This year marks the 15th time Computer Weekly is putting together its list of the 50 Most Influential Women in UK Technology, and voting is now open to give readers an opportunity to express who they feel deserves the top spot.
Launched in 2012, the top 50 list aims to make role models in the tech sector more visible and accessible, in the hope that doing so will encourage more women and underrepresented groups to consider a role in the industry, and eventually lead to a more diverse and inclusive technology sector.
This year’s longlist, featuring more than 850 women, was assessed by a group of expert judges to choose the shortlisted 50 below.
The winner of this year’s “most influential woman in UK tech” accolade will be announced at an event in London in October, planned in partnership with recruitment specialist Harvey Nash.
Hall of Fame
Alongside the top 50, each year, the judges choose several women for the Computer Weekly Women in Tech Hall of Fame to recognise their lifetime achievements and ongoing contributions to the technology sector. This year’s additions are:
- Naomi Timperley (Last year’s winner)
- Charlene Hunter, CEO and founder, Coding Black Females
- Anna Brailsford, CEO, Code First Girls
- Melanie Dawes, chief executive, Ofcom
- Janet Collyer, chair, Quantum Dice
- Alice Bentinck, co-founder, Entrepreneur First
- Toni Scullion, computing science teacher; founder, dressCode
- Edwina Dunn, commissioner, Geospatial Commission; founder, The Female Lead
- Emma Wright, director, Institute of AI; partner and global co-chair of the privacy and cyber team, Crowell & Moring
- Beckie Taylor, founder, Voices in Tech; co-founder, WIT North; co-founder, Tech Returners
- Anne Keast-Butler, director, GCHQ
- Arfah Farooq, scout, Ada Ventures; founder, Muslamic Makers; founder, Muslim Tech Fest
- Sian John, partner – cyber security, EY
- Bindi Karia, venture partner, Molten Ventures; digital leaders of Europe, World Economic Forum
- Gill Whitehead, non-executive director
- Jess Wade, Royal Society University research fellow, Imperial College London
- Carolyn Dawson, CEO, Founders Forum Group
Vote now
Computer Weekly readers can now vote for the person they consider to be the most influential woman in UK technology in 2026.
Click on your choice below and then on the “submit” button (or the arrow button on mobile) at the end of the list, and your vote will be registered. Note that the list appears in randomised order.
Voting closes at midnight on 21 September 2026.
Editor’s note: The final list of the Most Influential Women in UK Tech will be chosen by combining the decision of the judging panel with the votes of our readers. The combined reader vote will carry the same weight as that of one judge, and will provide the UK IT professional input into the order of the list. The editor’s decision on the list will be final.
The shortlist
The shortlisted 50 (in alphabetical order) are as follows:
Akua Opong, senior EUC engineer, infrastructure and cloud engineering, London Stock Exchange; STEM advisor
As well as her work as senior EUC engineer, infrastructure and cloud engineering at the London Stock Exchange Group, Akua Opong is a freelancer and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) advisor.
Until last year, she was part of the City of London Corporation volunteer advisory group for equality, diversity and inclusion, and was previously an advisory board member for Neurodiversity in Business, and a mentor at the TechUp mentor programme for Durham University.
Opong was a contributor for Voices in the shadows, the book of black female role models created by the 2022 Computer Weekly most influential woman in UK tech, Flavilla Fongang.
Currently, Opong is an award judge for WeAreTheCity, a volunteer for the Festival of The Girl, and until November 2025 was a role model and mentor for the STEMazing mentorship programme.
She spent two years as a non-executive director for Genius Within CIC.
Alex Depledge, founder and CEO, Resi; entrepreneurship advisor to the chancellor of the exchequer
Alex Depledge is a serial entrepreneur who founded domestic cleaning marketplace Hassle.com and residential architecture firm Resi, where she was CEO for almost 10 years before becoming executive director in 2025.
