Nominations for the 2025 Rising Star Awards open 13th January
RISING STAR AWARDS 2025
Now in their eleventh year, the Rising Star Awards continue to be the first to spotlight the achievements of women below the Senior Management or Director level – showcasing the female talent pipeline and the next generation of future leaders.
The awards also recognise the efforts of senior leaders who are championing gender equality, as well as putting the spotlight on a “company of the year” that is actively supporting its female talent pipeline above and beyond industry norms.
Over the past ten years and with the support of leading organisations, WeAreTheCity has been able to highlight the achievements of over 1000 women (950 in the UK, 100 in India) through the Rising Star Awards.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is delighted to be powering the Rising Stars Awards for the fifth year. We are committed to helping clients thrive and communities prosper and diversity and inclusion is more than just a value for us, it’s at the heart of what we do, so supporting these awards is a great way to celebrate and showcase incredibly talented people and organisations across multiple industries.Dave Thomas, CEO, RBC Europe
Smart Works are honoured to be the Charity Partner of the Rising Star Awards 2024. As a charity that exists to empower women into work, the ethos behind the awards, to champion women, their impact and achievements could not be closer to our hearts. We are proud to be stand alongside incredible role models and future leaders of tomorrow, and thank We are the City for their generous support.Kate Stephens, Chief Executive, Smart Works
We are delighted to partner with WeAreTheCity to shine a spotlight on the incredibly talented future female leaders within ESG around the world. At Visa, we firmly believe in driving positive change by supporting female leaders globally, empowering the next generation of women in business. Wishing all nominees the very best and congratulations on being nominated.Mette Grolleman, Senior Vice-President, Government Engagement, Europe, Visa
As a former WeAreTheCity Rising Star winner, I am thrilled that Lloyd’s continues sponsoring the insurance category of the WeAreTheCity Rising Stars Awards. A diverse market with an inclusive culture will be more resilient in the face of growing global complexity thanks to its ability to attract and retain talent. Within Insurance, we want to recognise and champion emerging female talent and encourage other women to step forward and progress their careers.Monica Stancu, Senior Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Lloyd’s
Bloomberg is delighted once again to support WeAreTheCity, highlighting the UK’s top female talent and the next generation of future female leaders! Bloomberg is committed to amplifying the voices of ALL women, and these awards are key in recognising their achievements and future impact.Manisha Mehrotra, Head Of Diversity And Inclusion For Emea, Bloomberg
Warner Bros. Discovery are thrilled to support the Rising Star Awards and firmly believe in the importance of celebrating and championing future generations of female leaders across industries to help create a more equitable and inclusive world for all.Asif Sadiq, Chief Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Warner Bros. Discovery
Dentsu takes great pride in our ongoing partnership with WeAreTheCity, to help advance and spotlight on the remarkable emerging female leaders in various industries across the UK. At dentsu, we're dedicated to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, and creating a culture where all talent thrives. Our vision is to be at the forefront of people-centered transformation, committed to outcomes that are good for people, business and society. These values drive creativity, innovation, and enable us to work with our clients and partners to achieve an even greater positive impact for now and what’s next. Congratulations to all nominees, and best wishes for their continued success.Angela Tangas, CEO, dentsu UK&I
C&C Search is thrilled to announce our sponsorship of the EA/PA category for the WeAreTheCity Rising Star Awards. As a B Corp company committed to creating a more equitable world of work, we are honoured to shine a spotlight on the outstanding women who power the success of businesses globally. We are so excited to be part of these important awards that recognise the game changing impact of EAs and PAs the world over.Lucy Chamberlain, Founder, C&C Search
At Knight Frank, our mission is to create a culture that fosters a sense of belonging and empowers everyone to reach their full potential. Everyone deserves equal opportunities to thrive, and we are committed to attracting, retaining, and developing women of all dimensions of difference. We are committing ourselves to 5 key priorities, building diverse teams at all levels, driving inclusive behaviours and cultures, holding leaders accountable, being led by accurate and relevant data whilst cultivating impactful relationships and partnerships. Creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment where everybody thrives is a shared responsibility, and we all need to play our part.Hannah Awonuga, Group Head of DEI, Knight Frank
