Nominations are now open for WeAreTheCity's 2017 Rising Star Awards
WeAreTheCity is delighted to announce that nominations for their 2017 Top 100 Rising Star Awards are now open.
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Now in their third year, the WATC Rising Star Awards are the first to focus on the UK’s female talent pipeline below management level. Through these awards we will celebrate 100 individual female contributors that represent the leaders and role models of tomorrow. We hope that by raising the profile of our short list and winners, we will also encourage organisations to consider how they strengthen the development of their female pipeline in the future.
Recognising that careers for women may follow different timescales, the Top 100 Rising Star awards will not have any age restrictions included within the criteria. WeAreTheCity feels it has a responsibility to ensure that female talent, regardless of age and background, receives the necessary support and skills to transition into key decision-making roles within our organisations.
“We are delighted to support WeAreTheCity as the headline sponsor for their Rising Star Awards in 2017. Building and supporting a strong pipeline of female talent is a key area of focus at The Times and The Sunday Times. We are excited to be a part of this unique awards programme that shines the spotlight on the achievements of women across so many different industries. We are honoured to be involved and look forward to working alongside so many other organisations who are as passionate about gender equality as we are”
– Chris Duncan, Managing Director, Times Newspapers Ltd
"The Women’s Equality Party is delighted to partner the Rising Star Awards, which recognise excellence and innovation from women in business and across working life. Equality of opportunity for working women is one of our party’s core objectives, so WE are pleased to see so many wonderful nominees working towards this goal. We’re delighted, too, that these awards showcase the talents of outstanding role models in many other areas of public and private life."
– Sophie Walker, Leader, Women's Equality Party
WeAreTheCity will use its extensive reach across the UK & Ireland to find 100 high-achieving women across 20 key industries and professions.
Alongside our Rising Star categories and Rising Star Champion award, we are also pleased to announce a new award for 2017 – Company of the Year. This award recognises the achievements of a company who can clearly demonstrate that they are actively supporting its female talent pipeline through their initiatives, training, development programmes and internal employee relations and diversity network groups.
The nominations process opens today, 01 February 2017, for all categories. A shortlist of ten women from each industry category will be chosen by an esteemed panel of judges and will be published in May. The shortlist will then be open to a public vote. Judging for the final five winners for each category will take place with independent judges across May and June. The Top 100 Rising Stars will be announced towards the end of June and all winners, sponsors and supporters will be invited to attend a prestigious evening reception at Barclays in London to celebrate and collect their awards.
Categories included in the 2017 Rising Star awards are as follows:
- Rising Stars in Banking, sponsored by Societe Generale
- Rising Stars in Charity, sponsored by CRUK
- Rising Stars in Construction, sponsor TBA
- Rising Stars in Consulting, sponsored by EY
- Rising Stars in Defence, sponsored by Royal Navy
- Rising Stars in Diversity, sponsored by Aon
- Rising Stars in Education & Academia, sponsored by EDIT Development
- Rising Stars in Entrepreneurs, sponsored by Citi
- Rising Stars in Fintech, sponsored by Streets Consulting
- Rising Stars in HR & Recruitment, sponsored LinkedIn
- Rising Stars in Insurance, sponsored by Lloyd’s
- Rising Stars in Investment Management, sponsored by Northern Trust
- Rising Stars in Law (The Lynne Freeman Award), sponsored by Reed Smith
- Rising Stars PAs and EAs, sponsor TBA
- Rising Stars in Property and Facilities Management, sponsored by Kier
- Rising Stars in Public Sector, sponsored by Government Digital Service (GDS)
- Rising Stars in Science and Engineering, sponsored by 3M
- Rising Stars in Sales, sponsored by Worldpay
- Rising Stars in Sport, sponsored by PedalSure
- Rising Stars in Technology, sponsored by Morgan Stanley
- Rising Stars Champions, sponsored by Oliver Wyman
- Rising Stars Company of the Year Award sponsored by Barclays
The awards are also supported by Bloomberg who will host our shortlist winners celebrations in June 2017.
