WeAreTheCity has announced the finalists of this year’s Rising Star Awards.
Over an eight week period, the awards organiser WeAreTheCity received over 1,000 nominations from across the UK and Northern Ireland. The 200-strong shortlist showcases “remarkable women within the UK from over 20 categories representing different industries/professions”, confirmed the organiser.
Examples of the amazing women shortlisted this year include Alice Hendy, founder of Ripple Suicide Prevention after the tragic loss of her brother in 2020; Asha Mohammed, an award-winning second year junior doctor and activist who has made it her mission to tackle gender-based violence; and Sherrie Smith, who was born and raised in a traditional Romany Gypsy family and now dedicates her time to challenging prejudice, racism and bias directed at Gypsies, Roma and Travellers.
GLOBAL AWARD & MALE CHAMPION FINALISTS
This year’s awards also celebrate women from around the world thanks to its new Global Award for Achievement this year, as reported. This year’s shortlisted nominees include Anju Gurung, who is a Associate Civil Servant for the British Gurkas Nepal; Isabella Gomes, who is currently freelancing as a Coronavirus frontline reporter for the Baltimore Sun; and Vicki Lau, a VFX and VR Specialist, whose worked on AMC’s hit series, The Walking Dead, as well as other movies such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Aquaman.
This year’s awards also celebrate Men for Gender Balance for the first time. This award celebrates senior men who are championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation. The shortlisted nominees for this year include Gary Ford, Director, Moonshot Consultancy, a Male Allies advisor for Women on the Wharf and provides keynote presentations/workshops on creating male ally groups; Peter Palmer, Trustee and Director of S.E.E.D (Support and Education for Eating Disorders Lancashire); and Patrick McCrae, CEO and Co-Founder, ARTIQ, a global arts and cultural consultancy, and a LGBTQ+ leader committed to building a truly inclusive sector.
COMPANY OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
The Rising Star Awards also includes a ‘Company of the Year’ award. This award recognises the achievements of a company actively developing their female talent pipeline through initiatives, ERGs and/or training. Shortlisted companies this year include NatWest, PwC and Royal Air Force.
The awards also continue to celebrate Rising Star Champions. This award recognises the efforts of senior leaders who are actively supporting the female pipeline. This year’s shortlist 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. She is also a diversity advocate, 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.
OUTSTANDING NOMINATIONS
Commenting on this year’s shortlist, Vanessa Vallely, CEO and Founder of WeAreTheCity, stated: “A huge congratulations to all of our 2021 Rising Star shortlist. Every nomination this year was nothing short of outstanding. Our judges found it so very hard to choose; and like me, if we could have had 1300+ shortlisted we would. If you were nominated, please celebrate that as an achievement in itself. You are all awesome and incredible role models for your industries and professions. Public voting opens tomorrow. Best of luck to all in the next round.”
The winners will be announced on 25 May 2021. Click here to see the complete shortlist.
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