WRD’s Lisa-Jayne Cook, and Stephen Gill amongst WeAreTheCity’s Rising Star 2022 winners
Now in their eighth year, the awards are the first to focus on the UK’s female talent pipeline below management level. Through these awards, we celebrate 100 individual female contributors that represent the leaders and role models of tomorrow. WeAreTheCity hope that by raising the profile of our shortlist and winners, we will encourage organisations to
consider how they strengthen the development of their female pipeline for the future.
The awards were entered by over 1,000 individuals and were judged by a panel of over 40 independent judges. Over 35,000 public votes of support were received for the 200 shortlisted nominees from across 115 countries
Lisa-Jayne Cook who chairs the World Refrigeration Day Stemazing committee is named a winner in the Science and Engineering Category.
Lisa-Jayne said ” “I am delighted to win this award, especially considering the calibre of the other nominees, each and every one is a real positive role model in their respective fields, for whom I hold a lot of respect. This award represents the progress we have made as an industry towards not only becoming more inclusive, but also towards becoming more visible to the wider engineering field and beyond. We are making great strides in elevating the RACHP industry, which will allow us to attract the best future talent and move more quickly towards our sustainability goals, as we work together across a number of different sectors to achieve Net Zero.”
Stephen Gill, founder of World Refrigeration Day is named a winner in the ‘Men for Gender Balance’ category , which celebrates senior men who are championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation.
Stephen said “I am absolutely delighted to be recognised with this award and be included amongst such a fantastic group of men doing such important work. Each and every one of the finalists are proving to be sources of inspiration for me as I hear more about what they are doing. I must thank the judges for honouring me in this way and proving that one can still be a ‘Rising Star’ even later in ones career. Age is not a barrier to making a difference. I am also delighted for the spotlight this award shines on the ‘cooling’ sector, which is so often overlooked.”
The awards will be presented at a prestigious ceremony on 14 July at Pan Pacific Hotel, Bishopsgate, London.
The list of winners showcases remarkable women within the UK from across 20 categories representing different industries and professions. Those highlighted include Ebinehita Iyere, founder of Milk Honey Bees, working with young people who encounter the youth justice system and those who are impacted by violence in the community; Chanelle Smith, a medical student who is an ambassador for the Captain Tom Foundation and features in the children’s book honouring Captain Sir Tom Moore; and law student Sheekeba Nasimi, who leads the legal clinic at the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of Afghans and all refugees in London.
The awards also include a Company of the Year prize, awarded to r10 Consulting. r10 is a management consultancy, focused on helping the global insurance market embrace change through business and technology transformation
The awards also recognise five Rising Star Champions, who are actively supporting the progression of women in the workplace. These include Kanika Selvan, Associate Director of Data and Technology at the University of Sheffield, the youngest member of her leadership team and a committed advocate for diversity; Sam Cooper-Gray, Global Head of Market
Strategy and Engagement at HSBC, where she advocates for male allyship across the firm through their global Balance network; and Marie Hemingway, founder and CTO of the award-winning not-for-profit, Speak Out Revolution.
The Awards once again celebrating women around the world with our Global Award for Achievement. This year’s winners include Anna Raduloski, who founded WomenTech Network, a woman-led and woman-focused organisation to empower women globally through mentorship, career development and networking; Aparna Saroagi, who is spearheading inclusive workplace practices at NatWest in India; and Jennifer Kent, a senior associate in Latham’s Washington, D.C. office, who is passionate about advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession
We are also celebrating Men for Gender Balance, which celebrates senior men who are championing women and gender balance either inside or outside their organisation. Amongst the winners for this year are Richard Pickard, Founder of Inclusive Search, an advocate for TLA Black Women in Tech and the 30% Club, and the author of the ‘Exceptional Female Role Model’s interview series; Lee Chambers, a psychologist, coach and founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing, a wellbeing and inclusion consultancy; and William Torrie who serves as the UK Deputy Chair for Barclay’s Win group and is widely recognised for his campaign for gender equality.
WeAreTheCity also announced their Editor’s Choice winners. Those receiving the Editor’s Choice award are individuals who have been specifically selected by the leadership team at WeAreTheCity and one independent judge. This award recognises their outstanding contribution and tireless efforts towards gender equality, both in the workplace and across wider society.
Winners include Preet Chandi, who recently became the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition in Antarctica; Ian Clarke, Founder of Deilight Consulting, who holds the Millennium Volunteers Award for Excellence for a lifetime dedicated to mentoring, coaching and counselling disadvantaged young people and their businesses; and Frances Scott, founder and director of 50:50 Parliament, who is a passionate advocate for gender equality of representation.
Dave Thomas, CEO Europe, Capital Markets & Wealth Management, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) said, “Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is delighted to be powering the Rising Stars Awards for the third year and extended our partnership through to 2024. These awards are critical to celebrate and showcase incredible talent across multiple industries in the UK, something
that is particularly important during these challenging times. Diversity and inclusion is more than just a value at RBC, it’s our strength, and it’s one of the ways we bring our purpose of helping clients thrive and communities prosper to life.
Vanessa Vallely OBE, Managing Director, WeAreTheCity, said, “I am so proud that for the eighth year running WeAreTheCity has been able to shine a light on the achievements of so many remarkable women across the UK. Our 2022 winners join a phenomenal alumnus of 750 previous winners who continue to soar, both professionally and personally. I am ecstatic
to welcome our 2022 winners to the WeAreTheCity family and to watch them progress into the senior positions they so rightly deserve.”
The 2022 awards are headline sponsored by Royal Bank of Canada. Category sponsors include an array of leading FTSE 100 companies and industry leaders: 3M, Accenture, Barclays, Bloomberg, The British Army, Citi, CMI Women, EPAA, Funding Circle, GSK, Highways Sector Council, HSBC, Lloyd’s, London Stock Exchange Group, Marie Claire, National Grid, Northern Trust, Oliver Wyman, Pan Pacific London, Reed Smith, Streets Consulting, Warwick Business School, and Wellbeing of Women
