Now in their eighth year, the awards are the first to focus on the UK’s female talent pipeline below management level. Through these awards, we celebrate 100 individual female contributors that represent the leaders and role models of tomorrow. WeAreTheCity hope that by raising the profile of our shortlist and winners, we will encourage organisations to consider how they strengthen the development of their female pipeline for the future.
The list of winners showcases remarkable women within the UK from across 20 categories representing different industries and professions. Those highlighted include Ebinehita Iyere, founder of Milk Honey Bees, working with young people who encounter the youth justice system and those who are impacted by violence in the community; Chanelle Smith, a medical student who is an ambassador for the Captain Tom Foundation and features in the children’s book honouring Captain Sir Tom Moore; and law student Sheekeba Nasimi, who leads the legal clinic at the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of Afghans and all refugees in London.
r10 is a management consultancy, focused on helping the global insurance market embrace change through business and technology transformation.
The awards also recognise five Rising Star Champions, who are actively supporting the progression of women in the workplace. These include Kanika Selvan, Associate Director of Data and Technology at the University of Sheffield, the youngest member of her leadership team and a committed advocate for diversity; Sam Cooper-Gray, Global Head of Market Strategy and Engagement at HSBC, where she advocates for male allyship across the firm through their global Balance network; and Marie Hemingway, founder and CTO of the award-winning not-for-profit, Speak Out Revolution.
We are once again celebrating women around the world with our Global Award for Achievement. This year’s winners include Anna Raduloski, who founded WomenTech Network, a woman-led and woman-focused organisation to empower women globally through mentorship, career development and networking; Aparna Saroagi, who is spearheading inclusive workplace practices at NatWest in India; and Jennifer Kent, a senior associate in Latham’s Washington, D.C. office, who is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
We are also celebrating Men for Gender Balance, which celebrates senior men who are championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation. Amongst the winners for this year are Richard Pickard, Founder of Inclusive Search, an advocate for TLA Black Women in Tech and the 30% Club, and the author of the ‘Exceptional Female Role Model’s interview series; Lee Chambers, a psychologist, coach and founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, a wellbeing and inclusion consultancy; and William Torrie who serves as the UK Deputy Chair for Barclay’s Win group and is widely recognised for his campaign for gender equality.
Those receiving the Editor’s Choice award are individuals who have been specifically selected by the leadership team at WeAreTheCity and one independent judge. This award recognises their outstanding contribution and tireless efforts towards gender equality, both in the workplace and across wider society.
Winners include Preet Chandi, who recently became the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica; Ian Clarke, Founder of Deilight Consulting, who holds the Millennium Volunteers Award for Excellence for a lifetime dedicated to mentoring, coaching and counselling disadvantaged young people and their businesses; and Frances Scott, founder and director of 50:50 Parliament, who is a passionate advocate for gender equality of representation.
The awards were entered by over 1,000 individuals and were judged by a panel of over 40 independent judges. Over 35,000 public votes of support were received for the 200 shortlisted nominees from across 115 countries.
The 2022 awards are headline sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada. Category sponsors include an array of leading FTSE 100 companies and industry leaders: 3M, Accenture, Barclays, Bloomberg, The British Army, Citi, CMI Women, EPAA, Funding Circle, GSK, Highways Sector Council, HSBC, Lloyd’s, London Stock Exchange Group, Marie Claire, National Grid, Northern Trust, Oliver Wyman, Pan Pacific London, Reed Smith, Streets Consulting, Warwick Business School, and Wellbeing of Women.
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is delighted to be powering the Rising Stars Awards for the third year and extended our partnership through to 2024. These awards are critical to celebrate and showcase incredible talent across multiple industries in the UK, something that is particularly important during these challenging times. Diversity and inclusion is more than just a value at RBC, it’s our strength, and it’s one of the ways we bring our purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper to life.
I am so proud that for the eighth year running WeAreTheCity has been able to shine a light on the achievements of so many remarkable women across the UK. Our 2022 winners join a phenomenal alumnus of 750 previous winners who continue to soar, both professionally and personally. I am ecstatic to welcome our 2022 winners to the WeAreTheCity family and to watch them progress into the senior positions they so rightly deserve.”
The team at WeAreTheCity are incredibly excited to announce that we will once again be holding our awards ceremony, in person. We will be holding a prestigious awards celebration for all winners, sponsors and judges on the evening of 14 July 2022 at Pan Pacific London.
Over the course of the awards ceremony, you will hear from inspirational speakers and entertainers who will all be endeavouring to create a truly magically experience for you all. We cannot wait to give you the true physical experience of one of our award ceremonies!
To give you an idea of what’s to come, why not remind yourself of what happened at our last in-person award’s ceremony in 2019?
The 2019 winners were celebrated at a prestigious award’s ceremony at The Landmark Hotel, Marylebone, London. Guests were treated to a sparkling reception, a three-course meal and fine wine and had the opportunity to network with over 400 individuals from a multitude of industries. Guests were welcomed by our award’s host, Jane Hill from BBC News, and entertained throughout the night by 1920’s girl band, Just the Tonic, Roger Samuels, 2019 The Voice contestant and soul sensation, Lemar, multi Brit and MOBO award winner and Magic Soul FM DJ.
