Salma Zulfiqar | SBZ Creative Media
Salma Zulfiqar is an International Artist and Activist empowering refugee and migrant women, promoting integration, working towards preventing hate crimes and extremism.
Salma has also highlighted the underreported plight of women and children all over the world with the United Nations.
In 2017, she was voted one of the most inspirational women to hail from Birmingham and her work was documented in the book Women Who Dared to Dream alongside Nobel Laureate, Malala Yousafzai.
Sarah Garnett | Telefonica UK Ltd
I joined O2 back in 2010 as an apprentice in our Operations function.
I’ve spent the last 9 years in a number of different roles from Internal Communications to project managing Europe’s biggest technology event, Campus Party.
I made the big leap into HR where I worked in Early Careers helping to drive our generation agenda bringing talented under 30’s into the organisation.
I am now the Inclusion Manager for the UK which means I work with our senior leaders to drive and implement our D&I strategy.
I work really closely with our three employee networks (BAME, LGBT+ and Womens Network) to ensure we are meeting/exceeding our targets.
I am really passionate about my work and I want to create an open and inclusive culture, where everyone feels empowered to come to work and be themselves.
Anna Somaiya | KPMG
Anna joined KPMG from Honda where she was head of technology; her previous roles within Honda included many senior tech roles in manufacturing and a stint running the technology for the Honda F1 team.
Since joining KPMG as a senior manager, she has made a huge impact on every client project she has worked and consistently thinks about different approaches and solutions to client challenges. Anna was promoted to Director in 2017 and has been an important member of Solutions and Digital leadership team, leading on our firms technology and data strategy.
At KPMG:
- Worked across multiple industries and sectors within KPMG, leading clients’ IT Strategies and Business Transformation.
- Leading KPMG’s Digital Technology & Data Strategy (development and implementation)
- Expanded and leads the IT's Her Future programme she founded 3 years ago. The programme has gone from strength to strength, impacting technology teams across KPMG UK and globally, partnering with external organisations to deliver the best results for women in technology, and speaking with FTSE 100 clients to assist with their transformations. Anna has obtained buy-in from senior leaders by boasting real results, e.g. reducing the attrition of KPMG women in Technology Consulting by 10%, increasing female technology headcount from 26% to 36%, female experienced hire applications from 15% to 25%, and joiners from 26% to 33%.
- Nominated internally for "Advocate of the Year" - Women in IT Awards 2018.
- Shortlisted externally - WIBF awards and Women in IT Awards 2017.
Previously:
- 17 year career in the automotive industry, culminating as CIO in a male-dominated environment.
- Founded and championed Honda’s D&I agenda.
Tara Annison | PR9 Network
After completing her BSc in Mathematics and Philosophy from the University of York, Tara started her career in banking.
She joined the HSBC Commercial Graduate program and completed two placements, one in Manchester and one in London before joining the newly formed Corporate and Institutional Digital team as a Product Owner.
In this role she led the ideation, creation and deployment of a new internal website for the bank, teaching staff about digital trends and new technology. The website launched to all 230,000 staff members globally and was the recipient of 3 external awards.
Tara was also a vocal advocate of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies within the bank, and left to pursue a full-time career in the industry, joining Lendingblock as the Product Manager.
In 2019 she was named as the ‘Young Leader of the Year’ by the Women in IT Awards.
Anahita Mahmoudi | Capgemini
Anahita is a digital consultant and activist with the energy and drive for helping individuals and organisations become more educated, ethical, and aware of their potential for change in the workplace and in life.
Born and raised in Iran, Anahita called England home in 2009.
In 2012 she started her career as an application consultant in Sogeti UK – Part of Capgemini, with a drive for design and innovation in the technology sector. Here Anahita showed exceptional performance in delivering Sogeti’s client engagements, as well as proving to be a strong asset to their internal company operations. Her approach to technology, customers and services were perceived as a compelling combination, which lead to her being the fastest promoted graduate to the role of Managing Consultant in the company.
She is now a digital consultant in Capgemini UK, where she used her innovation skills to create important changes in the workplace. In this new role Anahita mediates between client teams and people who have conflicting information and opinions, gaining successful and positive outcomes for both. Here at Capgemini she also created a training roadmap for junior talents within the Digital Customer Experience, providing a viable route for advancement, especially for women. She also promotes cultural transformation using modern training and coaching methods.
Anahita discovered leadership at an early stage in her career when she was involved in a youth leadership programme at St.Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace which later on inspired her to start her coaching career as a young professional. In 2014 she was elected the rising young talent of Sogeti Group UK and led a youth leadership initiative entitled “Meet the Future’ calling for young employees from all backgrounds and roles to get involved in the Sogeti’s Group mission to initiate a new kind of leadership. In 2016 she was involved in The Queen’s Young Leaders Programme, helping exceptional young people transform their lives. (Her ethos and approach always considering the potential and energy of the younger generations.) And by 2017 she had published and presented a revolutionary youth leadership theory in the International Leadership Association’s 19th Annual Global Conference in Brussels, Belgium.
