Sheridan Ash, founder and co-CEO of Tech She Can, has grow to be the thirteenth individual to be named Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Woman in UK Tech.
Launched in 2012, the Computer Weekly checklist of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Tech began as an inventory of 25, increasing to 50 in 2015, and now seeing lots of of nominations annually.
The checklist was initially created to showcase the amazing women in the technology industry, shining a light-weight on the sector’s function fashions who could encourage the subsequent era of ladies in tech.
As effectively as the 2024 longlist of more than 700 nominated women, and our checklist of Rising Stars, there are additionally new entrants to our Hall of Fame, launched to acknowledge those that have made a lifetime contribution to the UK’s know-how sector.
This yr’s winner, Sheridan Ash, launched Tech She Can to show women and younger ladies about know-how careers and topics to encourage them to decide on this path in the future.
Until 2023, Ash led know-how innovation at PwC UK, and is presently co-CEO and founding father of the charity Tech She Can. She was a board member of the Institute of Coding for 4 years and, in 2020, obtained an MBE for providers to younger women and girls via know-how.
Tech She Can is an award-winning charity with greater than 240 member organisations, which collectively work with business, authorities and faculties to enhance the ratio of ladies in know-how roles. It supplies initiatives and pathways into tech careers throughout all the totally different phases of ladies’ and ladies’s lives.
At PwC, Ash led change in the know-how workforce, pioneering initiatives that noticed the share of ladies in tech greater than double to achieve 32%.
Timperley is a contract guide and co-founder of Tech North Advocates, a non-public sector-led assortment of tech consultants who champion the know-how sector in the north of England.
In 2021, she co-founded advisory agency Growth Strategy Innovation, which helps to develop startup and scaleup organisations. She is now innovation director for Oxford Innovation, which helps organisations develop ecosystems for entrepreneurs and innovators, in flip boosting native areas.
Timperley was named a Computer Weekly Women in Tech Rising Star in 2017 when, till 2021, she was a board member of FutureEverything. She beforehand co-founded Enterprise Lab.
Turner based Angel Academe, a pro-women and pro-diversity angel funding group targeted on know-how, and is presently CEO of the group.
Until 2023, Turner was additionally an advisory board member of tech recruiter Spinks, and in 2007 co-founded consultancy Turner Hopkins, which helps companies create digital methods.
Previously, Turner was an exterior board member and chair of the funding committee for enterprise capital fund the Low Carbon Innovation Fund and a board member of the UK Business Angels Association, the commerce affiliation for early-stage funding.
Hunter based Coding Black Females in 2017 to assist black feminine software program builders meet one another and community. Alongside her work at Coding Black Females, Hunter is a software program developer.
She is an advisory board business consultant in the University of Essex Online’s computing division, technical director at SAM Software Solutions, and technical director at full-stack and front-end coaching organisation Black CodHer Bootcamp.
Previously, Hunter was lead software program engineer at Made Tech, and held roles similar to senior software program developer, lead Java developer, app developer and technical guide at varied companies. She was named a Computer Weekly Women in UK Tech Rising Star in 2020.
Before her time as an MP, Niblett had an extended profession in know-how, having roles similar to business gross sales chief at DXC Technology and head of alliances, channel and ecosystem in EMEA at 1E.
Now, alongside her function as an MP, she’s founding father of the Labour: Women in Tech group, which campaigns to achieve equal gender alternatives in the know-how business. She’s additionally the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on FinTech and the Parliamentary Internet, Communications and Technology Forum (PICTFOR), in addition to the chair for the Interparliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies and a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
An entrepreneur and co-founder, Brailsford joined Code First Girls as CEO in 2019, the place she works to encourage extra ladies into the tech sector by offering software program improvement expertise and training.
Prior to her work at Code First Girls, she co-founded and was CEO of efficiency administration agency Frisbee, which was a part of enterprise capital fund Founders Factory. Until summer season 2024, she was was a board member for the Institute of Coding, the place she targeted particularly on range and inclusion. She can be a self-employed industrial and technique guide.
