Carol Ann Whitehead FRSA CMgr CCMI | Founder and MD | The Zebra Partnership
Heritage Operations and Committee Chair, The Portico Library and University of East London EDI Fellow.
Carol Ann is the award winning Co-founder of The Zebra Partnership – a Publishing and Campaigns agency. She’s a Charted Management Institute Regional Chair and CMI Women Deputy Chair.
Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Heritage Operations, Chief of Staff & Chair of the Public Programme Committee for The Portico Library and Newsroom, on the Northern PowerWomen Power List, Advisory Board Member for human, BBC Radio Manchester monthly contributor since 2014, guest lecturer and event host.
In 2019 she was honoured with Global Goodwill Ambassador status from the foundation and in 2021 Carol Ann was named Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Champion in the top 100 Social Media Influencers.
During Black History Month 2024, Carol Ann received a Citation of Honour from the GEWE Global Network for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
Carol Ann was awarded the ‘Inspiring Women Worldwide’ accolade from the Womens International Network in Geneva.
Her dedication to ‘Queen Making’ and being a ‘Disruptor for Good’, Carol Ann is an Ambassador for 50:50 Parliament former Trustee the creator of the ‘Amplifying Muted Voices’ campaign, Baton Award Winner for Political Figure of the Year 2024 and Inspiring Women Award Constance award winner 2025.
In November 2025, she was inaugurated as an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Fellow at the University of East London, Office for Institutional Equity.
January 2026 Carol Ann was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award by Greater Manchester Black Tech Expo and Africa4U at the University of Salford for outstanding work and continued leadership in education and into industry with commitment, integrity, and impact making a lasting difference over the years.
Joeli Brearley MBE | Director | Growth-Spurt.uk
Joeli Brearley MBE is the director of Growth Spurt, a transition programme supporting working parents through pregnancy, parental leave and returning to work. She is also the founder of the campaign group and charity Pregnant Then Screwed.
After experiencing pregnancy discrimination firsthand, Joeli launched Pregnant Then Screwed in 2015 to tackle the motherhood penalty and improve workplace equality for parents. What began as a small grassroots campaign rapidly grew into one of the UK’s most influential parent advocacy organisations, helping to change laws, shape public debate and support hundreds of thousands of families.
Today, Joeli is recognised as one of the leading voices on the motherhood penalty, parental leave, childcare and workplace culture. She regularly advises employers, policymakers and senior leaders on how to better attract, retain and support working parents.
Through Growth-Spurt, Joeli works with organisations to transform the experience of becoming a parent at work. The programme combines expert-led workshops, coaching, practical tools and manager training to support employees through major life transitions while helping businesses build more inclusive, productive and loyal workforces.
Joeli is also the author of ''The Motherhood Penalty'' and host of the podcast To Be A Boy. Her work has been featured widely across national and international media, and she is a sought-after keynote speaker on gender equality, parenting and the future of work.
Samantha Barnwell | Head of Social Impact for EMEA | Nomura
Samantha Barnwell is Head of Social Impact, EMEA at Japanese investment bank Nomura.
With a decade of experience developing and managing nonprofit partnerships, community impact and stakeholder engagement programmes in the corporate and charity sectors, Samantha leads the bank’s Social Impact strategy across EMEA, including its flagship charity partnership with London based employability charity SEO London.
Samantha is passionate about improving social mobility through the power of mentoring. She is an active volunteer, utilising her experience and expertise as a social impact strategist in support of local charitable organisations.
Samantha graduated from the University of St Andrews and has most recently completed further training with the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership.
Sonica Beckmann | Founder | House of Kind
Sonica Beckmann is a British Asian entrepreneur, qualified solicitor, and founder of House of Kind. Raised in a low-income migrant household, she was the first in her family to attend university before building an international legal career across major multinational organisations. By 31, she had become Head of Legal at a multi-billion-dollar company.
After more than a decade in corporate leadership, Sonica founded House of Kind in 2023 to challenge traditional power structures and create fashion that celebrates authenticity, confidence, and connection between women. The London-based brand designs elevated, affordable luxury womenswear with a strong social purpose, using visible design details to signal allyship and solidarity.
Since launching in 2024, House of Kind has gained recognition for both its design direction and impact-led approach. The brand has secured boutique stockists, international customers, and collaborations supporting women’s empowerment and representation. In 2025, House of Kind was awarded Retail Partner of the Year by Dress for Success Greater London and shortlisted for both a Drapers Conscious Fashion Award and TheIndustry.fashion People, Planet & Purpose Awards. Sonica was also named one of Surrey Magazine’s “25 Women to Watch” and recognised as a UK40 Under 40 winner.
House of Kind partners with organisations including Women for Women International, Dress for Success Greater London, Stonewall UK, and 50:50 Parliament to support women’s empowerment, representation, and economic independence.
Alongside leading House of Kind, Sonica is a mother of two, a member of Rotary Club London, and a speaker on entrepreneurship, social mobility, and purpose-led leadership.
Harriet Hughes | Diversity, Equity & Inclusion EMEA | Nomura
Harriet is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Associate at Nomura with five years of experience in the financial services sector. She started her career at Nomura in the Early Careers Team for Investment Banking and holds a degree in Law from the University of East Anglia.
Harriet is passionate about creating environments where diverse talent can thrive and contribute to business innovation. She supported the formation of an inter-bank employee network named Danketsu, connecting Black professionals and allies across the Japanese Banks in London and has mentored students from SEO London.
Awards nominations tips and tricks, with Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE
AWARDS NOMINATIONS TIPS & TRICKS
Missed our exclusive webinar on the Rising Star Awards? Watch the replay now!
Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE shared invaluable insights on how to craft a winning nomination and maximise your chances of success.
What You’ll Learn:
- Create an Impactful Nomination: Learn how to craft compelling stories that make your achievements stand out.
- Navigate the Awards Platform: Master our easy-to-use platform and streamline your submission process.
- Timelines & Categories: Get clarity on key dates and explore all the award categories available.
- Shortlisting Secrets: Understand what judges look for and maximise your chances of advancing.
- Celebrate Success: From winners’ announcements to the grand ceremony, discover what happens next and how WeAreTheCity supports its winners.
If you’re aiming for Rising Star recognition, don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert guidance from Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE. Watch the replay now and take your first step towards awards success!
29/01/2025: Rising Star Awards Tips and tricks for an outstanding awards entry with Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE
AWARDS NOMINATIONS TIPS & TRICKS
Ever dreamt of stepping into the spotlight at the prestigious Rising Star Awards?
Here’s your chance to make it happen! Join our exclusive webinar featuring Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, who will guide you through the journey to nomination success.
What You’ll Learn:
- Create an Impactful Nomination: Learn how to craft compelling stories that make your achievements stand out.
- Navigate the Awards Platform: Master our easy-to-use platform and streamline your submission process.
- Timelines & Categories: Get clarity on key dates and explore all the award categories available.
- Shortlisting Secrets: Understand what judges look for and maximise your chances of advancing.
- Celebrate Success: From winners’ announcements to the grand ceremony, discover what happens next and how WeAreTheCity supports its winners.
This is your moment to turbocharge your career and leave a lasting impression in your industry. Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE will share insider tips and help you on your path to Rising Star glory.
REGISTER HERE – Don’t miss this chance to elevate your profile!
Becky Patel | Head of Education and Learning | TechShecan
Technology is prevalent across every aspect of our lives today and will continue to play an even more significant role in the careers and personal lives of future generations. A large majority of children in school today will work in jobs and use technology that doesn’t even exist yet!
Everything we do for the children in our lives aims to prepare them for a happy and successful future ahead. To ensure that all children are able to participate in the jobs of the future, we need to educate and excite them about technology, and the people who develop it, from an early age. It’s also critical that we have diversity in the workforce that designs, creates and implements our technology to make sure that it works for everyone.
For the past 6 years, I have had the pleasure of working for Tech She Can. Tech She Can is a charity on a mission for women to be equal members in creating and developing the new technology, business, products, and services that shape our world, ensuring technology works for us all. Educating and inspiring the next generation of technologists is a core objective for Tech She Can. We do this through our Tech We Can programme of free learning materials and experiences which aim to inspire all children, but especially girls, to consider a future career in technology.
As Head of Education and Learning, my role at Tech She Can is to lead our team of educators who design and deliver educational resources and experiences to inspire the next generation. I joined the charity just after its inception and I am incredibly proud to have played a pivotal part in helping our reach and impact to grow across the UK and beyond. We have now directly reached over 120,000 children and indirectly 400,000+ children have accessed our resources in classrooms or at home with their teachers and parents.
As a teacher, with over 10 years experience at both primary and secondary level, my work with Tech She Can has helped me discover both a strength and passion for bridging the gap between education and industry. I’m passionate about ensuring children understand how their interests and hobbies can help guide them on their future career path. My role also enables me to help industry unlock and access the wealth of amazing and diverse talent we have in schools across the UK, where for many of the children, they don’t aspire to have roles in certain industries as they simply do not know they exist!
In my personal life I am a very proud wife and mother to a son and daughter. I practise what I preach at home and instill in them daily that their race, gender, background etc will not limit them in their aspirations for the future. I am incredibly fulfilled in my role and the impact I am able to have through my team and Tech She Can as a whole. I would like to ensure every child understands the breadth of possibilities and opportunities which are out there for them and I have made it a personal mission to continue working on this. Children can't aspire to be what they don't know exists, and this is where I am proud to lead a team and work with colleagues who make such a phenomenal difference.
Kate Miller | Chief Communications Officer | England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB)
Kate joined the ECB in July 2019. As Chief Communications Officer she is responsible for leading and developing the organisation’s Communications strategy, spanning corporate, consumer, EDI campaigning and public affairs.
The team work to promote the work of the ECB and its members to cricket’s new and existing audiences. Kate has extensive public and private experience, delivering external affairs strategies for global and local organisations.
Selina Flavius | Founder | Black Girl Finance
British Bank award winner, Selina Flavius is the founder of Black Girl Finance which provides financial coaching and regulated financial advice and planning.
She hosts a podcast of the same name and is the author of the personal-finance Book Black Girl Finance -Let's talk money and creator of the event Black Girl Finance Festival. She is on a mission to make money conversations more inclusive. After enjoying a 15-year career in business development, she decided to follow her passion for finance and launch a safe space for Black women and women of colour to talk about money and gain valuable financial literacy skills which is how black girl finance started in 2019. She also contributes to discussions in the UK media about financial wellbeing and inequality and worked as a contributor to the Money and Pension Service's 10-year financial well-being Strategy. She was previously part of ITV Lorraine's saver squad, brought together to help viewers tackle the cost-of-living crisis. Her volunteer work includes being an ambassador for the charity surviving economic abuse, as well as an adviser to charity Brook Sexual health and wellbeing charity. She is also a volunteer ambassador for the charity widowed and young after experiencing the loss of her fiancé in 2022.
Outside of work and volunteering, she is a mum of one son, a huge Beyonce fan, and enjoys yoga.