2020 award Winners

Winners & Shortlist

Advocate of the Year

Winner
Carly Britton – Vualto

”Carly Britton stood out for her passion to ignite a love for technology in young people in general, and young women in particular, from a young age. She is directly impacting the development pipeline at one of its most critical points. Her strategic work and dedication will lead to a new generation of female technologists to follow in her path and beyond.”

Laura Malcolm – Avanade
Tosin James-Odukoya – GSMA
Hui Min Langridge – Hitachi Vantara Limited
Jon O’Donnell – IBM
Carly Britton – Vualto
Emily Foges – Luminance
Katherine Szelesi – Veeam Software UK

Business Leader of the Year

Winner
Jenny Davies – M247

”Jenny has had a huge impact on the business. This is not only limited to operational enhancements and talent development of their team but has led to the business being wider involved in the community which shows the broader cultural impact her effort has had. Jenny is commendable in her efforts and is a true Business Leader.”

Violeta Martin – DocuSign
Rachel Armstrong – Globant
Georgina Owens – DAZN
Katy Navichas – Lucidica
Jenny Davies – M247
Eleanor Dearing – makepositive
Eleanor Bradley – Nominet
Nicky Tozer – Oracle NetSuite
TC (Tracy Corkett) – Red Hat
Lisa Coleman – Worldline

Business Role Model of the Year

Winner
Naya Giannakopoulou – DMW

”Naya does not just set an exemplary attitude and dedication in her work but is also the living proof that you can get into the tech sector at any point in your career. She has been fantastic in applying her previous experience to her new role within tech. She is very active as a mentor in the wider tech community and her D&I work is at the forefront of her career.”

Rachel Ruston – Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Naya Giannakopoulou – DMW
Shivvy Jervis – FutureScape 248 Ltd
Lorraine Butler – Highways England
Zen Ali – JP Morgan
Gemma Blezard – Ladies Be Architects
Sam Robinson – NHS Digital
Bita Milanian – Ribbon Communications
Kathy Schneider – Sungard Availability Services (Sungard AS)
Lorna Rees – Vocalink

CIO of the Year

Winner
Amanda Hamilton – City & County Healthcare Group

”Amanda is an innovative & creative CIO in a challenging sector. She has achieved efficiencies worth £1.7m per year and improved cash flow by £4m, while keeping the focus on the client. In addition her efforts for D&I have led to an increase of female representation from 0% to 37%. Her innovative drive and passion make Amanda Hamilton the CIO of the Year’.’

Helen Simmons – BP
Beatriz Copelli – British American Tobacco
Amanda Hamilton – City & County Healthcare Group
Jules Donald – Kent Police and Essex Police
Chris Fielding –  Sungard Availability Services (Sungard AS)

CTO of the Year

Winner
Professor Niki Trigoni – Navenio

”Niki has demonstrated a passion for exploring business use of technology and has had a direct impact on productivity within the healthcare sector. Having delivered an outstanding ROI and developed new technologies, she shows that research and impactful innovation go hand-in-hand.”

Miranda Pocock – Cloud Perspective
Sarah Greasley – Direct Line Group
Sonal Rattan – eXate
Sue Forder – IBM
Professor Niki Trigoni – Navenio

Data Leader of the Year

Winner
Jackie Shears – NHS Digital

”It’s hard to fathom what could be of less impact on society than the successful collection, architecture, flow and use of data and metadata within the institution Jackie works in. Her compassionate approach to reshaping the size and magnitude of the data, has truly enabled her company to make better-informed decisions. This becomes even more admirable considering the challenges of funding and the sheer size of the data in the system.”

Adina Iliescu – British American Tobacco
Stephanie Clarke – Broadridge Financial Solutions
Janet Stirling-Paget – Claremont
Harj Bains – FedEx Express
Cath Morris – I.C.I.S
Dr Tempest van Schaik – Microsoft
Jackie Shears – NHS Digital
Gilda Reed – Oracle
Marian Arafiena – Plan Outsource Ltd (Houses of Parliament)

Digital Leader of the Year

Winner
Laura Hilliger – We Are Open Co-op

”In a sector where only 3% of the workforce is female, Laura stands out not only in her day to day job, but also by promoting the importance of diversity. She has been instrumental in progressing a project for Greenpeace which is now live in over 38 countries and continuously delivers tangible results.”