As a part of her function as associate and head of digital for Europe at Oliver Wyman, O’Neill leads digital transformation and new proposition launches at firms throughout the world.
Alongside this, she can be a strategic associate at FutureDotNow, a board trustee for Girlguiding and particular adviser to the founder at The Youth Group.
Sillem labored for the Royal Academy of Engineering for 12 years earlier than being appointed its CEO in 2018. Previous roles at the academy embrace deputy CEO and director of technique, director of programmes and fellowship, and head of worldwide actions.
As effectively as her work for the academy, Sillem is a trustee of EngineeringUK and the Foundation for Science and Technology, and CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.
Lakhani based Century Tech as a educating and studying platform targeted on topics similar to synthetic intelligence (AI), cognitive neuroscience, large knowledge analytics and blockchain, the place she can be CEO.
A frequent public speaker, she has beforehand been a member of the UK’s AI Council, a board member for the Foundation for Education Development, a board member for Unboxed 2022, and a non-executive director for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
She is a digital patron for Cottesmore School, and has appeared on the BBC’s AI Decoded information section. She was awarded an OBE in 2014.
Mary McKenna is a big supporter of entrepreneurship and startups, holding a number of roles as an adviser and investor. Her social enterprise, AwakenHub, the place she is co-founder, is concentrated on constructing a neighborhood of feminine founders in Ireland.
As effectively as being an professional adviser for the European Commission, she is an entrepreneurship professional with the Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, and a trustee for CAST, amongst many different board memberships and non-executive directorships.
Thorne is co-CEO of Tech She Can, a charity aimed toward growing the variety of ladies in the know-how sector, in addition to a enterprise associate at Deep Science Ventures and a range and inclusion advisory board member for the Institute of Coding.
She has a background in the training sector, beforehand holding roles as director of innovation technique for the University of Surrey and govt officer to the vice-president (innovation) at Imperial College London.
Williams is CEO of inclusion marketing campaign FutureDotNow, which goals to make sure persons are not left behind by the rising expertise hole attributable to digital adoption. She is a member of the UK authorities’s Digital Skills Council, and chair of the Good Things Foundation.
Prior to her present work, Williams spent greater than 20 years at BT in a lot of totally different roles, together with programme director for sustainable enterprise, director of tech literacy and training programmes, and director of digital society. Until 2024, she was a member of the board of trustees for Transport for London.
With a background in legislation surrounding telecoms, the web and media, Wright now makes use of her experience as director of not-for-profit The Institute of AI, in addition to associate at Harbottle & Lewis, heading up the tech, knowledge and digital group.
She has labored in the tech sector for over 20 years. Her group at Harbottle & Lewis is comprised of 66% feminine and 66% ethnic minority members.
During 2023, she labored with the OECD, WEF and the ITU to construct a repute in relation to the regulation of AI. She can be working with the Ditchley Foundation, contemplating whether or not the collaborative strategy in relation to telecoms can work for AI regulation.
In her 30 years at KPMG, Mehta has had many obligations, together with constructing the agency’s concentrate on commerce and funding, and serving to scaleup purchasers to entry monetary assist.
She is now chair of the organisation, and in 2022 was awarded an MBE for providers to UK commerce and funding and supporting feminine entrepreneurs.
An professional in range, inclusion and neighborhood constructing, Farooq co-founded Muslamic Makers in 2016 as a networking group for Muslims in tech, design and improvement.
As effectively as a contract range and inclusion guide, Farooq is a scout for Ada Ventures with particular curiosity in edtech, healthtech and fintech, and till March 2024 was a neighborhood supervisor for Big Society Capital.
She has an in depth background in digital and AI in each the personal and public sectors.
Taylor co-founded TechReturners, the place she is presently CEO, to provide expert people who’ve had a profession break the alternative to attach with companies and assist them again into mid-level to senior-level tech roles.
She can be co-founder of The Confidence Community, which goals to offer sources, coaching info and occasions to provide folks extra profession confidence. Taylor is co-founder of neighborhood WIT North and co-founder of ReframeWIT.
She lately based neighborhood platform Voices in Tech to assist join audio system with occasion alternatives.