Anahita supports Capgemini’s recent partnership with Code Your Future, a not-for-profit developer course to create a Digital Academy, providing digital skills training and employment opportunities for refugees and others from disadvantaged backgrounds. This comes after her success on a project called Change the Future which she co-founded, a volunteer campaign to enable technology to educate displaced children in refugee camps. As an associate fellow of St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace, Anahita is working on a project that aims to bring together peace ethos and social change.
Anahita has a BSc (First Class Hons) in computer science, MSc in advanced methods in computer science and a coaching certificate from the University of Cambridge.
Jem Collins | Journo Resources
Jem Collins is the founder of Journo Resources, a digital start-up which helps and supports those both breaking into and progressing within the journalism industry with a range unique tools and resources.
Founded in 2016, it is now viewed more than 30,000 times every month, with a newsletter going to more than 2,500 people, and a robust business plan to support growth and sustainability. Current industry partners and clients involve major industry players such as Cision Jobs, The Telegraph and The Daily Mail.
Initially from a small village in rural Devon, Jem graduated from a journalism degree at the University of Kent in 2014. She went straight into work as a full-time digital journalist, initially producing online video for local TV station KMTV, before progressing to politics.co.uk and then becoming a full-time freelancer in 2016. Her bylines include the i Paper, Metro.co.uk, the Sun, PinkNews, Debut Careers and others. This was also the year she founded Journo Resources, frustrated by the lack of transparency and accessibility in the profession, while at the same time feeling a lack of support as a freelancer new to the game. Additionally, as a long term trustee for the Student Publication Association, the UK’s biggest non-profit body to support student journalists, she found the same questions coming up over and over.
Jem decided to rethink careers education and support for those in journalism, producing unique, practical tools which could not be found elsewhere online. For example, the website is the only place you can find details on salary levels for hundreds of journalism jobs, has the only full list of graduate schemes, awards and mentoring within the media industry, and is the only journalism advice publisher to distill our insight onto Instagram as native content.
In 2018 Jem was awarded the Georgina Henry Award for Digital Innovation at the Press Awards for her work on Journo Resources, complete with a £3,000 prize. This allowed her to leave the full-time job she had accepted in 2017 as news editor of RightsInfo, a small digital charity which aims to inspire people to think again about human rights.
She now works on Journo Resources for three days a week, as well as freelancing for a range of national and specialist outlets. As well as developing Journo Resources’ innovative digital output, she also manages business, impact, and strategy, with income now supporting her time and a number of freelancers. She is a frequent face at events across the country, having been commissioned to deliver workshops on digital journalism skills at universities including Oxford, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff, London Met and Cork and is a regular commentator on industry issues, appearing on platforms such as the BBC and LBC.
Laura Chung | PayPal
Laura Chung is an International Marketing Manager at PayPal leading the merchant lifecycle engagement & retention campaigns for the Small & Medium Business across 20+ markets.
With experience working across global corporate organisations to small start ups, Laura has worked on leading product marketing functions and scaling global marketing programmes across tech companies including Microsoft, comScore and Testbirds.
Laura is also a Co-founder and board member of DevelopHer, a non-for-profit women's network community in the UK, actively encouraging women in tech, digital and entrepreneurship to develop their confidence and careers via community based learning opportunities. As part of her involvement, Laura has helped grow the online community and membership base significantly, whilst also been integral in developing coaching programmes and mentoring workshops. A highlight includes bringing together 100 of the DevelopHer members to 10 Downing Street. Since joining PayPal, Laura also leads the women's UK affinity group PayPal Unity, building a team that works towards creating equal opportunities at the UK workforce as well as actively trying to make strides to the existing company benefits and policies.
During her career, Laura has also been recognised and nominated as The Drum's 50 under 30 Women in digital in 2017, spoken at various events on work/life balance and helped mentored a number of entry level women in their early careers.
Ann Miller-McCaffrey | Royal Navy
A former Royal Navy Education & Training Specialist and Reservist Instructor; now the Royal Navy element of the Armed Forces Diversity Engagement Team.
Her career spans 3 decades and has seen her work with the Royal Marines, Fleet Air Arm, British Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence both in the UK, abroad in Norway, Gibraltar and onboard HMS ROEBUCK and SOMERSET. Her current role is to engage with communities and individuals who don’t traditionally engage with the Armed Forces in a bid to raise awareness about what the Armed Forces do, how they do it and how they contribute to society, alongside myth busting about women’s roles in the modern military.
She has a passion for sport underpinned by being a former footballer (Royal Navy and Plymouth Argyle) and hockey player, she is a huge advocate for more diverse participation in all sports and regularly mentors younger members of the hockey family on team ethos, respect in success and bouncing back from defeat.