She has previously been a board member for the London Economic Action Partnership (Leap) and a non-executive director for retail analytics firm Edited.
Until March 2016, Depledge was a board member for lobbying body The Sharing Economy, and until January 2017, acted as the venture partner for startup capital firm Ignite 100. Depledge was also previously the chair of not-for-profit The Coalition for a Digital Economy (Coadec) and started her tech career as a management consultant for Accenture.
Currently, Depledge is an entrepreneurship advisor to the chancellor of the exchequer at HM Treasury.
Alison Kay, vice-president and managing director, AWS UK and Ireland
In her role at Amazon Web Services (AWS), Alison Kay uses her background in business model transformation to drive innovation through utilising emerging trends and technologies, while also focusing on creating an inclusive culture.
She also uses her 25 years of experience in business and technology to mentor and sponsor others within the sector.
Alongside her role at AWS, Kay is a non-executive director at Lloyd’s Register, executive chairman for the Birmingham Panthers, and a board member of the UK Investment Council.
Previously, she has held roles such as senior executive at Accenture, and spent more than 18 years at EY in roles such as global sector leader for power and utilities, global vice-chair for industry, and managing partner and senior advisor for EMEIA.
Amanda Brock, CEO, OpenUK
Amanda Brock’s role at OpenUK sees her leading the sustainable and ethical development of open technologies in the UK, including technology such as open source software, hardware and data.
She also sits on the boards of the Mojaloop Foundation and US cyber security firm Mimoto, as well as acting as an advisory board member for Scarf and The Stack.
In summer 2025, she became an Expert Network of the Digital Innovation Board member for the International Telecommunication Union, and is an honorary professor at the University of Bristol Smart Internet Lab.
Past experience saw her as a member of the Cabinet Office Open Standards Board, and an advisory board member for Tech All Stars and FerretDB.
Amy Low, CEO, AbilityNet
Amy Low has been chief executive of AbilityNet since August 2024, a charity aimed at using technology to reduce barriers to inclusion in work, education and life.
Prior to her current position, she held other roles within the charity, including service delivery director and chief operating officer.
She is also a community board member for the Digital Poverty Alliance, as well as an Inclusive Online Services subcommittee member at the Digital Inclusion Action Committee and a strategic expert partner at digital inclusion coalition the Connection Project.
She was named a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2025.
Angela McLean, chief scientific advisor, UK government
Since 2023, Angela McLean has been the government’s chief scientific advisor, responsible for providing scientific advice to the prime minister.
McLean has a background in mathematical biology and zoology, and aims to use this knowledge, as well as her interest in mathematical models, to help the government understand the spread of infectious diseases.
She has been on the receiving end of many awards and accolades for her work, and in 1994, she established Mathematical Biology at the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council’s Institute for Animal Health.
Avril Chester, co-founder, The Human Intelligence Circle; founder, Cancer Central
Award-winning entrepreneur Avril Chester is currently chief operating officer and advisory board member at artificial intelligence (AI) venture studio AINAD.
She also co-founded the Human Intelligence Circle, a movement to encourage individuals to “lead with humanity” in the wake of AI. As part of this project, she authored a book, bringing together 30 leaders to share their perspective on how to achieve this goal.
She was previously the chief technology officer (CTO) of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, CTO of RIBA, and has had a long-standing career in technology and project management.
In 2018, she founded technology charity platform Cancer Central to help support people with cancer.
Beverly Clarke, founder and CEO, Technology Books for Children; member and advisor, Digital, AI and Technology Task and Finish Group, Department for Education
Beverly Clarke is a technology expert who consults on technology education. She is the founder and CEO of Technology Books for Children, which aims to encourage children to read about technology topics.
She is currently advising the Department for Education’s Digital, AI and Technology Task and Finish Group on how the education system can be adapted to better provide digital skills to children.
She has previously been a professional development leader for the National Centre for Computing Education, and a national community manager for the BCS.
