Becky Patel | Head of Education and Learning | TechShecan
Technology is prevalent across every aspect of our lives today and will continue to play an even more significant role in the careers and personal lives of future generations. A large majority of children in school today will work in jobs and use technology that doesn’t even exist yet!
Everything we do for the children in our lives aims to prepare them for a happy and successful future ahead. To ensure that all children are able to participate in the jobs of the future, we need to educate and excite them about technology, and the people who develop it, from an early age. It’s also critical that we have diversity in the workforce that designs, creates and implements our technology to make sure that it works for everyone.
For the past 6 years, I have had the pleasure of working for Tech She Can. Tech She Can is a charity on a mission for women to be equal members in creating and developing the new technology, business, products, and services that shape our world, ensuring technology works for us all. Educating and inspiring the next generation of technologists is a core objective for Tech She Can. We do this through our Tech We Can programme of free learning materials and experiences which aim to inspire all children, but especially girls, to consider a future career in technology.
As Head of Education and Learning, my role at Tech She Can is to lead our team of educators who design and deliver educational resources and experiences to inspire the next generation. I joined the charity just after its inception and I am incredibly proud to have played a pivotal part in helping our reach and impact to grow across the UK and beyond. We have now directly reached over 120,000 children and indirectly 400,000+ children have accessed our resources in classrooms or at home with their teachers and parents.
As a teacher, with over 10 years experience at both primary and secondary level, my work with Tech She Can has helped me discover both a strength and passion for bridging the gap between education and industry. I’m passionate about ensuring children understand how their interests and hobbies can help guide them on their future career path. My role also enables me to help industry unlock and access the wealth of amazing and diverse talent we have in schools across the UK, where for many of the children, they don’t aspire to have roles in certain industries as they simply do not know they exist!
In my personal life I am a very proud wife and mother to a son and daughter. I practise what I preach at home and instill in them daily that their race, gender, background etc will not limit them in their aspirations for the future. I am incredibly fulfilled in my role and the impact I am able to have through my team and Tech She Can as a whole. I would like to ensure every child understands the breadth of possibilities and opportunities which are out there for them and I have made it a personal mission to continue working on this. Children can't aspire to be what they don't know exists, and this is where I am proud to lead a team and work with colleagues who make such a phenomenal difference.
Kate Miller | Chief Communications Officer | England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
Kate joined the ECB in July 2019. As Chief Communications Officer she is responsible for leading and developing the organisation’s Communications strategy, spanning corporate, consumer, EDI campaigning and public affairs.
The team work to promote the work of the ECB and its members to cricket’s new and existing audiences. Kate has extensive public and private experience, delivering external affairs strategies for global and local organisations.
Selina Flavius | Founder | Black Girl Finance
British Bank award winner, Selina Flavius is the founder of Black Girl Finance which provides financial coaching and regulated financial advice and planning.
She hosts a podcast of the same name and is the author of the personal-finance Book Black Girl Finance -Let's talk money and creator of the event Black Girl Finance Festival. She is on a mission to make money conversations more inclusive. After enjoying a 15-year career in business development, she decided to follow her passion for finance and launch a safe space for Black women and women of colour to talk about money and gain valuable financial literacy skills which is how black girl finance started in 2019. She also contributes to discussions in the UK media about financial wellbeing and inequality and worked as a contributor to the Money and Pension Service's 10-year financial well-being Strategy. She was previously part of ITV Lorraine's saver squad, brought together to help viewers tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Her volunteer work includes being an ambassador for the charity surviving economic abuse, as well as an adviser to charity Brook Sexual health and wellbeing charity. She is also a volunteer ambassador for the charity widowed and young after experiencing the loss of her fiancé in 2022.
Outside of work and volunteering, she is a mum of one son, a huge Beyonce fan, and enjoys yoga.
Kathy Liu | Digital Sovereignty, Global Senior Technology Business Development Manager | Amazon Web Services (AWS)
As a rising cybersecurity leader, I care deeply about bringing diverse perspectives into the responsible build of new technologies.