Criteria for entries for Rising Star awards
- Open to all women regardless of age
- Nominees must be below senior management level (e.g. below Director level)
- Nominees must be working within the industry of the category for which they are nominated
- Nominees must be working in the UK
How we define a Rising Star
- Someone who is or who has the potential to be a role model in their business or sector
- Someone who strives to achieve success and results
- Someone who gives back or inspires others
- Someone who is recognised by others as having the potential to become a future leader in their industry
Awards Timeline
- Nominations open: 01 Feb 17
- Nominations close: 24 Mar 17
- First round Judging period: 03 – 28 Apr 17
- Shortlist announced and public vote*: 15 May 17
- Finalist judging period: 15 May – 09 Jun 17
- Shortlist celebration event: 08 Jun 17
- Public voting closes: 09 Jun 17
- Winners announced: 19 Jun 17
- Winners event: 12 Jul 17
If you have any additional questions about the awards, please contact [email protected]. For details of entry criteria, please visit here
* There is no public vote of support for the Champion of the year or Company of the year award
NOMINATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED
Why should you enter the Rising Star awards? Join our tweet chat with our previous Rising Star Winners on 26 January
Want to find out why you should enter WeAreTheCity's Rising Star awards?
You are invited to join us for a tweet chat with our previous Rising Star award winners on 26 January at 12.00pm on Twitter @watc_updates #watctop100.
During the tweet chat we will be discussing our previous winners experience of the awards process, their top tips for a good nomination alongside what happened next for them all post the awards. This online discussion is ideal opportunity to ask any questions about the awards prior to nominations opening on 01 Feb 2017.
There is no need to book, just go on to Twitter on 26 January at 12.00pm and join in the conversation.
JOIN OUR CONVERSATION
WeAreTheCity - Proud to introduce our Rising Star Judges for 2017
Judging the Rising star awards is no easy task. Several of the judges from last years awards stated it was one of the hardest judging activities they have ever undertaken due to the amazing achievements of the women who were nominated. We expect this year will be no different!
For our 2017 Rising Star awards, we are leveraging the extensive experience and industry knowledge of 28 amazing judges. Each judge has been carefully selected for their expertise in a particular field or their breadth of knowledge across the business landscape.
We are also proud to welcome back five of our 2016 judges, Simone Roche, Northern Power Women, Mairi McHaffie, Scene Change & Coaching Squared, Paul Sesay, The National Diversity Awards, Maggie Berry, WE Connect International and Miranda Brawn, Daiwa Capital Markets & the Black Cultural Archives.
We are also honoured to introduce 23 new judges for this years awards from The Times, the Government Equalities Office, BBC, Women's Equality Party, House of Lords, African Caribbean Business Network, Sodexo, RBS, Chartered Insurance Institute, PwC, Smart Works, HSBC, Aviva Investors, The FISER Group, Purple Space, Cancer Research UK, Centre for Synchronous Leadership and Roche UK.
On behalf of WeAreTheCity, our sponsors and future nominees we would like to sincerely thank all of our judges for their dedication to female pipeline and for donating their valuable time to judge the Rising Star awards in 2017.
Our Rising Star awards are the only awards of their kind to focus solely on the pipeline of female talent below a management level. The aim of the 2017 awards is to recognise and celebrate 100 female role models and individual contributors across 20 different industries who represent the future leaders of tomorrow.
MEET OUR JUDGES NOW
Sponsors show their support for WeAreTheCity's 2017 Rising Star Awards
Now in their second year, the WATC Rising Star Awards are the first to focus on the UK’s female talent pipeline below management level.
These awards will recognise and celebrate 100 female individual contributors across 20 different industries that represent the leaders & role models of tomorrow.We are extremely proud to receive the support of so many individuals and organisations for this years Rising Star awards. We would like to extend our sincere thanks for their words of encouragement and for helping us to celebrate the achievements of the female leaders and role models of tomorrow.
