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Page 1 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
In this e-guide:
Each year Computer Weekly showcases 50 of the most
influential women in UK technology as part of its ongoing
mission to make industry role models more visible and
accessible. Alongside this list of women, Computer Weekly
runs an annual event, in partnership with Mortimer Spinks,
which aims to discuss diversity in the technology industry: why
is it important, how to work towards attracting diverse
candidates and how we can retain them.
This year’s event focused on the importance of inclusion in
attracting and retaining diverse talent. When people feel they
can be themselves at work they are more likely to stay, and the
company can benefit from their individuality to better reflect the
customers they are serving. In this e-guide we showcase some
of the industry role models who break the stereotypical IT mold,
and share opinions on what we can do to make the industry
more diverse and inclusive.
Clare McDonald, business editor
Page 2 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Computer Weekly announces the Most Influential Women in UK IT 2018
Clare McDonald, business editor
Computer Weekly has announced the Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2018,
and is showcasing 50 of the top women in the UK’s technology industry.
Computer Weekly’s annual list of the UK’s great women in tech, which is now in
its seventh year, was introduced in 2012 to create a visible list of role models in
the technology industry.
The list originally comprised 25 women, before being extended to include 50
women in 2015, and for the second year in a row, Computer Weekly published
the longlist of nominees to showcase how many influential women there are in
the technology industry.
This year, Amali de Alwis received the accolade of Most Influential Woman in
UK Tech 2018, due to her work as CEO of not-for-profit Code First: Girls, which
currently teaches more women in the UK to code than the UK’s university
system, as well as her efforts as part of the steering group of the Tech Talent
Charter.
Page 3 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
The 50 women on this list, as well as Computer Weekly’s 2018 Rising Stars,
Hall of Fame members and attendees of Computer Weekly and Mortimer
Spinks’ annual diversity event, serve as role models for others both in and
outside of the technology industry.
1. Amali de Alwis, CEO, Code First: Girls
This year’s winner, Amali de Alwis, is the CEO for coding education initiative
Code First: Girls, which teaches women of all backgrounds how to code. De
Alwis also acts as a CommonwealthFirst mentor for the Commonwealth
Enterprise and Investment Council, providing mentorship and encouragement to
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Working to align education, skills and employment, De Alwis is also on the
membership committee for working women’s club AllBright, and acts as a
mentor for many startups.
2. Sarah Wilkinson, CEO, NHS Digital
In 2017, Sarah Wilkinson was appointed the new CEO of NHS Digital. Prior to
this, Wilkinson was the chief technology officer (CTO) at the Home Office,
where she led many of the most critical IT systems supporting UK borders and
policing.
Previously, Wilkinson was managing director and head of corporate systems
technology at Credit Suisse for over two years, having previously worked at
Page 4 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
HSBC, UBS and Deutsche Bank in various senior IT roles. She also acts as a
non-executive director for both NatWest Markets and King’s College London.
3. Debbie Forster, CEO, Tech Talent Charter
Debbie Forster is CEO of government-backed initiative Tech Talent Charter
which aims to boost diversity and address gender imbalance in technology
roles. She is also director at consultancy Novel Design, and director for
international development at the National Consortium of Secondary Stem
Schools (NCSSS).
During her time as co-CEO at Apps for Good, Forster inspired hundreds of
students, teachers, industry experts and sponsors to engage with the
organisation. As well as scaling at an impressive rate under Forster’s
leadership, Apps for Good is working hard to tackle diversity in Stem education.
The course has achieved and maintained a gender balance of close to 50/50.
Over 50% of apps which have won at the organisation’s annual awards have
been developed by all-girl or mixed teams. Forster recently received an MBE for
digital innovation, and was named WISE woman of the year in 2016. She has
regularly featured in Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK IT list.
4. Elizabeth Denham, information commissioner, ICO
As information commissioner for the UK, Elizabeth Denham is responsible for
ensuring information rights are in the public interest and leads the office dealing
Page 5 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
with the Data Protection Act 2018 – the UK’s implementation of the EU’s
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Prior to becoming information commissioner, Denham was the information and
privacy commissioner for British Columbia, responsible for compliance with
public and private sector privacy legislation and access to information law.
5. Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO, Stemettes
Anne-Marie Imafidon founded volunteer organisation Stemettes to inspire the
next generation of women into science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (Stem) via a series of panel events, hackathons and through the
media. She is also a board member at Inspirational You, a fellow of the Royal
Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) and
a Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) digital skills
partnership board member.
She won the FDM Everywoman Rising Star of the Year award in 2014 and has
featured in Computer Weekly’s list of the Most Influential Women in UK IT after
being marked as a Rising Star in previous years. Prior to Stemettes, Imafidon
started her career in IT as a business analyst intern and web designer before
becoming an enterprise collaboration strategist at Deutsche Bank.
Page 6 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
6. Alice Bentinck, co-founder, Entrepreneur First
Alice Bentinck is the co-founder of Entrepreneur First, a firm focused on
supporting technology startups from around Europe. As part of the Entrepreneur
First initiative, Bentinck also co-founded Code First: Girls, an organisation which
provides part-time coding courses across university campuses.
Bentinck was on the advisory board of Founders4Schools for two years, and is
on the computer science department industrial liaison board for Imperial College
London.
7. Jeni Tennison, CEO, The Open Data Institute
Jeni Tennison is CEO of not-for-profit The Open Data Institute, and was
awarded an OBE for services to technology and open data in 2014. Previously,
Tennison was technical architect and lead developer for Legislation.gov.uk and
acts as executive director for Open Addresses UK.
Until 2015, Tennison was a member of the Open Data User Group, an
independent ministerial advisory group for the Cabinet Office.
8. Carrie Anne Philbin, director of education, Raspberry Pi Foundation
Named as one of Computer Weekly’s 2016 women in tech Rising Stars, Carrie
Anne Philbin leads strategy, continuing professional development (CPD)
programmes and learning resources at the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
Page 7 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Philbin has worked to advance technology education in schools, acting as a
board member for the Python Software Foundation and Computing At School
(CAS) and chair of CAS #include to make computer science education
accessible to all.
Philbin is also a YouTuber, writer and secondary computing and ICT teacher,
and creates a number of online resources for teenagers to help them get started
with Raspberry Pi technology. She has a YouTube series dedicated to making
role models within the IT industry more visible to teenage girls.
9. Anne Marie Neatham, COO, Ocado Technology
Anne Marie Neatham began her career as a software engineer in software and
retail firms around the world. After joining Ocado as a software engineer in
2001, Neatham worked to become the head of Ocado Technology in Poland in
2012 where she set up the firm’s Polish arm from scratch.
In 2014, Neatham became the chief operating officer of Ocado Technology,
where she looks after infrastructure and operations for the UK and
Poland. Neatham believes that to get young girls into technology careers
the encouragement needs to start early in the education system.
Page 8 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
10. Jacky Wright, chief digital and information officer, HM Revenue &
Customs
Jacky Wright joined HMRC in October 2017, where she leads the department’s
digital transformation programme – one of the biggest in the public sector in
Europe. Wright joined the department following several years at Microsoft,
where she served as corporate vice-president.
Previously, she was a CIO at BP for three years, and a CIO at GE for eight
years. She is also an advocate for women in technology.
