Caitlin Hargreaves | Manager, International Resolvability | Bank of England
I am a manager in the Bank of England’s International Resolvability Directorate – this means that I work with banks to put in place a safety system called ‘resolution’ that allows banks to fail safely, without causing harm to the wider economy.
I started my career at the Bank in 2016, a mere number of days after my last exam at university. I graduated with a degree in Economics, Politics and Public Policy in July 2016. For the last 8 years I have worked in various areas across the Bank including Banking, Financial Risk Management, Domestic Resolvability, the Bank’s Executive Secretariat, and a short stint as Private Secretary to the Executive Director of Authorisations, Regulatory Technology, and International Supervision. I am a passionate individual and enjoy investing my time and energy to support those around me, whether line reports or mentees in progressing their careers. I am an active member of the Bank’s Women’s Network and was honoured to make the closing remarks at the ‘Breaking Barriers’ event held at the Bank for International Women’s Day in partnership with WeAreTheCity. I am a born and raised Londoner, with incredibly strong Celtic ties and a bubbly personality! I have been a Brownie unit leader for almost 13 years and am thrilled to be taking up the position of County Commissioner for London South-West GirlGuiding. I enjoy giving back to the community and have been involved with numerous charities including Glassdoor homeless charity, where I supported the running of an emergency homeless shelter.
Mafalda Perez | Management Consultant | Accenture
I have a degree in Business Law and a masters in Entrepreneurship. Throughout my whole academic career problem solving was always the thing I enjoyed to do most, regardless of the subject.
It allowed me to be creative in a way I hadn't experienced before. What I enjoyed the most was the brainstorming sessions with my teammates. This is something that I continue to do everyday in my job at Accenture, working with incredible individuals from all walks of life towards a common goal. Delivering value for our clients is very rewarding, but the journey to get to that point is what truly makes this career a memorable one.
Dawn Heels | Founder | Dawn Heels | The Guidance Suite
Dawn, a fibroid advocate and campaigner, transformed her personal journey of pain into a powerful mission; to raise awareness and amplify the voices of women battling fibroids.
Following her courageous journey of overcoming 16 fibroids through open myomectomy in 2022, Dawn took to Instagram and YouTube, sparking a tidal wave of support and solidarity from women globally who had silently struggled with the condition.
Driven by a relentless passion to empower and educate, Dawn initiated the ground breaking series 'My Fibroid Journey', providing a platform for women to share their stories and shed light on this often overlooked health issue. As the founder of a support group for women, a UN Women UK delegate for CSW 68, and a prominent member of various influential groups including the All Party Parliamentary Group on Women’s Health and The Health Collective, Dawn's impact extends far beyond the digital realm.
Her advocacy has been recognised on both national and international stages, with features in esteemed publications such as The Mirror, The i newspaper, and The Voice Newspaper, alongside appearances on Sky News and BBC 5 Live. Dawn's expertise has also been sought after in podcasts, webinars, and health articles, including contributions to The Guardian and involvement in the award-nominated campaign 'Just A Period' by Wellbeing of Women.
Not confined by borders, Dawn has made significant strides across continents, hosting the UK leg of The White Dress Project’s Patient Empowerment Tour and garnering attention from U.S. publications like The Root.
Tanya Simon-Hall | Founder | The Adeno Gang
Tanya is a prominent voice in the adenomyosis community and a zealous women's health campaigner.
She is a menstrual health educator and speaker who is actively trying to change the conversation surrounding the stigma of menstrual health one day at a time. Tanya is dedicated to educating young people about menstrual health and helping organisations to implement menstrual health policies in the workplace.
Kate Nicholls | Leader, Amazon Fresh Private Brands | Amazon
I started my career in front-line retail at 16 with part time jobs in ladies’ fashion and grocery stores whilst I studied.
This is where I first developed my deep sense of customer obsession, supporting customers to find their perfect outfit or crucial ingredients for their evening meal. After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a First Class degree in History, I went full-time into grocery retail and have never looked back.
My career has seen me stacking shelves and working the check-outs, learning the commercial skills of buying Produce at the UK’s largest food retailer Tesco, developing innovative new products as the Biscuits & Confectionery buyer at Marks & Spencer (and the Percy Pig buyer!) and launching two new grocery businesses at Amazon (Treasure Truck and Amazon Fresh Stores).
I inherited my strong work ethic from my parents who both worked their way up from entry level roles in their organisations to senior positions and as a first-generation university graduate I value hard work and am not afraid of rolling up my sleeves.
I have a keen curiosity and have worked in different capacities learning new skills including Buying, Supply Chain, Product and Program Management and more recently Marketing, Brand and Sustainability. After 8 years within physical grocery retailing, I moved into omni-channel grocery, learning about the growing online grocery space.
In my current role I lead an omni-channel team spanning 9 functions, responsible for sourcing and developing all Amazon private label food across physical stores and online in Europe.
Renee Francesca | Student, Content Writer, Tutor, Consultant | Nottingham Trent University
My name is Renee. I am a third year law student and Content Writer since 2014.
I have accumulated 23,000 reads on my freelance novel and I have written copy for various brands in the financial & insurance industry. My most recent work has been reviews for Notts TV Book Club, and reviewing the documentary of Claude Monet!
