The Women in Tech Awards proudly announces the finalists for its 7th annual awards, celebrating the remarkable women, innovators, leaders and changemakers helping to shape the future of technology.
Now in its seventh year, the Women in Tech Awards continues to provide an important national platform to recognise achievement, increase visibility and celebrate the diverse talent making an impact across the technology sector.
This year’s theme, #WomenShapingTech, reflects exactly what the awards stand for: recognising women who are not simply working within technology, but actively influencing its direction, transforming organisations, creating new solutions, inspiring others and helping build a stronger and more inclusive future for the industry.
The 2026 finalists represent an exciting breadth of talent across academia, artificial intelligence, cyber security, digital transformation, innovation, entrepreneurship, project delivery, technology for good and many other areas of the sector.
Reaching the finalist stage is an achievement in itself, and we congratulate every individual recognised this year.
We now look forward to bringing the Women in Tech community together and celebrating with all of our finalists on 3rd October 2026 for what promises to be another memorable evening of recognition, inspiration and celebration.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
The Women in Tech Awards would not be possible without the organisations that share our commitment to recognising, supporting and championing women across the technology sector.
We would like to extend a special thank you to our Headline Sponsor, Birmingham City University, for supporting the 7th Women in Tech Awards.
We are also incredibly grateful to our supporting sponsors:
SCC
NTT DATA
Millennium Point
Their support enables us to continue creating a platform that gives talented women the recognition and visibility they deserve.
Public Voting Is Now Open
The public vote is now open, giving everyone the opportunity to show their love and support for their favourite finalists.
Whether you are supporting a colleague, friend, industry leader, innovator or organisation that has inspired you, this is your chance to get behind them and celebrate their achievement in reaching the finals of the 7th Women in Tech Awards.
Cast your vote via our website: www.womenintechawards.co.uk
Every vote is a fantastic show of support for the incredible women and organisations helping to shape the future of technology.
Show your support. Celebrate your favourites. Cast your vote.
Women in Tech Awards 2026 Finalists
Academic Award
Armin Mustafa — CVSSP, University of Surrey; Department of Science, Innovation and Technology; and SAIReco Ltd
Halima Bhayat — Ursuline High School
Laura Hutchings — University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Lulu Liu — University of Birmingham
Phillipa Peart — CLARITYPENNY LTD
Roushanak Rahmat — HCLTech
Roya Rahimi — University of Wolverhampton
Ziyun Ding — University of Birmingham
AI Champion of the Year
Anthonette Adanyin — Ofqual
Dionne Gordon — Correla Ltd
Ene Anyogo — Product of Agency
Isabella Grandi — NTT DATA Inc UKI
Kateryna Korotieieva — GlobalLogic
Katie Milne — IBM
Kirstine Dale — Met Office
Laura Scavino — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Lisa Turner — CETfreedom
Mini Biswas — Cisilion
Rohini Gupta — FinregE
Tamanna Haque — Jaguar Land Rover
Apprentice Award
Anushka Dare — JP Morgan
Jessica Nicholls — IBM
Katie Albon — MBDA Missile Systems UK
Rachel Sadiq — Google
Best Use of Tech in a Public Sector Project Award
Fatimah Bamisedun — ANRE Solutions Ltd
Gelareh Holbrook — North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA)
Kavita Mutyala — NTT DATA UKI
Nic Bellingham — Met Office
Sheryll Ricketts — Littlepay
Siti Fariya — Centre for Sustainable Road Freight (CSRF) at Heriot-Watt University
Tove Gant — Sense-IT
Digital Transformation Champion of the Year
Disha Mukherjee — Ford Credit Europe
Jennifer Hirst — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Kat Cooke — SCC
Kate Whyles — Nottingham College
Kay Church — Met Office
Lucy Fish — The AA
Mariaje (Maria) Crespo — NTT DATA Inc UKI
Rebecca Llewellyn — NHS England
Rhiannon Lawson — Rhiannon Lawson 7
Shabnam Raja — Cognizant Worldwide Limited
Svetlana Tsvetkova — Drax Group
Zaitoon Bukhari — Achievement Through Collaboration Trust
Inclusive Tech Champion Award
Amandip Jheeta — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Azahara Corrales — Azahara Corrales
Claire Mironik — WITBHAM Women in Tech UK / Aston University
Fatimah Bamisedun — ANRE Solutions Ltd
Fehintoluwa Dada — Independent Inclusive Technology Projects
Isabella Grandi — NTT DATA UK&I
Karen Fairhurst — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Lauren Monks — IN4 Group
Olivia Ferro — SheMed
Shavana Peynado — AND Digital
Innovator Award
Avantika Bhargava — Kahawa Roots UK LTD
Claire Downes — Virtual Decisions
Emma Armstrong — Empro Busines Group LTD
Harper ZHU — Kotoko AI
Helena Coombs — Arup
Juliana Smith — Zure
Kiran Gulia — University of Wolverhampton
Rajni Sharma — NTT DATA UKI
Tiffany Kertesz — welvow
Uliana Salo — Thedogs LTD
Vaishnavi Veer — Financial Education Crew Ltd
Yunjia Guo — Kotoko AI
Knowledge Exchange Professional of the Year
Chynna Pascual — Aston University
Jan Hughes — AICPA CIMA
Karan Kaur Jutlla — University of Wolverhampton
Roya Rahimi — University of Wolverhampton
Samridhi Anand — Samridhi Anand
Sharon Cox — Birmingham City University
Mentor of the Year
Abigail Worrell — NTT DATA UKI
Ishita Palit — Vodafone
Jaskaran Soomal — A Mindful Message Ltd
Jude Statham — Exemplas
Natalia Gomez Fernandez — Rakuten Advertising | The Metrics Lab
Vikki Szymanski — Vikki Szymanski
Project Delivery Lead Award
Catherine Turrell — NTT DATA Inc UKI
Charalampia Komopoulou — Red Hat
Clair Bennett — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Clare Esler — Arup
Imogen Stevens — Met Office
Katarina Rohweder — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Michele Jacobs — Castle Trust Bank
Natalie Whitaker — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Naz Ghader-Pour — NTT DATA UKI
Robeela Ali — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Sarah Sliwka — Red Hat
Sinead Cavanagh — TXO
Rising Star Award
Alex Thompson — Orbital IAM
Asia Tillotson — Moorhouse Consulting
Chanisse Price — ZAIZI
Clare Clegg — SCC
Darcey Brough-Mylod — Aspect Capital Limited
Jayanthi Selvaraj — NTT DATA Inc UKI
Kelsey McGrath — Wise Ltd
Maha Javed — VISA Inc.
