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President Digital Leaders | Chair of Institute of Coding (IoC) | Board Member & Former President techUK | Non-Executive Director
Board Member at techUK and an experienced Non-Exec Director serving on the boards of plc businesses: RIghtmove PLC, FDM Group PLC and privately held IFS Global Enterprise Software Solution.
Mentoring & empowering teams, focusing on operational excellence, people selection and talent management. Unlocking the potential of individuals through clear goal setting & coaching.
I believe that the UK can sustain its position as a magnet for digital investment and for tech talent. My ambition is for this country to seize its position as a digital nation of significance by leveraging its technology leadership position and growing a diverse and inclusive skills base. Companies are more successful & profitable if they have diversity at the heart of their businesses. Let's inspire kids in to digital, have more young women joining and staying in the tech sector & encourage diversity in the boardroom. Digital nations thrive where there is digital adoption everywhere.
Most Influential Woman in IT 2015 http://www.computerweekly.com/video/Most-influential-woman-in-UK-IT-2015-Jacqueline-de-Rojas
Debretts 500 People of Influence - Digital: 2016: www.debretts.com/people-influence/debretts-500-2016/digital/jacqueline-de-rojas@
Computerweekly Hall of Fame 2016 http://bit.ly/1WHUMGM
Europe's 50 most inspiring female business leaders across Europe http://www.inspiringfifty.com/inspiring-fifty-europe-2017/
Included in World’s 100 most influential people in digital government 2019: Woman of the Year awarded by Women in IT Excellence 2019 |2020 Asian Tech Pioneer | Named in 2021 Connected Britain’s Top 100 Influencers and Stroeous Award Winner: Global Positive Impact Leader of the Year 2021.
Awarded a CBE for services to technology in international trade in the Queen's New Year Honour's list 2018.
Founder, STEMettes
Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon is a keynote speaker, presenter, and co-founder of the award-winning social enterprise, Stemettes. Voted the most influential woman in tech in the UK of 2020 by Computer Weekly and featured among the top 10 BAME leaders in tech by The Financial Times.
A recognised and respected thought-leader in the tech space and trustee at the Institute for the Future of Work, Anne-Marie has spoken across the globe for some of the world’s biggest digital companies and conferences, including Facebook, Amazon, Google, Mercedes Benz, Fujitsu and Mastercard.
Anne-Marie is the temporary Arithmetician on Countdown, the world’s longest running gameshow. She also hosts the highly popular Women Tech Charge podcast for the Evening Standard, and is a sought-after presenter and conference facilitator, conducting live interviews with famous faces from the tech world and beyond, including Jack Dorsey and Sir Lewis Hamilton. Her first book She’s In CTRL is to be published by Transworld in September 2022.
Anne-Marie has been awarded Honorary Doctorates from the Open University, Glasgow Caledonian University, Kent University, Bristol University and Coventry University, and in June of 2017 was made an Honorary Fellow at Keble College, Oxford. She sits on the Board of Durham University’s Computer Science Department, which, in recognition of her work as Head Stemette, offers a scholarship to young women in her name. In 2019 she became a visiting professor for Sunderland University. She is on the board of the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Music and Sport’s Digital Skills Partnership, the British Library Advisory Council, the Research England Council and is a trustee at the Urban Development Music Foundation and the Women of the World Foundation.
Founder of Tech London Advocates & Global Tech Advocates
Russ Shaw CBE is the founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates. He originally founded Tech London Advocates in 2013 to ensure an independent voice of the technology community was heard, but with a focus on the private sector.
Since then, he has been championing London as a global tech hub and campaigning to address some of the biggest challenges facing tech companies in the UK.
Global Tech Advocates, founded in 2015, is now present in 34 hubs around the globe, with over 30,000 members. In 2019, Russ launched the inaugural GTA Festival, taking place in China and bringing the international network together for the first time. The second edition of the Festival was held in India in 2022.
Russ was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List 2021 for services to technology and to business in London. He is a founding partner of London Tech Week and an Advisory Board member for Founders4Schools. In 2019, Russ was recognised as a 'Tech Titan' in the Evening Standard's Progress 1000 list of London's most influential people.
Co-Founder and Chief Trouble Maker at Digilearning
Hey there, I'm Lisa Goodchild, a digital aficionado who's stolen a whopping two decades in the game (seriously, where did the time go?). While I've been busy building Digiwoo and shaking up the social media scene, my heart belongs to 'Digilearning'. I'm on a mission to obliterate the digital divide by revolutionising how we teach digital skills worldwide.
Our award-winning programs are breaking through glass ceilings left and right. It's high time digital literacy gets the recognition it deserves, right up there with knowing your ABCs. From humble beginnings to digital dynamo, I've witnessed firsthand how tech can transform lives. Now, it's my mission to spread that magic to every corner of the globe. Let's make it happen together!
Enterprise Technologist, AWS
A proven and experienced business leader whom leverages the power of technology to support business transformation Rashada holds 20years technology sales experience and has a record of accomplishment in delivering growth, supporting innovation and delivering value to global organisations as well as being a keen advocate for inclusion, diversity and equity practice.
In a professional capacity Rashada is an Enterprise Technologist at Amazon Web Services where she seeks to take enterprise Customers on a digital transformation to the cloud. Prior to joining AWS, she held senior roles at organisations including Vodafone Global Enterprise and Cisco.
Rashada co-founded and launch the award winning Your Future, Your Ambition (YFYA) initiative in 2012 as a vehicle to help organisations and students connect and bridge the diversity gap in STEM. Today Rashada provides advisory expertise to a range of other initiatives including UKBlackTech and Women@AWS UK. Rashada sits on the board of Trustees at Engineering UK, the African Gifted Foundation and Off TheCurriculum charities.
In acknowledgement for her work in the Technology industry, Rashada Harry has been names as Woman of the Year Tech by Computing 2023 and has been listed in the Financial Times UK’s 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in Technology, WeAreTheCity Tech100 Women, EMpower’s Top 100 Ethnic Minority Executive List as well as being acknowledged by ComputerWeekly as a top Female leader in Tech 2023.
In recognition of contributions to the industry and encouraging more diversity in STEM, Rashada was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Philosophy from her alma mater London Metropolitan University in 2019 and graduated alongside the School of Computing and Digital Media.
Founder, Structur3dpeople & Cajigo
Rav Bumbra is a diversity consultant, advisor to organisations, speaker and award-winning diversity champion. She has been showcased as one of the Most Influential Women in UK Tech since 2017.
She is Founder of Structur3dpeople, a diversity consultancy that helps organisations attract, develop and retain talent. She is also Founder of Cajigo, driving a social mission to engage 20,000 girls into technology and empower women of all ages into a variety of careers, across industries. Cajigo was shortlisted as the DEI Initiative of the Year by Women in IT Awards in 2021.
With a 20-year consulting background, Rav also sits on the Women in Business Board in Bristol, to support the progression of women in the Southwest, and on the Advisory Board for Learning People, to help young people find their route into technology.
Rav is also host of “Women Talk Tech” a weekly Instagram Live chat show, where she interviews women leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and everyday role models to share their tech journeys and strategies for a successful career, with the aim to inspire more girls and women to see their limitless possibilities from a career in technology. The show was born during the pandemic and all episodes are available for playback on the Cajigoapp Instagram page.
Founder and Director, Little Kanga
Becky Lodge is a degree and CIM qualified Founder and Director, with a 30- year career history in STEAM based markets as an international sales and marketing director.
Becky has spent her entire life building businesses and revenue from start-ups to SMEs and large multi-nationals. She was initially trained by Tesco on their graduate scheme and later was recruited to a specialist clothing design arm of Alexandra Workwear (dealing with multi-million pound contracts at the age of just 24) and she has also worked with brands such as Disney and Ferrari in the promotional clothing space worldwide. Shortly before starting up her business in 2015, she was an EMEA Sales Director for a US based broadcast software company and also worked in engineering infrastructure in technical markets.
In 2015 she founded Little Kanga Ltd, a management consulting practice specialising in digital innovation, start-up incubation and entrepreneurship for universities and governments worldwide.
Becky then founded the online and digital business support brand ‘StartUp Disruptors’ a subscription community that helps early- stage start-ups and aspiring business owners to fund and scale their businesses via world-class business education at an accessible price point (starting from just £19.99 a month for online support and expertise). This brand has changed the face of business support across the UK and has created a new market niche.
Having attended hundreds of outdated networking events, mainly attended by ‘men in suits;’ Becky soon witnessed financial exploitation of women and those with additional needs and charlatans were openly operating in the local area, selling people things they neither needed or wanted at that stage of their business journey.
So, she set out to change the landscape of business support and deliver it in a totally different and accessible way, through online meetings and social media groups. But this was no ordinary ‘guru’ – the learning and education was to be backed by some of the best resources and information available globally through partners that ‘really know their stuff’, including universities and venture capital funding partners; qualified accountants and media giants.
Started with 9 people in a pub in Portsmouth in 2016 Becky and the team grew the membership community via social media to 150 members in year one and now the community has over 50,000 social media followers and 2,000 members on Facebook, via a subscription based service for £19.99pcm that allows people to access to qualified experts at a fraction of the normal costs for business coaching, advice, support and community, PR and advertising and entrepreneurship education for first time business owners. This has now become known as the ‘Netflix’ of entrepreneurship education in the UK.
One of Sky News 100 Women in business in 2017 (for her work in business on gender parity and inclusion) and contributing author to BBC News online for Technology, Becky was the first tech mentor in the UK to be approached by Faster Capital (Venture Capital) in Dubai to aid their tech start-ups for mentoring. A lecturer in operational sales management at the University of Portsmouth Business School, Becky has an agenda around enabling social mobility and gender parity through making entrepreneurship accessible and affordable for all and advocate for women and inclusion and diversity in business.
‘StartUp Disruptors’ is sponsored and supported by Uber, Funding Circle, Faster Capital, Notion Capital, University of Portsmouth Business School, University of Essex, The Sasha Group (part of US company VaynerMedia), Xebra Accounting and many others. It is fully accredited by the UK universities they partner with and thus far; it has helped over 5000 people to start and scale a business from home since 2016, raising over £2mn in grant and private loan funding so far.
This disruptive model has been the result of Becky’s ability to ‘see around corners’ due to her own neurodiversity. Labelled as ‘gifted’ in certain subjects at school and told that she was a ‘failure’ in others, has driven her to be a top 1% sales performer throughout her career.
Becky is considered to be the ‘go to’ person in the early- stage entrepreneurship and SME business growth in the Portsmouth and wider Solent region; a passionate future thinker, innovator and social media influencer in B2B in the UK with over 15,000 connections and followers on LinkedIn and 10,000 followers on Twitter alone. A super-connector with high EQ/emotional intelligence and open mindset, Becky is driven to help change the entrepreneurship education space for future generations and help women to create the sustainable businesses they with to engender.
Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist, Durham University
Sue Black is a leading academic, campaigner, and advisor to the UK Government.
Black is a Professor of Computer Science and Technology Evangelist at Durham University with more than 40 publications behind her as well as a PhD in software engineering.
Her academic career has seen her hold leadership posts at London South Bank University, University of Westminster and University College London.
A champion for women in computing, Black founded BCSWomen, the UK’s first online network for women in tech, and #techmums, a social enterprise which empowers mums and their families through technology. The activist is also widely known for her successful campaign to save Bletchley Park, the wartime campus where more than 5,000 women served as codebreakers.
A figurehead on numerous boards, Black has been a Comic Relief Trustee and a mentor at Google Campus for Mums, a L’Oréal UNESCO prize judge, an expert evaluator for the European Commission and a Nesta Crucible fellow.
Black was awarded an OBE for “services to technology” in 2016.
Black is a self-confessed social media-holic. She is a mum of four and a grandmother of six.
CEO, Code First: Girls
Anna Brailsford is the CEO of Code First Girls, a social enterprise that looks to increase the number of women in tech, by training women in IT skills and helping companies to develop more inclusive recruitment policies. Anna is also a Board Member for the Institute of Coding. Before joining Code First Girls, Anna was the CEO and co-founder of Founders Factory incubated EdTech start-up, Frisbee.
Prior to that, Anna was the Commercial Director of Lynda.com and LinkedIn. When LinkedIn acquired Lynda for $1.5 Billion in April 2015, she became part of the fourth-largest acquisition in social media history and subsequently contributed to the creation of LinkedIn Learning.
Competitive Intelligence Advisor, Author, Acclaimed Keynote Speaker
Suki Fuller, a competitive intelligence advisor, author, acclaimed keynote speaker and Fellow of The Council of Competitive Intelligence Fellows. She is the Founder of Miribure, Co-Founder & Senior Vice President of DC Analytics and Storyteller for Group of Humans. Suki was recently named The Most Influential Woman in UK Tech by Computer Weekly 2023.
Suki is a fierce supporter of intelligence, ethical tech, #SafetyTech, Security, Privacy and Surveillance. Her eclectic 20-year career within strategic intelligence and technology has taken her from the US Department of Defense to teaching business students in China.
She currently resides in London, where she is an intrinsic part of the tech community as a Board Advisor for Tech London Advocates / Global Tech Advocates, which includes key positions as Co-Lead TLA Women in Tech, and Board Member for GTA Black Women in Tech.
Co-Chief Executive Officer, Tech Talent Charter
Karen Blake is a leader in diversity, equity & inclusion and digital skills. Currently, she is Co-Chief Executive Officer, at the Tech Talent Charter - an industry-led membership group comprising over 800 organizations that work collaboratively to drive DE&I in the tech ecosystem.
Karen co-authors the TTC's annual Diversity in Tech report, which provides insights into DE&I among over 200,000 tech workers. Karen has extensive experience in human capital consultancy, education, and skills development.
She is an enthusiastic advocate of neuro-inclusion and actively supports various local and national neuro-inclusion charities. Karen also runs a mentoring group for Autistic young women and serves on multiple disability steering committees.