Read what our sponsors have to say about the Rising Star Awards below:
Rising Star Awards 2017 powered by The Times & Sunday Times
"At The Times and The Sunday Times, the best and brightest talent from all backgrounds are provided with the right opportunities to help them reach their full potential. We believe in creating a better working world that is both inclusive and diverse. We are delighted to support WeAreTheCity in their endeavours to find the next generation of future females leaders and champions and to shine a spotlight of achievements of so many individuals across a wide variety of sectors."
Eleanor Mills, Editorial Director, The Sunday Times; Editor, The Sunday Times Magazine; & Chair, Women in Journalism
Rising Stars in Banking proudly sponsored by Societe Generale
"Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are the cornerstone of successful companies, something we truly believe at Societe Generale where our staff represent 122 nationalities worldwide. Sponsoring the WeAreTheCity Rising Stars Banking Award for the 3rd consecutive year further reaffirms our support for diversity through profiling inspiring women who are highly regarded by their peers for pushing excellence in our industry."
Rising Stars in Charity proudly sponsored by Cancer Research UK
"Cancer Research UK’s Women of Influence campaign is delighted to be supporting the WeAreTheCity’s Rising Star Awards, by sponsoring the “Rising Stars in Charity” category for the second year. We are excited to be involved with the Awards which uniquely acknowledge individuals below Senior Management or Director level. There are so many talented women, at all different stages of their careers within in the charity sector, which is why it’s so important that the female role models of today are sponsoring the next generation of female leaders. We are honoured to be a part of shaping the future for women on their way to the top in this sector."
Frances Milner, Executive Director of Philanthropy & Partnerships, Cancer Research UK
Rising Stars in Consulting proudly sponsored by EY
"EY is delighted to sponsor the Rising Stars in Consulting category for WeAreTheCity’s Top 100 Rising Star Awards again in 2016. Building and supporting a strong pipeline of female talent is a key focus for us and we believe showcasing best practice and highlighting role models across our industry is a critical element. These efforts align to our goal of creating a better working world, where the best and brightest talent from all backgrounds are provided with the right opportunities to help them reach their full potential."
Tracey Bowen-Lowe, Partner, EY
Rising Stars in Diversity proudly sponsored by Aon
"Aon is delighted to sponsor the Diversity category again this year, given its commitment to inclusion and raising the profile of female talent within the firm and within the insurance industry. These awards truly showcase an amazing breadth of female role models across all industries."
Katherine Conway, Head of Diversity & inclusion and Community Affairs, Aon Services Group
Rising Stars in Education & Academia proudly sponsored by Edit Development
"EDIT Development is delighted to be sponsoring We are the City’s Rising Stars Awards in 2017 for training and education. We are all about helping people be the best they can be, and supporting our clients in building strong diverse pipelines and these awards are the epitome of this. We believe these awards are truly unique in recognising the future of work, spotlighting new ways of working, new ways of thinking and most importantly the power of being authentic."
Sonia Bate, Managing Director, Edit Development
Rising Star - Entrepreneurs proudly sponsored by Citi
"Citi is delighted to be sponsoring the Entrepreneur Award at We Are The City. Client innovation is one of our key values at Citi. We appreciate that it thrives via a diverse mind-set and open thinking. Supporting the female entrepreneurs of the future is an important initiative which has been proven to lead to economic growth globally."
Jane Karczewski, Managing Director, Strategic Risk Solutions and Co-Chair Citi Women
Rising Stars in Fintech proudly sponsored by Streets Consulting
"Two of the most important initiatives are wrapped into the Rising Stars in Fintech award: support for innovation in the financial services industry and support for rising female talent working hard to make it happen. Every day our diverse and talented team helps entrepreneurs with their business development, sales, marketing and communications campaigns. We are proud to support We Are The City by sponsoring this category as it couldn’t be a more perfect fit. Best of luck to all the nominees."
