Ally Redding | Senior Account Executive | Guidewire
I work in enterprise software sales focused on the insurance industry. I am a Senior Account Executive at Guidewire responsible for managing sales across the UK and South Africa.
My focus is to work with new and existing customers to understand their strategic objectives and showcase the power of leveraging Guidewire’s SaaS capabilities to achieve them. Since joining in 2021, I have received awards for my sales performance including EMEA Newcomer of the Year. I am also the UK lead for Guidewire’s Employee Resource Group – GROW (Guidewire Recognition of Women).
At university I studied Forensic Linguistics and spent my weekends managing a call center focused on fitting telematics devices to vehicles. I was passionate about getting into a career within the insurance industry so alongside my first role in Public Relations, I embarked on the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) London Market qualifications and focused on meeting as many people as possible within the industry to learn more.
Outside of work, I spent the last 3 years volunteering with Mencap to support local adults with learning disabilities, which was very rewarding. I enjoy travelling, food, and live events whether that be sports or music.
Toyosi Olowe | Founder, Creative Director, Artist | TOYOWRITES
Toyosi successfully transitioned from a Tech position in a Big Four firm to a thriving startup in a short time span showcases her adaptability and entrepreneurial prowess.
Founded her high end art brand in 2020. This artist and entrepreneur demonstrated exceptional business acumen, achieving substantial success without external funding. She has previously been commended by the Iconic Telegraph newspaper as a top 100 female entrepreneurs in the UK to watch.
Having sold five-figure artworks to influential CEOs like Bracken Darrell the CEO of VF and famous Hollywood actresses. This highlights her global impact in the art market, making her a compelling candidate for the rising star award.
Diversity and Representation: By pursuing a creative path and breaking away from traditional corporate roles, she serves as a role model, creating representation for black females in Europe/ Diaspora who aspire to pursue their creative passions amid societal and career pressures.
Endorsements by Influential Figures: Gaining endorsements from multiple Hollywood actresses like Meagan Good further solidifies her credibility and influence in the creative industry.
Innovative Exhibition Locations: Hosting exhibitions at prestigious venues like Google HQ, Deloitte, and Barclays demonstrates her ability to innovate and collaborate in unique settings, contributing to her recognition in the Art and Style category. She is pioneering the corporate and creative synergy including the first-of-its-kind female-only exhibition at Barclays during Black History Month, showcases her ability to bridge the gap between the corporate world and the art community.
Zixuan Wang | Investment Counsellor Associate | HSBC
I’m a Private Bank Investment Counsellor Associate, dedicated to the investment success of my clients.
Prior to joining the team, I was on the Graduate Programme. I’ve always believed that investment and finance is a bridge that connects people to each other, to their aspirations and to the betterment of the society and this belief has been driving me forward throughout my career. Outside of my day-to-day job, I’m one of the Sustainable Investment Ambassadors and an active member of the Private Bank`s Balance Employee Resource Group, working to improve the gender balance in the workplace. I believe in the strength of diversity and inclusion, passionate to contribute to a work environment where everyone can be their true selves.
Coming from South-Western China, I always endeavour to rise above my limitations and see from different perspectives. I moved to the UK in 2016 for my studies, fully embracing an international mindset. I hold dual-Bachelor degrees at University of Birmingham (First Class Honours) and Southwestern University of Finance and Economics (GPA 4/5), as well as Master degree in Risk and Finance at London School of Economics (Distinction). I see myself as a life-long student, enthusiastic to seize the day and continuously broaden my horizon.
Pamela Remmer | Verification Team Leader | RBC Brewin Dolphin
I started my career with RBC Brewin Dolphin in May 2013 on a 6 month temporary contact, working on the verification team, after previously working on the fraud team at Santander.
It was a lovely environment to work in and after completing my induction and training period successfully I was able to thrive within the supportive team. After increasing my knowledge and skillset within the team I was able confidently interview for a 12 month contracted position which shortly turned into a permanent role. During my time on the team I was nominated to attend the emerging talent programme designed to help boast my skills and profile within the company. It was a great opportunity to strengthen my network connections and build my own personal brand within the firm. Being offered this development opportunity enabled my to utilize my skills and enhance my knowledge of the team procedures. This enabled my to further develop in my role and gain the job title of senior administrator, having increased knowledge within the team increased my work opportunities and I was able to progress even further, assisting with projects in an SME capacity.
Having such a varied knowledge within the aspects of the team led to my promotion as team leader in 2022, this was huge development opportunity and I believe that with the additional training opportunities I was able to thrive in the role. Most recently I have successfully completed the advanced lean practitioner certification and been awarded the accreditation for this.
Elizabeth Merrall | Investment Analyst | Top Tier Capital Partners
Lizzy currently works as an Analyst at Top Tier Capital Partners, a venture capital fund-of-funds headquartered in San Francisco.
Prior to joining Top Tier, Lizzy was an Analyst at BNP Paribas, working on their UK M&A team. At BNP Paribas, Lizzy worked on transactions for Pearson (FTSE 100), one of the top five chaebols in South Korea, and the UK’s largest independent solar and co-located battery storage developer.