Co-Founder, Women in Data UK
Roisin starting her career as a recruitment consultant in 2000, focusing exclusively on data and tech talent. Roisin forged her career on building long lasting mutually beneficial relationships. As a result of her own efforts, over five thousand people have moved into more satisfying data roles and hundreds of teams built. Roisin founded the ground-breaking initiative, Women in Data® in 2014 and has grown the community to over 60K globally. Women in Data® host the world’s largest event for female talent in the field, whilst providing career development and support year-round, all of which is free for the community. Over the past 24 years, Roisin has been responsible for building some of the UK’s most cutting-edge data teams and has facilitated some of the most influential and successful careers in this sector. Roisin is seen as a thought-leader and an authority on data careers, DE&I, team development and talent acquisition. Her unrivalled network of contacts, commitment to the data and tech community and her unwavering passion for building strong, diverse, and skilled teams is what makes her so unique.
Founder of 3 Colours Rule, GTA Black Women In Tech & New: Black Rise
Flavilla Fongang is a multi-award-winning serial entrepreneur who started her career in oil & gas, then fashion and she influenced the technology sector. She is now an international and multilingual keynote speaker (English & French). Computer Weekly named her the number 1 most influential woman in tech in the UK among a list of more than 600 women in tech nationwide. She is the founder of Black Rise, the first business platform dedicated to connecting the business world to talented, skilled and experienced black professionals and businesses. She is a neuroscience brand expert covering strategy, design, marketing and customer experience. She is the founder of 3 Colours Rule, an award-winning branding and marketing agency. Mercedes Benz awarded Flavilla the “She’s Mercedes” businesswoman award among women such as Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook. She is the author of “99 Strategies to get customers”. She is also the founder of Global Tech Advocates – Black Women in Tech, the 1st largest organisation of black professional women in tech. She published since October 2021, an annual book “The Voices In The Shadow”. A book that features stories of black women in tech and is distributed to secondary schools for FREE across the UK and Ireland. The books are now also archived at The British Library to protect their legacy. She is the enabler and is never afraid to challenge the norms.
She is an Entrepreneurship Expert with the Entrepreneurship Centre for Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She has been a keynote speaker for the most prestigious international events, such as AdWeek, HubSpot, DMWF, MozCon, AdWorld, Upgrade100, CTA, MarTech and many more.
She also delivered corporate talks for the following companies: Meta, Toyota, Zoom, Levi’s, Microsoft, Deloitte, Amazon, HSBC and many more.
Associate Developer, Sky
My name is Sophie and I'm an Associate Developer at Sky. I career-changed into Tech after 13 years as a teacher because it offered an exciting new direction and challenge. Whilst I love learning new technical skills, I still enjoy helping people and so play an active role as both as an Instructor/Ambassador for Code First Girls and a Mentor for Cajigo.
Project Manager, Growth & Digital Transformation, The Change Hive
Yemi is a Growth Consultant | Project Manager at ‘The Change Hive’, a business growth consultancy.Over the last 14 years, she has helped her clients, from Startups to Fortune 100s, grow revenue and enter new markets with Sales Funnel Automation, B2B Partnerships, Go To Market and International Expansion Strategies.
She was listed on the UK Top 100 Most Influential Women in Technology for three consecutive years.She is passionate about social impact through entrepreneurship – she serves as a business mentor on the UK Help to Grow and Stanford Seed programmes – where she helps early-stage entrepreneurs and small business owners ideate and grow their businesses.
She occasionally writes a LinkedIn newsletter on Business Growth and Transformation. She holds an MBA, First Class, and Distinction Degrees in Computer Science.
Career and Transition Coach, D&I Leader
Lucile is a career, mindset and leadership coach with over a decade of experience leading diversity and inclusion in male-dominated industries, more recently in the media. Since 2021, she’s also been a guest Lecturer in International Business Ethics at the Institut Francais de la Mode in Paris, France. Her mission is to support women in navigating their career, develop their leadership skills and achieving their goals whilst enabling organisations to optimise their female talent. She's a passionate advocate for women's advancement and is deeply committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
Keynote Speaker, Communications Strategist, Best Selling Author, JazzCellence LLC
Jasmine Romaine is an International Keynote Speaker, Radio Personality, Communications Strategist, and International Best Selling Author of Speak to Profit: Speak with Confidence and Jazz Up Your Sales!
Jasmine was also part of the cast in the bold remake of the film, The Color Purple (2023) and several other film projects. Her mission is to empower professionals to effectively communicate with clarity and confidence so they can amplify their voice and have ultimate success in the workplace and marketplace. Jasmine is known as the voice that will truly get an audience #JazzedAboutSuccess!
Leadership Coach and Trainer, Quest for EST Ltd
Rebekah Whitaker is on a one woman mission to equip, encourage and empower the forgotten managers of the world. An accredited coach and trainer, Rebekah has spent hundreds of hours working with managers to help them show up, speak up and step up as confident leaders. As a speaker she draws on her years of leadership experience and client work to share stories and insights about the world of leadership and management. Rebekah has never 'spoken corporate' a day in her life; a proud Yorkshire lass, her talks are relatable, engaging and will inspire you to challenge the status quo of leadership development.
Founder & CEO, Transformative Coaching and Consulting
Padmasini Dayananda is a multi award winning and industry recognised Woman in Tech and a social mobility champion.
Industry leader in delivering organisational purpose through business aligned Social Impact and employee engagement with Multi-geo cross industry experience in leading sustainable digital transformation and growth through social value. She is an articulate collaborator bringing together client, community, corporate and government through shared purpose.
A social mobility champion activating diverse talent pipeline that feeds into a culturally inclusive workplace. She is an employee well-being advocate with focus on mental health. To scale her impact on people's lives, she has now founded her passion project "Transformative coaching and consulting" with focus on empowering individuals to tap their true potential and organisations to achieve sustainable growth.
Managing Consultant, Cprime
Lydia has worked in Product Delivery and Transformation for 8 years and currently consults with business large and small to help them improve flow and create high performing teams. She speaks regularly at events advocating for Women in Tech as well as her experiences of Agile transformation and change. Lydia mentors others in the industry to encourage better levels of diversity in the tech sector as well as being an ambassador for InnovateHer.
Leadership, Career & Personal Brand Coach, Success Redefined Limited
Leila Singh is an accomplished Sales and Finance professional with a corporate career spanning 25 years. She has a wealth of experience initially gained as a qualified accountant (FCCA), followed by 16 years spent at Hewlett Packard Enterprise initially in Corporate Finance, and latterly nearly ten years as a successful Sales Executive delivering a little shy of $1bn of business.
In parallel, during the last ten years Leila has established her Coaching Practice & Personal Brand Consultancy, drawing on her breadth of skills, knowledge, and experience in the areas of sales, finance, and extensive personal growth and development, where she coaches highly motivated and ambitious career professionals at all levels up to CXO and NED’s, typically working in the tech industry, to establish their competitive advantage, be best in class, and accelerate their career towards leadership, by creating a powerful personal brand and showing up as their best self. Her clients' results speak for themselves, with each client securing at least one promotion through working with Leila, and averaging an increase in income by 47%.
Furthermore, Leila, a TEDx & Keynote Speaker, is accredited as a Master Coach, Coach and L&D Trainer, and Professional Speaker Mentor, Certified Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) & Hypnotherapy, Podcast Host of ‘Life Leadership – All Things Coaching, Career & Personal Brand!’, and Published Author of ‘Success Redefined – How to leverage your natural talents to be limitless!’
Digital Productivity Specialist, Professional Speaker and Tech Founder, DigiEnable
Liz Hardwick is a Digital Productivity Specialist, Professional Speaker, Trainer and Tech Founder, and has been sharing her expertise and experiences of “harnessing digital for human benefit”, for over 20 years through engaging talks, trainings and virtual seminars, and via her online portal ProductivityClub.co.uk
Described as a forever-smiling, down to earth, and approachable expert, she is known for advocating a strong work life balance, using Digital to solve human problems, and loves to demystify technology so everyone can be digitally included.
Liz has been recognised for her achievements in TechWomen100, TechWorld’s Top 111 UK Women in Tech Speakers, and DigitalLeadersUK100.
CEO & Coach, Transformation21st
Faith Ruto (MBA) empowers leaders to unlock their full potential through Executive Coaching (certified ICF, EMCC & AC), Public Speaking, and her book "Transform Within - 7 Strategies for Professional Growth and Resilience." Faith is a passionate advocate for gender equality and dedicates her time as a volunteer for the UN Women UK Delegate and conference speaker. She was named one of the 133 Change Makers in 2023 by Diversein and recognised as a Global Top 40 Black Leader by Black Leaders Worldwide.
She is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who shares insights on how to succeed in corporate careers, career transitions, confidence, and how to develop resilience. She has collaborated with major brands such as Shell, HSBC, Unilever, Capgemini, British Red Cross, Imperial College, LSE, National Rail and many other companies listed on the FTSE 100. Her clients include executives and senior leaders both in the UK and internationally.With over 20 years of global experience in the Oil and Gas and Travel Sectors, Faith founded Transformation21st Limited in 2015 to empower, inspire, and help companies unleash their talent's full potential. Faith is married with two young children.
Multi-Award Winning Engineer, Blogger, Poet, Engineering Mentor, Founder
Asia is a multi-award-winning software engineer, engineering mentor, public speaker & an advocate for DE&I within the tech industry. Transitioning from a non-tech background to becoming a software/data engineer at NatWest Bank, she's become a trailblazing mentor for women in tech. With a wealth of achievements, Asia's accolades span from Rising Star to Tech Influencer of the Year.
Asia’s inspirational journey in battling Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma while advancing impactful tech initiatives has established her as a role model. Asia’s impactful workshops, engineering talks, and mindset coaching have inspired countless individuals globally, setting her apart as a captivating speaker and software engineer, dedicated to empowering women and underrepresented communities in technology.
Digital Innovator
Wincie Wong uses her background at the leading edge of creative and disruptive innovation in the banking industry to break down barriers and transform the shape and diversity of the tech and data workforce. An international speaker and a digital evangelist, she is passionate about spearheading the growth of a diverse technology workforce as founding member of Tech She Can, a charity representing 250+ corporates working together to increase the number of women in technology roles in the UK through education. She has a background working with the UK government to tap into the huge unrealised economic potential of female entrepreneurs by making the UK one of the best countries in the world for women to start and grow a new business as recommended in the Alison Rose Review of Female Entrepreneurship. A serial entrepreneur herself, she has been featured in Season 2 of BBC’s My Million Pound Menu with host Fred Siriex for her business running Burmese supper clubs – now available on Netflix globally. In 2023, she was named Woman of the Year at the Women in IT Awards, Standout 45 for the Innovate Finance Women in FinTech Powerlist, and was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential BAME Leaders in UK Tech by Inclusive Boards & the Financial Times in 2019. Having grown up in New York City, she’s spent the last 15+ years across the pond in London where she is passionate about making innovation useful for customers.
Head of Salesforce Platform, Centrica
Joanne has a career spanning three decades in the tech industry. She has been the recipient of many industry awards for her work in technology and in the diversity and inclusion space. Joanne has been co-chair of the Centrica Women’s Network and worked on changing the culture relating to women during her term: she introduced Domestic Abuse guidelines; free period products in her organisation and encouraged the CEO to talk about the menopause and how that impacts women in the workplace. Through an intersectional lens she champions the cause of women and other under-represented groups. Joanne is a mentor, an everywoman Ambassador, and a Trustee for Age UK Sheffield.
Negotiation Trainer and Coach, Fireflying
As a Digital Media Professional, I have learnt that it doesn't matter if you have all of the answers or have the very best product. Unless you truly understand who you are talking to and what motivates them, your message will not land impactfully. I take a people first approach, always. Negotiation Trainer & Coach , DISC Licensed Facilitator, Self Starter, Mum, Coffee Lover, Spin Enthusiast, Sun Devotee
Women's Leadership Coach, Speaker, Author of Be The Leader You Want To See, Make Life Simple
Susie Ramroop qualified as a Performance Coach in 2006, whilst Directing transformation teams in the tech sector. On reaching the top of her game, she felt flat, and so she redirected her efforts and crafted a career that focuses on making a difference to leaders of the future. She empowers people to take the time to know themselves, so they can lead by inspirational example and achieve a lasting impact.
Nothing gets past Susie - she sees all of your brilliance and will call out your limiting behaviour so that you surrender chuckling. Susie is an articulate and empowering Coach, who brings laser focus and an enormous heart to personal and business growth.
As the UK's thought leader on impostor syndrome, Susie is an exciting and, occasionally, hilarious speaker that will have you raring to take action (that makes a difference) as you leave her talk.
Susie works privately with individuals, with Mastermind groups in business, and runs the utterly transformational Reset Retreat. She is the Author of the bestselling book Be The Leader You Want To See.
CEO & Founder, Inclusive by Design Consulting
Laura is a dynamic leader with nearly two decades of commercial experience in technology. With a visionary approach, she champions the creation of diverse, collaborative, and inclusive teams, all dedicated to delivering exceptional quality.
Laura's journey began in technology, where she honed her skills in programming and data analysis. As she climbed the career ladder to Head of Business Architecture and Analysis, she discovered her true passion: empowering people in the workplace and creating inclusive technology. This realisation led her to found her own company, Inclusive by Design Consulting Ltd.
As a winner of the prestigious TechWomen100 award, Laura is on a mission to drive gender diversity forward. Through her unwavering commitment, she's dedicated to uplifting and supporting women in technology, catalysing positive change within corporate cultures worldwide. Join Laura as she leads the charge towards a brighter, more inclusive future in tech.
Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager, Keynote Speaker, Coach & Mentor, Shopify
Originally from Italy, Carlotta started her career in Silicon Valley before joining the London corporate tech scene working for companies like Oracle and Shopify as a Global Brand Partnerships Lead and Sr Strategic Partnerships Manager.
Outside of work, Carlotta is a mentor for women's and social mobility networks, a career coach, a startup NED and a visiting professor at the University of Sussex. Carlotta also works with private coaching clients to help them achieve their goals and has delivered numerous talks and panels for events like TEDx, WomenXImpact and Reframe Women in Tech Conference.
As a result of her involvement as a mentor and coach across multiple networks, over the years Carlotta was recognised with a number of awards including; 2023 Women Who Change the World List by DiverseIN; 2022 Woman in Tech of the Year Award Winner by Lead5050; 2022 Emerging Leader Award Winner by ForwardLadies; 2022 Mentor of the Year Award Winner by Women of the Future Programme; 2022 HERoes Future Leaders List by INvolve Role Models; 2021 TechWomen100 Winner by WeAreTheCity.
