Tech
Scotland Women in Technology Unveils 2024 Awards Finalists
The “platforms for women to thrive” in the tech sector have been made clear following a record number of individuals and organisations who have been unveiled as finalists for the Scotland Women in Technology (SWiT) Awards 2024.
Announced during a showcase event at Morgan Stanley in Glasgow earlier this evening, 33 individuals working across 27 organisations in 10 categories were recognised for their efforts in elevating the profile of women or in driving gender equity-focused programmes within their organisations.
The awards, which have been refreshed for 2024, include four new categories: Mentor of the Year, Unsung Hero Award, Career Changer of the Year and Everyday Leader Award.
Amongst the new categories, individuals from Interaktiv, AND Digital, Barclays, Accenture, Amazon Web Services, Edinburgh Napier University, Nucleus Financial, Digital Skills Education and Lloyds Banking Group have been recognised for their passion, skills and dedication to progressing gender equity.
The Inspirational Woman of the Year category is particularly competitive this year where five awe-inspiring women have been shortlisted. Those nominated in the category include Patty O’Callaghan, Technical Director at Charles River Laboratories; Chelsea Jarvie, CISO at MDU; Yemi Scott, Founder of XRology; Hannah Fennah, Developer at Barclays; and Caroline Roberts Haritonov, Managing Director at Astrimar.
Silka Patel, Founder and Chair of Scotland Women in Technology said:“Each year, the judges and I discuss how difficult it is to create a shortlist for the awards. With over 200 entries received this year alone, we were blown away by the calibre of programmes and efforts to champion and inspire women working in the Scottish tech sector.
“This is not only a testament to more organisations recognising the value that women bring to the sector, but also demonstrates the fire in the bellies of those trailblazing women and their allies working with them to ensure they have a platform to thrive.”
The winners will be announced at a prestigious awards ceremony in the Radisson Blu in Glasgow on Thursday 7th November. Morgan Stanley will Headline Sponsor the awards this year and JPMorganChase are Gold Sponsor.
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Gordon Stein, Head of Glasgow Technology at Morgan Stanley said: “Morgan Stanley is a passionate advocate for women in technology and proud to be the headline sponsor of the Scotland Women in Technology Awards.
“As a company that has greatly benefited from strong representation of women in our senior ranks and a diverse workforce overall, we are excited to celebrate and recognise the achievements of women in tech across Scotland.”
| Category | Name | Role | Organisation |
| Mentor of the Year Award
Sponsored by Harvey Nash |
Jenny Björkman | Co-Founder | Interaktiv |
| Omowumi Akintokun | Student | ||
| Ruth McDonald | Product Lead | AND Digital | |
| Zhou Zhou | Agile Strategy & Transformation | Barclays | |
| Gender Diversity Ally of the Year | Krit Singhania | Technology Analyst | Barclays |
| Adam Pettman | Head of Innovation | 2i Testing | |
| Diversity Initiative of the Year | Caroline Laurenson | Managing Director | TL Tech Smart |
| Karen Stewart | Risk Manager | Morgan Stanley | |
| Louise Smith | Senior Technical Program Manager | Amazon | |
| Rising Star Award
Sponsored by 2i Testing |
Ayela Gilani | Software Engineer | JPMorgan Chase |
| Ainhoa Smithers Bernaras | Morgan Stanley | ||
| Ufonabasi Udak Umo | Software Engineer | JPMorgan Chase | |
| Melina Garcia Ayala | Art Director / General Organiser | Cyber in Schools / HubWorld | |
| Everyday Leader Award
Sponsored by i-confidential |
Kristy Moir | Business Systems Analyst | Leidos |
| Zanna Olestsik | UX/UI Designer Next Gen Engineering | Accenture | |
| Hillary Prather | Senior Software Development Engineer | Amazon Web Services | |
| Heather McCollum | UX Design Lead | Barclays | |
| Career Changer of the Year | Pamela Corsar | Manufacturing Manager | Epipole |
| Shalu Madan | System Support Advisor | Edinburgh Napier University | |
| Emma Antonelli | Programme Manager | Nucleus Financial | |
| Unsung Hero Award | Kirstie Steele | Project Manager | Digital Skills Education |
| Gemma McDonald | Software Engineer | Barclays | |
| Reshmi McIntosh | Product Owner: Digitally Safe & Secure | Lloyds Banking Group | |
| Inspirational Woman of the Year
Sponsored by Zühlke
|
Patty O’Callaghan | Technical Director | Charles River Laboratories |
| Chelsea Jarvie | Chief Information Security Officer | MDU | |
| Yemi Scott | Founder | XRology | |
| Hannah Fennah | AVP Full Stack Developer | Barclays | |
| Caroline Roberts Haritonov | Managing Director and Chief Consultant | Astrimar | |
| Inclusive Recruiter of the Year | i-confidential | ||
| Laura Blackwood (Hymans) | |||
| Harvey Nash | |||
| Judges Choice | Dionne Macintosh | Test Engineer | 2i Testing |
| Rohini Syed | Data Analyst | Barclays | |
| Bukola Popoola | Manager | PWC | |
| Amina Okhai | Tech Women Today | ||
Mark Napier, Glasgow Technology Centre Lead at JPMorganChase said: “JPMorganChase is once again proud to sponsor the Scotland Women in Technology Awards. We are looking forward to coming together to honour and celebrate the incredible tech talent we have in Scotland. This is extremely important to the ongoing success of our organisation and growth within the sector.”
More information on the awards can be found here.
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