At FTI Consulting, we are committed to the advancement of women and underrepresented groups through focused hiring, retention, mentoring and collaboration with our clients. Progression only occurs when there is top-down and widespread importance placed on creating a diverse and balanced culture. I am proud of FTI’s commitment to this, and the opportunity to partner with WeAreTheCity to sponsor these awards which celebrate the positive, long-lasting impact of some truly dedicated and talented leaders.Ashley Brickles, Technology Senior Managing Director, FTI Consulting
agentiv is honoured to announce our partnership with WeAreTheCity - Rising Stars Awards supporting female talent. As a culturally diverse Digital IT Consultancy, we are committed to championing equality and inclusion. Our success is built on valuing our people and fostering productive collaborations with customers and partners. Extending our best wishes to all the Rising Star nominees.Nick Lindsay, Co-Founder, agentiv
We are delighted to sponsor the Rising Stars award for Men for Gender Balance in 2024. At HSBC Innovation Banking UK, we believe that innovation needs different perspectives to thrive. That’s why we are so invested in improving gender equality and building a fairer, more equitable innovation community, and a world where everyone can flourish. We look forward to celebrating those who are going above and beyond on gender diversity, and seeing the inspirational new ideas and innovative thinking from those shortlisted in this category. Simon Bumfrey – Head of Relationship Banking and Executive Sponsor of the HSBC Innovation Banking UK Gender Employee Resource Group
Barclays believes in creating a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone has the ability to realise their potential. This includes recognising and supporting female pipeline talent. That is why we are delighted to sponsor the Rising Stars 2024 Entrepreneurship and Start Up Award, where we look forward to hearing from the next generation of female talent and entrepreneurs.Stephen Dainton – Barclays Bank PLC President, Head of Investment Bank Management and Group Exco Gender Agenda Sponsor.
Oliver Wyman is committed to supporting and investing in the careers of those around us, including our incredible female colleagues who aspire to be the new generation of business leaders. That’s why we’re once again sponsoring the Professional Services category of the Rising Stars awards. We believe that inclusion drives diversity, and diversity not only enables better business outcomes, but also creates a more lively and fun workplace where everyone can feel like they belong and excel. This thinking drives the decisions we make around recruitment and culture every day. We are determined to maintain and strengthen an inclusive business where women with a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and ways of thinking can bring their best selves to work and reach their full potential.Archie Stebbings, Partner, Oliver Wyman
Societe Generale is delighted to sponsor The Banking and Capital Markets Award celebrating the inspiring achievements of women from across our industry. Building and promoting a fully diverse, equitable and inclusive future is fundamental to our strategy, and this includes our commitment to driving gender equality and championing the next generation of female leaders.Jane Karczewski, Managing Director, UK Head of Investors Business Development, Société Genera
TIMELINE
Nominations open
13 January 2025
Nominations Close & Additional Info Deadline
03 March 2025
Judging starts
24 March 2025
Judging closes
07 April 2025
Shortlist announced
29 April 2025
Public vote opens
29 April 2025
Public Vote closes
13 May 2025
Winners announced
04 June 2025
Winners Awards Ceremony
10 July 2025
Knowledge Sharing Day
11 Sept 2025
THE PROCESS
Nominations will open online on 13th January via the Rising Stars’ website. Nominations will close after a seven week period on 3rd March.
A shortlist of ten women from each industry category and ten from the Champion, Global Award for Achievement and Men for Gender Balance categories, alongside three shortlisted companies for the Company of the Year award, will be chosen by an esteemed panel of judges. Once the shortlist is announced, we will also open the public votes of support, which enables individuals to show their support for a specific shortlisted individual.
All winners will be announced in June 2025 and will be invited to celebrate at a prestigious awards ceremony in July 2025.
RISING STAR AWARDS 2024:
A DECADE OF CELEBRATING TALENT
WeAreTheCity is proud to share a special montage honoring last year’s 10th anniversary of The Rising Star Awards. For over a decade, these prestigious awards have served as a beacon of recognition, celebrating the outstanding achievements and contributions of women across a multitude of sectors and industries. Each year, The Rising Star Awards spotlight the incredible talents and dedication of women who make significant impacts in their fields, drive innovation, and inspire future generations. Join us in celebrating this milestone and the remarkable women who have shaped ten years of excellence and progress.
WHO CAN APPLY?
A female individual who works within one of the nomination categories, whose current position is below director level.