International Business Director, Birdeo & People4Impact
Cristina Galindo has worked as HR Director in banking & insurance in Spain, France, Germany and the UK. Passionate about Diversity and Inclusion she has set up multiple networks and coached colleagues in this space. In 2023 she completed a Sustainability Leadership & Corporate Social Responsibility programme and joined Birdeo & People4Impact, the leading European executive search firm for sustainability talent. She was nominated Top10 Spanish Females Abroad in her native Spain. She is a Trustee of charity Wakam For Good UK. Cristina regularly speaks at events on diversity & inclusion and sustainability.
Founder & CEO, Halzak | Elevate | Women in Tech
Kellie is a passionate champion for gender equality, empowering women and underrepresented groups to thrive in the tech industry.
As Founder and CEO of Halzak, she connects diverse talent with the global tech community. She also launched Elevate - Women in Tech a community focused on spotlighting inspirational stories and empowering women to enter and remain in tech through this podcast and community network group.
Driven by her dedication to inclusion, Kellie coaches businesses and women in tech, unlocking doors for diverse talent. As a commitment to elevating talent, she created a Leadership Mentor Program that matches 100 women with mentors to support their ascent into tech leadership – helping fix the broken rung and prove “women in tech can because, she did!”
A devoted wife and mother of two, Kellie enjoys coaching girls' netball and building their confidence. With her multifaceted 20-year career and commitment to empowering others, she leads positive change in recruitment and champions equality across the tech sector.
Lead Product Manager, Wayflyer
Yasmin Desai is a highly acclaimed Product Manager with a distinguished record of achievements, boasting multiple awards and a proven history of effectively leading PM teams while driving the successful expansion of B2B marketplace platforms.
With a robust background in tech scale-ups.Beyond professional pursuits, Yasmin is deeply committed to giving back to the product community.
As an esteemed educator, Yasmin devotes her spare time to mentoring and teaching aspiring product managers, imparting invaluable insights to help them break into the field.
Senior Programme Manager, Amazon
Srishti Issrani is an award-winning programme manager, currently enabling Amazon's expansion into continental Europe through delivery of high-value, growth programmes. Her strength lies in large-scale Enterprise Transformations across Retail, E-Commerce, Consulting & Supply Chain and she has been recognised as a #TechWomen100 for her contribution to tech. When not managing programs spread across geographies, she dedicates her time to launching her new e-commerce venture that truly embodies the spirit of South Asian women.
Coach, Tiffany Grant Coaching
I'm Tiffany, a passionate coach empowering leaders, teams, and change-makers to unlock their full potential in the digital age. With 10+ years in digital transformation, I help individuals and organisations build resilience, embrace change, and create a more conscious and fulfilling work environment.
Analytics Technical Consultant, IBM
Mandeep is a Mental Health First Aider and part of the Mental Health Working Group at her company. The aim of this group is to improve communication, awareness, and availability of support surrounding mental health.
Mandeep has created and delivered presentations to teams on mental health and wellbeing, hosted panels with colleagues encouraging discussions on mental health, and frequently produces communications to facilitate conversation and positive change around mental health. Mandeep is also a Senior Managing Technical Consultant specialising in Reporting and Analytics.
Chief Executive, LotusAI Ltd
Didem Un Ates is an AI/ Generative AI and Responsible AI executive with 26 years of background in management consulting (Capgemini, EY, and Accenture) and industry (Motorola, Microsoft, and Schneider Electric). She recently served as the Vice President, AI Strategy & Innovation, for Schneider Electric. In addition to defining Schneider’s AI/ Generative AI Strategy and innovation roadmaps, her charter covered strategic partnerships, startups/VCs/PEs, academia, Data & AI upskilling, and Responsible & Sustainable AI.
Didem, a World Economic Forum AI Governance Alliance fellow, a Goldman Sachs Value Accelerator AI/ Generative AI Council Advisor, and a Forbes Tech Council member, is a passionate AI practitioner with multiple awards such as Tech Women 100 Champion and Trailblazer 50.
She directly supported the birth and incubation of Microsoft Business AI Solutions at Microsoft Research and led Alice Envisions the Future/ Girls in AI Hackathons which has since been developed into several Diversity in AI programs across Microsoft and its Fortune500 customers and partners. She has also lead operationalization of Responsible AI at Accenture, Microsoft, and Schneider Electric, putting her energy towards the future of AI and Generative AI, operationalizing responsible and sustainable AI practices.
Prior to Schneider, she headed Applied Strategy, Data & AI, at the Chief Data Office of Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions, focusing on Microsoft’s largest Data, AI, and Metaverse engagements and partnerships including OpenAI.
Professor Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham
Professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham, Vince has coached and mentored 1000s spanning the whole career lifecycle from school to university, executive and board level, and made it his mission in life to inspire and mentor future generations into STEM, Engineering and Energy careers.
Vince has 40+ years’ of relevant, global business experience incorporating executive management and board positions in blue chip companies including ExxonMobil, Suez, V. Ships, Nalco and P&G and today manages a portfolio career as a consultant in a boutique energy executive search firm, energy sector career coach to students at several prestigious UK business schools including LBS, Imperial, Oxford, Cambridge and Chicago Booth and holds Trustee/NED/Ambassador positions on several boards. These include the Women in Engineering Society, Female Leaders in STEM Subjects, POWERful Women, MyBigCareer, a charity providing career guidance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, FOCUS expatriates and the South Shropshire Multi-Academy Trust.
Vince is also a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of a number of organisations including the Institute of Chemical Engineers, Energy Institute, Women’s Engineering Society and the Chartered Management Institute. He is also a Group Partner of Circklo.
Senior Resident Solutions Architect, Databricks
Holly Smith is a multi award winning Data & AI expert who has over a decade of experience working with Data & AI teams in a variety of capacities from individual contributors all the way up to leadership.
In her role as Senior Resident Solutions Architect at Databricks she has worked with many multi national companies as they embark on their journey to the cutting edge of data.
She is a renowned public speaker, teacher and minority in tech advocate and works with non profits through Datakind UK to bring data skills to social change organisations.
Founder of The Eli App
Founder of Crescent Kids, a non-profit organisation supporting children with sickle cell in the UK and Nigeria.
Health Tech Founder building an AI digital health platform for kids with chronic health problems.
Regional Sales Manager for a Technology company, overseeing its Healthcare division. Having collaborated with the NHS, Google, Apple Health, Lloyds and featured on Forbes, Funmi has 20 years of experience working in the Tech industry and is now a TedX speaker.
She is passionate about Tech (Web3 AI & Machine Learning) and is excited and driven by how Tech presents numerous opportunities for transforming healthcare.
Director, Forensic Data Analytics, EY
Narmada is a Director for Forensic Data Analytics in EY (Ernst & Young), helping companies build trust in the public space by using data analytics to detect fraudulent behaviour, regulatory breaches and non-compliant transactions. She fosters innovation as a Partner in an impact investment Venture Capital firm, providing funding for low-cost medical devices, AI-powered English education and clean technology for feminine hygiene.
She is a Techwomen100 2018 award winner, Cherie Blair Foundation Mentor and business coach for social enterprises at EY Foundation. She also volunteers for UN Women UK, is on the Board of trustees for an online safety children’s charity and promotes Women in Tech across forums.
From programmer to database developer to data scientist, her journey has spanned several decades, three continents and multiple cultures. What has not changed is her commitment to promote diversity in technology, be it gender, ethnicity or socio-economic background. She uses every opportunity to ensure that technology solutions are built for the broadest possible user base.
Drawing upon her own experience as a trailing spouse and non-working mother-of-two who returned to the tech industry after a long break, she actively encourages non-standard career profiles. She earned her Masters in Data Science decades after her Bachelor’s, driving home this point. She encourages all women to explore technology as a career option, highlighting less-advertised avenues such as gaming fashion design, digital music and animation.
Narmada utilizes her position at EY and beyond to mentor, support and promote a wide, representative talent cadre that can deliver the innovative technology solutions required by society.
Founder & CEO, Earlybird
Claudine Adeyemi is a multi-award winning lawyer and entrepreneur. She read law at University College London and went on to practice law at Mishcon de Reya where she was an Associate specialising in Real Estate Litigation.
In 2014, Claudine founded The Student Development Co. (The SDC), a non-profit organisation providing career-related support to young people from less privileged backgrounds. The SDC supported over 1000 young people. Claudine then founded a company called CareerEar, a site empowering thousands to make informed career choices and received a Government Recognition Award. Claudine spent a year and a half as Sole Legal Counsel at Agtech startup, Wefarm, but is now full-time Founder & CEO of Earlybird - a user intelligence software company which combines natural language voice conversations and AI to improve employment support for lower skilled, lower income and deskless workers.
Claudine is also a board member of the Employers’ Network for Equality, and Inclusion (enei), advisory board member for Spiral Skills, judge for the TechWomen100 Awards and a former WEF Global Shaper. Claudine has been recognised as a Rising Star in the We Are The City Awards (2016), Brummell Magazine’s 30 Ones to Watch (2018), EMpower #1 Future Leader as presented by the Financial Times (2018), 40x40 Black British Future Leader (2022) and Inspirational Business Woman in STEM presented in the House of Lords (2023).
CCO and Partner, Saidot
Veera Siivonen is Chief Commercial Offer and Partner at Saidot, the leading tool for businesses to govern safe, ethical, and transparent AI.
Veera is passionate about unlocking the potential of AI and ensuring responsible use to mitigate the risks involved. She has over 20 years of invaluable experience in digital technology and business strategy and holds in-depth understanding of the opportunities and challenges that organisations face when integrating technology into business operations.
Partner and Head of Digital, Europe, Oliver Wyman
Deborah O’Neill is Head of Digital for UK and Ireland and a partner at Oliver Wyman, where she leads complex digital transformations at the world’s largest companies. She helps her clients build out their engineering and delivery capability, making them self-sufficient and able to make changes more rapidly.
An expert in untethering businesses from technology systems and approaches no longer fit for purpose, Deborah has recently worked on the build and launch of several Greenfield businesses.
She is widely published on issues relating to how financial services companies can free themselves from legacy IT infrastructure, use data to strengthen connections to customers and better use analytics to prepare for AI.
Deborah’s work as a female leader has been recognised with numerous accolades. She is a committed advocate for gender equality who seeks to create mentoring and sponsorship opportunities for future female technologists both within Oliver Wyman and the industries she operates.
Founder/CEO, Aktibeto
I am Rafna Bash, CEO and Founder of Aktibeto, an online venture supporting women transitioning to the tech industry, returning to tech careers after a break, and those seeking tech career advancement. With my expertise as a Tech Consultant, I also work with startup founders, small businesses, and organizations to help them understand their technical needs and develop a path forward. I started my career as a Software Engineer, was promoted to leadership positions, and led multiple global teams. I'm a Women Techmaker Ambassador and the Director of the Women Who Code Boulder/Denver chapter. As a mentor to women in tech, I am passionate about guiding them to develop their skills and excel in their careers. I firmly believe that women can achieve anything they set their minds to, regardless of their life phase, and I strive to make this belief a reality for everyone I come across.
Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Finastra
Sirita Donaldson is an innovative force in operationalizing HR strategy and empowering workforces globally. Her expertise spans Technology, Human Resources, and Ethical AI, positioning her as a thought leader committed to eliminating bias.
She has contributed significantly to the Financial Technologist, authoring articles like “Biased Humans: The Source and Savior of AI Bias in FinTech.” Sirita’s dedication to creating an inclusive and unbiased work environment shines through her role as Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) at Finastra and Founder & CEO of AmplifyHR Consulting. Her passion for people and innovative strategies cements her reputation as a respected industry leader.
A proud graduate of The Ohio State University, Sirita holds a bachelor’s degree in Interpersonal Communications and a master’s degree in Labor and Human Resources. Beyond her work, she serves on the board of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation and actively engages with community organizations such as Women in Technology, InspireEDU, and the Atlanta Technology Professionals. Sirita firmly believes that “Any definition of a successful life must include service to others.”
Executive Director, STEMi Makers of Africa
Amanda Obidike is an accomplished non-profit leader and Data Scientist with 11 years experience in directing social enterprises, start-ups and complex organizations in Africa, Europe and MENA Nations. As the Executive Director of STEMi Makers Africa, she has led, provided leadership and prepares the next generation of Africans to be self-reliant and problem-solvers for Africa's economy across 19 African countries.
Recently, her expertise led the organization to be appointed by the White House, USA as an Alliance Partner on the National Strategy for Equity and Excellence in STEMM when she developed a first-to-market, teacher-centered learning management solution which hosts educators to organize virtual lab sessions, assign project-based work with little or no internet required and assign research assignments to students as they build, create, and pursue STEM and Innovation careers.
In 2023, she made the "Women Who Change the World" list, Top 100 Women of the Future in Emerging Tech, amongst many others. She is a Techwomen Awardee, an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).
In 2021, she became a Global 20 Goldman Sachs Fellowship Winner and emerged Winner in the UK’s foremost award, the FDM EveryWoman in Technology, Tech For Good Category. In 2020, she was given the Technology Rising Star Award by WOC, Michigan for successfully championing diversity in technology and innovation for the girl child. She has also been celebrated by Forbes Science as an African changing the culture fabric for young talents to embrace opportunities in Science and Technology.Amanda has led Strategy Development and Execution, Humanitarian responses and has served as the African Union (AU) CESASTEM Cluster for driving Educator reforms, policies and instructional pedagogy in STEM across 21 African countries. She serves as a Mentor in the New York Academy of Science and Cherie Blair Foundation, Global thinkers for Women where she lends her voice and knowledge to serve as a role model to girls in Africa.
Learning Technology Coach, Nottingham College
I ignite a passion for technology among learners around the globe, leveraging digital proficiency and my love for education. I spearhead innovative initiatives like Minecraft Education and coding integration, facilitating technological literacy and game-based learning within further education. A champion for diversity, I empower girls and young women to embrace tech careers, bridging the gender gap and shaping a more inclusive industry.
I showcase success stories of women in tech, inspiring young minds to break barriers and chase their aspirations. I believe computer science education is a fundamental right. I actively work to make it accessible for all, dismantling barriers and providing opportunities for disadvantaged learners to thrive in the tech landscape.