Jody Shilliday – Adform
Kay Deacey-Coulton – Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council
Anna Corbett – Base Creative
Deborah Threadgold – IBM
Rachelle Mills – KareInn
Genevieve Kangurs – TSB Bank
Laura Hilliger – We Are Open Co-op

Diversity Initiative of the Year

Winner
Joanne Rewcastle – DWP Digital

”The winning diversity initiative stood out to the judges for not solely focusing on quota attainment but to support women developing their digital skills and knowledge. Though it might be a small initiative it has had an impressively direct impact and  that while being on a budget within a tough company culture, has continued to innovate at a quick pace.”

Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Oracle
Socitm
Michelle Crane – HSBC
Susie Day – NHS Digital
Carmina Lees – Accenture Security
Rose Stifano – Direct Line Group
Joanne Rewcastle – DWP Digital
TAB – Tab

Employer of the Year

Winner
Avanade

”This award goes to a company whose strategy shows multiple strands of initiatives with truly practical solutions and is driven by employees rather than siloed off in HR. Their submission demonstrated practical opportunities for career engagement, educational opportunities and a tactical approach to the hiring process, which is beginning to pay dividends. The span, range and ownership of activities and initiatives demonstrate how D&I is being woven into the tapestry of the organisation.”

Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Avanade
REPL Group

Entrepreneur of the Year

Winner
Christine Telyan – UENI Ltd

”The winning submission in this category stood out to the judges for its brilliant concept and the worthy cause of bringing SMEs online. Christine’s support for her fellow female business owners in general and her work on helping them to get funding make her the Entrepreneur of the Year for 2020.”

Daniela Menzky – CyNation
Sonal Rattan – eXate
Joyeeta Das – Gyana Limited
Sukhi Jutla – MarketOrders
Seema Khinda Johnson – Nuggets
Elin Ng – Salve Technologies Limited
Tracy Ebdon-Poole – TaxCalc
Christine Telyan – UENI Ltd

E-skills Initiative of the Year

Winner
Federica Romagnoli – YOOX NET-A-PORTER

”Federica has demonstrated an impressive commitment to getting young people inspired and involved with technology in various ways. Yoox Net-A-Porter partner with non-profits to blend their offering and to maximise the benefit the kids can take advantage of. It is clear that all Federica’s efforts are truly focussed on ensuring that as many children as possible see what technology can offer.”

Carol Diaz – British American Tobacco
Krupali Bhagani – John Lewis
Federica Romagnoli – YOOX NET-A-PORTER
Open Schools Coding Competition – Red Hat

Future CIO of the Year

Winner
Mel Unsworth – YOOX NET-A-PORTER

”This award goes to a woman who has navigated a very complicated IT environment while displaying excellent people management skills combined with juggling internal & external stakeholders. Mel has overseen a massive integration of two completely separate infrastructures between different businesses while also managing rapid team growth. Her strong performance and values are commendable and the judges are sure she is a Future CIO.”

Helen Oswell – OneWeb
Jese Navaranjan – Altius
Kate Curran – BP
Jolene Spencer – Capgemini
Emma Curzon – Davies Turner
Pam Kalsi – Kainos
Deborah Hetherington – Leeds Beckett University
Julia Doctoroff – makepositive
Sarah Maber – World Wide Technology
Mel Unsworth – YOOX NET-A-PORTER

Global Leader of the Year

Winner
Chandra Dhandapani – CBRE

”Chandra has had a strong impact on her business while ensuring that innovation drives change not only at her company, but also at an industry level on a global scale. She is reshaping the sector she works in and is not only a leader but a true role model.”

Pamela Maynard – Avanade
Chandra Dhandapani – CBRE
Claudia Brind-Woody – IBM
Lisa Marena – Just Eat
Melissa Di Donato – SUSE
Martina Babini – YOOX NET-A-PORTER

Innovator of the Year

Winner
Lucy Mullins – StepLadder

”Lucy gave clear evidence of technology that enabled growth in an initiative that tackles a growing, yet underpublicized economic problem. Her team leadership and creative approach on how to solve this problem have been innovative and demonstrate this winner’s creative thinking.”

