Reham Badawy

University Of Birmingham

Reham has built a formidable reputation in her industry, not only for her work in Neuroscience and Computer Science but also as an ambassador for Females in STEM.

The judges were impressed with both her academic research and how she is helping open gateways for future generations of females.

PARRIS SMALL

Jaguar Land Rover

Parris works in the electric automotive sector and is now leading a team of 10, despite being on the Apprentice Programme at Jaguar Landrover.
In a tough category with excellent candidates, the judges felt her commitment as a STEM Ambassador made her the deserving winner.

QURAT ULAIN

West Midlands Fire Service

In a tough category, Qurat successfully delivered a portfolio of projects over a challenging period of time.
Despite financial constraints, they have continued to push the boundaries and deliver projects which have modernised, the West Midlands Fire Service.

DONGLI LI

GaitQ

Dongli is the Founder and Vice President of a medical tech company, working to overcome the challenges faced by people with Parkinsons disease.
They have developed a predictive tool to help predict when patients may become ill. As an ambassador she is an advocate for Female Engineers.

PROF NICOLA WILKIN

University of Birmingham

Nicola has delivered a number of complex projects, in STEM and Robotics. Additionally she has implemented a range of training programmes that will help increase the knowledge and skills for future generations. The judges were impressed with both the quantity and quality of work delivered over the last 2 years.

CAROLINE BROWN

Goldman Sachs

Caroline has shown good technical ability, but at the same time she has invested in her team and run a number of initiatives to help them settle into Goldman Sachs Birmingham, including setting up a Birmingham Mentoring Circle. The judges all agreed that she is Inspirational not only in her organisation, but to females across the midlands.

BAL LOLA

REPL Group Part of Accenture

Bal Lola has come through the ranks at REPL Group and is now a member of the senior leadership team. She has delivered a vast range of projects in her time and is now responsible for more than 170 staff. She believes in empowering people, knowing that everyone learns from their mistakes and is an ambassador for Diversity & Inclusion.

FRANKIE LEWNS

Bloomwise Ltd

Bloomwise have developed an app to support those struggling with their Mental Health, something that has been on the increase during recent times.
The judges saw huge benefits to both employers and employees from this Start-Up and the results were already very strong.

PAULA BEDBOROUGH

Secure Socialising

In an extremely difficult category, featuring 3 exceptional Entrepreneurs, Paula has shown a consistent entrepreneurial spirit in developing multiple brands and products over a period of time and taking them to market. This years winner had the slight edge over her competitors in that her latest project was something niche, with a global potential.

NATALIE SCARLETT

Black Heritage Support Service

Natalie has helped provide large numbers of women with knowledge and training to enable them to start careers in the tech sector.  They have focussed on reaching hard-to-reach communities based on their ethnicity and those who are less able and also over 50s.

SARAH DOWZELL

Natural HR

Sarah Dowzell is chief operating officer and co-founder of Natural HR, Sarah oversees the wider operations of the business while retaining a key role in customer success — a unique selling point for the brand. Rather than minimising her role in setting up the business — a stereotypical trait for women in positions of power — Sarah is clear and open about her accomplishments. Recognising that her drive and determination to succeed are key components of the company’s growing success, she is proud of her journey.

Debbie Assinder

West Midlands Enterprise Champion at Enterprise Nation

This year special recognition award went to Debbie Assinder for her services to the region in encouraging more women in tech. Debbie Assinder said, “Extremely proud of our region and the fantastic talent that we have on offer. Our work must continue as we have to keep inspiring future generations of female talent as our mission is to address the gender imbalance in the workplace.”