Sam Charles named finalist – 2019 FDM EveryWoman in Technology Awards

The finalists for the ninth annual FDM everywoman in Technology Awards, in association with The Tech She Can Charter, have just been announced. Taking place to celebrate International Women’s Day, the awards are a timely reminder that only 15% of people working in STEM roles in the UK are female and just 5% of leadership positions in the tech industry are held by women.

We’re honoured to announce that our Director, Sam Charles, is a finalist in the Digital Star category. The category is sponsored by CGI, and is awarded to a woman who is excelling in a digital role. This could include innovative digital content, social media, web development or developing online solutions.

Everything you need to know about the awards…

The 2019 awards programme’s rally cry is “Achieve, Elevate and Inspire” and this year’s finalists, whilst diverse in many ways, all have something in common – they do just that. With so many talented women and men committed to being role models for positive change, this year, the awards shine the spotlight on 50 of the most talented individuals from the tech industry, from the UK and internationally.

Focusing on the entire length and breadth of the tech talent pipeline, finalists range from the “ones to watch” who are under the age of 16 and already inspiring other children to study STEM subjects, to young apprentices, women in academia, tech entrepreneurs and male agents of change.

Digital Star Award finalists

On behalf of the judging panel, Maxine Benson MBE, Co-Founder of everywoman, comments: “The judges were united in their admiration and respect for the achievement of this year’s finalists. Without question, each of them has the ability to inspire more women and girls into a career in technology. Research by PWC shows that there could be a £180billion boost to UK GDP just by increasing female employment rates**. This shows just how valuable female talent is and why this awards programme is so important in ensuring that more women enter the industry.

• Kar Lok Chan, Technical Architecture Manager, Accenture, from London
• Samantha Charles, Director, Float Digital, from Falmouth, Cornwall
• Melissa Dunn, Head of Digital Product Development, Sainsbury’s Argos, from London
• Rebecca Ellul, Head of Strategy & Business Development, Digital & Tech Policy, Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, from London
• Monique Ho, Innovation Exchange Lead, BAE Systems Applied Intelligence, from London
• Esther Kieft, former Product Owner at Lloyds Banking Group, from London

The other FDM everywoman categories

The 2019 FDM everywoman in Technology Awards finalists are as follows:

For a full list of names, please visit www.everywoman.com/techawards.

Winner announcement

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 6 March.

For further information and to book your place, contact events@everywoman.com.