Dawes has headed up Ofcom since 2020 following her earlier function as everlasting secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, in addition to many different roles throughout the Civil Service.
She has beforehand been a trustee at Patchwork Foundation, which goals to encourage under-represented younger folks to take part in democracy, and a non-executive director of client group Which?.
Award-winning entrepreneur Avril Chester is presently the CTO of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, her most up-to-date in a sequence of roles heading up know-how in organisations. In 2018, she based know-how charity platform Cancer Central to assist assist folks with most cancers.
Martin has a historical past of working as a take a look at guide at companies similar to Barclays, Sony, the UK Home Office, Shazam and Sky, and is presently a startup adviser and founding father of her personal teaching and consultancy agency.
Prior to this, she was head of high quality at Adarga and is presently chair for the BCS Special Interest Group in Software Testing, and till January 2023 was the vice-chair of the BCS LGBTQIA+ tech specialist group.
Amanda Brock’s function at OpenUK sees her main the sustainable and moral improvement of open applied sciences in the UK, together with know-how similar to open supply software program, {hardware} and knowledge.
She additionally sits on the boards of each the Cabinet Office Open Standards Board and US cyber safety agency Mimoto, is an advisory board member of a number of companies, in addition to performing as a decide for the CIO 100 Awards.
Moore has been at Apps for Good since 2019, initially as director of training, merchandise and occasions, then as chief working officer (COO), earlier than changing into CEO in 2021.
Her profession background has been closely weighted in the direction of training, having been worldwide training programme coordinator for London 2012, and volunteering as governor at the Harris Academy Ockendon and Sixth Form.
Tanaka is presently a part of the programme group for All4Health&Care, a neighborhood launched throughout the pandemic to attach digital healthcare suppliers with the public sector. She can be the head of the CMO Office for NHS Black Country ICB, and is on the neighborhood assist committee for BCS.
Previously, she has been a fellow, impartial audit for AI programs for ForHumanity, and BCS Women membership secretary.
Calista has a historical past in each know-how and the public sector.
Alongside her function at Labour Digital, she is head of coverage and public affairs at UK scaleup Vorboss, and she or he co-founded community Women in Tech Policy.
She volunteers as an adviser for digital citizenship charity Glitch, and is a coverage board member for OpenUK.
With expertise in cloud at firms similar to Salesforce and IBM, Kelisky began her function at Google in 2022 well-equipped with the expertise wanted to run its cloud division.
Alongside this, Kelisky is on the board of administrators for Calnex Solutions, and is a member of the board of administrators for the Women in Telecoms and Technology networking group.
Lila Ibrahim grew to become Google DeepThoughts’s first COO in 2018, taking care of groups in disciplines similar to engineering, digital environments, programme administration and operations.
Prior to this function, she was COO of on-line expertise platform Coursera, and has additionally acted at basic supervisor for rising markets platforms in China at Intel.
Philpot has a background in each gross sales, and studying and improvement, which she makes use of in her function as the vice-president of worldwide gross sales enablement at Getty Images. She has held varied roles each in and out of doors of gross sales at many notable companies, similar to Shell, Mars and GSK.
As effectively as being a board member for the TLA Black Women in Tech group, she is a member and speaker for the Sales Enablement Directive.
Hodson has an in depth background in the know-how sector, and has had roles similar to managing guide at EY and basic supervisor at Siemens Business Services chargeable for public sector, healthcare, monetary providers and manufacturing.
More lately, she was vice-president for international gross sales, advertising and marketing and operations – area transformation at Microsoft, earlier than changing into chief govt of IBM in UK and Ireland at the starting of 2023.
She’s additionally a board member and deputy president of TechUK, and holds a number of non-executive directorships.
As managing director of Jomas Associates (Engineering & Environmental), Savage specialises in geotechnical and environmental engineering.
She can be captivated with matters similar to ladies in engineering and social mobility, and is on the UK authorities’s SME Business Council.
With an extended historical past of CEO positions, Kirkby has expertise in operating firms with a background in telecoms, and in February this yr took over as CEO of BT Group. Her previous CEO roles have included TDC group, Tele2 and Telia, and she or he can be a non-executive director of Brookfield asset administration.