Julia Streets, Founder and CEO of Streets Consulting
Rising Stars in Insurance proudly sponsored by Lloyd's
"Lloyd’s is delighted to sponsor the Insurance category for the WeAreTheCity Awards. Recognising emerging female talent is critical to building a pipeline of top performers for our sector. Insurance needs a more diverse talent pool. Encouraging women to step forward and progress their careers is essential and Lloyd’s is delighted to be part of such a great initiative."
Pauline Miller, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Lloyd's
Rising Stars in Investment Management proudly sponsored by Northern Trust
"Northern Trust is delighted to be sponsoring the Rising Stars 2017 Investment Management Award and partnering with WeAreTheCity to shine a spotlight on the pipeline of talented women working in our industry. We have a wide range of programmes at Northern Trust to help develop female talent at every level in our organization so that our clients benefit from the innovative thinking that diverse and inclusive teams bring. We wish the best of luck to all the nominees."
Sarah Boddey, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, EMEA & APAC
Rising Stars in Law (The Lynne Freeman Award) proudly sponsored by Reed Smith
"We are delighted to once again celebrate the Lynne Freeman Rising Stars in Law, those talented and dedicated young women who are destined for leadership positions in our industry. Just as their role models have inspired them, they too will inspire more rising stars through their enthusiasm, creativity, and commitment to being the best of the best."
Tamara Box, Managing Partner EME, Reed Smith
Rising Stars in Property & Facilities Management proudly sponsored by Kier
"Kier is delighted to be sponsoring the Property and Facilities Management category at this year’s Rising Star Awards. It’s a great opportunity to recognise and celebrate so many talented females in industry."
Pip Prongué, Managing Director, Property (South), Kier
Rising Stars in Public Sector proudly sponsored by Government Digital Service (GDS)
"We are delighted to be a sponsor of the Rising Stars Awards and support WeAreTheCity whose efforts to close the skills gap are fully aligned with our priorities as a digital government organisation. To be the UK’s most diverse and inclusive employer, and to be representative of the public that we serve across modern Britain are part of our core aspirations as a public service. The Government Digital Service is firmly committed to this agenda, and at the forefront of numerous initiatives to encourage more women into digital, data and technology careers, and ensure gender diversity and equality in our sector."
Kevin Cunnington, Director General, Government Digital Service; Head of Profession for Digital, Data and Technology, Civil Service
Rising Stars in Sales proudly sponsored by Worldpay
"Worldpay is delighted to sponsor the Sales award for WeAreTheCity. We are competing in a fast moving and rapidly developing industry, where to be able to successfully differentiate we need to continually invest in our technology and our people. Our success has been founded on a team with a diverse mix of backgrounds, talents and expertise. We are committed to developing and investing in the accomplished female talent we have in our global sales organisation and across the business – and are pleased to be working WeAreTheCity to support this across the industry."
Steve Newton, General Manager, UK Global E-Com, Worldpay
Rising Stars in Science & Engineering proudly sponsored by 3M
"Supporting the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects lies at the heart of 3M’s community programme in the UK. As a science-based innovation company, we are particularly keen to encourage female students to consider STEM careers. We are therefore delighted to sponsor the Rising Stars in Science and Engineering category, helping to shine a light on role models who can inspire the next generation."
Rich Howgill, Brand and Reputation Manager, 3M United Kingdom Plc
Rising Stars in Sport proudly sponsored by PedalSure
"It is our pleasure to support to WeAreTheCity’s 2017 Rising Star Sports Award. 2016 was a tremendous victory for Team GB Women, and in particular within our sport of cycling."
Philip Lochner, CEO, PedalSure
Rising Stars in Technology proudly sponsored by Morgan Stanley
"We believe a diverse workforce is a more productive one it provides a real competitive advantage when individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives, approaches and capabilities come together to achieve a shared goal. We strive for a creative and innovative working environment, to achieve this we must have a diverse and inclusive workforce. Now in our fourth year of partnership with WeAreTheCity, we proudly sponsor this award and hope that the winning individuals continue to inspire a new generation of female technologists."