Lizzy is originally from Malaysia and Scotland but has lived in over 8 countries including Brunei, New Zealand, and Qatar. In her spare time, she enjoys golfing, reading anything behavioural sciences-related, and volunteers for SEO London and Women in Banking and Finance.
Courtney Lollback | Senior Manager, Investment Strategy & Solutions | Macquarie Group
Courtney is a Vice President in Investment Strategy & Solutions within Macquarie Asset Management’s (MAM’s) Credit division.
She focuses on delivering strategic commercial projects for the growth of Private Credit, including the launch of new investment capabilities, identifying areas of growth, supporting the development of the business strategy, and the analysis and implementation of M&A opportunities.
Courtney is a creative thinker and problem solver in driving new opportunities. She is passionate about exploring untapped opportunities to connect capital to innovative investments that will provide impact at scale. This has involved a number of novel projects at the forefront of the investment management industry, including a new fund finance investment strategy in an emerging part of the private credit sector, designing a unique blended finance mandate to establish a first-of-its-kind e-mobility leasing company in India, and advising on Macquarie Group Foundation’s first social impact investment in the UK.
Prior to her current role, Courtney joined Macquarie as a graduate in the Sydney office, working across various teams dedicated to climate finance, insurance, and fund finance, before moving to the Private Credit investment team, initially focused on infrastructure debt transactions in London.
Courtney holds a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies / Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.
Bhawana Haritwal | Senior Software Engineer | T. Rowe Price
I am a Senior Software Engineer at a global investment management firm.
In my role I engineer and develop modern cloud platform technologies used by portfolio managers and quantitative analysts to perform market analysis, develop trading algorithms and risk models.
I started my career with a cyber-security company as a traditional operations engineer. Since then, I have transitioned into various different roles – Quality Assurance, Automation Testing, Software Developer, Cloud Engineer and moved industries from cyber-security to finance. It is through building strong relationships, being consistent and delivering on commitments I have been able to accomplish this.
Outside of work, I sit on the committee for the British Computer Society’s (BCS) DevSecOps special interest group. I am also a mentor at BCS helping individuals at different stages in their career transition and excel in DevOps role. I am a STEM Ambassador and actively volunteer with local schools in London to promote STEM subjects and ignite young minds about the possibilities of a career in STEM. The technical committees/organisations that I serve outside of my employment have given me a unique perspective into understanding and fostering a closer relationship between people and technology.
I am also a proud member of the Toastmasters International organisation which has served as a catalyst in honing my public speaking skills. I have conducted technical workshops for women in tech communities and also been a speaker at various events.
I was honoured with the Women in Technology and Data Awards 2024 - Rising Star (end-user category) by WatersTechnology .
Victoria Bryden | Senior Associate | Reed Smith LLP
I am a Senior Associate in the Global Corporate Group at the international law firm Reed Smith.
I advise on cross-border M&A transactions for clients in the UK, Europe and the US. I specialize in advising private equity sponsors and management teams across a broad range of sectors on acquisitions, exits and management incentivisation arrangements.
I support the development of more junior colleagues in our department – I work with a “junior buddy” with whom I meet regularly on both a formal and informal basis to offer mentoring and I also deliver training sessions to the junior members of my team.
I am also actively involved in contributing to my firm’s culture – I am an engagement champion for our London office and sit on the committee that represents London associates.
I studied law the University of Strathclyde and completed my Diploma in Legal Practice at Glasgow Graduate School of Law. I am also a Scottish Notary Public.
I balance a busy professional life with being a Mum.
Rebecca Sanders | Senior Counsel Europe and APAC Employment Law | Royal Bank of Canada
I trained at Simmons &Simmons LLP, qualifying into the Firm’s top tier employment team, where I gained 13 and a half years’ post qualification experience.
During this time, I advised on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, acting for clients primarily in the financial services sector. I gained significant in-house experience through five secondments to the legal teams at four financial services institutions. I joined Royal Bank of Canada as Senior Counsel for Europe and APAC Employment Law in February 2023. During my first 12 months at RBC, I have managed a number of complex legal matters across a range of jurisdictions, supporting internal stakeholders from across the Business.
Mehrnaz Afshar | Senior Associate | Reed Smith LLP
I am a Senior Associate advising a range of market participants including issuers, tech platforms, developers and investors on complex financing transactions involving blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
My experience includes acting as lead transaction associate on the first ever “on-chain” securitization in the U.S., as well as leading multiple transactions involving the world’s largest decentralized autonomous organisation. I am also an active member of Reed Smith’s ‘On Chain: Crypto and Digital Assets Group’, publishing numerous articles and client alerts.
Following a short career break, I spent several years working in financial institutions before joining Reed Smith through a female returner programme. Since then, I have been supported and mentored by the numerous female lawyers in the team, many of them at senior/executive level. It is because of this support that I am keen to take the time to support the next generation of female leaders and push the boundaries on achieving greater female representation in law (particularly within the digital assets space). I am an active participant in the firm’s WinRS community as well as the firm’s Mastermind Programme focusing on promoting women leaders in the firm. I also enjoy contributing to the future success and development of the practice through my role as a trainee supervisor. I also act as a Pro Bono Champion, ensuring that everyone in our busy group engages in pro bono.
Alongside my legal practice, I am a mum to a three year-old girl, who is my most passionate cheerleader.