Hannah O'Neill | Action Tutoring
After graduating with a degree in Sociology and Criminology in 2016, I became the 'Programme Coordinator for Liverpool' with Action Tutoring - a national education charity dedicated to supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve a meaningful level of academic attainment, with a view to enabling them to access further education, employment or training.
In August 2020, after 3.5 years as a Programme Coordinator, having built a series of strong, collaborative relationships and partnerships across the region, I was promoted to the new position of 'Partnerships and Fundraising Manager', leading corporate and university relationships across the country to strengthen the charity, whilst overseeing the charities fundraising activities.
A passionate volunteer, having volunteered for several years as an A-Level Sociology tutor, a mentor for young women, befriender for Mencap and a Veterans charity for retired Armed Forces personnel, and as a fundraiser for The Cat’s Protection League. My CPD includes qualifying as a certified Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, Timeline Coach and Hypnotherapist Practitioner.
I innately believe we can all be the difference that makes the difference.
Sherrie Smith | Gypsies and Travellers Essex
Sherrie Smith was born and raised in a traditional Romany Gypsy family, living in North London and Hertfordshire.
Having left school early, and having had both a successful career as a business woman and a community activist, whilst single handily raising two daughters. Sherrie returned to education as a mature student; gaining her BA in Social Science, Community Development and Youth Work from Goldsmiths, University of London, in 2019.
Sherrie's professional interests include challenging prejudice, racism and bias (both conscious and unconscious) directed at Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, which can act as a barrier to accessing services, as well as widening participation and access to Higher Education for her community. She has a keen interest in empowering youth and women from the community.
She has been also involved in campaigning and activism for a number of years, working in grass-root community organisations, NGOs and community organisation of charitable activities.
She has led projects and training on Roma genocide, Hate crime, palliative care and suicide awareness for Gypsies and Travellers. Sherrie is currently working with Buckinghamshire New University as a research assistant and also with Goldsmiths college of London, Wider Participation department to increase representation of Gypsy, Roma and Travellers in Higher Education. Sherrie is also a founder member of the NGO Gypsies and Travellers Essex; and Report Racism GRT, national hate crime reporting website.
She is currently studying for a post graduate degree in education at Buckinghamshire New University.
Eunice Zhu | SMBC Nikko Capital Markets (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation)
Eunice Zhu has a decade of investment banking work experience, specializing in multi-asset derivatives trading and portfolio management and she is passionate about volunteering and making a positive impact.
She is currently heading up the XVA desk in SMBC Nikko Capital Markets Ltd, the capital market arm of Japanese mega-bank Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) in Europe, where she is responsible for managing and hedging the counterparty risks of the bank’s global derivatives portfolio and leading strategic projects to enhance the XVA valuation infrastructure, with a focus on EMEA. Prior to SMBC, Eunice had worked as a Vice President in Counterparty Risk Trading at Royal Bank of Canada Capital Markets for three years and an Associate Director in XVA Trading followed by FX Options Trading at UniCredit Bank for five years, in London. Having also worked for AXA Wealth Management (Hong Kong), HSBC and Citi (Shanghai), Eunice is capable of advising on various aspects of financial derivatives valuation and risk management particularly in counterparty risks/XVA.
Eunice graduated with a Distinction in MSc in Finance & Economics from the London School of Economics in 2009. Prior to that, she graduated with the highest GPA in BSc in Quantitative Economics and Econometrics from the Shanghai University of Finance & Economics (SUFE) in China, with one year of exchange experience in Sweden during the junior year. She is currently a CFA® charterholder and a panel member of the Investment Management Certificate (IMC) awarded by CFA UK.
Outside work, Eunice has spent the majority of her spare time volunteering, with a strong belief in giving back and make difference, particularly in gender diversity. Eunice has founded and leads the Lean In (Women in Banking & Finance) circle with more than 150 members, connecting and empowering women with career ambitions in the finance industry. She is also the committee member of the UK Chinese Women Connect (UKCWC) charity where her growing leadership skill is utilized in projects and events benefiting all women involved. For UKCWC, she was also invited as a guest speaker providing insights into Finance and sharing her tips for career success as a woman. Eunice believes in championing women and building female pipelines in the financial industry - she is currently mentoring for both Career Lead helping female graduates into the workplace and the One Search’s “Young Women into Finance'' scholarship program targeting young women of school age (post-GCSE). Outside of UK, Eunice has been sponsoring two little girls, who long for a better future, in Honduras and Cambodia for more than 8 years, via WorldVision UK. She has also volunteered in Uganda through an NGO called ENVenture, working with a women-led micro-enterprise in sustainable energy.