11. Anne Boden, CEO, Starling Bank
As well as being the CEO of digital challenger bank Starling, Anne Boden is a
member of its board of directors and founded Starling in 2014 to build an
organisation focused on providing the best customer experience possible.
Prior to that, Boden was COO for Allied Irish Bank, and has also previously
headed up EMEA global transaction services for RBS.
12. Emma McGuigan, group technology officer, communications,
media and technology, Accenture
Emma McGuigan is the group technology officer responsible for
communications, media and technology for Accenture. Until March 2017,
McGuigan ran Accenture’s UK and Ireland technology business, which includes
Page 9 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
consulting and outsourcing for 70% of Accenture’s UK business. She joined
Accenture in 1994 after graduating with a master’s degree in electronics from
the University of Edinburgh.
McGuigan leads Accenture’s work with Stemettes, a charity dedicated to
increasing the number of women in Stem careers. In 2012, she was the
technology category winner of Women in the City’s Woman of Achievement
Awards and in 2013 was made a fellow of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT.
McGuigan is an advisory board member of Digital Leaders and is the treasurer
of the Orchid Project.
13. Sarah Luxford, director, Global Resourcing; co-founder, TLA
Women in Tech
Sarah Luxford is the co-lead of Tech London Advocates’ Women in Tech group
and was co-founder of Croydon Tech City, the second fastest-growing tech
cluster in the capital, in charge of developing new relationships with investors,
tech companies and potential stakeholders. She is now the director at
recruitment company Global Resourcing.
Previously, in her role of director at Nexec Leaders, Luxford worked with
founders, investors and business leaders to find the talent they need. Luxford
was noted as one of Computer Weekly’s 2015 Rising Stars.
Page 10 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
14. Tabitha Goldstaub, co-founder, CognitionX; chair of government’s
AI Council
Tabitha Goldstaub is an expert in the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) has
on society, and co-founder of CognitionX, a platform and network which helps to
build AI- and data-driven systems. She also sits on the marketing council for
Founders4Schools, advisor for The Prince’s Trust and is the co-founder of
Future Girl Corp, an organisation which runs free events for future female
CEOs.
Goldstaub was recently appointed as chair of the UK government’s AI Council.
15. June Angelides, founder, Mums in Technology
Previously chosen as a Computer Weekly women in UK technology Rising Star,
June Angelides is the founder and CEO of Mums in Technology, which partners
with industry to provide an immersive learning experience that encourages new
mothers to take their children to school with them while they learn to code.
She founded the company in 2015 when on maternity leave from Silicon Valley
Bank, where she held roles as an associate for accelerator growth and an
associate for entrepreneur banking.
Most recently, Angelides was appointed chair of the Future Skills Programme,
and is the founding ambassador for the FiftyFiftyPledge.
Page 11 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
16. Elizabeth Varley, co-founder and CEO, TechHub
TechHub is at the heart of the London Tech City movement to attract startups to
East London and boost investment and innovation in UK IT, with Elizabeth
Varley as its CEO. She has set up new TechHub operations in Bangalore,
Bucharest, Berlin and Riga, as well as other UK sites in Manchester and
Swansea.
Previously, Varley set up Online Content UK as an organisation for online
content professionals running an industry-focused community and regular
events.
She was one of the founding steering committee members of the DigitalEve
women in technology organisation in the UK. Varley also sits on the board for
the Digital City Exchange at Imperial College London and is a tech innovation
board member, data pitch programme for the Open Data Institute.
17. Sheila Flavell, COO, FDM Group
Sheila Flavell was appointed chief operating officer of IT service firm FDM
Group in 2008, and is an executive board director of the firm.
She played an integral role in the group’s flotation on AIM in 2005 and was a
key instigator of the management buy-out of the group in 2010 and the
subsequent float onto the main FTSE market in June 2014. Sheila spearheads
Page 12 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
FDM’s Global Women in Tech campaign and FDM’s Getting Back to Business
programme, aimed at providing opportunities for returners to work.
She sits on the main board of TechUK and the Women in Tech Council, and is
frequently called to advise government committees on various issues, especially
around the digital skills gap.
Flavell won Leader of the Year at the Everywoman in Technology Awards in
2017 and was recently recognised as one of the top 25 Most Influential Women
of the Mid-Market by CEO Connection.
18. Eileen Burbidge, chair, Tech Nation; partner, Passion Capital;
government special envoy for fintech
Eileen Burbidge is a partner at Passion Capital, the London-based venture
capital firm she established with Stefan Glaenzer and Robert Dighero. She
brings extensive operational experience to her investment activities gleaned
from business and product development roles at Yahoo, Skype, PalmSource,
Openwave, Sun and Apple.
She also serves as chair for Tech Nation and is the special envoy for fintech for
HM Treasury, as well as member of the prime minister’s business advisory
group.
Page 13 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
19. Sarah Burnett, executive vice-president, Everest Group; chair, BCS
Women
In summer 2018, Burnett was promoted to executive vice-president of Everest
Group, and was shortlisted for AI Leader of the Year by Information Age.
Prior to this, Burnett was an analyst in information technology services and
business process outsourcing (BPO). Burnett used her skills to lead the Everest
Group on global service delivery automation research and European practice
across its global services research areas.
Prior to working for Everest Group, Burnett was vice-president of research at
Nelson Hall, covering areas such as infrastructure ITO, cloud and government
BPO. Burnett is now the chair of BCSWomen and in 2017 launched the
BCSWomen AI Accelerator.
20. Nicola Mendelsohn, managing director, Facebook Europe
Nicola Mendelsohn has been vice-president of Europe, Middle East and Africa
operations at Facebook since 2013. She is responsible for growing Facebook’s
advertising revenue and improving relationships with brands across the region.
She has served as the president of the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
(IPA) and Women in Advertising and Communications London (WACL). She
was executive chairman and partner of Karmarama advertising agency for five
years. She is chair of the corporate board of Women’s Aid.
Page 14 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Mendelsohn is currently director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, industry chair
of the Creative Industries Council, non-executive director of consumer goods
firm Diageo and co-president of charity Norwood.
21. Margot James, digital minister, Department for Digital, Culture,
Media & Sport
Margot James became the digital minister in early 2018 after a government
reshuffle, covering issues such as broadband, telecoms, broadcasting, creative
industries, cyber security, tech startups and the tech industry.
Prior to her role as digital minister, James was minister for small business,
consumers and corporate responsibility at the Department for Business, Energy
and Industrial Strategy.
22. Max Benson and Karen Gill, co-founders, Modern Muse
Maxine Benson and Karen Gill are co-founders of the Modern Muse charity,
which aims to promote careers in science, technology, engineering and maths
(Stem) by making role models more accessible.
Gill and Benson also run the membership organisation Everywoman, which
regularly runs events and awards for women in the technology sector to further
promote the need for diversity and showcase role models in the sector.
Page 15 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
23. Sophie Deen, CEO, Bright Little Labs
Sophie Deen is a former lawyer, and is the CEO of social enterprise Bright Little
Labs, a children’s education company that makes educationally valuable,
gender-neutral and ethically sourced toys and materials.
Bright Little Labs is the creator of Detective Dot, who is a developer by day and
a detective by night, and the heroine of the organisation’s stories. Everyday
objects come to life around Dot and she can’t remember where they are from,
so Dot helps them to discover their roots. Bright Little Labs recently announced
a funding partnership with Turner International.