She received an MBE for her work in 2024.
Blaise Metreweli, chief, Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
The only publicly named member of staff for MI6, Blaise Metreweli, referred to as “C”, heads up the organisation tasked with keeping the UK safe, and reports directly to the foreign secretary.
Metreweli joined MI6 in 1999, and has held many roles within the organisation in the past, including director general for technology and innovation, a role often referred to as “Q”.
Caroline Bellamy, executive director, Strider Technologies
Caroline Bellamy is currently the executive director at Strider Technologies, and is an advisory board member for the ONS data science campus.
Until recently, she was the first chief data and artificial intelligence officer for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), a role she held for six years.
She has had a long career in technology, holding roles such as database marketing manager at Sainsbury’s, director of insight and data at Centrica, director – data transformation, big data, analytics, information architecture, business intelligence at Vodafone, and chief data officer for Ordnance Survey.
She has been named on Truata’s list of Global Data Visionaries, as well as the Women in Data & Tech top 20.
Caroline O’Brien, CEO, Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult
With a background in semiconductors, Caroline O’Brien currently heads up the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult.
Previous roles have seen her as CEO of Kubos Semiconductors, general manager of Ultrahaptics and managing director of Tectonic Elements Ltd.
Casey Calista, director and advisory board chair, Labour Digital; public policy, Meta
The chair of Labour Digital, Casey Calista has a history in both technology and the public sector.
Alongside her role at Labour Digital, she is responsible for UK youth and AI governance public policy at Meta, and has co-founded the network Women in Tech Policy.
She has previously headed up policy and public affairs at UK scaleup Vorboss, and founded the UK public affairs tech practice at Hill+Knowlton Strategies.
She volunteers as a steering committee member for the City of London Corporation’s Women Pivoting to Digital Taskforce, and until recently was an advisor for digital citizenship charity Glitch and a policy board member for OpenUK.
Claire Reid, chief technology and innovation officer and head of PwC Women in Tech, PwC UK
Claire Reid has been with PwC for more than 25 years, holding several roles including regional leader for Scotland, UK forensics services leader and UK Management Board head of risk.
She is currently the firm’s chief technology and innovation officer and head of PwC Women in Tech in the UK.
She’s passionate about creating inclusive environments where the right people can engage with the right technology.
Claire Thorne, advisor and venture partner, Deep Science Ventures; council member, The Foundation for Science and Technology
Claire Thorne is currently a venture partner at Deep Science Ventures, as well as a council member at The Foundation for Science and Technology, and an industry advisory board member for TechSkills (part of TechUK).
Until recently, Thorne was co-CEO of Tech She Can, a charity aimed at increasing the number of women in the technology sector.
She has a background in the education sector, previously holding roles as director of innovation strategy for the University of Surrey and executive officer to the vice-president (innovation) at Imperial College London.
She has also been a diversity and inclusion advisory board member for the Institute of Coding, and sat on the principal partner board at Tech Talent Charter.
Danielle George, chief scientific advisor for national security, GCHQ; professor and vice-dean at the University of Manchester
With more than 25 years as a lecturer in radio frequency engineering at the University of Manchester, Danielle George was appointed chief scientific advisor for national security at GCHQ in 2025.
She is also the vice-president at the University of Manchester and vice-president of BCS.
In the past, George has been president of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and in 2016 was appointed an OBE for services to engineering through public engagement.
Debbie Weinstein, president, Google EMEA
Currently the president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Debbie Weinstein has been at Google for almost 13 years, holding various roles such as vice-president of global advertising solutions, Google and YouTube, and vice-president and managing director in the UK and Ireland.
Prior to her current role, she was vice president of global media at Unilever, and vice-president of advertising sales at Viacom, now called Paramount.
Deborah O’Neill, partner and head of technology innovation UKI and Nordics, Oliver Wyman
Deborah O’Neill was appointed head of technology innovation for the UK, Ireland and the Nordics at Oliver Wyman in early 2025.