Barclay has been with Microsoft for greater than 10 years, holding a number of roles together with director of SMB, basic supervisor of small and mid-market options and companions, COO, and CEO in the UK.
In November 2024, she grew to become president of enterprise and business for Microsoft in the UK. She is chair of the industrial technique advisory council for the Department for Business and Trade, volunteers as a board member for the British Heart Foundation and, till lately, was a non-executive director at CBI.
Oniwinde Agoro based BYP Network in 2016 to assist black professionals community and have simpler entry to jobs, after a visit overseas confirmed the challenges younger black folks face in getting jobs each in and out of doors the UK.
Until 2024, she was board trustee for volunteer organisation Getting On Board, and has obtained a number of awards and accolades, together with Forbes 30 Under 30 and Financial Times Top 100 BAME Leaders in Technology.
Wallace heads up range and inclusion, partnerships and other people change at Sky, and one among her focuses in this function is designing and delivering the folks technique for know-how inside the agency.
Outside of this, Wallace was a member of the advisory board for lately disbanded Tech Talent Charter, and volunteers as a cub and scout assistant.
Scullion is a serial founder, having based gownCode, a not-for-profit that encourages younger ladies in Scotland to think about a profession in pc science, and co-founded the Ada Scotland Festival, which goals to make use of collaboration to shut the gender hole in pc science training in Scotland.
These endeavours stem from her being a pc science instructor captivated with encouraging extra kids to take the topic. Alongside this work, she is a volunteer for the Scottish Tech Army, a not-for-profit aimed toward utilizing tech for good.
Earlier this yr, Tulip took on the function of chief progress officer at software program engineering consultancy Conquer Technology. In 2018, she co-founded community-led initiative Women In Leeds Digital, which inspires and helps minority teams to think about a profession in know-how.
Tulip can be chair of the regional productiveness discussion board in Yorkshire, Humberside and the North East for the Productivity Institute, ambassador for Leeds as a digital metropolis at Leeds City Council, and managing director at &Then Consulting.
Moore co-founded knowledge analytics and AI agency Panintelligence in 2010 with the purpose of serving to companies correctly organise their knowledge to extra simply undertake AI. She grew to become CEO in 2018.
Alongside this, Moore additionally based low-code tech neighborhood No Code Lab and gender equality neighborhood Lean In Leeds. As effectively as a place as chair for Lifted Ventures, Moore is an Ada Angel for inclusive enterprise agency Ada Ventures.
As international director of id at Sky, Moore is chargeable for main the agency’s id administration tasks. Prior to this, she held a number of roles as a venture supervisor, and was beforehand the head of infotainment group know-how for Vodafone.
As effectively as being a member of the board for Tech Talent Charter, she is the co-founder of feminine tech leaders neighborhood Lift as we Climb.
Maria Axente is the head of AI public coverage and ethics at PwC in the UK, the place she combines her expertise in analytics and moral AI coverage improvement to make sure AI is developed with people in thoughts.
Previously, she was the synthetic intelligence and AI-for-good lead at the agency, chargeable for advising purchasers on accountable use of AI, and making certain moral improvement of PwC AI operations, services and products.
She’s a vice-chair for the knowledge, analytics and AI management committee at TechUK, and in the previous she has been an advisory board member for the APPG for AI, and adviser for the PHI for Augmented Intelligence.
As CEO of Nash Squared, White heads up the international agency which supplies IT recruitment, know-how options and management providers out of 36 places of work throughout the world.
White has an extended background in the tech sector, having beforehand held roles as CIO and director of IT, in addition to finishing a level in pc science.
Bentinck was named a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2014, and has co-founded a number of organisations, together with Entrepreneur First, a agency that helps European know-how startups, and not-for-profit coding coaching programme Code First Girls.
She is on the Computer Science Department Industrial Liaison Board for Imperial College London, is a board trustee for Generation and is the writer of startup enterprise ebook How to be a founder.
Hirt joined Innovate Finance in 2015 as the business physique’s head of neighborhood, earlier than ultimately changing into its CEO six years later. She now heads up the organisation, aiming to drive innovation and transformation in the fintech sector to make it extra inclusive.
