WeAreTheCity

Nominations for #RisingStars100 2025 are OPEN! 🩷💜 Our 11th Rising Star Awards are here to spotlight the next generation of trailblazers across 20+ industries, powered by RBC - this is YOUR chance to recognise amazing talent or put yourself forward! Spread the word, nominate remarkable role models, or yourself! 🌟 Nominate today → bit.ly/RS25-Nominate Our awards are FREE to enter, open to women at non-senior levels (criteria applies), and celebrate achievements across 23 categories like #Technology, #Law, #Media, #ESG, and #PublicSector (new for 2025!). Winners receive exclusive development opportunities, including a knowledge-sharing day at Warwick Business School, CMI membership, and more! 🥳🥂 Need help with your nomination? Join us on 29 January at 12PM on Teams for our 'Award Nominations Tips and Tricks' session with our CEO Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE - this free session will guide you through crafting a standout nomination, whether you’re nominating yourself or someone else 💡 Register now → bit.ly/RS25-Webinar Thank you to our incredible sponsors for making this possible: RBC, Northern Trust, Maggie's Centres, Northrop Grumman, Warner Bros. Discovery, University of Warwick - Warwick Business School, Macquarie Group, Browne Jacobson, PwC, Reed Smith LLP, dentsu, Knight Frank, Accenture, Nomura, Chartered Management Institute, Barclays and Bloomberg 🫶🏼 Nominate now → bit.ly/RS25-Nominate

We hosted our Great Gender Networks Meetup at Accenture UK & Ireland tonight with 80 network chairs and leaders ❤️🧡 Featuring talks from Birgit Neu, Lisa💫 Goodchild, Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE and Simon Mitchell, our leaders explored how gender ERGs survive and thrive 🎯 Our meetup included action planning for combatting the decline of gender ERGs, as well as networking to build bridges between networks in leading organisations 🔥 Thank you to our wonderful speakers, guests and the hospitality at Accenture! 💕

Proud to announce that WeAreTechWomen's Festival is back for 2025 and it will not disappoint whatsoever. 300+ #WomeninTech making connections and learning how to excel in their careers from the very best! You can join us on 26 June in Central London. In Person and virtual tickets available - See here for our jam packed agenda - https://lnkd.in/ez-EuzDQ We have speed networking, speed mentoring, keynotes, panels and elective sessions in the PM. A big thanks to Cognizant for powering this event, and to our supporting partners, Northern Trust, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Bank of America, EY, DWP Digital, Oliver Wyman and Thales. If you want to be involved in some guise, pop us an email, Info@wearethecity.com Book your place here - https://lnkd.in/ex4x9JuK Over the coming days, we will be announcing our headliners. I would like to introduce you to the first. All hail the amazing, the incredible, Nishma Patel Robb 🪩⚡️ Founder & Chief Sparkle Officer, Glittersphere From commanding Google’s brand and reputation to championing women’s economic power, Nishma Patel Robb is the sequin-wearing revolutionary turning invisible women into unstoppable forces. While everyone’s talking about Artificial Intelligence, she’s pioneering what she calls “The Other AI” – Authentic Intelligence – because in a world of algorithms, she believes humanity, kindness, and empathy will be the real drivers of future success. As Founder and Chief Sparkle Officer of Glittersphere, Nishma is tackling some stark realities with serious strategy (and a signature smile): less than 2% of funding goes to women, the gender pay gap is widening, and women’s voices – particularly in influential mediums like podcasting – are being systematically undervalued and underfunded. Her response? Building a powerful platform that helps women own their stories, amplify their voices, and build personal brands that open doors and command investment. This isn’t just about individual success – it’s about collective economic power. Drawing from her experience as a Senior Director at Google (where she led game-changing campaigns like ‘Dear Local’ and ‘This is My YouTube’), Nishma is now applying her brand-building expertise to create a revolution in how women achieve visibility and financial success. A celebrated speaker who electrifies global audiences, former President of WACL, and Fellow of both the IPA and The Marketing Society, Nishma is connecting, inspiring, and guiding women toward greater success – all while proving that you can shatter glass ceilings wearing sparkly shoes. When she’s not empowering women or championing diversity in creative industries, you’ll find her perfecting her DJ skills (because who said disrupting the patriarchy can’t have a soundtrack?), hanging with her teenage twins, or taking inspiration from her Maltipoo Milly We hope to see you there for this awesome session with Nishma (and more to be announced) :-)