24. Rioch Edwards-Brown, founder, So You Wanna Be In Tech?
Entrepreneur and founder of So You Wanna Be On TV?, Rioch Edwards-
Brown, is an advocate for diversity and has extensive media experience.
She began So You Wanna Be On TV? as a community outreach programme
after her son was shot and stabbed at school, and uses the platform to tackle
the lack of diversity and social mobility in TV by providing free employability
skills through partnerships between TV, brands, corporates and the community.
Based on her already successful model, she launched So You Wanna Be In
Tech? in 2016.
Page 16 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
25. Emma and Charlotte Robertson, co-founders, Digital Awareness UK
Previous Computer Weekly Rising Stars in women in tech, co-founders of
Digital Awareness UK Emma and Charlotte Robertson are social media
enthusiasts who help schools, teachers and young people understand how to
be safe on the internet.
The sisters offer student workshops, CPD for teachers, parent events and
ambassador programmes to combat issues such as cyber bullying, sexting and
technology addiction.
26. Helen Milner, chief executive, Good Things Foundation
Helen Milner is founder and CEO of the Good Things Foundation (formerly the
Tinder Foundation), a not-for-profit, staff-owned social enterprise that aims to
help the 11 million people on the wrong side of the UK’s digital divide to become
confident with digital and online technologies.
The Good Things Foundation won a government contract in 2014 to support its
digital inclusion strategy. Until May 2017, Milner was also a specialist
government advisor of digital engagement for the Public Accounts Committee.
27. Janet Coyle, director trade and growth, London & Partners
Janet Coyle holds several roles, including leading the export and growth
strategy for London & Partners, leading the annual summit for Silicon Valley
Page 17 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
comes to the UK, and acting as co-chair for the Tech London Advocates Scale
Up Group.
She is also an advisor for charity Founders4Schools and is working on a
programme for the Mayor of London to change how the capital’s high-growth
companies can conduct business overseas.
28. Priya Guha, ecosystem general manager UK, RocketSpace
Guha is the ecosystem general manager for the London campus of Silicon
Valley-born co-working space RocketSpace. Guha also acts as an advisor for
Tech London Advocates and Merian Venture, as well as a non-executive
director for InnovateUK and an ambassador for London Tech Week 2018.
29. Bethany Koby, CEO and co-founder, Technology Will Save Us
Entrepreneur Koby founded Technology Will Save Us to educate people about
the technology that is now becoming an essential part of our lives. The
organisation, of which Koby is CEO, encourages people to make, experiment
and be creative with technology.
She is also a founding faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and
prior to her current work was the social impact director for brand consultancy
Wolff Olins.
Page 18 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
30. Juliet Bauer, chief digital officer, NHS England
Bauer is the chief digital officer for NHS England, and is overseeing the
transformation of the NHS Choices website, and development and delivery of
technology that can be used by patients and carers to manage chronic
conditions such as diabetes and asthma.
She is also the patient governor for the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS
Foundation Trust, and is a founding member for networking group 10 Digital
Ladies. Bauer has led delivery of similar technology programmes in many
sectors, including leading the move to take Times Newspapers online.
31. Debbie Wosskow, co-founder, AllBright; former CEO, Love Home
Swap
Debbie Wosskow is the chairman and co-founder of AllBright, a platform
designed to help support and fund female entrepreneurs in the UK. Wosskow is
also the co-founder of digital platform Lifestyler.me and former CEO of home-
exchange platform Love Home Swap.
Until March 2017, Wosskow acted as chairman for Sharing Economy UK, the
trade body which represents the UK’s sharing economy businesses.
Page 19 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
32. Naomi Timperley, chair, Capital Pilot; co-founder, Tech North
Advocates
One of Computer Weekly’s 2017 women in technology Rising Stars, Naomi
Timperley is a freelance consultant and a director for Tech North Advocates, a
private sector-led collection of tech experts who champion the technology sector
in the North of England.
She is also an honorary industry fellow at the University of Salford Business
School, a board member for FutureEverything and the chair of Capital Pilot.
33. Claire Cockerton, former CEO, Plexal
Claire Cockerton is a serial entrepreneur and an industry leader in financial
services. Cockerton was the founding CEO and ambassador of Innovate
Finance, a City of London and Canary Wharf Group-backed group promoting
fintech startups. She co-founded Entiq, a firm delivering innovation strategy and
product development programmes for large corporates.
Cockerton also set the strategy and co-led the implementation of Level39,
Europe’s largest technology accelerator dedicated to fintech, retail and smart
cities technologies. After successfully launching the 68,000ft2 Plexal innovation
hub at Here East in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Cockerton exited as its
CEO in 2018 to pursue more projects with the aim of supporting women leaders
in technology.
Page 20 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
34. Marija Butkovic, founder and CEO, Women of Wearables
Marija Butkovic is CEO of Women of Wearables, an organisation that tries to
connect women in the wearable tech, fashion tech, internet of things (IoT),
virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) fields. She is a digital marketing,
technology and business consultant, as well as a serial entrepreneur and an
advisory board member for the Independent Fashion Advisory Board (IFAB).
35. Sharon Moore, industry technical leader for travel and
transportation, IBM UK
Sharon Moore is the technical leader for the travel and transportation industry at
IBM UK, focusing on designing technical solutions for IBM’s clients in the travel
and transportation industry, incorporating engagement, IoT and analytics
technologies, as well as building IBM’s technical community in this space.
Moore is also a board member for the Innovation Centre for Sensor and
Imaging Systems (CENSIS) and deputy chair of BCSWomen.
36. Abigail Rappaport, CEO, Emoquo
Abigail Rappaport is CEO of digital coaching service Emoquo, which aims to
give people advice and coaching surrounding a number of everyday work
issues such as conflict, diversity and performance.
As well as being an advocate for positive mental health in the workplace,
Rappaport has held a number of roles in the technology industry, such as digital
Page 21 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
transformation and customer experience consultant, and senior director of
Microsoft Office, UK, for Microsoft. She also acts as an advisor for The
Telegraph.
37. Emma Cerrone, fellow, Forward Institute
Emma Cerrone is a fellow at Forward Institute, which aims to build and support
a movement for responsible leadership within and across organisations.
She also co-founded Freeformers, a firm that works with organisations as a
“digital growth partner” providing firms with software, training and consultancy
services to make sure they are fit for the needs of the future workforce.
38. Kathryn Parsons, founder and co-CEO, Decoded
Kathryn Parsons is co-founder and co-CEO of Decoded, which teaches people
to code in a day. Having launched this entirely self-funded business in 2011,
she is now overseeing its international expansion and launching new products.
Over 50% of Decoded staff are female.
39. Sarah Turner, founder and CEO, Angel Academe
Sarah Turner founded Angel Academe, a pro-women and pro-diversity angel
investment group focused on technology. Turner is currently CEO of the group,
and is also an external board member and chair of the investment committee for
venture capital fund the Low Carbon Innovation Fund.
Page 22 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Turner is also a board member of the trade association for early-stage
investment, the UK Business Angels Association, and is the co-founder and
director of consultancy Turner Hopkins which helps businesses create digital
strategy.
40. Kim Nilsson, co-founder and CEO, Pivigo
Kim Nilsson is passionate about how data affects people’s lives, the impact
people can have when given the right skills, and how connections can change
the world – all of which she combines in her role as CEO of Pivigo.