Gerard Hester, MD, Global Technology, Morgan Stanley
Rising Star Champions proudly sponsored by Oliver Wyman
"Inclusion and Diversity is a top priority for Oliver Wyman which takes focus, senior leadership commitment and communication and is absolutely central to our culture. We are delighted to continue our commitment to the Rising Champions category for the WeAretheCity Top 50 Rising Star Awards. We believe in the power of sponsorship to transform careers and we hope that showcasing role models in this area will encourage others also to champion the best talent, and celebrate the diversity of characteristics this can encompass."
Rupal Kantaria, Social Impact Advisor and Global Lead of Oliver Wyman's Women's Network
Rising Star's Company of the Year Award proudly sponsored by Barclays
"Barclays is delighted to be sponsoring the newly created Company category for Rising Stars 2017. We are committed to supporting the female talent pipeline and supporting the development of our female leaders of tomorrow. As a firm, Barclays strives to embed diversity, and awareness of the gender agenda, into all areas of our business and we have adopted an approach that promotes a firm-wide culture of inclusion. We have been a champion of Rising Stars both in the UK and India since the beginning and are very much looking forward to the 2017 awards and discovering the winner of Company of the Year."
Mike Bagguley, Chief Operating Officer, Barclays investment Bank
Rising Stars 2016: So what happened next for our winners? | Part Five
In 2016, thanks to the help of a number of amazing supporters and sponsors, WeAreTheCity ran its Rising Star awards programme for a second year.
The aim of the awards was to identify 100 future leaders and role models under, management level, across 20 different industries. After more than 800 nominations and an intensive judging period, we finally arrived at our shortlist and opened the public vote.
The public vote resulted in over 27,000 votes from across 110 different countries and galvanized amazing support from our nominees’ networks, their companies, the press, as well as our own sponsors and supporters.
After a final judging process, we identified our amazing top 100 winners and celebrated their awards alongside our sponsors at a ceremony hosted by Barclays.
We spoke to our winners about life after winning a Rising Star award.
We spoke with to Ellen Hartley, HR Business Partner at Barclays and winner in our Rising Stars in HR and Recruitment sponsored by Twenty Recruitment Group.
Ellen please tell us what has happened in your career since winning the Rising Star awards back in June?
“It’s been bit of a whirlwind since winning the award! I’ve found the support of the other winners and my colleagues at Barclays incredible; the whole experience has really opened my eyes to some of the other fantastic things people are doing across different companies, and I’m really pleased to have expanded my network further. I’m currently talking to some of the other winners about how we can work together to continue what we’ve started, build further awareness of Diversity and Inclusion and use our experiences to support others – watch this space!
“Winning the award has also opened more doors for me, it’s increased my profile internally and across the industry and I’m now starting to get involved in loads more, which I’m loving. There is a lot that we can individually achieve, and even more so together – I’m looking forward to what comes next!”
What top tips would you give to our other members to enhance their careers?
- Don’t wait for someone to give you permission, take ownership of your own career, try new things and push yourself out of your comfort zone. A small idea can have the biggest impact, you just have to believe in what you’re doing and give yourself the permission!
- Make the most of your network, I didn’t realise how many people were interested or already involved in the things that I’m so passionate about. There are some truly inspirational people around us, you just have to ask, and you’ll be amazed at what you learn.
Next we spoke to Julie Thomas, Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Manager at Zurich Insurance plc and winner in our Rising Stars in Diversity category, sponsored by Aon. 
Julie please tell us what has happened in your career since winning the Rising Star awards back in June?
“My career has absolutely soared since winning the Rising Star for Diversity award in June. It has been the most amazing platform for me personally. Winning seemed to unlock a confidence that I never knew I had and since June I’ve been asked to present at both internal and external events on my career journey and also Zurich’s approach to diversity and inclusion. In September I hosted a panel discussion with industry experts on wellbeing and also appeared at the DiveIn Festival on a panel talking about mental health. My company has been incredibly supportive and I’m about to go on media training so I can be spokesperson on diversity and inclusion (officially), as I’ve already done a few press interviews now.