Always learning and exploring, I stay ahead of emerging technologies and their implications. I leverage this knowledge to prepare young people for the future of work, ensuring they understand the ethical and safe application of digital transformation. My goal is to shape the tech industry's trajectory positively and inclusively.
Through innovation, I strive to build a future where education empowers students to become independent learners, equipped with the digital skills they need to succeed in their chosen paths.
Founder, TOU App
Rebecca, the founder of the Thinking Of U App (TOU), transitioned from a 23-year sales career to app development following significant personal milestones: the loss of her mother and an ADHD diagnosis. These events revealed the value of time and the need to confront the fear of failure. Motivated to effect positive change, she created TOU in response to her experience of concern about tech abuse, emphasising the necessity for a secure digital environment where individuals can freely express themselves. As a non-technical woman in tech, Rebecca is pioneering innovation and advocating for digital inclusion, aiming to make technology a safe, empowering tool for all.
Strategic Cyber Threat Specialist, BAE Systems
Harriet is a Strategic Cyber Threat Intelligence Specialist at BAE Systems Plc, responsible for developing and delivering strategic cyber threat intelligence and advising on the global cyber threat landscape. Before this she studied for an MA in Terrorism, Crime and Global Security specialising in Russian Foreign and Security Policy and Chinese and Russian Cyber-Conflict whilst living in the Middle East and prior to that she was an Air Operations Systems Officer in the RAF. She is passionate about humane technology and responsible cyber and likes travel, listening to podcasts and hanging out with her awesome family in her (limited) spare time.
Senior Manager, EY
Sonia Kalia is a Senior Manager within the Technology Advisory arm of EY servicing the Insurance Sector across the sub-segments; General Insurance and London Market Insurance. She began her career in Industry and now in Consulting across a period of 10+ years.
Sonia is also passionate about growing herself as a Female Leader within the firm and takes on multiple roles internally to build and develop talent.
Electrical Engineering Manager, Jaguar Land Rover
Sophy has been working in the manufacturing and engineering since completing an advanced apprenticeship in 2011. She has previously worked in fluid transfer and fuel systems before learning about the world of complex systems.
She is currently reimagining Jaguar as the application lead for automated and assisted driving features, this her favourite role to date allowing her the freedom to lead a team of engineers and play a part in a brand renaissance.
Her passion in her work is given meaning by seeing other women thrive around her, to support this mission she co-chairs the JLR women in engineering and allies employee lead network at JLR.
ICT DevOps Digital Team Leader, Oxford City Council
Katie has been exploring the world of robotic process automation for over 5 years and was a recipient of the TechWomen100 award in 2018. Since then, her career has blossomed and she is now leading a team of people in the digital space.
Founder, TEDx Speaker, UN Women UK Delegate, Cultural Connectivity Advocate & I AM The Code Contributor, Hallyu Con
Lashai (Shai) Ben Salmi is a Multi Award Winning, Author, Speaker, Publisher, Creator, International Relations & Cultural Connectivity Advocate and Youth Advocate, UN Women UK Delegate & Distinguished Korean Wave Representative (a title and award presented to her by the Director of the Korean Cultural Centre UK due to her extensive work and contributions to the promotion of the Korean Wave). Lashai is one of the most prominent and influential names in the Hallyu, Entertainment and Personal Development Industry today (alongside her family - The Ben Salmis).
Lashai launched her career as a Speaker, Author and Creator at the age of 11 - founding platforms such as, Kidz That Dream Big (& Put The Card Up To Bullying) and gracing international stages such as at the likes of, The House Of Parliament, Mercedes Benz World, Virgin Money, Samsung KX (for Hallyu Con 2022), Stage Clips (alongside NASA Scientist Dr. Tara Ruttley), Precious, UnLtd (where she has been presented with an UnLtd Award), RHI & The Korean Cultural Centre UK to name a few.She can be seen featured on/in The Korea Times, Korea.
Net (where she was given an award - presented by the First Lady Of South Korea), BBC Korea, MBC, KTO, Virgin Money, Yonhap News and on BBC Sounds, starring in their BBC Radio 1 series “K-Pop: A Stan Story”, where she was featured (as a Hallyu expert due to being a cultural connectivity advocate) alongside the likes of Johnny Suh from NCT and KANGTA.Other credits include “How Thoughts Become Things”, “Child Genius” and “The Secret Millionaire”.
She has contributed to and is a part of numerous prestigious platforms and organisations such as (South Korean government supported and awarded) Hallyu Con (Co-Founded), Dreaming Big Together (Co-Founded), RHI Youth (Impact Angel), UN Women UK (Delegate), NGO Whisper (Speaker), I Am The Code (Speaker), UnLtd (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Panel Member), and THE K-WAY (Founded) - which is a UK based K-platform that creates engaging, creative and interactive content and experiences for its followers and viewers around the globe. Since founding THE K-WAY in 2015, it quickly grew to a community of over 60,000 people and has accumulated over 11,000,000 views.
Lashai is incredibly driven to pave the way for the next generation and is very passionate about philanthropy alongside her family, who are making waves in the education industry - promoting the idea and notion that there needs to be adequate opportunity and equity in education and advocacy for those who cannot self advocate. www.lifeaccordingtolashai.com
Co-Founder & CEO, WeAce
Anuranjita Kumar is a human resource veteran with over twenty-six years of experience working across the globe managing various assignments, including senior human resource roles in Asia, North America and Europe through her stints at Citi Royal Bank of Scotland, and P&G. Before joining RBS, she was the Head of Human Resources for Citi, South Asia. She is equipped with cross-cultural experience as a woman in the global corporate world and has deep-seated knowledge about the working culture and dynamics in various countries. Throughout her career, Anu focused on developing and executing commercially viable HR strategies, fostering global talent and cultivating a responsible and enriching culture that believes in the progress of its people and customers. Anu is now the Founder and CEO for WiT- ACE. It is a global platform focused on engaging, enabling and employing women in the industry. In a short time, the platform has over 100 clients and few lakhs of women engaged for products and services. She is also engaged in investment decisions of early stage companies through various funds. Her seasoned experience is being leveraged for growth and development for the new start up eco system. Anu has been recognised and featured on The Economic Times ‘Women Ahead List 2018’. She was further recognised in 2019 for being an astute role model for India Inc and by the leading Asian D&I organisation – House of Rose Professionals as a Visionary Diversity and Inclusion Leader. She has also been recognized as amongst the ‘Most Powerful Woman Leaders’ by Fortune in 2013, Top 100 HR professionals by World HRD Congress in 2015 .These are amongst many other recognitions bestowed earlier in her career. She Chairs the Board of the American India Foundation and is a Director on the Board of Plaksha University – a new age modern thinking tech university geared towards future-tech learning. She is also on the Advisory board member of SHRM India. Earlier, Anuranjita has been on the board of Citi Services India Limited, and RBS Services India Limited in the past. She is an accredited executive coach and a gifted author having launched her second book – ‘Colour Matters?’ primarily addressing the issue of racial and colour discrimination still prevalent. Hear earlier bestseller book ‘Can I have it all’ addressed the opportunities of being a woman in today’s life – and in the need to opening oneself to accept these as privileges. Anu is also a philanthropist involved in volunteering with underprivileged children and a mentor to several upcoming start-ups. A management graduate from XLRI, specializing in Human Resources. She attended Welham’s Girls School and is a gold medallist and topper in industrial psychology from Delhi University. Apart from her regular work, Anuranjita spends considerable time coaching Senior Executives and Start-up Leaders around the world.
Learning Evangelist, Glean
Sammy White is an accomplished educator with a deep passion for enhancing learning experiences. With a background as a dedicated teacher in schools and colleges, Sammy has made a significant impact in the field of education technology.
In 2023, Sammy was named one of the Tech Women 100, highlighting her remarkable achievements in the tech world and her inspiring role as a woman in the industry.
Sammy's commitment to education and technology is evidenced by her work empowering fellow educators with the latest tools and strategies. Her dedication to the education sector is lived through her unwavering commitment to fairness, advocating for equality and equity for all.
Founder, WhizzMind Limited
Katya Kim supports women from underrepresented backgrounds in their personal and professional development.
Katya believes that by building an inclusive community, and by providing free resources and development tools we can support future diverse leaders. And connect them with organisations, cultivating inclusive culture.
With a background in Fortune-100 multinational pharmaceutical companies, as well as the retail, tech, and fashion industries, Katya understands the unique challenges faced by businesses of all sizes.
As a proud immigrant, she is deeply passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Project Lead, Refuge UK
I currently work within the Technology Facilitated Abuse and Economic Abuse Team at Refuge. Prior to joining Refuge I gained extensive experience in the social care sector. I always had a passion to end violence against women and girls from an early age. I studied Applied Social Studies and Social Care and has an ILM Qualification in Managing Equality and Diversity. Within the social care sector, I have supported adults with disabilities, survivors/victims of domestic abuse, people struggling with drugs and alcohol addictions, people at risk of homelessness, care leavers and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children/young people.
Throughout my career, I have been supporting survivors of domestic abuse in different roles, including survivors from Black, Asian, and Multi- Ethnic communities experiencing harmful practices. I also worked for a local council managing Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion projects.
The multifaceted professional journey demonstrate my compassion and dedication to supporting communities, as well as my commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion.
CEO and Founder, Sparkle/ACT by Laura Currer
Laura Currer FRSA is a thought leader and expert advisor on Sexual Assault and Abuse Services, as a rape survivor herself. She owns and leads both her own front-line therapeutic business (Sparkle with Laura Currer), and ACT by Laura Currer, offering training, lived experience expertise, and consultancy for businesses. She is a consultant in Violence Against Women and Girls and EDI, and was the Independent Chair of the NHS National Sexual Assault and Abuse Services Lived Experience Group. For the last two years she has been a UK delegate for UN Women, and is also a UKATA Registered, fully insured trainee psychotherapist.
Founder & Co-CEO, Tech She Can
My background is working with boards and senior executives, formulating and delivering strategic and disruptive transformational changes in the private and public sector, especially through large technology and digital programmes. I have led national campaigns and initiatives directed at improving diversity in the creation and use of technology. I am the founder and co-CEO of the charity, Tech She Can, an industry-led tech education and careers charity that creates initiatives and pathways to increase the number of women in technology. It has over 250 member organisations spanning more than 40 sectors across all regions of the UK. I am a current member of the L’Oreal Advisory Board UK&I, working to increase the diversity of its workforce. Recognition includes; Named by Computer Weekly as the 3rd most influential women in UK Technology 2023 and one of the 30 most influential women in Cyber 2021. Forward Ladies Business Women and Social Impact Leader 2022. TechUK President's Award 2023. Awarded an MBE in Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2020 for services to young girls and women through technology.
Founder and CEO, Potentia Talent Consulting
Robert is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). After a 40 year career in global HR consulting, he now runs his own business, advising organisations on attracting, retaining and developing the best talent and building diverse teams.
A key element of his focus for clients is on helping them develop inclusive cultures and workplace environments. Robert supports his clients in becoming “employers of choice” for diverse talent. He runs workshops and speaking events for organisations on engaging their male leaders in DEI and gender balance. He also coaches these leaders on how to be true allies and on how to put this into practice in their organisational roles.
Robert has developed his work on Allyship and now offers consulting to clients on how to build Allyship Networks and he delivers Allyship Training Programs for a number of global organisations.
Robert works globally and has clients in the UK andthroughout the rest of Europe and the world. He is therefore attuned to cultural differences and the issues of operating effectively across cultures to drive business results. Robert also works with clients in many sectors, including tech, financial services, insurance, pharma and energy.
Robert is a Board member of UN Women UK and European Women on Boards (where he is their D&I strategist). He is also Trustee of One Loud Voice for Women and a Non-Exec director of Talupp, the AI driven talent development platform.
Robert is Disrupter in Residence in D&I on the Global MBA Program at EDHEC Business School and also a visiting lecturer on Allyship at the University of Amsterdam Academy.
In recognition of his work in gender balance, Robert was named a Top 50 Trailblazer in Gender Equity in January 2023 by WeAreTheCity.
Robert is also one of a select group of leaders to have been elected as a Companion to the Chartered Management Institute in recognition of his work in leadership and management.
Founder, Change Consultant, EMCC Accredited Coach/Mentor and Speaker, Kinkajou Limited
Nancy Maher is an experienced global product and technology leader, change consultant and an EMCCC-accredited coach. She is dedicated to helping leaders and individuals create fulfilling and meaningful careers with positive workplace cultures that empower employees. Nancy is a seasoned digital transformation leader with experience leading small start-up-style teams and large global teams through large-scale organisational change. In one digital transformation programme, she led a three-year Product Life Cycle Management/Agile transformation across 20 global locations, impacting 3000+ employees. She founded Kinkajou Limited, a consultancy that drives positive change for individuals and organisations. Nancy is passionate about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), a UK Tech Talent Charter Ambassador, and is a UN Women UK Volunteer. Recently, she conducted academic research on using coaching to drive gender diversity in leadership. Nancy is based in Brighton, UK, and enjoys taking those cold water dips in the sea!
Engineering Manager, MWI Animal Health, Practice Technology
Arthi is someone who wears multiple hats with grace and determination. As a devoted mother, she finds joy and fulfilment in nurturing her family while excelling in her professional endeavours.
Holding the role of an engineering manager, she seamlessly balances leadership responsibilities with technical expertise, driving innovation and collaboration within her team. Fuelling her passion for technology and coding, Arthi immerses herself in the dynamic world of innovation, constantly exploring new technologies and honing her coding skills. Her enthusiasm for all things tech not only enriches her own knowledge but also inspires those around her. However, Arthi’s dedication extends beyond her personal interests. She passionately believes in equity and inclusivity, particularly for women in the tech industry.
Through mentorship, advocacy, and active participation in diversity initiatives, she strives to create a more equitable and supportive environment for women pursuing careers in technology.
Data Specialists Manager, MWI Animal Health
With a degree in Maths and IT and wide experience in data collection, management, and analysis, Helen currently manages a team of Data Specialists with a focus on data migration. A history of turning colleagues into friends means Helen has built up a strong network of mentors, mentees and role models.
Helen's creative hobbies have an underlying analytical and problem-solving basis, although this isn't usually apparent to others - who knew knitting was all about data?