She is also head of performance transformation for the UK, Ireland and the Nordics at the firm, and before that was head of digital for Europe, where she led digital transformation and new proposition launches at companies all over the world.
Alongside this, she is also a strategic partner at FutureDotNow and a board trustee for Girlguiding.
She was a co-author on the recent Lovelace Report, which detailed reasons women leave the technology sector.
Elizabeth Anderson, CEO, Digital Poverty Alliance
In her role as CEO of the Digital Poverty Alliance, Elizabeth Anderson manages the not-for-profit’s programmes, operations and stakeholders involved in its goal to end digital poverty by 2030.
She has had a long career in the charity and not-for-profit sector, having been CEO of the British Interplanetary Society and government liaison officer for the UK Youth Climate Coalition, as well as strategic projects lead and Kensington Academy director at The Aldridge Foundation and corporate affairs business manager at Openreach.
Emily Middleton, director general, digital transformation (interim), Government Digital Service
Emily Middleton is currently the interim director general, digital transformation for the Government Digital Service, and was previously director general, digital centre design for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
She is a trustee for Plan International UK, and has previously been a partner at Public Digital, as well as Smart London project manager for the Greater London Authority.
Erin Platts, CEO, Octopus Ventures; member, board of trustees, Founders Pledge
Erin Platts is currently the CEO of venture capital and private venture firm Octopus Ventures, as well as a member of the board of trustees for Founders Pledge.
In the past, she has been CEO of HSBC Innovation Banking in the UK, and a board member for UK Finance and the ScaleUp Institute.
She is outspoken about the importance of diversity and inclusion in tech and finance, and is a UK trustee at Founders Pledge, an advisory board member for London Tech Week and a member of the Capital Markets Industry Taskforce.
She has been named an Innotribe Power Woman in Fintech, and was named in Management Today’s Top 35 Women under 35.
Francesca Carlesi, CEO, Revolut UK
Francesca Carlesi’s background is in finance, having spent 15 years in the industry. She is currently CEO of fintech firm Revolut, where she’s been since 2023.
As well as acting as a non-executive director for UK Finance, she volunteers as a young global leader for the World Economic Forum, and is a member of the Italian members organisation Valore D.
She was previously co-founder and CEO of digital mortgage lending platform Molo Finance, and has worked at other large financial firms and banks, such as Barclays and Deutsche Bank.
She has been nominated for Computer Weekly’s Most Influential Women in UK Tech several times, appearing on the longlist in previous years.
Helen Wylie, director general, digital and transformation group, Department for Work and Pensions
Helen Wylie has been with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the last eight years, originally as digital delivery director before becoming CTO, then CDIO, and she is now director general of the digital and transformation group.
Prior to joining DWP, she had been head of technology delivery at the Bank of England, software development director at Experian and technology manager at Experian Payments.
Irene Graham, CEO, Scaleup Institute
Alongside many non-executive and advisory roles, Irene Graham is currently CEO for not-for-profit organisation the Scaleup Institute.
She is also visiting professor of entrepreneurship at Strathclyde University, as well as a board member for Creative UK.
Previously, she worked as managing director of the British Bankers Association and managing director of the Standard Chartered Bank.
Jade Leung, chief technology officer, AI Security Institute; prime minister’s AI advisor
As well as CEO of the UK’s AI Security Institute, Jade Leung is the prime minister’s AI advisor, responsible for working alongside the prime minister on the use of emerging AI technologies to achieve the UK government’s Plan for Change.
In the past, she was governance lead of OpenAI and head of research and partnerships for the Centre for the Governance of AI (GovAI).
Janine Hirt, CEO, Innovate Finance
Janine Hirt joined Innovate Finance in 2015 as the industry body’s head of community, before eventually becoming its CEO six years later. She now heads up the organisation, aiming to drive innovation and transformation in the fintech sector to make it more inclusive.