I guess the absolute highlight has been that I’ve just been promoted and am going to lead diversity and inclusion for Zurich Group, so my remit will now be international. This is an incredible step up and amazing recognition for me. I’m hoping I can now be an inspiring role model for other women looking to achieve success in the insurance industry.”
What top tips would you give to our other members to enhance their careers?
“Build your network. Your network is you career life-line – your future manager or mentor could be part of your developing network, and it gives you huge pool of experience and expertise to pull on if you have questions or problems you need help with.
Look at non-traditional way to develop your skills. I became a Girl Guiding Leader back in May 2015 as I wanted to develop my leadership skills whilst being able to influence young women and be a mentor at an early age. As well as leadership, I’ve really improved my listening and coaching skills.
Don’t be scared to change paths. I was sure I was going to be in communications until I retired but then I took a leap into HR, working on diversity and inclusion, and it reinvigorated me completed. I found a new passion for work and that energy has turned into the results I’ve seen today. Yes, it takes time to upskill again but it’s so worth it.”
Source: WeAreTheCity - Information and jobs portal for business women
2016 Rising Star winner celebrated at the Pride of Britain awards
A former Rising Star winner was celebrated at the Daily Mirror’s annual Pride of Britain awards last night.
Francesca Brown, managing director and CEO of Goals4Girls, was presented with the Prince’s Trust Young Achiever Award by Dame Maggie Smith and HRH Prince Charles in a star-studded ceremony.
Brown has overcome depression and family troubles to build Goals4Girls, a football development programme, which works with young women, aged between 11 and 16. The programme aims to break down barriers and reduce inactivity amongst young women in sport, by raising the aspiration, self-confidence, self-esteem and mind sets of young women; inspiring them to set out and achieve their goals.
Goals4Girls has developed over 700 young women and is working closely with organisations like London Youth, Sports England, Prince’s Trust, The FA, London FA and Tottenham Hotspur Ladies.
Alongside Goals4Girls, Fran is the ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and is a FA Qualified coach who has worked with young women from BAME, African and ethnic minority communities’ across London.
On winning the Pride of Britain award, Fran said, “The biggest reward is watching the girls walk out on to the pitch or at training.”
“It also feels great when you can see how far they have built up their communication, teamwork, self-esteem and confidence.”
“I’m passionate about helping other young women reach their full potential by giving them the encouragement and training they need, which is something I never had.”
Speaking of their decision the award judges said, “Fran has overcome so much, and she has such a positive message for the young people she works with.”
“She is inspirational in so many ways.”
The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards, in partnership with TSB, celebrates the achievements of remarkable people. Nominated by the public, the winners are inspiring people, of all ages, who have shown outstanding bravery, selfless acts and courage.
The full list of winners of the 2016 Pride of Britain awards include:
- Billy Muir – Community Partner
- Karen Johnson – Special Recognition
- Nikki Christou – Child of Courage
- Rhea Kara – GMB Young Fundraiser
- Team GB - Special Recognition
- Francesca Brown – Prince’s Trust Young Achiever
- Groves Family – Special Recognition
- Tilly Sawford – Child of Courage
- William Edwards – Outstanding bravery
- Simon and Tedd McDermott – Special Recognition
- Dr David Nott – Special Recognition
- Emergency services – Dr Simon Walsh, Dr Samy Sadek and paramedics Bill Leaning, Sam Margetts and Dean Bateman
- Dylan Graves – Special recognition
- Professor Stephen Hawking – Lifetime Achievement Award
WeAreTheCity India announce the 2016 Top 50 Rising Star Winners and Champions
We are extremely proud to announce our winners for WeAreTheCity India’s Top 50 Rising Star Awards 2016.
The 50 winners showcases remarkable talent across India from a wide variety of industries and includes individuals from leading firms such as BlackRock, Aon, EY, Barclays and RBS alongside founders of NGO’s, Charity workers and business owners.
The awards also celebrate our five Champions, all of which have been championing gender equality inside and outside of their organisations. We are also proud to announce the winner of our public vote and WeAreTheCity India’s first Man of the Year.
