The winners of the Bupa everywoman in Technology Awards have been announced.
Now in its 15th year, the awards celebrate outstanding contributions and achievements at all stages of the career journey – from girls and young women still in education to tech entrepreneurs, and from apprentices to C-Suite executives.
The 2025 awards ceremony and dinner welcomed over 600 technology leaders at The Westminster Park Plaza Hotel in London last week after the annual everywoman in Technology Forum.
The awards have celebrated over 500 role models to inspire and attract women and young girls into STEM careers.
They also aim to close the gender gap within technology, where women still only occupy 26% of roles and even fewer at senior levels.
A study of the everywoman in Tech community found that for 39% of women working in technology, the female role model deficit was a top challenge in achieving their career ambitions, with entry-level women recognising this in equal measure to women who have made it to the C-suite.
“Role models serve not just as beacons of achievement, but also as tangible proof that success is attainable,” said Maxine Benson MBE, co-founder of everywoman.
“Authentic role models provide the roadmap and the encouragement to navigate a successful career in an industry that needs diversity in all forms; thought, approach and lived experience.
“That’s why we need every one of these impressive finalists, and this year’s winners, to be seen and celebrated if we want to attract more female talent – now more than ever.”
The 2025 Bupa everywoman Woman of the Year Award was presented to Carla Brackstone, senior partnerships manager at London-based Kheiron Medical Technologies.
She is described as a ‘true game-changer’, using AI-powered breast cancer detection to save lives and has played a key role in introducing this technology to the NHS, detecting early-stage cancer in 11 women in Aberdeen alone.
The judges praised her passion, determination, and hands-on approach, ensuring patients remain at the heart of her work.
The 2025 category winners were:
AI CHAMPION AWARD – awarded to Dr Maryleen Amaizu, senior machine learning engineer at Chesterfield-based Redgate.
APPRENTICE AWARD – awarded to Grace Thomas, management consulting associate at London-based Accenture.
CTO/CIO OF THE YEAR AWARD – awarded to Amanda Barker, CTO & VP – IS strategy & architecture at Windsor-based Centrica.
CYBER SECURITY AWARD – awarded to Sarah Rench, global generative AI security director at London-based Avanade.
DIGITAL STAR AWARD – awarded to Shahzadi Awan, front end software engineer II at Manchester-based Booking.com.
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION LEADER AWARD – awarded to Rosanne Kincaid-Smith, former group COO at Frankfurt-based Northern Data Group.
ENTREPRENEUR AWARD – awarded to Samantha Payne MBE, CMO at Bristol-based Open Bionics.
INNOVATOR AWARD – awarded to Laurence Levy, founder & CEO at London-based MeditSimple.
LEADER AWARD – awarded to Sandra Stanley, chief data science officer at London-based dunnhumby.
MALE AGENT OF CHANGE AWARD – awarded to Ashar Khan, chief data officer at Oxfordshire-based SSE.
ONE TO WATCH AWARD – awarded to Joey Lin, student at Exeter’s The Maynard School.
RISING STAR AWARD – awarded to Jemima Abu, frontend developer at London-based WeMakeWebsites.
SOFTWARE ENGINEER AWARD – awarded to Anna Wilde, senior engineer at Burgess Hill’s American Express.
TEAM LEADER AWARD – awarded to Maddie Clingan, principal agile coach & agile people manager at London-based ControlPlane.
TECH FOR GOOD AWARD – awarded to Dr Sue Black OBE, Professor of computer science and technology evangelist at Durham University.
Zazie Carter, CIO group functions and CIO platforms and internal products BGIUK at Bupa, added: “Congratulations to the winners of the Bupa everywoman in Technology Awards! You should all be immensely proud to be recognised among such a distinguished group of women.
“The nominations showcased a tremendous amount of talent, innovation and so many amazing achievements. At Bupa, we’re proud to support these awards that celebrate the success of women in technology today, as well as inspiring the female leaders of the future.”