The inaugural Midlands Women in Technology awards showcased some of the regions brightest stars in Tech at the tech hub of the region, Innovation Birmingham.

At a time when we need more diverse leadership, awards like this help to steer the aspiration of diversity in tech.

It was an amazing evening of celebration, not only because of the sheer quality of the incredible women in the room, but also by the buzz and excitement from all the finalists, sponsors & supporters appreciating the moment of a collective celebration of Women in Tech.

Without the support of the incredible sponsors this event would not have been possible, we’d like to say a massive thank you to our headline sponsor Methods, our diamond Sponsor Innovation Birmingham, category sponsors Wesleyan, NTT Data, Millennium Point, Birmingham City University, Aston University, SCC and ICAEW Birmingham & West Midlands.

We’d also like to thank our digital media partner CMAvideo for amazing visuals on the night and capturing the evening, Marketing & PR Partner It Is PR and Bottega Prosecco Bar for providing drinks for the finalists on the night.

With over 100 nominations and over 5000 votes across all categories it is safe to say, that there is an appetite to showcase and profile women in Tech, hopefully this will lead to an increased uptake within the tech sector by more women. It is truly a case of ‘you have to see it, to aspire to it’.

Hosted by the magnanimous Emma Jones MBE a business expert and best-selling author of many business books with Keynote speaker Jacqueline de Rojas, expressing her joy in seeing an awards event celebrating the contribution of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) outside of London and stating that “the rise of women does not mean the demise of men”.

Technology is shaping our lives in ways we could not envisage in the past. It is vital, in order to be at the cutting edge, to attract, retrain and foster the greatest talent available.

The evening also saw pioneer Mary Lee Berners-Lee posthumously honoured, with a lifetime achievement award and a piece of artwork especially commissioned to mark the occasion.

Congratulations to all finalists at Midlands Women in Tech Awards 2019. Here’s a list of the night’s winners:

Start-up Founder Award

SONU BUNNA – shopper.com

Apprentice Awards

SHANNON LYNCH – JLR

Rising Star Award

EMILY LAWTON – REPL Group

Academic Award

PAULA MENDES – University of Birmingham

Tech For Good Award

CATE RAE – Widgit Software

Innovator Award

MELISSA SNOVER – Nourish3d

Best Digital Lead Award

PAT CROSSLEY-SMITH – Methods

Shining Star Award

AMANDIP JHEETA – TATA Consultancy Services

Lifetime Achievement Award

MARY LEE BERNERS-LEE