The awards, sponsored by Barclays, will now be celebrated on 9 November 2016 at an awards ceremony in Mumbai for winners, guests and sponsors.
To view the 2016 winners, please visit here >>>
In June 2016, WeAreTheCity India, with the support of Barclays, announced that it was launching the Rising Star Awards in India to recognise the achievements of the Indian female talent pipeline.
“Barclays are delighted to be associated with the inaugural WeAreTheCity India Rising Stars Awards. My personal congratulations to everyone who was nominated and to the winners of this year’s awards. I would like to specifically congratulate the Rising Star Champion winners, your support, guidance and enthusiasm for the future leaders in India makes all the difference.”
Mark McLane, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Barclays
Over 500 nominations were received from across India and after an extensive judging period, a shortlist of 100 women and 10 champions were published. The shortlist was then opened to a public vote to determine the public choice for their winner based on the shortlisted individuals. The shortlist was then judged again by an esteemed panel of judges who helped WeAreTheCity to identify their list of 50 Rising Star winners, five senior champions and one public vote winner. WeAreTheCity also wanted to recognise a male individual who had shown extensive evidence of his commitment to gender. This award winner was identified by the WeAreTheCity team in the UK.
We would like to personally thank our finalist and Champion judges: Kunda Jadhav; Shilpi Singh; Saumya Vardhan; Meenakshi Advani; Darshana Ogale; Kavita Devghan; Surekha Shenoy; and Nisha Sinh, Apurva Purohit; Sarika Bhattacharya; and Archana Shiroor. They all gave their valuable time to assemble our shortlist and to help WeAreTheCity India to recognise the fantastic achievements of all of our amazing nominees.
“I am in total awe of the calibre of nominations this year and the outstanding achievements of all of our nominees. My sincere congratulations to this year’s winners, all of which have been able to demonstrate outstanding accomplishments via their professional roles or business activities. These Rising Stars are role models for their industries and professions and beacons of light for those who will follow in their footsteps, once again, a sincere well done to all of our winners.”
Vanessa Vallely, Managing Director of WeAreTheCity
By highlighting the accolades of inspirational female talent and champions, WeAreTheCity India hopes to encourage organisations and business leaders to recognise and invest in women as leaders of tomorrow and individual contributors within their respective industries.
WeAreTheCity India believes it has a responsibility to ensure that female talent, regardless of age and background, receives the necessary support, encouragement and skills to transition into key decision-making roles within their organisations.
Once again, we would like to congratulate all our winners and extend a sincere thanks to everyone who supported Rising Stars during 2016.
For more details about the awards, please visit here.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL LIST IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Source: WeAreTheCity - Information and jobs portal for business women
PUBLIC VOTE WINNER | Bhawna Malhotra | Barclays
I work in the Model Development Team in Barclays, with an involvement in ten geographical locations and eight products for Africa. My work includes developing Business and Impairment Models. I have spent three years in the current role with one promotion. Furthermore, I act as Secretary to Africa Risk Technical Committee which approves models.
In parallel, I have been mentoring graduates in the team. I design and conduct a variety of training schemes for graduates and other members of the unit, ranging from technical to credit life cycle. I also run a RnR programme for the Unit and have conducted various employee engagement initiatives.
Prior to Barclays, I spent a year working in Merchandise Analytics at one of the biggest Retail Chains of US. I completed my Masters in Quantitative Economics from Indian Statistical Institute Delhi, where I led the Placement Committee. In school, I have been part of the student council for three years and served as the Head Girl. Along with this, I have been part of the school badminton team and volleyball team, representing my school in zonals. I was an active participant in debates and declamations across three languages - English, Hindi and French.
WATC Man of the Year Award | Ashish Bhardwaj
I am a Management Graduate, and I have over 20 years of work experience in India's leading corporates. I am based in New Delhi.
