WeAreTheCity has announced this year’s Rising Star Awards winners.
Now in its seventh year, the Rising Star Awards were introduced to showcase the UK pipeline of female talent below management; and to create 100 female role models across 20 different industries and professions. The list of winners showcases remarkable women within the UK from across 20 categories representing different industries and professions.
Those highlighted include Alice Hendy, who founded R;pple Suicide Prevention after the tragic loss of her brother, Josh, in 2020; Asha Mohammed, an award winning second year junior doctor and an activist who has made it her mission to tackle gender-based violence with a specific focus on female genital mutilation; Jennifer Ogunyemi, Founder of Sisters In Business, which focuses on changing the narrative of the Muslim business woman; and Samantha Gould, Head of PR of NOW: Pensions, who is passionate about creating a fairer UK pension system for herself and her young daughter and future generations.
NEW AWARD CATEGORY WINNERS
This year’s awards also include a Company of the Year prize, awarded to the Royal Air Force. The awards also recognise five Rising Star Champions, who are actively supporting the progression of women in the workplace.
They include Maysoon Shafiq, Founder and Director of Al Mu’Minun (The Believers), a non-profit organisation dedicated to serving the youth through open spaces of spirituality, dialogue and empowerment; and Bernadette Thompson, Deputy Director for Inclusion, Wellbeing and Employee Engagement in the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); a notable diversity advocate and public speaker, working with leaders across government and the public sector to drive a culture of inclusion and increase the pace on representation of Black and Minority Ethnic employees particularly at more senior grades.
GLOBAL AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT
New to this year is the Global Award for Achievement, celebrating women around the world. This year’s winners include Anju Gurung, who is an Associate Civil Servant for the British Gurkas Nepal; Isabella Gomes, who is currently freelancing as a Coronavirus frontline reporter for the Baltimore Sun; and Brigadier General Ishrat Rafique Eshita, who is the Deputy Chief Intelligence Officer, IPC – Global Command of the International Police Commission. She is also the Country Chief Bangladesh of Counter Crime Intelligence Organization.
MALE ALLIES CHAMPIONING WOMEN
Men for Gender Balance, is also a new category. It celebrates senior men who are championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation. Amongst the winners for this year are Gary Ford, Director, Moonshot Consultancy, who is a Male Allies advisor for Women on the Wharf and provides keynote presentations or run workshops on creating male ally groups; and Peter Palmer, Trustee and Director (Voluntary) S.E.E.D (Support and Education for Eating Disorders Lancashire).
SHOWCASING TOP ACHIEVERS
More than 1,000 individuals entered the awards, and were judged by a panel of 51 independent judges. Over 40,000 public votes of support were received for the 200 shortlisted nominees from 115 countries. “I am so proud that for the seventh year running WeAreTheCity has been able to shine a light on the achievements of so many remarkable women across the UK. Our 2021 winners join a phenomenal alumni of 550 previous winners who continue to soar; both professionally and personally,” stated Vanessa Vallely, Managing Director of WeAreTheCity. “I am ecstatic to welcome our 2021 winners to the WeAreTheCity family; and to watch them progress in to the senior positions they so rightly deserve.”
Adding to her comments, Dave Thomas, CEO Europe, Capital Markets & Wealth Management, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) said: “Royal Bank of Canada is delighted to be powering the Rising Stars Awards for the second year. 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.”
