Ingvild Næss is the CIO of Schibsted and CEO of E-Tech AB delivering IT services across Schibstead. She is on the Board of Komplett ASA, an electronic consumer goods company, and Neddy AS, an ed-tech startup. Ingvild was named female media leader of the year in Norway 2023. She chairs the board of Feltgis, a startup focused on using data in forestry. Ingvild used to chair the Norwegian Media Businesses Association's data and privacy committee. Furthermore, she was appointed as a member of the...

Sarah Friar, former CEO of Nextdoor, soon to be the CFO of OpenAI, led the company to nearly triple its reach to over 92M Neighbors in 335,000 neighborhoods worldwide. Previously, as CFO at Square, she oversaw its IPO and $30 billion market cap increase. Her prior experience spans Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Salesforce. Currently a Board Member of Walmart and Consensys, she's also known for her Board contributions to Slack Technologies and New Relic. A Fellow of the Aspen Institute, and on...

Joanna Jensen is the founder of the UK’s number one baby and child personal care brand, Childs Farm, having created the brand in 2010 as a result of her own daughter's sensitive and eczema prone skin.  In March 2022, Jensen sold Childs Farm for £40m to PZ Cussons Plc Jensen is a keen supporter of other female entrepreneurs.  She is a mentor to a number of British SMEs through Imperial College’s mentoring programme and is a leading advocate of supporting female founded businesses.  She works...

Today we welcome Ruba Borno VP, Worldwide Channels & Alliances for Amazon Web Services (AWS). In this role, Ruba leads the AWS Partner Organization (APO), a global team responsible for recruiting, enabling, buying and selling with over 100,000 companies in more than 150 countries. Ruba also leads AWS Marketplace where AWS partners can sell their services and solutions to customers. Prior to joining AWS, Ruba held several leadership positions over the course of her six-year tenure with...

Ann Cairns started her career as a research scientist and was the first woman to work offshore with British Gas. She moved into investment banking in her 30’s and rose up the ranks in Citibank – ExCo Citi Global Transaction Bank, CEO of ABN Amro Transaction Bank, CEO of Lehmann Holdings and was responsible for the restructuring (with Alvarez & Marsel). After 15 years at Citi, she enjoyed a number of senior roles at other financial institutions before finishing her executive career as...

Lisa is Co-Head of Global Banking Coverage, alongside Gerry Keefe, responsible for a multi-billion- dollar business delivering tailored financial solutions to Corporate and Institutional clients worldwide through a comprehensive suite of services including liquidity and cash management, trade services, lending and structured finance. In addition, Lisa has global responsibility for the Institutional Client Group (ICG) and regional responsibility for Global Banking Europe. Lisa joined HSBC in...

Katherine Ainley is the CEO of Ericsson UK and Ireland, working alongside major mobile network operators and service providers to create world leading mobile networks and game-changing technology for millions of subscribers and enterprise partners. She is also a member of the leadership team for Ericsson Europe and Latin America.  Katherine joined Ericsson in February 2021 from BT where she held a number of senior executive positions for more than 10 years, including the roles of Managing...

Alison Hutchinson CBE is the CEO of Pennies, an award-winning fintech charity making digital giving affordable, sustainable, and feel-good. She is also a Senior Independent Director at DFS plc, Yorkshire Building Society and Foresight Group Holdings Ltd. Alison was previously a Trustee of the Charities Aid Foundation, Non-Executive Director of Aviva Life Holdings UK and AIL (General & Health Insurance), subsidiary boards of Aviva Group plc, LV=, and of LMAX Exchange. In 2016, she was...

Today we welcome Tracy Watkinson who is a Chief Operating Officer and Transformation specialist who worked in the world's largest investment banks for over 20 years, alongside a Non Executive Director career. She is currently the COO of the Finance Function at NatWest Group, and Board member of NatWest Trustee & Depositary Services company.  Tracy was awarded for her thought leadership in gender diversity receiving the Champion for Women Award at the Women in Banking & Finance...

I am delighted to be speaking today with Mary O’Connor, CEO of Howden CAP part of Howden, the global insurance group. She was most recently the acting CEO for KPMG in the UK. Mary has 30 years of experience in leading & advising financial services companies. She has held senior roles in law, government, public corporations and a Big 4 accounting firm.   Prior to KPMG, Mary held a number of executive and Board roles at Willis Towers Watson (now, WTW), where she was widely recognised as one...

I am delighted to be speaking today with Céline Assimon, CEO of De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark.  Celine has more than 20 years of experience in the luxury industry, specialising in watches and fine jewellery. She started her career at Richemont in 2001, when she joined Piaget North America’s Marketing team. More recently, Céline worked at Louis Vuitton in New York and led the commercial development of the brand’s global High Jewellery and High Watchmaking in Paris. In 2018 she...

Tina Fordham is a geopolitical strategist and advisor working at the intersection of geopolitics, financial markets and the drivers of social change. The first Chief Global Political Analyst on Wall Street and previously, head of global political risk at Eurasia Group, Tina has over 20 years’ experience advising senior leaders—from prime ministers and 3- star generals to the C-suite, institutional investors and the United Nations—about the implications of global political, security and...