Meera Tamboli — Meera Tamboli
Reetika Bhattacharjee — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Shelby Taylor — Liberty Blume, a Liberty Global company
Sian Thomas — Wolverine Worldwide
Shining Star Award
Anupama Hatti — NHS Blood and Transplant
Cherry Leay Sumugat — NTT DATA
Christina Kyriakidou — Red Hat
Ellis Grange — Arup
Emer Bradley — CMap Software Limited
Gemma Mills — Namos Solutions
Jane Holmes — NTT DATA UK&I
Kseniia Korostelova — Kseniia Korostelova
Laura Bint — Babble Cloud
Maria Nugroho — SAP
Meena Murali — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Sarah Peck — Indeed Flex
Start-Up Founder Award
Benazir Kamali — Nova Books Ltd
Francesca Roberts — WayPaths and The Coders Guild
Hanna Latif-Walmsley — We Are Laika
Heera Rehman — WorldTone AI
Jenny Winspear — Bridgit Pay
Jessica Shuker — The Retrofit Exchange
Katy Murray — Rewired
Michelle Coombs — Oprising Ltd
Mitali Deypurkaystha — Seneca Systems Ltd
Natasha Allden — Multiply Technology Ltd
Sana Fatima Sayyed — Techare Ltd
Torty Sivill — Decima2
Tech Entrepreneur Award
Anne Morris — Peerscroller (Yipiyap)
Gabrielle Crofts — B13
Hanna Roos — Aavalynx
Helen Thiel — Veran Performance
Lena Chauhan — Rise IQ
Rose Lord — My Best Mood
Sonu Bubna — AskStatement.com
Vaishnavi Veer — Financial Education Crew Ltd
Tech For Good Award
Aleks House — Leeds City College
Amy Church — Cyber Dave Ltd
Claire Downes — Virtual Decisions
Eleni Lialiamou — Kimolian Academy Limited
Katy Murray — Rewired
Kloe Avon — Redihomes
Krittika DSilva — International Rescue Committee
Omotoke Ajidagba — 10mg Health
Ozohu Adejumo — Cambridge University Press & Assessment
Roya Rahimi — University of Wolverhampton
Ruth Hopkins — K’antu Ensemble
Fatimah Bamisedun — ANRE Solutions Ltd
Tech Professional Award (Non-Coding)
Alex Shaw — Acorn Insurance
Alison Eyo — PicsArt
Averi Pal — London Stock Exchange Group
Cristina Sabau — The National Heart Clinic
Dawn Emmerton — Mitie Waste and Environmental
Jane Holmes — NTT DATA
Katie Bennett — Met Office
Kelly Paterson — Serco
Olivia Rodrigues — Donhead Preparatory School
Shilpa Gopikrishna — SURE SOLUTIONS
Sinead Cavanagh — TXO
Thulasi Bomma — Tesco
Woman in Cyber Security Award
Afshan Sheikh — Cyber Chain Alliance Ltd
Anne Leslie — IBM
Ayesha Abdul Majeed — BT Group
Behnaz Karimi — OWASP AI Exchange
Faidah Oki — BT
Hannah Bailey-Neale — Organisation not provided
Kiranjit Kaur Shergill — Barclays
Louise Hinchey — Computacenter
Sam Faulkner — NTT DATA Inc UK&I
Sravya Betina — Barclays
Tannu Jiwnani — Microsoft
Victoria Coker — Lateral Connect
Celebrating #WomenShapingTech
The Women in Tech Awards has always been about more than trophies. It is about visibility, representation and recognition.
Every finalist has a story. Every finalist represents what is possible when women are given the opportunity to lead, innovate, create and make an impact through technology.
As we enter our seventh year, we remain committed to shining a spotlight on the women making a difference today while helping inspire the women and girls who will shape technology tomorrow.
To every finalist: congratulations on this fantastic achievement.
We look forward to welcoming you and celebrating together on 3rd October 2026.
#WomenShapingTech #WITA26