I am currently working as a Sr.Manager - Customer Service. I have good experiences in multiple industries like capital goods, FMCG and telecom. About my background, both my parents are BA, MA, Mphil and Phd graduates and are retired Professors from Delhi University. My father was a Professor of English and my mother is a retired Professor of Sanskrit.
I have always supported women empowerment and I am very happy to be associated with WATC.in, which I think is doing amazing work.
Rising Stars 2016: So what happened next for our winners? | Part Four
In 2016, thanks to the help of a number of amazing supporters and sponsors, WeAreTheCity ran its Rising Star awards programme for a second year.
The aim of the awards was to identify 100 future leaders and role models under, management level, across 20 different industries. After more than 800 nominations and an intensive judging period, we finally arrived at our shortlist and opened the public vote.
The public vote resulted in over 27,000 votes from across 110 different countries and galvanized amazing support from our nominees’ networks, their companies, the press, as well as our own sponsors and supporters.
After a final judging process, we identified our amazing top 100 winners and celebrated their awards alongside our sponsors at a ceremony hosted by Barclays.
We spoke to our winners about life after winning a Rising Star award.
We spoke with to Kim Opszala, associate at Dentons and a winner in our Rising Stars in Law category, Sponsored by Reed Smith.
Kim please tell us what has happened in your career since winning the Rising Star awards back in June?
“Since winning the Rising Star in Law earlier this year my career has moved forward in a number of ways. Firstly, in July 2016 I was promoted internally to the next level of associate. Second, as a result of the awards, I met Funke Ambimbola who has since mentored me. Following my initial meeting with Funke I have become involved with Generation Success and Aspiring Solicitors and have recently been appointed as a school governor at Lord Grey, a local secondary school.
I am also in the process of being appointed as a trustee of St Francis’ Children’s Society, an independent adoption agency which places vulnerable children with new families and offers extensive adoption support. Without meeting Funke I would not have known that such opportunities would be available to me!
I have also continued to volunteer for Worktree, an employability education charity on a mission to help young people succeed in work by broadening their career awareness, stimulating their aspirations and requiring their communication skills.”
What top tips would you give to our other members to enhance their careers?
“My two top tips to enhance your career:
- Find a mentor – As a result of winning the award I was introduced to an award-winning lawyer who has helped me to broaden my skills set by making me aware of opportunities outside work. Having an experienced person to advise and support is essential for your personal and career development.
- Volunteer and give your time to help others – Volunteering is a great way to meet new people, gain new or use existing skills as well as make a big difference in your community. As a result of my volunteering work, I met a local charity in Milton Keynes which specialises in re-settling refugees. I was able to advise and assist them, on a pro-bono basis, on setting up their charity.”
Next we spoke to Babs Ofori-Acquah, Founder of Working Girl London and a winner in our Rising Stars in Technology category, sponsored by Morgan Stanley.
Babs please tell us what has happened in your career since winning the Rising Star awards back in June?
“My company was extremely supportive, publishing an article on my win on their website and sharing it across social media. This has certainly helped to raise my profile within the business, especially among more senior staff. I have been allowed to take on more responsibility by training the new starters within our team and I am now on track for a promotion despite having only been at the company for eight months!
Being shortlisted as Scale Up of the Year in the National Business Awards, my company had to pitch to the judges. I was chosen to pitch alongside our CEO and Head of PR, which was an excellent opportunity. I am confident that my win at the Rising Star awards has played a huge part in these successes and I’m sure it will continue to open doors!”
What top tips would you give to our other members to enhance their careers?
“My number one top tip in getting ahead at work is – don’t be afraid to ask. Whether it is being part of a project, getting a promotion/pay rise or improving an internal process, you will get a lot further if you simply ask. rather than waiting for things to be handed to you. The worst possible thing that can happen is hearing the word ‘No’ and even in this case, no usually just means ‘not right now’.
“My other top tip is to tell people about your successes. Similarly to the point above, others won’t always notice your achievements. While you don’t want to come across as arrogant, it is still important to let others know how you contribute to the team and organisation as a whole.”
Source: WeAreTheCity - Information and jobs portal for business women