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The 25 most influential women in UK IT - the Computer Weekly event

Computer Weekly is recognising the most influential women in IT - join us at a special event on 12 July to celebrate the role models for the UK's high-tech economy.

Bryan Glick
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Published: 19 Jun 2012 16:55

Technology is taking an ever more central role in the way we work, live and play. The future for the IT community is bright, and IT professionals have a unique opportunity to lead their organisations to a successful economic recovery. But IT itself faces a number of challenges first, not least of which is ensuring a workforce that has the skills, experience, and diversity to innovate through technology.

In a special Computer Weekly programme, we are focusing on the role of women in IT, to recognise the most influential role models and discuss the vital role that female IT leaders will take in making a difference to the future of IT.

To celebrate those role models, we are hosting a special event that will feature Computer Weekly's first list of the 25 most influential women in UK IT, which will feed into this year's UKtech50 list of the 50 most influential people in UK IT, to be announced later this year.

The event takes place on 12 July 2012, from 2pm, at the Doubletree Hilton hotel, Soho, London

We would like to thank our event sponsors JPMorgan and FDM Group for their support.

Judging the most influential women in IT

Our judging panel will select the most influential women in IT based on the following criteria:

Influence - What authority or ability does the person have – either through their personal position or the role they hold – to personally influence the development of UK IT, or to influence others in positions of authority?

Achievements - What has the person achieved in the past 12 months to help the development of the UK IT?

Profile - Is the person recognised as a role model for aspiring leaders? How widely are they acknowledged by their peers as an authority and influence on UK IT?

Leadership - Does the person demonstrate the skills and experience necessary to be seen as a leader in the development of IT in the UK? Do they have a leadership role and does that help them to develop the role of IT in the UK?

Potential - How likely is it that the person will have a significant impact on UK IT in the next 12 months? Will their authority and responsibility grow?

To join us for the announcement of the most influential women in IT, to hear from top female speakers about their hopes for the future of the UK's high-tech economy, and to network with your peers over afternoon tea, register at the event website here.

You can also vote for who you think is the most influential woman in UK IT here - voting closes on 25 June 2012. 

Speakers at the event, who will be talking on the theme of Making a difference to the future of the UK's high-tech economy, include:

  • Baroness Pauline Neville-Jones, former UK government cyber security chief
  • Elizabeth Varley, CEO, Tech Hub
  • Denise McDonagh, IT director, Home Office; director of G-Cloud programme
  • Fiona Capstick, vice president, Blue Harmony, IBM
  • Sarah Winmill, director of IT for support services, UCL
  • Carrie Hartnell, associate director, Intellect
  • Elizabeth Sparrow, former BCS president
  • Sue Black, Senior Research Associate, University College London; creator of the Save Bletchley Park campaign and the <go to> Foundation
  • Catherine Doran, CIO, Royal Mail
  • Jennifer Rigby, CIO, Department of Energy and Climate Change

Read more on CW500 and IT leadership skills