In a welcomed effort to introduce more women to the tech talent pipeline, WeAreTechWomen has finalised its shortlist for the 2022 TechWomen100 Awards; highlighting the incredible women doing incredible things in the industry.
In its pursuit of the UK’s best female tech talent, and supported by Barclays, its headline sponsor, WeAreTechWomen has confirmed the names of the 200 women to be shortlisted for the awards.
It’s thought that in today’s tech industry, only 17 per cent are women. The sector must have more women studying, working and sticking with tech skills to ensure that there is enough talent for the future, yet despite this, only one in 10 females are currently studying within the field at A-Level.
The TechWomen100 awards aim to focus solely on the female tech talent pipeline, recognising the individuals and companies that are advocating a more equally-represented industry.
The awards were entered by over 1,000 individuals and were judged by a panel of 20 independent judges.
Highlighting the achievements of these women forms part of WeAreTechWomen’s campaign to spotlight 1,000 future female tech leaders by 2025.
The shortlist showcases women pioneering gender inclusion within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) sector, including:
- Marie Hemingway, founder and CTO at Speak Out Revolution, a not-for-profit with a mission to cancel the culture of silence on harassment in the workplace.
- Dayo Akinrinade, who built a social audio app to democratise access to mentorship and create a diverse community centred on knowledge sharing.
- Jessica Heagren, co-founder of That Works For Me, a platform that connects forward-thinking businesses with professional mums looking for flexible work.
- Priyanka Gangishetty, a senior azure customer engineer at Microsoft and ambassador for women in STEM, aiming to show young girls from all backgrounds that dreams can be achieved.
- Dr Chun Huang, a senior lecturer at Imperial College London, working to reduce human impact on climate change.
The full shortlist includes individuals from firms such as Deloitte, KPMG, Santander, Amazon, Royal Air Force, Bloomberg and J.P. Morgan.
The awards also seek to recognise various networks and companies that are actively supporting the progression of women in tech and STEM.
The TechWomen100 awards are also celebrating women in tech from outside the UK, in the Global Award for Achievement category.
“At WeAreTechWomen, we have made it our personal mission to shine a spotlight on women working in tech,” comments Vanessa Vallely OBE, managing director, WeAreTheCity and WeAreTechWomen, who confirms the company’s strategic aim to highlight 1,000 female future leaders in technology by 2025.
“The response to this year’s awards has been fantastic and the calibre of entries has been outstanding,” she continues.
Adding to these thoughts, Craig Bright, group chief information officer at Barclays, the award’s sponsor, confirmed his company’s focus on improving gender diversity through a workplace environment and culture that enables its female colleagues to fulfil their career aspirations.
“For me,” continues Bright, “this means really investing in how we attract, retain and develop our female tech talent.
He describes recognising and celebrating female technologists as fundamental to closing the gender gap and building a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture across the industry.
Working with WeAreTechWomen since 2015, Bright adds that Barclays wants to help promote, support and amplify [female] voices leading positive change and inspiring others.
The winners will be announced on 10 October 2022, followed by an awards ceremony on 6 December.
Image and article originally from thefintechtimes.com. Read the original article here.