Director & Founder, Moxie Ops Ltd | Games Industry Leader | EDI Advocate
Rebecca Sampson, with over 16 years in AAA game development, is the Director and Founder of Moxie Ops Ltd (www.moxieops.biz). Known for her strategic prowess, she's shaped effective global operations at Hangar 13, Creative Assembly, and Disney Interactive Studios.
Rebecca's passion lies in fostering inclusive cultures. As an EDI advocate, she drives impactful change within the industry. She's also a people-focused leader, dedicated to empowering teams to achieve their full potential. Rebecca serves on the Ukie EDI Committee, steering initiatives for diversity and inclusion in interactive entertainment. Additionally, she's an Ambassador for Women in Games and SpecialEffect, furthering her commitment to equality and accessibility in gaming.
Connect with Rebecca on LinkedIn for insights on operational excellence and inclusive leadership in the games industry.
Founder & Director of Women Coding Community and Senior Software Engineer at Revolut, Women Coding Community / Revolut
Irina is a Founder & Director of the Women Coding Community and a Senior Backend Software Engineer at Revolut.
Her experience as a Software Engineer included working with large projects, search engines, distributed systems, performance issues, and big data storage. She’s working at Revolut and building a platform for retail products. That includes support services to handle our 30 million clients, handle enormous throughput and provide low latency for data flow.
Irina constantly helps her team to go the extra mile and help the company to improve an intervening process, onboarding new hires, navigating interns and running knowledge-sharing activities. As a cherry on top, she helped to launch the inner Revolut Women Guild “RevWomen”.
Apart from being a strong developer and a good team player, in the last 4-years, she volunteered for “CodeFirst: Girls“and “Women Who Code London“ and grew from a volunteer to a lead and, in the end, to a Senior Director of EMEA networks within the Women Who Code, she was providing the support to London, Edinburgh, Sofia and Accra networks. She organised a team of leaders to deliver outstanding projects and show impressive results. She built a guild of volunteers to implement a Mentorship Program, and technical tracks, helped with resumes, mock interviews, and overall grown community more than triple.
Straight after the announcement of the end of the Women Who Code community, she founded with other former directors of WWCode the brand new community in London Women Coding Community to continue serving the mission and empower women to excel in technology!
CEO & Founder, The Chaincademy
Current CEO and Founder at The Chaincademy, with the mission to empower junior developers to build their credibility and find their first job in web3 and soon expanding to web2. SC Cleared Full Stack SDET with +16 years of Experience in QA, +14 years of Experience in Test Automation, and +9 years in Leadership, Delivering and Releasing Software on different platforms (Mobile, Desktop, Web).
Became a STEM Ambassador , a STEM Women Member, and a Google Developer Expert making an impact and bringing more young people to the STEM area. Contributes to TestProject and instructor of Test Automation University (Contract Tests with Pact and Introduction to Blockchain Testing). Together with other Web3 and Blockchain Expert Testers created the Web3Tests Community on Discord and Twitter.
Founder & CEO, Bia Innovate
As a senior finance leader supporting fast-growing tech startups, Dhosjan has worked as a Startup Advisor, Fractional CFO and VP Finance and Revenue Operations.
Her extensive experience spans early stage startups to larger corporations, where she has cultivated a deep-seated belief in the power of adaptability and continuous innovation to overcome diverse business challenges.
She is also a Founder/Entrepreneur, dedicated to designing and delivering products and services that empower women. Additionally, she is passionate about creating opportunities and fostering growth for female entrepreneurs and professionals.
Founder and Author, Look at the Labels
Jennifer von Walderdorff is an esteemed speaker renowned for her dynamic and insightful content on corporate sustainability and leadership.
With a rich background in fashion retail analytics, finance, and corporate strategy for nearly 20 years, Jennifer brings a unique blend of expertise to the stage. She seamlessly bridges the gap between environmental responsibility and effective business practices. She is renowned for her book, “Look @ the Labels”, being featured as a specialist in publications such as The Guardian and The Telegraph and is currently a nominee for the Speaker Award by the Women's Business Club network, earning her a well-deserved reputation as a thought leader in sustainable fashion.
As a thought leader, Jennifer has played a pivotal role in shaping conversations around sustainable business models and their impact on global industries. Her speaking engagements are characterized by a compelling mix of in-depth industry knowledge, practical insights, and an engaging delivery style that captivates audiences.
Jennifer has addressed diverse audiences, from boardrooms to international conferences, sharing her vision for a future where businesses thrive while embracing ethical and sustainable practices. Her passion for empowering organizations to integrate environmental responsibility into their core values is evident in her ability to inspire change.
As a brand owner and consultant, with a career in the fashion retail industry spanning nearly two decades, Jennifer has been at the forefront of working with global organizations on navigating the complexities of sustainability, providing strategic guidance that aligns environmental stewardship with corporate success. Her commitment to driving positive change through enlightened leadership makes Jennifer von Walderdorff a sought-after speaker, leaving a lasting impact on audiences seeking to embrace a more sustainable and responsible future.
Engineering Manager, Stage.tech
Engineering Manager with over ten years of experience in Java backend software engineering, currently leading a growing team in London, UK. My journey in tech combines strong technical skills and leadership.
In my role at Stage Tech, I've successfully led the growth of our team from 4 to 31 members, and established a culture of continuous improvement and high performance. My expertise spans across Java, C#, TypeScript, and a variety of technologies like Spring Boot, RabbitMQ, and AWS, to name a few. I'm passionate about empowering my team, fostering a positive work culture, and delivering exceptional results.
Founder, The Association of Business Mentors
I started professional life as a serial entrepreneur with the motto 'Give it a go or you'll never know' which resulted in a variety of outcomes, some successes with a few failures and scars. I was introduced to mentoring post my last successful business sale and whilst realising I had a lot of experience to share with business owners and their teams, I had no support or guidance in what I was doing. I found running a business is a very different skill to mentoring someone else to effectively run theirs. I founded the Association of Business Mentors to provide mentors with exactly that and equally importantly to give reassurance to mentees that they are in safe hands with an abm member. I now support mentors with our practical skills training as well as work with HR departments in running highly beneficial mentoring programs guiding both mentors and mentees in larger organisations with structure and motivation.
CEO & Founder, Jomas Associates
Dr Roni Savage is CEO & Founder of Jomas Associates, an Engineering Company serving theConstruction Industry since 2009. Named Most Influential Woman in Construction 2022, Roni, is aHonorary Fellow of Royal Institute of British Architects, a Chartered Engineer, Fellow of Institution of Civil Engineers, Chartered Geologist and SiLC (Specialist in Land Condition). A graduate of University of Portsmouth with a BEng(hons) in Engineering Geology and Geotechnics, she also holds a Masters’(with distinction) in Environmental Management from University of Exeter. She has worked on manymajor construction schemes, including the widening of the A406 and M25, as well as various buildingsand structures across the UK. She has been involved in designing sustainable remediation solutions toenable the reclamation of several brownfield sites, which may have laid derelict otherwise. She was conferred with an honorary doctorate by University of Portsmouth in July 2023 for exceptional contribution to the construction industry. Multi-award winner, and mum of three boys, Roni is apassionate diversity champion, speaking internationally on matters relating to diversity in business,engineering and construction. Roni is policy chair for construction for the federation of smallbusinesses, with an advisory role to the UK government, and vice chair of YMCA SPG, a charity committed to empowering young people.
Director, Head of IT Risk Management, Mizuho International
Meet Geeta Sriskanthan, a seasoned banking Director with over 15 years of mastery in system risk, data privacy, and operational resilience. Join us for an engaging session where Geeta delves into the intricate landscape of regulatory compliance, shining a spotlight on the evolving paradigm of DORA. Get ready for a thought-provoking discourse meticulously crafted to illuminate the nuanced complexities of DORA compliance within the dynamic framework of the financial landscape.
Former Director Strategic Development and Women in Tech (WiT) Network Chief of Staff EMEA at Barclays
Hena Naranbhai, a former Director Strategic Development and Women in Tech (WiT) Network Chief of Staff EMEA at Barclays has an extensive background in the Financial Services industry both as an Accountant and Technology Programme Director.
She is a Rising Star winner and has been shortlisted for multiple awards in technology and leadership.
Hena is also passionate about paying it forward and frequently volunteers her time to mentor to others through a number of social enterprises and charities, including Cajigo, TechUp and UN Women UK Delegate.
Automation Lead
As an Automation Lead, driving change and innovation in various business streams, using generative Al and IT infrastructure to transform, re-invent and optimise user journeys. I work in a consultative manner with institutions on issues of strategy, organisational efficiency, and technology, and I have experience in delivering change in complex, global business and IT programs.
I have been recognised as a Tech100 awardee, a WATC Rising Star, and a Best RPA Project Winner for my contributions to two industry-pioneering automation and digital transformation projects that were featured in the Financial Times and Wall Street Journal.
I have an MSc in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, where I learned to apply computer and data science techniques to solve real-world problems. I have also completed the Women in Negotiation Programme at Said Business School, University of Oxford, where I developed my leadership and negotiation skills.
I am passionate about seeing a greater representation of young minority females in the tech industry, and I mentor and provide work experience for those who did not study a STEM subject and want to work in tech. I am also a board trustee for a UK charity, where l use my technical, change, and organizational management skills to support its vision and governance.
Chief Marketing Officer, Florence
Shanice is the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Florence, a leading healthtech marketplace, where she brings over 15 years of expertise in education, technology, and healthcare. With a passion for customer-centricity, she is particularly excited about leveraging AI to revolutionise the marketing profession, aiming to deepen customer engagement and drive business growth. At Florence, Shanice's leadership is defined by her commitment to excellence, innovation, and putting the customer first.
Account Director, BAE Systems at the Home Office
With almost 30 years’ experience in Defence and Government, Jo Massey has played a number of leadership roles in business development, customer delivery and transformation. Jo is currently Account Director for BAE Systems at the Home Office, leading and caring for around 300 engineers and consultants as they develop and support technology related to borders security and policing.
Technology Transformation Consultant, Delta Capita
Madhvi is a transformation consultant with a proven track record of catalysing organizational change through innovative technology solutions. Combining strategic vision with hands-on expertise, she has effectively spearheaded initiatives focused on optimizing operations, improving efficiency, and maximizing ROI for clients within the financial sector. Proficient in program management, systems integration, and digital strategy development, Madhvi excels in collaborative efforts with cross-functional teams. Her strategic mindset and forward-thinking approach empower her to guide clients through the entire transformation lifecycle. This includes assessing business needs, formulating comprehensive roadmaps, overseeing seamless implementation, and ensuring sustained success.
Committed to delivering measurable results and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, Madhvi enables businesses to thrive in the ever-evolving technological landscape. Madhvi is global head of women's network at Delta Capita, a 2022 TechWomen100 award winner and runner-up for the GG2 D&I Leadership 2023 Woman of the Year.
In addition to her professional roles, Madhvi serves as a women's empowerment and career coach. Her expertise extends to co-authoring 'The Coach’s Casebook,' showcasing her commitment to sharing insights and knowledge in the field of coaching and career development.
Director of Client Services Floqsta Inc & Results and Leadership Coach
Ekta is a passionate tech enthusiast with a track record of delivering business outcomes, balancing growth, profitability, revenue generation and risk for more than 2 decades.
She is a UN WomenUK Delegate for 2023,2024. Have received many awards and accolades in the industry also the TechWomen100 Winner 2022 and IT strategy Leader of the year 2023.
She is an established women empowerment and leadership coach. Scaled a business 4x in two years, turned around a division with a 4-fold increase in profitability and enjoyed an entrepreneurial stint by running her own start-up consulting firm. As an experienced and authentic leader whose strengths include strategic planning, visioning and leading transformative change, she has led 4 divestment programs.
She has been instrumental in setting up the Diversity & Inclusion Charter for Wipro in UK&I. She has also been part of Women of Silicon Roundabout - Group that enables people and organizations to connect, learn and take action on gender diversity and inclusion.
She is a key member of City Women Network - a vibrant community for senior professional and business women to connect, contribute and grow. She is volunteering with STEMettes and works as an ambassador for TechSheCan and Women of The Future. She has done her Bachelors of Engineering (Electronics) and PGDBM(IT & Marketing).
Recently accredited by University of Virginia Darden School of Business for Digital Transformation, Design thinking and Harvard Business School for Sustainable Business Strategy.
Her biggest achievement is raising a daughter who is an accomplished author of 3 books under the age of 10 years and is a national level swimmer and a chess player.
Founder of The Hill app, CEO of Girls Talk Corporation
Vanessa is the Founder of The Hill an app that enables global businesses to hire female talent whilst saving on costs and time. Our aim is to connect 1 million women from 140 countries to jobs and opportunities.
Vanessa is also the Founder & CEO of Girls Talk Corporation connecting 60,000 women across 37 countries to global businesses such as events, programmes and digital content.
Vanessa has worked with companies such as Apple, Amazon, Beats by Dre, Meta, HSBC UK, Goldman Sachs, Snap Inc, Virgin Media O2, Zalando, BT and Vodafone + many more to connect them with diverse talent across all levels within their businesses.
Vanessa has 17 years of experience in Diversity & Inclusion & ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) + working in the financial services, technology and government and has been recognised as a leader in her field listed as #15 in the Financial Times, Yahoo Finance and EMpower top ethnic minority future leaders in Europe, U.S and Canada.
Vanessa is also a Business Podcaster with her podcast, The After Work Drinks Club debuting at Number 4 on the Apple Business Charts.
Vanessa has also been recognised as one of 30 people changing the world by the London Business School, one of London's most influential people by the Evening Standard Newspaper and has featured in The Guardian, Cosmopolitan magazine, Sunday Times Style magazine, Stylist magazine, The Evening Standard newspaper and the Financial Times.
Senior Associate, London Stock Exchange Group
Akua is a Chartered IT Professional within the Technology Team at LSEG (London Stock Exchange Group). As part of her role, she mentors new starters in the team, including interns and graduates, and provides technology guidance to colleagues across the Group.
Outside her primary role, Akua is a keen Diversity & Inclusion advocate, LSEG WIN Network Head of External Partnerships, WIN Tech Network Community Lead, UK Accessibility Lead, Mental Health Champion and UK Coordinator for the outreach programmes/fundraising activities at LSEG. As a STEM ambassador, she is passionate about raising the profile of Women in STEM.
