Hanna Roos | Latham & Watkins LLP
Senior Associate | Latham & Watkins LLP
I was born the eldest daughter of 12 in Finland, and discouraged from aiming for Oxford. Now I’m an Oxford and Cambridge educated Solicitor Advocate (Higher Courts), and a Senior Associate at Latham & Watkins – the world’s largest law firm by revenue. I practice broadly in international disputes, and specialize particularly in energy and pharma (https://www.lw.com/people/hanna-roos).
Studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, Oxford, imprinted a passion for ethics and justice which informs what I do:
- Setting up and co-leading Latham’s global Parent Lawyers Group, which supports the progression of parent lawyers (mothers and fathers) at the firm (https://www.lw.com/AboutUs/Diversity/Affinity). Our awesome initiatives to support those returning to work and planning parenting have generated excitement in our more than 30 offices.
- Co-leading our London Pro Bono Committee to help the disadvantaged by offering free legal advice. This help has merited an external award from TrustLaw. Globally, our help is valued at nearly US$ 1.1 billion since 2000.
- Mentoring junior lawyers and inspiring both male and female colleagues by leading with a gender neutral style and “leaning in” (thank you Sheryl). I believe in openness and have shared my experience of miscarriages to help others speak up, stay positive and manage their career during difficult times.
- Acting on high-profile matters to support victims of historic torture and human rights violations.
- Using my ethics and legal background to help patients. This began a decade ago after two of my siblings passed away because of a rare medical condition. I have established a collaboration with Harvard and been invited an External Professor in clinical pharmacology to a Masters course supported by Milan University, Mario Negri Institute and Novartis Pharma.
- Supporting students launching their first start-ups, as part of a leading business school’s “Founder’s Lab”.
I am a supportive wife to an NHS junior doctor, mother to a 3.5 year old Tyrannosaurus Rex (so he thinks), a caring au pair employer and the owner of an over-sized Alsatian as well as six tetra-fish. I began my career at a magic circle firm and have worked in Paris and London. We do karate as a family on weekends (to try to shake off exhaustion!) and, at our son’s insistence, sponsor wild elephants.
Liz Dimmock | Women Ahead
A coaching and mentoring expert who is dedicated to using this knowledge to bring about tangible change for women in sport and business. Ex-global Head of Coaching at HSBC and Managing Partner at GP Strategies. First woman to cycle the entire route of the Tour de France (2012). 30% Club steering committee member and co-chair of the Club’s sport and business working group.
Liz’s cycling achievement highlighted long-standing inequality in the sport she loves - and ignited her desire to use her corporate experience to bring about a level playing field for women in sport and business. In May 2014 Liz founded Women Ahead. She also sits on the Steering Committee of the 30% Club and is co-chair of their Sport and Business working group.
Women Ahead, moves organisations beyond the debate and focuses on practical action to improve the parity of women in sport and business. Over the last two years Liz has been fundamental in creating innovative partnerships between and within the worlds of sport and business. Liz has led the three initiatives of particular note: the delivery of the 30% Club’s cross-company mentoring scheme (supporting 640 mentors and mentees from 49 organisations in 2016); Women Ahead’ flagship cross-company mentoring scheme; and a pioneering Speakers Academy for female athletes.
Women Ahead has worked with 102 organisations and supported more than 2,300 mentors and mentees, working in partnership to create positive change and build the pipeline of female talent. Liz has managed to effectively bring together sport and business in a unique way, at scale, with sustainable models for the future. Liz is currently leading a research programme into the myths and realties of women’s networks.
Robert Thesiger | The FISER Group
Robert is a graduate of Exeter University and Cranfield School of Management with over 24 years’ experience of Human Capital Management within Financial Services. Robert’s career has been framed within recruitment where he was the Chief Executive of a publically listed global financial services recruitment business which he was instrumental in building to over 500 staff across 15 international locations. In 2010 he co-founded The FISER Group, of which the senior leadership team is almost entirely female and four are part-time return to work mothers. He has been recognised by the Recruiter Awards for Excellence, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and Best Companies for championing diversity and work in Financial Services.
Robert has been instrumental in a number of gender diversity initiatives in human capital, including the creation of the Women in Financial Institutions Index (WiFI Index), which tracks the recruitment and engagement of women in financial services, and a Financial Services Diversity Forum which provides an opportunity for senior decision makers in the industry to discuss strategies and approaches to diversity in the sector.