The data science market connects data scientists with companies that want to
outsource their data science and AI needs. Previously, she acted as chair for
the big data and skills working group at TechUK.
41. Emily Forbes, founder, Seenit
Forbes founded Seenit in 2013, a platform that helps brands and organisations
co-create videos with external people such as employees, fans or journalists. In
2017, Forbes was chosen as one of Computer Weekly’s Rising Stars in the
women in tech scene, and prior to founding Seenit was the co-founder of online
video content distribution platform Koburn.
Page 23 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
42. Sharon White, CEO, Ofcom
Sharon White took over as chief executive of telecoms regulator Ofcom in
March 2015 after spending two years as the second permanent secretary at HM
Treasury – the first black person, and the second woman, to hold the position.
Prior to working with the Treasury, White had board-level positions at the
Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, and was
a civil service adviser at the prime minister’s policy unit.
43. Christina Scott, chief technology officer, News UK; deputy CTO,
News Corp
Christina Scott was appointed the chief technology officer for News UK at the
beginning of 2016 to assist with its digital initiatives, and is also the deputy CTO
for parent company News Corp.
Prior to 2016, Scott was the CIO for the Financial Times for over three years,
where she was responsible for technology across the FT Group, leading a 400+
global team responsible for building and operating the infrastructure, business
applications, data and consumer products across multiple platforms.
Scott has over 20 years’ experience across the media, IT and engineering
industries – before joining the FT, she worked for the BBC, BT Vision, News
International and ITV Digital, and as a consultant at Accenture.
Page 24 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
44. Neeta Patel, CEO, New Entrepreneurs Foundation
Patel heads up the New Entrepreneurs Foundation, an entrepreneur
development programme to help develop the UK’s next generation of leaders
through a one-year programme that combines access to networks, work
experience and training workshops.
She is also CEO of the Centre for Entrepreneurs, which became part of the New
Entrepreneurs Foundation in 2017 and is a think tank for entrepreneurship. She
also acts as an advisor for Tech London Advocates, and is an entrepreneur-
mentor in residence at the London Business School.
45. Joanne Hannaford, head of EMEA technology and global head of
quality assurance engineering, Goldman Sachs
With a strong background in computer science, including a BTEC HND in
computer science from Anglia Ruskin, a BSC in computer science from
Staffordshire University and a PhD in computer science from University College
London, Joanne Hannaford now uses her experience as part of her role as
Europe, Middle East and Africa (Emea) head of technology and global head of
quality assurance engineering for Goldman Sachs.
Hannaford has held a number of technology roles since starting at Goldman
Sachs in 1997, and prior to that was executive director of global volume trading
systems at NatWest Markets.
Page 25 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
46. Kerensa Jennings, director iDEA, Duke of York’s Office,
Buckingham Palace
Kerensa Jennings is the director at the Office of the Duke of York, responsible
for strategy and delivery of iDEA CIC, the inspiring digital enterprise award.
Prior to this, Jennings spent 15 years with the BBC working in a variety of roles,
including programme editor for BBC’s Breakfast with Frost and executive editor
for BBC News.
Jennings spent two-and-a-half years as programme executive for the BBC
Academy, helping develop a leadership programme for senior creative leaders
throughout the BBC. Jennings has also held roles at major broadcast
organisations ITN and Sky.
47. Magdalena Krön, head of Rise London and vice-president open
innovation, Barclays; co-founder, Geek Girl Meetup UK
As head of Rise London and vice-president of open innovation at Barclays,
Magdalena Krön is responsible for connecting London startups with Barclays to
encourage growth in the ecosystem.
Krön also co-founded Geek Girl Meetup in the UK, a network for women and
girls interested in technology and design startups. Prior to her work at Barclays,
Krön helped more than 300 startups with early stage business strategy as head
of operations and investment manager at Capital List and the London Co-
Investment fund.
Page 26 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
48. Tamara Rajah, founder, Live Better With
Tamara Rajah is founder of venture capital-backed firm Live Better With, which
works to develop information, products and communities for people with long-
term health conditions.
Alongside this, she acts as chair for Dot London, a non-executive director and
board member of London & Partners, and a non-executive director and board
member of the Scale-Up Institute.
49. Clare Sutcliffe, co-founder, Code Club
Until early 2018, Clare Sutcliffe was executive director of communities and
outreach for Raspberry Pi Foundation, alongside leading Code Club.
Sutcliffe has brought computing to primary schools without dumbing it down,
negotiating to bring major stakeholders such as ARM and Google on board, as
well as harnessing the energy of individual volunteers through an open and
social approach. Code Club is a nationwide network of free, volunteer-led, after-
school coding clubs for children aged nine to 11.
In 2014, the organisation went global, with the aim of having coding
communities in 50% of the world’s countries by the end of 2018. In 2015,
Sutcliffe was awarded an MBE for her services to technology.
Page 27 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
50. Charlotte Finn, vice-president global strategic relations,
Salesforce.org
Charlotte Finn is the vice-president of global strategic relations for
Salesforce.org in Emea, and also works on sales strategy for corporate
philanthropy programme the Salesforce Foundation.
Finn is an advocate of mentorship, and used her position in the Salesforce
Foundation to offer the 2015 Computer Weekly Rising Stars mentorship and
advice to help the advancement of women and diversity in the IT industry.
Prior to working at Salesforce, Finn held positions in business operations at
VMware and head of global service centre for international wholesale at Verizon
Business. Finn holds an MSc in corporate governance and studied business at
Anglia Ruskin University.
Next Article
Page 28 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides of same coin’, says 2018 Most Influential Woman in IT, Amali de Alwis
Clare McDonald, business editor
Code First: Girls started as a not-for-profit organisation that offered female
graduates part-time coding courses to give them a better understanding of the
modern working world.
Its CEO, Amali de Alwis, was hired to run the social enterprise when it was
made into a company, and Code First: Girls now teaches more women in the
UK to code than the UK’s university system.
After four years at the firm, de Alwis says she is most excited about the impact
the role has helped her to make on people’s lives.
“When the opportunity came up to run Code First: Girls, to me it seemed like
such a perfect fit, an amazing opportunity,” she says, adding that the
programme is “truly impactful and genuinely changes people’s lives”.
Page 29 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
De Alwis has found her career in technology “fulfilling”, having spent time as a
quantitative researcher at TNS and then working in research and thought
leadership at PwC, and wants to help others feel the same about their careers.
But before entering the world of tech, de Alwis studied for two degrees – the first
in manufacturing and engineering and the second in shoe design.
It was during the second of those that she realised she had “done the same
degree twice”.
“Whether you’re manufacturing shoes or aeroplane propellers, you’re going
through the same process,” she says.
Drawing on this experience later in her career, de Alwis realised that through
Code First: Girls, it is more “impactful” to get people excited about technology
concepts than to just teach people a skill.
“Even if I could teach someone everything they needed to know today, it would
be out of date tomorrow,” she says.
De Alwis also emphasises the importance of creativity in technology and the
necessity for life-long learning in the modern tech-driven world.
“Creativity and tech are practically the same thing,” she says. “They are two
sides of the same coin – you can’t really pull them apart.”
Page 30 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
This includes skills such as creative thinking, problem solving and
communication, which are becoming increasingly important as automation takes
over some of the more mundane jobs in the industry.
