Women in Amazon Business (WIAB) was founded after its co-founders, Asha Bhalsod and Hannah Hughes, experienced first-hand the lack of visibility, representation, and support for women working across the Amazon ecosystem. Despite Amazon’s rapid growth and increasing complexity, there was no dedicated community where women operating in Vendor, Seller, advertising, and e-commerce roles could come together to connect, share knowledge, and support one another.

At different stages of their careers, Asha and Hannah often had to navigate challenges alone, frequently being the only woman in the room; their access to peer networks was limited, and there was insufficient space for open and honest conversations about career progression within the Amazon industry. WIAB was founded to change this. Built from the ground up to fill a gap that did not previously exist, the community was designed to bring women together in a meaningful, supportive, and commercially relevant way.

WIAB’s vision is to create an inclusive, global community that empowers women to grow professionally within the Amazon ecosystem. Through education, mentorship, and connection, WIAB helps women build confidence, deepen their expertise, and advance in their careers, while contributing to a more balanced, diverse, and representative future across the Amazon industry.

WIAB operates on a global scale by bringing together women from key Amazon marketplaces, including the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, the Middle East, and beyond. As a community, WIAB reflects the international nature of Amazon itself and supports members working across multiple regions, roles, and business models.

“WIAB Helps Women Deepen Their Amazon Expertise”

WIAB Co-Founder and Etopia Consultancy Founder Asha Bhalsod appeared as a guest on WORLDEF E-COMMERCE. Bhalsod stated that WIAB operates as a membership-based community across two distinct tiers: “Management level” and “C-suite level.” Noting that each tier is designed to support women at different stages of their leadership journey within the Amazon ecosystem, Bhalsod said, “WIAB provides access to strategy-focused educational content, curated events, peer networks, and knowledge sharing across Amazon Vendor and Seller models, advertising, operations, and strategy.”

Asha Bhalsod added: “In addition to individual memberships, WIAB also offers corporate sponsorship opportunities for businesses that want to support diversity, inclusion, and female leadership within the Amazon industry. Through panels, workshops, closed sessions, and industry collaborations, WIAB creates meaningful connections and practical learning opportunities that help women deepen their Amazon expertise and grow professionally.”

“We Started as a Small LinkedIn Community”

Emphasizing that WIAB began as a small LinkedIn community created to bring together women working across the Amazon ecosystem, Bhalsod continued: “However, over the past two years, it has evolved into a real movement. What started as informal conversations has grown into a highly engaged network that brings women together both online and in person. To date, WIAB has hosted four sold-out events—one in Seattle and three in the United Kingdom—demonstrating the global demand for this type of community. In addition to events, WIAB has delivered a wide range of content, including coaching sessions, professional development workshops, webinars, and structured networking opportunities. Each initiative was designed to support real career progression, knowledge sharing, and meaningful connections, reinforcing WIAB’s mission to create lasting impact for women in the Amazon business world.”

“We Invite Women to WORLDEF DUBAI for Case Study Sessions”

WIAB Co-Founder Asha Bhalsod also answered the question, “What’s next for WIAB?” as follows: “The next phase for WIAB is focused on scale and impact. We are rolling out the WIAB membership program globally, ensuring that women across all major Amazon regions can access education, connection, and peer support at both management and C-suite levels. At the same time, WIAB is expanding its presence on major global industry stages. We will first collaborate with WORLDEF in Dubai, followed by WORLDEF ISTANBUL in June. At these events, we are actively inviting women to participate in case study sessions to increase visibility and representation where it has historically been lacking. Additionally, WIAB will launch a series of masterclasses and Lunch & Learn sessions throughout the year and will close the year with an awards ceremony honoring women who are shaping the future of the Amazon business world.”

“Etopia Was Founded in 2019 to Fix a Broken Model”

Asha Bhalsod is also the founder of Etopia Consultancy. According to Bhalsod, Etopia was founded in 2019 to fix a broken model. Bhalsod said: “After years of working at the heart of retail and e-commerce, particularly on Amazon Vendor and Seller accounts, it became clear that many agencies were quietly eroding Amazon margins while chasing ROAS. Brands were scaling without strategy, burning budgets without real profitability, and making reactive decisions in an increasingly complex ecosystem. Etopia was built to reverse that mindset: a strategy-first, margin-focused approach centered on execution that genuinely makes a difference. The goal has always been to turn Amazon from a cost center into a sustainable growth engine.”

“No Fluff, Just Results!”

Founded by a female entrepreneur determined to challenge the status quo, Etopia delivers profitable growth across both Vendor and Seller models by combining Amazon strategy, retail fundamentals, and performance marketing,” Bhalsod continued: “We focus on aligning all levers—assortment, pricing, availability, and advertising—around commercial outcomes rather than vanity metrics. Since our founding, Etopia has supported more than 50 brands, managed over £10 million in annual ad spend, and contributed to generating more than £150 million in GMV on Amazon. No fluff. Just results.”

Regional Challenges in Selling on Amazon

In response to the question, “What challenges exist when selling on Amazon in the regions you serve, and what solutions do you offer to address these challenges?”, Asha Bhalsod said: “Selling on Amazon globally brings a consistent set of challenges, including margin erosion, rising advertising costs, operational complexity, and fragmented ownership across marketplaces. As brands expand internationally, these issues are amplified by inconsistent data, local market nuances, and misaligned Vendor or Seller structures. Etopia addresses these challenges by creating clear, market-specific strategies that align pricing, assortment, advertising, and supply chain decisions. We prioritize profitability from day one and build frameworks that enable brands to scale internationally with control, clarity, and confidence.”

“The Future of E-Commerce Will Be Defined by Profitability, Not Just Growth”

Answering the question, “Based on your area of expertise, how do you see the future of e-commerce?”, Bhalsod responded: “The future of e-commerce will be defined by profitability, not just growth. As platforms like Amazon mature, brands will need to move away from volume-driven strategies and focus on operational excellence, margin control, and smarter use of data and technology. International expansion will continue to be an important growth lever, but only for brands that approach it strategically. We believe the most successful brands will be those that combine strong fundamentals with intelligent automation, clear ownership, and long-term thinking—turning complexity into a competitive advantage rather than a barrier.”

Markets Etopia Focuses On

Etopia operates globally by supporting brands across all major Amazon marketplaces. We specialize in helping brands expand into new international markets across regions including the United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and beyond, providing the strategic and operational support needed to scale with confidence across borders. Etopia helps brands build a strong and sustainable presence in MENA as the region continues to develop.