She has worked around the world in a variety of roles, including acting head of corporate relations for Chatham House in the UK, head of membership for the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, and head new hire trainer for an English language training programme in Japan.
Jemma Davis, founder and managing director, Culture Gem; founder, DECID:R
With a longstanding career in cyber, Jemma Davis founded Culture Gem in 2017 with a focus on security culture, cyber resilience and crisis preparedness. She is currently managing director.
She also founded DECID:R, a simulation platform that allows specialists such as incident managers, business continuity managers or crisis teams to test the outcome of their decisions should an incident occur.
Currently, Davis is a cyber transformation consultant for Holland and Barrett, and in the past, she has held cyber and consultancy-based roles in organisations such as the UK Health Security Agency, NHS Test and Trace, and Photobox.
Joanna Cavan, board member, GRIIT – Gender Equity Research and Inclusive Innovation in Technology; managing director, UK Telecoms Lab
As managing director of the UK Telecoms Lab, Joanna Cavan is responsible for the organisation’s strategy, performance and growth as it tests and researches the security and resilience of UK telecoms.
She is also a board member for research network GRIIT (Gender Equity Research and Inclusive Innovation in Technology) and is on the board of the West Midlands Defence and Security Cluster.
She has a long-standing background in the public sector, having worked for West Mercia Police, the UK Home Office and GCHQ in the past.
Karen Blake, co-author, the Lovelace Report; head, EDIS; member, Women in Tech Taskforce; strategy steering board member, Women Pivoting to Digital – City of London Corporation
Karen Blake is currently head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Science and Health (EDIS), a coalition of organisations from the science and health sectors looking to build a more inclusive research system for health in the UK.
She is also on the strategy steering board of Women Pivoting to Digital at the City of London Corporation and is a Women in Tech Taskforce member for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Until it was disbanded, she was co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter, where she led the organisation’s growth and headed up the implementation of some of the tools it offered, such as its benchmarking platform and annual benchmarking reports.
She was a co-author of the recent Lovelace Report, and until November 2025, was head of inclusive workforce strategy and advisory at Powered By Diversity.
Previously, Blake has been a senior researcher for the House of Commons, looking into digital inclusion policies and a freelance inclusive practice business consultant.
Katie Gallagher, managing director, Manchester Digital; chair, UK Tech Cluster Group
Katie Gallagher heads up Manchester Digital, and also co-founded the Cyber Resilience Centre for Greater Manchester, both of which support businesses in the Manchester area.
Alongside this, she is chair of the UK Tech Cluster Group, which regularly discusses the technology issues affecting particular areas in the UK.
Katie King, co-founder and CEO, Bio Orbit
Katie King co-founded Bio Orbit in 2023, a company focused on developing medicine in a microgravity factory to develop better treatments for cancer, leading her to win the Innovator Award at the 2024 Everywoman in Tech awards. She is currently CEO of the company.
King is also currently a tech ambassador for Tech She Can, and has several past roles in the space and science sectors at organisations including Frontier Space Technologies and The Naked Scientists.
Laura Gilbert, senior director of AI, Tony Blair Institute
Laura Gilbert is the senior director of AI at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, as well as a visiting professor in practice for the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Until recently, she was head of AI for government at the Ellison Institute of Technology Oxford, and director of the Incubator for AI at 10 Downing Street.
Lila Ibrahim, chief AI readiness officer, Google DeepMind
Lila Ibrahim has been in the tech sector for more than 30 years, and became Google DeepMind’s first chief operating officer (COO) in 2018, looking after teams in disciplines such as engineering, virtual environments, programme management and operations.
Prior to this role, she was COO of online skills platform Coursera, and has also acted as general manager for emerging markets platforms in China for Intel.
Margherita Della Valle, CEO, Vodafone
Originally from Italy, Margherita Della Valle’s career at Vodafone has spanned more than 30 years, and has included roles such as European chief financial officer (CFO), group CFO, and now group chief executive.
