Thuy Truong ǀ Ernst & Young LLP
Born in Sydney, Australia, Thuy Truong is a Senior Manager with EY and a qualified actuary with over 10 years of insurance consulting experience spanning life insurance, asset valuation and investment management. She has led a range of complex and demanding projects for clients across the UK and Europe, working with senior management of large global insurers to prepare for the new challenges resulting from the introduction of the new regulatory requirements under Solvency II.
She is passionate about promoting women’s leadership and equality in the workplace and continues to implement initiatives within her team to continue to help her colleagues achieve their full potential. Thuy has utilised her senior position by setting up a range of training and networking opportunities to help other women in insurance to meet their challenges and achieve success.
Thuy is recognised as an outstanding mentor across EY in UK and Europe, reflecting her commitment to mentoring, coaching and implementing initiatives to help her colleagues achieve their career aspirations, while also fulfilling her demanding client commitments.
Thuy is an avid traveller and reader. She loves to experience new cultures and local food and is a member of two book clubs.
Donna Evans | Barclays
Donna has been an assistant with Barclays for 21 years, joining the Structured Finance Team in 1994 where she worked for the departmental head. Following a nine-year period with the Structured Trade and Export Finance team, Donna was approached to work for the Head of Global Loans. During this time, she also worked closely with the team’s COO and managed a team of seven other assistants. For the past six years, Donna has been working in Leveraged Loans - a move she made with her manager when he was promoted to Head of Leveraged Finance EMEA.
Donna has been actively involved with the Barclays Women’s Network (WiN) for the past four years and was approached this year by a senior sponsor of the network to form an Assistants Forum in London. Donna is now Co-chair of the Barclays WIN Assistants Forum and successfully launched the network in March 2015. The launch was followed by a “Power of Profile” networking event in June and there are many such inspirational events and initiatives planned for the rest of the year.
Prior to joining Barclays, Donna worked at two other Banks; Heritable and General Investment Bank and ANZ, and also spent time working in a summer camp in America. Donna has a passion for art and during her spare time she volunteers as a Guide at the Tate Modern and Tate Britain. She is currently half way through her OU History of Art Degree. In addition, Donna sits on the committee for the Assistants Support Group in Banking, through which she helps organise a number of fundraising initiatives and philanthropy days. Donna is active in the voluntary sector, having spent two years volunteering on a Learning Partner scheme – helping children improve their numeracy and literacy skills with George Green School on the Isle of Dogs.
Ashley Smith | British Gas Venture Capital
Ashley has spent more than a decade in technology, most recently co-founding and running British Gas Venture Capital (BGVC).
At BGVC, Ashley focuses on investing in start-ups active in areas of future growth for British Gas, particularly along the technology themes of internet-of-things, data analytics, and energy efficiency. She sets BGVC's strategy, and oversees all aspects of the investment process, from origination and transaction execution to portfolio management and exit. She has had numerous board roles with her investments and most recently exited leading internet-of-things provider AlertMe.com for $100m earlier this year.
Prior to co-founding BGVC, Ashley invested in technology companies ranging from gas turbine efficiency to solar to power electronics at CT Investment Partners. Earlier in her career, Ashley worked for Franklin Templeton Investments and the Environmental Protection Agency. She has an MBA from Wharton Business School, and a BSc from McGill University.
Ashley informally mentors investing and technology professionals in career development, informally advises new start-ups, and is regularly invited to speak at events. Outside of work, Ashley spends as much time as possible outdoors, and loves cycling and hiking.
Erin Bargate | Hiscox
I started my career five years ago in London Market Actuarial Pricing at Hiscox, where I supported a variety of underwriters writing large and unusual risks in Lloyd's. Prior to that, I moved from my hometown of Durban, South Africa to do a Masters in Financial Economics at the University of Oxford. I qualified as an Actuary last year and moved to Capital Modelling at the beginning of this year. I have recently been appointed as the leader of the team that is responsible for the Group Capital Model, which produces a range of information to assess risk and monitor capital requirements. At the end of 2012, I spent three months on secondment with the actuarial team in the Hiscox New York office.
Outside of work, I am involved in the Actuarial Profession as a volunteer member of a working party conducting research. I'm also an active participant in the Lloyd's Reading Partners scheme, where I help a child with reading skills during one lunch-time a week at a school in Bethnal Green.
I am an avid amateur sportswoman. I competed at the 2013 World Triathlon Championships in London as a member of the South African Age-Group Team. I completed the London Marathon earlier this year and the Ride London 100 mile bike ride in 2013 and 2014. In 2008, I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with my family.
Lucy Brooker | RBS
Lucy has specialised in change management over her 13 year career at RBS, leading industry wide strategic programmes. With a passion for talent management, Lucy has recently turned her attention to driving Cultural Change, and is developing creative and inspiring training solutions for the Investment Banking business (Corporate and Institutional Banking) and generating an environment for continual professional development across all global regions (UK, US, EMEA and APAC).
Lucy is a passionate champion of Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace, and holds the voluntary role of Global Personal Development Manager for the RBS Focused Women’s Network (c.8k members globally), responsible for the attraction, development and retention of the female talent pipeline. She has been invited to speak as an expert on Employee Led Networks at Parliament, assisting in the creation of their gender network and has also supported other organisations including Santander, Equiniti and Societe General.
