Computer Weekly announces the Most Influential Women in UK Tech 2023

Fuller founded Miribure in 2015. The company uses data gathering and analytics to promote strategic decision-making in firms.

She is also a founding ambassador of the FiftyFiftyPledge, an advisory board member of Tech London Advocates and Tech Global Advocates, and the TLA Women in Tech co-lead.

Fuller co-founded, and until 2019 was CEO of, incubator and accelerator Salaam Ventures, which focuses on assisting ethical startups.

Turner founded Angel Academe, a pro-women and pro-diversity angel investment group focused on technology, and is currently CEO of the group.

Turner is also an advisory board member of tech recruiter Spinks, and in 2007 co-founded consultancy Turner Hopkins, which helps businesses create digital strategies.

Previously, Turner was an external board member and chair of the investment committee for venture capital fund the Low Carbon Innovation Fund and a board member of the UK Business Angels Association, the trade association for early-stage investment.

Until July this year, Ash led technology innovation at PwC UK, and is currently co-CEO and founder of the charity, Tech She Can. She’s a board member of the Institute of Coding and, in 2020, received an MBE for services to young girls and women through technology.

Tech She Can is an award-winning charity with over 240 member organisations, who together work with industry, government and schools to improve the ratio of women in technology roles. It provides initiatives and pathways into tech careers across all the different stages of girls’ and women’s lives.

At PwC, Ash led change in the technology workforce, pioneering initiatives which saw the percentage of women in tech more than double to reach 32%.

Timperley is a freelance consultant and co-founder of Tech North Advocates, a private sector-led collection of tech experts who champion the technology sector in the north of England.

In 2021, she co-founded advisory firm Growth Strategy Innovation, which helps to grow startup and scaleup organisations, and is now innovation director for Oxford Innovation, which helps organisations develop ecosystems for entrepreneurs and innovators, in turn boosting local areas.

Named a Computer Weekly Women in Tech Rising Star in 2017, Timperley is also a board trustee of charity Digital Advantage and, until 2021, was a board member of FutureEverything. In the past, she co-founded Enterprise Lab.

Hunter founded Coding Black Females in 2017 to help black female software developers meet each other and network. Alongside her work at Coding Black Females, Hunter is a software developer.

She is an advisory board industry representative in University of Essex Online’s computing department, is technical director at SAM Software Solutions, and technical director at full-stack and front-end training organisation Black Codher Bootcamp.

Previously, Hunter was lead software engineer at Made Tech, and held roles such as senior software developer, lead Java developer, app developer and technical consultant at various firms.

She was named a Computer Weekly Women in UK Tech Rising Star in 2020.

An entrepreneur and co-founder, Brailsford joined Code First Girls as CEO in 2019 where she works to encourage more women into the tech sector by providing software development skills and education.

She is also a board member for the Institute of Coding, where she is focused specifically on diversity and inclusion, and is a self-employed commercial and strategy consultant.

Prior to her work at Code First Girls, she co-founded and was CEO of performance management firm Frisbee, which was part of venture capital fund Founders Factory.

Jennings began a new role at BT in 2022 heading up the group’s data platforms, helping to create new business models using data and artificial intelligence (AI). She has led the BT Skills for Tomorrow programme, which helps people across the UK use digital to their advantage. The programme has helped 10 million people learn digital skills and confidence with technology. 

She was previously the director at the Royal Household, and chief executive responsible for strategy and delivery of iDEA CIC, the inspiring digital enterprise award, and before that spent 15 years with the BBC in a variety of roles, including programme editor for BBC Breakfast with Frost and executive editor for BBC News.

She spent two-and-a-half years as programme executive for the BBC Academy, helping develop a leadership programme for senior creative leaders throughout the BBC. Jennings has also held roles at major broadcast organisations ITN and Sky.

Thorne is co-CEO of Tech She Can, a charity aimed at increasing the number of women in the technology sector, as well as a venture partner at Deep Science Ventures and diversity and inclusion advisory board member for the Institute of Coding.

She has a background in the education sector, previously holding roles as director of innovation strategy for the University of Surrey, and executive officer to the vice-president (innovation) at Imperial College London.

Lakhani founded Century Tech as a teaching and learning platform focused on subjects such as AI, cognitive neuroscience, big data analytics and blockchain, where she is also CEO.

A frequent speaker, she is a member of the UK’s AI Council, and has previously been a board member for the Foundation for Education Development, a board member for Unboxed 2022, and a non-executive director for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

She was awarded an OBE in 2014.

Sillem worked for the Royal Academy of Engineering for 12 years before being appointed its CEO in 2018.