Akua is also a Neurodiversity advocate (self-identifies as Dyslexic and has ADHD), CajigoTechnology Mentor, charity ambassador, fundraiser and a keen sports volunteer for Netball England and British Athletics. Career highlights include being featured in Investment Week, Forbes, guest articles and podcasts.
Additionally, Akua is a Computer Weekly Rising Star 2023, Brummell's Ones to Watch 2023, Women in FinTech Power list - Standout 45 (Technology Category) and WeAreTheCityTechnology Rising Star 2022.
Chartered Biomedical Scientist | Pathology Quality Manager, Whittington NHS
Bamidele Farinre epitomizes excellence in the fields of biomedical science and STEM, showcasing remarkable leadership that has earned her numerous prestigious awards and accolades, including the Biomedical Scientist of the Year 2022 at the Advancing Healthcare Awards. As a Chartered Scientist and certified Scrum Master, Bamidele's expertise transcends her impressive credentials, positioning her as a trailblazer in the STEM arena. As a pioneering black British female leader, she has shattered barriers, assuming roles as a role model, STEM ambassador, and mentor, inspiring the next generation. Wearing many hats, Bamidele is not only a distinguished professional but also a committed contributor to educational endeavours. Her engagement in crafting educational articles for various scientific communities as a valuable resource for both the science community and the wider public, alongside her appearances in educational podcasts and participation in diverse outreach programs, underscores her dedication to knowledge dissemination and the promotion of inclusivity in STEM. Beyond her professional achievements, Bamidele's dedication to giving back to the community is exemplary. Serving as a Freedom to Speak Up Ambassador, school governor, BAME Staff Voice Representative, and Deputy Chair of IBMS Virology Specialist Advisory, she tirelessly advocates for a fair and inclusive workplace environment, amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups. In essence, Bamidele's multifaceted contributions, coupled with her trailblazing spirit, render her an exemplary leader worthy of the numerous awards she has received. Not only has she excelled in her field, but she has also actively worked towards creating a more inclusive and empowered future for aspiring individuals in STEM.
Professor Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham
Professor in Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham, Vince has coached and mentored 1000s spanning the whole career lifecycle from school to university, executive and board level, and made it his mission in life to inspire and mentor future generations into STEM, Engineering and Energy careers.
Vince has 40+ years’ of relevant, global business experience incorporating executive management and board positions in blue chip companies including ExxonMobil, Suez, V. Ships, Nalco and P&G and today manages a portfolio career as a consultant in a boutique energy executive search firm, energy sector career coach to students at several prestigious UK business schools including LBS, Imperial, Oxford, Cambridge and Chicago Booth and holds Trustee/NED/Ambassador positions on several boards. These include the Women in Engineering Society, Female Leaders in STEM Subjects, POWERful Women, MyBigCareer, a charity providing career guidance to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, FOCUS expatriates and the South Shropshire Multi-Academy Trust.
Vince is also a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of a number of organisations including the Institute of Chemical Engineers, Energy Institute, Women’s Engineering Society and the Chartered Management Institute. He is also a Group Partner of Circklo.
Delivery Manager, BAE Systems Digital Intelligence
Gwyneth is currently a Delivery Manager at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence. Her current role is a Scrum Master on a project that is delivering a part of the UK’s Critical National infrastructure. Previous roles include consulting, finance management and marketing management across sectors such as Lifesciences, FMCG, Management consulting and now Defence and Technology. Although she was born in the UK, she grew up in a few different countries, spending most of her teens in France, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Her diverse background and experiences developed in her a passion for and genuine interest in people and a versatility due to dealing with constant change. A passion she strives to constantly pay forward in the hopes of having a positive impact on the people around her.
Delivery Director, AND Digital
An award winner including being named as part of the prestigious Techwomen100 in 2019 and UN delegate for the UK 2023 & 2024, passionate about working with diverse teams; creating a safe space and platform to help raise up others, particularly women.
Experienced Delivery Director for multi-million £ of complex programs of work, focusing on inclusive ways of working for many well-known household brands across hospitality, retail, FMCG and manufacturing sectors.
Effective and empathetic leader and communicator, expert in digital transformation & change management, agile ways of working (certified LeSS practitioner & certified Agile leader); with experience of working at scale.
An accomplished facilitator, public speaker, mentor and coach; specifically in building confidence, managing expectations, operating in ambiguity, career progression and agile delivery methodologies.
Chief Engagement & Wellbeing Officer, Engage to Succeed
James created Engage to Succeed with a very simple aim, to help people to “Love their LIFE… MORE… Everyday”. Having spent many years researching the impact of employee engagement and wellbeing in the ‘corporate world’ decided to set up the business to help Individuals, Managers, Leaders and Executives increase their own levels of engagement & wellbeing. This in turn creates the perfect LIFE Balance and when this is achieved has a significant impacts on the organisation culture, productivity and profit. James has spent most of his career working for large blue-chip organisations setting and delivering their Talent Acquisition strategy, he brings a wealth of knowledge on how to attract, engage and retain from hugely diverse talent pools that enables organisations to hire the best talent. The passion for engagement and wellbeing comes from managing large Global Talent Acquisition teams that often challenged to their limits. The discovery of how to manage these effectively and create more time for themselves actually meant a greater output for the business and better balance for the individual.
Privileged Access Management (PAM) Architect, Northern Trust
Dimpal Lakhani is a Privileged Access Management (PAM) Architect who recently joined Northern Trust. She has more than 15 years of Cyber security experience and has specialised in Identity /Privileged access management.
Prior to NT, Dimpal was at Accenture as a Security Consulting Manager where she solutioned large and complex PAM implementations and integrations. She was a trusted advisor to clients on organisation-wide PAM strategic roadmaps, assisting with day-to-day operations and delivery & execution of critical deliveries.
She is a certified CyberArk Guardian and was one of the first women to achieve this status. She has delivered many complex CyberArk on-prem, Hybrid and Cloud implementations across different industries, including Finance & Banking , Utilities, and Healthcare. She is also experienced in other PAM vendor solutions such as Delinea and BeyondTrust.
EVP and Head of Corporate and Digital Strategy, Northern Trust
Kelley is an Executive Vice President and serves as the Head of Corporate & Digital Strategy. Kelley leads the company’s strategic planning process and plays a key role in the creation of an enterprise digital strategy and roadmap to enhance our client experience, produce quicker business outcomes and improve security, stability and scalability.Kelley brings more than 20 years of consulting experience. Kelley led Accenture’s Financial Services Technology Advisory practice in North America and Global Capital Markets Applied Intelligence practice. Prior to Accenture, she served as lead partner of Financial Services Technology Strategy, part of PwC and formerly Booz & Co.Kelley is a recognized leader in financial services, sitting on the board of DTCC and regularly presenting at industry conferences and publishing thought leadership. Kelley has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Bucknell University and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University. She is active in the Chicago community, a 2017 Fellow of Leadership Greater Chicago and a board member of The Museum of Science and Industry Chicago.
Chief Technology Officer, EMEA, Northern Trust
Alison Pain joined Northern Trust in January 2020 as Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Global Technology Services in EMEA. She also holds a regulatory role as part of the Senior Managers Regime (SMF24) acting as the technology interface into the PRA and FCA. She is member of the EMEA Executive Management Committee and is based in London.Throughout her career Alison has a proven track record of delivery, driving a material reduction in the technology total of ownership (TCO) in all of her previous organisations. She is passionate about ensuring a premium user experience, flexing technology to allow our Businesses to be responsive to the markets & our clients whilst ensuring a laser focus on reliability, stability and security.Alison has more than 25 years of experience in senior leadership roles with UK Financial Services organisations across both Infrastructure and Application Development teams. Before joining Northern Trust, Alison spent 4 years at Deutsche Bank where she was a Managing Director, holding multiple senior roles including Global Head of Backup & Storage and Global CIO for End-User Computing. Previously, Alison spent 11 years at Goldman Sachs where she was an EVP and Senior Engineer. She held multiple senior operational and transformation positions and was the only Global Head of a technology function based outside of the US. Prior to Goldman Sachs she worked at other financial service organisations, including Barclays and RBS.She is an active supporter of diversity and a keen mentor. In 2021 she established the EMEA Women in Technology network, expanded to create a Global Women in Technology (GWIT) network in 2022. This has created a thriving global network providing opportunities both internally and externally to our technology women.
Senior Vice President, Senior Director Global Threat Management, Northern Trust
Connie O’Doherty, Senior Vice President, Senior Director Global Threat Management Connie O’Doherty serves as Senior Director of Global Threat Management for Northern Trust, a $12 Trillion global financial services firm. Connie has over 25 years of experience in information technology, his early career was spent with IBM and Eir before moving to Kerry Group where he occupied multiple roles over a 12-year period. Connie joined Northern Trust in 2015 and moved to cyber security in 2018 as the EMEA Lead. His expertise in building and maturing cyber teams to deliver complex missions and projects was instrumental in the buildout of the Global Threat Management Cyber Team. He now leads a multi-disciplinary team of over 70 cyber security analysts located across APAC, EMEA and North America that is responsible for all aspects of global threat management for the Bank. Other responsibilities include regulator engagement in collaboration with risk and control functions. He completed Executive MBA in the University of Limerick in 2019 and was recently designated a Certified Banking Director by the Institute of Banking. Connie is an active volunteer in local GAA, Football and Golf clubs as a coach and committee member.
Global Head of Cyber Threat Hunting, Northern Trust
Aimee Moriarty is Global head of Cyber Threat Hunting at Northern Trust. A highly experienced cybersecurity professional with over 16 years of experience in Cybersecurity, Aimee specializes in digital forensics, cyber threat hunting and incident response in the financial services sector. Prior to joining Northern Trust, she held several cybersecurity roles at Allstate Insurance Company.Aimee joined Northern Trust in 2018, in the Security Operations team as a Senior Cyber Threat Analyst. In 2020 she became the first cyber threat hunter at Northern Trust, working to build out the Cyber Threat Hunting team from the ground up. She now leads a global team of talented threat hunters across North American, APAC and EMEA, helping to protect the bank from advanced cyber threats.Aimee earned a BS in Computer Programming from Purdue University and holds several industry certifications: GCIH, GCFE, GCFA, GREM, GNFA, GDAT, EnCE and CISA.
Senior Associate, Cyber Security Threat Management, EMEA, Northern Trust
Áine Tobin, Senior Associate, Cyber Security Threat Management, EMEA, Northern Trust.Áine Tobin has worked Cyber Threat Analyst in the Northern Trust since 2018. She has 10 years’ IT experience in eLearning Industry, before focussing on Security. Áine has a Masters degree in Cyber Security and Digital forensics from Limerick Institute of Technology, Ireland, and has certifications in Cyber Incident Handling (GCIH) and Cyber Forensics Examination and Analysis (GCFE, GCFA).
Regional Chief Information Security Officer for EMEA, Northern Trust
Darren Seary is the Regional Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for EMEA, based in London. Darren is part of the Global Information Technology function, with a dual reporting line to the Global CISO and the EMEA Chief Technology Officer (CTO).Darren has over 20 years of experience in information security and technology risk management within the financial services industry. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Darren held similar roles at Jefferies International Limited, Morgan Stanley, and Lloyds Banking Group.Darren holds a first-class Masters degree in Information Security, and in 2012 received the ISACA (Information Systems Audit and Control Association) Worldwide Excellence Award.Additionally, Darren holds the following industry accreditations:CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional)CISM (Certified in Information Security Management)CRISIC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control)CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional).
End User Compute Lead, Northern Trust
Kiara is currently an End User Compute lead at Northern Trust and has broad experience leading desktop teams and has driven the implementation of many projects. She has worked across multiple industries including Pharma (Pfizer, MSD), Technology (IBM), Food & Beverage (Pepsi), Nutrition (Wyeth), Financial Services (Northern Trust), Public Service, Hotels (Accor Group) and Import/Export. In addition, she has experience with Human Resources and Training functions for numerous large multinationals. Kiara works in a voluntary capacity in Girls Golf starting as a Junior Convenor and progressing to Chair of Junior Development for the Munster district (90 Golf Clubs) with responsibility to progress and develop Girls Golf. She has also been a member of the National Junior Development Committee working on policy and national development. In recent years she moved into a new role serving several times as the Munster U18 Girls Captain and Manager. Since 2023 Kiara represents Northern Trust on the 30% club in Ireland in a support role – a collaboration of organisations and leaders, committed to achieving better gender balance, for better business outcomes. Another passion for Kiara is her role as Co-Chair for EMEA Women in Technology for Northern Trust. Providing an environment where NT’s female technologists are free to express themselves, develop their careers and build a strong network is a priority. In 2023 Kiara won the Northern Trust Chairman’s Award for her work with the EWIT network. Kiara has qualifications in IT from Munster Technological University, Human Resources from University of Limerick, Project Management from the University of Limerick & Training from the College of Northumberland.
IT Project Management Professional, Northern Trust
Máire has more than 25 years’ experience in Information Technology and has worked in a wide variety of leadership and technical roles, with an adaptability and enthusiasm to learn new concepts. She is an extremely experienced IT project management professional. She is currently working on the implementation of one of Northern Trust’s major Cyber Security programmes, with particular focus on Identity and Access Management. Prior to joining Northern Trust, as part of IBM Ireland’s Services Division, Máire worked extensively on commercial accounts in the Telco, Mobile, Postal and Financial sectors and on IBM’s EMEA internal web hosting team. Máire is passionate about the development and growth of others. Within Northern Trust, she is an active member of the EMEA Tech Council and is Co-Chair of the EMEA Women in Technology community. As co-chair, she fosters a positive environment for the development of the EWIT community striving to be a strong voice and advocate, so that each member of the community can flourish and grow. Máire received a Chairman’s Award Honourable Mention from Northern Trust, for her work with the EWIT community. Máire holds a National Certificate and National Diploma in Computing from Dundalk Institute of Technology, BSc in Computer Applications from Dublin City University as well as being a certified PMP® from the Project Management Institute.
