Excellence is a core theme at Taboola this year, and it’s boldly embodied by the five Taboolars nominated for the Women Leading Change Awards. Hosted by Campaign Asia, these awards celebrate the trailblazers and rising stars redefining the industry across APAC.

The 2026 winners will be selected by an independent jury of 12 industry experts, including leaders from Meta, LEGO, and Mars Petcare. Read on to meet Taboola’s nominees and learn about the significant accomplishments they’ve made in the marketing community between January 2025 and March 2026.

Cathy Yang, Country Manager, Taiwan: Nominated for “Digital Transformation Leader.”

Cathy Yang is redefining how the Open Web survives and wins in the AI era, transforming it from a traffic-driven ecosystem into a performance-driven growth engine. As Country Manager, Cathy scaled Taiwan into Taboola’s fifth-largest Asian market in just two years, delivering 30% consecutive year-over-year growth. Amid AI’s disruption of media traffic, Cathy successfully shifted publisher strategy from monetization to engagement, acquiring 80% of Taiwan’s key publishers and proving that high-quality audience engagement is the ultimate driver of advertiser performance.

See how you can make an impact in Taipei. View openings at Taboola Taiwan

Jingwen Wang, Advertising Sales Director, Beijing: Nominated for “Young Business Leader” category.

Jingwen Wang brings 14 years of digital expertise to Taboola China, including her tenure as CEO of a leading outbound agency. This dual perspective has transformed China into a vital engine of innovation and growth. By integrating a product suite comprising Programmatic, DCO, and Connexity, she repositioned Taboola from a media vendor to a strategic partner for global giants such as Temu and AliExpress. Most notably, Jingwen built Taboola’s non-core business from the ground up—scaling it from zero to 30% of total revenue in 2025. Beyond the numbers, she is a key catalyst for the next generation of Chinese brands expanding onto the global stage.

Ready to scale China’s ad business? Check out careers with Taboola Beijing

Jisselle Lim, Advertising Sales Director, Korea: Nominated for “Emerging Leader” category.

Jisselle Lim’s 11-year ascent from intern to Director defines transformation. In 2025, she secured 78 blue-chip brands and shattered an 8-year global policy deadlock on a highly regulated industry, making Korea one of only three eligible markets worldwide for these high-value partnerships. By engineering Korea’s first Nielsen-validated 90% reach standard, she established a new benchmark for years to come. As part of the team effort that secured a 2025 AI Champion Award, Jisselle balances leading APAC’s highest-revenue engine with raising her three-year-old, proving that human-centric leadership drives results.

Interested in joining the team in Seoul? Explore careers with Taboola Korea

Mary Tse, Region Manager, Hong Kong: Nominated for “Digital Transformation Leader.”

A 20+ year digital veteran, Mary Tse’s career spans from leading Traditional Media and navigating Yahoo’s Web 1.0 to 2.0 transformation, to currently pioneering the AI frontier at Taboola. Since 2024, Mary has spearheaded a high-quality performance ecosystem in Hong Kong, with the vision to fundamentally transform the Open Web infrastructure.

For Publishers, she implements AI-driven solutions to reclaim Digital Sovereignty and cultivate sustainable, algorithm-independent traffic. For Advertisers, she provides a robust “Third Alternative” on the Open Web, a brand-safe Match-AI engine delivering high-quality performance beyond “Walled Gardens.” Mary has engineered a pioneering landscape that restores digital sovereignty through a healthy, AI-forward, and truly independent Open Web ecosystem.

Shape the future of ad-tech. View opportunities with Taboola Hong Kong

Yuka Onoue, Business Development Manager, Tokyo: Nominated for “Digital Transformation Leader.”

Yuka Onoue has fundamentally transformed Taboola into a trusted, full-funnel “Must-Buy” platform, driving a remarkable 300% revenue growth. She pioneered the first-ever Agency Trading Deal within Taboola—a framework now used as a benchmark across APAC, and orchestrated high-level partnerships with global “Big 6” agencies. By integrating advanced attention and brand-safety measurements, Yuka shifted the market focus from basic clicks to qualitative value, securing long-term success with national brands while setting new standards for the Japanese digital ecosystem.

Help us shape the Open Web in Tokyo. Search careers in Taboola Japan

Winners will be announced on May 19, 2026. Regardless of the results, the excellence these leaders display every day has already moved the needle for our industry and our teams across Taboola. Congrats to all nominees and future winners! Inspired by their impact? Explore all open roles across APAC.