Lucy established the partnership with everywoman to launch the everywomanNetwork to the UK Focused Women member to provide online flexible development, and also designed and delivered a Personal Brand- Image and Impact lecture to Senior Investment Bankers.
Lucy was nominated for the 30 Brummell Ones to Watch 2015
In her spare time she continues her passion to develop others, through being mentor within work, through the Princes Trust and also teaching Maths GCSE in her spare time.
Fiona Russell ǀ Accenture
I am a Strategy Consultant in Accenture’s global Digital practice based in London. In this role, I help leading organisations apply digital technologies to disrupt traditional thinking and enable new business models, products and ecosystems.
Currently I am guiding one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies with their first steps into a new digital world. I am leading a workstream to enable them to sell direct to customers across EMEA through digital channels for the first time.
My previous clients include leading organisations in the Financial Services and Communications, Media & Technology sectors. Within Financial Services I have run a number of projects, covering large scale network infrastructure programmes to deploying cutting edge security solutions to ensure compliance standards are met.
I am keen to make a difference, not only for my clients, but also for the community. I lead Accenture’s relationship people engagement with The Prince’s Trust, providing support for disadvantaged young people across the UK with employment, education and training opportunities. I am also an active member of the Young Tiffany Circle which is part of the British Red Cross – running fundraising events for the Red Cross, and as a group we have raised over £20k for the Red Cross in the last year.
In 2011 I graduated from Durham University with a BA in Anthropology and History. On graduation I worked for a social enterprise helping start-ups and early stage businesses. During my time there, I worked with the UK government, DFID, and European development organisations to run training programmes to help and support entrepreneurs and small business owners in the UK, Nigeria and Romania.
Outside of work I enjoy travelling, having spent a gap year in Malawi volunteering as primary school teacher and travelling extensively around East Africa.
Emma Couper | Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Emma Couper is the EMEA Risk Regional Business Manager, within the Chief Risk Officers, Chief Operating Officer’s team. She is based in London.
Emma joined Bank of America Merrill Lynch in May 2010 as part of the Business Management team supporting the Head of EMEA Technology Infrastructure. She moved into her current role in August 2011 and was promoted to Director in December 2014. Emma has won two Global Diversity and Inclusion Awards (2012 and 2013) and was nominated again in 2014.
Prior to joining the firm, Emma was a Commissioned Officer in the British Army, where she reached the rank of Major. Emma was a logistician by trade but during her last few years became a humanitarian specialist and led on the interface between the military and civilian communities. During her service she was posted in Germany, UK and Canada and deployed on operations to Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
"My time at Bank of America Merrill Lynch is where I have transitioned from a Military Officer to a civilian and I have been very privileged to undertake this in such a supportive environment - it has been truly intellectually demanding and ultimately rewarding. For me our people/team mates/ employees are all important so I am very grateful that I have been able to create, drive and empower a number of initiatives within EMEA Risk and the wider firm to support their personal & professional growth.
I am a great believer in the benefits of stepping out of your comfort zone both in and out of work, simply to remind myself that ‘to succeed, you have to try'. As such I did my first ever triathlon at Windsor in early June over the Olympic distance. I was the only one of my friends who had not done a triathlon before and was utterly terrified - but I got round and actually rather enjoyed it.
I am now ready for the next challenge which will see me becoming business manager to the Chief Executive Officer at Aviva Investors in September 2015. I feel that my career in the financial sector is just beginning and as such am very grateful for this nomination."
Dawn Riley ǀ Aon Hewitt
As one of Aon Hewitt's brightest young consultants, Dawn is equally comfortable taking complicated pension proposals to financial directors as she is running the consulting skills training day on our graduate induction course. In an industry where age and experience are seen as key qualities, Dawn has already established herself as a lead advisor to several of the UK's most familiar companies.
Away from consulting, Dawn is passionate about creating an environment where people feel valued and their talents are fully recognised through her work as Training & Development co-ordinator for the Women's International Network within Aon. Dawn is an active member of the Women in Leadership group within Aon Hewitt and a member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries' Diversity Advisory Group. She is also a keen advocate in giving back to the community and has organised volunteering events where she and her colleagues in Epsom have worked with Mencap to transform the garden and interior of one of their residences.
In short, Dawn is a well-rounded and personable consultant with excellent technical and consulting skills. However, it is her courage and integrity that really set her apart. She always does what she believes is right, even when it is difficult and is not afraid to challenge the status quo to help push the business in new directions. Dawn really is a great ambassador for Aon and both clients and colleagues appreciate her authenticity and quick wit.
Liana Johnstone ǀ Barclays
Liana graduated from university with an honours degree in Public Administration and Management. Following this Liana worked in Washington D.C. as in intern for a non-partisan Government organisation creating models of legislation. Liana returned to Scotland and joined ScottishPower working as a P.A. to the Director of Business Transformation. Here Liana played a key part in rolling-out the Six Sigma programme. Liana moved to Guernsey for 3 years and worked as an Assistant Corporate Secretary for a multinational offshore bank. In 2008, Liana joined Barclays Wealth as P.A., working with colleagues to make Barclays the ‘Go To’ bank. Liana’s role encompasses a wide range of activities including management and business support, budgetary administration, event organising and communications co-ordination. She is heavily involved with Barclay’s Citizenship initiatives and is passionate about leaving things better than she found them.
Liana enjoys travelling and hill walking in her spare time.