Bella Reid | Founder, Product Designer | Clens Cosmetics
In my early twenties, I worked as a commercial MUA at counters within department stores, as a freelance MUA, working with photographers, theatres and magazines.
This gave me huge experience and understanding of the market as a B2C consumer and as a B2B worker. Over the years working in this industry the lack of innovation and focus on the prevalent issue of hygiene frustrated not only me but other MUA’s and domestic users. Graduating Brunel University’s Industrial Design & Technology course, worked a placement year with AV Specialist Green Hippo, PhD within the Human Centred Design Institute London working with Jaguar Land Rover on ”Autonomous vehicles & how do we trust them”. I lectured & taught Graphic Communications, 3d software Solidworks and Rhino, Design for Manufacture & loved every second. Due to a flare up of my chronic illness, I was hospitalised for 2 years, meaning I had to stop my PhD, my job lecturing and I lost everything and had to start over. This led me to found Clens Cosmetics. Blending my background as a Makeup Artist from my early 20’s, with my engineering background at Brunel University, and my deep understanding of healthcare, Clens Cosmetics was born.
Emily Bailey | Co-Founder | GREEN-BiT Software
Before games, Emily’s history spans from working in the NHS to powerhouse marketing giant Red Bull.
Over the course of her six years of being in games, alongside being Co-Founder & CEO of award winning game developer Antler Studios, Emily previously led BD & Ops at CULT Games, participating in two private equity fundraising rounds and signing powerhouse Developers including BAFTA winners Witchbeam. She has worked on games such as Galacticare (Brightrock Games, 2024) and Tempopo (Witch Beam, 2024 ETA). Em is currently on the Board of Code Coven CIC, a non-profit which focuses on introducing and elevating underrepresented persons into the games and tech industry, as Director of BD she has been instrumental in introducing additional revenue streams to future-proof the org in a period of flux in both games and the DEI space. In 2023 she Co-Founded Greenbit, a new software company with a mission to decarbonise the software industries by innovating with automated optimisation tools for developers and tools for users to understand their energy costs and consumption. Em is a BAFTA Member, becoming a Juror in 2024 for the Multiplayer category, as well as being selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe list. By age 29, Emily has fundraised over £2m+ throughout her six-years in the industry across private equity, grants and crowdfunding.
Isha Nawaz | Information Security Lead | bp
I currently work for bp and joined just over 18 months ago. My role is to help mitigate risk associated with cyber security and the ever-changing threat landscape.
I am currently studying a Coaching apprenticeship. I am a passionate diversity champion, advocate for mental health and a keen volunteer. I am a mother of two and for fun I enjoy Reformer Pilates, reading, creative writing and travelling. I believe my purpose is to empower others to identify their potential and support them in achieving it.
Camilla Burdekin-Roberts | Business Assurance Manager | SSE plc
I completed my degree in International Business in 2013 and joined a large energy company on their graduate scheme.
This allowed me to see different areas of the business while also undertaking a diploma in Business Management. I was fortunate in requesting my placement selection led me to the Internal Audit team. After 2 weeks, I found this was a great fit for me as I was able to analyse data, communicate with senior management, learn about the whole business and gain a broader understanding of the risk and control environment. At the end of the scheme a job was advertised in the Audit team and I was successes in gaining the position as a trainee Internal Auditor, where I was fortunate enough undertake my Diploma in Internal Audit and become a Certified Internal Auditor. I undertook many audits across the business and was frequently nominated for ”audit finding of the month” as I had a passion for finding control weaknesses. I progressed to Auditor and then to Senior Auditor which allowed me to spend more time supporting others in the team and collaborating on audits. A new Business Assurance team was created in one of the business units and I saw this as an opportunity to apply my knowledge and skills into a business unit which was starting from scratch in their journey and ”get my hands dirty” and support the business in providing management with Assurance, its been a busy 4 years, no 2 days are the same.
Rebecca Lobb | Senior Well Site Leader | BP
Rebecca started her career at Shell as a Graduate Well Engineer. She was the first generation of her family to go to University and through an interesting turn of events ended up studying Engineering.
She went on to work offshore for Apache, Chrysaor (now Harbour) and finally with BP. She worked my way from being a trainee to Senior Well Site Leader (drilling supervisor) supervising a team offshore to execute well drilling operations. Having always been aware of how valuable advice is for young people, she supports Wells Graduates to succeed offshore during year 1 and settle to the world of work. She also support recruitment by going to Universities to talk about my path and what exciting careers BP can offer to widen access to opportunities. This doesn’t stop at recruitment. She developed a North Sea Wells Onboarding programme to convey basic knowledge to new Graduates before going offshore and acts as a mentor to new Graduates. Having worked in a male dominated role, she understands the challenges women face working in male dominated fields - especially working on an Oil Rig offshore. She has made changes to help to facilitate women being offshore and supporting new women entering the industry. She also co-leads the Women in Wells network in the North Sea and sits of the North Sea Women’s Network committee.
Natasha Feldman | Gas & LNG Analyst | Macquarie
Having completed my Economics degree at UCL, I began my career as a graduate in the Gas & Power team.