Previous roles at the academy include deputy CEO and director of strategy, director of programmes and fellowship, and head of international activities.

As well as her work for the academy, Sillem is a trustee of EngineeringUK and the Foundation For Science and Technology, chair of the Business Innovation Forum for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), and CEO of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

An expert in diversity, inclusion and community building, Farooq co-founded Muslamic Makers in 2016 as a networking group for Muslims in tech, design and development.

As well as a freelance diversity and inclusion consultant, Farooq is a scout for Ada Ventures with special interest in edtech, healthtech and fintech, and a community manager for Big Society Capital.

She has an extensive background in digital and AI in both the private and public sectors.

As CEO of Nash Squared, White heads up the global firm which provides IT recruitment, technology solutions and leadership services out of 36 offices across the world.

White has a long background in the tech sector, having previously held roles as CIO and director of IT, as well as completing a degree in computer science.

Barclay has been with Microsoft for more than 10 years, holding several roles including director of SMB, general manager of small and mid-market solutions and partners, and chief operating officer (COO).

She is now CEO of Microsoft in the UK, responsible for the firm’s product and service offerings in the region.

She volunteers as a board member of the British Heart Foundation, and a non-executive director at CBI.

With a background in law surrounding telecoms, the internet and media, Wright now uses her expertise as director of not-for-profit The Institute of AI, as well as non-executive director of Playfinder and partner at Harbottle & Lewis, heading up the tech, data and digital group.

She has worked in the tech sector for over 20 years. Her team at Harbottle & Lewis is comprised of 66% female and 66% ethnic minority members.

Over the past year, she has been working with the OECD, WEF and the ITU, and is building a reputation in relation to the regulation of AI. She is also working with the Ditchley Foundation, considering whether the collaborative approach in relation to telecoms can work for AI regulation.

Currently a dealmaker for the Department of Business and Trade’s Global Entrepreneur Programme, Varley supports and mentors the programme’s tech founders and scaleups.

She is a serial founder, having founded tech entrepreneur community TechHub, editorial agency Online Content UK and acted as a founding steering committee member of the DigitalEve women in technology organisation in the UK.

Varley sits on many boards, and is an adviser for lawtech firm Legal Geek.

Mary McKenna is a huge supporter of entrepreneurship and startups, holding several roles as an adviser and investor.

Her social enterprise AwakenHub, where she is co-founder, is focused on building a community of female founders in Ireland.

As well as expert adviser for the European Commission, she is an entrepreneurship expert with the Entrepreneurship Centre at the University of Oxford’s Said Business School, and a board member for CAST, among many other board memberships and non-executive directorships.

Williams is CEO of inclusion campaign FutureDotNow which aims to ensure people are not left behind by the growing skills gap caused by digital adoption.

She is a member of the UK government’s Digital Skills Council, a member of the board of trustees for Transport for London and chair of the Good Things Foundation.

Prior to her current work, Williams spent more than 20 years at BT in a number of different roles, including programme director for sustainable business, director of tech literacy and education programmes, and director of digital society.

In February of 2023 Donelan took on the role of secretary of state for science, innovation and technology responsible for areas such as the Online Safety Bill, economic and national security, and the department’s overall research and development budget, amongst other things.

Prior to this role, she was secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for five months.

Her background is in marketing, having held marketing roles at firms including Sky and WWE.

Karen Emelu founded, and heads up, community Black Girls in Tech in 2020 to help support the black women already in the sector, and to encourage others to join the technology industry.

Her background is in user experience and user interface (UX/UI) and product/visual design, having held these roles in companies such as Prenetics, Lick, Accenture and Trust it Entertainment.

She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, and is a frequent public speaker on the subject.

Hirt joined Innovate Finance in 2015 as the industry body’s head of community, before eventually becoming its CEO six years later. She now heads up the organisation, aiming to drive innovation and transformation in the fintech sector to make it more inclusive.

She has worked around the world in a variety of roles, including acting head of corporate relations for Chatham House in the UK, head of membership for the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce in New York, and head new hire trainer for an English language training programme in Japan.

The first female to head up GCHQ, Keast-Butler moved into the director role this year after serving as deputy director general of MI5.

With a long career in security and defence, her previous roles have included overseeing the upkeep of functions that support MI5’s operational activities and the launch of the UK’s National Cyber Security Programme.

Whitehead is currently leading Ofcom’s input into the UK’s new Online Safety Bill using her background in customer insight, data and digital.

With a long history in working in entertainment and media, including roles at Channel 4 and BBC, Whitehead is currently chair of the…