FDM Women in Technology Awards 2013

Last week I was lucky enough to be able to attend the FDM Women in Technology Awards as a finalist. Although I didn’t win myself, I was bowled over by all the female talent there and the range of achievements - from founding award winning start-ups to creating artificial organs.

Here is a roundup of the winners.

Woman of the Year – sponsored by FDM Group
Eleni Antoniadou, Co-founder and Chief of Science, Transplants without Donors from London

Eleni is the founder of Transplants Without Donors, which produces "off-the-shelf" tissue engineered organs that are customizable for each patient. She has also recently joined the NASA Academy as a researcher.

Entrepreneur of the Year – sponsored by Alcatel-Lucent
Jennifer Sheridan, Founder & CEO, Togeva Ltd from London

Founded in 2010, Togeva is a unique Live Sharing™ Platform and API for mobile devices that allows people to create and share digital content. Jennifer is responsible for many roles, including leading technology development and design, general accounting and managing the team. She is actively involved in the startup scene in Tech City/Silicon Roundabout.

Innovator of the Year – sponsored by The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Joanna Montgomery, Founder & CEO, Little Riot from Newcastle

Joanna launched Little Riot, an interaction design company in 2010 – with flagship product ‘Pillow Talk’ originally created as her university degree project. This innovative technology allows couples who are apart to listen to the heartbeat of the other person. As well driving PR, Joanna leads on product development and oversees the entire company operations.

Inspiration of the Year – sponsored by VMware
Deborah Gundle, Founder/Director, Netbuddy from London

Without any prior IT experience, Deborah established Netbuddy in 2010, an online social networking community and crowd sourcing resource for parents and carers of children with learning disabilities. Since its inception, the site has received an average of 6,000 visitors per month.

Leader of the Year - in a corporate organisation (with over 500 employees) – sponsored by BP
Lucy Dimes, Chief Executive Officer, UK & Ireland, Alcatel-Lucent from London

Lucy joined Alcatel-Lucent in 2011 and has been at the forefront of driving innovation and growth in 4G, internet and web hosting services, ICT, managed network services and outsourcing, on an international scale. She has established the UK&I Diversity Forum, the UK&I ‘StrongHer’ network and introduced mentoring for women in a global talent pool.

Rising Star of the Year – sponsored by Cisco
Taylor McGhee, Integrated Supply Chain Specialist Apprentice, IBM UK Ltd from Port Glasgow

Taylor joined the IBM Apprenticeship Scheme in 2011 at just 17 years old, rotating within the main pillars of supply chain from customer fulfilment to supply operations. She is charged with helping each area improve their business processes and is an active Social Business Advocate within the team. Taylor also acts as a mentor for newly recruited apprentices and regularly attends internal networking events.

Team Leader of the Year - in a SME (with under 500 employees) – sponsored by salesforce.com
Tamara Lohan, Co-founder & CTO, Mr & Mrs Smith from London

Mr & Mrs Smith, an innovative travel website was co-founded in 2003 by Tamara and her now husband James after a disappointing experience with a hotel guidebook recommendation. As CTO, Tamara has consistently championed technology as a key differentiator for the brand, masterminding an array of technical integrations whilst leading and nurturing her team of loyal staff.

Lifetime Achievement

In addition, for the first time, a special Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Alexander Mann Solutions, was presented - to pioneering IT entrepreneur and philanthropist Dame Stephanie Shirley. This Award recognised her significant contribution to the industry, her game-changing influence and lifelong passion for inspiring and enabling women to achieve success in technology.