Over the past six years, I have focused on gas analytics, establishing myself as the leading expert on gas markets within my team. My work is driven by the fast-paced environment and the dynamic geopolitical landscape that shapes the energy sector. The analytical aspects of my role allow me to refine our market predictions and decision-making processes. Engaging with clients and expanding my skill set across various facets of the business has been equally rewarding, contributing to our collective success. Throughout my career, I have been committed to supporting other women in the energy business and within my company. I have participated in speaking and networking events, sharing my career journey in the energy sector within finance. Additionally, I have been involved in mentorship programs, guiding female interns and graduates, something I believe in strongly.
Natasha Khan | Nuclear Safety Engineer | Mott MacDonald
Natasha currently works as a Nuclear Safety Engineer within the Nuclear division at Mott MacDonald.
She is experienced in technical advisory, stakeholder engagement and production of technical documentation with a focus on new nuclear development. She has a bachelor’s degree in physics and is a Member of the Institute of Physics. Prior to Mott MacDonald she worked in the NGO Sector within International Development as a Climate Action Intern. She is Early Career Professional Small Modular Portfolio Lead for Mott MacDonald, co-Programme Manager for Mott MacDonald Women in Nuclear and Co vice-chair of the Europe & UK Advancing Race and Culture Network. She is passionate about ED&I and increasing representation across the sector and has recently been awarded Graduate of the Year in the UK Nuclear Skills Awards 2024 and Champion of the Year in the Women in Nuclear UK Awards 2024. As a Muslim female South Asian Engineer Natasha is well aware of the importance of visibility in increasing diversity.
Audrey Low | Race Against Dementia Research Fellow | University of Cambridge
I am a dementia researcher studying the early risk factors of dementia to inform dementia prevention targets.
I completed my PhD at the University of Cambridge in 2022, and have since been awarded a research fellowship from Race Against Dementia to advance my ongoing research. Prior to my PhD, I studied Psychology at the National University of Singapore, where I developed a deep appreciation of brain health. After my undergraduate studies, I worked in the Singapore government for several years conducting healthcare policy research, which gave me insights into how policies are developed, evaluated, and communicated to the public. Through this role, I grew to see how our ability to make good policy decisions was inherently limited by how little we knew about dementia. After much thought, I realised that returning to my love of neuroscience to do dementia research was effectively how I could contribute most meaningfully. So, I left my role and reinvented my career path, starting as a research assistant, a PhD student, and now a postdoctoral researcher. Looking ahead, I am hopeful that my years of experience working in the government will help me communicate effectively with policymakers to translate our research into real-world changes in policy.
Dr Bo Kelestyn | Associate Professor | Warwick Business School
Dr Bozhena (Bo) Kelestyn is a design thinking academic and practitioner with a diverse teaching and consulting portfolio.
She works as an Associate Professor and Course Director for the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation (which Bo is also an alumna of) at the Warwick Business School (WBS). Bo is passionate about democratising design thinking. Outside of academia, Bo worked with The Guardian Masterclasses as their lead design thinking masterclass tutor. Bo also partnered with Warwick School to co-found the first in the UK school design thinking award, which has been completed by 200+ pupils. In May 2022, shortly after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bo leveraged her design thinking expertise to develop a vision for an educational leadership programme. Partnering with the Ukrainian Leadership Academy, with support from Ukraines Ministry of Education and Science and Ministry of Digital Transformation, Bo founded the first and only of its kind Masters level programme, Leadership for Educational Transformation (LET), aimed at supporting the rebuilding and transformation of education in Ukraine. In 2024, 40+ educators from 25+ institutions in Ukraine completed the programme at Warwick, impacting individual careers and strengthening Ukraines educational leadership cadre. Bo holds several awards for her contribution to teaching and learning. Bo is the youngest at Warwick and only second at WBS to hold the Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA), first at WBS and only one of three at Warwick to hold the Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK (FEEUK).
Harriet Benbow | Principal Teacher of Raising Attainment & Digital Learning | Perth & Kinross Council
I started my career as a Primary Teacher, I have been a teacher for 12 years now. I was asked to lead Digital Learning within my school.
It was a challenge to start with as we had poor WiFi, lack of resources and anxious staff, but we started small. I established a set of Digital Leaders (pupil age) who developed their own Digital Skills and then cascaded the information they learned to others. I also delivered training during collegiate and In- Service time. This is where I realised I had a real passion for helping others, particularly when it came to Digital Learning. I then became an Education Support Officer, working in the central team with all Early Years, Primary and Secondary settings (over 100 settings in total). I helped them prove outcomes for young people through use of Digital. In this role I was responsible for the Education Digital Strategy and also helping each Education Setting create their own Digital Strategy and manageable action plan. To date I have helped over 40 settings achieve their Digital Schools Award. I am a big believer in preparing our young people for their uncertain future, I think a big part of this is providing them with adaptable skills for their uncertain future. These skills include Digital Literacy, Digital Well-being, Cyber Resilience and Internet Safety. Through my work as an Education Support Officer I have delivered a variety of of professional development sessions for Educators to help them develop skills within EdTech.