After nearly two decades building impact under other brands, Alexis Caldwell took a defining step six months ago by launching her own advisory business, That’s Strategy. Making the move to build independently was a calculated risk and one that is already paying off.

“Launching my own business was a big leap,” Alexis reflects. “Being recognised now, independently, is incredibly meaningful.”

Her career has been shaped by deep operational experience, commercial leadership, and an ability to translate complex partnership challenges into clear, practical strategy. Today, she works with brands, networks, and platforms to strengthen performance, partnerships, and long-term growth across the ecosystem.

From execution to ownership

One of the biggest challenges Alexis sees for women in affiliate is self-advocacy. “Many women are brilliant at driving results for others, but hesitate to do the same for themselves,” she says.

Her own journey has been about learning to own her expertise. “I used to joke about ‘faking it till I made it’. At some point, you realise you weren’t faking anything. You’ve earned your seat.”

That shift, from delivering quietly to leading confidently, now sits at the core of her advisory work. She encourages women to break intimidating opportunities into manageable steps and recognise the experience they already have.

Creating access, not just advice

Alexis is known for being generous with her time, network, and platform. She actively makes introductions, puts women forward for opportunities early, and ensures credit follows the work.

“Those moments add up,” she explains. “I take that responsibility seriously.”

Rather than offering surface-level mentorship, she focuses on access and advocacy, helping women build real visibility and commercial credibility.

As affiliate continues to expand into new industries and models, Alexis sees growing opportunity for women to shape what leadership looks like.

“There’s room for all of us at the top,” she says. “And it’s a lot more fun when we lift each other up.”

Dunia Silan
SVP Revenue EMEA and APAC, Skimlinks

For more than a decade, Dunia Silan has been a driving force behind Skimlinks’ growth across EMEA and APAC. As SVP of Revenue, she oversees go-to-market strategy and commercial performance across the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Japan, and China, navigating complex regional markets while building long-term, sustainable growth.

As the only woman on Skimlinks’ executive team, and a single mother, Dunia has balanced senior leadership with resilience and consistency, leading through periods of rapid expansion, restructuring, and recovery. Colleagues describe her as a powerhouse who combines commercial sharpness with authenticity and deep care for her team.

“This recognition is a tribute to the mentors who invested in me early on,” Dunia says. “I’m passionate about paying that forward.”

Leading with momentum, not perfection

One of the biggest challenges Dunia sees for women in affiliate is what she calls the “perfection trap”. “ The pressure to have every answer before speaking up holds people back,” she explains. “It’s okay to fail. Momentum matters more than a flawless track record.”

Her leadership reflects that belief. She encourages experimentation, fast learning, and resilience, modelling a mindset where setbacks are treated as data, not personal failure.

Creating bigger tables

Dunia is deeply committed to building access for others. “I try to pass the mic wherever I can,” she says. “ I’ve been the only woman in many rooms. Now I want to build bigger tables.”

She actively vouches for women in senior discussions, mentors rising leaders, and opens doors to opportunities across her global network.

“Action is the cure for fear,” she adds. “Your voice gets stronger every time you choose yourself.”

Raising partnership standards

For Dunia, strong partnerships are built on honesty and long-term value. “This industry is too small for anything else,” she says. “Stick to your standards and walk away from what doesn’t serve you.”

Daisy-Blue Malden
RVP, Channel Partnerships, impact.com

For more than a decade, Daisy-Blue Malden has been one of the most influential and respected figures in affiliate and partnership marketing. Her career reflects the evolution of the industry itself, spanning platforms, agencies, and technologies that have shaped how partnerships operate today.

As RVP, Channel Partnerships at impact.com, Daisy has built the EMEA channel team from the ground up into a core driver of growth. She pioneered the company’s Agency Partner Program, repositioning agencies as strategic partners rather than service providers. Under her leadership, the programme has generated more than £3 million in pipeline revenue in its first two years and helped drive over 150 percent revenue growth across four years. Her work has supported the growth of established agencies such as Acceleration Partners and Silverbean, while nurturing emerging players including RevWise.

Daisy’s approach has also helped major brands, including John Lewis, New Balance, and Lovehoney, transition to agency-led models that revitalise long-standing programmes. Alongside this, she has played a key role in building partnerships with major technology platforms, including Shopify.

Championing Female Talent and Inclusion

Beyond commercial success, Daisy is widely recognised for her commitment to developing female talent. For over six years, she has volunteered with Dress for Success, supporting women through CV reviews, interview preparation, and career guidance. She is a regular speaker on leadership and inclusion and has been a vocal advocate for improved parental leave and childcare support in the UK.

Since joining impact.com’s EMEA senior leadership team in 2022, Daisy has continued to drive growth while championing a more equitable and supportive industry. Her influence extends far beyond any single role. She has helped shape how partnerships work, how talent is developed, and how leadership is defined in affiliate today.

You can catch up on Parts One and Two of our Top Women in Affiliate 2026 here:

PART ONE

PART TWO

And don't miss our 2026 Rising Stars.