Emma Williamson – Deutsche Bank
Ana Moutinho – eBrik
Nicole Thompson – Hitachi Vantara
Lindsay Herbert – IBM
Professor Niki Trigoni – Navenio
Lucy Mullins – StepLadder

IT Team of the Year

Winner
Juliette French – Lloyds Banking Group

”The IT Team of the Year delivers 200 projects each year while handling a portfolio of £34m, which has shown a steady increasein size and number of projects. In the past 12 months this team achieved cost savings for the company and have seen an extensive transformation which included amongst others a Pega Platform Upgrade for more than 40+ applications, cloud transformation and transitions from various CRM systems to one joint one.”

Rachel Hopkins – Arrow Global plc
Svetlana Tarnagurskaja – BJSS
Julie Hollis – Davies Turner
Jane Lamplough – DWP Digital
Juliette French – Lloyds Banking Group
Martha Barrett – Unite Students
Julie King – Virgin Trains
Julia Veall – Vodafone
Andrea Morgan – Worldline
Claire Spalding – YOOX NET-A-PORTER

Rising Star of the Year

Winner
Anna Zappone – Google

”Anna has achieved a tremendous amount in a short amount of time. On top of her day job in a company culture that can be difficult to navigate she has a get-up and go attitude. Her achievements stand out for their scope, velocity & reach. She is a team player and the judges agree that she has a stellar agree ahead of her.”

Paige Cook – BT
Nicole Burrows – Cloud Perspective
Harriet Hadley – eSynergy Solutions
Anna Zappone – Google
Gemma Cleal-Bramley – Vocalink
Emma Azevedo – Just Eat
Stephanie Gooch – KPMG
Ran Jiang – KPMG
Lianne Potter – NHS Digital
Charly Lester – Lumen

Security Champion of the Year

Winner
Felicity March – IBM

”Felicity stands out for her thought leadership on cyber recovery and her support of women in the sector. She is a strong and active campaigner and has used her natural talent and sense of technology innovation to change industry norms and regulations.”

Chelsea Jarvie – CJ Cyber Ltd
Karen White – Direct Line Group
Felicity March – IBM
Yelibeth Mendez-Perez – ITC Secure
Cath Goulding – Nominet

Transformation Leader of the Year

Winner
Karen Hopley – G4S

”Karen has overseen a pilot implementation of a HR system and successfully led the final design testing and management for launch. This successful launch has led to business efficiencies, more control and access for employees to their data and has led to 3100 people being hired. Her collaborative style and her focus on results the business is hoping to achieve make her a true leader.”

Saba Ahmed – Accenture Security
Jane Harrington – Bentley Motors Ltd
Carlie Bussey – Direct Line Group
Poonam Chauhan – Essentra
Karen Hopley – G4S
Maeve Culloty – Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Magda Sa Ie – Just Eat

Woman of the Year

Winner
Shaheen Sayed – Accenture

”Shaheen leads market-leading teams who deliver pioneering solutions with double-digit growth to the health and public sector, she has had a measurable impact on improving diversity in tech and her sphere of influence runs broad and deep with a clear focus on developing and influencing the next generation of talent.”

Shaheen Sayed – Accenture
Mary Hunter – Columbus
Jane Silber – Diffblue
Ceri Picton Tully – HSBC
Tosca Colangeli – IBM
Amanda Brock – OpenUK
Jayne Showell – Severn Trent Water

Young Leader of the Year

Winner
Josie Young – Methods

”Josie is using technology to challenge social norms being digitised and has had a very innovative and groundbreaking approach. She is working at the forefront of the intersection of AI and ethics and endeavours to redesign public services so they are centred around citizens and is working with some of the UK’s largest governing bodies to build intelligent and ethical systems.”

Kinjal Dave – BAE Systems
Stacey Howard – Dragonfly
Maria R. Lima – Imperial College London
Cara Wright – JP Morgan
Janette Isiguzo – KPMG
Sarah Farrington – Lloyds Banking Group
Louise French – makepositive
Josie Young – Methods
Cristina Turbatu – Playtech
Puja Gupta – Tata Consultancy Services