She has been recognised in Fortune magazine’s Most Powerful Women list, as well as in the Forbes list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
Mary McKenna, co-founder, AwakenHub and AwakenAngels
Mary McKenna is a huge supporter of entrepreneurship and startups, holding several roles as an advisor and investor. Her social enterprise, AwakenHub, where she is co-founder, is focused on building a community of female founders in Ireland.
As well as being an expert advisor for the European Commission, she is an entrepreneurship expert with the Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, and a board member for Coinvest Capital, among many other board memberships and non-executive directorships.
In 2013, she was awarded an MBE for services to digital technology, innovation and learning.
Nikita Thakrar, co-founder and CEO, Included VC
Nikita Thakrar founded and is CEO of Included VC, a venture capital fund dedicated to making sure diverse entrepreneurs gain the funding they need.
It’s not her first time working with entrepreneurs – previously she headed up innovation and entrepreneurship in Deep Science Ventures at Imperial College London.
She was named a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2024.
Phoebe Whitlock, barrister, Lamb Chambers; director, Intellectual Property Awareness Network
Phoebe Whitlock is first and foremost a barrister with legal firm Lamb Chambers, where she specialises in AI, intellectual property, technology and commercial law.
She is also the director of not-for-profit The Intellectual Property Awareness Network, which is focused on the importance of understanding intellectual property as part of business.
As well as being a trustee at Codebar, she is a lay-trustee of the Royal Microscopical Society and, until recently, was on the agile management team of the advisory board for the Society for Computers and Law.
Roni Savage, managing director, Jomas Associates (Engineering & Environmental)
As managing director of Jomas Associates (Engineering & Environmental), Roni Savage specialises in geotechnical and environmental engineering.
She is also passionate about topics such as women in engineering and social mobility, and is on the UK government’s Business Growth Forum (formerly the SME Business Council).
Sam Kini, chief digital and technology officer, Unilever
Sam Kini is the chief digital and technology officer at Unilever, before which she had a dual role as global chief information officer (CIO) and chief information security officer (CISO) at the firm.
She is also a non-executive director at Verisure and was previously a sponsor and digital board advisor for a LEAD Network Digital Chapter focused on empowering women to grow their careers, and a non-executive director and member of the audit committee at Tele2.
She has previously been a CIO at easyJet and Telenet, and was the director of development and delivery – technology and transformation at Virgin Media.
Samantha Niblett, founder, Labour Women in Tech
Before her time as an MP, Samantha Niblett had a long career in technology, holding roles such as industry sales leader at DXC Technology and head of alliances, channel and ecosystem in EMEA at 1E.
Now alongside her role as an MP, she’s the founder of the Labour: Women in Tech group, which campaigns to reach equal gender opportunities in the technology industry. She’s also the co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on FinTech, chair of the Interparliamentary Forum on Emerging Technologies, and a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee.
Sarah Thomson, head of tech, UK, Postcode Lottery
In her decade-long career at the Postcode Lottery, Sarah Thomson has held many roles, including service and release manager, process manager and head of IT for data services.
Now, she heads up the organisation’s tech in the UK, and is a frequent speaker at women in tech events.
Sarah Underhill, HR director, technology and data (Group Chief Operating Office), Lloyds Banking Group
Sarah Underhill has spent her entire career at Lloyds Banking Group, since joining the firm as a graduate in 1999.
She has held several roles at Lloyds, and is currently HR director for technology and data, part of the firm’s Group Chief Operating Office, where she is responsible for developing its people strategies for technology.
She has previously sat on the board of the now disbanded tech diversity collective, Tech Talent Charter.
She was named a Computer Weekly Rising Star in 2024.
