Phoebe Waters | J.S. Held
I am a Director in the Global Investigations department of JS Held.
I am a senior investigator and a strong and influential female leader in the sector, specialising in complex disputes including high-quantum fraud cases and asset tracing and recovery exercises. Over the past eight years since embarking on my career, my clients have included law firms, high-net worth individuals, multi-national companies, financial institutions and governments. I have most recently worked at Schillings, managing multifaceted litigation-support matters, and Burford Capital, where I was case manager for investigations including a project in support of one of the top largest Awards (over USD 6 billion) ever handed down against a state by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes.
I am a law graduate, also with a BA in Russian and an MA in International Security. Most recently, this year, I obtained a qualification from the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Sustainability Leadership: ‘Women Leading Change: Shaping our Future”. I speak Russian and Spanish.
I am Chair of The Female Fraud Forum, having been elected in February 2022 and re-elected in February 2023 (+ Membership Secretary for 2 years prior). The FFF is a multi-disciplinary non-for-profit organisation comprising a network of c1,5000 members/supporters in the fraud, asset recovery and investigations sector – an industry that has often been dominated by men. The FFF’s aim is to spearhead the fight for change so that gender equality becomes ingrained in the workplace and secured for future generations.
I mentor and coach females in the sector.
Siona Lamble | NatWest Group
Siona is currently a director in the capital and pricing advisory team in NatWest Group, moving to this role in December 2022 to focus on strategic projects.
Siona had worked in Treasury for many years previously, focusing on liquidity risk and interest rate risks for the bank. Siona is a co-chair of the NatWest Group Gender Network which has over 9000 members and multiple hundred volunteers.
Siona started with NatWest Group as a Finance Graduate in Sept 2008. She is a Chartered Management Accountant and a Member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers and is particularly interested in breaking stereotypes on careers given her mathematical career.
Alanna Lee | Morgan Stanley
I am a Managing Director in the Legal and Compliance Division at Morgan Stanley.
I am the European head of legal coverage for Morgan Stanley’s Prime Brokerage business.
I have been a lawyer for 29 years and practised law in Vancouver, Canada; Tokyo; and London. Before joining Morgan Stanley, I was the European Head of Legal for the Lehman Chapter 11 bankruptcy estate, General Counsel for a European hedge fund and a partner at Allen & Overy (a global law firm). I an the Chair of the trustee for the Morgan Stanley UK pension fund and a trustee of the Temple Grove Schools Trust (a charitable organisation with a focus on primary school education). I am also a member of the Morgan Stanley Diversity Action Counsel and an active mentor (both informally and formally, including with the Firm’s programme with the Social Mobility Foundation and as the MD Sponsor for the Morgan Stanley Trainee Solicitor programme). I also co-sponsor the Firm’s Net East Asia network and the Step In Step Up Foundations in Finance programme. I live in London with my daughter, whom I adopted from Russia in 2010 (as a single parent).
Dr Eleni Meletiadou | London Metropolitan University
Dr Eleni Meletiadou, Director of the Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Research Group, Senior Lecturer in Equality Diversity and Inclusion, researcher, and Course Director of the BA Business Management and HRM Course, is a fervent advocate for gender equality supporting women in the academy.
Her research aims to increase the visibility of inequalities faced by Female Young Researchers and Innovators (FYRIs) from a gender perspective and to promote a sustainable dialogue between FYRIs and stakeholders in the research ecosystem at the systemic level and at the institutional level.
Emily Pham | Scrum Master Support Analyst | HSBC
Emily is a technology professional working at HSBC and actively advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Growing up as an individual who is from a lower socioeconomic background, ethnic minority & was part of an underrepresented group in her studies and now in her professional life, this fuels her passion to advocate diversity, equity & inclusion. Emily is on the committee for the HSBC UK Women in Tech network where she has organised many events from global panel discussions, networking mixers and WiT awards. She also volunteers in initiatives to attract young talent into tech from inviting local schools to the office to teach Python and creating content around Cybersecurity and introduction to Technology to primary school pupils.
Theresa Yurkewich Hoffmann | Policy & sustainability lead specialist | Microsoft
I am a global advisor in technology, working at Microsoft to help businesses envision innovation and navigate regulation – everything from cloud technologies to carbon tracking.
I have a JD and a BA, and completed innovation programmes through Cambridge and Oxford. I have lived in Canada, the Netherlands, and the UK.