Ann is a compulsive networker who likes to experience new cultures, travel and promote others talents and potential through collaboration and education. She is also a Trustee for the educational charity Diversity Role Models, a charity that creates more inclusive environments in schools across the UK.
She is also the owner of Purple Tie Promotions, a business that provides opportunities for inspirational women to share their unique approach of balancing life in the British Armed Forces alongside their personal challenges, passions and ambitions. Her interest spans the generations and she is currently collecting Oral Histories from women who have served in the Armed Forces over many decades - she is also an Ambassador for the Association of Wrens and WRNS Benevolent Trust and was instrumental in contributing to the rewrite of the constitution to include Royal Navy women; which has ensured the longevity of the association and generated many friendships and projects across the generations.
Faith Jayne | Raytheon Systems Limited
Faith Jayne is Legal Counsel for Raytheon UK and Raytheon ELCAN. Faith was promoted to Legal Counsel – Manager in June 2017.
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2016 sales of $24 billion and 63,000 employees, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defence, civil government and cybersecurity solutions. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Faith joined Raytheon in 2015 as Legal Counsel. Supporting the Director of Legal Affairs, Faith provides business counsel on a range of matters from disputes to contract negotiations to compliance. Specific areas of interest include representing Raytheon UK in the Global Privacy Working Group and working to develop and raise awareness of intellectual property process and procedure. Following a recent promotion, Faith has assumed operational responsibility for the running of the team, and supports her colleagues leading Global Trade, Ethics and Data Privacy to deliver compliance excellence.
Before joining Raytheon, Faith was an Associate with DLA Piper LLP in the Technology and Outsourcing team. Faith joined DLA in January 2014 and whilst at DLA undertook a 4 month placement to Raytheon from June 2015 – October 2015 acting as Legal Counsel.
Prior to working with DLA Piper, Faith qualified as a English law solicitor into the Commercial team at Addleshaw Goddard LLP where Faith worked from September 2010 to December 2013. Faith undertook her training contract with Lupton Fawcett LLP in Leeds between 2008 and 2010 with seats in Employment, Litigation, Intellectual Property and Corporate.
Faith has been recognized within Raytheon for her leadership in mentoring having been awarded both a Highly Commended Award in the 2017 Mike Quinn Mentoring Awards and a 2017 RMS Mentoring Excellence Award. Faith was appointed Chair of the UK’s Raytheon Women’s Network in 2016 and served as the VP for RWN Global, International.
Faith holds a postgraduate diploma in legal practice from the College of Law and a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Manchester.
Hazelle Garton | Royal Navy
Hazelle Garton joined the Royal Navy as an Air Engineer Officer (AEO) in 2008 having completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Loughborough University.
Following training she took up post as Assistant and then Deputy AEO on 702 Naval Air Squadron where she supported ab-initio aircrew and engineering training for the maritime Lynx helicopter, that deploys on to the Royal Navy frigates and destroyers worldwide. A key highlight was her role as the engineering lead for a deployment in Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay – a ship without a hangar where aircraft maintenance took place on the flight deck This was impressively during the depths of winter in extremely challenging weather conditions!
From 702 she moved to the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival Equipment School as the Staff Officer. In addition to supporting the executive functions of the School, Hazelle was heavily involved in the mentoring of students and examination of those passing through on courses; this included their personal and professional development a responsibility that she relished. She was also a key member of the organisation team for the biennial AEOs’ Conference which delivers professional development and networking opportunities to circa 350 AEOs across the Royal Navy.
Assigned to the helicopter landing platform, HMS Ocean in 2015, Hazelle was responsible for the safe execution of the embarkation of a dozen aircraft, stores and personnel from across the Armed Forces to enable a 4-month deployment in support of NATO exercises. Added to this, she oversaw the embarkation of 3 US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey aircraft to the Ship for a 2-week period of operations, the interoperability of which was a first for the Royal Navy. On leaving Ocean in 2016 Hazelle was privileged to be a member of the inaugural Ship’s Company of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, in direct charge of a section of 36 Air Engineer Technicians, where her experience was used to help develop the processes and procedures to be used once the Ship sailed on completion of her build programme.
Selected for promotion to Lieutenant Commander she took up her current post in the Merlin Delivery Team as a Technical Through Life Support Manager in 2017 and is now responsible for ensuring that all projects introducing capability to the thirty £39m maritime helicopters have a fully developed support solution before entering service, including the necessary spares, tooling, training and technical information.
An unashamed cricket lover, Hazelle retired from playing for her county side Devon last season, placing in the top-10 of all-time wicket takers in the Women’s County Championship; she continues to captain the Royal Navy and UK Armed Forces ladies’ teams. Also a keen golfer, she represents both the Royal Navy and her local club, playing off a handicap of 10.
Hazelle will marry her long-term partner Laura (also a Naval engineer) in December and looks forward to the prospect of the pitter-patter of 4 tiny paws arriving in the house in due course.