Sarah Winmill, digital functional leader, Royal Navy, Ministry of Defence; president and chair of trustees, BCS
In her role at the Ministry of Defence, Sarah Winmill is the digital functional leader for the Royal Navy, and has previously been the MoD’s head of software products and chief information officer of business functions.
She is also president and chair of trustees for the BCS.
Before her current role, Winmill was with the British Transport Police between 2016 and 2019, originally as acting CTO and then acting CIO.
She has a history of working with not-for-profit organisations, having been head of IT at the Royal Academy of Arts, head of information systems services at the Victoria and Albert Museum, and chair of Charity IT Leaders.
Sharron Gunn, group CEO, BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT
In her role as Group CEO for BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT, Sharron Gunn is responsible for overseeing the organisation’s drive for ensuring technology has a positive impact on society.
In 2019, she was awarded an International Alliance for Women World of Difference Award.
Susan Langley, Lord Mayor, City of London
Susan Langley is Lady Mayor of the City of London, chair of Gallagher UK, as well as senior independent director of Northern Rock Asset Management and Bradford and Bingley.
She was a founding member of the government’s Women’s Business Council and has been on the receiving end of countless awards and accolades.
In 2015, she was awarded an OBE for services to women in business.
Tessa Clarke, co-founder and CEO, Olio
Tessa Clarke co-founded and is CEO of food-sharing app Olio, which helps users share food that would otherwise be wasted.
She is a fellow of business fund Unreasonable, an advisory board member for Stop Ecocide International and, until recently, was a venture partner for early-stage generalist impact fund Mustard Seed Maze.
She has previously been a business mentor for Virgin StartUp, and works alongside the minister for small business and the Department for Business and Trade, advising on SMEs.
Tristi Tanaka, chair, BCS Women
Tristi Tanaka is currently chair of BCS Women and is on the community support committee for BCS, and until recently was head of the CMO Office for NHS Black Country ICB.
Previously, she was a fellow, independent audit of AI systems, for ForHumanity, part of the programme team for All4Health&Care, a community launched during the pandemic to connect digital healthcare providers with the public sector, and BCS Women membership secretary.
Yvonne Gallagher, digital director, National Audit Office
With 30 years of tech and digital experience behind her, Yvonne Gallagher is currently digital director at the National Audit Office and has previously been CIO for two government departments.
She is currently a fellow at the BCS, having previously been on the organisation’s public policy and affairs board, and chair of the organisation and employer board.
Previously, she has held roles in organisations such as Network Rail, Prudential UK and Affinity Sutton.
Zahra Bahrololoumi, CEO UK and Ireland, Salesforce
As CEO of Salesforce in the UK and Ireland, Zahra Bahrololoumi is responsible for the workforce in these regions across all industries and functions, and is particularly focused on ensuring its customers are ready for digital transformation.
She sits on several boards, including Business in the Community, Movement to Work and Cancer Research UK Corporate Partnerships, and is an independent non-executive director on the TSB board.
In 2023, she was awarded a CBE for services to the information technology sector.
Zahra Shah, board advisor, NexaQuanta; chair and founding member, Women in AI Working Group, UKAI
Zahra Shah’s career is deeply focused on AI – she is currently a board advisor for responsible AI consultancy and services firm NexaQuanta, and is also a founding member and chair of the UKAI Women in AI Working Group.
She is also a co-founder, investor and non-executive director for AI privacy and consent management platform Seers, as well as a senior board advisor and investment committee member for Teamup Ventures.
Until recently, she was an advisor on artificial intelligence for the Commonwealth Businesswomen’s Network.
Zoe Kleinman, technology and AI editor, BBC
Zoe Kleinman has been with the BBC since 2003, originally joining as a features editor of staff newspaper Ariel. She then became a web producer for Working Lunch on BBC Two, and was a senior technology reporter for the BBC, before becoming a radio presenter on technology and business-themed shows such as the BBC Tech Tent.
Now, she’s the technology and AI editor for BBC News, covering technology news across BBC radio, TV and digital.