I started my career path as a lawyer working in civil litigation , where I wrote several articles on the intersection of technology and regulation. After several years, I pivoted careers and began working as an account director in public affairs, specialising in fintech and other tech start-ups. It was here that I gained global exposure to clients across EMEA including Germany, the UK, Nigeria, and South Africa. I also started advising the OECD’s public governance unit on court modernisation and digitalisation projects, combining my legal background with my technology experience to support people-centred justice. Over the last few years, I’ve spent my career working at the centre of policy and innovation – both for the City of London Corporation (in delivering the first Digital Sandbox as well as our lawtech programs), and now, at Microsoft as a regulatory and sustainability specialist. I am passionate about current events and thinking about how we can solve global challenges in a practical way.
Outside of my career, I enjoy being active in my communities. I've been a Global Shaper, a board member of Jus Gentium, a Young Diplomats of Canada delegate, and a mentor for those looking to enter the technology space.
Holly Rae | Modern Workplace Solution Architect | Corporate Project Solutions
Holly is a true trailblazer, driven by an unrelenting passion for empowering, learning, growing, and excelling within Microsoft 365 technologies.
With over 15 years of experience working in various technical environments and leadership roles, and an impressive set of Microsoft qualifications, Holly has amassed an enviable level of expertise and technological know-how, allowing her to lead and consult others with ease in the art of the Modern Workplace. While working full time, Holly is currently completing a Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship and is currently on track for a first-class degree and a full membership to the CMI. Her commitment to continuous learning and professional development is something that can inspire and motivate others to do the same, particularly other women in tech who are just starting out in their careers.
Karen Medhat | Customer Success Manager | IBM
I am a Customer Success Manager at IBM UKI and the youngest Chair of the IBM Technical Consultancy Group.
I am the youngest IBM thought leader and Open group distinguished technical specialist. I led mega projects for clients around the world in the public and private sectors. I graduated from the faculty of engineering at Cairo university with honors and 9th rank. When I was an undergraduate, I was a Microsoft Student Partner and led several initiatives for the benefit of other students at Cairo University. I worked as a research assistant and a developer in Microsoft along with my MSc part-time study which I continued with my full-time Job at IBM and published 5 publications and a patent. I have been progressing in my career at IBM, being a technical leader, inventor, Redbooks author, and creator of courses in different areas such as Cloud, IoT, AI, and blockchain which have been delivered to thousands of IT professionals, students, and university staff across the world. I joined volunteering initiatives for Women in Tech, engineering students, and mentoring IT professionals. I managed the IBM Digital Nation Africa project which has reached 50K students and professionals in Egypt and 250K in Africa to learn new technologies. Leading different teams and building enterprise applications that made difference for clients. I am the youngest member of the IBM Academy of Technology which is an elite community of top talented technical IBMers globally. I am on the editorial board of different internal journals and conferences.
Zoe Henley | Team Leader | GlaxoSmithKline
I have a passion for the discovery of new medicines and joined GSK as an Associate Scientist in 2006, after gaining a first-class MSci Chemistry Degree from the University of Bristol.
I was promoted to a Scientific Investigator in 2013 and achieved my PhD in 2014, through a collaborative programme between GSK and the University of Strathclyde. In September 2021, I was promoted to Team Leader and now have three direct reports who I support in their professional and scientific development at GSK.
As a scientist, I have utilised my synthetic and medicinal chemistry skills to enable the identification of potential drug candidates, one of which reached Phase 2 clinical trials in patients. I have a keen interest in the application of new technologies to the drug discovery process and have led a technical network on inhaled drug design within GSK. In addition, I have developed my IT skills to become a lead user for software which assists our scientists in drug compound design and data analysis.
In 2019, I took on another role in becoming mum to my son Sam and I have since progressed my career whilst working part-time. As a chemist, I have the opportunity to make the molecule that becomes a medicine to help patients and I feel like there is no greater mission than what we do at GSK.
Kirstin Kadé | Product Manager | ZOE
As a Registered Associate Nutritionist (ANutr), I have dedicated my career to improving human health through nutrition using technology.
My background in this field has been diverse, from working on the world's largest in-depth study of nutrition and the gut microbiome to date (PREDICT), to being involved in the launch of the ZOE COVID Study app, which has become the world's biggest app-based community epidemiological study into COVID-19.
I am currently working as a Product Manager at ZOE, a personalised nutrition company on a mission to improve the health of millions. In this role, I am responsible for the development and launch of ZOE's core nutrition product.
I bring a unique perspective to this role, having worked across many different areas in marketing and communications and a background in nutrition science.
As a member of the team at ZOE, I am excited to be part of an organisation that is making a real difference in people's lives through personalised nutrition. I am passionate about the work we do and am committed to developing innovative and effective products that help people achieve optimal health.