But there are many stereotypes surrounding the tech industry that make people
overlook what is required for technology roles, and de Alwis says it is a
misconception that men or women are more or less suited to roles that require
more creative skills.
“Those kinds of skills, whether you’re male or female, that’s for all of us,” she
says. “This idea that women are more creative than men – I think you’re doing
men a disservice.”
“It’s never too early to start mentoring someone – there will be someone out there who
can benefit from your experience”
Amali de Alwis
But on the flipside, she adds, you are also doing women a disservice by saying
that men are better in roles such as software engineering because of the
difference in skillsets.
Although de Alwis had an “inkling” during her manufacturing and engineering
degree that the tech industry was male-dominated, she found it “bonkers” that
the fashion industry should be so female-dominated when those two industries
“have so much in common”. This led her to conclude that women “still have the
Page 31 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
skills and mindset to do [tech] jobs – they’re just applying this mindset to other
industries”.
She adds: “Actually, you really need to be creative, you need to be a good
problem-solver, to be in tech.”
But there is an under-representation of the need for these skills in the
technology industry, and because of misconceptions surrounding the type of
people who take up tech roles and the skills needed for tech roles, some people
tend to get excluded from the industry.
De Alwis says that because of the “opaque” nature of the industry, including
what roles are available and the skills needed for them, people also give up on
science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) early and miss out on
opportunities in the sector.
Ways to encourage more women into the tech industry include ensuring there
are visible role models and mentoring younger people, says de Alwis, who has
been mentoring others at all stages of her career.
Although this can be helpful at every stage of the career pipeline, de Alwis says
young people should be encouraged to consider technology roles. She urges
the industry to “roll your sleeves up and get involved” with organisations that
encourage industry members to mentor young people and act as role models.
Page 32 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
“It’s never too early to start mentoring someone – there will be someone out
there who can benefit from your experience,” she says.
Parents and teachers, and other people in positions of influence, such as scout
leaders, can also play an important part in encouraging young people to
consider particular careers, she says. They should do what they can to “share
some of those experiences with those young people” regardless of whether they
are part of the sector or not, she adds.
This could simply be something like taking children to the Science Museum, or
asking organisations such as Founders4Schools to bring role models into the
classroom, says de Alwis.
“There is real power in exposing kids to what these things are,” she says. “It’s
never too late to learn, either. We really need to start looking at proper lifelong
learning. It’s never too late to understand more about tech.”
De Alwis tells the story of an intern she worked with who was teaching her 82-
year-old grandmother how to code. Basic digital skills are becoming increasingly
important for even the most basic of everyday tasks, so those who don’t
understand tech don’t understand the world they live in, and this can be
“disconcerting”, she says.
A large number of adults in the UK don’t have the digital skills to perform tasks
such as applying for jobs, says de Alwis, and if you don’t have these skills, “you
Page 33 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
are automatically discounting yourself from all of these other opportunities out
there”.
She adds: “Tech is wonderful and amazing. It’s also easy to take for granted for
those of us who are comfortable with IT.”
“The tech to date has been very selective and it serves some of us, but not all of us”
Amali de Alwis
But along with the knowledge of technology comes the responsibility to support
those who are currently excluded, she says. The industry is growing rapidly, and
those in the sector are making technology advancements that are “building the
foundation for the future”.
“This is the industrial age,” says de Alwis. “There is a point of discussion around
this being a time where we’ve gone from a ‘no computer’ childhood, to go from
that to being a society where the vast majority carry around super com in our
pocket every day. That’s an extraordinary change in the space of a generation.”
The government has tried to adapt to the pace of technology adoption,
implementing a new computing curriculum to try to ensure the UK has the digital
skills it needs, but the government is slow to change, and some are being left
behind.
Page 34 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
“The cycle of innovation and iteration has to feed into culture and has to be
reflective of the culture it supports,” says de Alwis.
“The tech to date has been very selective and it serves some of us, but not all of
us. We need to make sure that the people who are building products are
reflective of the people who are using them as well. We need to do better than
we are at the moment because, at the minute, it isn’t reflective of the people
who are using our products and services.”
Ensuring diverse technology teams and increasing the amount of diversity in the
tech industry is one of the ways to ensure the sector is more reflective of the
people it serves, she says.
But although the pace of change in the industry is slow, de Alwis is
optimistic.“It’s very easy to feel pessimistic sometimes,” she says. “I personally
think things are getting better.
“There’s lots to do, but there’s lots being done as well.”
Next Article
Page 35 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Most Influential Women in UK IT 2018: Rising Stars
Clare McDonald, business editor
Computer Weekly has revealed the five Rising Stars for 2018 as part of its list of
the Most Influential Women in UK technology.
Each year, the judges who help Computer Weekly decide the winner and order
of the list of the 50 top women in UK tech also choose five women who are
working to make their mark on the sector.
The five Rising Stars for 2018 were selected because their growing influence in
the industry is likely to make them candidates for the 50 Most Influential Women
in UK IT list in the future.
Computer Weekly hopes that by shining a light on these women, it can add to
the number of visible role models in the technology industry, in turn helping to
encourage other women into the sector.
Page 36 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
The Rising Stars category was added to the Most Influential Women in UK IT in
2014 to increase the number of women honoured for their contribution to the
tech sector.
The 2018 Rising Stars are:
Emily Brooke, founder and CEO, Beryl
Emily Brooke launched Beryl, formerly Blaze, in 2012 with the Blaze Laserlight,
which is now used on every Santander Cycles bike in London. Brooke originally
launched Beryl to encourage more people in cities to use bicycles and “build a
better world”. Funded by Kickstarter, the Blaze Laserlight is now sold in more
than 65 countries and has been trialled by New York Citi Bikes.
In 2017, Brooke won the Everywoman Woman of the Year Award.
Melinda Nicci, founder and CEO, Baby2Body
In 2015, Melinda Nicci founded Baby2Body, an application driven by artificial
intelligence (AI) which helps pregnant women to be as healthy as possible
throughout their pregnancy.
After taking part in the 500 Start Ups Programme in Silicon Valley in August
2016, the app now has almost one million users and is part of the Wayra and
Velocity Health Accelerator.
Page 37 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Rav Bumbra, founder, Structur3dpeople
Rav Bumbra founded Structur3dpeople in 2015 to help organisations to recruit a
more diverse workforce for technology, digital and leadership roles.
As well as helping firms set up diversity strategies, retention programmes and
career development programmes for women, the firm also runs mentoring
programmes for women who are considering a career in tech.
Suki Fuller, founder, Miribure
Suki Fuller founded Miribure in 2015. The company uses data gathering and
analytics to promote strategic decision-making in firms.
She is also a founding ambassador of the FiftyFiftyPledge and is co-founder
and CEO of incubator and accelerator Salaam Ventures, which focuses on
assisting ethical startups.
Kriti Sharma, vice-president for AI, Sage
Kriti Sharma has been vice-president for AI at Sage for two years, during which
time she founded Messaging Bots London, a community of chatbot developers.
Named one of the Forbes 30 under 30 in 2017, Sharma is a fellow of the Royal
Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
Page 38 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Before joining Sage, Sharma was vice-president, head of product, real-time big
data analytics at Barclays.
Hall of Fame
As well as supporting up-and-coming women in the tech industry, each year
Computer Weekly also announces new members to the Hall of Fame – women
who have dedicated years to the technology industry.
