profile

WIA Profile: Shaliza Somani

What is your role and responsibility at your company?

My main role is to oversee the Toronto sales and marketing department. We focus primarily on expanding our distribution as well as management and support for ePassporte business accounts. My department also is responsible for constructing new products and updates, so we spend a lot of time on creative design and development.

My main role is to oversee the Toronto sales and marketing department.

Give us a typical Monday at your desk?

I usually start the day off by hitting the snooze button four or five times. LOL! Mondays are mad. Everyone at our company uses Monday as a way to lay out the action items for the week to come. It’s a busy day, lots of meetings, progress assessments, deadlines and all the usual stuff. Having a solid Monday is important to ensure our week is as productive as possible.

What do you think is your greatest challenge or asset being a woman in the adult industry?

I don’t think my challenges are any different than anyone else’s in the industry. In the end, all of us are working hard to achieve the goals we have laid out for ourselves. My mentors in business are both male and female, and whether I follow in Michael Dell or Ruth Parasol’s footsteps, it’s all the same to me.

What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?

After a hard day at work, I like to go home, put up a picture of Chris Mallick on my wall and have a fun game of darts. It helps me unwind. All joking aside, it’s hard to find the right balance between your career and your personal life, but I think a little planning goes a long way. I schedule my social life and my alone time in advance, and I try to stick to it. Most of the time this works but there are instances when emergencies come up or deadlines must be met.

What advice would you give other women who want to enter your field?

Commit yourself and look at the company as if it is your very own. EPassporte is my little baby, and I take pride in knowing I make a difference on a day-to-day basis regardless of whether I’m offering help to an account holder or presenting an idea to the CEO. For me, really understanding the business means you get hands on at every level. This philosophy has helped me understand the business from the ground up and with much more detail.

Each month, industry news media organization XBIZ spotlights the career accomplishments and outstanding contributions of Women in Adult. WIA profiles offer an intimate look at the professional lives of the industry's most influential female executives.

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

profile

Segpay Marks 20 Years of High-Risk Triumphs

Payment processors are behind-the-scenes players in the world of ecommerce, yet their role is critical. Ensuring secure, seamless transactions while navigating a rapidly changing regulatory landscape requires both technological expertise and business acumen.

Jackie Backman ·
opinion

The SCREEN Test: How to Prepare for Federal Age Verification

For those who are counting, there are now 20 enacted state laws in the United States requiring age verification for viewing online adult content, plus numerous proposed laws in the works. This ongoing barrage has been exhausting for many in the adult industry — and it may be about to escalate in the form of a potential new AV law, this time at the federal level.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How to Master Team Dynamics for Business Success

Having the right team in place is everything. Whether getting a startup off the ground and thriving, or safeguarding an established company, the right — or wrong — people can mean the difference between a successful venture and a failed dream.

Juicy Jay ·
opinion

Eight Steps to Fast-Track AI Site Approval for Processing

Artificial intelligence is a hot topic these days. AI technology is speeding up the way we do business across all industries and offers numerous benefits, from automating processes to increasing efficiency and scalability.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

How to Secure High-Risk Transactions With Network Tokenization

Ensuring the security of data as it moves through digital channels is the foundation of safe transactions, and crucial for your success. If your business can’t secure transactions, you’re exposed to myriad processing traumas.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Reba Rocket

As chief operating officer and chief marketing officer of Takedown Piracy, long at the forefront of intellectual property protection in adult entertainment, Rocket is dedicated to safeguarding the livelihoods of content creators and producers while fostering a more ethical and sustainable industry.

Women In Adult ·
opinion

Protecting Content Ownership Rights When Using AI

In today’s digital age, content producers have more tools at their disposal than ever before. Among these tools, artificial intelligence (AI) content generation has emerged as a game changer, enabling creators to produce high-quality content quickly and efficiently.

Corey D. Silverstein ·
opinion

How Payment Orchestration Can Help Your Business

An emerging payment solution is making waves in the merchant world: the payment orchestration platform (POP). It’s quickly gaining traction as a powerful tool for managing online payments — but questions abound.

Cathy Beardsley ·
opinion

Fine-Tuning Refund and Cancellation Policies

For adult websites, managing refunds and cancellations isn’t just about customer service. It’s a crucial factor in maintaining compliance with the regulations of payment processors and payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard.

Jonathan Corona ·
profile

WIA Profile: Laurel Bencomo

Born in Cambridge, England but raised in Spain, Laurel Bencomo initially chose to study business at the University of Barcelona simply because it felt familiar — both of her parents are entrepreneurs. She went on to earn a master’s degree in sales and marketing management at the EADA Business School, while working in events for a group of restaurants in Barcelona.

Women In Adult ·
Show More