Technology Learning and Development, Northern Trust
Anagha Prabhakar Sawant runs Technology Learning and Development at Northern Trust (NT). Additionally, she leads NT IT’s Talent Evolution Strategy. The core of both her roles is about enabling IT Talent to navigate the complex technology space and client needs effectively via strategic Technology upskilling. Anagha has a 20+ years of prior management consulting experience, where she led the Human Capital charter working alongside global, cross-industry, cross-culture clients co-solving people-related aspects of complex business problems. As the world of work undergoes dramatic changes, employees -- especially IT talent -- crave simplicity and relevance. Through people-centric IT skills resiliency building, Anagha believes in facilitating just that.
Senior Technology Leader, Northern Trust
Jennifer Joseph is a senior technology leader with over 25 years of experience delivering high-impact strategic initiatives. Leading the Office of the CIO department for Northern Trust Asset Management Technology, Jennifer helps technology-driven organizations to be successful through strategy execution, employee development, and cultural transformation. She is passionate about shifting to a product mindset and coaching teams in the adoption of agile ways of working. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Jennifer began her career as a software engineer in the financial services industry and has held leadership positions supporting technology business strategy and application development. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Northern Iowa and a Masters in Management (MBA) from Purdue University. Jennifer is currently co-leading the Northern Trust North America Women in Technology (WIT_NA) group.
Co-founder, Director, Agentiv
Binu is the Co-founder and Director of Agentiv, a rapidly growing digital consultancy and services company in London. With a background spanning economics, finance, technology, and business strategy, Binu brings a wealth of experience to his role. From his early days as a software developer at SAP, moving on to business consulting with stints at Accenture and IBM - where he shaped and delivered business transformation programmes and post-merger integration, Binu has the ability to deliver impactful outcomes for his clients. Passionate about ERP and its transformative potential, Binu has spent the past two years shaping the ERP strategy for one of the world's largest energy companies.
In addition to his day job as a strategic business consultant, Binu, along with Nick Lindsay (co-founder, Agentiv) run the Consultancy Services business at Agentiv - focusing on ERP Strategy & Delivery, Data Analytics & Visualisation and Digital Programme, Product and Portfolio Management services.
Outside of work, he finds joy in outdoor pursuits like hiking, cycling, and running. He aims to achieve a triple milestone this year — a marathon, a 100-mile bike ride, and a 100-kilometer hike. Binu's dedication to both professional excellence and personal challenges embodies his ethos of continuous growth and achievement.
CEO, WeAreTechWomen
Vanessa is one of the UK’s most well-networked women and has provided keynotes on a variety of career related topics for over 600 companies and 40,000 women worldwide. Vanessa is one of the UK’s most prominent figures in gender equality and often provides guidance and consultancy to both government and corporate organisations who are seeking to attract, develop and retain their female talent. Vanessa was awarded her OBE in June 2018 for her services to women and the economy.At the height of her successful 25 year career in Banking and Finance, Vanessa launched the award winning WeAreTheCity in 2008 as a vehicle to help women progress in their careers. WeAreTheCity and its sister organisation, WeAreTechWomen now has over 120,000 members and provides resources/conferences/awards/jobs to women globally. Vanessa also founded the UK wide diversity forum Gender Networks in 2010. Gender Networks which brings together diversity leaders from 100 cross sector firms to share best practice on a quarterly basis.Vanessa is also the founder of the Rising Stars, TechWomen100, Trailblazer50 and Pioneer20 awards. Through these awards she has raised the profile of over 1,500 incredible women and men.Vanessa is author of the book “Heels of Steel: Surviving and Thriving in the Corporate World”, which tracks her career climb from a council estate in east London to the C-suite. Her new book is due for release in 2025.Over the past 15 years, she has accumulated 26 industry awards, including Women in Banking & Finance’s Champion for Women, Financial News' Top 100 Rising Star, The International Alliance for Women's Top 100 Women globally, Brummell's Top 30 London Entrepreneurs, and most recently, she was inducted in to Computer Weekly’s Hall of Fame as an icon for Women in Tech. Vanessa was also cited in GQ UK’s Top 100 Connected Women and the Evening Standard’s 1000 Most Influential Londoners. Vanessa is a regular guest on TV and radio and has appeared on Sky News, the BBC, Talk London and Radio 4. Vanessa is proudly neurodiverse having discovered she has ADHD in her forties. She is now on a mission to help other women who have discovered their own neurodiverse powers later in life.Vanessa is also the Pearly Queen of The City of London, a tradition that has been in her family for over 100 years. She is an avid charity worker and has sat on various boards, including Prostate UK and Cancer Research UK as one of its Women of Influence. Vanessa is currently a trustee for MS Together, a charity that supports 18-35 year old's who have been diagnosed with MS.
Technical Project Manager, BAE Systems
Hannah has been working in the Aerospace and Defence Sector for the past seven years, starting as an administrator and progressing into a Technical Project Manager role. She has developed a successful career, deploying IT infrastructure and Cyber Transformation projects to a range of international clients. Hannah was diagnosed with neurodiverse conditions in adulthood and has been using her journey of self-discovery, to support and promote different thinking business-wide to create diverse, creative and successful teams. In 2023, Hannah was named as a Tech Women 100 winner, and is beginning to flourish as a future leader and hoping to inspire other women to thrive in the tech world.
Inclusion Consultant and Associate
Gill Cooke is an award-winning Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) change-maker and thought leader with a remarkable track record in delivering complex, cross-geography, and cross-functional Strategies and programmes. Gill was named as one of 133 Women Changemakers in 2023 by Diversio, is a Tech100Women Winner, and is a volunteer delegate for UN Women UK. With a background in corporate programme management and strategic leadership, Gill has worked in Diversity and Inclusion for over 6 years. Gill is now an independent Inclusion Consultant and Associate working with consultancies and organisations across the UK and Ireland.
Senior Manager, IBM
Marion has built a non-linear career through personal reflection, reinventing and fully starting over. Beginning university on an Art History degree programme, she left with a 1st in Business Information Technology. Marion joined IBM in 2006 working as a technical support trainee with aspirations to lead systems architecture projects for major clients. After nearly a decade following the IT architect path, and ultimately achieving her early career goal, Marion reflected that this was no longer her passion and needed to be true to herself. Mirroring her starting role in operations support, Marion discovered Site Reliability Engineering (SRE). She instrumented a cultural shift within her department to move away from a traditional operations model that could not scale; improving engineering velocity within a few short months. Marion is most recently a senior manager within the IBM Cloud organisation invested in improving team engagement, and engineering efficiency through Agile and SRE thinking. Outside her core role, Marion is champion for her two passions: SRE and gender diversity. She is the IBM EMEA SRE Profession lead; shaping the role and career opportunities across the business through activity such as developing conferences and defining certification paths. Marion’s diversity actions range from organising and speaking at large-scale events to micro-actions such as including a different voice in a key meeting. Her influence extends into her local community with activity including roles in school governance and participation in careers days.
Lead Delivery and IT Service Manager, DWP Digital
Jane Kenny is a qualified practitioner in Programme, Agile and Portfolio Delivery and a Service Management Expert. Jane has several years Senior Management experience in delivering and transforming services in public and private sector, both in the UK and globally. Currently leading several multidisciplinary IT delivery and Live Service Support teams within DWP Digital, responsible for the development and delivery of a combination of waterfall and agile projects. Also, the ongoing support of 36 digital services which includes 6 critical and 24/7 availability. Jane is a role model within the organisation, and a TechWomen100 individual winner in 2023. Having left school with only 2 GCSE’s, Jane is passionate about continuous learning and identifying opportunities to push out of her comfort zone. Developing future leaders is important to Jane, continuing to tell her story to support, motivate and inspire others. She is enthusiastic about developing colleagues’ capability, their careers and helping to realise their potential. Jane is an active ambassador in several diversity and inclusion initiatives, including Digital Voices which previously won a Civil Service Championing Gender Equality Award.
Senior Data and AI Consultant, EY
Simran is a Senior Data and AI Consultant with expertise in spearheading transformation within the Financial Services sector through innovative Next-Gen solutions. She is dedicated to crafting and leading cutting-edge Cloud and Analytics solutions enhanced by AI. Simran is a firm believer in the inclusion of women in tech and STEM. She has been involved with various organizations focused on helping young women learn and get started on their STEM journey. Simran has been invited by organizations like the US Embassy, Google, Northwestern University, University of California, Riverside, and many more. She has previous been invited to Womentech Network 2020 conference where she delivered a talk on Starting a Career in Data Science.
CEO and Founder, Urban Synergy
Leila Thomas is both a leader in Tech and the CEO and Founder of Urban Synergy, an award-winning charity established in 2007.Urban Synergy has helped more than 27,000 young people aged 9-24 in the UK get into work and higher education through mentoring, work experience, and meeting career role models who inspire and guide them, and ignite their ambitions.The results are outstanding, with pupils at inner city schools known for their high exclusion rates and higher than average school free meals securing places at top universities and landing City jobs.
Leila has also built a successful career in Technology herself leading large scale improvement programmes for Marconi, Thomson Reuters, Refinitiv, and the London Stock Exchange Group.In 2021, Leila was listed on the Empower Role Model List and named on the Top 10 Black Role Models list, sponsored by Google. Urban Synergy also won the East London Business Award winner for ‘Response to Covid’ in November 2021.
In 2022, Leila was presented with the Powerlist Community Award at the Black Excellence Awards, presented by Meta, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to uplifting the lives of young people.Leila believes that together, we can build an equitable world for all young people and create a diverse workforce that benefits business, individuals and society.
Transformation Manager, BT
Hi I'm Lily a multi-award winning Transformation Manager at BT. Physicist turned technologist - I lead on automation and data in the Network Services Operations Transformation Team, certified in ITIL and Scrum with experience across operations, network and software engineering. I'm passionate about science communication and female representation in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) careers and am very proud to be a WISE Young Professionals Board member. I am also an enthusiastic and proactive mentor, STEM Ambassador and gender equality advocate. And the creator and co-founder of 2sistersinSTEM.com a blog where my sister and I share our stories and experiences to empower and inspire more women to pursue careers in STEM.
Senior Developer, Morgan Stanley
Gjeta is a senior developer on the Optimus platform at Morgan Stanley. She joined the firm eight years ago and has since worked on all aspects of the platform, most recently focusing on event streaming, profiler-guided optimization, smarter cache reuse, and core performance. Gjeta has been volunteering to teach Computer Science at local schools since she joined the firm, both in London and now New York. She has travelled to Ghana twice as a volunteer for Global Code. Gjeta is a TechWomen100 award winner and has previously presented our platform at Scala Exchange, Scala Days, ScalaCon and Strange Loop. She was recently awarded a patent for some of her work on Optimus, which is now being open sourced.
Founding Partner and Director, Mavens Abogados
Teresa Martín Castro, founding partner and director of Mavens Abogados since 2008. Lawyer specialized in Technology and investments in technology companies. Professor at IE, where she is director of the Corporate Legal program. President of Tech Spain Advocates, a network of people working in technology from our various professional specialties. Blockchain expert (London School of Economics, 2019), member of the Legal Committee of ALASTRIA, member of the Digital Commission of the International Chamber of Commerce. Mother of two STEM students and I practice classical ballet (to compensate for so much science ...).
Coach & Director, You Ara Success
While living in London since the end of 2002, Ara comes from Barcelona, where she studied business administration (ESADE’s BA and MBA programme). Her exchange programme and internship took place in Paris (HEC, management, contrôle et conseil), as part of acquiring the CEMS master in international management. She speaks fluent English and French. The 20 first years of her professional experience have revolved around software for the financial markets: training, relationship management, consulting, data modelling, software development, product launch, user experience design, process improvement and digitalisation, to name a few of the undertakings performed. In parallel, she was accredited as a coach at the end of 2009 and has been working part time as one, joining the company pool of coaches that delivered the 360 degrees debrief sessions, supporting specific programmes, working with coachees 1-2-1 or facilitating coaching workshops. Her continued development as a coach has included learning about neuro linguistic programming, neuroscience, transactional analysis, systems thinking and clean language. Furthermore, she has learned German and Japanese, and studied Greek, Swedish, Italian and Portuguese. Ara feels very strongly about presence and communication and strives to facilitate that the best comes out of each of us, with clarity and confidence. What we want, why we want it, how we are going to achieve it, setting up plans, being flexible but accountable and learning from what works and doesn’t is what governs her coaching relationships. Ara is fascinated with giving people choice, arming them with criteria to pick the battles most important to them and self-reliance to deal with uncertainty. Ara also believes in giving back. From volunteering at Amics de la Gent Gran, visiting weekly the same elderly for close to 3 years, to being part of a student union, an employee network, her children’s school council or serving as a trustee of a charity, she doesn’t shy away from extra work or responsibility, coupled with a mindset to serve, improve and work towards equality and fairness. Last but not least, Ara is a keen sportswoman and enjoys reading and handcraft.
Director, VIKA Books
Victoria Forrest is a celebrated graphic designer with an international reputation, renowned for her innovative, inclusive designs and distinctive simple, and elegant style. She collaborates with award-winning photographers, artists, curators, and editors to design a wide range of portfolio pieces, from monographs and promotional pieces to immersive publications for publishing houses, museums, galleries to international charities, and organizations. Victoria has a First Class BA (Hons) in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts and an MA in Communication Art & Design from the Royal College of Art, London. Her print designs and publications have earned international acclaim, and have been featured by the BBC, The Bookseller, The British Journal of Photography, and D&AD. As director of VIKA Books, the UK’s first XR publisher, Victoria pushes the boundaries of book design creating captivating, immersive award-winning publications. VIKA is uniquely able to combine the conceptual rigor of Book Arts with the production values of fine art publishing and integrate them with the dynamism and connectivity of creative technologies. VIKA showcases the work of artists and organizations of the future. Victoria is supported by prestigious industry networks and partners, InnovateUK, CreativeUK, and holds titles like Women in Innovation Ambassador, Creative Industry Council’s ‘Ones to Watch,’ Winner of the National Business and National Technology Awards for Best AR/VR Product, D&AD Future Impact, TechWomen 100, and is Great British Entrepreneur of the Year for the Creative Industries.