Next Article
Page 39 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Most Influential Women in UK IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall of Fame
Clare McDonald, business editor
Computer Weekly is pleased to announce the 2018 additions to its Most
Influential Women in UK IT Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame was introduced in 2015 to showcase the lifetime efforts and
achievements of some of the women who have been nominated for Computer
Weekly’s annual list of the most influential women in the UK technology sector.
As well as shine a light on the women who appear in the most influential list
every year, the Hall of Fame aims to honour the commitment of these women to
encouraging more diverse candidates into the tech industry.
The Hall of Fame offers the judges the opportunity to introduce entrants to the
top 50 list as emerging role models. Previous winners of the Most Influential
Women in UK IT list also earn a place in the Hall of Fame.
We are proud to recognise the lifelong achievements of the four additions to the
Hall of Fame:
Page 40 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Chi Onwurah, shadow industrial strategy minister, Labour MP for
Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Chinyelu Onwurah is shadow minister for industrial strategy, science and
innovation, who led Labour’s pre-2015 election review of digital government
policy. She was first elected at the 2010 general election as member of
Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central.
A chartered engineer and former head of telecoms technology at UK telecoms
regulator Ofcom, Onwurah is co-chair of the Parliamentary ICT Forum (Pictfor)
and former board member of the Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology (Post). She is an advocate for digital skills and digital enablement.
Hannah Dee, senior lecturer at Aberystwyth University and founder of the
BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium
Hannah Dee set up the BCSWomen Lovelace Colloquium, the UK’s main
conference for female undergraduates, in 2008, and ran it for the first 10 years.
She's now deputy chair of the Colloquium, which welcomed over 200 attendees
in Sheffield in 2018. She was also instrumental in BCSWomen's "Appathon"
world record attempt, writing the materials and training the trainers so that over
1000 people in over 30 locations learned how to build Android apps at the same
time, with every session led by a woman trainer. In 2018 she helped run the first
Women in Tech Cymru summer conference, managing the local organisation
and tech stream.
Page 41 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
She now works at Aberystwyth University as a senior lecturer, teaching
computer vision and databases, and researching in computer vision. As well as
being an active researcher, she has five teaching awards and is a senior fellow
of the Higher Education Academy. Hannah also works hard to enthuse younger
people about computing, particularly as a creative subject, helping to run the
award-winning Aberystwyth Robotics Club, working with local schools through
the Playful Coding initiative, and contributing to sessions for women students
from local secondary schools.
She has been on the committee of BCSWomen for more than a decade,
and is deputy chair of BCS Mid Wales.
Sarah Wood, co-founder and CEO, Unruly Media
Wood is the co-founder and CEO of data-centric media promotion company
Unruly Media, which was acquired by News Corp in 2015. Unruly uses
emotional audience data and user-friendly video formats to massively increase
viewer engagement, brand performance and publisher revenues across the
web.
Previously a lecturer in American studies at the University of Sussex, Wood is
now an associate lecturer and course convenor for the University of Cambridge,
focusing on devising and delivering the Creation, Consumption, Revolution:
Online Video Culture module as part of the Screen Cultures MPhil course.
Page 42 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Sherry Coutu, angel investor, founder of ScaleUp Institute, founder of
Founders4Schools
The 2017 winner of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Woman in UK IT
Award, Sherry Coutu is one of Britain’s most successful angel investors,
working and investing with entrepreneurs to use digital to develop marketplaces
as well as working with students and teachers in education technology.
She advises and serves on the boards of companies, charities and institutions
such as the London Stock Exchange, Cambridge University, Raspberry Pi and
Zoopla.
As an angel investor, she has made direct angel investments in more than 50
companies and holds investments in three venture capital firms. She founded
and chairs the not-for-profit Founders4schools.org.uk, and co-founded Silicon
Valley Comes to the UK.
Coutu told Computer Weekly that providing people with accessible and visible
role models is the best way of addressing the diversity imbalance across the
technology industry, something she tries to achieve through Founders4schools.
Existing members of the Hall of Fame
The previous entrants into the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK
IT Hall of Fame are:
Page 43 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Gillian Arnold
Previous chair of BCSWomen, the specialist group in the BCS that supports
women in the IT industry, Gillian Arnold has been in the tech sector for more
than 30 years.
Now a non-executive director of the BCS, Arnold has spent time as chair of the
European Women in IT taskforce aimed at developing best practices and
Europe-wide activities to increase the number of women in the tech industry.
Before beginning her consultancy business Tectre in 2010, Arnold spent 22
years at IBM. In her career, she has undertaken customer-facing, technical,
sales, business development, strategic marketing and consultancy roles.
During her time in the industry, she has managed and established teams for
new products, and built teams with cross-industry and cross-platform
experience across Europe and the UK.
As well as having chaired a forum for IT trade body Intellect (now TechUK),
Arnold is a board member at Wise, which supports women in science,
technology, engineering and maths (Stem).
Her continual efforts to increase diversity in the technology industry have led to
her winning several awards, including the Everywoman in tech Inspiration of the
Year award 2012.
Page 44 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Arnold has been a regular on Computer Weekly’s list of the Most Influential
Women in UK IT for the past five years.
Maggie Philbin
The 2016 winner of Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Woman in UK IT award,
Maggie Philbin has worked in radio and television for more than 30 years on a
wide range of science, medical and technology programmes.
She is co-founder and CEO of TeenTech, an award-winning organisation
helping young people, their parents and teachers to understand more about the
real opportunities in science and technology.
Reporting on science and technology for the BBC’s Bang goes the theory,
providing analysis and comment on technology for BBC WebWise and a regular
reporter on BBC 1’s Inside out, Philbin has a unique resonance with audiences,
having grown up with them on much-loved shows such as Swap
shop and Tomorrow’s world.
Philbin is a strong believer in focusing on encouraging diversity in tech rather
than just gender, and began the TeenTech Awards to encourage children from
all backgrounds to consider Stem careers.
Page 45 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Jacqueline De Rojas
Until March 2016, Jacqueline De Rojas spent a year as the UK and Ireland
managing director of Sage before becoming a business mentor at Bird & Co.
In 2015, De Rojas, president of TechUK and former area vice-president of
Citrix, was voted as the most influential woman in UK IT after appearing on the
list in 2014 and 2013.
De Rojas was chosen in 2015 due to her constant work promoting women in IT.
She said she was “surprised” to have won, and promised to use the title as a
platform to encourage other women to enter the tech sector.
De Rojas went from deputy president to president of industry body TechUK in
2015, where she acts as a champion for women in the IT industry.
She has a long history of working for software companies, including roles as
vice-president and UK and Ireland general manager for CA Technologies, vice-
president of UK and Ireland for McAfee, and executive consultant for Novell.
Held up as a leader and influencer, De Rojas has led many transformation
projects among the teams she has worked in. She promotes women in the IT
industry by acting in roles such as non-executive director for the Home Retail
Group, advisor to the board of Digital Leaders, and is an Everywoman Club
member.
Page 46 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
De Rojas has also appeared in Computer Weekly’s UKTech50 list of the Most
Influential People in UK IT.
Joanna Shields
Joanna Shields appeared on the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in
UK IT list every year since its launch, and won the title in 2013.
In May 2015, Shields was appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state at
the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) due to her background
advising startups and promoting digital adoption, and until early 2018 acted as
the UK minister for internet safety and security.