LIST OF WINNERS
The list of winners include:
- Alex Canavan | BT
- Alexandra Egge | Mott MacDonald
- Alexandra Faye | Liontrust Asset Management
- Alexandra Mather | WSP
- Alice Hendy | R;pple Suicide Prevention
- Amanda Kemp | Aon
- Amanda Newman | Accenture
- Amandine Flachs | WildMeta
- Amarbir Dhesi | PwC
- Amy Whitehead | London Underground
- Anisa Aksar | Nivaura
- Anisha Malde | IBM
- Anju Gurung | British Gurkhas Nepal
- Ann Hodson | PwC
- Annie Lummis | Barclays
- Arpita Agrawal | HSBC
- Asha Mohammed | NHS
- Avery Johnstone | Kite Insights
- Bernadette Thompson | Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
- Brigadier General Dr. Ishrat Rafique Eshita | International Police Commission
- Bukola Bayo-Yusuf | Excellerate Black Futures
- Caroline McIntyre | NatWest
- Charlotte Davies | Royal Air Force
- Charlotte Morphet | St Albans City and District Council/Women in Planning
- Chidinma Okolo | Diamond Light Source, UK
- Chloe Priestley | PwC
- Christina Warner | 4 Brick Court Chambers
- Cissy Chan | BlackRock
- Claudine Martin | British Army
- Danielle Stewart | National Grid
- Dawn Childs | National Grid
- Devina Maru | Royal College of General Practitioners
- Eiman Raza | EY
- Emily Agnoli | Simmons & Simmons
- Emily Cunningham | South Tyneside Council
- Emily Wallis | Sainsbury’s
- Emma Martin | BT
- Emma Nicholson | SLC Rail
- Emma Palmer | Rail Delivery Group
- Eneni Bambara-Abban | SOKOSHOPPER
- Erika Pagano | Simmons Wavelength (Simmons & Simmons)
- Eunice Zhu | SMBC Nikko Capital Markets (Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation)
- Farrah Ekeroth | EY
- Fiona Barrett | Genius Within CIC
- Fiona Yelland | Queen Mary University London
- Frida Nzaba | Rolls-Royce Plc
- Gary Ford | Moonshot Consultancy Ltd
- Gus Macfarlane | Barclays
- Hanna Osundina | Balfour Beatty Investments
- Hannah Awonuga | Barclays
- Hannah O’Neill | Action Tutoring
- Hilary Lambert | J.P. Morgan
- Ifewumi Fagunwa | NHS/The SHAKE Africa Project
- Isabella Gomes | Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
- Jana Jhaveri | World Can Code
- Jennifer Ogunyemi | Sisters in Business
- Jessica Thorne | IBM
- Joanne Ellett | British Army
- Joe Fowles | Oliver Wyman
- Jolee Tung | Oliver Wyman
- Kajal Chhapia | Oliver Wyman
- Karen Barnicoat | Ministry of Defence
- Kate-Lily de Graft-Johnson | British Land
- Kiran Sahota | Believe in Me CIC
- Kirsty McDermott | National Grid
- Kritika Singh | Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel & Bristol Marriott City Centre
- Lauren Shute | Barclays
- Lea Armstrong | Barclays
- Louise Goux-Wirth | UWE Bristol
- Maysoon Shafiq | Al Mu’Minun – The Believers
- Meenal Upadhyay | Morgan Stanley
- Meera Chudasama | Oakgrove School
- Megan Lloyd | British Army
- Memento Charinga | Legal & General Investment Management
- Monique Wheatle | African Caribbean Medical Mentors (ACMM)
- Neeru Verma | PwC
- Nipuni Karunaratne | Rolls-Royce Plc
- Oyin Talabi | Buro Happold
- Peny Lantzouni | Shell International
- Peter Palmer | S.E.E.D Lancashire
- Preeti Singh | KPMG
- Rachel Harbers | Morgan Stanley
- Rachel Welch-Phillips | Bird & Bird LLP
- Rebecca Stewart | Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty
- Rikki Alderman | British Army
- Rimshah Razzaq | BBC
- Royal Air Force
- Saadia Sharmin | Black Antelope Law
- Samaira Mehta | Coder Bunnyz LLC
- Samantha Gould | NOW: Pensions
- Sarah-Jane Mintey MBE | Developing Experts
- Sherrie Smith | Gypsies and Travellers Essex
- Shreen Mahmood | Muslims Connect
- Simone Goligorsky | Reed Smith
- Siwan Smith | KTN
- Sophia Parvizi-Wayne | Trado Technologies
- Stacey Kowalczyk | Oliver Wyman
- Suze Shardlow | Suze Shardlow
- Sylvia Lu | u-blox AG
- Tanya Howden | Heart of Midlothian FC
- Tegan Duffy | Baker McKenzie
- Teneeka Mai | Oliver Wyman
- Tom Robb | PwC
- Torgyn Erland | QuantumBlack
- Toria Bono | Thomas A Becket Junior School
- Tribeni Chougule | Visa
- Uyiosa Ogunbor | Medsimple
- Vicki Lau | VFX/ VR Specialist
- Yamina Bibi | Forest Gate Community School
- Yulia Manyutina | Coutts
Click here for more information about the winners, and here to read about the finalists.
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