Award-Winning Lawyer, Business Leader, Innovator and Coach
Jenifer Swallow is an award-winning lawyer, business leader, innovator and coach, with more than two decades’ experience helping high growth tech companies, including leadership roles at Yahoo! and Wise (formerly TransferWise). Formerly CEO of LawtechUK, a government-backed initiative to transform the legal sector through tech, she appears in the Women in Fintech Powerlist, GC Legal 500 PowerList, 2019 Most Influential Women in Payments, British Legal Awards’ Individual of the Year, and Chambers Global 100 most influential General Counsel. Jenifer is a mother to 2 boys, is passionate about equality and human well-being, and supports a range of pro bono and industry initiatives.
Specialist Research Professional, BT Security Research
Dr Zeba Khanam recently received her PhD degree in Computing and Electronic Systems from University of Essex in 2022 where she was a recipient of the University of Essex's Embedded and Intelligent Systems Scholarship. Currently, she is working as a Research Scientist with Emerging Defence Technology team in BT's Security Research Group. In her role, she drives the development of novel ML models for unstructured data (text) and structured data (images) for cybersecurity domain. Her research has won multiple awards and generated additional grant fundings.
IT Risk and Controls Team Lead and Analyst, MUFG Securities
Jolanta currently works in Technology Department in IT Risk and Controls Team at MUFG Securities plc, with almost 15 years’ experience in Compliance (2nd line) and IT Risk Management roles (1st line). She is an experienced IT Risk and Controls Team Lead and Analyst with demonstrated history of working in the financial industry. Skilled in the governance of Internal and External Audit engagements supporting regulatory requirements, IT Risk Management, Business Continuity, Risk Assessments and Operational Risk. Strong operations professional with a post graduate studies in Information Security Management, holds industry recognised certifications: ISACA CISA (Certification Information Systems Audit) and ISACA CRISC (Certification in Risk and Information Systems Control), Lead Auditor – ISO/IEC 27001 Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). She is an active member of Information Security Forum (ISF, an independent information security body, and ISACA (global association that provides IT professionals).
Corporate Technology Department, MUFG Securities EMEA
Luisa first started work at Lloyds Bank International Division in the City of London in 1985 when everyone walked on the left and you could still see bowler hats bobbing in the crowd. There were no computers on desks, no mobile phones and no worldwide web. Pen and paper were King, your word was your bond and the most complicated piece of equipment was an industrial photocopier in the basement of the building. The subsequent introduction of applications like Excel was cutting edge and the LIFFE Floor Registration System revolutionary. Fast forward almost 40 years to 2024, married and a mother of two, you’ll find Luisa working in the Corporate Technology Department of MUFG Securities EMEA, managing the Murex (Application) Front Office Support Team. Moving jobs from Scandinavian Bank (now Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken), and a stint in Unilever’s Patent Department putting patents on inventions she moved back to banking at Bankers Trust, BNP Paribas and MUFG Securities. Luisa has been exposed to the many cultures and expectations with her longest serving employment being with the Japanese firm. Decades of experience in the fast paced Front Office environments, a manager in Product Control for Structured Derivative Businesses and a BA on tech projects delivering new applications and upgrades for the above stakeholders/clients … and a self labelled Maureen 118 helpline … her life wisdom of balancing parenthood, working demands and holding her own in a mainly male environment, especially through the 90s and 00s give her a unique lived perspective of the female evolution in the workplace. As she would say, she has been holding the line for those who follow behind her.
Technology Resource Management AVP at MUFG Bank, Ltd
Specifically, I am accountable and responsible for the collation, processing and review of the Technology Division’s requests to hire, extend and change staffing requests all worker types including permanent staff and the contingent worker for UK Technology. Responsible for ensuring all requests reviewed have had the governance checks completed, challenging the proposed resource targets in line with our headcount targets and financial budgets, identifying and understanding issues, errors or concerns. Schevonne first started out as a contractor within the support market, and soon joined a host of agency and in-house HR related roles. Strong HR and Recruitment background covering training, financial and headcount management and controls. A highly experienced and enthusiastic professional with a strong ability to work well in pressured environments. A reliable individual whom enjoys a busy workload and operating in a challenging role. Having proven to be successful, both working within a team and as an individual contributor, I demonstrate excellent communication and organisational skills. Accompanying a varied background of project work (from initiation to deployment), employment law, data analysis and right to work verifications. Schevonne believes that maintaining a strong work life balance is key to ensuring good mental health especially being a mother to 2 young children definitely keeps her challenged and moving.
Founder & CEO, Coding Black Females
I have been a software developer for over 10 years in a range of languages and technologies. I studied a BSc Mathematical Sciences and an MSc Computer Science at the University of Birmingham. On completion of my degrees, I started a graduate role as a software developer in 2008 at BAE Systems in London. In this role I was able to develop a wide range of skills, including software development, testing and business analysis. I then went on to become a contractor which enabled me to further develop my skills and embark on side projects. I have worked in a range of industries as a permanent member of staff and as a contractor and I’m currently a Technical Director at SAM Software. In 2017, I founded Coding Black Females, a nonprofit organisation to inspire, provide opportunities, and showcase the talents of black women in tech. I’m a co-organiser of Black Devs UK, uniting Black people in software development, and the co-founder of Meet Up and Code, a community to bring developers together and code together. I’m passionate about increasing the representation of black people in tech.
Technical Product Owner for Trade Finance, MUFG
Namita Gupta is a Technical Product Owner for Trade Finance at MUFG, the leading Japanese global corporate investment bank. She is an ESG enthusiast, working parent, mentor, role model and public speaker. In her current role Namita leads on onboarding, complex technical integration and security clearances for multibank vendor communication platforms and Trade Finance products. Namita has started her career 18 years ago in India where she obtained Bachelors of Engineering qualification in Electronics and Telecommunications. She went on to work at Larsen & Toubro Infotech and Royal Bank of Scotland before moving to the UK with her family, where she continued to build her tech career at Barclays before joining MUFG in 2022. Namita was awarded Achiever of the Month twice; for build and test execution automation, and for delivering Angular JS training as part of the first team to implement the new front end technology at the time. She has been the recipient of the prestigious Excellence Values Award at Barclays, and her latest achievement includes Top Green Team Member 2023 Award at MUFG for her significant ‘green’ contribution and advocacy. As a keen ESG enthusiast Namita has delivered many MyCo2 workshops to raise climate risk awareness and help reduce personal carbon emissions. She takes pride in the importance of giving back, helping others and is an advocate for personal development. Namita has taken active part in CSR volunteering opportunities with City of London Academy Highgate Hill ‘Young Minds Brighter Futures’ programme, where she co-delivered Future Opportunities and The Hour of Code workshops to students from low socio-economic backgrounds. She has mentored early careers tech talent and fellow female professionals to encourage growth mindset. She is an ardent participant of Women in TEC programme at MUFG, and takes time to invest in personal and professional self-development. Outside of work, Namita practices yoga and enjoys spending time in nature.
Manager (at Engineering and Transformation), Deloitte
Margarita holds a Computer Science Degree and a PhD on the intersection of Signal Processing and Machine Learning. After finishing her studies with honours, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher in various contexts, such as for the national research council of Italy and for the Imperial College London. For those roles she mainly worked on user centered interfaces and tackled problems such as emotion recognition or automatic detection of pathology. Then, she moved on to Toshiba R&D to work on conversational AI and after that she proceeded to Deloitte, where she currently leads the natural language processing group of her team. Additionally, she is the academic relations manager for the Deloitte AI Institute UK. Margarita has over 50 publications across top-rated international journals and conferences as well as a couple of patents and she has won a multitude of awards for her work.
Founder & CEO, Tech Nordic Advocates, Head of Europe, Global Tech Advocates Board, EU and Diplomatic Advisor
Jeanette is Founder and CEO, Tech Nordic Advocates (TNA), Northern Europe's largest and only pan-Nordic/Baltic tech/startup and women-in-tech ecosystem; Nordic arm of Global Tech Advocates, the world’s only global tech startup community; and Nordic/Baltic Ambassador for Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Organisation, headquartered at the UN in New York. Jeanette is also Founder and CEO of newmedia2.0, a leading independent strategy boutique; corporate, startup, diplomatic, EU advisor and leading conference chair and keynote. Over a 30 year career in tech, Jeanette has built, grown and advised UK, European, US and global tech companies played a key role in London’s tech ecosystem, advised British and Nordic governments, ambassadors and the EU on scaling technology companies and trade relations. Jeanette also lectures in innovation & entrepreneurship and supports tech accelerators at leading international business schools. In 2021, Jeanette developed and has since led Europe’s only international female tech founder growth programme, helping over 500 female tech founders across the Nordics launch, grow, scale, raise capital for and expand tech companies internationally. In 2018, Jeanette was voted “Inspirational Woman” by We are the City, London, and invited to Buckingham Palace for her contribution to London’s tech sector. In 2021 and 2022, she was a finalist in the 2021 Nordic Women in Tech Awards, and in 2022, voted amongst the10 most impactful women in tech by Prime Magazine in the US.
Co-Founder of Collaborative Working Solutions and Co-Lead of Tech Singapore Advocates
Leslie is a community builder and business development specialist, who has been based in Singapore since 2014. She has an extensive and diverse network within Singapore’s tech eco-system, as well as across other sectors, including legal, marketing and finance. Leslie is the Co-Founder of Collaborative Working Solutions, an outreach firm specialising in the art of fostering meaningful connections. She is also the Co-lead of Tech Singapore Advocates, the Singapore branch of the Global Tech Advocates network. In that role, she oversees an extensive community of members and partners, as well as running events, initiatives and programmes to support the growth of Singapore's tech ecosystem. She also acts as GTA's APAC Lead, working with partners throughout the region to drive collaboration and innovation. She is a regular moderator and speaker at events throughout the region and internationally; and is a New York qualified attorney, having practiced for many years in London before relocating to Asia.
AI Ethics Senior Technical Specialist, Jaguar Land Rover
Paula Palade works for Jaguar Land Rover as an AI Ethics Senior Technical Specialist. Paula holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and has published as part of an independent group of experts, a report commissioned by European Commission on Ethics of Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAVs). The report includes 20 recommendations covering dilemma situations, the creation of a culture of responsibility, and the promotion of data, algorithm, and AI literacy through public participation. Paula is a BSI delegate representing Jaguar Land Rover and Automotive Group Expert on various ISO groups such as ISO TC241 Road traffic safety management systems, as well as other technical standards on highly Automated features, such as contributing to the ISO/TC/204 Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) WG14 Automated Valet Parking and WG20 Big Data and Artificial Intelligence supporting ITS. She published the ISO 39003 standard in August 2023 – “Guidance on safety ethical considerations for autonomous vehicles”.
Storyteller and Innovator
“The storyteller who makes up the skills gap” The Financial Times Preethi is a storyteller and innovator who works with leadership teams globally to communicate vision, lead culture change and build communities within their organisations. She is a visiting professor at various business schools teaching modules on creativity, storytelling, and personal leadership. Preethi is an expert on rejection and resilience. After her first novel Gypsy Masala was rejected by most publishers. She established multinationals in her bedroom and appointed feisty Director, Pru Menon (an alter ego) to energetically hype her work. Nobody else knew of her plan. Working as several different people and with a frenetic double life, her perseverance paid off in the face of consistent rejection; she signed a three-book deal with HarperCollins. Pru was shortlisted as Publicist of the Year! Preethi won the Asian Woman of Achievement Award. Her books are translated internationally. Having been told that there was no market for a show she had written and having never acted before, Preethi performed and produced a sell-out one woman show in London’s West End. Her fourth novel Unravelling is published later this year.
Chief of Staff for Group Technology Infrastructure Services & the Chief Technology Office, Barclays
Vicky is the Chief of Staff for Group Technology Infrastructure Services and the Chief Technology Office at Barclays, with over 19 years of leadership experience spanning Corporate, Business and Retail Banking. Her dynamic leadership style has thrived in diverse environments from contact centres to remote setups where she has consistently driven colleague engagement and spearheaded transformative initiatives. Vicky has led Business Banking contact centres to achieve prestigious accolades such as the Investors in People Platinum status and the UK Employer of the Year Award, showcasing her commitment to excellence and employee empowerment. Complementing her extensive professional journey, Vicky has recently completed an MSc in Digital & Technology Solutions. This academic pursuit reflects her dedication to staying up-to-date of industry trends and leveraging innovative solutions to drive organisational success. Beyond her professional endeavours, Vicky balances her role alongside being a mother of two, and a trustee of a charitable organisation.
Transformation Director | Risk and Control | Global Technology Service Management, Barclays
Stuart Potter’s military career started in 1992 as a ‘Junior Leader’ at the Army Apprentices College at Harrogate and finished in 2021 as the Chief of Staff (COS) of the Policy Branch at the Army Personnel Centre. A role were Stuart was a personnel policy advisor on the various Army HQ led transformation programmes.
Throughout this 29-year career, Stuart honed his leadership skills during c10 years deployed on military operations.
In Stuart’s current role he provides the 1st Line Of Defence for the Group Technology Service Management Risk and Control Environment and leads on a number of critical regulatory programmes. Where he enables simplified solutions to complex technology problems.
Deputy Director, Head of Data Delivery, DWP Digital
Jacqui is a senior leader in DWP with over 20 years’ experience leading large-scale digital transformation projects. She is currently leading the acceleration of Data Delivery within DWP Digital. Jacqui is a passionate champion for diversity and inclusion and has spoken at government and industry events on the barriers women face in the workplace and the importance of developing female leaders.
Assistant Vice President, Software Engineer, Barclays
Arushi Madan holds the position of Assistant Vice President - Software Engineer, Chief Security Office. Beyond her professional role, Arushi is fervent about fostering diversity and inclusivity within the tech sector. She is equally dedicated to supporting individuals starting their careers in technology, striving to be a catalyst for positive change and representation.
Founder, Women Beyond the Box
Emma Case is the visionary behind Women Beyond the Box, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion company supporting global organisations in cultivating neuro-inclusive practices. In 2019, Emma unveiled the annual Top 50 Influential Neurodivergent Women list, a ground-breaking campaign that shines a spotlight on and honours the professional journeys of neurodivergent women. Drawing from her expertise in women's leadership development, Emma extends her impact by coaching and mentoring neurodivergent women and teams. Her guidance empowers them to navigate the intricacies of the workplace with resilience and to forge confident career paths.