“Shining a spotlight on the female talent pipeline”
Now in their second year, the WATC Rising Star Awards are the first to focus on the UK’s female talent pipeline below management level. Through these awards we will celebrate 100 individual female contributors that represent the leaders and role models of tomorrow. We hope that by raising the profile of our short list and winners, we will also encourage organisations to consider how they strengthen the development of their female pipeline in the future.
This year we are also pleased to announce a new category to our awards, Rising Star Champions, which recognises the efforts of senior leaders, male and female, who are actively supporting the female pipeline outside of their corporate responsibilities.
Vanessa Vallely, founder and CEO of WeAreTheCity, said: “The focus on increasing the number of women on boards in the UK over the past few years has been incredibly successful. We now need to focus on helping to highlight women who will be future managers and directors within our organisations.
“The UK has an abundance of female talent of all ages but we need to give these women the chance to shine. Given the success of the Rising Star awards in 2015 and the ongoing achievements of our winners, we decided to double the amount of awards winners from 50 to 100 and extend our reach across 20 industries. Expanding the awards in the UK and subsequently into India later in 2016 is all part of WeAreTheCity’s strategic objective of highlighting the achievements of 500 pipeline women over the next five years.”
Recognising that careers for women may follow different timescales, the Top 100 Rising Star awards will not have any age restrictions included within the criteria. WeAreTheCity feels it has a responsibility to ensure that female talent, regardless of age and background, receives the necessary support and skills to transition into key decision-making roles within our organisations.
WeAreTheCity will use its extensive reach across the UK and Ireland to find 100 high-achieving women across 20 key industries and professions.
“The need for more women in senior leadership roles is widely recognised. At Barclays, we want to go further – we believe in cultivating a pipeline of female talent across all levels of the organisation, from the executive assistant right through to the boardroom. These awards recognise the considerable achievements of talented women and our sponsorship reflects our commitment to support the women that come through our ranks to stay until leadership.” – Mark McLane, Managing Director, Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Barclays PLC.
The WATC awards will be officially launched on 01 February 2016 and are sponsored by Barclays and supported by leading organisations including AON, Bloomberg, Cancer Research UK (Women of Influence), The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Executive and Personal Assistants Association, EY, Keir, Lloyd’s, ISS, Morgan Stanley, Newton Investment Management, Oliver Wyman in partnership with UN Women National Committee UK, PA Consulting, PedalSure, PwC, Reed Smith, Societe Generale, Twenty Recruitment, Virgin Media Business and Worldpay.
The nominations process opens on 01 February 2016 for all categories and will take place online at wearethecity-risingstars.com. A shortlist of 10 women from each industry category chosen by an esteemed panel of judges will be published towards the end of April. The shortlist will then be open to a public vote.
Final judging will take place throughout May when our judges will choose the final 10 winners from each of the 10 categories. The results of the public vote will also be factored into the final scores. The top 10 rising stars will be announced in June and all winners, sponsors and supporters will be invited to attend a prestigious evening reception at Barclays in London to celebrate and collect their awards.
Categories – Rising Stars in:
| Banking, sponsored by Societe Generale | Charity, sponsored by Cancer Research UK, Women of Influence |
| Consultancy, sponsored by EY | Defence, sponsored by PA Consulting |
| Diversity, sponsored by AON | EA/PA, sponsored by EPAA (Executive and Personal Assistant Association) |
| Education & Academia, sponsored by University of Chicago Booth School of Business | Entrepreneurs, sponsored by Virgin Media Business |
| Facilities Management, sponsored by ISS | HR & Recruitment, sponsored by Twenty Recruitment |
| Insurance, sponsored by Lloyd’s | Investment Management, sponsored by Newton Investment Management |
| Law, The Lynne Freeman Award, sponsored by Reed Smith | Media & Journalism, sponsored by Bloomberg |
| Oil & Gas, sponsored by PwC | Property Services, sponsored by Kier |
| Public Sector, sponsored by Socitm Advisory | Sales, sponsored by WorldPay |
| Sport, sponsored by PedalSure | Technology, sponsored by Morgan Stanley |
| Rising Star Champions, sponsored by Oliver Wyman in partnership with UN Women National Committee UK |
Criteria for entries
- Open to all women regardless of age
- Nominees must be below senior/middle management
- Nominees must be working within the industry of the category they are nominated for
- Nominees must be working in the UK or Northern Ireland
- Individuals can nominate themselves
How we define a rising star
- Someone who is a champion of women in their business or sector
- Someone who strives to achieve success and results
- Someone who gives back or inspires others
- Someone who is recognised by others as having the potential to become a future leader in their industry
The Process
- 01 February: Nominations open for all categories
- 25 March: Nominations close for all categories
- 25 March: Additional information deadline
- 25 April: Top 10 shortlist from each category announced/public voting opens for all shortlisted nominees
- 17 May: Shortlist celebration event at Bloomberg
- 27 May: Public voting closes for all shortlisted nominees
- 06 June: Top 5 Rising Stars for each category announced
- 30 June: Top 100 Rising Stars drinks reception and awards for winners, guests and sponsors at Barclays