She is also an avid traveller, hiker and scuba diver.
Yaa Ofori-Ansah | Barclays
With a background in Law and Development, Yaa works as an Assistant Vice President (AVP) within Barclays Sustainability & ESG team, focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.
Yaa’s responsibilities include developing approaches to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); developing the governance framework and position statements on the bank’s ESG-related commitments; and conducting research on emerging ESG trends. She also works to showcase the work she does in Sustainability & ESG, such as through work shadowing, to increase the diversity in this growing area for businesses.
At Barclays, Yaa is a proud member of the Barclays Black Professionals Forum (BPF) Leadership team, and was recently appointed Deputy Co-Chair, leading responsible for leading on career development and community engagement initiatives. For nearly three years, Yaa has also co-led BPF’s flagship RISE mentoring programme, equipping Black and Ethnic Minority students with the skills and confidence to achieve their future goals; nurturing talent from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds; and creating a pipeline of diverse talent into Barclays. Under her my co-leadership, the programme has expanded its annual intake by 250%, included work experience hosted at Barclays Headquarters, expanded to include a dedicated Insight Programme for Year 10 students, and increased our partnerships with other schools and organisations.
She also helps organise the bank’s annual Black History Month events. In June 2019, the BPF Leadership team won the 2019 Barclays Citizenship and Diversity Award for Inclusion Champion, as result of the RISE Mentoring Programme, amongst other successes. BPF were nominated again in 2020 and have been nominated again in 2021.
Yaa is also part of one of the bank’s Race at Work Taskforce, helping to embed the Bank’s Race at Work Agenda commitments, to ensure tangible, and long-term changes across the organisation.
Passionate about African development, Yaa's previous experience includes working as a Researcher at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, a Research Assistant at the Constitution Review Commission in Ghana, and volunteering as a Team Leader in Tanzania, as part of Raleigh International's International Citizenship Service (ICS) programme.
Outside of work, continues to be involved with her alma mater, as a Trustee to the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Board of Lay Trustees.
Hannah Awonuga | Barclays
I started my career in banking when I was seventeen. As a school leaver, my initial ambition was just to get into employment.
Over the past fifteen years, I have grown and developed through my career, internally moving up the organisation to gain my experience. In 2012 I graduated from Anglia Ruskin University with a fully sponsored degree in management and leadership and was promoted to my first leadership role; this is where my passion for Inclusion and people development grew. I have been in a leadership position for the past eight years. In 2019 successfully received a promotion into the Group Diversity and Inclusion team; this was all whilst on maternity leave. In 2017 I founded Rarity London Inclusion and Development, focusing on female career growth development and organisational inclusive leadership development.
Yulia Manyutina | Coutts
Originally from Russia, at the age of 16 I received a full scholarship to study abroad at the United World College of the Adriatic in Italy – a school that brings together young leaders from all over the world and promotes peace and intercultural understanding.
While studying for my International Baccalaureate there, I have also remotely finished my school in Russia with distinction and even received the State-Level Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Achievements in Learning.
I then moved to the UK where I studied a Law and Business Degree at the University of Warwick. Despite the initial struggle due to English being my third language, I studied hard, overcame all the difficulties, and was even recognised as the Best Student on the Course. While at the university, I also established Warwick Women’s Careers Society which under my leadership helped hundreds of female students to achieve their chosen careers.
I joined NatWest Group straight out of the university on a graduate rotational programme. As a part of it, I worked with Technology, Media and Telecommunications team, helping to attract new businesses to the bank. I then joined the Structured Finance team where I was involved in the structuring of complex multimillion lending deals for FTSE 100 companies.
Throughout my time on the Graduate programme, I led Marketing & Communications Council that was responsible for communication with 600+ graduates from 12 different programs across 5 different locations. I also worked in the Steering Committee of the Structured Finance Training & Development Council where I organised bi-weekly trainings for 380+ people located in 6 countries across 2 continents. I also worked as the Secretary of the London & South East Regional Board where I supported a group of key Managing Directors in the region in delivering the Bank’s strategy in the area of community engagement, education, diversity and inclusion.