Emma Letheren | Equity Research analyst | RBC
I joined RBC on their graduate scheme after studying Economics at the University of Nottingham.
After nine months on Equity Sales I moved into the Consumer Staples team in Equity Research. I was able to keep spending time with clients, which I love, but also develop my accounting and valuation skills and get a better insight into a specific sector. I feel very lucky that the move was into Consumer Staples - a tangible and relatable sector as we all consume food, beverages and personal care items. My career has enabled me to spend my days conversing with interesting and incredibly intelligent people about how the world will evolve (including the CEOs and CFOs of some of the biggest companies in the world!). The role has also afforded me the opportunity to fly to many interesting places such as Mumbai and Mexico City to understand the consumer in these markets.
Alongside my role in Equity Research, I am the Secretary Officer at RWomen, an Employee Resource Group at RBC focused on championing D&I through events, personal development and charity opportunities for employees. Within this role I focus on driving impact of the committee which is set up with various sub-teams (Membership, Communications, Events, Internal Cultural Change). I bring all of those teams together and develop resources to help us collaborate in the most effective way.
Jessica McNamee | Senior Manager, Customer and Colleague Strategy | Lloyds Banking Group
I grew up learning from two fantastic parents: my Dad an Assurance Analyst (methodical and quality-obsessed), my Mum an End of Life carer (full of warmth and zest).
This combination created in me a natural passion for creativity and collaboration, with a level-headed pragmatic approach to project delivery.
My career to date has been, without a doubt, a rollercoaster. The English language Graduate spent all her free time as the Station Editor of the university radio, responsible for the station and its 100+ volunteers.
Neither are a natural translation towards banking, but I quickly differentiated myself from Economics and Accounting graduates with my innovation, project management experience and, critically, ability to tell a story.
This language of storytelling has continually set me apart, applying its benefit to everything from data visualisation, to senior stakeholder engagement, to inciting change.
My thirst for knowledge and change has characterised a broad set of roles across my 8 years, from customer co-creation and design through to proof of concept, strategic vision setting, and delivery of key core programmes for LBG.
In the latter I was promoted to Senior Manager with a team of eight, becoming one of the youngest leaders in the Bank.
I now lead a team of ten on Customer and Colleague Strategy, and also co-chair a regional team of 40 volunteers for the Breakthrough Women's network.
I love both roles and their platform for me to make a meaningful impact.
The bookworm... the broadcaster... now the banker and Breakthrough Co-Chair.
Rouya Mardani | Eagle Labs Proposition Delivery Manager | Barclays
Rouya embarked on her professional journey in banking and finance whilst studying Psychology and Counselling at the University of Huddersfield.
Despite initial doubts about fitting into the traditional banking world, Rouya was determined to pursue this career path becoming the first in her family to venture into banking. Born in the UK to parents that migrant in the 1970s, she recognised the industry's lack of diversity, which only fuelled her desire to pioneer within her family.
Starting as a part-time cashier at her local branch, Rouya quickly advanced to become a personal banker demonstrating her capabilities and earning recognition for her high achievement. Her leadership qualities were evident as she rose to the position of branch manager, overseeing a team of nine during the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, where she emerged as an influential leader.
In 2021, Rouya transitioned to Eagle Labs as a Digital Security Hub Lab Manager, dedicated to supporting Greater Manchester's cyber ecosystem. Alongside her main role Rouya advocated passionately for Barclays to promote diversity and inclusion, proactively engaging in related initiatives. Following a promotion, she extended her support to government-funded programmes such as Product Builder, supporting idea-stage founders in testing, validating, and developing their products. Rouya also contributed to the Female Founder Accelerator programme, providing women with tailored masterclasses and 121 support, and launched the Black Venture Growth programme, supporting Black founders in overcoming barriers to fundraising through targeted support and facilitating their scaling journey.
Lucy Ellis-Keeler | Vice President, Global Business Development & Innovation ICRM | Citi
Lucy Ellis-Keeler is a Global Compliance Officer for Business Development and Innovation at a major bank, supporting the business growth in adherence with global laws rules and regulations.
Prior to this role, Lucy sat on the trading floor covering Commodities in Europe Middle East and Africa and solved cross departmental challenges and furthered people strategy in a Chief of Staff Office.
Before joining in 2021, Lucy completed a graduate program at another major bank, covering their Payments and Leasing business, and earning a certification in Regulations & Securities from the CISI. During this period, she started organising mentoring walks with US NGO, Vital Voices, which sparked her love for bringing together networks to inspire and empower communities.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Lucy mentors students with Career Ready and the University of Bristol, and leads volunteering and donation drives with Smart Works, a charity who empower women into employment through interview coaching and dressing. Lucy was selected as a UN Women UK delegate for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) and is a One Young World Ambassador.
Lucy is the co-chair of the Future Leaders Shadow Board (FLSB) for Women in Banking & Finance (WIBF) UK, a membership body that has championed women in financial services for over 40 years. Lucy demonstrates leadership and oversight of the Board as an advocate for governance she hopes to inspire organisations of all sizes to accelerate change through youth representation.