Robert was also the principal driver behind the establishment of the City Talent Initiative (CTI), a programme dedicated to supporting high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds (of which over 60% are female) gain entry to leading City firms. Today the CTI has gained cross party support from the Hon David Lammy MP, Mark Field MP and Baroness Kramer and sponsoring firms include Ernst & Young, JP Morgan, Strutt & Parker, Bank of America, Resource Solutions and RBS. In the last year over 30 students from low-income backgrounds who are unable to get practical improvements in social mobility them from their schools or families have gained experience through the CTI.
Eleni Antoniadou | European Health Parliament
Researcher in Regenerative Medicine, President of the European Health Parliament | | Health
Eleni Antoniadou is a multidisciplinary researcher in the fields of Biomedical Informatics, Space & Regenerative Medicine. Eleni serves as the President of the European Health Parliament for 2016 and the Chair of Prevention and Self-Care Committee where she actively advocates for innovative technologies and promotes the establishment of the self-care agenda through as an integral part of the European Health framework in recommendation policy papers at the European Parliament.
She has gained professional experience in the public sector through her work in hospitals in UK and the US and in governmental agencies at NASA and ESA and has co-founded the startup “Transplants Without Donors”. Eleni has received numerous recognitions for her research and her philanthropic and political initiatives such as being named as the 2016 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, 30under30 by Forbes, Cartier Laureate, 100 Most Powerful Women by the BBC among others.
Rising Star Champion 2016 Shortlist
Peter Duff | BP
Director, Diversity and Inclusion – Europe, Middle East and Africa | BP | Energy
BP’s Diversity and Inclusion Ambition to attract, motivate, develop and retain the world’s diversity of top talent in our industry. As the Director of D&I for the EMEA region, Peter is creating an inclusive working environment for all of BP’s workforce.
Prior to this role, Peter was Chief of Staff of the Chief Scientist’s office and Secretary to BP’s external Technology Advisory Council (TAC). He also led BP’s Distributed Research Laboratory and BP’s Emerging Technology scanning activities.
Peter has worked for BP for 30 years. He qualified as a Mechanical Engineer and has had a varied career, including roles in petroleum and reservoir engineering, technology management and people development. He has also worked extensively with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, in project management and leadership and led BP’s relationship with Imperial College, London for a number of years.
Rising Star Champion 2016 Shortlist
Heather Melville | RBS
Director for Strategic Partnerships and Head of Business Inclusion Initiatives | RBS | Banking
Heather Melville was appointed as the Director for Strategic Partnerships and Head of Business Inclusion Initiatives in January 2016, following a successful career in International sales, a role which leverages vast global client relationships together with her sector specialism especially within the Retail and Textile industry.
A graduate of the IBM business school, together with a wealth of international experience secured over a 30 plus year career in the world of finance, with the last 9 years primarily focused on the SME client base positioned her in a strong place to meet the evolving global challenges of her clients.
For a number of years, she has sat on the judging panel for the prestigious “UK Fashion & Textile Awards”, “The National Diversity Awards”, “We Are The City Rising Stars” as well as the “Brummel’s Top 30”. Through her partnership with the Latvian Chamber of Commerce in 2015, she is now a Patron and has been invited as a guest judge for this year’s International competition for young fashion designers within Europe.
The Founder and Global Chair of the RBS Focused Women’s Network, which is managed by volunteers, to date have Circ. 12,000 members in 33 countries. Not only does she sit on a number of internal and external diversity boards, in 2010 she was awarded the prestigious Women in Banking & Finance Award for Achievement under the category of Champion for Women, and in 2012 was also awarded the World of Difference 100 Award (TIAW) recognising her as one of the top 100 women worldwide who have made a difference to the economic empowerment of women.
Outside of the financial industry, having completed an executive coaching programme, Heather is a Career Coach and Mentor advising young people who are striving to be tomorrows Entrepreneurs. She represents RBS as a Non-Executive Director for Enterprise Enfield a business consultancy funded by the Government to help small businesses. As an established speaker Heather is regularly invited to speak at a number of global business forums, and last but not least is also a Justice of the Peace.