I then decided to take on a new challenge and moved to a previously unknown to me part of the Bank – Private Banking – where I became the youngest ever Private Banker at Coutts. I studied intensively and worked very hard to become a regulated advisor in record time – successfully passing all my exams on first attempt and with distinction in under 2 months (although the qualification usually takes between 6 and 12 months to complete) and obtaining my regulated advisor status in record time.
Today, I am 25 years old and I am the only female regulated Private Banker at the Bank covering the European and American markets. I look after some of the wealthiest and most high-profile families in the region which is both a great privilege and a huge responsibility.
In addition to my day-to-day work, I also lead the Aspiring Leaders Forum that helps 300+ employees on pre-director level to develop their careers. Being passionate about developing others, I also mentor young women just starting their careers in financial services.
Outside of work, I am a keen volunteer who led fundraising campaigns for a number of charities, including Sense and The Prince’s Trust, and worked as the Secretary of the Board of an educational charity UWC Great Britain. I also regularly run free financial education workshops for children at MoneySense programme where I help children to develop good money habits by using real-life experiences and case studies.
I speak 4 languages and in my free time you can find me bouldering, taking dance classes, reading classic literature, and travelling.
Meenal Upadhyay | Morgan Stanley
Meenal Upadhyay is an Associate at Morgan Stanley and serves as full stack developer in Legal and Compliance Division.
Previously, she supported projects on client pricing, automated trading and risk management, providing real-time pricing, and associated pricing meta-data with Morgan Stanley.
Prior to joining the Firm, Meenal worked as a developer in the Market Risk space.
Meenal is a volunteer with the STEM Ambassador Programme supporting schools and the local community, as well serving as co-chair of the Cultural Awareness Network for Morgan Stanley in Glasgow.
Charlotte Morphet | St Albans City and District Council/Women in Planning
As a co-founder of the Women in Planning network, Charlotte has actively sought to achieve equal recognition and opportunity for women in the sector.
She is a considerate, passionate, and an inclusive advocate. Charlotte is distinctive in her focus on partnership working as a route to achieving change. As a chartered town planner, she realises she has a critical role in shaping inclusive and equitable places and spaces.
What makes Charlotte unique is her dedication to evidencing the issues in the planning sector. In her spare time, she has produced research on the gender leadership gap in planning. Charlotte has now embarked on a part time PhD to study women’s experiences as leaders and managers in planning, after being awarded a bursary from Leeds Beckett University.
Charlotte strongly believes that early career professionals should have a voice in shaping the future of their industries. She is Chair of the Planning Officers Society NOVUS network for early career planners; as well as sitting on the Board as a Trustee and a Director; representing their voices. Charlotte is also a member of the Academy of Urbanism Young Urbanists Steering Committee; which is committed to engaging in multidisciplinary discussions. She has previously
Emily Wallis | Sainsbury's
Emily Wallis is one to watch in Digital Marketing, passionate about creating more impactful and powerful customer experiences.
Having worked for Sainsbury’s Argos for two and a half years she has quickly established herself as a passionate and determined colleague. From the delivery of new marketing strategies to the rolling out of automated creative ad templates to create a market leading digital marketing experience. She has worked across a breadth of campaigns across General Merchandise, Clothing and Groceries. Her enthusiasm for inclusivity has also seen her move at pace to deliver plans within the Sainsbury’s gender balance network, Inspire, in ways that have never been achieved before.
Samantha Gould | NOW: Pensions
A self-confessed pensions geek, Samantha has worked in pensions since graduating from university in 2008.
Samantha has been instrumental in raising awareness of the inequalities in the UK pension system, where women often lose out with £137k less in their pensions than men. Since 2019, Samantha has produced two industry-leading reports which have gained national media coverage reaching a total audience of over 40 million.
As a single mother, Samantha is passionate about creating a fairer UK pension system for herself and her young daughter and future generations.
Samantha was shortlisted in the UN Women UK Awards 2020 and is an Ambassador for the CII Insuring Women’s Future’s initiative.