Presently, I am the youngest and first Digital Sovereignty - Global Senior Technology Business Development Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS). Digital sovereignty is a top priority for customers internationally, and is an emerging specialism in cloud computing. In my role, I innovate on AWS’s long-term digital sovereignty strategy and lead how we scale with partners.
Prior to joining AWS London in 2021, I first started my career at the United Nations in economic policy before making a significant career change to cybersecurity. In 2018, I joined Deloitte Canada’s cybersecurity practice, where I identified a gap in the market, and charted the vision for a new Québec data privacy service offering. I subsequently joined Ernst & Young (EY) Canada in 2020 to build the national data protection service line.
Outside of work, I have been a World Economic Forum Global Shaper since 2018, where I founded the award-winning Inclusive Cyber movement, directly impacting 1350+ underrepresented and atypical talent across London, Montréal and Kigali to their cyber careers. I am a global speaker and thought leader on cybersecurity and diversity in tech, and have spoken at Davos, the United Nations, the UK Cyber Security Council, and IAPP Europe Data Protection Congress; I have been published by World Economic Forum Agenda, Chatham House and Canadian Security Magazine. I hold a MPA from Columbia University, and the UK Global Talent visa for exceptional technology leaders.
Pareto FM
Pareto FM, established in 2014, embarked on a mission to revolutionise the FM landscape by integrating social responsibility with operational excellence.
Over the past nine years, Pareto has spearheaded numerous initiatives to foster inclusivity and make a positive impact in the community. Since its humble beginnings, launching from the founder’s bedroom, Pareto has grown significantly, now employing over 500 people with a turnover of £48m. Now achieving a gender split of 50/50 across the employee base, (46% within the Senior Leadership Team), a unique feat within the FM Industry.
Since inception, Pareto has delivered over £100m of services across Europe to some of the largest global brands, earning recognition on the Sunday Times Fast Track in 2021, Fast Growth Top 50 in 2023 and winning numerous industry and non-industry awards.
Pareto leads on its social impact agenda, championing initiatives encompassing Women’s Health, LGBT+, neurodiversity, mental health awareness, and more. The company’s DNA prioritises creating a service-focused, customer-centric FM company with a flexible model that tailors solutions to each partner organisation.
Pareto is a trailblazer in promoting gender equality and inclusivity. Through its social-led initiatives, Pareto empowers its teams to represent themselves authentically, further cementing its position as an industry leader
HSBC
HSBC UK Bank Plc provides retail banking and wealth management services to personal and private banking customers, as well as commercial banking services for small to medium businesses and large corporates in the United Kingdom.
Its wealth and personal banking services include current and savings accounts, mortgages, unsecured lending, wealth solutions, and insurance services. The company’s commercial banking services to start-ups, multi-national corporates, mid-market enterprises, and large corporates include credit and lending, global payments solutions, and global trade and receivables financing. It also offers FX products and cash management services.
Baringa
We set out to build the world’s most trusted consulting business by putting people first: our clients, our staff and all our stakeholders.
To do that, we knew we needed kind, smart, curious people, from all backgrounds, and a collaborative culture that fosters trusting client relationships. Only then could our business have lasting impact for our clients, and on the communities where we live and work.
Our distinctiveness lies in HOW we do things. It is the blend of these three things that come together to form a powerful way of working that we have defined and described in our recent value proposition refresh:
First - putting people first
In everything we do, it all starts with people. We handpick teams of experts, who are passionate to join us and who are right for our clients. With nearly 2000 people globally, we strive to be diverse in our thinking, and diverse with our people, where only the best ideas succeed.
Second - building trust at every stage
In 2000 when we set up, trust was our guiding star. We wanted to build the most trusted consulting firm in the world. And this aspiration has not changed. We’re in for the long haul and fostering a trusting working relationship through every interaction is the key to this.
Third - pioneering an impactful, positive way of working
We bring an ‘us’ not ‘them’ approach, our leaders are always present with our clients and we think long term.