- The individual demonstrates a high level of competence within their role
- The individual demonstrates a clear passion, this may be through extra curricular activities
- Individual who pays it forward and helps others (e.g. schools, networks, internal/external activities)
- The individual is taking charge of their own career, e.g. personal development
This award is open to all women, regardless of age, however nominees must be working in the UK.
A senior individual of any gender who is championing gender equality, either inside or outside their organisation.
The individual must also be able to demonstrate that they have actively supported the female pipeline either through their current work role or external activities.
Nominees must be Director level (or equivalent) or above and work in the UK.
A company that can clearly articulate their commitment to supporting their female talent pipeline and who can demonstrate tangible impact through their various gender initiatives.
A senior man who is championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation. Nominees must be at least Director level (or equivalent) or above, must demonstrate that they have actively supported the female pipeline either through their current work role or external activities and must be working in the UK.
A female individual, outside of the UK, who works across any industry, whose current position is below director level.
- The individual demonstrates a high level of competence within their role
- The individual demonstrates a clear passion, this may be through extra curricular activities
- Individual who pays it forward and helps others (e.g. schools, networks, internal/external activities)
- The individual is taking charge of their own career, e.g. personal development
This award is open to all women from anywhere in the world, regardless of age.
WHO CAN APPLY?
A female individual who works within one of the nomination categories, whose current position is below director level.
- The individual demonstrates a high level of competence within their role
- The individual demonstrates a clear passion, this may be through extra curricular activities
- Individual who pays it forward and helps others (e.g. schools, networks, internal/external activities)
- The individual is taking charge of their own career, e.g. personal development
This award is open to all women, regardless of age, however nominees must be working in the UK.
A senior individual of any gender who is championing gender equality, either inside or outside their organisation.
The individual must also be able to demonstrate that they have actively supported the female pipeline either through their current work role or external activities.
Nominees must be Director level (or equivalent) or above and work in the UK.
A company that can clearly articulate their commitment to supporting their female talent pipeline and who can demonstrate tangible impact through their various gender initiatives.
A senior man who is championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation. Nominees must be at least Director level (or equivalent) or above, must demonstrate that they have actively supported the female pipeline either through their current work role or external activities and must be working in the UK.
A female individual, outside of the UK, who works across any industry, whose current position is below director level.
- The individual demonstrates a high level of competence within their role
- The individual demonstrates a clear passion, this may be through extra curricular activities
- Individual who pays it forward and helps others (e.g. schools, networks, internal/external activities)
- The individual is taking charge of their own career, e.g. personal development
This award is open to all women from anywhere in the world, regardless of age.
AWARD CATEGORIES
- Rising Stars in All Other Industries
- Rising Stars in Advertising & Media
- Rising Stars in Banking & Capital Markets
- Rising Stars in Charity & Not-for-Profits
- Rising Stars in Defence
- Rising Stars in Digital
- Rising Stars in Diversity
- Rising Stars in EA/PA
- Rising Stars in Education & Academia
- Rising Stars in Energy & Utilities
- Rising Stars in Entrepreneurs & Start-Ups
- Rising Stars in ESG Global
- Rising Stars in Healthcare
- Rising Stars in Insurance
- Rising Stars in Investment Management
- Rising Stars in Law (Lynne Freeman Award)
- Rising Stars in Professional Services
- Rising Stars in Public Sector
- Rising Stars in Science & Engineering
- Rising Stars in Technology
- Rising Stars Global
- Rising Stars Champions
- Company of the Year
- Men for Gender Balance
RISING STAR AWARDS CEREMONY HIGHLIGHTS 2023
Relive our amazing award ceremony for our 2023 Rising Star winners. We celebrated over 100 remarkable women, male allies & companies at the Rising Star Awards Ceremony
Kindly hosted by IHG at the Intercontinental Hotel, Park Lane, London and live streamed virtually, where over 400 winners, sponsors, judges and guests enjoyed a sparkling reception, a three-course meal and fine wine. Attendees were also given the opportunity to network with each other, sponsors and judges and to celebrate their achievements.
Facilitated by Julia Streets, CEO of Streets Consulting, we were also joined by a number of inspirational speakers and entertainers, including Ayesha Patel, Chief Operating Officer, RBC, Lisa Waterhouse, Global DEI, National Grid, Tamra Box, Partner, Reed Smith, Strictly Come Dancing Stars; Robin Windsor & Kristina Rihanoff and musical duo; Old Hat.