#OneTechWorld is LIVE! 🩵💜 Over 2,000 #womenintech are joining our global virtual conference to watch over 100+ speakers and 90+ sessions, network with women across the globe, and accelerate their career in #tech, completely for FREE! 🥳🥂 Globally renowned speakers and an inspiring group of #TechWomen100 alumni will share invaluable insights in our interactive sessions spanning a wide range of topics 💡 Our delegates have a whole range of interactive features to explore on our advanced virtual conference platform ↓ 🔥 Engage in session chats → Ask speakers questions live in their sessions and connect! 💡 Explore the Exhibition Hall → Meet industry leaders, chat live, and save resources in your virtual swag bag. ⚡ Network in the Chat Room → Introduce yourself, share insights, and grow your women in tech community. 🎲 Leadership Board Challenge → Earn points with different activities to win prizes! 🔎 Scavenger Hunt → Win £100 and a free ticket to our #WeAreTechFestival in June! 📸 Photobooth Fun → Capture and share your best moments from One Tech World. If you have registered, join us now 🚨 https://lnkd.in/dEsRkqWH

2 DAYS TO GO until #OneTechWorld! 🩵💜 You can still book a FREE ticket for our global virtual conference for #womenintech, to see this amazing line-up of speakers 🔥 Watch over 100 speakers and 90 sessions discovering emerging #tech and industry disruptions, from #AI to #Cyber, completely for FREE! 🥳🥂 → bit.ly/OTW25-FREE Since 2020, over 10,000 women worldwide have joined us at #OneTechWorld to learn, connect, and inspire one another in tech 🌎 #OneTechWorld empowers attendees to explore global tech advancements, gain essential insights, and build the skills and networks necessary for the evolving tech landscape 🚀 Join globally renowned speakers and an inspiring group of #TechWomen100 alumni as they share invaluable insights in our interactive sessions spanning a wide range of topics 💡 ✅ Thought-provoking presentations ✅ Career development panels ✅ Engaging fireside chats ✅ Robust networking opportunities  ✅ Dedicated hashtag ✅ #AI stage Our agenda is thoughtfully designed with feedback from our community to ensure it meets their evolving needs 🫶🏼 Book before it is too late → lnkd.in/dEsRkqWH

About last Thursday! I was honoured to join an inspiring panel at Let’s Lead the Future at the House of Lords, a fantastic event organised by LetsLocalise. A huge thank you to Gaurav Garg and Padmasini Dayananda (Padma) for the invitation and to Baroness Manzila Uddin for hosting such an important conversation. The room was filled with representatives from charities, NGOs, not-for-profits, and corporate organisations, all passionate about one mission—ensuring young people have the skills they need to thrive in the business world. Throughout the afternoon, powerful panels and keynotes explored social value, impact, and what we, as a collective, can do to drive change. Padma set the stage with a compelling statistic—there are 8,000 businesses in the UK and 2,900 schools. If every business supported just three schools, the difference we could make would be extraordinary. As part of the panel on The Power of Collaboration to Accelerate Skilling, I had the pleasure of speaking alongside Merinda Owusu (Infosys), Professor Maggie Atkinson, and Michele Bennett (Langdon Park School) - What a joy to meet you all. My key message was the power of collaboration. The room was filled with organisations that, by pooling resources, funding, and ideas, could create real momentum in equipping young people with the skills they need. Ultimately, we’re all working toward the same goal! I shared how WeAreTheCity and WeAreTechWomen have always championed collaboration - participating in hundreds of partnerships and creating events and forums that bring people together to explore ways to work collectively. No competition - just shared purpose. Because the truth is, we go further when we move together. Our discussion also tackled some of the biggest challenges in skilling at scale: ✅ Is the skill deficit and opportunity gap a crisis? (Spoiler: Yes!) ✅ The impact of AI on the future of work and what that means for young people choosing careers ✅ Why skilling efforts are still fragmented and how collaboration is the key to making a real impact ✅ The role of platforms like Let’s Localise in bridging the gap between businesses and schools ✅ The one thing we each committed to in order to accelerate skilling It was a privilege to be part of this conversation, and I left feeling even more motivated to continue driving change—because the future of work belongs to those we equip today. 💡 If you're in a position to support schools, mentor young talent, or help bridge the digital divide, now is the time to act. Who’s with me? 👏 PS, It was lovely to see so many of our award winning community and supporters attending this event, pure passion to drive change, lovely to see you Akua Opong CITP MBCS FRSA, Gill Cooke (she/her), Usha Kong, Sarah Tulip, Laura Helen Brown and Peter Mousaferiadis #LetsLeadTheFuture #LetsLocalise #SocialImpact #FutureSkills #WomenInTech #Collaboration