From December 2016, Shields acted as the prime minister’s special
representative on internet crime and harms to drive a more international
approach to internet safety and security.
Formerly the CEO of accelerator programme Tech City, Shields founded not-
for-profit WeProtect.org in 2013 to wipe out online child abuse and exploitation.
She is currently the Group CEO of artificial intelligence company BenevolentAI,
and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Formerly European chief of Facebook, Shields has worked in several roles as
an advisor on digital. She believes the UK must properly address digital
transformation if it is to stay as a leader in digital development.
Page 47 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Jane Moran
Jane Moran, global CIO at Unilever, was the first winner of the Computer
Weekly Most Influential Woman in UK IT list when it was launched in 2012.
At the time, Moran was the CIO for Thomson Reuters, where she actively
participated in the Thomson Reuters Women’s Network, Women in Technology
International and the National Center for Women in Technology.
Alongside her duties as CIO of Unilever, Moran participates in the Anita Borg
Institute and Brown University’s Advisory Committee for Computer Science and
IT.
Moran also sits on the CIO council for Salesforce.com, Workday and SAP, is a
non-executive director for J.P Morgan Securities and Institutional Cash
Distributors, actively participating in the IT community, and is an advocate for
leadership skills and ensuring more women consider a technology career.
In 2014, Moran placed first on the annual Computer Weekly UKTech50 list, a
showcase of the top movers and shakers in the UK IT industry.
Martha Lane Fox
Co-founder of Lastminute.com, serial entrepreneur Martha Lane Fox continues
to promote the cause of women and diversity in the IT industry.
Page 48 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Lane Fox also works for digital skills parity and believes more should be done
to ensure the 12 million adults who cannot use the internet can achieve even
the most basic tasks involved in a digital future.
She intends for her Doteveryone project – which she launched during her
speech at the 2015 Dimbleby Lecture – to act as a platform to fuel the
discussion around startups, governments, gender and skills.
A firm believer that the internet should be used as an enabler for change, Lane
Fox has used her position as chancellor for the Open University, a member of
the board of advisors for the Government Digital Service (GDS), and
crossbench peer in the House of Lords, to speak out about the need for
diversity and digital enablement.
Lane Fox, who is now a director at Twitter, joined the firm’s board in 2016 and
was also appointed a distinguished fellow by the BCS, The Chartered Institute
for IT alongside Wendy Hall.
Stephanie Shirley
Stephanie “Steve” Shirley took it upon herself to challenge the male-focused
world of business in the 1960s, when she began signing her name as Steve to
overcome male preconceptions of women when starting her software
development firm FI Group.
Page 49 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Shirley paved the way for flexible working after offering flexibility and job sharing
for her female IT professionals in the 1960s, and started her business with a
cohort of 300 programmers, only three of which were male.
Shirley told Computer Weekly that entrepreneurs do not necessarily do well
straight away, but instead learn from their mistakes. She now takes a wider
focus on diversity in the IT industry, focusing on those with disabilities, as well
as gender and age diversity in the sector.
Sue Black
Sue Black hit the ground running in 2016, as her book Saving Bletchley
Park reached the shelves. The book details not only her campaign to stop the
historic Bletchley Park from falling into disrepair, but also acts as a guide on
how to fully utilise social media.
In 2015, Black was awarded an OBE for her services to technology, and is an
outspoken advocate for ensuring more women and girls take an interest in
technology.
Black currently acts at the founder and chief evangelist of the TechMums
initiative, which aims to encourage more children into technology by ensuring
mothers gain confidence and skills in using IT.
Black also acts as a mentor for startups at Google Campus for Mums, and is
part of the Foreign Secretary’s Advisory Group on Freedom of Expression.
Page 50 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Acting as an advisor for GDS, and as honorary professor in computer science
for University College London, Black uses her knowledge of technology and
digital to assist organisations where needed.
Black is outspoken about the need for more people, especially women, to show
an interest in technology and is a frequent writer and public speaker on the
subject.
Wendy Hall
Wendy Hall was initially added to the Hall of Fame due to her lifelong
commitment to promoting the women in technology agenda. Hall topped the
Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK IT list in 2014, after
encouraging women into the IT industry for more than 30 years.
As a professor of computer science at the University of Southampton, Hall was
the first female professor of engineering at the university after being appointed
in 1994.
Having cowritten the paper Where have all the girls gone? at Southampton
University in 1987, Hall has always been an advocate for women in IT. She
went on to launch the Institute of Web Science, a major research initiative to
understand the effect the web has on society, culture and the economy.
Hall was invited to join the Global Commission on Internet Governance in 2014
to determine how to ensure the internet stays free and open to everyone.
Page 51 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
She has appeared repeatedly on the Computer Weekly list of the Most
Influential Women in UK IT, and featured regularly on the Computer Weekly
UKTech50 list of the Most Influential People in UK IT.
In early 2016, Hall was made a distinguished fellow by the BCS, The Chartered
Institute for IT, and took up a three-month residency at the John W. Kluge
Center at the US Library of Congress as the Kluge Chair in Technology and
Society.
Selecting the most influential women in IT
This year, Computer Weekly is working in partnership with Mortimer Spinks to
deliver an event focused on diversity in tech where attendees will discuss how
building an inclusive environment in the workplace can help to promote diversity
in the technology industry and retain diverse candidates.
During the event, which is due to take place on 26 September, the 2018 winner
of the Most Influential Women in UK IT title will be announced.
Thank you to our judges
The judges for the 2018 Most Influential Women in UK IT award, who selected
this year’s entrants to the Hall of Fame, are:
Maggie Berry, founder of Women in Technology. Russ Shaw, founder of Tech London Advocates.
Page 52 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Robin Beattie, director at Mortimer Spinks. Andrea Palmer, business change manager in IT and services at BP and
treasurer of BCSWomen. Antony Walker, deputy CEO of TechUK. Cheryl Martin, partner of cyber security at Ernst and Young (EY). Clare McDonald, business editor of Computer Weekly. Bryan Glick, editor-in-chief of Computer Weekly.
Thank you to our sponsors EY.
1. Amali de Alwis, CEO, Code First: Girls
This year's winner, Amali de Alwis, is the CEO for coding education initiative
Code First: Girls which teaches women of all backgrounds how to code. De
Alwis also acts as a CommonwealthFirst Mentor for the Commonwealth
Enterprise and Investment Council, providing mentorship and encouragement to
small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
Working to align education, skills and employment, De Alwis is also on the
membership committee for working women's club AllBright, and acts as a
mentor for many startups.
2. Sarah Wilkinson, CEO, NHS Digital
In 2017 Sarah Wilkinson was appointed the new CEO of NHS Digital. Prior to
this, Wilkinson was the chief technology officer at the Home Office where she
led many of the most critical IT systems supporting UK borders and policing.
Page 53 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Previously, Wilkinson was managing director and head of corporate systems
technology at Credit Suisse for over two years, having previously worked at
HSBC, UBS and Deutsche Bank in various senior IT roles. She also acts as a
non-executive director for both NatWest Markets and King's College London.
3. Debbie Forster, CEO of Tech Talent Charter
Debbie Forster is CEO of government-backed initiative Tech Talent Charter
which aims to boost diversity and address gender imbalance in technology
roles. She is also director at consultancy Novel Design, and director for
international development at NCSSS.