Laura Helen Brown | Author and Illustrator | My Emotions Activity Book
Laura Helen Brown is a dedicated Children’s Mental Health and Emotional Literacy Advocate, serving as the Founder, Illustrator, and Author of the impactful ’My Emotions Activity Book’.
Originating to support her nephew during COVID-19 restrictions, the book has evolved into a global resource available in English, French and Ukrainian, enabling children in the UK and beyond to express their thoughts and feelings. With its inclusive design, the activity book has been embraced by institutions like the City of London and Kent Police, aiding children entering custody. Laura’s efforts have gained recognition from high-profile organisations, including Great Ormond Street Hospital Play Team, Women’s Aid, and The Buddy Bag Foundation.
In addition to her advocacy work, Laura works in Banking in the City of London within a Financial Crime Team. She is a dedicated volunteer at the Bank and serves as a Mental Health First Aider and program coordinator within the International Well-being Team. Laura’s commitment to supporting children and young people with freely available emotional literacy resources has earned her a place among Brummell magazine’s 30 inspirational women in the City of London in 2023.
Emily Olivia | Year 1 Student
Emily is a 6 years old girl (Y1 student) dedicated to inspiring and empowering children to learn STEM.
She is on a mission to inspire and empower the next generation of changemakers. Emily’s passion for STEM education is evident in the way she engages with young children, particularly girls, and fosters their curiosity and interest in the field through her YouTube channel (@STEMPlayground), Instagram (@thisisemilyolivia), TikTok (@stemplayground) focusing on creating and sharing free educational content for primary aged kids and reaching hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis. Her work directly contributes to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all as well as achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Emily always ensures her instructions for STEM projects are clear and easy to follow even by the youngest online audience by breaking down complex concepts and making them accessible, engaging, and interactive to children of all ages and backgrounds. Her proactive and positive approach to promoting STEM education in the UK community encourages children to explore STEM subjects. Emily has been actively working towards closing the gender gap in STEM, and her continuous efforts and dedication have made her a tireless advocate for STEM education, and her contributions have made a significant difference in the lives of children. Her commitment to empowering the next generation of STEM leaders has helped to create a more inclusive and diverse STEM community.
Jodie Evans | Defence Digital, External Communications Lead | Ministry of Defence
Jodie joined the Ministry of Defence in Feb 2014 as a Commercial Officer supporting procurement of 2 complex CAT A £1.5BN Information Service Procurements before moving to be part of the largest Commercial Team in ISS.
This team was responsible for procuring all Technical Support across the ISS and MOD multi-billion-pound portfolio of Information System programmes enabling Defence Information Systems to be a force multiplier. Progressing through several promotions, Jodie became a key member of the Defence Digital commercial team responsible for the delivery of a £400M competitive negotiated procurement for Future Operating Service Management. This contract is the cornerstone of the Service Management for the corporate Defence Digital Services.
Following her very successful time in the Defence Digital Commercial team Jodie has moved role and is now the External Communications Lead at Defence Digital. Exploiting her exceptional stakeholder management, relationship building, engagement and communication skills she is now responsible for effective communication, promotion, marketing, engagement, and involvement of Defence Digital across the organisation, within MOD and across the entire Defence sector. She is already making a difference and raising the profile of the organisation across the sector.
Jodie is passionate about creating a diverse workforce and supporting the organisation in improving its diversity and inclusion position. She saw that there was a gap in what was being done and had the idea to set up a network to try and fill that gap. Jodie took the initiative and was responsible for setting the vision and strategic programme and was pivotal in the establishment of the Defence Women’s Network in 2020. As the network lead, Jodie has built the reputation of the network across the defence and security enterprise through effective relationships and positive action heavily weighted towards gender equality and leadership and has encouraged both female and male allies to collaborate and promote the networks core objectives whilst leading on prestigious events and initiatives. Jodie has also become an influencer across the sector supporting the D&I theme and is a coach/mentor to many female leaders. All of this Jodie has managed alongside her full-time defence role, as well as being a busy mum.