We are delighted to welcome Maureen Wheeler, who with her husband Tony, founded the universally popular Lonely Planet guidebooks. Lonely Planet has printed more than 100 million copies of it’s 600 guides in 17 languages. Maureen is the driving force behind Lonely Planet’s philanthropy programs and created the Planet Wheeler Foundation. She recently received the UN World Tourism Organisation lifetime achievement award, and was awarded an Order of Australia in 2014. She has a Fellowship from...

Today we speak with Mandy Hickson, who has over 30 years experience within aviation. She joined the Royal Air Force in 1994 and flew the Tornado GR4 on the front line, where she operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the ‘No Fly’ zone over Iraq. Since leaving the RAF she retrained as a facilitator and coach in human performance factors. Drawing on her experience of calculated risk-taking, decision-making under pressure and the critical role of the human in the system, she...

Today we welcome Kumsal Bayazit, Chief Executive Officer, Elsevier. As Chief Executive Officer, Kumsal Bayazit is a strong advocate of research and innovation and leads Elsevier’s 8,600 people in their mission to help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. A lifelong champion of diversity & equality in science, Kumsal co-chairs Elsevier’s Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board and serves on the Elsevier...

Today we welcome Julia Streets, founder & CEO of Streets Consulting, a business development, marketing & communications consultancy advising a wide range of domestic & international fintech clients.   Formerly global head of communications at Atos Euronext Market Solutions (serving on the ExCo) and head of marketing and sales development at Instinet Europe. Julia is the host of ‘DiverCity Podcast’ ranked one of the world’s top D&I podcasts - widely recognised for her...

Today we are joined by Carrie Coombs. Carrie has become really well known in the UK and abroad for her ability to help executive, senior and high potential clients, teams and boards increase their leadership confidence and resilience in the context of personal, organisational and market transition. Carrie brings to her coaching and board assessment work experience from a career that has has spanned banking, investment banking, bank stock research and management consulting, including at...

Today we welcome Aleida Rios, SVP of Engineering at bp, leading engineering across bp's 3,000 discipline engineers globally. Aleida has spent 25 years in manufacturing operations/P&L, commercial development, technical innovation and engineering. Aleida is an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the first International Female Fellow of Latin descent. She currently serves on the Royal Academy of Engineering Diversity Leadership Group, the Energy Institute Council and...

We are joined by Christine Ourmières-Widener, CEO of TAP Air Portugal since June 2021, with a long career in aviation and one of the few female CEOs of a commercial airline. Christine previously was CEO of Flybe Group PLC, and CEO, CityJet and held executive roles at American Express and Air France-KLM. Christine is also on the IATA Board of Governors, NED at the Met Office and on the Board of ZeroAvia. Born and brought up in Avignon, she lives in Portugal with her husband, their 5 children...

We are joined by Tanuja Randery, MD, EMEA for Amazon Web Services. Tanuja joined AWS from McKinsey where she was a Partner leading business transformation programs in the tech & industrial sector. Tanuja has spent her career in strategy & operations at EMC, Colt, Schneider Electric & Apax and is currently on the board of London First. She has served on the boards of Proximus Group, Zensar Technologies & Save the Children UK.

Dame Anne Richards is CEO of Fidelity International & has worked in the asset management industry since 1992, including over two decades as an analyst, portfolio manager & CIO. She is a strong proponent of ESG investing & diversity & inclusion. Her career spans many blue-chip companies including: Alliance Capital, JP Morgan & Merrill Lynch Investment Managers. Previously, she served as chief investment officer of Aberdeen Asset Management & CEO of M&G Investments.

Keri Gilder is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Colt. Before joining Colt, Keri held several leadership roles at Ciena and was most recently Vice President and General Manager EMEA. Prior to Ciena, Keri worked in multiple roles for Lucent Technologies and she has also worked for Hughes Aircraft as a Network Engineer. Keri is passionate about promoting inclusion and diversity, also leading Colt’s Diversity Council.

Melanie Richards is a Non-executive Director of Morgan Stanley International, on the board of the Royal National Theatre and Chair of The Eve Appeal. Melanie was until Sept 2020 the Deputy Chair of KPMG UK. Melanie was awarded a CBE for her contribution to business and to the diversity and inclusion agenda in 2019. She is a founding member of the 30% Club Steering Committee, sat on the Steering Group of the Hampton Alexander Review and won the Outstanding Contribution to Social Mobility...

I am delighted to welcome Jacqui Ferguson, Non Exec Director of Croda, Wood Group, Tesco Bank & Deputy Chair of Engineering UK. Most recently Jacqui was CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services UK, Ireland, Middle East, Mediterranean & Africa. Her prior role was based in Silicon Valley working directly for Meg Whitman, Chairman and CEO Hewlett Packard as her Chief of Staff for 3 years. She is passionate about diversity & a strong advocate of encouraging girls into STEM.