The shortlist for the 2022 Women in IT Awards UK, (WIT UK Awards shortlist) for the annual ceremony that highlights the work of inspirational women diversifying the tech sector, and their allies, is here.

WIT UK Awards 2022

With an impressive 250 nominations across 19 categories, it is clear there is renewed vigour in the tech community to advocate for the sector’s women as we learn to live with COVID-19. In this regard, this year’s awards carry special significance as they will be the first in-person ceremony since January 2020.

The judges have noted the high standards of this year’s nominees and their work to innovate the tech industry, making the task of selecting the winners an exciting challenge.

Judges include Joanne Webb, a senior business consultant and founder of The Girls Club, a networking group for influential women, and Jacqueline de Rojas CBE, President at TechUK, a trade association to help firms realise the positive outcomes of digital technology.

The shortlist in focus

As creating more female leaders in the industry is a way to increase gender inclusion and enhance female influence, the award’s Woman of the Year category, sponsored by Salesforce, is iconic.

The judges describe the ideal winner as a pioneer of diversity and someone who has achieved their business goals in technology.

In short, the 2022 Woman of the Year is “a woman who has demonstrated the highest degree of IT excellence, innovation and leadership over the last two years and shone a light on the great things women in IT can achieve. Candidates should have demonstrated outstanding business or technology-focused achievements and given examples of how they have actively sought to bring more diversity into the technology industry. ”

The shortlist is:

Amanda Brock, OpenUK

Belinda Parmar OBE, The Empathy Business Limited

Emely Patra, Salesforce

Helen Potter, SABP NHS Foundation Trust

Kati Arndt, IBM UK Limited

Larissa Suzuki, Google Cloud

Lisa Slade, Accenture

Maureen Robson-Norman, whyaye

Poppy Gustafsson, Darktrace

Rachel Habergham, NHS Digital

In today’s workplaces, it’s essential that underrepresented staff feel their voices are heard, with employee networks becoming more commonplace in businesses for this reason.

Therefore the award’s Outstanding Diversity Network of the Year is a key category. The judges describe this award as one that “recognises an employee network that strives to ensure the views of its community are heard and acted on to change the system. This network influences, inspires, and motivates its stakeholders to improve its members’ work environment and ways of working. It must be able to demonstrate a change in the way of working, process, or outcomes for an impacted group.”

Read the inspirational shortlist below:

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Network – Credera

Black Network – Deloitte

Women’s Network – NHS Digital

Minds Employee Network – Tata Consultancy Services

The Representation Team – Accenture

Women in Tech (WIT) Network – Unilever

WIT Group – Valcon

To advance minorities in tech and create a more inclusive workplace, proactive action is needed from firms in the recruitment, retention and career advancement of this talent pool. This makes the DEI Recruit and Advancement Initiatives of the Year category a crucial component of the awards.

The judges said: “This award will be presented to a project or initiative that has had demonstrable success in improving the recruitment, onboarding, development or progression of underrepresented talent. This may be a digital technology-driven initiative or project that has also improved communication, engagement and support and removed a significant barrier to change affecting diverse talent.”

The shortlist includes:

Raising Rebels Resource – Global Equality Collective

Aspire Project – mthree

iExcel Programme – Tata Consultancy Services

In the spirit of moving the tech industry forward despite the ongoing pandemic, the eventual winners will be announced at an in-person ceremony on Monday 28th February 2022 at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London, giving winners, nominees, and other industry figures an opportunity to network.

To view the Women in IT Awards UK 2022 shortlist in full, click here. The full list of 2022 judges can be read here. To buy tickets/tables for the event, contact Zanib Malik at zanib.malik@bonhillplc.com.