"The Women's Chapter® does phenomenal work to champion and support women in business, so if you’re serious about building a business or progressing your career, you should join this curated network of high-impact women. As a speaker and member, I have personally benefited from the connections, inspiration and profiling they offer and developed some very special friendships and collaborations along the way.” - Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE, CEO and Founder of WeAreTheCity 💫 Words like this set our hearts on fire and make all the hard work worthwhile. Thank you, Vanessa; we're so honoured to have you in our community 🙌🏾⚡ Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE is one of the UK’s most connected women and a leading advocate for gender equality. She has delivered keynotes to over 600 companies, inspiring 50,000+ women globally, and advises governments and businesses on attracting and retaining female talent. Honoured with an OBE by King Charles in 2018 and an honorary doctorate from Warwick University in 2024, Vanessa’s impact is widely recognised. In 2008, she founded WeAreTheCity, an award-winning platform supporting women’s careers, now serving over 80,000 members. Through initiatives like WeAreTechWomen, the Rising Stars and TechWomen100 awards, and National Women in Tech Week, she has celebrated and empowered thousands of women. Her book Heels of Steel chronicles her journey from East London to the C-suite, with a new edition due in 2025. With 26 industry accolades, including Women in Banking & Finance’s Champion for Women and a place in Computer Weekly’s Hall of Fame, Vanessa is a recognised icon for women in tech and business. Featured in GQ UK’s Top 100 Connected Women and the Evening Standard’s 1000 Most Influential Londoners, she is also a regular voice on Sky News, BBC, and Radio 4. We're delighted to have Vanessa as a founding member of our WomenLed Collective. Watch this space for more insights from our #femalefounders, or visit our website for more information ✨ #womenschapter #womenled #bcorp #bcorpuk #bcorpbusiness #bcorpcertified #reinventingbusiness #supportwomenled #womeninbusinessuk #womenbusinessleaders #supportwomeninbusiness #supportwomenuk #inspirationalwomen #womeninbusinessclub #womenentrepreneurship #femalefoundedbusiness #femalefoundedbusinessuk #womeninbizuk #empoweredwomenempoweringwomen #womenwholeadwomen #womennetwork #womeninspiringnetwork #womensupportingwomenbusiness #womenempowermentmovement #supportingwomeninbusiness #supportingwomenentrepreneurs

On Wednesday 26th March I will be talking to the great people at Autumn Live about the positive impact attending events has had on my career. Women in Data®and WeAreTheCity will be getting a mention! A perfect follow up to FIS great IWD panel event yesterday. Take 30 mins out of your day to join us and hear more.

Calling all ERG Women/Balance Network Leaders You are invited to join WeAreTheCity and Gender Networks at The Great Gender Networks Meetup, hosted by Accenture on 3rd April from 18:00 – 20:30 in London. Please feel free to tag/share this invitation with gender ERG chairs from your client and partner firms to help us bring even more diverse perspectives to the conversation. What are we up to? Bringing people together and building communities is at the core of what we do at WeAreTheCity. For 17 years, we've been dedicated to supporting and connecting leaders within Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) through our Gender Networks community. Originally established to help chairs and co-chairs of women's and balanced ERGs share best practices and navigate the creation and progression of their networks, our community has evolved alongside the ever-changing EDI landscape. Over the years, we have seen gender ERGs mature, becoming adept at navigating the twists and turns of an evolving world. However, the challenges persist. With the EDI landscape shifting once again, it's clear that these changes could impact the incredible work being driven by ERGs. Both I and my co-chair, Birgit Neu, are passionate about supporting ERGs, which is why we are creating a space for connection and collaboration that is open to all chairs and co-chairs of women's balanced networks. Together we will share insights and experiences, and collectively prepare for the opportunities and challenges ahead. We look forward to a vibrant, in-person discussion and workshop filled with new ideas and valuable connections. Important note: Participation is limited to two gender ERG leadership representatives per company. BOOK HERE: https://lnkd.in/eZA9dDJ5

HAVE YOUR SAY: Why are too few women progressing to senior tech roles and how can we change it? 📣   As industry’s need for tech skills grow, Oliver Wyman and WeAreTechWomen are conducting research to explore the motivations, roadblocks and enablers for women on their journey to the C-suite and other influential roles in tech and tech-enabled industries 🚀   If you are a woman either midway through your tech career or holding a senior tech role, please take 10 minutes to complete our survey and share your perspectives → owy.mn/41crx67   Your feedback and insights will help us identify enablers for different career pathways to retain critical tech skills to power business and personal growth 🩵    #TechSkills #Growth #TechWomen