Scaling Across Borders: GTM Lessons from APAC’s Fastest‑Growing Markets
Scaling beyond your home market is one of the hardest and most defining moves a B2B CEO can make. This session brings you inside the real expansion journey of Ivy Huq Russell, founder and former CEO of MAYA, one of APAC’s most impactful healthtech companies.
Ivy will share the unfiltered lessons from building and scaling MAYA across APAC: what worked, what failed, and what she would do differently if she were expanding again today. From navigating new markets to building a repeatable GTM engine, you’ll hear the practical, founder-tested insights that rarely make it into playbooks.
This conversation is designed for CEOs who are actively thinking about cross‑border expansion and want clarity, structure, and a proven lens for making the right next move.
What You’ll Learn
Ivy’s firsthand dos and don’ts from scaling MAYA across APAC
The GTM and expansion playbook she used — and how to adapt it to your business
The hidden pitfalls founders face when entering new markets
The strategic decisions that accelerated (or slowed) expansion
The advice she gives CEOs today who are preparing to scale beyond their borders
What You’ll Walk Away With
A 4‑step GTM framework you can apply immediately
A one‑page expansion strategy to guide your next market move
Actionable insights tailored for B2B CEOs leading $5M+ companies
A clearer understanding of how to de-risk and accelerate your expansion path
About the Speakers
Ivy Huq Russell Ivy Huq Russell | LinkedIn
Ivy Huq Russell is the founder and former CEO of MAYA, one of APAC’s most influential digital health platforms. She launched Maya in 2011 as a blog for mothers in Bangladesh, inspired by her own experience navigating the lack of accessible, trustworthy health information for women. Under her leadership, Maya evolved into a large-scale digital health service connecting millions to qualified experts across health and mental health, expanding across APAC through strategic partnerships and product innovation.
Before founding Maya, Ivy built a career in investment management and hedge funds at HSBC, GAM, and Barclays, after completing her MSc in Finance & Economics at Warwick Business School. Today, she invests in and advises early-stage founders, helping them scale with clarity and confidence. She splits her time between Bangladesh and San Francisco.
Lana De Silva Lana De Silva 🌏 | LinkedIn
Lana De Silva is the Managing Director of Growise, where she leads the firm’s mission to build scalable, data‑driven revenue engines for B2B companies across Southeast Asia. She works directly with founders and CEOs to break the founder‑led sales bottleneck, activate predictable pipeline systems, and accelerate expansion into new markets.
With a background spanning APAC, Europe, and the US, Lana is known for her ability to quickly diagnose GTM gaps, design high‑leverage commercial strategies, and translate complex business models into clear, actionable frameworks. Her work blends operational discipline with creative GTM thinking — from KPI architecture and sales process design to messaging, positioning, and investor‑ready storytelling.
Lana is a trusted partner to $5M+ companies preparing for scale, bringing a hands‑on, outcome‑focused leadership style rooted in clarity, accountability, and sustainable growth.