Heather is a mother of 2 sons, a grandmother of 4 girls, who enjoys jazz and driving fast cars!
Rising Star Champion 2016 Shortlist
Jeanette Pope | BAE
Project management Professional Development Manager | BAE Systems | Defense
An advocate for women in business at BAE Systems, a blogger on female talent, a steering board member for female talent within the workplace and a committee member for the APM Women in Project Management and the Henley Women in Leadership Forum.
In her current role Jeanette’s responsibilities include all aspects of resource management including the promotion of skills, capability & knowledge development for 1200 Project Management employees. She is also responsible for creating and implementing ideas to enhance diversity and inclusion and for managing the impact of transformational change.
Jeanette has previously worked in a number of Project Management leadership roles, focusing on delivering business operations activities and managing large project control teams. Prior to that Jeanette’s career was within Finance, qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant with BAE Systems in 2004, after starting on the graduate finance leadership development programme in 2000. She holds an APMQ, an MBA from Henley Business School (2009) and a BSc in Psychology & Health Psychology (1997). She is married and has two daughters aged nine and five.
Rising Star Champion 2016 Shortlist
Carolyn Pepper | Reed Smith
Partner | Reed Smith | Law
Carolyn is a partner at Reed Smith specializing in litigation, entertainment and media and intellectual property law. Carolyn sits on the firm's Executive Committee and is an advocate for diversity and equality in all its guises.
She chairs the firm's award winning Disability Task Force in London and has mentored two young women with disabilities seeking to enter the legal profession. She is a regular speaker at the firm’s Insight Days which enable young people to learn more about working in the legal profession and has offered work experience and work shadowing to many students over the years. Brummell Magazine named Carolyn as one of its Inspirational Women 2015: City Champions of Diversity last year and she was recently invited to speak at the Law Society’s City Firms Diversity Forum.
Tamara Box | Reed Smith
Global Chair, Financial Industry Group | Reed Smith | Law
Tamara Box is an internationally recognised expert in legal and financial structuring and in strategic financial advice. She is currently Global Chair of the Financial Industry Group at international law firm Reed Smith, where she also serves on the firm’s Executive Committee.
A founding member of the 30% Club Steering Committee, Tamara is knowledgeable and passionate about the efforts to establish gender parity in corporations and professional organisations. In order to achieve gender balance, she focuses strongly on the pipeline of talent that takes rising stars up the leadership chain.
A few years ago, she created Women in Structured Finance to actively encourage and mentor women in the male-dominated sector. She is a member of the Board of Governors of the London School of Economics, where she is also a frequent speaker. For the past two years, she has been the chair of “Women of Influence”, an initiative that has raised almost £1 million in support of the senior women fellows of Cancer Research UK.
Tamara was a commissioner on the All Party Parliamentary Group’s first Commission on the Future of Management & Leadership, which launched at the House of Commons in 2014. She has lectured at the University of South Bank, debated at the Oxford Union, and written articles for many publications on the topic of gender balance and the pipeline of talent women offer. Tamara is also a member of The Committee of 200 (C200), an invitation-only organisation of women who mentor future female leaders through scholarship programmes at the world’s foremost universities. Last year she was instrumental in selecting three rising stars at the LSE for this honour.
Funke Abimbola | Roche UK
General Counsel & Company Secretary | Roche Products Limited | Rising Star Champion
A senior leader for Roche, the world’s largest biotech, Funke leads the legal & corporate compliance functions supporting Roche’s pharmaceutical operations (UK, Ireland, Malta and Gibraltar).
She is a multi award winning solicitor and diversity campaigner and has received national and European recognition for her work, speaking regularly at conferences (UK and abroad), to school students (as part of Speakers4Schools) and to University students (as a Professional Ambassador for Aspiring Solicitors). She is a Champion for Women in Law London network (supporting the pipeline of women lawyers) and the First 100 Years Project (a digital library celebrating 100 years of women lawyers). In 2015, she founded Women Leaders in Life Sciences Law, a network supporting the international pipeline of female legal talent within life sciences.
A mentor, sponsor and proud working mother, Funke advises working mothers on achieving life balance. She is passionate about the law, diversity, education and healthcare and a regular media commentator, keen fundraiser for various charities and has twice served as school governor and as a board director.
She was recently admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, recognizing the outstanding contributions she has made to society as a whole.