For the month of October, Hawaii Business Magazine is focusing on women in the workforce.
HPR spoke with editor Jennifer Ablan and staff writer Grant Nakasone to talk about their newly released 2026 Wahine Issue that features stories about women’s health and contributions to environmental efforts across the islands.
The special issue is a lead up to the 2026 Wahine Forum, which will be held on Oct. 26th at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
Interview Highlights
On the 2026 Wahine Forum
ABLAN: The Wahine Forum is the state's largest women's executive, professional entrepreneur forum of the year, and there are more than a thousand executives, entrepreneurs, rising leaders, who attend. I'm always excited about October, but more so because of Wahine Month. People always ask me, "Is it Women's Month?" and I say, "Well, it's Wahine Month,” and we've dedicated the October magazine issue to women's health.
On the women featured in the 2026 Wahine Issue
GRANT NAKASONE: I had a wonderful opportunity to speak extensively with five women who are really leading the way and making a really big impact in Hawaiʻi's tech industry. … And there were two really prevailing themes that I really got from these interviews. … One is that there is no quote-unquote “traditional path” into the technology sector. Su Shin, … the first female president of Hawaiian Telcom, she graduated with her degree in journalism. … Gloria Niles, who is the Chief Academic Technology Officer of the University of Hawaiʻi, she has a doctor of chiropractic degree. So, really, just so many different pathways into technology that led them to where they are today. And the second prevailing theme that really came forward, and I don't think this will surprise anyone, is AI. … Gloria Niles from the University of Hawaiʻi put it in a way that I think sums it up so well: is that we are past the point of trying to ignore AI, and it's now becoming the point of how do we teach our kids, our professors, our staff members, and just the public on how to responsibly use AI.
On Hawaiʻi’s tech industry
JENNIFER ABLAN: Hawaiʻi isn't really seen as a tech hub, but it's growing. You're seeing Zach Hernandez, who is slowly building a tech ecosystem. Richard Matsui, also is another tech titan on the islands. Together with these women, they are shaping Hawaiʻi's future. So when you think about Hawaiʻi, I do believe because of our location, we do have an advantage. I think technology is also something that every company in Hawaiʻi is now really adopting. Because without technology, I don't think you have a thriving business, and I think technology also has given us an advantage where we can work anywhere we want in the world.
The articles in Hawaii Business Magazine’s 2026 Wahine Issue can be read here. For more information on the 2026 Wahine Forum, click here.
This story aired on The Conversation on Oct. 7, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