During her time as co-CEO at Apps for Good, Forster inspired hundreds of
students, teachers, industry experts and sponsors to engage with the
organisation. As well as scaling at an impressive rate under Forster's
leadership, Apps for Good is working hard to tackle diversity in Stem education.
The course has achieved and maintained a gender balance of close to 50/50.
Over 50% of apps which have won at the organisation's annual awards have
been developed by all girl or mixed teams. Forster recently received an MBE for
digital innovation, and was named WISE woman of the year in 2016. She has
regularly featured in the Most Influential Women in IT list by Computer Weekly.
Page 54 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
4. Elizabeth Denham, information commissioner
As information commissioner for the UK, Elizabeth Denham is responsible for
ensuring information rights are in the public interest and leads the office dealing
with the Data Protection Act 2018 - the UK's implementation of the EU's GDPR
law.
Prior to becoming information commissioner, Denham was the information and
privacy commissioner for British Columbia responsible for compliance with
public and private sector privacy legislation and access to information law.
5. Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO, Stemettes
Imafidon founded volunteer organisation Stemettes to inspire the next
generation of women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics
via a series of panel events, hackathons and through the media. She is also a
board member at Inspirational You, a fellow of the RSA and a DCMS digital
skills partnership board member.
She won the FDM Everywoman Rising Star of the Year award 2014 and has
featured in Computer Weekly's list of the Most Influential Women in UK IT after
being marked as a Rising Star in previous years. Prior to Stemettes, Imafidon
started her career in IT as a business analyst intern and web designer before
becoming an enterprise collaboration strategist at Deutsche Bank.
Page 55 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
6. Alice Bentinck, co-founder of Entrepreneur First
Bentinck is the co-founder of Entrepreneur First, a firm focused on supporting
technology startups from around Europe. As part of the Entrepreneur First
initiative, Bentinck also co-founded Code First: Girls, an organisation which
provides part-time coding courses across university campuses.
Bentinck was on the advisory board of Founders4Schools for two years, and is
on the Computer Science Department Industrial Liaison Board for Imperial
College London.
7. Jeni Tennison, CEO of the Open Data Institute
Tennison is CEO of not-for-profit the Open Data Institute, and was awarded an
OBE for services to technology and open data in 2014. Previously Tennison
was technical architect and lead developer for Legislation.gov.uk and acts as
executive director for Open Addresses UK.
Until 2015, Tennison was a member of the Open Data User Group, an
independent ministerial advisory group for the Cabinet Office.
8. Carrie Anne Philbin, director of education, Raspberry Pi Foundation
Named as one of Computer Weekly's 2016 women in tech rising stars, Carrie
Anne Philbin leads strategy, CPD programmes and learning resources at the
Raspberry Pi Foundation.
Page 56 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Philbin has worked to advance technology education in schools, acting as a
board member for the Python Software Foundation and Computing At School
(CAS) and chair of CAS #include to make computer science education
accessible to all.
Philbin is also a YouTuber, writer and secondary computing and ICT teacher
and creates a number of online resources for teenagers to help them get started
with Raspberry Pi technology. She has a YouTube series dedicated to making
role models within the IT industry more visible to teenage girls.
9. Anne Marie Neatham, COO, Ocado Technology
Anne Marie Neatham began her career as a software engineer in software and
retail firms around the world. After joining Ocado as a software engineer in
2001, Neatham worked to become the head of Ocado Technology in Poland in
2012 where she set up the firm's Polish arm from scratch.
In 2014, Neatham became the chief operating officer of Ocado Technology
where she looks after infrastructure and operations for the UK and
Poland. Neatham believes that to get young girls into technology careers
the encouragement needs to start early in the education system.
Page 57 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
10. Jacky Wright, chief digital and information officer, HM Revenue &
Customs
Jacky Wright joined HMRC in October 2017 where she leads the department’s
digital transformation programme – one of the biggest in the public sector in
Europe. Wright joined the department following several years at Microsoft,
where she served as corporate vice-president.
Previously, she was a CIO at BP for three years, and a CIO at GE for eight
years. She is also an advocate for women in technology.
Page 58 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
Why we need to focus on inclusivity as well as diversity in the tech industry
Clare McDonald, business editor
This year's Computer Weekly diversity in technology event focused on the
importance of inclusivity in attracting and retaining diverse talent. Inclusivity can
mean many things to many people, and creating an environment that makes
everyone feel welcome can be easier said than done.
But why is inclusivity such an important topic in relation to attracting and
retaining diverse talent in the technology industry?
It has already been proven that diverse teams are more innovative, but part of
the point of introducing diversity into an organisation is to reap the benefit of
different mindsets, coming up with ideas a team of the same type of people
wouldn't have thought of and ultimately better reflecting the diverse customer
base the technology industry has.
Without inclusivity, however, it can be difficult to retain people when they don't
feel like they can be themselves in the workplace, and if people have to put on a
persona at work it defeats the point of having a diverse workforce.
Page 59 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
For people who fit the stereotypical "IT guy" mould, inclusivity is already built in
– they have been the only people in the industry up until this point who needed
to be catered to.
This is obviously a massive generalisation, but workplace culture in the
technology industry is weighted towards a particular group of people.
That's why I wanted to tackle the importance of inclusion in attracting and
retaining a diverse workforce as part of Computer Weekly's annual diversity in
technology event, in partnership with Mortimer Spinks.
To make it easier for organisations and individuals to understand how they can
contribute to an inclusive environment, a number of industry experts and
noteworthy women in IT gathered to talk about what inclusion means to them.
Creating a network of likeminded people, making sure people feel comfortable
discussing inclusion topics and shutting down any negative-self-talk were all
suggestions given to make the technology industry a better place to work for
people who don't match the usual IT stereotype.
But of all the topics covered throughout the day, acting as a role model and
seeking out roles models was by far the most popular suggestion.
Joshy Uwadiae, who appeared on one of the day's panels, has spoken to
Computer Weekly before about how positive role models helped to encourage
him into his career in IT, and this year's Most Influential Woman in UK
Page 60 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
technology Amali de Alwis emphasised that everyone should feel they are a role
model – there will always be someone who can benefit from your experience.
Computer Weekly's annual list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK
technology aims to make industry role models more visible and accessible for
those who feel they are standing outside of the industry looking in.
In 2018 the longlist reached more than 200, and several of the women who
made it through to the next round of judging were new to the shortlist.
Represented among the top 50 were more small businesses and social
enterprises than ever before, pushing aside some of the larger corporates and
highlighting the number of entrepreneurial women who are contributing a large
amount of time and effort to making the industry more diverse.
Alongside the top 50 are Hall of Famers and Rising Stars, representing the two
ends of the role model spectrum, and all are important in ensuring more people
from outside of the techie stereotype consider a career in technology.
So what does inclusion mean to me? It means feeling comfortable enough to be
myself in the workplace and giving the company the benefit of me as an
individual. It seems to be working so far...
Page 61 of 61
In this e-guide
Computer Weekly announces
the Most Influential Women in
UK IT 2018
Creativity and tech ‘two sides
of same coin’, says 2018
Most Influential Woman in IT,
Amali de Alwis
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Rising Stars
Most Influential Women in UK
IT 2018: Entrants to the Hall
of Fame
Why we need to focus on
inclusivity as well as diversity
in the tech industry
ComputerWeekly’s 50 most influential women in IT 2018
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