She has labored round the world in a wide range of roles, together with performing head of company relations for Chatham House in the UK, head of membership for the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, and head new rent coach for an English language coaching programme in Japan.
Davis is the co-founder of range profession platform Diversifying, and founder and CEO of recruitment organisation BAME Recruitment and Consulting.
She is chair of the board of administrators for Pop Up Projects and a board trustee for charity Over the Wall, each aimed toward altering younger folks’s lives for the higher.
Davis has beforehand held roles in expertise acquisition in the STEM sector, at telecoms agency BT, and as a part of a short-term venture at an aerospace, aviation, F1 and motorsport organisation.
The first feminine to move up GCHQ, Keast-Butler moved into the director function final yr after serving as deputy director basic of MI5. With an extended profession in safety and defence, her earlier roles have included overseeing the repairs of capabilities that assist MI5’s operational actions and the launch of the UK’s National Cyber Security Programme.
As effectively as her work as senior EUC engineer, infrastructure and cloud engineering at the London Stock Exchange Group, Opong is a freelancer and STEM adviser and a board trustee for The Blair Project Foundation.
Until lately, she was a part of the City of London Corporation volunteer advisory group for equality, range and inclusion, and was beforehand an advisory board member for Neurodiversity in Business, and a mentor at the TechUp mentor programme for Durham University.
Opong was a contributor for Voices in the shadows, the ebook of black feminine function fashions created by the 2022 Computer Weekly Most Influential Woman in UK Tech, Flavilla Fongang.
Munby has an extended historical past of working in authorities, and have become everlasting secretary main the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in February 2023.
She has additionally been associate, chief of technique and company finance follow in UK and Ireland at McKinsey & Company, the place she led the agency’s work on productiveness throughout the UK financial system.
Crosswell is managing director of consulting agency Exadin, in addition to chair for the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology. She holds a number of different non-executive directorships in companies similar to Freemarket and the Centre for Policy Studies. In 2021, she obtained an OBE for providers to the monetary providers sector.
Graham has been the CEO of not-for-profit the ScaleUp Institute since 2015, and has an OBE for providers to UK enterprise and financial system.
As effectively as being a visiting professor of entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University, Graham holds varied non-executive and advisory roles.
As CEO of Salesforce in the UK and Ireland, Bahrololoumi is chargeable for the workforce in these areas throughout all industries and capabilities, and is especially targeted on making certain its prospects are prepared for digital transformation.
She sits on a number of boards, together with for Seeing Is Believing Coventry Place, Movement to Work and Cancer Research UK Corporate Partnerships, and is an impartial non-executive director on the TSB board.
In 2023, she was awarded a CBE for providers to the info know-how sector.
Naming the know-how sector her “acquainted territory”, Gardner has an in depth background in the know-how sector, having held roles similar to first line assist at Fujitsu, senior provide chain administrator at Technicolor and venture supervisor at the BBC as a member of the BBC’s Design and Technology Business Management Unit HQ Team.
Now, she’s a enterprise operations analyst as a part of the know-how arm of News UK, and is a board trustee of meals and hygiene financial institution Necessities UK.
Cardell has been at the Competition and Markets Authority since 2013, first as basic counsel, then as interim CEO, and now as CEO.
Prior to her time at the Competition and Markets Authority, she was a authorized associate for the markets division of vitality markets authority Ofgem, and in her early profession spent 11 years at legislation agency Slaughter and May, working her method from trainee solicitor to associate.
Sinel based Teens in AI and Acorn Aspirations to assist younger individuals who need to resolve real-world issues utilizing know-how similar to AI, digital, augmented and combined actuality.
She has received awards for her work, together with CogX 2017 Award in Using AI for Social Good Projects, and is presently an training taskforce committee member for the All Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence, and a enterprise mentor at Microsoft for Startups.
Before engaged on Acorn Associates and Teens in AI, Sinel was a guide for a number of companies, together with the British Council, NGOs, Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Ethiopian Cultural Heritage Project.
